Project Church Overview Presentation

Click on the image below to download the revised version of the Project Church overview in pdf format (6MB).

Enjoy!

The Idea Behind Project Church

The idea behind Project Church is to be an authentic community where people can belong before they believe. Where someone can wrestle with doubts, explore why Jesus is such a big deal, and take next steps in living the life we are all meant to live. We believe church was never meant to be an institution but a movement based on the biblical premise of “Love God, Love People.” This is the church Jesus had in mind.

Project Church is a non-denominational community of faith committed to being big on Jesus, big on people, and changing the way people think about church.

We envision a movement of countless people fulfilling Jesus’ mission (and ours) “To go and make disciples who love God and people” through various expressions of church spread throughout multiple venues of all types, sizes, and vibes around the world- beginning in Rapid City, SD.

Check out projectchurch.net for more information.

Tags: Church, Jesus, missional church, project church, Rapid City, south dakota

Agility

Starting an organization from scratch makes you the little engine that could.  You chug along under the radar fueled by a shoestring budget and a dream. But when you’re small, you have an unfair advantage:  Agility.

Agility may be one the most overlooked aspect of organizational behavior.  To have that ability to maneuver swiftly to avoid obstacles or chart a new course at the snap of a finger.  In an age where speed trumps girth, agility is critical for long-term survival.

The same is true for churches.

Today, folks often look at some of the suburban monstrosities we call churches and shake their head in disgust.  People just aren’t impressed with size like they used to.  Even more, our churches are often ill-equipped to handle the climate of change we’re in and the transformation that’s looming in our culture.  The gaps between seeing the need for change to making a decision to take action to implementation is so vast a train could chug through them- sideways.

As a new church, I’m hoping we can be agile now to remain agile later.

We must.

There’s too much at stake.

Tags: Business, Church, Church Planting, marketing, organizational behavior, strategy

Family Rhythms

There are certain times in your life when you can tell that a page is being turned in your story.

I’m feeling it and so is the rest of my family.

Our family rhythm is about to completely change.

Starting a new church from scratch is certainly going to change things.  Our Saturday nights are now spoken for as is a change in my schedule to prepare for our gatherings and work on the church.  But that’s not the only change we’re experiencing.

My son is entering his first year of middle school next week. He’s excited about it but he knows that it’s a big unknown. It’s a big step that I remember all too clearly.

My daughter is entering first grade and subsequently, the first time she’s been in school all day.  She is also excited about it- but the pace is much different than her half-day Kindergarten schedule.  The hard part for her- getting up and getting ready in the morning.

Because both of our kids are in school full-time, my wife is starting a new gig as a substitute teacher.  She’s going to do great but it’s a change for her.  She’s primarily been at home with the kids and now is entering into a whole new world.  The good news is she still gets to be home when the kids are and can pick and choose when and where she’ll work.   She’s a bright and talented woman and I’m pumped for her to use her gifts.

If you pray, please pray for my family as we enter into the next chapter of our collective and individual stories.  There are bound to be lots of adjustments- but this season of our lives will stretch and grow us into the people (and family) we need to be.  Through it all I want us to remain tight.  To be the fun-loving family we’ve always been, cheer each other on, and embrace the change in our family rhythm.

I love my family.

Tags: change, Family

101 Nuggets for Church Planters

Dear Church Planter,

As I write, we are just over two weeks out from going public with Project Church. I’ve spent the last two or three years preparing for this.  I’ve read loads of church books,  listened to some amazing church leaders, and swapped stories with some very bright church planters.

And now that I’m standing on the edge of the next phase of this journey, I felt compelled to share some things with you that I’ve learned (so far).  Some of them I learned the hard way. For what it’s worth, here are some nuggets that might help you as you take your next steps in your calling.

