Myth: There is Such a Thing as A “Typical” Church Planter

<image courtesy of carbonNYC @ Flickr>

I have never met a ‘typical’ church planter.

Sure, assessment helps determine whether someone has a demonstrable history of the kind of gifting and passion needed to help find success in a planting endeavor, but beyond certain gifts, history, and focus, it seems there’s no real ‘church planter’ mold.

In most of the circles I engage, it seems someone who is an ‘ideal fit’ for church planting is a young, good looking, tech-savvy, trendy, incredibly oratorically gifted, overwhelmingly catalytic guy.  But the real, flesh-and-bone church planters I know are different. They are women. They are men. They are younger.  They are older.  They are passionate.

But they aren’t the people you would probably chase down to start a new church.

Maybe I’m looking at this too much through my own eyes–when I think of me being involved in the church planting adventure, I see all the reasons I shouldn’t be here: I am too broken, too fat, too geeky, too awkward to be a church planter.

But, so far, those things haven’t really disqualified me.

In fact, I think God can use me to engage other broken, fat, geeky, awkward people in a way a ‘typical’ church planter may not.

I guess what I’m trying to say is this: Don’t let what you think you need keep you from pursuing a ministry God might have for you. He has a Great Adventure for you, if only you’ll jump in with both feet and let him use you…whoever/however you are.

Doing the right thing…

…isn’t always easy.  There are times and circumstances that we face which when right and wrong are more like shades of gray than they are black and white.  There are those moments when a choice presents itself when both (or all!) options seem more than ‘okay;’ times when we have to decide about jobs, health procedures, organizational strategy, whether to stay or go in any number of things, or the best course of action for a loved one and their future… and the details, options, and consequences are anything but simple.

In Joshua 9 & 10, there are principles demonstrated to the reader about how to handle those times when we don’t know what the ‘right thing to do’ is.  The people of Israel are in the midst of a progressive military campaign as they work to conquer & claim land promised in generations past.  They have faced and overcome many obstacles; individuals have risked their own lives and families for the sake of a greater cause; all the while God has shown he alone is the Leader, Provider, and Conqueror.

Word comes to these same people that an army unlike anything they had faced thus far had amassed… and is heading directly toward their position.  Israel’s battle tacticians and warrior-leader, Joshua, begin planning strategy, knowing there are many battles which still lie ahead… and that if they can’t deal with the obstacle heading their way, all will be lost.

In this midst of this, a band of tired, road-weary, seemingly desperate travelers comes their way seeking a treaty of peace.  And the Joshua, the Israelites, (and us, too!) learn some hard lessons in doing the right thing.  Over the next few Joshua posts, we’ll discover what some of those lessons are.

Victory: More than a Miracle

fireworks<image courtesy of Image*After>

After the Israelites have crossed into enemy territory and prepared themselves for battle in some pretty interesting ways, it’s time to overcome the obstacle of Jericho—a fortified city with some strategic importance.  If you’re at all familiar with the story of the Battle of Jericho, you know the ‘highlight’ is when the  walls collapse, leaving a once impregnable fortress ready for the taking.  It’s an incredible picture of God demonstrating his divine power over the human effort of the people of Jericho.  But this ‘flashy move’ of God isn’t where the Israelites find victory.  In fact, far from it:

Josh 6:1-5

1 Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

2 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

Even after the wall was destroyed, the Israelites still had to quickly move in to fight so that the people of Jericho wouldn’t escape and the Israelite army wouldn’t be routed.  Even though God had moved in an unmistakable way, there was still danger involved for Joshua and his people: as said before, Jericho knew the Israelites were coming, so they were prepared and anxious for a fight.

In our own lives, we often look for a miraculous, overwhelming, shock-and-awe end to our struggle.  We wish God would just *zap* our enemies and troubles away.  We forget that most of the time, however, when God shows his miraculous power or performs a miracle of such incredible wonder there is no doubt it has been his hand at work, you and I still have a part to play.  Even when God does something huge which demonstrates he is with us, that he has already made a way, that he is for us rather than against us… the ‘us’ factor still remains in the equation: for the Israelites it’s seen in the fact that the power of God destroying the walls of Jericho did not mitigate the responsibility of military to move in and overtake the city.

