"I will build my church — and the power of death will not be able to overpower it!"
(Jesus in Matthew 16:18, The Passion Translation)
7 years ago today, my family took a deep breath and cannonballed into the unknown by launching weekly worship experiences... the birth of the church we love!
Just like childbirth it was messy, scary, and even a little bloody... yet what emerged is beautiful and bringing Life to the Great Lakes Bay Region.
We started by renting theater and classroom space at Saginaw Valley State University.
It was a herculean task setting up and tearing down our portable church environments every week, but we got it done (even in Michigan winter!).
When you start something new completely from scratch, EVERYTHING is HARD... but it's worth it.
For the past 7 years, we've lifted up Jesus, inspired our region, and seen lives transformed by God's amazing love.
To date, we've seen two hundred and seventy-eight peoplebaptized at Life Church -- Holy Wow!
Every number has a name, every name has a story, and every story matters to God.
I CANNOT WAIT to see what our future days bring us as we continue to reach the lost at any cost!
Since our very first Informational Meetingeight years ago this week (!), Life Church has chosen to be known by what we are for, not what we are against.
Our culture is the secret sauce. We're all about Jesus: dangerously, obsessively, undeniably Jesus.
Culture determines behavior. In order to be the church we dream of, we must fight for our culture -- our unique flavor that propels us forward to reach the lost at any cost.
This is why I am committed to raising up a generation of fearless leaders in the Church.
The Church is worth fighting for. We must always rally around our shared heartbeat if we are to extend that passion into the world.
Being a Culture-Keeper requires thick skin and calcium in the spine.
Agendas must always be eclipsed by the Culture Code of your organization.
"For it is Christ’s love that fuels our passion and motivates us, because we are absolutely convinced that He has given His life for all of us.
This means all died with Him, so that those who live should no longer live self-absorbed lives but lives that are poured out for Him—the One who died for us and now lives again."
(2 Corinthians 5:14-15, The Passion Translation)
Heading into 2020, I have been working on codifying our original Culture Code. The words are nearly exactly the same, the passion is as present in my bones as on Day One, and now it's been distilled into 4 easy-to-remember big ideas.
For what it's worth, here is Life Church's 2020 Code:
HONOR: We are a generation of honor and integrity. We do not gossip. No insider politics. We are not competing with any churches. Full of honor and integrity, we will do the right thing even when it hurts. Our heart is to out-love, out-serve, and out-give those who misunderstand us.
HUMBLE: We will be known for what we are for. We will speak vision and life over our people. We choose to leverage humor over hammer. We will lift up the life-giving power of Jesus Christ rather than using our platform to condemn.
Movements move. We are not Atari, we are Apple, joining God's audacious movement of changed lives. We will always maintain a posture of learning new methods. We will always narrow the focus in all we do. We think steps, not programs.
HUNGRY: We are united under one vision -- to reach the lost at any cost. To reach the people no one else is reaching, we will do the things no one else is doing. We will do anything short of sin to reach people far from God. We will aggressively defend our unity and vision.
The church is a rescue organization, not a social club. We will not cater to personal preferences in our mission to reach this region. This is not a Yacht Club. We are more concerned with the people we are trying to reach than the people we are trying to keep. We are only as "deep" as the last person we served!
HUSTLE: Don't just stick your toe into the water -- Cannonball! We do it right and do it big! Greatness is never on sale. We believe undistracting excellence honors God and inspires people. We place a disproportionate value on creating a worship experience that boldly celebrates Jesus and attracts people far from God.
We are all about the numbers. Every numbers represents a person. Every person represents a story of life-change through Christ. Tracking metrics measures effectiveness. We will unapologetically celebrate life-change!
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin...”
( Zechariah 4:10 )
6 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK, I WAS THE ONLY STAFF MEMBER OF A 9-MONTH-OLD CHURCH START-UP.
My worship pastor had just quit and moved back to Florida.
We were meeting in a local elementary school as a portable church stuck at 60 people.
I was angry, discouraged, and our baby church was homeless.
A phone call completely out-of-the-blue from a Lydia of Thyatira (see Acts 16) led to a walk-thru of this former golf store in the shadow of Freeland, Michigan.
GOLF MANIA HAD BEEN IN AND OUT OF BANKRUPTCY FOR YEARS.
The latest owner had grown so frustrated at the lack of customers plus mounting bills that he abruptly locked up the facility one day and walked away, never looking back.
Bankruptcy is a funny thing: everything in Golf Mania was frozen in time.
The show room was still stocked with expensive golf gear.
Receipts were strewn everywhere from freshly-fired employees who never bothered to clean up.
WHEN YOU TRAIN TO BECOME A CHURCH START-UP SPECIALIST, YOU ARE SKILLED AT ALWAYS SEEING THE POTENTIAL IN EVERY PROBLEM.
The facility and furniture were exquisite.
I couldn’t believe this facility was just sitting here unused!
This facility was chock full of potential!
The facility tour was in December of 2013.
It would take eleven long, drawn-out-months before we could begin gathering inside the old Golf Mania.
