Learnings @ Leadership Network

Bill Easum interviews Frank Viola about Jesus Manifesto

(This is cross-posted over at Leadership Network’s Books Blog – http://books.leadnet.org  It is a good interview and I wanted to share it as I learned much from the interview)

My friend Bill Easum recently did a good interview with Frank Viola on his new book, Jesus Manifesto. Frank made a brief appearance on our Aha! Show this year, and Bill has been around so much we think of him as family. I thought it would be a good interview to share. and PS. I have read the book and it is great. – Dave Travis

Bill Easum Interviews Frank Viola on the new book JESUS MANFIESTO

I had a chance to chat with Frank Viola recently. You may recall, Frank has published some cutting edge books lately. Then along came Jesus Manifesto coauthored with Len Sweet, a long time friend. When I asked Frank if he would talk with me about the book, he was gracious to talk to me. Here are the results of our conversation.

Frank, it’s good to have you do this interview. I know our readers are to benefit greatly. What motivated you both to write this book?

For years, Len and I both shared a burden and concern that Jesus has been getting short-changed in many quarters of His church. In our observation, scores of Christians are excited about and majoring in things that are about Jesus, while Christ Himself is getting left out in the cold.

It appears that there’s a segment of the Christian church that wants to be the hands and feet of Jesus, while detaching themselves from the Head. Others want to bring attention to the work of Christ in the past, but don’t care too much about seeking His face or living by His Risen life in the present.

So we felt to do a project together that would not only give Christ His rightful place . . . that would not only exalt Him beyond the exosphere . . . but that would also unveil His breathtaking Person in ways that would re-introduce Him in a powerfully fresh way to many of God’s people, leaving them staggering to hunger and thirst for Him and Him alone. Our book seeks to bring together the atoning work of Jesus, the teachings of Jesus, and the Person of Christ into one enormous whole in the context of knowing Christ as our indwelling Lord as Galatians 2:20, Colossians 2, and Romans 8 vividly describe.

Let me give you an example of how deep the problem runs. Take for instance the four Gospels. A question sometimes asked is “What are the main themes of the four Gospels?” And so people will begin counting words and underling terms. “The Kingdom of God” is a popular answer. “Eternal Life” is another. “Salvation” another. But the governing theme of all four Gospels is none of the above. In fact, it’s as plain as the nose on an Italian’s face, yet we routinely and frequently miss it. (I’m Italian by the way ;-)

The theme is JESUS CHRIST.

What are the four Gospels? Among other things, they are the content of what Twelve men who lived with God in human form for a little over 3 years presented to a new group of Christians beginning on the day of Pentecost in the city of Jerusalem. They preached Christ to those new believers for about four years. They told the stories of what it was like to live with Him. What He said, did, taught, etc.

The first church on earth was built on a revelation of Jesus Christ. And that revelation is partly contained in the four Gospels. Yet we very rarely hear the four Gospels described in this way.

Let me go a little further. One of the things that has fascinated me as a Christian is the fact that Paul of Tarsus would spend several months with a new church plant in heathen soil, and then return after a year to find them still gathering under Christ and following Him. In fact, last year, I wrote an entire book about this very subject. The question before the house for me was: “What on earth did Paul preach to those people in the space of a few months to cause that kind of dynamic and sustaining effect?” Remember, that was a day in which there was no NT available, the OT scrolls were scarce and locked up in the synagogues, and 90% of those new Christians were illiterate.

Right or wrong, I believe that some of what we have presented in Jesus Manifesto gets close to what Paul preached. He called it “the unsearchable riches of Christ” in Ephesians – something we don’t hear too often today. We feel (and hope) that Jesus Manifesto gives readers a glimpse of some of those riches.

Tell us the story behind writing the book with Leonard Sweet.

In June of 2009, we put together a 2,400-word essay outlining what was on our hearts. We published it on the Internet, and it quickly went viral. As time went on, two things happened. Readers wanted us to expand the essay, and Thomas Nelson Publishers wanted to publish a book on it. So we began unpacking the ideas we had outlined in our essay into a 200-page book. It released a year later, June 2010.

What has the reaction from readers been so far, and how do you feel about it?

