A Church Planter Watches The Super Bowl

Okay, I just have to say I loved watching the Super Bowl last night!  Being a church planter in the State of Washington, watching the domination by the Seattle Seahawks over the Denver Broncos was simply a beautiful thing.  It was a scene after the game that stirred me the most though:  thousands of Broncos fans and Seahawks fans jammed together, waiting while the New Jersey train system figured out what to do with them all.  The Green and Blue of the Seattle fans mixed together with the Orange and Blue of the Denver fans, reminding me that we're all in this life together, and that the most unlikely groups of people can be united on the journey toward home.

I'm pretty sure that as we all go back to work today, Broncos fans are surviving and Seahawks fans are thriving, and we really don't hate each other.  When I saw a picture this morning of a little Broncos fan crying on his dad's lap, I felt bad for the kid.  His heros lost the day, the bad guys won (in his world view), and his dad has the job of comforting him and teaching him about life.  That little Bronco fan is not my enemy.  Neither are the Broncos, actually, except when they are playing the Seahawks or the Chiefs!

Two thousand years ago though, firmly rooted in deep animosity, there were some enemies that just didn't mingle:  Jews and Samaritans despised one another.  They didn't mix, and would never stand together in line for mass transit (rent-a-donkey?).  Jews avoided Samaritans like the plague, especially for religious reasons.  (Christians would never treat others like that today though, right?)  This culture of self-exalting avoidance was passed on from father to son until one day when the gospel of Jesus Christ and the good news of the kingdom of God came to town.

Extreme persecution had broken out in the Jerusalem area against Christians, who were teaching that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah.  Under this persecution, Christians began to scatter out from Jerusalem, and some of them went into Samaria, the land of the untouchables.  This would be a good place to go when trying to get away from religious Jews, since they went out of their way to avoid the whole region!  Philip, a man of faith and powerful action, was one of these religious refugees, and he brought the message of Jesus with him into Samaria.  He was a walking, talking representative of Jesus Christ and of the kingdom of God, and many in Samaria turned to Christ when they heard Philip's words and saw the supernatural work of God at work through him.

God had a plentiful harvest waiting in Samaria, and Philip, the persecuted refugee, was His instrument to bring in that harvest.  The "unworthy" Samaritans turned out to be the very ones God was bringing into His kingdom!  I wonder what "untouchable" or "unworthy" people are awaiting the gospel around me.  Who do the religious people avoid that Jesus has nevertheless been preparing to receive the good news of the kingdom of God?  How do "Samaritans" look in my day and in my town?  Do they wear Broncos Orange or Seahawk Green/Blue or do they represent something else entirely?

The Super Bowl reminds me that the gospel of the kingdom of God still supersedes our cultural boundaries today, and that the people who call Jesus their Lord and Savior carry a unique message that brings hope to every "Samaritan."  I think this might even mean that Jesus could save Broncos fans.  (Sorry, Broncos fans, I know that was a low blow.  But it was funny.)  Maybe we should plant a church in Denver someday.  Would I have to wear orange?  I could probably learn to like orange.  (Sorry, fellow Seahawks, now I've managed to offend you too!)

All According To Plan

This weekend didn't go exactly according to plan for our church plant here in Spokane.  It's January in the Inland Northwest, which means it's cold, so what a perfect time for the heating unit in our rented building to die!  The repairs were scheduled to happen on Tuesday the 21st, which, if you do the math, doesn't increase the temperature by even one degree on Sunday the 19th!  Well, we acted in the genius forethought that God has given us and ran two space heaters all night long on Saturday to raise the temperature from forty-five degrees up into the balmy fifties by Sunday morning.  Yeah, we were planning for it to be slightly more effective than that.  My fingers were a "bit chilly" and it was hard to hold my guitar pick as the band "warmed up" - I use that term loosely - and checked the sound.  But do you know what?  We had a great time!  Jesus was worshiped, we had encouraging participation, we had guests who liked the meeting and plan to come back, and we all built some great memories together.  Someone even said it was my best preaching to date - maybe because it was short!

Church life is kind of like vacationing with the family:  the best stories, and the ones we laugh hardest about later, are the ones where things don't go according to plan.  The stories where we come through difficult circumstances together bond us together like little else.  I feel silly even using the following verse to make a point since our heating issue wasn't exactly an "evil" situation, but read this anyway.  "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good..." (Genesis 50:20, ESV)  God always has a plan and He always has a purpose, whether life seems to be falling apart or we just have to shiver through a chilly meeting!

That quote from Genesis 50:20 was originally stated by Joseph, the Vice Ruler of the land of Egypt.  Here's his back-story:  Long before Joseph was an Egyptian ruler, his jealous brothers faked his death and sold him into slavery.  While a slave, he was sexually harassed by his master's wife, accused of attempting to rape her, and wrongfully sent to prison as a sex offender.  Through all of this wicked assault on his life God was with him, and ultimately the Egyptian Pharaoh elevated him from the prison to a position of great power.  When famine later ravaged the land, Joseph was perfectly positioned to rescue the people, including the very brothers who had betrayed him.

