Video Postcards

This week at our Annual Meeting in Towson, our organization introduced a number of (what I call) video postcards to our messengers. These included a variety of ministries that cover a sampling of the services we provide to the 510 or so churches we support here in our multi-state region.

Our church multiplication ministry, known as Mid-Atlantic Church Multiplication, is highlighted in the following video which is also posted on YouTube, bcmd.org and my Facebook page.

Other videos, now also on YouTube, that were presented at the Annual Meeting include:

• Partnership Missions
• Restore My Soul Retreat Ministry
• Women’s Missionary Union
• BaptistLIFE Newsjournal
• Uncharted Youth Evangelism Conference 2009
• Shepherd’s Rest for Ministers and their Families
• Rockbridge Seminary
• EMBRACE Wilmington
• I’m a CP (Cooperative Program)
• e-quip.net

You are free to use and/or share them as you see fit. Enjoy and get connected!

Fridays are for Friends & Family 11.06.09

Welcome to another week-ending edition of FFF! This week has been a flurry of activity as we finalize plans for our organization’s Annual Meeting, which begins here in Towson, Maryland, on Sunday. You can read about it here; in addition, you can register for several events by going to this page. I hope to see you there!

Sarah, my daughter in Vancouver, Canada, has picked up a number of new writing and photography assignments in the past few weeks. Last week, she roamed the sidelines of the British Columbia Lions (CFL) for a photo shoot. She also has entered a proposal on a potential future for journalism with the Knight Foundation. You can read her suggestion on how to build readership for newspapers in a more user-friendly manner by clicking here. In fact, you can register for FREE and add your “rating” and “comments.” Sarah would greatly appreciate it, I’m sure!

Last week I cited Al Mohler’s compilation of the responses author of the Great Commission Resurgence document Danny Akin has made to some of the concerns addressed (or not addressed) in the document. This week I highlight a concern raised by Dr. Bill Brown, ever the outdoorsman, formerly on faculty at Southeastern Seminary himself and now teaching in the distance-learning program at Liberty. You can read his thoughts here. This is not the first time we’ve highlighted concerns with the GCR document; this link will take you to another item surfaced by Tom Cocklereece a few months ago.

One of the most interesting “Christian” websites I’ve come across this year is the very entertaining “Stuff Christians Like.” The author, Jonathan Acuff, continues to compile short articles about a variety of items that are normative in “typical” Christian culture, behavior and experience. The “stuff” is over 650 items long at this time and continuing to grow. (It will be published as the book on the right early in 2010.) Part information and part entertainment, it is fascinating to me to see how pervasive our “Christian world” is and the impact is has on what we think and do. You can click here to begin your journey through his site.

Last week I mentioned the recent leadership event with Mike Huckabee…(if you missed that you can read about it here.) Another outstanding speaker at that event was Rev. Rod Hairston, chaplain of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. Rod did an exceptional job talking about character in the life of a leader. What you may not know is that Rod is also a church planter, having planted Messiah Community Church in the Owings Mills area about four years ago. You can find out more about Rod, including how you can have him come and speak at your next event, by clicking here. I am indeed blessed to consider him a friend.

Well, that’s it from here this week. I’ll be reporting next week from our Annual Meeting in Towson. Hopefully, my colleagues and I will see you there. So until next time, keep on moving at the speed of God!

An Opportunity to CONNECT

Beginning this Sunday, November 8, we in the Mid-Atlantic region will have a unique opportunity to celebrate the Great Commission cooperation we share within our “tribe.” This year’s Annual Meeting of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware will meet at the Sheraton Towson (Maryland) and has been reformatted to be more worshipful, interactive and participatory. There will be less business, more learning and more chances to serve in the midst of our conference together. How will we do this? Several ways come to mind. We will share in meal times together before sessions. We will have small group break outs for learning and application. And we have streamlined the business portions of our meeting into very small segments, the minimum necessary to keep us focused on God’s vision and presence among us.

We at BCM/D are billing this as a time to CONNECT, and anticipating the chances we will have to share in worship, live life and minister together.