2014 was a year of vision-casting to a dwindling audience, pleading with the Landlords to take a risk on our church start-up, never taking No for an answer with city officials concerned about Zoning, and intense fundraising.
I could have given up.
I felt like giving up.
Yet I didn’t.
Elisha said, “God’s word: Dig ditches all over this desert valley. Here’s what will happen—you won’t hear the wind, you won’t see the rain, but this valley is going to fill up with water and your army and your animals will drink their fill. This is easy for God to do!” (2 Kings 3)
THE WORD IMPOSSIBLE IS NOT IN GOD’S VOCABULARY!
If He has called you to it, He will see you through it!
Do not despise the days of small beginnings. Do not give up when you are in the very situations that are ripe for a miracle of God.
Once we opened the doors on a 24/7 leased facility (it was a huge step of faith; we could not afford the monthly rent at that point and I was scared!), the floodgates of blessings were poured out.
People started showing up.
Lives starting changing.
The facility was simply a tool for ministry… and our perseverance was paying off.
We were praying for God to fill our worship space in 3 years… …and He literally did it in just 3 months!
Never give up. Fight tooth-and-nail. Kill the doubts in your head before the Liar kills the dream in your heart.
In 2008 I attended EntreLeadership for the first time. Dave Ramsey said every time you read the story the turtle always wins. Every time.
SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL SAID IT BEST…
The great day finally arrived, and after the school's fanfare and acclamation, Sir Winston Churchill stood to his feet, acknowledged the introduction, and gave the following address, which is quoted in full:
'Young men, never give up. Never give up! Never give up!! Never, never, never-never-never-never!'"
Every church leader longs for their people to not just buy into the unique vision God has for their church, but to actually own the vision personally.
When volunteers choose to make the ministry their ministry, when ordinary people attempt extraordinary steps of faith for the Lord, and when the hearts of people in your church beat faster dreaming about what could be and whatshould be, the Kingdom of God moves forward faster!
At Life Church, the vision is to Reach the Lost at Any Cost.
We are all about Jesus - dangerously, obsessively, undeniably Jesus.
Our tribe is willing to do the things nobody else is doing in order to reach the people nobody else is reaching!
Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.
(Matthew 13:34)
Jesus always taught using stories that people could understand.
The Son of God connected spiritual truths with sticky stories that anyone could remember and connect with.
Since God created us with minds that are hungry for stories, I say why not reach people far from God by leveraging the Star Wars stories with the Christmas story?!
For example, our current outreach series is Star Wars Christmas - We're sharing the story from a long time ago in a Bethlehem far, far away!
When we first attempted this ambitious approach to sharing the message of Christ back in 2015, God gave us favor with the Associated Press and our reach was extended as far away as Time Magazine's Money, USA Today, and The Washington Times!
When D.L. Moody was attempting to reach street orphans in Chicago with the Gospel back in the 1800's, he did something extraordinary: He rented a Saloon for Sunday School on Sunday nights! To get children in the door, he offered free candy, pony rides, and pennies. And his outreach methods worked!
The only pushback Moody received was from religious people. Moody's response is my motto:
"I prefer the way I do evangelism to the way you don't."
What excites me most is seeing our Lifers own the outreach and running with it!
Nothing brings a bigger smile to my face than hearing stories of Lifers texting friends and talking about Star Wars at work as a bridge toward a Sunday invite.
Every invitation is an opportunity.
Every opportunity is one step closer toward the Gospel.
I had a BLAST sharing about what God is doing at the church I love, partying with Chris Farley, PLUS how EXCITED I was to open for LEE STROBEL at the Outreach Summit!
Jonathan says the two main ingredients to church leadership in the 21st century are laughter and love.
Laughter because comedy clubs are packed and our pews are empty; using the principles of improv-comedy can help church leaders unleash authenticity and the love of Christ.
That was preached and modeled by Jesus nearly two thousand years ago.
No matter what someone's upbringing, skin color, or background, every person is an image-bearer of God and is of great worth and immense value.
Jesus lived this out in a poignant moment after He rose from the dead.
The Scriptures tell us that after the Resurrection, Jesus stuck around for 40 days before returning Home.
Let me ask you a question:
If you are the Son of God and you have only 40 days left to show people worldwide that you're alive, who would you pursue?
Kings? Presidents? YouTube Stars?
I know that I certainly would not pursue a former close friend who had betrayed and backstabbed me.
That would be a waste of my time, right?
Not according to Jesus.
Every Person Matters.
Even the person who hurt you most deeply.
Enroute to the Cross, Jesus' right-hand man Peter had denied Christ three times.
Three times!
After the Resurrection, Jesus pursued Peter.
This is mind-blowing because Peter was a 7 day journey away up in Galilee, fishing and sulking with his buddies.
So get this: the resurrected Christ spent 7 of His 40 days walking north to Galilee, all for one person: Peter.
Every Person Matters.
In John chapter 21, Jesus comes upon Peter.
Jesus does not lecture, or point fingers, or give Peter the silent treatment... Jesus cooks Peter breakfast!