Looking back on his life, Joseph could see that when his brothers sold him into slavery, God had a bigger plan.  Even while he was lying in the pit of captivity God had a better purpose.  When slandered and then thrown into prison unjustly, God's power was at work behind it all.  The evil others meant against Joseph, God meant for good.  Even more, their very actions played right into God's sovereign purpose.  He could later declare to his brothers, "It was not you who sent me here, but God."  While others were hating, betraying, slandering, and imprisoning, God was preserving a nation!

A little perspective is always nice, and makes our frigid Sunday meeting seem a little less tragic!  Okay, not very tragic at all.  It's so good to know that God is building us together, building some really funny memories, and that when we face even more challenging circumstances together in the future, it will all be according to plan - just maybe not our plan!

Jesus, Please Describe Your Kingdom

Do you ever wonder what the kingdom of God is like?  Jesus talked about it all the time, so I had a really great thought (also very deep and very intellectual, so I hope you are impressed).  Are you ready for this?  Here it comes...

Why not just ask Jesus what the kingdom of God looks like?  "Jesus, could you please describe for the audience what this kingdom looks like?"

"What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sewed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches."  And again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened."  (Luke 13:18-20, ESV)

These are some of Jesus' own words about the kingdom of God, recorded for us in Luke's gospel.  Jesus loves to answer with stories and word-pictures, and he uses two of them here:

1. A man "plants" a tiny seed, really tiny, like a mustard seed, into the dirt.  This tiny seed grows into a mighty tree, large enough for the birds of the air to nest in its branches.
2. A woman "hides" leaven in three measures of flour and the whole lump of flour becomes leavened!

According to Jesus, this is what the kingdom of God is like.  When sown into your life it grows up mightily.  When sown into a community of people its effect is life-altering.  Highly potent, it affects change wherever it goes.  God's kingdom at work in the earth is a powerful change-agent, both in the human heart and in the culture at large (precisely because the hearts of real people are being "leavened" with its power).  Christians should breathe a sigh of relief here because this takes the pressure off of us!  The power is in the "seed," the "leaven," and the seed of the gospel will grow in our hearts with mighty results.  Others around us will reap the benefits of God at work.  Because Jesus has declared the effectiveness of His kingdom, Christians can also take a second deep breath and get to work, knowing that our work in the kingdom of God will be effective and fruitful!

God Himself, the King of the Kingdom, sows the seed of the gospel into our hearts.  He also sows us, his people, as seed-bearing agents into the world around us.  He sows us strategically into places of business, into neighborhood relationships, into schools and universities, and into various cities and towns of all shapes and sizes.  The seed doesn't  fall accidentally in this story, and the leaven is worked into the flour on purpose.  Imagine the trees that are to grow up from the dirt where God has placed us and where He continues to place us.  Imagine the aroma of fresh "bread" to come from the "lump" of a situation in which we may find ourselves!  You and I carry the seed of the kingdom wherever God plants us.  That means positive change will happen in due time.

Thank You, Jesus, for a little explanation of your kingdom.

It's Gonna Be Quite A Ride

Dawa used to be a Buddhist priest in Nepal.  Seeking truth, he became a Hindu, but later abandoned Hinduism to become an atheist.  And now?  Now he serves as a Christian pastor and fellow church planter here in Spokane, Washington.  Jesus' relentless pursuit of Dawa has brought this Bhutanese man to my city where I met him this morning at breakfast, courtesy of World Relief.

God's story through Dawa's life stirs worship in my core.  While still an atheist, he became very sick and the doctors could not help.  A Christian friend whom Dawa had formerly debated brought him to the elders of his church.  They prayed and he was supernaturally healed; Dawa began to follow Jesus that day which led to persecution.  Now he serves other Bhutanese refugees here in Spokane, proclaiming the kingdom of God to his people!

Another man at our breakfast meeting was named Alex.  He is a Russian pastor leading an English-speaking church (Russians, Americans, and now a Chinese exchange student) that has recently been serving the Iraqi Muslim community in Spokane.  This is beautiful.

As we shared stories together of what God is doing in the world and around Spokane, my faith was freshly stirred by the supernatural God we serve.  To hear of the approximately 500 refugees that will be coming to Spokane in 2014, many of them who have experienced trauma I cannot personally comprehend, was heart-melting yet strengthening for my spiritual backbone.  The sense of destiny I felt as we prayed together for our city and for refugee families in particular was both challenging and empowering, as I could see a tiny slice of the prophetic calling on Grace Church Spokane for the upcoming year.

Multiple Congolese families are coming to our city.  Who will be the ones to welcome them to our nation, to Spokane, and into friendship?  Who will share hope with them?  Who can see prophetic destiny on these lovely people?  It must certainly be the people of Christ!  Just as Jesus went through cities and villages "proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God" (Luke 8:1), the church in Spokane has the unique opportunity to welcome families of various faiths and backgrounds into our town and to bring the gospel of the kingdom into their cultural community!  What a joy it is as the cities and villages of the earth are coming to us!

Thanks to the leaders of World Relief for hosting such a wonderful time of faith-inspiring challenge, helpful strategy, and prophetic confirmation of my own church's call to love and serve the nations in our own city and beyond.  The gospel is good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, fresh vision for eyes that cannot see, and freedom to the oppressed; it is the good news of the favor of God in our day and in our time.  Thank you for being a part of this kingdom and for being facilitators of the church's apostolic call to "remember the poor."