CONNECT with God (Sunday evening). Our evening starts at 5:00pm with a banquet planned for those of you who are church planters and young missional pastors. As I mentioned last week, founding pastor Ron Sylvia of The Springs in Ocala, Florida, will be our banquet speaker. He will share about some of the lessons he’s learned in church planting and now pastoring a large church, with an emphasis on maximizing your walk with God and strengthening your marriage during the process of planting a church. He will answer questions from you, the planters and pastors, who are present, about concerns and issues that are pressing to you at this time. Later in the evening session he will speak again, along with North American Mission Board “Ambassador” Charles Roesel, from Leesburg, Florida.  Their goal is to assist us in getting a fresh vision of God and to be Kingdom risk-takers for Him. Spouses are welcome at the banquet (no extra charge) and babysitting is provided for children up to age 5 (at all sessions and mealtimes, as well).

CONNECT with each other (Monday morning). We will start off with some fun and humor as “Christian Illusionist and Extreme Balloon Man” Steve Gambrill entertains and “teaches” us. We will worship together as Gary Hollingsworth, pastor of Immanuel in Little Rock, Arkansas, preaches and Keith & Kristyn Getty from Northern Ireland, authors of “The Power of The Cross” and “In Christ Alone“, lead us in worship. Then we’ll have brunches for everyone present: ministers, their wives and lay people (register in advance: NO COST).

CONNECT with the community (Monday Afternoon). During the afternoon, we’ll worship together with Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue in New Orleans preaching. Then, we’ll have break out sessions on “helping hurting people,” “ministries that impact,” “building an evangelism strategy,” “money management” and “impacting our changing culture.” All will be led by local and national leaders who are specialists and practitioners in these fields. We’ll also have a three-hour “plunge into the city” for those who want to be involved in a first-hand missions experience. There will be opportunities to assist some of our church planters in their fields of ministry or learn from them as they share in the break out sessions.

CONNECT with the world (Monday evening-Tuesday Morning). In the evening session on Monday, we’ll hear vision messages to challenge us with our Great Commission mandate from our Executive-Director David Lee and our Convention President Byron Day. On Tuesday morning, in the final session, we’ll hear from Scott Preissler of Southwestern Seminary and Larry Steen of Westminster, Maryland, to wrap things up.

Our church planters will want to be present for the networking and “surprise” events that will take place too. I will have gifts for you and opportunities for future experiences available to those of you at the banquet and other items for those of you who come during the Monday-Tuesday sessions. Wives present will be blessed with these “extra privileges,” too. And of course, our “booth” will have information and individuals who gather to share with each other and collect information for ministry.

Finally, this is a great opportunity to celebrate our cooperation as Southern Baptists, one of the cornerstones of our identity. If we ever lose this value, we will cease to have the impact on the world and each other we’ve shared for the past century and a half.

So come celebrate with us! and CONNECT…the Great Commission still calls us forward, together.

Opportunity & Impact: A Biblical Church Planting Strategy that Works

The tenth chapter of the book of Luke begins with one of the unique stories of Scripture. It relates the experience of Jesus and the “mission” of the seventy (two) He sent “ahead of Him to every town and place where He was about to go.” While the textual manuscripts disagree about whether there were seventy appointed (following the Masoretic text) or seventy-two (following the Septuagint), commentators agree that the number is a symbolic reference to Genesis 10, believed to represent the entirety of the nations. It was a foreshadowing of the Gospel message for all people, including you and me.

Now I’m well aware of the fact that “church planting” is not mentioned here in this passage. What’s mentioned, though, are the heart and soul of all legitimate church planting work: evangelism, discipleship and ministry. Jesus stands at the center of it all, and the participants, while anonymous to you and me, are know to Christ and are called for this very purpose. (I love that, since it reminds us all that we don’t have to be a “Peter” or “Paul” to be chosen or valuable in Kingdom work.)