In the areas of our lives where we are crying out for victory, it’s important to question if we have simply asked God to *zap* our problems away, or if we have asked to be equipped to face the challenges at hand in his way so we can be prepared for the next part of our journey without avoiding this part of our journey.  The difference here is profound:

  • “God, fix my family.” Vs. “God, help me to love my family the way you love them and transform us by your Spirit to being more like you.”
  • “God, give me a better boss.” Vs. “God, help me to honor you and my leadership as an employee.”
  • “God, fix my finances.” Vs. “God, please teach me the way to be the kind of money-manager you call me to be.”

It’s a difference between a ‘genie-in-a-bottle’ kind of God and the God of the Universe who is able to work all things (including the battles we face, and the dark aspects of our journey) for his glory and the praise of his Great Name.

Would the Israelites have won the Jericho battle without God’s miraculous hand at work?  Absolutely not.  Would they have won if they refused to their part?  Nope.

Labor Day Reminder

1 Corinthians 15:

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Ready for Battle: Provision

Medium Corn<image courtesy of Lawrence Op>

We all face moments during life’s many battles when we come to the incontrovertible realization that we just do not have what it takes to push through:

…the obstacles are too big
…circumstaces are too hard
…finances are too tight
…we’re sorely outnumbered
…and, most disconcerting of all, hope seems too far gone.

God knew the people of Israel would face these same things as they went about the impossible business of conquering the land they had been promised and later began the process of nation building.  So, it’s interesting that before they fight the battle for the strategically significant city-state of Jericho, the Israelites find themselves being reminded of God’s power, and are in a situation where they must trust God’s plan of action even though it couldn’t have made too much sense at the time when this happens:

Joshua 5:
10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12 The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan.   (TNIV)

The Passover was a celebration of God’s provision of rescue, safety, and leadership.  Then for the first time, after this importrant celebration, the people eat of the land around them.  THIS IS INCREDIBLY SIGNIFICANT—for forty years, the people had eaten strange breadlike stuff called “What Is It?” (manna) as God daily provided for every detail including food and clothing-—daily provision which served as a daily reminder that God and no one else was actually doing the providing.

But here’s the deal:

Something happens when we have experienced God’s provision—we expect the next time his provision comes, it will be in the same manner of before.  So, we do the same things, pray the same prayers, and try to break God’s provision and grace down into a formula of words and activity.  Yet that simply isn’t what we see, nor what we should expect.

What if the Israelites had waited for manna in the new land?

THEY WOULD HAVE STARVED.

Instead, God provided now for the Israelites from this new land itself.  Don’t be mistaken; though the provision came off the land, God was just as much providing animals for meat, and plants for harvest as much as he sent manna like rain and quail like an invading horde in the desert.

I don’t know what battles you’re facing today… and I don’t know in what ways you are crying out to heaven for provision.  But I do know this as I fight and wait with you: God is our provider.  He has granted provision and will continue to do so simply because he loves us; but we must recognize he will not always provide in the way we expect, desire, or have seen before.

Provision and rescue are coming.  We just need to be cautious that we aren’t looking for manna and quail when God is giving us a new way.  Remember how God has provided in the past, and anticipate his movement… in his much-higher-than-ours way.

CPAC Reflection: Fear

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As I’ve spoken to people who have experienced the Assessment Center, and to people who are a little timid about going—I’ve been struck by the discussion on how nervous they were in coming into Assessment.  You can count me among them: part of being nervous is the fear of the unknown, and part of it has to do with a misconception of ‘how much is riding’ on a person’s performance.  Here are some things which might help in settle your own nerves if you’re thinking of attending.

First of all, the Assessment Center is not the end-all of church planting. There’s a fear that enters when we think of being assessed as pass/fail or somehow having to perform well in order to ‘advance.’  The assessors make it very clear that their assessment is simply a recommendation; whatever agency the potential planter will be working with still has to make the call about who will be planting and what that will look like within their own paradigm.  As said before, I personally think your best bet is to view any kind of assessment as a tool for discerning how God wired you… so a ‘red light’ shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Secondarily, only the potential lead planter is being assessed.  Sarah (my wife) and the spouse of another potential planter both expressed a fear that they might some how ‘wreck’ the experience for their husbands, “What if he gets approved, but I don’t?”  Now, part of Assessment is an evaluation of relationship health if you’re married, and that evaluation is important.  But Sarah’s ‘role’ in all of this was definitely to participate, to answer some questions, and for this to be ‘our’ thing rather than ‘mine’… but she was not the one being assessed.  Spouses, if you are not the one feeling led to be a lead planter, there’s no sense of ANY pressure on you.  Just be there, love your husband/wife, and walk through it together.