Jesus is connecting His people with His kingdom purpose!  He is more committed to this than we could possibly hope to be.  As we are led by the Holy Spirit into the "villages" and people groups in our cities and towns, we can expect to see Jesus at work.  Are your eyes open?  I feel like mine are opening a little wider and kingdom vision is flooding in.  It's gonna be quite a ride...  Who's with me?

Church Planting Doesn't Make You Great

As a church planter, the role of announcing the good news of the kingdom of God in unusual places is just part of everyday life.  As one who talks one-on-one with people in coffee shops and bistros, pubs and sidewalks, and who speaks more formally in our hip downtown venue on Sundays, I find myself championing the grace of God a lot!  Talking about Jesus as the one who forgives sin, who reconciles us to God, the one who paid the price for our sin - this is just what I get to do, and I love it.  Calling people to repentance, to genuine fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and calling them to enjoy the amazing relationship we have as sons and daughters of God Himself is such a privilege.  But I can also be so busy doing all these things that I forget to take advantage of all these benefits that I have in God.

I was reading this morning in Luke 7 when this scripture jumped  out at me:

"I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John.  Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."  (Luke 7:28, ESV)

Jesus had just declared that John was not just a prophet, but more than a prophet:  he was the "messenger" whom the prophet Malachi had foretold would come to prepare the way for the Messiah (See Malachi 3:1).  In that sense, John was a pretty big deal.  However, after this statement Jesus then proclaims that the least in the kingdom of God is greater than John!  What?  How can this be?  How can the greatest prophet be lesser than a brand new follower of Christ?  (To be clear, Jesus wasn't saying John was excluded from the kingdom of God.  John was looking forward to a kingdom that he could not yet fully understand.)

To participate in the kingdom of God is better than to talk about it!  To be a great preacher of the glories of God cannot compare to experiencing them!  To live as a citizen of God's kingdom, as a member of the New Covenant in Christ's own blood, a citizen of grace and truth, freely approaching the very throne of God Himself, is a completely different reality than to declare that this is available.  While I could personally call people to repentance and call them to respond to Jesus - and I do - yet, I could still stand distant from the enjoyable benefits He has provided for me.

It was not John's "prophet" status that would cause him to become great in the kingdom of God; it would be his embrace of the King.  It would not be his austerity or good works that signified greatness but his faith in the Greater One.  In the same way, being a church planter doesn't make me great.  It's not that I come as a prophetic voice into my city of Spokane.  God hasn't called me (or you) to be "merely" a mouthpiece for His kingdom, a herald of things to come; he has called us to be active participants in His covenant of grace.  He has called us to relationship, to citizenship in Himself.

I can hear your theological gears working:  "But greatness in the kingdom is all about serving!  Jesus said that!  What about serving?"  You would be right, but what's the motive for all this serving?  Our service, whether it's declaring the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ, clothing the poor, or feeding the hungry, is best given from hearts that enjoy the abundant provision God daily lavishes upon us.  Citizenship in the kingdom of God never begins with us serving God, but with Him serving us.  He opens our blinded eyes, softens are hardened hearts, brings us from death to life, fills us with His very own Spirit, and causes our hearts to then beat in sync with His!  The least in the kingdom of God can enjoy these benefits of grace; the greatest servants in the kingdom - whether they are cancer-ward volunteers, church leaders, or poor widows who pray for them all - will serve greatly because they are rooted and grounded into the grace, truth, and love of their all-sufficient Savior.

Here's the prophetic call:  take some time to enjoy the very benefits you love to talk about!  Yes, search the Scriptures, but also come to Jesus and enjoy the life He provides.  Speak from that place.  Love from that place.  Serve from that place.  Maybe even plant churches from that place!

Ready For Launch

Well, we've officially been on the Spokane launch pad for 14 months!  The Meek family moved at the end of July 2013 and it's now the last day of September 2013.  What a ride it's been so far!  We've immersed into new schools, new friendships, new jobs, new home, new everything it seems.  Over the past 14 months we've loved participating as God has drawn together a team of amazing people around us to help plant a new life-giving, Jesus-honoring, grace-saturated, Spirit-filled church in Spokane, Washington that exists to glorify God and to serve people.

As our team has been learning and growing, it's become clear that it's time to "go public."  We haven't been hiding, by any means, since we've been meeting in a rented facility at 303 W. Main on Sunday mornings since the beginning of March.  Our sermons have been online, our sign goes up every Sunday, etc., but we haven't really done a big, splashy, publicly advertized "here-we-are" event.  (If you don't count the outreach carnival and car wash we did in the West Central neighborhood in July!  I guess that was pretty splashy!) So, if you happen to read this and live in the Spokane, Washington area, you just might see some Facebook ads inviting you to come check out Grace Church Spokane this month, especially for the big "Launch" on October 27, 2013!  You might also see some posters or receive an invitation from a friend.

I promise one thing about October 27.  It will be a great day to bring friends who don't know much about Jesus, friends who are already Christians but are burned out on "religion," or friends who are looking to connect with a healthy local church because they just haven't yet!  Maybe you're reading this and you fit into one of those categories yourself.  If so, why not come see what Grace Church Spokane is all about?  Come and discover with us what Jesus meant when He said, "I came that you may have life, and have it to the full."

