Light the Darkness

A New Thing

I had the opportunity to speak to our staff and their spouses on Tuesday night. In my preparation I asked God to guide me to what He wanted me to share.  As soon as I prayed, immediately I heard God say, "I'm doing a new thing."  I felt led to Isaiah 42:1-17.  As I read it I felt led that God is going before us to prepare the way for His vision to be accomplished in us.  It was a great word of encouragement and I was glad to hear it and share it. 

It is easy to think that the new thing is the work in Gardner but I think it goes beyond that.  I think it is a new work that has to start in our hearts.  It is a Philippians 2 kind of work that puts God's mission and others needs above our own wants and needs.  It is a work that leads us to value multiplication over our own desires.  It is a work that leads us to apprenticing, to reproduction, to giving ourselves away to help people find their way back to God. 

In the talk I shared a memory from 1995 when we were at Olathe East.  We were a congregation of about 350 adults and we had to raise $330,000 in cash for the down payment on a loan of $2.5M to build our first facility.  We were coming off two years of flat growth and after ten years in the school I felt like positive momentum was slipping away.  I remember pitching the challenge to a group of about 250 in the lunchroom and I had plenty of questions about whether the grade of the hill was too steep.  They stepped up big time and we raised the money, found a loan and got the first phase built.  As soon as we did we hit a growth spurt that lasted for the next seven years.  The faith of a few opened the door for thousands. 

I shared an old fable as a part of my talk.  The story is told that a young and arrogant man went before the sage of a town with a question.  The sage was blind but more than compensated with great wisdom.  The young man wanted to prove the sage wrong so he brought a young bird with him and asked the sage if the bird was alive or dead.  The sage thought for a long time because he knew that if he said the bird was alive the young man would crush the bird in hs hand.  If the sage said the bird was dead then the young man would open his hand and release the bird.  Finally he said, "the life of the bird is in your hands."

I put these two stories together to remind us that the future of the vision God is giving us in our hands.  We can give it life or we can crush it.  We are living at a very strategic time.  Any new thing starts out kind of fragile and vulnerable.  If you can crush it in the early days before it gets strong you can kill it and I think that's what our enemy wants.  But we can give it life by opening our hands and letting the vision get wings.  The vision of reaching 5,000 and launching multiple reproducing campuses will bear fruit and gain strength if we give it life and exercise faith in these days.  In the future thousands will thank God like I'm remembering and thanking God for that small group in '95.

This is a great time and place to be available to God.

Leadership Community Gardner Campus

Ben Stears did a super job sharing his calling to Gardner tonight.  It was inspiring and the Journey Student Ministries Band rocked the house.  I love the passion they revealed.

Here is the content for the introduction I shared in case you missed it.  Download leadership_community_1108.doc.  Here is just a part of the doc as a teaser to get you to read more :)  You may not know this about Multi-site so here are the facts:

Facts about Multi-site

1990                                10 Multi-site Churches in the U.S.

1998                                100 Multi-site Churches

2004                                1500 Multi-site Churches

2007                                8 of 10 Most Innovative Church are Multi-site

9 of the 10 Largest Churches are Multi-site

Over 30% of all churches are considering Multi-site

1 out of every 4 Mega Churches (2,000+) are Multi-site

2010                                Estimated that one half of all Mega Churches will be Multi-site

 

Facts about Church Growth

Every decade from 1990 to 1990 there has been decline in the attendance of churches in the United States.  In the1990s there was a 2% growth rate.  From 2000 on there has been a 9% growth rate.  This corresponds directly to increased church planting and the launching of Multi-site churches. 

Multi-site churches and new church plants see 3-4 times the number of conversions that a church ten years of age or older experiences. 

 

New churches and Multi-site churches grow 23 times faster than established churches older than ten years of age.

 

Gary Kendall

Update on Gardner Campus

Wednesday night, 6:30 p.m., Leadership Community focuses on our new Gardner campus.  Ben Stears will share the story of his calling.  I will share more about the multi-site vision.  Logan Lindahl and the Journey Student Ministies band will lead the worship. 

