So there’s something that’s been bugging me, but I haven’t said anything out loud about it. That is, until I ran across this series of posts by J.D. Greear about revitalizing a church.
J.D. was one of the speakers this year at Advance09, and his talk was titled “Planting is for Wimps: Revitalizing a Church around the Gospel.” He admits himself that this title is ‘tongue in cheek’, since his church is actively involved in planting other churches. And I in no way believe that either, as several of my friends are planters and I have the utmost respect for them. But it brings to mind a specific observation: the perceived emphasis on church planting, to the detriment of those brave souls who are attempting to transition or revitalize an existing congregation.
Maybe it’s just me, but as I’ve attended conferences and listened to podcasts and read books over the last seven years it seems there is a plethora of information, support, and attention given to church planters. They’re the true heroes. The only brave ones. The guys down in the trenches.
And when I hear stuff like that, I think: man I wish you could’ve been a fly on the wall around FBC/RPC during the spring of ‘05, when I had people openly mocking me during a business meeting. Or the summer before when I was almost physically accosted by a member who didn’t like the direction we were headed. Or the time we had to keep my address private from one particular nutjob so he wouldn’t know where my wife lived.
To be sure, planting a church requires a lot of faith, and courage, and leadership. But so does transitioning one. Each experience has unique challenges. Each experience has unique rewards. And I’m no hero, by any stretch of the imagination. But I can assure you that transitioning and revitalizing a church also requires a good bit of courage, and can ONLY be done down in the trenches.
I heard Andy Stanley say recently he thinks the biggest issue facing the church is that all across America there are guys and gals starting churches from scratch, while down the road a completely debt-free facility sits unused and wasting because the congregation that meets there is dwindling and dying. He thinks the problem to be solved by the next generation of church leaders is for someone to figure out how to address this issue effectively. And I’m not sure how to solve this problem on a large scale. But I know there’s already a small minority of us out there who have set their hands to the good work of reclaiming a past kingdom endeavor and leveraging it for future kingdom impact.
But this is the side of point leadership that no one is talking about. This year at Drive, Lane Jones (NPCC’s campus pastor of Browns Bridge Community Church) related a story to me that reiterated this. After one of his breakout sessions he had a guy approach him and say that while he appreciated the discussions about ministry philosophies, most of it seemed to be geared toward planters. He really needed to know how to bring it into the context of an existing congregation and begin to transition it towards effectiveness. Lane had heard me talk about transitioning RPC earlier in the week at the NPCC staff meeting, so his response to the guy was “You need to find Timm Collins.” I’m not taking anything away from Lane or NorthPoint, because I was humbled that he recommended me, but seriously? If I’m your go-to guy then we may ALL be in trouble. See what I mean? This discussion isn’t on anyone’s radar, and I think it’s time to put it there.
Not to take anything away from church planters, but they’re not the only ones buying the books and going to the conferences.
How about talking to the rest of us for a change?