God's Heart For Your Heart

Franklin Park, slightly earlier in the season than my run!

So there I was, jogging through Franklin Park last week, just north of my home in Spokane, the chill in the brisk morning air kept at bay through my accelerated heart rate, when it hit me.  This is what I began praying for over ten years ago; this is one of the desires of my heart.  I thought to myself, "Here I am, planting a church in Spokane, Washington, my kids have each found a niche in their schools and with great friends, my wife is putting her university teaching degree to good use and loving her job, and I'm running through a neighborhood - MY neighborhood - in the city God has called us to love and to serve.  Thank You, Jesus."  My run was easy that day as my mind was filled with gratefulness to the God who fills our hearts with passion and then fulfills the very desire which He inspired in the first place.

Today, which was supposedly the end of the world (come on guys, seriously...?) I'm pondering just how amazing God's call is for each of us.  He puts a longing for "something more" in the hearts of every man and woman on the planet, then He points us to the fulfillment of that longing:  Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the World, Lover of Cities, Souls and Nations.  Despite the distractions of the Holiday Season, in the midst of the tragedies that accompany life in a fallen world, God is continually and persistently at work in the hearts of young and old alike, drawing our hearts toward His own and transforming our hearts and lives into His own likeness.

God cares about the very things we care about!  Our Heavenly Father loves to see our hearts fulfilled, both in the little things and in the grand purposes of His ever-advancing kingdom.  He absolutely loves to bless His people with good gifts, daring dreams, and unquenchable hope in the middle of the hustle and bustle of a world in desperate need of everything He has to offer.  Here's a little reminder to all of us that God is for us, not against us, His heart beats with a passionate fervor for His chosen people, and He is still in the business of restoring, encouraging, and satisfying hearts.  He's doing it here in Spokane and He's doing it all over the world.

Two Weeks And Counting...

Well, it's less than two weeks before the big move to Spokane to pioneer Grace Church Spokane!  This has been a long time coming (10 years since Becca and I first started talking and praying about this move - wow).  Our home in Missoula sold for a great price and we just found a home to rent in Spokane this past Monday, so I guess this is really happening!

Cover of "Kingdom of God" studio album

It's been awhile since my last blog update and I've been busy working on the recording projects mentioned in my last one.  The great news is that they are finally done!  The Kingdom of God EP (which ended up as a 4-song disc) is here and came out really well.  These studio versions of some of our most-used songs will be an excellent tool for Grace Church Spokane and they're only $5 to purchase too.  We'll get those songs uploaded to the blog page ASAP so you can take a listen for free!

Cover of "Send Us" live album

The live worship recording is completed and being printed and packaged in Dallas, Texas this week.  "Send Us" should be in hand and online by Friday, July 20.  I couldn't be much more happy with how it turned out!  My good friend Rob Parr engineered the whole project and produced it with me.  His "sweet recording skills" made every song sizzle.  Heather Thomas, the new worship director at Clark Fork City Church, co-led the night of worship, so her voice brings a great Montana flavor to the music!  We are doing our best to have it up and ready to download from iTunes, Amazon.com and most other major web sources by July 20 as well.  We'll get charts up on the blog too, which will be free to download.

These two recordings were done both to make the music of CFCC more readily available and to raise funds for Grace Church Spokane, so know that every song you download or CD you purchase is helping to advance the gospel in the Northwest USA!  Thanks!!

Why Plant Another Church in Christian America? (Part 5)

As we prepare to move to Spokane this summer to begin the process on the ground of launching Grace Church Spokane, we do so from our home church of Clark Fork City Church in Missoula, Montana.  I’ve noticed a funny thing:  as great as CFCC is, not many people make the drive on Sunday morning from Spokane to come to church in Missoula.  I’ve also noticed that though there are Christians who do make the drive to Missoula from nearby towns to come and worship with us, not many of their friends who live where they do are added to our church.  This is just one of the reasons church planting is so important, even in the context of one metropolitan area.

From Neighborhoods…

The city limits of Spokane and Spokane Valley host about 300,000 people.  The metro area has 300,000 more for a current grand total of around 600,000 people.  They aren’t all going to fit in my living room.  Or in any of the existing churches in Spokane.  Or in the largest building we could erect.  This is why we need to have a mindset of church planting even within the various neighborhoods of Spokane.  Since the best way to impact a neighborhood is to be a part of it, I envision not just one neighborhood church of a few hundred people, but gatherings to the north, in the Whitworth and Mead areas; a central location near the University District; one in the South Hill; another in the Valley; another in Hillyard; and still another by the Eastern Washington University campus out in Cheney.  (Unless you too are a die-hard University of Montana alum and Griz fan, you have no idea how cross-cultural it is to talk about planting a church near EWU!)