Here are some of the things we know, not in order of importance.  There will be one church, one mission, one vision, one budget and multiple locations.  We want to plant a high impact campus in Garder.  Our mission is to Love God, Love People and Live Out.  Our vision explains the why, to help people find their way back to God.  

Recent studies of growing churches in the U.S. record that only a little over 10% of the churches in the nation are growing.  Most of these are either churches that are planting churches, planting campuses (multi-site) or newly planted churches. 

We are shooting for a launch of at least 350.  We pray for a crowd of 250 to remain after the first month and for the church to grow back to 350 by the end of the year.  We want to make 10,000 personal touches.  We hope to be a source for unity among the churches.  We plan to adopt a school and host a Serve Day. 

Ben Stears is our Campus Pastor.  He will work to recruit a team of around 100 persons.  Incidently there are nearly 100 persons from Gardner that attend Indian Creek.  Of course we know that they won't all serve there, some will continue to come to the Black Bob campus and some from the Black Bob campus will go to Gardner.  Ben will look for part-time staff to serve with him.  They each will have to raise at least half their own salary.  Some will serve as volunteer staff.  He's looking for Worship Arts, Children's Ministry and a Community Groups leader.  He will need a committed core of 25-30 adults.  Another 50-75 who will commit to serve and attend.  And 25-30 who will commit to be short-term missionaries.  Of course the more the merrier.  If the volunteer base was 50% larger they could launch with two services.  Generally speaking the opening crowd will be 1.5x the volunteer base. 

We estimate it will cost $250,000 to plant the new campus.  We are praying that we can raise the money outside our General Fund budget.  We've committed to live on 2008's budget numbers in 2009.  So we will have to clear space from our 2008 budget to include the Gardner campus if we can't raise all the money.  Of course we know there will be income from those that attend and that can go toward the cause along with designated funds.

If you want to help there is something everyone can do.  You can pray daily and pray specifically.  You can serve.  You can help us make personal touches. You can join the core or be a short term missionary.  And you can give.  You can designate funds toward Gardner at any time by designating it on the memo section of your check.  You can go online at Indian Creek Community Church and give online or you could give non-cash gifts to our Indian Creek Live Out Foundation. Consult with John.Bennie@indiancreek.org if you'd like to strategize how to get the best tax benefit out of your gift.

Come to Leadership Community to hear more!

Gary Kendall

Download gardner_overview.doc

Shift Ownership

I heard good reports of people who got it that God is the Owner and we are the stewards of His resources.  When is the last time you heard positive comments about a message that included tithing?  Here is the message if you'd like to read the electronic version.  Click here Download Shift_Ownership.doc

I was very happy for Ben Stears.  His story about tithing was very honest and helpful.  You can read it here:   Download stears_story.doc

His commitment to plant in Gardner is inspirational.  There are three things you could do to support the Gardner plant.  You can pray and I hope you start today.  You can serve.  Ben will be recruiting about 100 persons for his core team.  And if you don't go to Gardner you can step up here at the original Black Bob campus in Olathe. And you can give.  We estimate that it will cost $250,000.  We've committed to keep our 2009 spending at the same level as the 2008 budget.  So we will need to clear space underneath the budget and recruit giving designated toward Gardner to launch in either Easter of '09 or the fall of '09.

Gary Kendall

Multiply Your Ministry

On Wednesday I led the CMA Conference call.  I always enjoy interacting with the many church planters who gather on the call to network and learn.  My subject is one that has a lot of importance to me presently because we are attempting to impliment it every day at Indian Creek Community Church.  I thought you might enjoy seeing the notes (Thanks Patsy Wooten for taking them).

Multiplying Your Ministry

×        What we see in the book of Acts is that every healthy living organization grows (cells).  The cells multiply and that is how the body grows.  It should be the same with the church. 

×        We dream that our CMA churches will be growing and multiplying themselves. 

×        In Acts, they actively targeted CITIES.  God’s goal is to reach your whole city – not just your church.  We need to be less church-focused and more city-focused. 

×        You should do this actively: drive around your city, pray for your city.  Ask God to stretch you. Start thinking about your city more than your church, your neighborhood, or your suburb.

×        It changes the paradigm of how we do ministry if we’re serious about reaching a city.

1)      You’re going to have to think about strategic partnerships.  (non-profits, other churches, Para-church organizations).