The bottom line is that when we GO, the Kingdom GROWS. When we PLANT, the King HARVESTS. As such, this is “seed work” for future church planting efforts to come, for they are tilling the soil of men’s hearts until they encounter Jesus themselves.

Note the following principles. First, relationships are the key (vv. 5-7). The second paragraph relates Jesus’ directive when entering a place and finding people (oikos/oikia). Determine the receptivity of the people you meet. How? By locating a person of peace, He says; one who will welcome you into their household, not just their home. This word is suggestive of more than a place; it includes a network of relationships. Stay there, Jesus commands; don’t move around, so that you can plant many seeds that will, over time, take root and sprout. This will take adaptability, because things will happen you will not expect (“eat whatever they give you”), but persist, and in so doing, cultivate the crops of God’s harvest field. If you do, the “household” will be reached.

Second, tie the message and the ministry together (vv. 8-12). This is the key to reaching a town, according to Jesus. “Heal the sick who are there AND tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you.’” Why? Because ministry validates the message and adds credibility to the sharer. It demonstrates the nature of the Gospel and God’s own interest in the whole person; it shows God’s people love and care as Jesus does. Ministry alone, minus the message, is only social service (not gospel at all!). Message alone, without ministry, is hypocritical, since it is loveless and fail to demonstrate the gospel for the benefit of others (see the book of James). All the other principles Jesus mentioned in the previous paragraph apply to this one as well. We must still look for receptivity and be adaptable to those we are seeking to reach; these are the most accurate barometers for initiating ministry in the town. If you do these things, you will see the town transformed.

Finally, you and I must accept our appointment (vv. 2-4). The passage tells us that our Lord actually chose–”appointed” is the word used here–His followers for this assignment. He’s still appointing us today (Ephesians 4.1)! With that in mind, Jesus actually starts this monologue with some preemptive commands. Knowing that human nature often looks for excuses not to do the things He asks, Jesus addresses the elements necessary to be successful in our service. He says we will need to pray (v.2). A lack of laborers to work the harvest field according to Him, is a result of a lack of passionate, persistent, pleading prayer. When we do our part, He suggest, the Lord of the harvest will do His part and send out more laborers into the fields. He also says we need vision, God’s vision (v. 3). He acknowledges that we are being sent out among “wolves” in our world.  But instead of “seeing” them, He suggests our sight should be focused on Him and His calling (“I am sending you”). He says we need to trust Him (v. 4a). Don’t worry about carrying provisions when you’re doing my work, Jesus says; I’ll take care of all your needs. Finally, He commands us to recognize the urgency of the assignment (“don’t greet anyone on the road”) (v. 4b). Jesus is not suggesting we be “rude;” rather, He’s challenging us not to let anything else slow us from the appointment He’s given us.

Researchers tell us that in our day every single minute 83 more people in this world die and enter a Christ-less eternity! People need to be reached with the Gospel. Towns need to see its transforming power. Churches need to be planted. So…what are you waiting for? Go! He is sending you–us–into His harvest fields.

(This message was preached at the Eastern Baptist Association Annual Meeting, October 25, 2009.)

Pediatric Care

My cousin celebrated the birth of newborn Gabrielle Grace Jackson last week. We, along with all the family, rejoiced in this wondrous occasion. New life is one of the greatest miracles of all and with it should come the recognition of God’s creative work. Each of us is “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).

Unfortunately with Gabbi, she has had some physical complications that have made her health precarious. Doctors and technicians are watching over her 24/7, and more than that, our Heavenly Father and an army of believers are watching over her spiritually. Many of you have been praying for her and for that, our family is eternally grateful. Please continue praying for her!

This experience got me thinking: what if Gabbi did not have doctors and technicians to assist her in this part of her journey in life? What if she and her parents had not had so many people in the family of God surrounding them with prayer and support through these days? I can’t help but believe that her situation would be markedly different; in fact, probably terminal.

The most neglected part of the church planting journey for almost every new church start is the time AFTER the plant has had its “birth.” These formative months and years are critical to the health and development of the infant church. And just like a newborn child, there are needful things that should be done to ensure its growth. We at the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware do our best to provide the essentials for an infant church to thrive during this early period in the church’s young life.

