“Every year more than 4,000 churches close their doors compared to just over 1,000 new church starts… Christianity in America won’t survive another decade unless we do something now.”

There’s a tremendous disparity between the number of churches that are closing their doors and those that are starting up. As a church planter it seems the obvious answer is “we need to plant more churches!” and while I would agree with that statement I don’t believe it’s the complete answer to the problem–for several reasons. Christianity and the Church in America is plagued by a systemic problem that won’t be cured by simply planting more churches.

Now before you jump to conclusions, the systemic problem manifesting itself may not be what you think it is. It’s not based on style or substance, it’s not about leadership development or organizational structures, or any number of other challenges facing the Church in America–although many great cases could be made and have been made for them. I believe the systemic problem we have yet to identify as a major problem within the church is the lack/loss of a spirit of partnership and collaboration. Sure we’re seeing our Berlin Wall crumble (the denominational walls that once separated us) and the clearly defined lines become blurred, and there seems to be a greater sense of partnership now than we’ve ever seen in America, however we still have a long way to go.

Every year there is a net deficit of 3,000+ churches and according to Dave Olson, on any given weekend across the country only 18.7% of people attend church. In fact, because of the net deficit most states, counties and cities are not keeping up with population increase meaning there simply aren’t enough churches. Now before you read this as there simply aren’t enough McChurch’s out there to peddle their goods, let me state my bias–the church is the hope of the world because they are the proclaimers of the resurrection. If there aren’t enough churches there cannot be enough people proclaiming the resurrection, proclaiming hope, incarnating hope, incarnating the resurrection.

Therefore something must be done… but again, to think that we will be able to plant enough churches to keep with the extinction of so many in order to keep pace is simply a ridiculous notion. Sure new churches need to be planted, they must be planted but it cannot be the only solution. We need a two-front approach. We need to start looking outside of the box. And the problem isn’t that we’re not planting enough, the problem is that we’re not doing enough to save/resurrect those churches facing extinction.

Much of what causes a church to go extinct is based on two factors–not enough people which equals not enough giving which equals foreclosure or the inability to keep up with their budget which equals a dead church. But what if, in order to “save” the traditional mode of doing church the churches in a city banded together and covenanted with one another that they would not allow extinction. They created some sort of “resurrection fund” that was used to help the struggling church get back on its feet (a very Acts 2/4 sort of mentality). Many of these churches would then no longer have to live in survival mode, but would be freed up to once again rethink mission and vision, reinventing itself and moving forward towards vitality and a new Kingdom movement.

Imagine the testimony of that church, of those churches who were once on the brink of extinction saved by the generosity and compassion of their brothers and sisters throughout the rest of the city. Imagine the camaraderie, imagine the shared vision of helping people find their way back to God. Imagine what would be able to happen in a city, a region because the Church banded together to once again journey together and be on mission.

Of course this is an idealist stance… of course there are many different challenges and hurdles to overcome because of how fragmented and splintered the Church has become due to a spirit of senseless competition pitting one church against another and simply utilizing one another for our own gain as opposed to Kingdom gain. But imagine for a moment if a movement of generosity, a movement of anti-extinction were to actually take place. No longer would we see 4,000 churches close their doors every year… we could literally stem the tide beginning instead to make ground on the population increase instead of drowning in a sea of death. But it requires a sense of partnership, a sense of actually being honest and transparent with each other and working for the betterment of the Kingdom instead of our own little kingdoms.

And if none of that inspires you… imagine all the money we could save (it’s cheaper to resurrect a church than to start a new one). And imagine what we could do with all the savings… imagine all the good that could be done!

When does it happen? When does the slow death of our childish idealism, of that passion we cling so tightly to, when does it fade into what we now possess–a mere glimmer of what it once was?

Anis Mojgani has a poem that stirred these questions within me:

I spent hours on that drawing of darkwing duck
stayed up past four just to get it right
I had school the next morning
but I needed it to be perfect
I don’t know if there’s anything I love that much anymore

I can remember a time when I would stay up late dreaming with friends, talking late into the evening or until the morning hours about the church, about the Kingdom, about changing the world… but it seems those days are long gone, and the time for dreaming is quickly pushed aside for the “pressing” tasks of the day, the details of tomorrow, the exhaustion of work.

Is this what happens to idealism? Our journey towards the realization of these dreams we’ve conjured up becomes so all-consuming that it drives away our time for new dreams and new conversations… are we really only created to pursue a limited number of dreams in our lifetime? If so, shouldn’t that make our one or two big dreams all the more special, all the more important to pursue?

