Mike Breen of 3dm is one of the keynote speakers at this year’s Anglican 1000 Church Planting Summit.  Many are familiar with Mike’s work at St. Thomas’ Church Crookes in Sheffield, his LifeShapes curriculum, or his leadership of the European Church Planting Network. Mike brings a wealth of church planting experience to the 2012 Summit. However, beyond that Mike is doing some of the best thinking today on movements, discipleship, and sustainability - particularly in an increasingly post-Christian culture.

As the director of Anglican 1000, I see it as essential that we grapple with the questions Mike is asking in order to press into becoming a movement, rather than simply a denominational program. If we hope to follow our Anglican forebear and hero Roland Allen in seeing the spontaneous expansion of the church here in North America, then we must continue aiming at truly becoming a movement.

As a sort of appetizer for the Summit, here are two great pieces from this past week by Mike and one of his colleagues at 3dm:

1) Churches Looking for a Silver Bullet in a Microwave Culture by Mike Breen - this is a short post by Mike about the level of desperation seen in most senior pastors today. They hope to find the silver bullet of church growth and implement it in a matter of weeks or days. With the current popularity of missional communities, some are turning to them as the silver bullet and are becoming frustrated that they are not quick fixes.

2) How Rob Bell and Mark Driscoll are the Same - this short post is from Doug Paul who heads up content for 3dm. The gold comes from one of Doug’s questions and a reminder from George Whitfield and John Wesley. Here is his question: So here’s my question: Does anyone really believe that a revitalized church of the future will emerge in an increasingly post-Christian 21st Century Western culture is going to be built on a strictly teaching-based, Sunday-centric, attractional, “come and see” approach? Next, he summarizes a conversation between Whitfield (the great preacher) and Wesley (leader of a movement) where Whitfield basically says: “In 100 years, next to no one will remember me, the man who gathered thousands. They will remember John Wesley because he produced a model of reproduction and multiplication of discipleship and mission that will far outlast me.”

I would encourage you to read the full posts and continue to follow the conversation and questions coming from Mike and 3dm. They are incredibly important questions - especially for us as we raise up Anglican congregations and communities of faith throughout North America. Also, of course, if this whets your appetite, then make plans to join us at the 2012 Anglican 1000 Church Planting Summit where Mike is one of our keynote speakers. More information about the event can be found here. Register now before the rates go up on February 1st.

Over the last few months, we have seen tragic division within the Anglican Mission in the Americas – one of the strongest Anglican church planting engines on the ground right now. My biggest concern has not been the alignment issues, the bishops’ resignations, or the flurry of communication back and forth between Rwanda and the United States.  My biggest concern is that the dramatic events of the last few months in the Anglican realignment would take our focus off the mission before us in this Anglican moment.

I’ll state the obvious, but it needs to be said:  The goal and purpose of Anglican Christians in North American is to reach the people of North America.  TheAM has always expressed their call this way:  Our goal (is to reach) the 130 million un-churched in the U.S. and some 20 million in Canada with the transforming reality of Jesus Christ.  The ACNA has framed it this way: Reaching North America with the transforming love of Jesus Christ. Those are the same mission!  Clearly, each of these organizations and whatever affiliates and jurisdictions they represent are committed to planting churches.  We know that.  Our commitment hasn’t changed, but our focus has been affected.  Cyber-space has been buzzing with the news and updates about the drama.  But remember, we have the same mission: to reach people.

I am very aware that there are significant hurts and misunderstandings; there is a lot of relationship work that needs to get done.  But let’s not ignore our call; we have our mission.  Let’s get back to it.  Just this week, we added the 200th new start to our church plant locator!  That is a cause for celebration.  Let the blogosphere erupt with that news.  Please!

We have seen remarkable progress and success in planting churches. Anglican1000 has been our common effort, across jurisdictions, ministry partners, and friends.  Let’s get back to it.

Here are three ways I think we can reconnect with the mission.

