Giving Birth is easier than Raising the Dead.

That is a quote from Ed Stetzer, and it was in relation to Church Planting vs. Church Revitalization. Neither is particularly easy, both require a great deal of pain and effort. Both require a supernatural hand through the process. One though we experience regularly in life, people give birth all the time. One is pretty miraculous when it happens, I personally can only think of the times Jesus did it. Although in the Heavenly man Brother Yun had an experience of that.

What is interesting is Church Planting is the new Vogue hot topic in ministry. Statistics show that people are more likely to attend church for the first time at a church plant MORE than any other ministry. Surprisingly Mega-Church is the next on the list. So either people want to go to what is new and fresh, or head to what works and is successful. Which leads me to ponder a little more about Church-Planting.

Church Planting is hard, painful, and requires TOTAL commitment. You give up everything to plant a church in the hope that Jesus shows up, blesses your ministry and helps out. Sometimes he does and rocks your world. Sometimes that ministry (more often than not) fails and you need to learn some difficult life lessons.

Whilst I am in the midst of a now blossoming church which has passed through that church-planting stage and is now a baby ministry I have some reflections.

Why Church planting is EASIER than Church Revitalization

1) Church planting allows you to do all the things that you are good at in a ministry, you can institute the government you want. The Elders you want, the teaching you want, the by-laws you want. You can gear the ministry to your strengths, which means if it sucks, it is because you suck. If it doesn’t honor God, it probably is because you don’t honor God. A Church plant reflects the attitude and the culture of the Pastor, be warned if you don’t like how it looks….it is your fault.

2) A fresh start is always good, people have been burned by ministries in the past. A church plant offers a fresh new look on Jesus and helps with promotion and evangelism. In Maricopa, there are like 5 new Church plants, all seem to engage new and fresh marketing offering something different fresh and new (I am kind of offended because we are always fresh and new! Innovation is our strong suit!)

3) If you market something new and fresh, and your designer is worth his/her weight in Salt, you will be cool. People will come and your ministry will grow. Just a side note, this doesn’t mean Jesus has shown up, it just means you put on a good show. Baptisms, and life transforming change is when Jesus shows up. It is easy to put on a new cool show and get people. You still need Jesus to save people. Church plants have an advantage because they start with a fresh perspective.

4) Church plants are small tribes, that easily adapt to change and can be very dynamic. This is really helpful, in a constantly changing society developing a tribe that stands separate helps to bring attention and develops relationships. This is REALLY helpful for evangelism and leading people to Jesus.

5) Most new church plants leverage technology REALLY well, this means they often pick up some great transition growth. Sheep stealing is fine, just don’t be blatant about it. Most christians will check someone out online before they ever step foot in the door….I think the statistic is like +85% of people do this now when they church hunt. Technology is a great tool for communicating Jesus! God is the God of the internet as well.

6) Not looking like a traditional church is often a good thing. One of the major barriers for people coming to church, is the physical look and feel of the church. If you are meeting in a Cinema, House, School or Mall this barrier does not exist and makes your community a lot more accessible.

Why Raising the Dead is So Much harder!

My thoughts are this, many new ministers are not coming out of Seminary to Church-Plant many are finding themselves in dead and dying churches. Here are some of the challenges you face when you are trying to raise the dead. Yes I am saying dead churches, if you haven’t had a baptism this year you are dying, if your church hasn’t had one this decade…your dead.

1) Management in a dead church is only interested in history. They want to preserve tradition and not provide Jesus. Jesus was not a book keeper in a Museum of artifacts. History is safe because you know it, eventually management will die and just become another Plaque on a wall someone will have to dust. Transformation doesn’t happen in a Museum

2) Dead Churches have isolated themselves from Community, Evangelism is not a priority and there is a passionate hope for people just to show up. That seems lame, if Jesus has to go out and tell people about himself….why would you have the luxury of sitting on your well carved pews and have people show up at your door. IF you want people come, you need to go out and invite them.

3) Tradition is important, and so is history. But Jesus is more important. If tradition and history stop you from doing bold things for Jesus, then you need to change something.

4) (Stetzer again) “People will only change when the pain of Change is LESS than the pain of staying the same.” Most dead church leadership are only interested in keeping the ministry the same until they die. It is safe, it is predictable and sadly it is the attitude of many people. Change agents are a threat and most dead management would prefer to fold the ministry than do something brave.

5) Changing Hearts requires the Holy Spirit to show up. When that happens two things happen, either he breaks hearts, or he hardens them. If you are trying to change something and people dig their heels in, perhaps their hearts are hardened.

6) Roses need a brutal prune for them to grow. Sometimes a ministry needs a brutal prune, and the whole system needs a change. This can leave you with a stump and some branches, but God can turn that into a beautiful rose. Cutting out some dead wood is essential for God Church health.

Revitalizing a dead/dying ministry requires Jesus, Tact and the ability to make a tough decision. It is not pretty or easy, because raising the dead completely requires JESUS to SHOW up and do it.