Concerning how I feel about it: To be frank, I think it’s a pretty sweet book ;-)

All jesting aside, I feel quite good about the work. Len and I both felt that a burden had lifted from us when we wrote the essay and particularly when we completed the book. The fact that so many influential Christian leaders from all different tribes have supported and endorsed the work has been a real marvel to me personally. (Readers can check out the endorser list at http://www.thejesusmanifesto.com/endorsements.php)

As far as reader reactions go, it’s beyond what I expected. Our goal in the book was to present a seismic revelation of Christ to the heart of every reader. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit is using it toward that end in the lives of not a few people. Consequently, many are saying that the book has changed their lives. Others are saying it brought them to tears as well as to their knees – this includes Christian leaders and pastors.

When people use words like “masterpiece” … “epic” … “a classic” … “breathtaking” to describe your work, it’s profoundly humbling and causes you to thank the Lord in amazement, knowing that it’s Him and not you. So I feel confident that God has breathed upon it, and I’m very grateful that he would use the likes of me, a very flawed vessel, to carry a piece of the ark so to speak. I’m very in touch with the fact that it’s not what we do that has any spiritual or eternal value; it’s what God does.

Reviews and testimonials are coming to us almost daily. People can read how it’s impacting other readers here.

What do you hope to see changed as a result of the book, especially among leaders and pastors?

I began following the Lord seriously at the age of 16. For about the first decade of my Christian life, I gave my life to Christian service. I did a lot. But something happened to me in my late 20s. I got a revelation of Jesus Christ that ruined me. My entire pursuit changed from serving Him to knowing Him, for I realized that I didn’t know Him very well.

Some of the mail I’m getting is by pastors and leaders who are saying the same thing: it sounds like this -- “This book has wrecked me. I now realize that I don’t know Jesus very well and I’ve been preaching things instead of Christ.”

My hope is that this same epiphany (if I can use that word) would happen to every person undertaking Christian service today after reading the book. That they would put it down and begin to make their sole pursuit and obsession knowing Christ in the depths. For everything else flows out of that relational knowledge, including Christian service.

Incidentally, we’ve just launched a new iTunes podcast that explores these issues in depth called CHRIST IS ALL. It’s free to subscribe and many young leaders are making use of it.

You've written a number of books on the church and God's mission, how does Jesus Manifesto relate to those previous works?

I recently write an entire blog post on this very question. Readers can check it out here. But the short of is that the golden thread that runs through all of my work on the church and God’s mission is the absolute and utter headship, centrality, and supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thus Jesus Manifesto is the thread that ties all my previous works together. It’s the hub and the rim while my previous five books are the spokes. In the same vein, Len has said that Jesus Manifesto may be the most important book he’s ever written. People can hear him talk about it here.

If you had one thing to say to a young pastor just starting out what would it be?

There are 3 books that I have written with every young leader in mind: They are: Finding Organic Church, Pagan Christianity, and Jesus Manifesto.

So my advice would be for young leaders (and those who feel called to the work) to read those three books prayerfully and with an open heart toward the Lord. And when you are finished, I'm completely available to talk to you about your impressions, reactions, and what you feel God is saying to you in response.

I'm on the look-out for young people who are gifted and called by the Lord, but who are people of integrity who won't take short-cuts in God's work. But rather, who are willing to prepare for their ministry the Lord's way.

I receive a steady influx of emails from pastors in their 40s, 50s and 60s who are burned-out spiritually and have come to conclusion that they didn't prepare for God's work in their youth the way the Lord prescribed. (The Lord’s way of raising up workers just about been forgotten in our time and it’s rarely observed today, unfortunately.) Youthful enthusiasm and youthful ambition drove them in their 20s, and now they feel they wasted much of their lives . . . and there's little fruit to show for it. Some of these men are (or were) pastors of large congregations.

So I'm always thrilled when I meet young gifted people who are willing to prepare for their ministry God’s way as laid out in the New Testament (the pattern is consistent from beginning to end). I’ve got one eye open for young people who are willing to throw away the calendar and spend their youth knowing Jesus Christ in the depths, learning what Body life is all about experientially, and learning a bit about the cross in experience. To my mind, these are the ones whom God will use mightily in the future for the fulfillment of His eternal purpose. Regrettably, such people are relatively rare today (I’m privileged to have some of them in my life right now). But I hope and pray that their tribe increases in the days ahead.