1. Jesus is the big deal.
2. If you are called, you have permission.
3. These are your first three priorities: 1) Follow Jesus 2) Love your wife 3) Be a good daddy.
4. Don’t just plant a church; start a movement.
5. You’re not called to grow a church; you’re called to grow missionaries.
6. Don’t make the church your idol.  It’s easier than you think.
7. Study your Bible.  I shouldn’t have to say this, but…
8. Be able to explain the Gospel simply and clearly.  Start now by writing it down.
9. You have what it takes.
10. Don’t be a poser. A graphic tee, ripped jeans, and Starbucks isn’t what makes you cool.
11. In other words, be yourself.  People smell fake a mile away.
12. Read books and blogs but don’t get caught in the formula trap.
13. Speaking of reading, don’t just read church planting books.
14. There’s a lot of wisdom in the words of dead guys.
15. Meet with guys who are getting it done.
16. Ask questions, shut up and listen, & take notes.
17. The core task of any church is to go and make disciples.
18. You’re not an event planner. You’re a pastor.
19. Church isn’t a big show or a building; it’s a people.  Don’t lose sight of that.
20. Make friends with people who are far from God.
21. Have church planting buddies. You’ll need them.
22. Don’t talk about church all the time to your wife.  Pace yourself.
23. What are you going to say to someone who just lost their baby?
24. Blog.  It’s a way for people to get to know you and a chronicle of your journey.
25. Don’t be an arrogant prick. Be teachable.
26. You should be able to explain the vision on the back of a napkin.
27. Go with what God gives you whether much or little.
28. Be careful what (and who) you criticize.
29. You’ll get criticized for things you never even said or implied. Get used to it.
30. Check your motives. Why are you starting this church?
31. Understand that starting a church is odd to outsiders.
32. Rarely are your options this OR that. Often it’s this AND that.
33. Local pastors are not your competition.
34. That being said, don’t be surprised if some of them are jerks.
35. If you have a launch team/core group; love them, don’t use them.
36. Do you have a theological framework?
37. Your words are more powerful than you realize.  Even the ones you say in passing.
38. Your heart will break and people will let you down.
39. Be a man.
40. Start a church where it’s okay to be a dude.
41. Be a leader who develops leaders.
42. Pray without ceasing.
43. The stress will be great, how will you deal with it? (I gained weight).
44. Don’t go it alone. Surround yourself with a support system.
45. Practice loving people where they are and not just as they should be.
46. If you don’t give a rip about people far from God- do something else.
47. Careful not to feed the consumerism monster with your church.
48. Lighting, sound systems, computers, projectors, etc. are great tools.
49. But if your church depends on them to be a church then you’re not a church.
50. You starting this church is an act of worship to God.
51. Fight the temptation to do everything yourself.
52. You can’t force community.
53. Timing matters.
54. The DNA of your church is determined early on. Get it right.
55. Would Jesus agree with your mission statement?
56. Can people easily remember your mission statement?
57. By the way, you are a missionary.
58. Don’t take yourself too seriously.
59. God loves to use unlikely people.
60. If it all fails, at least you went for it.
61. Be resilient and tenacious.
62. Your kids will say, “My dad had a dream and went for it…maybe I can too!”
63. Evolve.
64. Here’s an equation: Love God + Love People = _________________
65. Figure out what you’re going to do with the kiddos.
66. Typical is boring.
67. Love your city. Love your world.
68. Your vision is probably too small.
69. Studying the culture is more than just watching TV.
70. Would you do this for free?
71. People are watching you.
72. Get used to asking this question: “What the next step?”
73. Just when you think you have all the answers, the questions change.
74. Be intentional.
75. Some people will laugh at you but others will be inspired by you.
76. Watch your assumptions.
77. Prepare- but understand that you’ll never been prepared enough.
78. GO!
79. Stand up for the ones who can’t stand up at all.
80. Time alone with a notebook, a pen, and a Bible often lead to something special.
81. Authentic people are led by authentic leaders.
82. Dwell in your city.
83. R-E-P-E-N-T often.
84. You will become very familiar with your strengths and weaknesses.
85. Don’t forget that a large part of what qualifies you for ministry is how you manage your family.
86. Laugh a lot and get your mind off churchy stuff.
87. It will be messy.
88. When was the last time you went to a bar or sat in the smoking section of a restaurant?
89. Be big on grace AND truth.
90. We are accountable to God for our churches.
91. Say no to good things and say yes to the right things.
92. Repeat after me, “I heart simplicity.”
93. Don’t stop dreaming.
94. Borrow ideas but hear from God.
95. There’s never enough money.
96. Only the Holy Spirit can change people’s hearts.
97. Sometimes you just need to unplug.
98. Where does your city hurt?
99. Despite what you’ve read, church is not all about Sundays.
100. Church all boils down to relationships.
101. Again, Jesus is the big deal.

There is so much more but that’s all I could come up with off the top of my head.   What would you add? What are you learning? What questions do you have?

Tags: Church, Church Planting, missional church, movement

Never Gonna Give You Up

This video cracked me up!

Tags: Barack Obama, rick astley, video, youtube

The Core Task of the Church

This week we’re examining the difference between Project Church and the typical church plant.  Check out the first and second parts of this series if you’re into this sort of thing.

Difference #3 - Our goal isn’t to get butts in seats, it’s to go and make disciples who get their butts out of seats and follow Jesus.

One of the dumbest and most irrelevant church debates today is whether a church should emphasize evangelism or discipleship. Are you kidding me?  That’s like arguing about whether a bird should emphasize laying eggs or learning to fly.

Unfortunately, the typical church plant falls into the same stupid “either/or” trap. I’ve talked to some church planters and pastors who tell me to be all about reaching people while others tell me that discipleship should be our focus.

Like most dudes starting churches, I’m very concerned about people’s eternal destination.  My hope and prayer is that the population of the Heaven would boom because of what God is doing through our church. But here’s the deal: I’m also concerned about their journey to their eternal destination.

The core task of the church is to “go and make disciples.”  Jesus said so.

But what is a disciple?

A disciple is someone who is following Jesus and learning to be more like him by loving God and loving people.