Food, Rest and Play. These essentials for life are needed by all human organisms. Proper training provides the nourishment needed to fuel the fledgling church. With it, though, are needed adequate seasons of rest and “play,” found in the focused efforts to streamline “busy-ness” in the plants by helping planters get away for renewal and opportunities to have fun together with each other and as families.

Love and Attention. Crossing the major milestone “of birth” doesn’t end our support for the plant and its leaders. On the contrary, we seek to become a listening ear and a cheerleading advocate to encourage them on as they look to the future. We do our best to “brag on them” and even pull out the pictures and show others, given the chance. We want to be ready and available when they sense a need.

Prayer. We are constantly aware that this is a spiritual endeavor, not a business enterprise. As such, like parents and other loved ones, we recognize there are limitations to our abilities and even our insight into what needs to happen. Because of this we are earnestly and often in deep and passionate prayer for God to work in the plant’s life. We pray for God to reveal more of Himself to that new child in His kingdom work and for Him to do for His new church what only God can do.

Check-ups. At regular intervals in the life of the new church, we evaluate the health and development of the fledging congregation. Our attempt is to be prescriptive in our diagnosis, in order to keep the “child” healthy while very young, when it is often most vulnerable. These check-ups are an attempt to help the new church value the process of reflection and evaluation and learn how to make the adjustments necessary to keep growing, qualitatively as well as quantitatively.

Booster “Shots.” As the new work grows in a healthy manner, we initiate contact with those who need these injections to (1) protect it from outside threats and/or (2) to catalyze it so that it can grow faster and stronger. Like all injections, there is a process to follow for one’s safety and strength, but when followed, it can result in meaningful and significant development beyond whatever level the plant currently is experiencing.

Parental Support. Babies don’t come into this world alone; they have parents who also need support and encouragement on the journey. Churches who parent new works finds coaches and trainers to assist them in knowing what and how they should go about helping this new church plant grow and develop as it should. Cautions against over-protectiveness and negligence are both addressed. More than anything, though, parent churches find friends for life, who will celebrate and serve them in whatever way possible to make the parenting experience a joyful one that will be repeated often.

Ultimately, Gabbi’s health and well-being is in hands of our Lord; the same is true of every church plant. But like any good parent and friend, we seek to be good stewards over the gift of life that God has shared with us in these new “children.” Our hope and dream is that they too will become trophies of His grace and will, in turn, share His love with generations yet to come.

(The above is an advance release of the article that I have written for our state newsjournal, BaptistLIFE, this coming month.)

Fridays are for Friends & Family 10.02.09

It’s time to make our weekly review of the online highlights of the past week. We start with a series of articles being written by Neil Cole, head of Church Multiplication Associates and author of Organic Church, among other things. Neil has been tackling the topic of multi-site churches in a series of blog posts. This critique has been inspired by the current trend toward seeing multi-site works as “church plants” (or worse, seeing them as replacements for church plants). Cole disagrees, as do I, with that assessment for a variety of reasons. To date, he’s posted five entries on the topic. You can read them here.

In my studies for a message last week on church planting, my new Twitter connection, Art Mealer, chimed in to let me know of an Interactive Map of the Early Church’s Ministry, and especially Paul’s church planting efforts, at his website. I found it very interesting; perhaps you will too. Get to the site by clicking here. While you’re at his site, you may want to check out his other church planting materials also.

This past week I came across a post by Perry Noble, pastor at New Spring Church in South Carolina. This blog post reflects on fourteen things that Jesus did NOT say that have crept into our “Christian” lives and  affect our relationship with God and with others. You can check it out here.

Do you remember THE NINES presentations, sponsored by Leadership Network, and shared via Internet on 09/09/09 starting at 9:09am? These taped “leadership segments” of nines minutes or shorter are now online and available for you to view again or for the first time if you missed them on that day. You can get to the site from here.