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Frank’s website contains a vast array of free resources on the deeper Christian life and the organic expression of the church: www.FrankViola.com – To read all about Jesus Manifesto, go to www.theJesusManifesto.com

Like Church Planting? Check out the 10-10-10 Initiative

I recently did an interview with Jan Greggo of the 10-10-10 initiative. They have some really great momentum building initiatives in church planting that I think you should check out. Here is the interview

DT: Tell us about the 10-10-10 Initiative.

Jan: We’ve all heard or read Jesus’ words, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” But what if actually lived that way . . . .as though we were ‘sent’ by Jesus, reproducing Christ-followers everywhere? Can you imagine the impact of believers intentionally reproducing themselves? What if every healthy church reproduced itself around the world? What a transformational movement that would be! And transformation is at the heart of the 10-10-10 Initiative.

DT: What is 10-10-10?

Jan: Using October 10, 2010 as an anchor date, we’re inviting hundreds of ministries to join with thousands of churches to transform millions of lives through a simple 4-week message series with the theme of Transformation. Woven throughout the series will be stories of church planting and people living transformed, missional lives impacting their communities for Christ. The message series and the supporting resources will be available in one location, the 10-10-10 website, www.101010initiative.org.

DT: Who can participate in 10-10-10?

Jan: One of the things I love about 10-10-10 is that it’s so flexible. You determine your own level of involvement and how you’d like to use the series.

For example, pastors are invited to rally their churches around 10-10-10 this fall by teaching the Transformation message series. They can use the series and resources available, customize them or create their own. Pastors can celebrate what they’re already doing, cast vision for starting a new church or simply help transform the lives of individuals within their church. Church planters are encouraged to use the series as part of their launch and have the added option of including their church plant location & date through 2011 on an Interactive World Map. That means others can locate them, pray for them or even join their launch team! Individuals can access hundreds of resources that will equip them to live ‘sent’, or take next steps to learn about church planting, maybe even join a team. Networks and denominations have great potential to exponentially increase new churches by using this fall Initiative for a focused emphasis on church planting.

DT: Is there a cost?

Jan: No, that’s the amazing thing. 10-10-10 is free thanks to leaders like Bob Roberts, Dave Ferguson, Ed Stetzer and others who are providing free Transformation resources. In addition, the Transformation messages from the 2010 Exponential Conference are included in the 10-10-10 Shared Library – messages from leaders like Mark Batterson, Francis Chan, Alan Hirsch, Reggie McNeal and others. Great stuff!

DT: What other resources are available?

Jan: The open-source Shared Library will include messages, small group materials, prayer guides, videos and more to be added throughout the summer. There is a Community similar to Facebook where users can create and connect with groups, churches and other individuals. And everyone can upload resources to share with others. In fact, those who join will immediately notice the variety of resource videos others have uploaded in the Community.

DT: How do I participate?

Jan: It’s easy - Just go to www.101010initiative.org and click Join. Once you’re in, you can explore the Community and view the resources. And check out the Planning Guides - they’ll help you take the next step.

So run over and check it out today. Click in to join like I have. And you can find Jan and other great church planting leaders there as well.

Dave Travis

Managing Director

Technorati Tags: Church Starting,Church Planting,New Churches,Exponential Conference

An Open Dialogue about THE NINES' Poll

Introduction: Last week, Skye Jethani, over on Out of Ur, made it clear he didn’t like our twtpick technology as a way of gathering names for Speakers for THE NINES.  I gave an explanation in this space and Skye agreed to run an excerpt. In order to give it a full hearing, we have exchanged some questions for each other. Here are Skye’s answer also cross-posted at http://www.outofur.com/archives/2010/06/an_open_dialogu.html#comments

I hope to post my answers to Skye’s questions tomorrow.

Skye Jethani, managing editor of Leadership Journal, and Dave Travis, managing director of Leadership Network, have been talking about the controversy surrounding THE NINES' poll. Jethani thinks it was a mistake--a poorly communicated idea that has deteriorated into a popularity contest among church leaders. Travis says its been a helpful way to generate new ideas and speakers for THE NINES online video conference. They've decided to have an open dialogue about the issue. Dave Travis has started by asking a few questions about Skye Jethani's objections to the poll. Later this week we'll be posting Travis' response to Jethani's questions.