1) Pray for the lost.  One of the most scandalous things I have ever heard is that the 1979 BCP never prays for the lost except on Good Friday.  When I heard that, I vowed to always pray for the un-churched, the lost, the de-churched, every time we gather on for public worship.  This is God’s heart!  We know that from Luke 15.  And we also know that our Anglican heritage and customs, however they are locally adapted, can reach many people who are looking for a faith that is anchored in a large fellowship of believers.

2) Attend the Anglican1000 Summit.  This gathering (March 6,7,8) is the most common ground for all of our troops on the ground.  Christ Church, the host of the A1K event, is eager to welcome all Anglicans leaders and workers, planters and priests. We have a facility that will accommodate several hundred leaders.  Furthermore, our congregation has a heart to help all church planters find the support, education, inspiration, and encouragement they need. You know the line-up, but you may not know that we are intentionally making time for worship, networking, leadership equipping, and skill building throughout the conference. For more information about the Summit, check here.

As you know, Anglican1000 is a ministry of the ACNA and is dedicated to serving the church planter and the church planting movement within Anglicanism.  We have cut the price of the conference in half for the planter; the spouse of the planter is free!  Is there a better deal out there? It’s also half off for seminarians. Simply contact our director, for information about these discounts. Remember, rates go up on February 1st. So, register today!

3) Make some room for patience.  The leaders of the North American Anglican Movement have a heart for mission.  I know them all very well.  Their desire is to see that people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

We don’t know how long it will take to sort out the jurisdictional and structural questions.  Let’s be patient.  Let’s give our leaders the time and room they need to prayerfully discern the next steps. 

But let’s get back on mission. Let’s celebrate the 200 new works that we have seen started in the next few years! Let’s seize the opportunity before us to continue laying the foundation of Biblical, united, missionary Anglicanism here in North America. We were doing it…let’s keep on doing it together. 

And let’s do so with humility and grace in obedience to the Lord Jesus and in response to the call of our Archbishop Robert Duncan.

In Christ,
David+

The Rev. Canon David Roseberry

David Taylor will be at the Summit March 6-8 where he will be speaking about the role of art in corporate worship.

David Taylor: David Taylor was a pastor at Hope Chapel in Austin, Texas, where, over the course of twelve years, he oversaw the arts ministry and the adult education program. Born and raised in Guatemala City, he studied at the University of Texas, Georgetown University, the University of Würzburg and Regent College in Canada, where he received degrees in theology (MCS) and biblical studies (ThM). He edited the book For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts (Baker Books, 2010). He has written for Books & Culture, CIVA Seen, Christianity Today, Q, The Living Church and The Christian Vision Project. His artistic interests include playwriting, modern dance and film. He and his wife Phaedra currently live in North Carolina, where he is pursuing doctoral studies at Duke University. David blogs regularly at Diary of an Arts Pastor.

ACNA recently highlighted the Summit on their website where our Executive Direction, the Rev. Daniel Adkinson answered some commonly asked questions, including:

*What is the theme and focus of this year’s Anglican 1000 Church Planting Summit?
*Is the event purely for church planters who are pastors or would lay people benefit as well?
*How is the Lord working through Anglican 1000 and how can the Anglican Church in North America continue to pray for the movement?

Check out Daniel’s answers here.

And don’t forget to register today! Rates will increase Feb. 1st and if you register by Jan 31 you will receive a free copy of Scot McKnight’s King Jesus Gospel.

ACNA also highlighted the Young Anglicans Project conference which will be taking place just prior to the Summit at Christ Church!

We are excited to announce that anyone who registers for the Summit from January 7-31 will receive a free copy of Scot McKnight’s The King Jesus Gospel!

Noted New Testament scholar and author Scot McKnight will be the primary Bible teacher and preacher at the 2012 Anglican 1000 Church Planting Summit, to be held March 6-8, 2012 at Christ Church Plano in Plano, TX. This is third annual conference will also include speakers Mike Breen, Robert Duncan, David Roseberry, and David Taylor. It will be an opportunity for everyone who is part of this exciting movement to gather for equipping, worship, encouragement, networking, prayer, and reports from the mission field. Go here for more information about the event.