To Cities And Nations…

As Bilbo said to his nephew in The Lord of the Rings, “It’s a dangerous business Frodo, going out your door.  If you step onto the road and you don’t keep your feet, there’s no telling where you might be swept off to.”  The Great Commission calls us onward from our own living rooms, neighborhoods and home towns to wherever God will send us.  Every people group, every socio-ethnic population in the world, has a place in the kingdom of God.  Jews and Gentiles.  Rich and Poor.  From the Tattoo clans to the Cowboy-booted Marlboro Men, from the urban coffee connoisseur to the tenement-dwelling single mom, these people are all a part of the fabric of Spokane – but they’re also all over the world!  Imagine those people groups within a city uniting under the banner of the good news of Jesus Christ to partner together to reach those same people groups globally.  We’ll send some right from Grace Church Spokane and we’ll also partner with other like-minded churches around the world.  Places like Mexico.  Russia.  Ireland.  Kenya.  Estonia.  England.  Cities like Chicago.  Tacoma.  London.  Rio.  St Petersburg.  We actually have friends in these places who think like we do!  It’s a big world loved by an even bigger God – and He has filled our hearts with His passion to see lost people saved!

Cross-Cultural Church

I’m not naïve.  Well, maybe I am.  I’m a dreamer and a visionary so I tend to think in giant terms.  I’m dreaming and making plans toward a church of thousands of people locally, representing the various people groups of Spokane and affecting millions on a multi-national scale.  I also recognize that I’m just one middle-class white guy in my mid-30’s who is married to a white girl in her 29-forever’s and that we will naturally attract people who are similar to us.  We have 2.5 children (okay, 3 children) and we have to balance church planting with parenting, homework, Boy Scouts and Irish Step Dancing.

We will have to work hard to make in-roads and relationships with others in Spokane who are older, younger, richer, poorer, darker, whiter (if that’s possible) etc.  However, since the Book of Acts shows us churches like the one in Antioch with a multi-cultural leadership that sent out the likes of Paul and Barnabas to impact the world, I’m asking and thanking God for a church that represents this right in Spokane.  Together we will embrace this vision and see a vibrant church established in this great city – quickly becoming our city.

·        We envision young and old of various socio-economic backgrounds committing together to plant churches and extend the kingdom of God together in the neighborhoods of Spokane and in other cities and nations.

In a nut shell, Grace Church Spokane is going to be a place where our common identity and mission in Christ so supercedes our differences that the people groups, cities and nations of the world can come into clear focus.  Rich and poor will serve together.  Single guys and families.  College students and business professionals.  Grandmothers and single moms.  Nations mixing.  The kingdom of God.

Why Plant Another Church In Christian America (Part 4)

The most common question I’m asked these days about launching a church into Spokane is, “So, do you have a building?”  While this is obviously a relevant question, it definitely stirs my thinking since my own definition of “church” looks like people gathering together to worship and serve, not a building.  I think most people asking me about a building simply mean, “Do you have a place to meet together?” but it also speaks to the need for us to see church life through a wider lens. 

The frequent misconception of church as a steepled building is a big one in North America, where we have all-too-often altered Jesus’ words, “On this rock I will build my church,” to mean building a structure of brick, wood or steel, panes of glass, stages and lights, when He was actually talking about people being drawn together by His grace through faith in His saving power.  We may know this in our heads but here’s a reminder:  Church is people.  Church is a community of believers.  Church is about relationship, discipleship and mission together.  And that church can meet anywhere.  It can also go anywhere since the people aren’t limited to a facility.

Missional community

Every few weeks in Spokane a really cool thing happens.  Instead of holding their normal church gathering Vintage Church goes out on a Sunday morning for a church “scattering.”  They understand something that I hope we as a church will “get” as well.  The whole church, not just an exclusive or elite team, is involved in serving the community together.  There is an understanding that community is important and that a Christian community thrives best when it includes serving others together.

I dream about a vibrant community of believers like this that demonstrates genuine love for one another in the way we relate not only to each other, but also in the way we serve the people and community of Spokane.  Even while it is still barely more than a “twinkle in my eye” Grace Church Spokane already exists to serve.  I envision a community centered around Christ that turns to face outward, embracing neighborhoods, people groups and even other nations together.  I’d bet that many people who have said, “I like Jesus but I avoid the church,” haven’t experienced church like this.  We want to give them the opportunity.

Every Member Involved

While training is important and necessary, it doesn’t take a seminary-trained theologian to tell someone what God has done in his or her life.  While there are always more answers to be found to difficult questions, even the newest believer can share with a friend how God has changed his or her life!  Every follower of Jesus has a unique story to tell, and we want to equip and encourage people to share their own story of how Jesus has impacted their lives.  Through relationship, through service and even through structured invitational events there will be many opportunities to engage friends, family and neighbors with the power and grace of God.

Making disciples

In their book, Breaking the Missional Code, Ed Stetzer and David Putman say, “Making and multiplying disciples involves three things:  (1) living like Jesus lived, (2) loving like Jesus loved, and (3) leaving behind what Jesus left behind.”  To put it simply, we really want to do this!  We want to help others do this!  We want to see the people we love and serve become mature believers who live and love like Jesus, leaving behind things that stand in the way of His calling in our lives. 

·        We aim to be a missional community where every member is involved in making disciples of Jesus.

The more I think, dream, pray and plan toward leading and serving a church that embraces being a missional, disciple-making community the more excited and full of faith I become!  Please pray for my family and for those that are planning on coming with us into this new adventure in God.  Pray that God enables us to live out what we believe He is challenging us to do!  Allow me to be so bold as to challenge you to consider whether you may be called to be a part of this team!