The first step in being a disciple is actually becoming a follower of Jesus.  As a church, we really want people to take this crucial first step.  This, my friends, is called evangelism.  It seems silly to state- but evangelism is not in opposition to discipleship- it’s the first step in being a disciple.

But discipleship doesn’t end there. Following Jesus is a series of next steps.

The next steps are all about our journey to the destination.  Following Jesus affects every nook and cranny of our lives. It’s a day-by-day journey of following Jesus around and in the process, becoming more like him until the day we see him face-to-face.

The vision of Project Church is directly linked to our ability to go and make disciples who love God and people.  If we can’t make disciples, we can’t fulfill our mission. Period.

Tags: Add new tag, Church, Church Planting, discipleship, evangelism, Jesus, project church

Sunday is Not Game Day

This is a continuation of a series this week about why Project Church isn’t your typical church plant.  Check out yesterday’s post in case you missed it.

Difference #2 - It’s not about Sunday

My friends in ministry like to refer to their weekend services as, “game day.”  I can see where they are coming from.  In general, it is a pastor’s primary opportunity to speak to their entire church and to maybe reach someone who far from God.  To my pastor friends, every Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday and I admire that passion and commitment.

But this brings up the question: What is the playing field?

For the typical church plant, Sunday is game day and church is the playing field. The rest of the week is spent trying to make Sunday great.  Trying to get people to the big show.  The people of the church will often follow the leadership and make Sunday the big day of their week too (and primary means of worship).

But I’m afraid that if we church planters (and pastors) focus all of our attention on our weekly gathering,  we’ll send the signal that it’s all about Sunday.

It’s not.  It’s about every day (including Sunday).

For years people have gone to church on Sunday, put their church face on, and then lived a completely different lifestyle the rest of the week.  The church has often fed that ugly monster by doing the same thing.  The result is a bunch of hypocrites whose lives look no different than the unchurched person next door.

But what if the church changes the signals it gave? Instead of making Sunday the big day what if we made every day the big day?  How would that affect our structures, our leadership, our budgets, our ministries?

I don’t have all the answers to those questions but I can tell you this: For Project Church, the playing field isn’t the church service, it’s the real life relationships beyond the weekly gathering.  That’s where the rubber meets the road.

Relationship with Jesus. Relationship with spouse. Relationship with kids. Relationship with friends and family. Relationship with peers. Relationship with neighbors. Relationship with the world. Relationship with one another. I could go on but you get my point.

Relationships are the playing field- not the big show.

Sunday is not game day- every day is.

Worship is a lifestyle- not an event.

We can’t just say it with our words- we need to lead it with our church.

Tomorrow, I’ll share some thoughts on destinations and journeys.

Tags: Church, Church Planting, missional church, pastors

Wild Goose Chase

I was thrilled to get a sneak peek at Mark Batterson’s latest book, “Wild Goose Chase.”

Batterson’s previous book, “In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day” was such a huge hit and had a great impact on me personally.  But if I’m honest, I expected “Wild Goose Chase” to fall short because the expectations were so high.   But I was pleasantly surprised as I read it.  The book is a great sequal to “In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day.”

• This book is great for the person who needs to reclaim the adventure in their life.
• This book is ideal for the person who knows about their faith but needs a kick in the butt to live it out.
• This book is motivating for the person who is sick and tired of settling for less than God’s best for their lives.
• This book is useful for the person who needs to dream bigger dreams and set larger, more audacious goals.
• This book is encouraging for the person who wants to be inspired by a real person who struggles with real life issues yet dares to live a life in pursuit of God-ordained passions.

Personally, the book couldn’t have arrived at a better time.  With less than three weeks until the first gathering of Project Church, it helped put some wind in my sails and remind me why I’m doing what I’m doing.  To lead others to live the lives they were meant to live.

I was particularly moved by this section:

“Some of us live as if we expect to hear God say, “Well thought, good and faithful servant!” or “Well said, good and faithful servant!”  God isn’t going to say either of those things. There is only one commendation, and it is the by-product of pursing God-ordained passions: “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:23)

“Wild Goose Chase” ends with a motivational manifesto which has become a trademark of Mark Batterson.   I suggest you grab a copy of the book and check it out.  Also, check out Mark’s blog to view more snippets from the book and other thoughts from one of the premier authors of our age.

Thanks for the words and inspiration Mark.

________________________________________________________

Summary

Most of us have no idea where we’re going most of the time. Perfect.

“Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something….

Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure.” –from the introduction.

Author Bio:

Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of Washington, DC’s National Community Church, widely recognized as one of America’s most innovative churches. NCC meets in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the city, as well as in a church-owned coffee house near Union Station. More than seventy percent of NCC’ers are single twentysomethings who live or work on Capitol Hill. Mark is the author of the best-selling In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and a widely read blogger (www.markbatterson.com). He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife, Lora, and their three children.

Tags: book, mark batterson, wild goose chase