2)      You need to have a multiplication mindset.  Think about various venues – theaters, coffeehouses, schools, malls, retrofitted urban churches, etc.  Have a mission focus to get the Good News where the people already are.  Plan to plant new churches and new campuses.

 

HOW DO YOU GET TO MULTIPLICATION?

1)      Start Small.  Keep your head up and your eyes on the people you lead.  Look for those who have a stirring in their heart and capacity for groth.  Mentor a couple of people for six months at a time with the commitment you will move on and they will do what you did with a few others. Personally identify and invest in a few who have the potential to lead. 

2)      Invite People into Partnership.  At Indian Creek Community Church we have a ministry called Partnership.  Partnership is a mutual commitment to mission, growth and ministry.

a.       Take advantage of the mentoring aspect of Partnership.  You have two hands with one hand reach FORWARD. Get help with things that are beyond you and your current obstacles.

b.      With the other hand, reach BACKWARD.  Target someone you are going to pour in to and mentor; help someone learn how to multiply.

c.       We found there are young people out there who are ready and willing to be mentored.

3)      Apprenticeship

a.       Think in terms of having everyone in your ministry apprentice someone for their role.  This way you always have a back up and you have a leadership training going for future sites.  You have to think about what happens if you get hit by a bus! Develop the idea now that when you invest in their learning that they will eventually replace you in leading.  You are setting them up to win. 

b.      Practice the Four Phases of Ease.  I do it and you watch.  I do it and you help.  You do it and I help.  You do it and I watch.  At every point along the way there needs to be evaluation.  Eventually they do what you did with someone else.

4)      Coach Groups

a.       Establish a group of coaches so they can oversee the Community Group Leaders.  Keep your span of care at one to five. 

b.      Expect the groups to multiply either by sending out the apprentice to start a new group or turning the group over to the apprentice leaders while the leader leaves to start a new group. 

5)   Develop a Leadership Ladder

a.  First teach people to lead Self.  This is the hardest job of all.  Once they can do that successfully they are ready to take a step up the ladder.

b.   Then move them to leading Others.  Be sure to provide appropriate skill set training and mentoring along the way.  When they are successful here ask them if they want to take the next step up the leadership ladder.

c.  The next step is to lead Leaders.  For example they become a Coach for Community Group leaders.  Evaluate their progress and encourage them to describe their comfort level and willingness to take the next step.                

d.   From there they can move to leading a Ministry.  Here they may lead an age level division of ministry or a ministry like ALPHA.  Again, evaluate and instruct to determine where this person’s gifts, skill set, passion and calling are leading them.

e.   The next step would be to Champion a ministry on a campus. 

f.    Finally they could become a Campus Pastor.

In summary, to multiply your ministry has to have a heart for the city.  Engage in partnerships and collaborative efforts.  Be open to innovative and missional plans to reach the diverse people groups.  Start small with mentoring and discipling.  Require a multiplying mindset in all your leaders.  Everyone needs an Apprentice.  Expect groups and ministries to grow and multiply.  Add services and venues.  Recruit for your Leadership Ladder.  Provide skill set training and mentoring all along the way.  Plant campuses and churches and what you’ve developed is a multiplying ministry.

 

Gary Kendall

Take the Good News to the People

I think a big part of the future for the Church will not involve a church building.  Increasingly I expect to see churches use coffeehouse venues, theaters, schools, converted space in malls, retro-fitted urban buildings and retirement communities.  These are already places where the public comfortably gathers.  Let's go where the people are instead of waiting for them to come to us.  

The cost of these public spaces, most likely rent, is far less than building.  If the size of the group expands rapidly or if it multiplies or even if it shrinks it is a lot easier to eat a lease than sell a building.  In many cases the venues will be smaller than the typical church sanctuary but they could be tapped for multiple services on the same night or morning or a second or third day could be added. 