Why Plant Another Church in Christian America? Part 3

Do The Words “Church” And “Passion” Really Go Together?

When I was a kid I was passionate about baseball!  I was a Kansas City Royals fan and was especially proud of my George Brett rookie card.  On occasion I would join the enthusiastic crowds of Royals fans who would do the wave, catch peanuts from the vendors and cheer wildly for the team.  I spent most of my allowance money every month for four years buying trading cards, and spent many Saturday afternoons playing ball on the make-shift diamond my friends and I had created behind our house.  I even tried running a baseball card shop out of my bedroom.  You could say it was my “first love.”

Then there were things like golf.  And tennis.  And bass fishing shows.  For some reason my dad loved to watch these on TV, yet to me they seemed to involve a lot of sitting, waiting and being quiet (except for John McEnroe, whose antics broke the monotony!).  In my young view of the world, this so-called entertainment was best described by words like “dry,” “boring,” “slow” and “un-fun,” remarkably similar to the way many people think of church.  With that in mind, as Grace Church Spokane:

·        We purpose to develop passionate worshipers of Jesus who continually grow in grace, truth, gifting and service to God and to people.

Developing Passionate Worshipers

Wholehearted, passionate enjoyment of God and of the people of God is His plan for us even though, as I stated above, that’s probably not what would come to mind if one were to ask the average American his or her thoughts on church!  However, the Bible is clear that throughout our daily lives and when we come together to worship Jesus, being with Him should be characterized by words like “joy,” “amazement,” “celebration,” “awe” and “vision.”  Our songs should reflect that.  So should everything else we do.  So, what changes “stuffy religion” into a life of genuine passion about Jesus?

Passionately Growing in Grace

Understanding and experiencing the undeserved forgiveness and favor of God produces a grateful people!  The truth that we have been saved by God’s grace rather than our good works sets us free, and the reality of friendship with God will be increasingly demonstrated through our lives together.  As a gathered community who knows that God is pleased with us and actually likes us, we’ll be a “dangerous,” contagious bunch!  We hope the contagion of God’s grace inspires everyone who encounters Grace Church Spokane, and that our life together rings with the vibrant worship that comes from confidence in Christ. 

Passionately Growing in Truth

The message of God’s grace and love receives its potency by remaining firmly rooted and grounded in the teaching of the Bible.  In fact, if a people were to lose the moorings of Scripture they would soon find themselves losing the very freedom it declares!  Learning the depths of this freedom is no dry theoretical study but is rather the opportunity to engage with God Himself through His own words; to learn how He feels, what He thinks, and what His plan and purpose is for us and for the world.  It’s from growing in the truth that we find out about His plan to save sinners, heal the sick and broken-hearted, reconcile families and nations, and ultimately restore all of creation for His glory!  For this reason, we know passionate followers of Jesus will desire to continue growing in their knowledge of God. 

Passionately Growing in Gifting & Service

Jesus is a servant and He’s really good at it.  He came to serve through sacrifice, doing what only He could do – living a perfect life, dying as the perfect payment for our sin, and rising again from the dead, forever victorious over sin and death.  He knew His unique purpose that no one else could ever fulfill, yet He also served people in practical ways like washing their feet and feeding them, because He wanted to demonstrate God’s heart of love.  Now, as we spend time with Jesus we discover more and more the unique purpose for which He has created us.  We also find that we reflect more and more of His heart to serve others.  Not only do we find fulfillment when we develop what He has planted into us, but others are encouraged as well when we serve them.

I Want To Be A Part Of This

The people of Spokane are uniquely created by God.  We want them to know it, and to know God’s heart for them.  I believe this is best revealed through a Christian community that is passionately alive in Christ, rooted in the truth and power of His Word, and that serves the city in love.  I want to be a part of a church community like this.  I know there are people in Spokane waiting for something like this, even though they may not know it yet…  Next time, we’ll develop the idea of being a community on mission together in this wonderful city.

Why Plant Another Church in Christian America? Part 2

As I’m writing this, I’m thankful to have made it over the mountain passes of Western Montana and Northern Idaho tonight!  We've just come over from Missoula for the weekend.  After waiting for work crews to unblock the pass (due to wrecked semi trucks, not due to too much snow) we finally made it.  While the weather isn't exactly great today, my anticipation is!

This trip will not only have us staying with good friends in Post Falls but also meeting with local pastors in Spokane, connecting with others interested in being a part of this new church plant, and even connecting with Dave Hensen and Tim Heath, two Newfrontiers church planters working in Hope Church in St Petersburg, Russia.  Spokane has a significant Russian population as well so their insight could be really helpful.

No matter the ethnic origins of people in Spokane this is the first of four things we want them to encounter in the people of Spokane Grace Church.

·        We desire to be a come-as-you-are, welcoming community offering a fresh challenge to live life to its fullest purpose found in Jesus Christ. 

Come As You Are: 

This means people who come to check out the church community don’t have to put on a “Sunday Best” façade to hang out with us.  This is bigger than being free to wear jeans or flip-flops to church, although that’s fine.  It means people who have addictions don’t have to pretend like they don’t, and people who have questions can ask them.  People who don’t have life figured out at all can come.  People who think they have it all figured out can come.