My daughter, Sarah, shared on her Twitter account something she discovered recently: LIFE magazine, one of the great photographic masterpieces in periodic literature, is now completely online (all editions). You can browse through the multiple years of pictures and articles by going to the site from here.

This past week many of you who keep up with my Twitter feed or my Facebook account know that my young, 3rd cousin, Gabriella Grace Jackson, down in the metro Tampa, Florida, area is fighting for her life. She has breathing problems and concerns about brain function and movement. I am once again asking for your prayers on her behalf. Would you lift up a prayer to the Heavenly Father, asking for strength and health in her little one-week old body? My undying gratitude is extended to you for helping with this request.

Monday Morning Rewind: A Model for Church Planting

Yesterday’s message focused specifically on the apostle Paul’s ministry in church planting. The focal point in the Scripture came from Acts 9 – 19, as we surveyed his growing understanding and impact in service for the Lord.  Paul grew to realize that the influence of his life and ministry can and should grow to touch and influence more lives all the time, even extending beyond his lifetime.

How can we do that in our lives as the apostle did many years ago?

It starts by being missional (9:19b-22). Paul’s encounter with Jesus and subsequent call are shared in this chapter that begins in earnest the focus on Paul that will continue for the remainder of the book. We learn quickly that Saul (his Hebrew name, as he is still called at this point in the book) is passionate about being “on mission with Jesus” (a very simple definition of “missional”). This lifestyle characteristic is all about IDENTITY. Because its focus is on being AND doing, not simply one or the other, the apostle discovers his purpose here, as he grows vertically in relationship with his God. By living out that purpose, many people in Damascus and Jerusalem are impacted by his focus on Jesus as the Son of God. In fact, his ministry results in churches being strengthened and encouraged, growing in size, because they lived in fear of the Lord (9:31).

Second, we have to be incarnational (11:19-26). Saul (Paul) and Barnabas, along with the entire Antioch church learned to “be flesh among them,” to live as the hands AND feet of Christ. Here in this city, believers were first called “Christians,” and while the term was likely meant to be derisive, it demonstrates that people were seeing evidence of Christ’s own presence and life through them. This “touch” factor is all about MINISTRY, as followers grow horizontally to love and serve their neighbor as themselves. That can only happen when we get out among them and live the Christ-life before their eyes. For the Antioch church, this resulted in more evangelism impact (12:24) and even ushered in the first missionary endeavor of the early church (13:3).

Third, Paul teaches us the value of congregationalizing people (14:21-23). Paul (his Roman name) and Barnabas, now on their first missionary journey through Asia Minor, learn the importance of having the new believers they are reaching with the Gospel begin to “share life together” as a new family of faith. This grouping of people is all about COMMUNITY and enables the churches (plural) to grow stronger, more interdependent and stable, in order to do the work of the Lord. This is important: they did not grow inward (spiritual “navel-gazing”) but internally (strengthening the core, the foundation), for the future work of outreach. In fact, these congregations are both the church gathered AND scattered, as they live for Christ 24/7. As a result, the churches grew qualitatively and quantitatively (16:5).

Finally, we must be exponential (19:8-10). By exponential, I mean “reproducing at an ever-increasing rate.” Paul on his third missionary journey seems to come to the realization that the previous work he did on journeys 1 and 2 enabled reproduction to happen only by addition. On this journey he shifts his strategy, staying in one place–Ephesus–and focused on multiplying disciples AND congregations. This “x” factor realizes the need to be Kingdom-minded and grow beyond where we are in order to reach others who are different geographically, ethnically, socio-economically and even generationally. This characteristic is all about LEGACY and what will outlast and out-reach the extent of our own life or church’s ministry. By becoming a training center for future church planters, Paul and the church at Ephesus was able to start so many churches (see Revelation 2 and 3 for many of these) that the writer of Acts was able to say “ALL the Jews AND Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (19:10b). Now that’s impact that outlasts any one life or ministry!

This RIPPLE EFFECT–from being on mission with God to living lives among the people who need Jesus to congregationalizing new believers to multiplying efforts exponentially to impact those we may never actually meet–is at the heart of the lessons Paul learned though his ministry. History records the results and the countless lives that were changed by Christ as a result.