Finally, there is no sense that if you assess well then you MUST plant a church.  As the title of this site indicates, I’m aware we’re all on a journey; maybe CPAC or something like it is part of your journey, but even a strongly positive assessment doesn’t mean you must do something.  As with anything, though, be open… and be ready for God to blow the lid off whatever box you’ve been operating within.  He likes doing that; and he’s very, very good at it.

What Battles are You Facing?

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So much of life seems like it involves ‘battle.’  Think of how we describe much of what we endure in a single day:

At the beginning of the day: we fight to get out of bed.
During the day: we fight to maintain attention.
Sometime in the afternoon: we fight cravings.
Once things wind down: we fight to keep our eyes open.

And that’s just the normal kind of day; this is to say nothing about the different ‘corporate battles’ people face, those who find themselves ‘battling cancer,’ those trying to fight the battle of the bulge, fighting to keep the skeletons in our closets at bay, the couple in a rough patch who are fighting for their marriage (even though it appears they may be fighting each other).  Then on top of that (or perhaps related to many of the things just listed), Scripture reminds us, like-it-or-not, believe-it-or-not, we are entrenched in a spuiritual battle where we have a very real enemy and there’s a great war occurring we usually can’t see.

Battles come every day.  But how can you and I be ready when they come our way?  How can we be sure that we are prepared to the extent that we don’t just ‘live to fight another day’ but find victory and hope in the midst of our circumstance?

I’m not trying to make you depressed, but take some time and think of the different battles you face.  Go ahead, think.  What battles are you facing?

Did you think of some?

In Joshua 4 & 5, we find the people of Israel, having crossed the Jordan River, now poised for battle.  In fact, this is what is recorded for us:

Josh 4:

12 The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them. 13 About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the LORD to the plains of Jericho for war.

They were ‘ready for battle’ and armed.  The time to fight was coming.  But, before they went to fight the battle before them, they were given instructions to remember some important truths… and those same instructions help us to fight our own battles in such a way that victory can be won.   Over the next few “Joshua” entries here, we’ll discuss what the lessons the people of Israel were reminded of and how we can learn to face the battles of life, love and ministry.  In the meantime, it just might be a good idea to reflect on what you’re facing this week and be reminded of our simple need to rely the only One who holds the promise of genuine victory

Is That Enough?

As the story of Rahab and the spies in Joshua 2 continues, we get a deeper look at what faith is… perhaps gaining a perspective that isn’t celebrated as much as it should be.

The story continues and indicates that faith is obedience.  In a world where belief and obedience can be two very separate entities, the Scriptures indicated belief without obedience is simply folly.  We see faith play out as obedience for the spies and Rahab both.

For the spies:
Going into the land would have been a pointedly obedient act—they would have had knowledge of the last time an expedition had been made into the land and would recall the resulting report—

Num 13 (TNIV)

31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

Entering into the land was an act of obedience—allowing their belief that the land was theirs from God and He was indeed leading them to play out in action, even though that meant life might get messy.

Most of us will only believe/obey someone or something if we have a well-rounded understanding of who is directing us or what it is that we will be obeying in.  The spies had that—they had been travelling in the desert where they had been recipients of supernatural food, of leadership in the form of fire pillars and clouds, and had been directed by the very prominent human leader of their people.

But Rahab didn’t have any of this well-rounded understanding of what it meant to obey.  Her obedience comes from an incomplete picture… and this, I believe,  is part of why she is seen as a woman of great faith:

Josh 2

8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

12 “Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.”

There’s no indication here that Rahab has ‘converted’ (for more on this, see The IVP Bible Background Commentary, which is one of my very favorite resources).  Simply put, she has found someone stronger than her deities, someone that she knows she should be afraid of… and she asks for help.