Dave Travis: Skye – you really didn’t like the list idea at all did you? What was your main issue?

Skye Jethani: Based on the explanation you and Todd gave, I understand the list was intended to build buzz for THE NINES and to do some trolling for new voices. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that motive. It’s the execution that’s worrisome. The open source list has no instruction, no context, no explanation for how to participate, and no details about how you intend to use it. Anyone visiting the page simply sees a list of a few hundred Christian leaders with “like” and “dislike” voting options next to his/her name and photo.

I believe very often “the medium is the message.” The message you intended was one of open participation; you wanted to let the audience have a role in nominating and selecting the speakers for THE NINES. That’s a fine thing. But the medium you chose, this Twitter poll, communicated something very different. It encourages the ranking of church leaders with a simple thumbs up or down. It’s one thing to “like” or “dislike” a person’s book, sermon, or theology. But this site communicated something more, something you did not intend. It asks visitors to “like” or “dislike” a person. In my view that crosses a line and encourages very unchristian values. Again, I know this was not the intention but that is the danger of using a new medium without much reflection. As Todd said, “From the time I saw the application until the page was posted was probably all of three minutes.” Those of us responsible for leading leaders in the church should exhibit more caution when presented with a new medium.

That’s good feedback. I know you have seen some of our thinking now but my guess is that you are still uncomfortable. I get that. Share with the readers some of that queasiness.

Both you and Todd have acknowledged the way the list can be misused and misunderstood. You did not intend for it to be a popularity contest, although that’s how many have seen it. You’ve recognized the problem with the application not allowing you to post instructions, directions, or guidelines for voting. You’ve regretted the “like” and “dislike” language. On your blog and on Out of Ur you’ve listed the numerous shortcomings of the format. So, my only question is--why keep it up? Sure, its generating buzz--and I’ve become an accomplice in that through my objection to the poll--but any positive input it’s provided can be cultivated by other means (which I’ll discuss in a minute). So why not take it down?

One commenter on Out of Ur named Tim made a very good point. He reminded us that pastors face the “like/dislike” judgment every time they seek a new calling, every time they preach a sermon, and whenever a congregation votes them in or out. It often has nothing to do with his/her character, calling, or heart. Tim is absolutely right. Wonderful men and women in ministry face superficial judgments and popularity contests all the time, and over time it can eat away at their souls. As those seeking to equip and encourage these leaders, we owe it to them to not feed the widespread and destructive view that their values is based on such superficial things. Although not your intent, I’m afraid that is what this poll communicates.

We spoke about how Leadership Journal asks for input on writers and interviewees. Explain how that is different.

I know you desire to find new voices for THE NINES, and you want to involve more people in that process. That’s fantastic. No disagreement from me. In fact, that’s what we try to do when pulling together an issue ofLeadership Journal as well. We have two primary ways of accomplishing this.

First, we have a group of about 100 contributing editors--pastors from around the country, from a range of denominations, small and large churches, men and women, urban, rural, and suburban, anglo, African-American, Asian-American, Latino-American, some famous, and many not. As we begin working on each issue of the journal, we contact this group about the theme for the issue. We ask them two questions--what issues related to this topic should we cover, and what leaders/churches should we include? We often get referrals that our writers and editors follow up on. If we find a leader with a great story, a helpful bit of wisdom, or an interesting insight we’ll often include them in the journal. This ensures that each issues doesn’t just include the “big names” but also many “ordinary” pastors.

In the Spring issue of LJ, there was an interview with Francis Chan. We included him because he’s having a significant influence on may leaders in the church. But there were also fantastic articles by Doug Tegner, Brian Hofmeister, and Adele Calhoun--not exactly marquee names in the celebrity Christian world. We found these wise leaders by networking and seeking referrals. One of my greatest joys as managing editor ofLeadership Journal has been getting to know pastors throughout the country--extraordinary women and men with hearts for God and devoted to his work. Most are names you’d never recognize, but they’ve encouraged and educated me in many ways.