Register from January 7-31 to receive your free Kindle e-book copy of The King Jesus Gospel. Register for $200. Discounts are available to seminarians and active church planters - go here for more information. Rates will go up February 1.

Contemporary evangelicals have built a ‘salvation culture’ but not a ‘gospel culture.’ Evangelicals have reduced the gospel to the message of personal salvation. The King Jesus Gospel makes a plea for us to recover the old gospel as that which is still new and still fresh. More Information

For information on how to use Kindle on an iPad go here.

We were given 12 books on church planting through our participation in the Church Planting Leadership Fellowship. And over the 12 days of Christmas we announced the books and winners. We recommend these books to anyone interested in church planting – especially more organic or incarnational models of planting. To see the books and winners go here.

And to culminate the season we decided to give away a FREE registration to the Summit to one of our church planters listed in our plant locator!

This week we randomly drew a name and the winner is:

Imago Dei Anglican Church in Old Town, ME. Imago Dei Anglican Church is a church plant located near the University of Maine. In an age of deep spiritual longing, aloneness, and aimlessness, their mission is to help thousands of Orono residents, U Maine students, faculty and staff find authentic life, community and wholeness in joyful communion with God, who will then give back in ministry to the world. Their work includes the Anglican Ministry House, an intentional community for young adults, both women and men, that gives them a year or more of spiritual formation and the advancement of the gospel by living in an intentional community of prayer, discipleship, and mission. Imago Dei Anglican Church gathers for daily prayer, weekly worship, and life groups. Read more about their work and ministry here.

Rev. Justin Howard Justin and his wife Amy have four amazingly wild boys: Josiah, Simeon, Judah, and Elijah who fill their lives with wild joy.  He was born in New York City and raised in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York.  Having earned his BA in Religion and Philosophy at Houghton College, Justin went on to study at Asbury and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminaries.  Longing for a place where the Scriptural, Sacramental, and Spirit-filled facets of his faith experience could converge and find full expression, Justin found his home in the Anglican way as an ordained Priest.  Justin enjoys chasing his boys, sitting in front of his wood-stove, reading and sipping tea with his wife, having a real good conversation, and watching the Holy Spirit transform lives.

If you weren’t the winner - don’t forget that we are also offering discounts to seminarians and active church planters! And this year active church planters will be able to register their spouse free of charge! For more information, go here.

This Christmas season Anglican 1000 wanted to celebrate our church planters! We were given 12 books on church planting through our participation in the Church Planting Leadership Fellowship. We recommend these books to anyone interested in church planting – especially more organic or incarnational models of planting. Futhermore, we we want to put them in the hands of some of our church planters.

So over the 12 days of Christmas we randomly drew the names of our church planters from our Church Plant Locator Map each day and sent them one of the books.

Check out this round up to learn more about the books and our winners:

Day 1 - The Missional Church in Perspective
Day 2 - Organic Leadership
Day 3 - On the Verge
Day 4 - The Forgotten Ways
Day 5 - The Faith of Leap
Day 6 - Tangible Kingdom Primer
Day 7 - Church 3.0
Day 8 - Sacrilege
Day 9 - Untamed
Day 10 - Theology and Practice of Mission
Day 11 - New Global Mission
Day 12 - AND
 

Finally, we will be giving away a free registration to the 2012 Anglican 1000 Church Planting Summit – a $175 value – to one of our church planters on today (Epiphany) at 1:00 pm (CST)!

Will you be the winner?

So far we’ve covered seven common misconceptions (here, here, and here) about how to plant a church. Currently, our list of ways NOT to plant a church looks like this:

10. Believe in yourself! You can do it!
9. Plant a small group.
8. Make the COOLEST. ADS. EVER.
7. Don’t worry about your personality; it’s not about you.
6. Launch large.
5. Start off by establishing finances and structure.
4. Invite EVERYONE to your first meeting.
3. Go all in.
2. How you worship is more important than where you do it.