Take the coffeehouse for example.  You could create a space where there is a stage for a band and spend some money on great lighting to create an intimate environment.  The band could lead a worship set for 75 people sitting at tables.  After the service the band takes a quick break then stays around and plays for an hour until the next service doing two in an evening, say, six and eight.  Then at eleven the next morning there is a third service.  From there you lead people into next steps that are similar to what we offer at Indian Creek, you partner with the church to have a spiritual mentor, participate in a community group and find a place of service.  The church could serve about 200 people on a weekend using an economy of space.  Groups could meet there during the week. If you planted the coffeehouses near college campuses or in neighborhoods where there are a lot of young adults sans kids I think you would reach an age level that has checked out of church.

Gary Kendall

If we wanted we could also explore the other side of the age continuum and take the church to retirement centers.  Your service times might be different and the music better be but there could be a viable ministry to several hundred every week.  Perhaps you even use a venue that meets in one of their community spaces for free and provides what the retirement community hopes to accomplish--community.  Maybe the music is live and the message comes via a video set up and wrapped up by a campus pastor. 

I could go on to talk about retro-fitted urban churches, theaters, schools, malls and more but that is for another post.  The common thread is go where the people are.

Gary Kendall

Missional Velocity

Some talks have staying power.  Last Monday Dave Ferguson spoke at the CMA conference.  At the end of his message he threw out three things that determine missional velocity.  It has stayed with me through this week too.  1.  You are more willing to go than to stay.  If your church is starting a new ministry or campus you want to be in the thick of things.  If that is you, you have missional velosity. If you prefer to play it safe and take a wait and see approach then you don't have it. 

For instance, as we at Indian Creek launch a Sunday night service primarily to reach people who won't attend a church on Sunday mornings it only works if we will invite our friends and even attend with them if need be.  Or we are willing to add serving to our schedules to give a new congregation time to produce it's own volunteers.  If we treat it like another option so we can have more convenience in our lives then we have the wrong view and lack missional velosity. 

2. We like the edge better than the center.  Innovation, risk, new thoughts, radical ideas are edgy.  If you like the stuff that stands the test of time you won't be one of the ones taking new ground and you don't have missional velosity.  Jesus said the kingdom of God advances forcefully and forceful men take hold of it.  In other words it is not a wait and see approproach it is a "take the hill and gain the high ground" approach. 

3.  When they cut you open you bleed for those far from God.  What is it you will bleed and die for?  Is it security, a safe routine schedule and everything in order?  Your missional velosity is winding down.  When is the last time you had a conversation with a person who needs to find their way back to God?  Did you pray today for friends to come to Christ?  When is the last time you invited someone to church?  Are you building relationships just to stay connected to people outside your safe network of like-minded friends?  Are you building missional velosity or is it declining in you?  Let's check it daily.

Gary Kendall    

A Magical Run

I really enjoyed the Multi-site Exposed conference put on by Leadership Network at Seacoast church today.  The picture is of a panel composed of Geoff Surratt, Mark Batterson, Dino Rizo and Greg Surratt.  They led a discussion about multi-site and fielded questions from the crowd.

I continue to be amazed how similar Indian Creek is to Seacoast.  You could take 119th and Black Bob add some palm trees and import a beach to Gardner and they could be twins! Not! The geography thing just doesn't work no matter how hard you try. Kansas is not SC.  However, the people and the church--could be sisters :)  The speakers were great today and it was inspiring.  I know we can do the plan for multiplication God has put on our heart.  I especially enjoyed meeting Mark Batterson and talking to him before his session.  He gave me a lot to think about and I left fired up!

I left in a hurry because I wanted to get in a run on the beach and the sun sets about 6:45 p.m. It was already 6:30 when I got to my hotel.  I changed as quickly as I could and headed for the beach about 15 minutes away.  I wanted to get in at least 5 miles, I figured how can you get lost on a beach even in the dark, right?  When the sun went down it was other-worldly, there was pink everywhere.  Judy, you would have loved this!  There was pink on the water, in the clouds and over the nearby marshland.  It was incredible.  As I ran God began speaking to me and He kept it up for the next hour.  It seemed like time stood still only I knew it got darker by the moment.  I ran until the stars came out.  The tide came in and ate up much of the beach but fortunately the sand seems to glisten even at night and the foam turns white as it rolls across the shore.  The presence of God was so strong I felt like I should stop and build an altar however I sensed the importance of getting in time to find the path I used to get to the beach.  I found it even in the dark although I had one wrong turn and startled a couple.