But there’s a second way we find great contributors--unsolicited manuscripts and queries. Every month we receive dozens, even hundreds, of queries and manuscripts from pastors around the world...and we read every one of them. Sure, many are passed on, but at least once a week we find one that really grabs us. An amazing story. A bold perspective. A fantastic idea. Not long ago we got a manuscript from Lieutenant Commander Bruce Crouterfield, a Navy chaplain in Iraq about what it means to bring the presence of God into the worst places. It blew us away! We published it. (You can read it here.) If we simply relied on buzz and popularity or even an open-source Twitter poll, Lieutenant Commander Crouterfield would never have been published.

In 1991 we received an unsolicited manuscript from a young, unknown pastor with a BGC church background called “One-Minute Maturity.” It was well-written, and Marshall Shelley, Leadership’s editor, saw potential. He published the piece and began cultivating the young pastor as a writer. Years later John Ortberg was hired by Willow Creek and has since published a few books.

Here’s my point. If Leadership Network and THE NINES want to find new, fresh, wise voices, there are far better ways than a thumbs up/down Twitter poll. Even if the poll produces some new names with a lot of “like” votes, there’s still no way to know whether the person has something meaningful to say. I’d suggest a more substantive process. Try inviting pastors to actually submit a short 3-minute video. Watch them. Have others you trust watch them. Find the best, most insightful, best communicators, and then invite those leaders to participate in THE NINES. Yes, it’s more time consuming than a web poll. No, it probably won’t get as much buzz. But I guarantee you’ll find some amazing, unknown, and brilliant people. And you’ll make THE NINES into a far more helpful online conference for the thousands who participate. And you’ll also avoid the pitfalls of the poll that you’re currently using.

Any surprises in the feedback to your original post?

No, not really. The feedback is a mixed bag. Some agree with me. Some think I overreacted. After blogging on Ur and other sites for a few years I’ve learned that people who disagree are more likely to submit comments then those who agree. You learn to take it with a grain of salt.

One thing we hear repeatedly on our sites and from our readers is that it’s wrong to publicly critique or disagree with the work of other Christians as in the manner I critiqued THE NINES Twitter poll you guys published. However, being in the publishing world means quickly understanding that writing books, articles, or even websites and polls is a form of public discourse. Last year I released a book. I’ve had some positive reviews, I’ve also had some very negative reviews. I don’t expect those who disagree with my book to do so only privately and one-on-one. Nor do I expect them to give me a heads up before publicly disagreeing with something I published. I wrote a book--that’s public dialogue and it means I open myself to public critique and disagreement. (Those in academia learn this well.) Leadership Network published a public poll, and the poll is open to public critique.

From time to time Leadership Journal or Christianity Today will publish a negative book review. The angry letters and blog comments flood in. We’ve often seen Matthew 18 tossed around in such cases. “How could you publicly criticize another Christian like that?” they say. “What about Matthew 18?” But that text is about rebuking a brother/sister for sin, not disagreeing with a brother/sister about an idea. For some reason people have come to think that agreement should be public but disagreement private. In the world of publishing, including online publishing, that’s just not the case.

That’s one reason I’m grateful for this dialogue. We obviously disagree about the poll. It’s not personal. It’s not ugly. It’s not about sin. Yes, opinions are strong, but they don’t have to be kept behind closed doors. It’s about what’s helpful and what’s harmful. And talking about the pros and cons of THE NINES poll can help us all learn and grow more. That’s what public dialogue, and public disagreements, are all about.

Just to make sure, you liked THE NINES last year, you just didn’t like the perceptions of the list. Right?

Absolutely! I was delighted to be a part of THE NINES. Given the tight budgets so many are facing, the idea of a free online conference is a wonderful service to many in ministry. And if invited to participate this year, I will without hesitation. I say keep THE NINES, just lose the poll.

Skye Jethani

Managing Editor of Leadership Journal

Eric Swanson on THE SHOW this week

Want to learn the latest about Externally Focused Churches?

I get to interview Rick Rusaw, Pastor of Lifebridge Church, and Eric Swanson, my colleague at Leadership Network – Tuesday on THE SHOW from Leadership Network.

http://theshow.leadnet.org

Eric and Rick have written several books together over the last few years including:

The Externally Focused Church

The Externally Focused Life

and their latest book, The Externally Focused Quest: Becoming the Best Church FOR Your Community.

 

I personally think it’s the best yet in their series.