So what do I think is the number one misconception that sets us up for NOT planting a church?

1. If you want to plant a church, God surely wants to too.
Dear brothers and sisters, you may have a heart of gold, an inspiring vision for a new parish, and all the right intentions. But don’t mistake that for a confirmation that God is using you to plant a church. Maybe he is—or will. But maybe it’s not here, now, with these people. I would suggest to you that the step we most commonly skip is the first one: Asking whether or not God is planting a church in the midst of our goings-on. Once you have a core team or a handful of interested folks, I recommend that you spend your first couple months just asking the question, “Is God planting a church in the midst of us?” Give him the space to say no. And give yourselves the opportunity to hear him say yes. Don’t skip this step; it may very well become an ebenezer moment for you to look back on when things get tough down the road. If we want to be able to rejoice, “Thus far has the Lord been our guide,” we must first cry, “Unless the Lord builds the house, the workers labor in vain.”

When I opened this series, I referenced Jesus’ statement, “I will build my church.” Author and church planter John Myer echoes that but adds, “…but he didn’t say anything about yours.” Too true. I’ve laid out these ten common misconceptions in the hopes that you’ll avoid the mistakes so many of us have made. But even when we follow the rules, so to speak, there’s no guarantee that our efforts will result in a spectacular church plant. Notwithstanding, the Church advances.

And personally, that’s enough for me. I’ll do what I can to plant and grow parishes—avoiding these ten pitfalls—but at then end of the day I rest in the knowledge that Jesus is the Planter of the Church. And he’ll get the results he wants.

To all of you fellow planters, I send you Christ’s blessings and my warmest wishes. May he bless your endeavors for the sake of his.

PS: Have a personal story of planting gone wrong? Anything you would add to my list? Post it in the comments below for the benefit of us all!

Aaron lives in Seattle where he runs the nonprofit Northwest Anglican, a 501(c)(3) devoted to furthering Anglicanism, regardless of affiliation, in the Seattle-to-Portland area. He rectors an Anglican church plant in Bellevue and has learned as much about how to fail at church planting as he has about how to succeed. He, his wife, and three boys enjoy time spent with people and good books, and Aaron derives great joy and peace from the knowledge that building the Church is ultimately Jesus’ prerogative, not his.

So far we’ve covered seven common misconceptions (here & here) about how to plant a church. Currently, our list of ways NOT to plant a church looks like this:

10. Believe in yourself! You can do it!
9. Plant a small group.
8. Make the COOLEST. ADS. EVER.
7. Don’t worry about your personality; it’s not about you.
6. Launch large.
5. Start off by establishing finances and structure.

Let’s kick our countdown back into gear with my absolute favorite way to NOT plant a church.

4. Invite EVERYONE to your first meeting.
Almost every planter I know (myself included) has fallen prey to this folly. When it’s time to launch, go public, or start services, there is the impulse to invite everyone who might possibly be interested. The result? Church shoppers show up. Family and friends drop in to show support. Curious locals pop in for a look. And what does that amount to? A great first service! Hooray! You did it! You filled the chairs, and the energy was palpable! …But then comes week two. Oh dear. Maybe this wasn’t very well thought out. Now the church shoppers are off visiting the next one on their list. Family and friends have already fulfilled their one-time duty. Neighborhood residents are no longer curious. You’re left with about half the numbers you had on week one… and each of them is starting to doubt themselves for coming. They note the downward trend and go along with it. On week three you may be the only one who shows up. If that has happened to you, join the club. Let’s learn this lesson well. Spread your invitations and advertisements out so that the numbers grow a bit from week to week. When people sense a trend of growth, they will be more likely to stick, and your attendance will build momentum in the right direction.