A Welcoming Community: 

People should feel welcome when they get together with the people of God!  There should be a sense of “coming home.”  While there are many examples in the Bible of what the church is like, one of them is that of family.  We want people to find that with us.

A Fresh Challenge: 

The call to serve Jesus is not new, but the challenge to each new generation and every people group to embrace the call to live in Christ must be delivered in the context of that people’s cultural understanding.  We are called to speak the language of 21^st Century Northwestern America – Spokane style.

Purpose Found in Jesus Christ: 

Jesus and His mission will be our focus, not only in theory but in actual life experience as well.  There is no greater mission in the world than Jesus’ call to carry the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Him!  Every believer is called to join in this purpose, not just by going to church meetings but by bringing the power of the gospel into every area of life – work, school, home, the gym, the coffee shop and the street.

Everyone should have the opportunity to join with a church community that embraces this.  Next time we’ll talk about developing passionate worship within the context of this community!

Why Plant Another Church In Christian America? Part 1

I recently heard the argument made that the US is essentially a Christian nation and that we should focus our church planting efforts primarily into other nations.  So, why exactly are we planting a new church into Spokane, Washington then?  There are easily more than 150 churches already between Spokane and Spokane Valley, not to mention the surrounding area.  Isn’t that enough?  (Should I even mention the fact that if every existing church in Spokane had one thousand members – which they don’t – more than half the population of the metro area would still be unchurched?!)  Besides the obvious fact that we have a strong sense of God calling us to plant into this city in particular, there are practical reasons for planting churches right here in the States.  Take a look.

It’s interesting that missiologists are referring to the U.S. as one of the largest mission fields in the world.  Also interesting is the increase of Christian “missionaries” being sent from other nations to evangelize the unreached people groups of the good ole’ U.S.A.  Are they “getting” something that the church in the States should understand?  I think so.  And what’s even more interesting to me is that the Northwest U.S. is considered one of the most unreached regions in this mission field.  The steeples we see across the skyline of Spokane, therefore, do not represent much more than cool looking landmarks to the majority of the people in this compelling city.

While 80% of churches in the U.S. are not growing, according to researchers like Ed Stetzer, there are also statistics showing what is working:  starting new churches; churches that are speaking culturally to the society we live in now; churches that are engaging that culture; churches that are serving their communities rather than simply inviting the community to come to their events.  (I’m not saying events are bad; we plan to host some!)  With that in mind, this is what we hope to be in Spokane:

• We desire to be a come-as-you-are, welcoming community offering a fresh challenge to live life to its fullest purpose found in Jesus Christ

• We purpose to develop passionate worshipers of Jesus who continually grow in grace, truth, gifting and service to God and to people.

• We aim to be a missional community where every member is involved in making disciples of Jesus.

• We envision young and old of various socio-economic backgrounds committing together to plant churches and extend the kingdom of God together in the neighborhoods of Spokane and in other cities and nations. 

Over the next four posts we’ll examine how these ideas play out in a city like Spokane.  Church communities like this are springing up around the United States and the world, and God may be calling you to join the magnificent, risk-embracing teams of people planting them!  Do you feel the tug?

Grace Church Spokane

It’s only ten and half months now until we make the move to Spokane and the countdown feels like it’s gaining speed. The training I’ve been doing (Church Planting Training, a great opportunity offered through Newfrontiers USA) is progressing nicely and I feel like God is honing me significantly through this. I’m currently reading Aubrey Malphurs’ book Planting Growing Churches For The 21^st Century and the Redeemer Church Planting Manual by Tim Keller and Allen Thompson. They’re challenging me to communicate a very clear vision for what God is calling us to do in Spokane. While I’ve had a pretty clear vision internally it’s been extremely helpful to have to write it down! I’ll give a brief summary in a minute, but here’s what else is up these days.

The kids and Becca are back in school and the fall schedule is in full swing: Irish dance for the girls, Boy Scouts for Gabe, church activities for all of them and our Community Group kicking off tonight. (The Community Group is our church’s version of smaller home groups since not everyone can really grow by just showing up at a meeting once a week on Sunday morning – in fact, no one really grows much that way!) Our Monday night group will focus in on relational evangelistic outreach into Missoula while also gearing up toward the church plant into Spokane. We’ll be asking anyone interested in joining the Spokane plant team to join us on Monday nights for prayer, training and outreach into Missoula.

We spent most of the summer getting our house ready to sell and it is finally on the market as of September. We had our first “open house” yesterday afternoon to show it. The place looks great and should sell itself if we can get people through the door. (If anyone knows someone looking for homes in Missoula send them our way – we’re selling this house ourselves. Don’t worry, we sold our last house ourselves too and it worked out great.) Please pray that we can connect with the right buyer for our home!

Okay, here’s a little sneak peak into the future of Grace Church Spokane. (Yeah, that’s still a potential name, but it’s gaining momentum. Let me know what you think of it!)

Why We Are Here:

Grace Church Spokane exists to glorify God as we enjoy and serve Him, each other, our city and the nations of the world.