How about us? Have we learned and applied these truths, too?

Fridays are for Friends & Family 09.25.09

Friday is here, and with it my weekly review of some of the things I’ve come across on the web. This week I’ve been blogging on The Upstream Collective’s JetSet Vision Tour of Asia, headed up by Ed Stetzer and Larry McCrary. While there, Stetzer released a post on his site that transcends the work of just this vision trip. It’s a challenge to “missional” (self-designated) churches that are not involved in global missions. Stetzer’s article suggests ways to correct this “great omission,” as well. You can read his article by clicking here.

A unique time is lining up in my tribe, the Southern Baptist Convention, with the announced coming retirements next year of Morris Chapman (Executive Committee) and Jerry Rankin (IMB), along with the previous resignation of Geoff Hammond (NAMB). Ronnie Floyd, chairman of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force says the presidential search committees should be mindful of the GCR group as they deliberate future leadership in their organizations. You can read his comments in the Florida newsjournal, the Baptist Witness, by clicking here.

Shaun King, planter/founding pastor of Courageous Church in Atlanta, Georgia, posted an excellent article this week on “10 Free Resources for Church Planters,” on his website. He states, “these 10 FREE resources have helped me lead @Courageous more than any gadget we’ve purchased.” It’s an article every church planter should read. Check it out on his site by clicking here.

Heads up, if you live in the Baltimore/DC area! Catalyst One Day is coming our way. This popular “road trip” tour will be in our area at Grace Community Church, Fulton, Maryland, on November 16. The keynote speakers will be Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel. Church planters and missional pastors will want to get to this event, if at all possible. You can register by going to their website by clicking here and possibly win a Kindle, too!

My daughter, Sarah, has continued to have new writing opportunities in her work. During the summer she was published in a couple of newspapers in Surrey and with an online news source. Now she’s got an article in her own university’s online school newspaper. You can check out the article here, dealing with nursing student aid and other programs that have been cut in the British Columbia province.

Finally, my favorite sports team, the Boston Red Sox, will clinch a playoff berth sometime in the next few days; the Yankees already have. They play each other this weekend in what could be a preview of the upcoming playoffs. The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo suggests five things each team can work on as they prep for the postseason in an photo-journalism piece online today. You can check his ideas out here...and GO, SOX!!!

Fridays are for Friends & Family 09.18.09

This has been one of the most intense weeks of training I’ve ever experienced! CRM has kept us busy all week learning how to assist others in achieving their God-given potential through the skills of coaching. There have been countless ways they have helped us learn this craft: through practice, presentation and activity, to name a few. In the midst of the week, they showed us this video…and I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. It’s such a great example of what a coach needs to be. The setting? Portland (coach Maurice Cheeks) and Dallas (coach Don Nelson) are in the NBA playoffs in 2003. Before the game, 13 year-old Natalie Gilbert is preparing to sing the National Anthem…she actually won a contest to earn the right to sing at this event. With that in mind, watch the video and see the difference a “coach” can make.

What do you think is the worst thing you can do “to” a church planter? Paul Watson, who is one of the leaders of the CityTeam crew actively pursuing church planting movements in North America, has an idea about that. This week I came across his interesting post that I think those of us who are involved in the ministry of church planting might need to ponder. You can check it out here.

On the other side of the church equation from church plants is mega-churches. Yesterday, USA Today newspaper posted an article on the largest churches in America, drawn from the research of Outreach magazine and LifeWay. They noted that these super-sized churches are “evangelical, contemporary.” Check out that article and the largest churches in our country here.

In my “tribe” some of our best ministry has been through the impact of the International Mission Board. This agency has been led by Dr. Jerry Rankin for the past 17 years. The Baptist Standard, a denominational newspaper in Texas, reported yesterday that Rankin has announced his retirement. You can read about that here.