3. Go all in.
This ranks highly on my list because it is so hard to accept. You want to plant a church, right? You know that four out of five plants fail—or at least that’s the word on the street. But somehow you’re convinced that you will be the one that soars rather than the four that sink. If you’re a church planter, then the odds are good that you are an optimist. The odds are not good for your plant, however, regardless of how optimistic you are about it. We have to accept the failure rate, even recalibrate our methods to account for it. What about exploring several potential church plants simultaneously and running with the one that looks most likely to take root? How about not putting all our eggs in one basket from the get-go? And if your plant fizzles, did you reserve some hope and energy to make another attempt? …Or are you emotionally bankrupt? You’ll never see a professional poker player go all in when the odds are against him four to one. Perhaps we church planters should ponder that.

2. How you worship is more important than where you do it.
Ugh. I wish this statement weren’t false. But if you’re talking about growing a plant, this is a jagged pill we must swallow. We pour our time and energy into the liturgy, the sermon, the music. But we house it in the most abysmal of places. Look, I get it. Money is tight and finding a good spot on a Sunday it tough—really tough. But the cardinal rule of real estate applies: Location, location, location. People are trained to judge your plant prior to driving there, and once they pull up, they are trained to judge it from the street—what realtors call curb appeal. Ignore these facts at your own peril, comrade. Where you worship matters.

What’s the number one way to NOT plant a church? Post your guesses in the comments below, and tune in next time to hear my take on it!

Aaron lives in Seattle where he runs the nonprofit Northwest Anglican, a 501(c)(3) devoted to furthering Anglicanism, regardless of affiliation, in the Seattle-to-Portland area. He rectors an Anglican church plant in Bellevue and has learned as much about how to fail at church planting as he has about how to succeed. He, his wife, and three boys enjoy time spent with people and good books, and Aaron derives great joy and peace from the knowledge that building the Church is ultimately Jesus’ prerogative, not his.

Last time I listed three well-worn paths for arriving at a failed church plant. They were:

10. Believe in yourself! You can do it!
9. Plant a small group.
8. Make the COOLEST. ADS. EVER.

This time I’m challenging your personality, your ambitiousness, and your good finances. Sheesh! Talk about getting on your bad side! If you can stomach it, today I dish out three more ways to NOT plant a church.

7. Don’t worry about your personality; it’s not about you.
Okay, now I’m bound to rub some people the wrong way. This isn’t a cult of personality; this is the Gospel. It’s about Jesus, right? So your personality doesn’t matter… or does it? I’ve seen people with a broad range of personalities pull off a successful church-planting effort. But that’s no reason to think your personality, gifts, interpersonal skills, and social proclivities don’t play a significant role. If you haven’t already taken a church planter assessment, do it. If you rank unlikely as a planter, don’t ignore the data. Find a way to partner with someone who rounds you out.

6. Launch large.
I understand. You read the books. You were romanced by the idea of launching large. Who wouldn’t love to skip over the awkward years? Well, my friend, if you are a bishop in Big-City, Texas, or a group of 100 being backed by Liverpool Cathedral, then go for it; I’m rooting for you! If not, a modest launch might be more tenable. In fact, it might be more effective. I find that we often sabotage our efforts by trying to pull off more than we capably can. If you have 20 people on a Sunday afternoon, my recommendation is that you don’t process, start a youth ministry, recruit a band, or try to sing St. Patrick’s Breastplate. Grow into those things. For now, you might be better off just doing Vespers really well—maybe seated in a circle, incorporating a casual meal. Instead of a lengthy sermon, try a gospel discussion or lectio divina. Instead of a shaky guitarist leading “Pange Lingua” sing “Silent Night” a cappella. In so doing, you will demonstrate for visitors that you’re mindful of your modest size, you’re not daunted by it, and you’re self-aware enough to know how to grow beyond it. There’s nothing more off-putting than a church with a Napoleon complex. Think about launching well—and in a way that befits who you actually are—rather than launching large.

5. Start off by establishing finances and structure.
Okay, so the structure part you might resonate with. The early days are not when you want to be locked into a vestry and bylaws. You should stay light on your feet, able to make decisions fluidly as a group, and it should be at least a year before you hear anyone utter the word “committee.” But what about the finances? While an up-front nest egg can be sensible, it can also be problematic. Most church plants raise initial monies that they spend in the first year. Ironically, this is the year when expenses are actually lowest. When years two and three roll around, the budget needs to grow, but the finances can’t. Instead, if you have some savings, apportion it over the next few years in an increasing measure. Always look for ways to ensure that your finances grow, because you can just about guarantee that your expenses will.