I will interview both authors on THE SHOW, 4 p.m. Eastern time on June 15th.

And there will be time for some questions and answers as well so please join us.

 

In addition to the interview I will point you to the recent video from our SAGE Conference last month featuring Eric talking about how he would share the gospel differently as opposed to 30 years ago.

 

 

And yes, he really is a giant.

Don’t forget to join us at http://theshow.leadnet.org

Dave Travis

Managing Director

Leadership Network

New Leadership Network Videos

Take a look at the 9 short videos recently added to our ever growing line of knowledge products designed to help church leaders multiply their influence, impact and innovation in ministry (shortcut to all our videos: www.leadnet.org/videos). We also continue to add podcasts (shortcut: www.leadnet.org/podcasts) as well as new research reports and concept papers (shortcut: www.leadnet.org/papers). All are available for free download. We also sponsor three lines of books (shortcut: www.leadnet.org/books). We welcome your feedback on any of these resources.

--Warren Bird, Research Director, research@leadnet.org
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Toxic Culture Will Eat Your Vision: Sam Chand on Creating Culture

"Culture creation is the most important role of the leader," says author and consultant Sam Chand. He encourages leaders to work hard on creating the kind of culture in which a church can grow rapidly. He uses an acronym for culture: Control issues, Understanding the environment, Leadership bias, Trust level, Unafraid of honest and open, Responsive to needs, Execute wisely.
Length 2:26

Tapping the Influence of Your Predecessor: An Interview with Don George and Ben Dailey

Don George, the longtime senior pastor of Calvary Chapel in Irving, TX, joined by his named successor Ben Dailey, talk together about their transition, especially the trust they’ve developed. Both want the church to continue and grow. "He knows where the bodies are buried, so I don’t get in trouble digging up the wrong thing!" says Ben.
Length 5:01

"They Let Me Lead": Pastoring a Long-Established Church

Jeff Appling talks his 20 years as pastor of The Grove, a 208-year-old congregation in northeast Georgia. The unity he built with those before him has been a blossoming effect, "They lent their credibility to me and let me lead," he says.
Length 1:01

Bringing the World to Church
Mel Lawrenz of Elmbrook Church describes their strategy for mobilizing their whole congregation for missions. It happens as churches get face to face with people from other countries, he says. Through Elmbrooks International Center, they bring in international church leaders for several weeks, structuring many opportunities for personal interaction.

Length 2:03

 

Shifting Missions to World Class Cities: A New Ripple Effect?

Tom Mullis of Perimeter Church in greater Atlanta explains the “why” behind their church’s focus on reaching world class cities for Christ. In light of today’s globalization, they see these cities as points of greater influence than ever, creating a ripple effect locally and around the world. Perimeter works with indigenous partners for church planting and is already seeing a “leavening” influence for good.

Length 2:16

House-to-House Partnerships in Overseas Missions: Making It Highly Relational

Tim Senff of Crossroads Church, Cincinatti, Ohio, explains how their church has made overseas missions more personal with people from their church staying in homes of their counterparts in Africa, and likewise Africans coming for visits in people’s homes in Cincinnatti.

Length 2:24

Turning Missions on Its Head: African Churches Pray for Americans

Tim Senff of Crossroads Church, Cincinatti, Ohio, describes an unusual partnership his church cultivated with a cluster of churches in Africa. One outcome was that the African Christians put the American’s photo in their homes, praying that the Americans will be freed from the bondage of stuff. Another outcome: “Literally the floodgates of heaven opened up to our church.”

Length 2:34

The Unchanging 34% Trajectory: Looking for a New Future in Missions

Eric Swanson, director of Global connections Leadership Communities for Leadership Network, suggests that global missons in today's church needs to move from "average" to "great." The percentage of people who identify with the Christian faith has not changed in 100 years; it continues to be 34%. "A change in trajectory will not come from doing what we've done, but something different," he says.

Length 2:19

Questions We're Asking About Small Groups

Mac Lake, leadership development pastor at Seacoast Church in Mt. Pleasant, SC, discusses some of the key quiestions they are asking as they wrestle with how to increase the level of participation in the church's small group ministry.

Length 2:33.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Minute Roundup for April 25 – Exponential and More

Here’s the Three Minute Roundup from Exponential and more.