I know you expected to read more, but there will be much more on the way soon. For now, notice two key words: “enjoy” and “serve.” These will be very important to the success and future of Spokane Grace Church. We will enjoy God, enjoy life together, enjoy the city of Spokane and enjoy connecting internationally. We will also be intentionally involved in service in every one of these areas. Sound like a challenge? Come with us. It will be hard work but it will also be greatly rewarding.

The Rest Of The Story

While any story like this begins in the heart of God, it became real to me in 2003. My wife and I had vacationed in Spokane since our honeymoon in the mid-90’s and had felt a growing love for its people and culture ever since. After an enjoying afternoon in Riverfront Park we were headed home to Missoula, Montana when I asked the question: “What if we started a church here?” We began to talk and dream and eventually asked the leader of our church in Missoula, Steve Valentine, what he thought about it. He asked if we would be willing to stay in Missoula so I could help train church planting teams. After more prayer I agreed and thought that maybe I would get to train a team to be sent to Spokane in the future.

I dived headlong into training leaders and specifically worship leaders at our church – Clark Fork City Church – where I have served on staff since 1998 leading worship and then serving on the leadership team as a pastor/elder since 2004. As we were preparing to launch our leadership training school Steve was diagnosed with leukemia and battled for sixteen months before God received him into heaven in November of 2006. Though we experienced much turmoil God was more than faithful to our church, and we came through the fire full of great faith, more convinced than ever of the sovereign purposes of God even in the midst of great struggle.

Fast forward to 2009 at the Newfrontiers USA national leaders conference in St. Louis, Missouri: A bold pastor from South Africa named PJ Smyth had been preaching about the exciting vision of planting churches into the one hundred most influential cities in the United States. He led us in prayer as we focused on specific cities like Chicago and New York. As we began to pray, Spokane came to my mind and I began to weep over the city. The enormous knot in my throat made it difficult to pray at all and I actually felt a little twinge of guilt because I wasn’t praying for the cities we had been asked to pray for! It was only after the prayer meeting was over that I discovered that Spokane was actually on that list of one hundred cities! God had caused an old dream to resurface with a brand new vision.

Later in 2009 I had the opportunity to talk with Terry Virgo about the possibility of planting a church into Spokane. He remembered back to his first trip to the US when he flew into the city of Spokane. He had felt then that God said we would have a church there one day and was very encouraging to me about a potential plant into the city.

We continued to pray and the next year at another Newfrontiers USA event, Celebration Northwest, we were again gathered to pray. John Lanferman, the leader of the apostolic team overseeing our churches in the US, dared us to ask God for big things and to call them right out loud in the meeting. The atmosphere of faith was high! I wanted to declare my desire for a reproducing church in Spokane but felt I should not go “public” with that until we did that intentionally as a team. I talked to Josh Yakos, the lead pastor of Clark Fork City Church, after the meeting and he said, “I wanted to ask for a church in Spokane too but thought I should talk to you first.” More confirmation.

After the meeting at Celebration NW I told Ted Hoit, a Newfrontiers leader in Idaho, that we needed to start talking about “when” rather than “if” we would plant into Spokane. He grinned and told me that he and his wife had already been praying about Spokane and us and that they were excited to see us plant into that city. I talked with John Lanferman immediately and in late August we started the preliminary work to discuss making a plant into Spokane real.

Eight months and several leadership evaluations later we’ve finally gone public and the response has already been overwhelming. Twitter and the blogosphere have seen to that. While I’m used to taking big faith steps I’m not used to taking them quite so publicly! But hey, let’s go for it!

Send Us

So I finally finished the song this week that I blogged about in January. The title stayed the same: "Send Us." The bridge is completely new and I'm glad we waited until we got it right! I had the great privilege of debuting it with Becca and my good friends Dennis & Tammy Reschke and Caleb Burk at the Missoula 3:16 Rescue Mission's banquet/fundraiser Friday night. It's appropriate that the song was finished this week and here's why. Drum roll please...

We announced today that Clark Fork City Church is partnering with other Newfrontiers churches in the U.S. to plant a new church into Spokane, Washington in summer 2012 and... that I will be leading the team to do this! It would be an understatement to say that I'm excited, but I'm not walking with my head in the clouds either. This is going to be the biggest challenge I've undertaken to date. It's one thing to be on a team planting a church with someone else leading it. It's another thing entirely to lead that team.

This is where some good theology is really helpful! God is in control, which means my family and I and the whole team are in the best hands imaginable. While we will make our plans, God is the one who is actually directing our steps. This same God who began a good work in us (even in the dream stage) is the one who is committed to being faithful to complete it. If He is for us... who can be against us? This is the foundation we build on, not how awesome of a leader I can be, and that really takes the pressure off!

I'm going to post again about the amazing story leading up to this crazy announcement today, but first I'll leave off this post with the words to the new song:

Father God, we Your sons and daughters sing
Let Your kingdom come here
Father God, we Your children long to see
Your will be done here

You are sovereign, You have chosen
To work Your will through us
You are able, more than able
To glorify Your Son

Let Your kingdom come in us
Let Your will be done through us
In mercy and in love, send us
To the rich and to the poor
To the leper and the lame
In the power of Jesus' name, send us

Let Your goodness flow to the high and low
To the broken heart, to the captive soul
Let Your Father's song from Your Father heart
Be our anthem as we go