How different would this world be if we didn’t allow our dreams to fade away, but pushed on no matter what and see them through to completion… or at least as far as we’re able to take them. Somehow I have a feeling that too many people give up on those dreams, their profound sense of idealism…

There have been many times I’ve come close to walking away from my dreams… I pray I never do.

I’m not a big fan of Good Friday. As everyone takes today to reflect on Jesus’ sacrifice upon the cross, I’m already looking ahead to Sunday. Maybe it’s because I’ve never been much for waiting that I don’t particularly like to celebrate Good Friday, maybe it’s because I enjoy living too much in a post-resurrection world. Maybe it’s my silent protest against the Church for living as if it’s Good Friday everyday, living as if we’ve lost and are powerless by simply celebrating the crucifixion but forgetting about the resurrection. So, as Good Friday marches forward and hundreds of thousands of Christians around the world gather to celebrate let me offer up a few words of challenge from theologian N.T. Wright:

The wrath of the Lamb, of which Revelation speaks from time to time, is the anger of love against all that hurts and damages the beloved [you are the beloved]. The love of the Lamb is the great reality that under girds the entire vision. And it is that love which is revealed at Easter.

Without Easter, Calvary was just another political execution of a failed Messiah. Without Easter, the world is trapped between the shoulder shrug of the cynic, the fantasy of the escapist, and the tanks of the tyrant. Without Easter, there is no reason to suppose that good will triumph over evil, that love will win over hatred, that life will win over death. But with Easter we have hope; because hope depends on love; and love has become human and has died, and is now alive for evermore, and holds the keys of Death and Hades. It is because of him that we know–we don’t just hope, we know–that God will wipe away all tears from all eyes. And in that knowledge we find ourselves to be Sunday people, called to live in a world of Fridays. In that knowledge we know ourselves to be Easter people, called to minister to a world full of Calvary’s. In that knowledge we find that the hand that dries our tears passes the cloth onto us, and bids us follow him, to go to dry one anothers tears. The Lamb calls us to follow him wherever he goes; into the dark places of the world, the dark places of our own hearts, the places where the tears blot out the sunlight, the places where tyrants pave the grass with concrete; and he bids us shine his morning light into the darkness, and share his ministry of wiping away the tears.

This year, let us leave Good Friday behind and instead be Easter people, Sunday people, the people that we have been called to be and let us move forward in the power of the Resurrection and change the world.

She stood there with her head hung low and a scarf over her head as she held a sign in her hand. At first I couldn’t quite make out the words but then, almost instantly, they became clear: “Sick with cancer, no health insurance. Selling crafts for treatment.” She didn’t look homeless, in fact she was recently showered and clothed in a sun dress, but the frailness of her body showed the signs of a long bout with chemotherapy and a disease that was ravaging her life.

I walked on by.

I walked by trying not to make eye contact (an easy feat considering she was looking down at the ground), unsure of what to do, trying desperately to blend into the rest of the crowd that was walking along with me to get inside the church building for Sunday worship. Together we stood, we sang and we prayed, watched some baptisms and listened about the upcoming Compassion Sunday, we listened to a sermon and were challenged by the concept of Sabbath rest and prayed again for the poor and destitute in our society, sang another song and were dismissed. We walked out the doors and again, there she stood holding a basket, head hung low, looking even more frail than she did the first time I saw her. As we got a little bit closer, Tracy prodded me to take notice, seemingly asking me to do something… but what? I didn’t know.

I walked on by.

I walked by trying not to make eye contact, unsure of what to do, trying desperately to blend into the rest of the crowd as we walked away from church…

As I hang my head low and ponder my lack of action I can’t help but find it interesting that this woman came to the church for help. She may have stood at a distance, but she knew what she was doing–coming to the church for compassion, for mercy, for love, grace, help… and we walked by. (I didn’t see a single person stop.) She came to the people, not the structure, not the organization but to the people… but the people were unprepared to help.

(I could take this as an argument for why national health care is such an important issue, this woman who was sick and potentially dying from cancer couldn’t get the treatment necessary because she didn’t have health insurance.)

What can the church do in a situation like this? What can people do? How do you attempt to tackle a problem like this?

Immediately I think about small groups–inviting her into a community that can love and care for her, offer up financial help and opportunity to pay for her care by literally adopting her into their community. I see the potential of the small group to be an emotional support to her, walking her and guiding her, praying for her and loving on her during the difficult times of treatment. Such thoughts literally brings tears to my eyes because I see that as a beautiful expression of the gospel.