There are so many thoughts that came to me on the run that I don't have time or space right now to write them all down.  I'll share them over the days and weeks to come.  If I could net it out I would say that I am more committed than ever to lead the 5,000 back to God that He has put on our hearts.  I thought about the shepherd going after one lost sheep and realized that often the shepherds ran out of daylight while they searched for the sheep.  They probably got bloody and busied in the rough terrain but if they didn't find the sheep before dark the lamb probably wouldn't see the light of day.  The stakes are high for us, for God and for those apart from relationship with Jesus.

I know that I know He inspired our dream for multiplication.  As I ran along I was watching where my feet would fall pretty closely especially as it got darker.  I felt like God said, look up, look at the ocean.  See the beauty, look at the majesty, feel the power and observe the vast expanse.  Hear the rhythm of the surf.  Feel the wind in your face.  He reminded me that a boat is safe in the harbor but boats weren't made for the harbor they were made for the sea.  I believe He challenged me to tell the truth about what I believe because I often tell the versions that I think are more believable and achievable.  But I really believe that we will build a network of 20 churches and we will serve 15,000+.  The 5,000 are just people that don't yet know Him. 

As I ran along I told Him I've closed every door of escape.  There is no turning back; no other options. I would rather fail than not give everything I have in me to fulfill the vision.  Even if I'm like Moses and I launch it and it takes a Joshua to accomplish it I'm going for it.  It's what He's called me to do.  I was made for this and I'm answering the call.  Did you know you could cry and run at the same time?  I ran for just short of an hour and never got tired.  Wow!  There was lots of encouragement and several corrections too :)  I felt like He told me He could speak so clearly because He had my full attention and I need to give it to Him more often.

There's more but it will need to wait for another day.  Don't skimp on your time with God, you might miss out on a magical and sacred moment.  Here's one more thought that came, everyone dies but not everyone lives. I want to live, fully, completely, faithfully for the God who loves us more than we can comprehend.  I want to know Him better.

Gary Kendall

Seacoast 4

This is a new record even for me, 4 services in 18 hours.  Seacoast is a multi-site church in Mt. Pleasant (Charleston), SC, that has nine sites and 10,000 attendees with 13 venues.  They are celebrating 20 years this fall.  Every site/venue was unique with two consistent links, the same mission/program/next steps and one teaching Pastor.  Three of the messages were the same and one venue was from the week previous.  Three of the venues were on the same site and one was twenty minutes away in an inner city church that had a new make-over.  The worship was dynamic, well led with great sound and effects in every venue. 

I attended the Sat night (6:15) service first in their main campus, seats about 1,200 with a movable seating and a balcony.  The lobby was very trendy, bright and welcoming.  There were big screens in multiple places.  Half showed the service and half gave rotating announcements.  There was a nice cafe and book store about the same size as ours.  Greeters were inside and out.  They held the door open for you as you came in.  I liked the fact that every venue had their music piped outside.  It set the mood as you walked in.  Just inside the door there was coffee and the smell greeted you as you walked inside.  That was good :)  The worship was simple and powerful.  The spirit of the people was a sense of expectation.  You could sense God was at work.  The message was a restatement of their vision for the last 20 years given with purpose and passion for the next 20.  I didn't hear any goals but the reason why they do what they do was very clear. 

The close of the service was the same in every venue.  At the end of the message an invitation to receive Christ was given and people were encouraged to mark their responses on their Friendship Card.  There were four options, 1. Accept Christ, 2. Baptism, 3. Join the church, 4. Renew your commitment.  People were encouraged to check a box and drop the card in a basket (placed on tables all over the room).  Then those who just made commitments and those who want to reaffirm their commitment were invited to receive communion.  They offered it like we did last week, someone held the bread and another person the juice, when they took it the words of Jesus were offered.  At the same time as that was going on the congregation was invited to light a candle symbolizing a prayer offered for someone or they could go to the cross to pray.  Their were prayer partners at the cross.  People either prayed with the prayer partners or they could stick a note to the cross if they wished.  The whole process took one worship song.  Then they sang another song and during the song they showed a media piece that they called "Cardboard testimonies."  People had written their before and after story on different sides of the cardboard.  There were some announcements about next steps and we sang a song to leave on.  I thought it was very meaningful and a great way to respond.  This is their weekly pattern to close the service.