Next time we’ll open with my absolute favorite way to NOT plant a church. Almost every church planter falls for this one. (If only I were exempt from that assessment.) Post your guesses in the comments below, and come back next time to ensure you dodge this bullet!

Aaron lives in Seattle where he runs the nonprofit Northwest Anglican, a 501(c)(3) devoted to furthering Anglicanism, regardless of affiliation, in the Seattle-to-Portland area. He rectors an Anglican church plant in Bellevue and has learned as much about how to fail at church planting as he has about how to succeed. He, his wife, and three boys enjoy time spent with people and good books, and Aaron derives great joy and peace from the knowledge that building the Church is ultimately Jesus’ prerogative, not his.

The oft-cited statistic is that four out of five church plants fail. Daunting as that may be, it sounds about right to me. I’ve watched people’s efforts collapse after five years. I’ve seen them finished on their second Sunday. (And don’t think that I haven’t closed up shop a few times myself.)

With odds like that, who would want to take on church planting? The answer: Crazy people… like you, like me. Ordinary folks who are wild enough to take Jesus at his word when he says that he will build his church (Matt 16.18).

So let’s tackle the task, but let’s be savvy; shall we? At the very least, let’s avoid some of the ingredients that have the ability to ruin the whole recipe. In my experience, the troublesome components often seem appealing at first glance. So let’s get counter-intuitive for a moment. Here are my “hard-learned” top ten ways to NOT plant a church.

10. Believe in yourself! You can do it!
No, no you can’t. Not by yourself at least. But you will likely find numerous people who think you can. Finding cheerleaders is not the same as finding teammates. But with so many people applauding and encouraging you, you might start to think you can pull it off alone. This is not a Disney movie, my friend. This is church planting. If you don’t have a few folks ready to get in the game with you—or worse, if you think you can do it better without the “interference” of others—you’re on your way to not planting a church.

9. Plant a small group.
Small groups are great. So maybe you should just start a small group and grow a church plant out of it, right? Wrong. Part of why full-size churches run small groups is because they complement the church nicely. In other words, small groups, by their very nature, are designed to be different from a church. Small groups are private, they focus on in-reach, and their functionality is dependent on them not getting too big. Churches are public, they reach out, and their functionality is dependent on them not being too small. So, by all means, start small, perhaps with a core team; but let it be known from day one that this is a church-planting endeavor, not a small group.

8. Make the COOLEST. ADS. EVER.
Here’s one that sounds counter-intuitive indeed. More should be said about effective venues for advertising, but I’ll save that for a subsequent blog entry. For now let me make this simple distinction: If you’re advertising online, you actually don’t want your ads to be too attractive. Remember, under most online advertising arrangements, you get charged every time someone clicks your ad. The fastest way to empty your advertising budget is to make a great looking ad. Everyone will click it… whether they’re actually interested in your church plant or not. Instead ask yourself this: How can I make an ad that will attract those people (and only those people) who, upon arriving at my website, will be glad to be there?

Next time we’ll cover numbers 7, 6, and 5, as we count down to the number one way to NOT plant a church. Get ready for me to poke at your personality, chide you for being ambitious, and accuse you of raising too much money! And while I’m on the subject of money, how much do you think a church planter should raise up front? Post your thoughts in the comments below!

Aaron lives in Seattle where he runs the nonprofit Northwest Anglican, a 501(c)(3) devoted to furthering Anglicanism, regardless of affiliation, in the Seattle-to-Portland area. He rectors an Anglican church plant in Bellevue and has learned as much about how to fail at church planting as he has about how to succeed. He, his wife, and three boys enjoy time spent with people and good books, and Aaron derives great joy and peace from the knowledge that building the Church is ultimately Jesus’ prerogative, not his.