A small group, however, is unable to tackle a challenge like this unless they are prepared to act–and by act I mean taking the first step. How do you not only prepare a leader for something like this, but empower them and empower a member of a small group to take such a big leap of faith, compassion and love? How do you acknowledge their step of faith and encourage them along in the process… not to mention encouraging them to do it again?

I walked on by… and I’m left with nothing but questions…

Last weekend Tracy and I were able to visit some dear friends in the San Diego area who four months ago planted Momentum Christian Church in the city of Chula Vista. On Sunday morning we were able to share with the entire church about our endeavor in the city of San Francisco to plant a new, reproducing church that will help people find their way back to God.

I’ve been able to travel around the country quite a bit the past several months and share about this new church and it’s always a thrill to be in front of new crowds and see their eyes light up as we share what’s possible in this amazing city. A couple of times we’ve been bowled over with generosity from these churches as they’ve presented us with checks and gifts of varying amounts and types, but nothing prepared me for what we experienced at Momentum.

As Chris wrapped up his interview of me he told the church of his desire to partner with us in making this new church in San Francisco a reality but was uncertain of what exactly that would look like. (Understandably so, they’re a four month old church still being supported from churches from around the country.) “However,” he said, “we’ve been keeping a secret from you all weekend long. Three weeks ago we decided as a church that we wanted to give you our entire weekend offering and use it to help you start this new church…” Immediately, I began to tear up absolutely astounded by this community’s generosity and commitment to helping people find their way back to God not only in Chula Vista but up the coast in San Francisco as well. Chris went on to tell the church that three weekends ago, the offering they took up was $5,100 (a huge offering for a four-month-old church) and since that weekend their offerings have skyrocketed!”

As a new church plant we’re extremely excited to be partnering with a church of this caliber, a church that is this focused on mission, that is so entrepreneurial they’re willing to take a huge step of faith and commit to us in such a major way. I’ve heard stories like this before, but never thought we’d have a story like this to share with our church community. God has provided for us in ways that we never before could have dreamed and churches around this country have stepped up in major ways despite the economic situations they find themselves in. It is our dream to emulate these churches, to follow their example and be as generous to others as they have been with us. It’s that sort of generosity that not only propels the Kingdom forward but enables movements to be birthed!

Thank you Momentum for your amazing example. The tales of your generosity will be legendary!

I’ve been traveling an abnormal amount the past couple of months speaking at churches in Boston, NYC, Chicago, etc, about the new church plant in San Francisco. All of this travel has offered me an opportunity to get to know a few “single-serving friends” (a reference from Fight Club) and this past weekends flight to San Diego was no different.

Enter Ted.

Before the plane even made it to the tarmac, Ted introduced himself and asked what my occupation was (the million dollar question where the answer would surely put an end to any ensuing conversation) to which I responded, “I’m a pastor”. Immediately Ted shifted in his seat a bit, almost uncomfortably, but then something changed in his demeanor and he turned to me and began to ask questions about our congregation in San Francisco and what exactly a church plant is/looks like. I answered his questions one at a time before he began an onslaught of questions from all sorts of different angles, “What is truth, what’s your stance on homosexuality, how can you trust the Bible, how do you understand the Trinity, what’s your training, why are there so many denominations if Truth is unified, isn’t seminary pointless, etc, etc, etc.” Let me say up front that I’ve never experienced such a wide-range of questions in such a short amount of time and it literally caught me off guard leaving me a little off kilter and discombobulated.

Ted asked permission to tell his story, and so I listened as he started with the line, “I have a lot of Christian friends who don’t consider me to be a Christian… I grew up in a Buddhist home before joining the church.” Ted continued his testimony all the while utilizing some of my answers to the onslaught of questions he asked earlier to make his points and solidify the position of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (read: Mormonism). For the majority of our flight (1 hour, 8 minutes) I was being evangelized by a Mormon and had no clue. Ted, presented himself as a person seeking understanding and answers to some of life’s hardest questions before spinning on a dime and presenting Mormon Doctrine and belief, asking me to read the introduction of the Book of Mormon and following the instructions to believe in the One True Church.

Ted, was more than likely in his mid to late 40′s, over twenty-five years removed from his Missionary Journey as a 19 year old and yet still sought opportunities as a missionary to share his faith. I must say, that I was very impressed with his boldness, with his willingness to engage with me on a 9:50p flight to San Diego and his friendliness.