YHWHIn the passage, note how she asks the spies to swear by the LORD.  “LORD” in capitals means the Hebrew word there is YHWH; the sacred name of God.  Get this: all Rahab knew was God’s name and that he is strong. Rahab risks her life for the lives of the spies… and would be obedient in what they later instruct her to do even though she only knows a little part of what is going on.

There are times when we can relate very well to Rahab: we find our heart ‘melting in fear’ because of what we’re facing.  And in those situations we think, ‘I don’t have faith enough.’ In those times, it is especially important to remember that all we really need to know is his name (he invites us to call him ‘Father’) and to recognize his strength, allowing this knowledge to fuel our belief and obedience.

But here’s something even more incredible: Rahab’s great faith points to Jesus by pointing us to his redemptive activity.  We do not celebrate Rahab because of Rahab or because of her obedience, but because of the testimony her life is of God’s activity and hope.  In the same way, our ‘great faith’ isn’t about us but about the Giver of faith—the one to whom all obedience is due.

Great faith is seen in obedience even when we don’t understand.  It’s seen in obedience even when ‘obedience’ means doing something messy.  But I am comforted to know ‘great faith’ can mean calling out for help even as my heart melts in fear.  My prayer is that I would be a man of great faith both when I understand and when I don’t; that I would be a man of great faith when I am facing the impossible; that I would be obedient in the ‘big’ things and in those that seem insignificant.

Today, I am facing the impossible.  Today, my heart wants to melt in fear.  Today, it seems that tomorrow will never come.  Today, I don’t know what my obedience will mean.

But I know His Name and that He is strong.  And, today, that is enough.

What a Mess!

62316127_5ec01559d9_oImage from iboy_daniel

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I’ve been walking through the book of Joshua here on the ol’ blog and at this point we’re looking at chapter two as a bit of a case study on ‘faith’ (since Rahab, a central character in this passage is heralded later as an example of great faith and this is part of God’s story of keeping his promise to his people).

Taking that ball and running with it, we don’t have to go very far in the Scripture (or in life!) to discover that faith is messy/uncomfortable.  I think we see that in a couple of aspects within this story:

First:

1 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look! Some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.”  4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.     (Joshua 2:1-5, TNIV)

Later in the story, Rahab indicates she has heard of the power of the God of Israel and is showing favor to the two spies because of her own fear of this powerful God.  In doing so, she commits a treasonous act against the city-state government of Jericho.  I don’t think she would have described this situation in any way as ‘comfortable’ or even all that enjoyable.  She lies to the authorities in order to hide the two men spying for Joshua and misdirects those same authorities’ search efforts.  Don’t think this is a small thing: if found out, Rahab would have been confronted with the business end of a rock or some other ancient tool of execution.  Faith is messy.

Now, this next part isn’t exegetically sound—but I believe much of this passage is seeing God active in redemption & faith.  Understanding this passage as an exercise in faith helps us to view the messiness of faith from a different perspective: the spies’.

The spies are two men who have been wandering the desert for years with their fellow Israelites.  In the forty years God has been leading these people, there is one major theme that’s been retold, reiterated, and reinforced: God is holy and sin cannot be tolerated in his camp.

First order of business: approaching a prostitute at night. The ‘why’ seems obvious—it’s nighttime and you need a place to stay.  Who is up at night and conducting business?  Members of the world’s Oldest Profession, that’s who… and I’m not talking about bakers.  Two men, likely chosen for their integrity and passion for the things of God & Israel (there had been a problem with sending spies into the land before, resulting in a forty-day journey lasting forty years… Joshua wasn’t going to risk the same problems again), have to spend the night in the home of a prostitute.  If you don’t think that might be a little uncomfortable, you’ve never faced a decision where necessity and integrity seem to exist in tension.

These spies are an interesting hiding spot as the authorities search them out:

(But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.)    (Joshua 1:6, TNIV)

Stalks of flax are laid out on the roof to dry after they have been soaking for awhile (sometimes the better part of a month) in water so the different fibers can be separated and woven together to make different kinds of things like linen and rope.  That may not sound so bad, but imagine hiding underneath a pile of wet nastiness that has been soaking for weeks in water full of putrescence and reek.  Imagine trying to ‘hide’ in a pile of pig slop and you can imagine the ‘yuck’ factor involved here.

Faith is messy.

Rahab’s desperate request to the spies for help and rescue.  Messy.