And I forgot to mention the Vanderblomen and Generis Party on Monday night and my day with School Superintendents from across the country on Thursday. More on that later.

 

 

Dave Travis

Managing Director

Leadership Network

Multi-site Church Launch Changes

Leadership Network recently hosted Rich Birch  from Liquid Church as a resource for our Multi-site JumpStart Innovation Lab.  The churches that participated in this lab had all recently launched a new campus - from nine months to three weeks earlier.  Rich provided some excellent insights about organizational changes that have to happen as churches enter the multi-site church world. 

You can listen to the entire presentation here or check out the following notes.

According to Rich’s experience with both Liquid Church where he currently serves, The Meeting House where he formerly served and interaction with  churches he has served through Multi-Site Solutions, the following things must change as a church launches their first campus:

1.  They must move from staff driven to volunteer fueled.

2.  They must engage intentional leadership development instead of simple intuitive leadership development.

3.  They must distinguish between the nice to haves and the need to haves.

Three other random learnings (Rich’s words!) include:

1.  Multi-site should not be the sum of your vision.  Rather it should be a tool to aid the larger goal.

2.  Churches often take longer to think through “campus three” than “campus two.”

3.  Audit and adjust the eco-system – measure and compare campuses for growth and effectiveness of the parts and the whole.

What are you learning from new campus launches?  Would love to get your comments.

Greg Ligon

 

twitter - @gregligon

email – greg.ligon@leadnet.org

Third-Culture Leadership

What is third culture? In the book The Monkey and the Fish: Liquid Leadership for a Third-Culture Church, Dave Gibbons puts it this way, “First culture is the dominant homogenous culture you live in. … Second culture is the culture of those who aren’t quite comfortable with the first culture and often react to the first culture’s ways, maybe even rejecting their parents’ home culture. Third culture is being able to live in both first and second culture, and even adopt an entirely different culture.”

Dave’s book, which recently received two awards from Christianity Today, has been out for just over a year, so I asked him, “What have you learned about third-culture leadership since your book came out last February?”  Here was his response:

1) Third culture leadership is growing throughout the world.

2) There are systems, structures and nomenclature that can keep people from being liquid, third culture leaders.

3) Third culture in two words is: painful adaptation

4) Third culture is biblically rooted in the way Jesus relates to the world (John 1), Paul relates to humanity (I’m all things to all men) and our calling to be servants, extraordinary lovers of people.

If you haven’t already, download a free chapter of The Monkey and the Fish to read more, then order your copy. You can learn more about Dave at his blog (http://davegibbons.tv/) or by following @davegibbons on Twitter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stephanie Plagens is the Publications Manager for Leadership Network.

Multi-site Churches and Central Support Teams

I recently spent some time with Kevin Penry from LifeChurch.tv   where he was serving as a coach/consultant for eight multi-site churches participating in Leadership Network’s Multi-site JumpStart InnovationLab.  During one of the breaks I asked Kevin to tell me about the greatest challenge for him as the multi-site ministry at LifeChurch.tv had grown over the last several years.  In this video, he shares how he and the central team stay engaged “on-the-ground” as they serve campuses literally around the world.

 

If your church has launched your first multi-site campus in the last six to eight months, you may be interested in applying to be a part of the next Multi-site JumpStart InnovationLab.  Applications can be requested from julia.burk@leadnet.org or downloaded at Multi-site JumpStart InnovationLab.  

 

Greg Ligon

Leadership Network

twitter – gregligon

email – greg.ligon@leadnet.org

How one multi-site church merged into another multi-site church

Watch this video interview with Charles Lee, Pastor of New Hope South Bay, which is a multi-site church in 2 locations, that recently merged into NewSong Church, one church in multiple locations, currently in Irvine, North Orange County, Los Angeles, Dallas, Mexico City, Bangkok, London. In the video, Charles also talks about the key issues that New Hope had to work through in this merger process. New Hope South Bay retains its church name and governance, even its denomination. So this may be one of the first multi-denominational multi-site churches.

What I find unique about this particular model of a multi-site church is how it operates as one church in multiple locations through relational connections rather than organizational management. Could this redefine and broaden the multi-site church strategy and models even further?

-- DJ CHUANG, Director at Leadership Community