Finally this week, if you’re into the social media market, that this is for you! Mashable, which bills itself as the social media guide, has posted a guidebook to Twitter, the micro-blog tool that is quite the rage these days. You can get to that guidebook here. Whether you’re starting out or an old pro who tweets regularly, send me a DM sometime; I can be found at bcmddavid.

Cul-de-Sac or Intersection?

A few years ago when my brother bought his first house in the Richmond, Virginia area, his family located a property on a cul-de-sac that they wanted. At the time, it was quite in vogue for young families with growing children to desire a cul-de-sac home.

There are many reasons why. There is limited traffic on a road like this. Since it’s a dead end drive, rarely does anyone drive onto a cul-de-sac road that does not intend to go there. Limited traffic means limited noise, too. This inevitably is much more convenient for the neighbors who live on the street. In fact, it tends to improve the quality of life for those who live there. Safety is another contribution that living on a cul-de-sac makes to families that live there. Especially if children are growing up in the home, this is an important value that parents want. Cul-de-sac homes also grow in property value over time, since they afford all of these benefits and more.

Intersections are the mirror reverse in reality. Always busy with lots of traffic and its accompanying noise, intersections are dangerous places to live. They are never as safe. Instead of valuing property, they tend to value people. In fact, people by the thousands are always coming and going, never stopping and staying. They are on a journey somewhere, and the intersection affords them  opportunities to choose. More than that, it offers them a way to discover their destination.

Which is your church more like—a cul-de-sac or an intersection? It has occurred to me that too many churches in the world today are more like a cul-de-sac, seeking to play it safe in an all too dangerous world. It doesn’t have to be that way. There are ways to get off the cul-de-sac and intersect with people where they are. Consider the following:

Start a different kind of worship experience. A new worship opportunity will attract new people. This is especially true if the service is held on a different day  of the week or in a different part of the church facility. Different styles of music and preaching will also connect with a different crowd. Some churches may go so far as to use this strategy to start what is called a “church within a church.” This idea revolves around the concept of having a new and different congregation forming its own identity (and often leadership from the church staff) in a symbiotic relationship with the main congregation. This can be a daring move, since the new congregation may eventually outgrow the relationship and move on. But it’s a Kingdom move that puts reaching new people above anything else.

Add a multi-site campus. Another way of reaching new people is to go to a new place to begin a worship experience. Placing a worship opportunity in a location near the group of people you are trying to reach makes it easier for them to participate in your church. While this approach is usually more expensive than the first approach listed above, it has the potential to connect with many other people, too. Why? Because you’ve gone to them where they are, instead of expecting them to come to you. While multiple worship experiences as mentioned above will eventually reach a point of saturation on your church campus, multi-site campuses can be added over and over again.

Try a video venue. Another way of adding congregations with lower overhead than a church plant and more “sameness” than a multi-site campus is known as a video venue. This strategy can be done either on the campus of your church facilities or off campus at a new and different location. Either way the venues are intentionally developed to reach different groups of people by the way they “do” church. Music usually varies, the focus is on different age groups or lifestyles, and the atmosphere can be more or less formal. But in a video venue, the  message remains the same. While the speaker is seen live in one setting, he is seen on videotape or a video screen in the others. Surprisingly, this strategy has worked very well with younger adults and with large churches whose membership is scattered over many, many miles.

Plant a church. The ultimate method of living dangerouslyand intersecting with others is to plant a new church. This approach releases and empowers people to serve as local missionaries sent out from your church for the express purpose of finding new people and establishing a church just for them. It is a challenging undertaking, but one filled with excitement and adventure for the entire church. The advantage it has above all the others here is that it brings into being a second autonomous entity, which can in turn do what your congregation has done, and multiply itself. As such, it has global possibilities today, just as it did in the days of the apostles.

Don’t be a dead-end church. Be a church that lives where the people are, multiplies itself time and again, dares to be different and is dangerously on mission for Jesus Christ.

This post was previously published in my book, PlantLIFE: Principles and Practices in Church Planting. You can secure more information about the book or purchase it by going to the publisher site here or to Amazon.com here.