The Chapel (8 a.m. Sunday) was a classy mix of traditional and contemporary.  They used a choir and acoustic worship.  This service, like all the others in their own right, represented the style very well.  The campus pastors were engaging without talking very much.  You would have expected that there would be a lot more senior citizens but that wasn't really the case.  It was a mix of young couples, singles and senior citizens.  The later made up probably 40% of the crowd of about 150.  It was a good service.  The choir came down and did a super acapella piece after communion.  They performed it on the floor level and were shaped in a semi-circle.  The acoustics were so good they didn't need mics.

The Charleston service was in an inner-city church that evidently had just been newly renovated.  The  sign was still up from the former church and their name was not only on the building but also on the marque.  It made me wonder if they were doing the ministry together.  There was an equal mix of Anglo, Black and Hispanics all with an inner-city look.  This fired me up for the high value we place on diversity.  I think the oldest person I saw was in their 40s.  The spirit of the place felt alive, electric even.  The 300 seats were mostly full.  The praise team was a mix similar to the congregation.  Their worship style seemed similar to ours, a mix of Tomlin, Hillsongs and contemporary.  The opening was the same in every service, two upbeat songs, a brief welcome by the campus pastor, another song, bumper and then message.  Their lobby was much smaller but it too had coffee just inside the door, greeters holding the doors open to the street and to the sanctuary.  Good sign-age, friendly welcome desk (glass in a C-shape) and displays to help people get into groups.

The Unfiltered service encouraged me for several reasons, it was in a warehouse, seated about 250 and was mostly full of twenty somethings.  What stoked me wasn't the worship, although I liked all the next Gen songs (we do pretty much every one of them), but the fact that they reached that audience.  The service was done in the dark with special effects through lighting.  There was a fog machine with accentuated the moving colors of light.  It was high energy.  The message was the same with Greg Surratt but this crowd laughed louder and was more physically engaged than any other crowd.  Of course, he didn't change anything--it was on dvd--but it was a hip service.  I don't think there was anyone there over 30 or so. The end of the service was the same in each service and everyone engaged.  I noticed there were more notes pinned to the cross here and more candles were lit.

All in all it was a very good day.  I left feeling good about Seacoast's ability to stay on mission, reach people, worship and provide clear next steps.  It is no surprise to me that they are growing.  I thought Greg Surratt did a good job communicating across the different venues.  Each one was different but similar.  They reached young and old equally well. 

I'm sure I'll learn more this week but this was a good start.  I'm really sorry that I had to miss The Church Has Left the Building at Indian Creek but I'm glad I could experience Seacoast.  This is the last time Network's Multi-site conference is offered this year and since we start next January getting set to launch our new campus in fall '09 we need all the help we can get.  I'm excited and encouraged.

Gary Kendall

Monday Night with Dave

Next Monday night, September 22, 6:30 p.m. we get the privilege of hosting Dave Ferguson at the CMA conference held at Indian Creek Community Church.  I am so excited!  I don't have a ton of heroes but Dave is definitely among the few.  You might know him as the Pastor of one of the most influential churches in America, Community Christian Church.  CCC as it is often called has over 5,000 persons who call it home and it meets on 9 different campuses.  You might know him as the author of The Big Idea.  Or maybe you know he founded the New Thing Network.  I first found Dave by reading his blog which is one of my favorites.  Next Monday you can hear Dave speak in person at Indian Creek where he is coming to headline our CMA conference. 

Since we at Indian Creek are working on multiplying campuses this is a timely visit.  I encourage you to come out and hear Dave.  You may even want to return on Tuesday morning 9-Noon when he will be teaching on how to multiply and how to prepare messages using the concepts from The Big Idea.

By the way, and this is mostly off the subject, but either God likes us a lot or we need a lot of help because He's brought a lot of my heroes to Indian Creek in just the last couple of years, Craig Groeschel, Bill Hybels, Pete Grieg, Dr. John Perkins, Dave Ferguson, and next year Mark Batterson.  Thanks God.  I believe He has high hopes for us!

Gary Kendall