The spies hiding in rank dampness.  Messy.

Sacrificing home and future.  Messy.

Somehow we’ve gotten this idea that faith is ‘easy’ and that our lives should immediately find a pain free, straightforward existence when faith is involved.  But that isn’t the case.  The fact is, faith is uncomfortable and at times can be very hard.

Is it possible that the very uncomfortable, seemingly ‘desperate’ thing you’re facing is God’s opportunity for you to become more of a person of faith?  I don’t know what that is for you–maybe you’re being drawn to really follow Jesus; maybe it’s stepping into a major change, move, or job transition; perhaps it’s ending an inappropriate relationship; or it could be something not so huge but just as difficult, like asking for help.

God has already equipped you to endure the uncomfortable, and even tells us faith is a gift from him.  You can do this—just recognize it won’t be easy… and it might be a little messy.  But it’ll be worth it.

Strength & Courage (Part 2)

This continues the discussion started in the last post; it might help you to read it first.  The main gist of that last entry is this: in the first chapter of the book of Joshua, we see the book’s main character facing an impossible situation, and based on the lessons he learns, we, too, can learn how to have strength and courage when we’re facing the impossible.

One lesson is to remember God’s promise.

As God is exhorting Joshua to be strong and courageous, following the incredible promise that God will not leave or fail this new human leader of his people he pointedly tells Joshua of the need to follow God’s instructions:

Joshua 1:7-9 (TNIV)

Be strong and very courageous.  Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful.

It’s a pretty loaded passage of Scripture—but, again, there is a lesson for us as we face impossibility in the lesson Joshua received when facing his.  Joshua is promised success—but that promise is contingent on his careful obedience to the Law.  It seems many of God’s promises are contingent on his instructions; in fact, the promises we listed previously are all connected with a call, instruction, or correction.  God’s promises are coupled with his commands to fulfill mission, to pursue him above all else, to obey him before everyone else.

Many of us get frustrated when God’s promises don’t seem fulfilled in our lives.  The first step is asking 1) if the promise is conditional, and 2) if we’re meeting that condition.  Then, we need to remember that ‘God is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand slowness…’—that in his way and in his time, he will do what he has said he will do.  In no way does this deny God’s active grace in our lives, but reminds us that he has chosen to be gracious to individuals responsible for their own decisions. But all of that is probably a series of entries for some other time.

Back to Joshua: strength and courage for his impossible situation has something to do with recognizing and following God’s instructions.  In fact, he is told to become so intimately familiar with the Law that day and night he thinks of it, that he speaks it, because he must be careful to do everything written within the Law.

Why do you suppose this is?

My conjecture is because God knows in impossible situations there will be moments when even great leaders like Joshua—and people like you and me—will be tempted to address an issue in some way outside of God’s design.  God knows there will be times in the midst of the impossible when Joshua/we will be tempted to proceed in a manner which temporarily appears to benefit us but is more our invention than Gods and brings him little glory.    Times would come for Joshua, and they come for the rest of us, when we are tempted to operate outside of God’s specific instructions; when what is easy will trump doing what is right; when moving swiftly will outshine moving correctly; when we will try to force God’s hand of provision and promise by moving outside of his design.  We begin to think we know more and see more than we really do, rather than trusting in the omniscience of the One who rescues and leads us.

Joshua only had the Torah (first five books of our Bible).  We have the life-giving instruction of all the Scriptures and the indwelling of the God’s own Spirit.  Strength and courage is found in partaking of the Word of God—in it we discover his character, our purpose, and God’s faithfulness in the midst of our humanness.

The most frightening aspect of all of this is that in exposing ourselves to Scripture and the Spirit of God, we expose our hearts to his holiness.  We see where we have deviated from God’s design for us; we begin to see the parts of our lives that are dark and in need of his light and redemption; we find our nastiness overwhelmed by his beauty.  It’s frightening because in these moments, we are confronted with the awesome, powerful righteousness of God and know what it is to feel ‘undone’ in the presence of the King.  But in those moments, we remember that even his correction is an act of love designed for his glory and honor—and the God who promised to not forsake or abandon us will keep that promise though we have not earned nor do we deserve it.

Joshua was told his success would come through following God’s instructions.

Should we expect anything different in our own lives?