When we first started NewSpring Church back in the fall of 1999 I just about went into a mild case of depression when I looked at the state that the church was in nationwide. AND, even up until recently I had lost some hope, after all, with the population in America INCREASING and church attendance DECREASING it just wasn’t looking good. (In business terms…if a business operated like the church is currently operating there is a word that would describe the future of that business—BANKRUPT!)
BUT…now I have hope. Over the past year or so I have had the privilege of connecting with some pastors and church planters that are absolutely on fire. I have watched these guys and learned from them…and they have given me hope because I am seeing…
#1 - Unconventional Ways Of Spreading The Gospel Being Used!
Seriously, who would have thought 20 years ago that the term “multi-site” would have ever been used in the context of a church growing…but it is happening. Who would have thought of using the internet as a tool for advancing the Gospel back in 1990?
I am seeing a generation of pastors and leaders rise up who are unwilling to accept the idea that the best methods for spreading the Gospel already exist!!! I am seeing guys and girls willing to push the limitations of technology and culture. I am seeing churches willing to meet in movie theaters and schools and office buildings. I am seeing guys leaving the marketplace and entering ministry…all in the name of making the name of Jesus famous.
#2 - I Am Seeing Denominational Walls Being Destroyed!
I’ve always joked that when I first entered ministry it seemed the Baptists didn’t like the Pentecostals, the Methodists didn’t like the Lutherans…and the Presbyterians didn’t like anybody! (Come on now—that’s funny…but only if you were predestined to think so!) :-)
But this new generation of leaders are not loyal to a particular denomination—they are loyal to Jesus and His church! I am seeing Baptists and Pentecostals and Presbyterians work TOGETHER, realizing that they are on the SAME TEAM, serving the SAME GOD!
No longer will someone say, “I won’t visit that church or meet with that pastor because they don’t think just like me!” Well…that isn’t happening among the churches that are actually doing something!
Don’t get me wrong…I am not saying that denominations are a bad thing…it is just that too many church leaders made their denomination nothing more than modern day Baal worship, trading in loyalty to Jesus for a place on some leadership committee!
#3 - I Am Seeing Churches More Concerned With Who They Reach Than Who They Keep!
A church can obsess over who is being reached or who is being kept—it can’t have both. And the leaders I am watching have a passion to see disconnected people connected with Christ rather than seeing those already connected get a phone call when they stub their toe.
The passion of this new breed is evangelism…they desperately want to see people come to Christ. AND yes, they do want them discipled as well; however, discipleship is defined as teaching people how to fall in love with Jesus instead of, “this is how to think like me because I am right!”
#4 - I Am Seeing Churches And Leaders That Care About The Quality Of Their Worship Services.
No longer does someone get up to sing and, upon finishing the pastor says, “And all God’s people said…” and you feel like yelling back, “WE CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT!”
Sure, some accuse them of being “nothing but a show” and “entertainment.” However, I would much rather entertain someone than bore them to tears!
If a movie is bad then you tell your friends & you won’t go see it again. If a Broadway show is bad you do the same. Some would argue that the church should not be doing it like Hollywood and/or Broadway…and I agree—WE SHOULD BE “DOING IT” BETTER!!! We’ve been called by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit and the TOMB IS EMPTY…and that deserves way more than Saturday night message preparation and a person that can’t sing presenting the most incredible message that is in the universe!
#5 - I Am Seeing The Spirit Of Religion Being Destroyed.
In my journey through the Bible I am discovering more and more that the most damage that has been historically done to the church and God’s people have been through those who are religious…but don’t actually know Jesus.
No longer is it about what kind of music do you listen to OR the clothes that you wear. No longer is the church being more passionate about Robert’s Rules of Order than Scripture. No longer are people being looked down upon because their hair may be purple. In the new breed of churches what matters the most is that you are there…and any changing that needs to be done isn’t dictated by the deacons in the parking lot (having a smoke break) but rather the Holy Spirit.
I am SO encouraged because these churches are rising up everywhere…and lives are being changed because men and women are rebuking religion and discovering what it means to have a relationship with Christ.
For those would HATE this movement…like it or not…it’s here. And…if it is not of God then the advice of Gamaliel found in Acts 5:38-39 should suffice for you!
I have hope…I love the church…and I love what I am seeing. I believe we are quite possibly on the brink of one of the greatest spiritual awakenings that has ever hit the world...and I believe it will be led by those who are passionate for Jesus and can’t stand religion!
As I said the other Sunday in church…this isn’t just a church anymore…it’s a revolution…and we are taking ground for the cause of Christ!
I CAN’T WAIT FOR SUNDAY!