Because Peter had dropped the ball three times, we discover that Jesus forgives and restores Peter three times.
It's that third moment of restoration that gets me:
Then Jesus asked him again, “Peter, son of John, do you have great affection for me?”
Peter was saddened by being asked the third time and said, “My Lord, you know everything. You know that I burn with love for you!”
Jesus replied, “Then feed my lambs!"
(John 21:17, The Passion Translation)
Peter was a fisherman.
In his line of work, he had to pay a tax to Rome for every single fish he caught and kept.
This meant that fishermen would look at a caught fish and if it seemed weak or not good enough, they would throw the sickly fish away.
After all, who wants to pay a tax on a fish that doesn't matter anyway?
Jesus looks into Peter's eyes and basically says,
"You are no longer a fisherman who casually throws fish out of the boat. You are now a shepherd. In a shepherd's eyes, every single lamb matters because every single lamb is pure potential. They just need extra love, extra attention, and someone willing to take care of them and show them the way forward. A shepherd is willing to do whatever it takes to find and feed the sheep."
The Great Lakes Bay Region is a diverse region full of pure potential.
What ignites that potential?
Jesus.
And so we are all about making Jesus famous, one life at a time.
We are Kamikaze Disciples.
We want to make it HARD for people in our region to go to hell and EASY for people in our region to go to a Life Church location!
Trust me, it makes NO SENSE to essentially launch three church start-ups in six years.
The hours are long, the work is tough, critics are loud and the pay often averages less than a school teacher.
Yet that is what God has called us to do: Reach the Lost at Any Cost.
We are United Under One Vision.
Stewarding this vision has been my job since Amber and I began putting the pieces together for a new church start-up back in 2011.
Raising up leaders has been our concentration since launching Life Church on March 17, 2013.
Championing the reach of Life Church has been our ambition as God has graciously grown us into one church in three locations: Bay City, Midland, and Saginaw.
Even though I am free from obligations to others, I joyfully make myself a servant to all in order to win as many converts as possible."
(Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
I am proud that Life Church was the first church in Mid-Michigan to experiment with multiple locations.
If Every Person Matters, Let's Bet the Ocean.
I'm not here to play tiddly-winks.
I have zero interest in the status quo of a Yacht Club when God has called us to be a Rescue Boat.
We exist for the benefit of our non-members.
Playing it safe is too risky.
And our movement chooses to pray audacious prayers while moving forward at the speed of faith.
Life Church is less Atari and more Apple.
We will bet the ocean and not play in puddles.
I will not bring God my leftovers when He deserves my first and best.
Movements Move
If every person matters, then every Sunday matters.
That's the secret sauce of Life Church's incredible growth in such a short time: We will not surrender a single Sunday!
Every weekend worship experience is an opportunity to point people to the hope we all share.
Humor Over Hammer
My job isn't to lecture people or beat them up over their life choices.
I just want to paint a picture of what their lives could be and should be.
Following Jesus will make your life better and make you better at life!
We've discovered that humor travels further than hammer.
Make 'Em Laugh
Humor is our default in sharing God's timeless message in timely ways.
And now, it appears more people are catching on to what we're up to.
Our mischief as Kamikaze Disciples apparently caught the attention of Outreach Magazine, a national publication for church leaders.
Every year, Outreach compiles their popular Fall edition listing the 100 Fastest-Growing Churches in America.
Today they let the cat out of the bag with this article online: Life Church is on their list!
Dang it, We Just Missed the Top 10
Of course, it blows my mind that anyone would take notice of our feeble efforts here in the High Five State.
It's even crazier that we cracked the Top 20 in Growth for 2019.
I believe it's all because we serve an extraordinary God and we are a church family full of extraordinary Lifers.
The people of Life Church pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on them.
Our Lifers are incredibly special to me.
But dang it, we just missed the Top 10!
(kidding)
Dream Bigger
If I've learned anything in my faith journey, it's that I cannot out-dream God.
His ways are not my ways and His thoughts are not my thoughts.
I don't think God is impressed by our ranking on the Outreach Magazine list.
If we were the 11th fastest-growing church in America for 2019 with only a small percentage of Lifers ALL IN (both serving and tithing), how much faster would we be growing with 100% of Lifers ALL IN?
Healthy Things Grow and the choice is ours.
We can choose to be brave, trust God, and take our next steps forward in serving and generosity. That's healthy.
Healthy things grow.
Unhealthy things miss out.
God cannot and will not bless disobedience.
Hearts that are open-handed with their time and their treasures are what God multiplies and blesses.
So Here's My Challenge to our Lifers
1) I love you. I am proud of you. What God is doing here is special.
2) We can do better. Jesus deserves our very best efforts in changing the world, not our leftovers.
3) I am challenging you to go ALL IN on serving twice a month.
We've simplified everything so that serving is fun, easy, and exciting!
4) And yes, I am challenging you to take baby steps forward in generosity.
6 years ago TODAY my family risked EVERYTHING to launch a DREAM.
It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. (Romans 15:20)
It hasn’t always been easy. But it’s always been worth it.