I realized, in retrospect, the formula that the Mormon Church uses for evangelism:

• Upset the equilibrium of your opponent by questioning their belief system as a seeker of truth. By raising questions to which they are unable to answer provide you with a platform down the road to speak your truth into the situation, thus pointing them in a new direction
• Share your personal story and point out the inconsistencies and questions of your previous way of thinking by inserting your “opponents” thoughts into the mix as well. This will give you common ground and begin to create agreement.
• Point to the Book of Mormon an ask the listener (no longer an “opponent”) to read the Introduction on their own time and follow the instructions, praying for guidance and a “burning in the bosom.”
• Hope the person doesn’t ask any questions outside of your presentation because you’re not really prepared to go “off-script”

This presentation is wildly effective, hence the growth being experienced by the Mormon Church, however taking the conversation off-script reveals a great lack of depth behind the scenes.

I look at my conversation with Ted and I wonder why the church isn’t more effective in presenting the Gospel, in pointing towards the Kingdom of God and specifically Jesus… especially if we truly believe it is the hope of the world! How did we lose our way in this? What has been the greatest source of our undoing in this respect? Have we lost our boldness? Do we no longer rely on the Spirit? Or are we simply just unprepared?

Ted taught me a great deal about the importance of story and how we as the Church miss the boat on pointing towards Jesus and the Kingdom of God…

“The Church is the hope of the world.” These are the words Bill Hybels has been preaching at Leadership Summits and Conferences, printing in books and writing in articles for many years, but my question is not whether it’s true but if it’s actually being lived out by the church.

On Tuesday morning (1.20.09), Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States under the banner of hope and a promise of change. Obama’s rise from obscurity was nothing short of remarkable, but he achieved this by tapping into the hunger and desperation the country (and the world) was seeking: Hope. Obama’s message was tailored throughout the campaign, and even now in his first few days of office, specifically around the idea of hope which has laid dormant in the hearts and minds of Americans. Ultimately Obama did a tremendous job of exegeting our culture and this masterful understanding not only won him the election but elevated him as the symbol of hope in this country and around the world.

What happened to the church being the hope of the world?

Perhaps a statistic can help us with the big picture. In a recent survey conducted by Lifeway Research, 72% of respondents said the church is “full of hypocrites.” It’s no secret that the public image of the church has taken a major hit, but how did we get to this point?

During the election season, much of the church stood vocally opposed to the election of Barack Obama and his message of hope, sealing the image of the church as destroyers of hope. Despite where you stood in the election, the church’s response to Barack Obama was neither gracious, loving, and least of all hopeful. Perhaps the most startling example was from Focus on the Family in a letter written by Dr. James Dobson entitled Letter from 2012 in Obama’s America [pdf] which declared that the hope Obama would bring is nothing short of the destruction of the Christian faith and unraveling the fabric of American life. In the eyes of the public, the church stood diametrically opposed to hope. This was perhaps the final nail in the proverbial coffin.

For far too long the church has engaged in “hell-fire and brimstone” tactics and strategies that have veered more on the hope-less rather than bringing hope and promise to a world starved for a message of hope. The church’s role is to fill the void with a new hope, however we haven’t and instead of filling it we’ve left a gaping expanse. Barack Obama simply filled the void left by the church.

The church hasn’t done the hard work of listening, of trying to understand what the country is clamoring for (hope-which is exactly what the gospel offers when presented as good news instead of “hell-fire and brimstone”). We haven’t changed our approach to express the hope of the Kingdom of God and as a result Obama has become the symbol of hope reserved for the church because of Jesus. (Never more was this more clear than on Tuesday.) Now we’re left in a position we should have never been in the first place.

It’s time for the church to listen to and learn from Obama, to understand how he speaks to the country and the way in which he communicates a new hope for a new age. It’s time or us not to hitch our train to him, but to ride his coattails and prepare the way of hope by using his language and his rhetoric in ways that communicate the gospel. We can learn from his exegesis of the culture in such a way that eventually we will be able to take up the mantle of hope in the public square once again. Let me be clear: This is not about systematically embracing his political viewpoints and promoting his public policy. This is about learning how he communicates hope to the culture, something we have obviously forgotten how to do.

Remember, in four to eight years Obama, like Bush, will fade into history. Unless the church is there and prepared to pick up the ball of hope and run with it, we’ll have missed our opportunity once again to be the symbol of hope as the bride of Christ. And instead, to the rest of the world, hopelessness will be the banner by which we operate.

“The Church is the hope of the world.”