13 Things I Would Tell Church Planters [ARTICLE REPRINT]

One of the most frequent questions I receive is, “If you could tell a church planter one thing, what would it be?”

I’ve thought about that question…and honestly, I can’t come up with just one thing because the world of church planting is complex. So I made a list of several things…so here’s what I would say to someone who is considering planting a church…

#1 – You are going to have to take huge steps of faith to see the dream God has placed inside of you become a reality. Church planters that pray but refuse to take action never actually do what God has called them do to…and they wind up bitter at God because they prayed for things that God was more than willing to do if they had just acted on what they were praying for!

#2 – You are going to have lots of doubters when you share your vision with people…especially churchy people! They typically are used to “by faith we believe God can raise enough money to pave the parking lot” vision and not “we are called to reach the entire world” vision!

#3 – One of the biggest doubters you will encounter from time to time is yourself! (Personally, I keep going back to Isaiah 61:1 when I doubt!)

#4 – People who you thought were great friends and would always be by your side will leave you…and many times, it won’t be pretty.

#5 – People you don’t even know right now will one day come along side you and be unbelievable friends and partners in the ministry God has given you.

#6 – You will always feel significant financial pressure when you are pursuing the vision God has given you. The question you must constantly wrestle to the ground is, “Is THIS what God wants” and not, “Can we afford it?” Remember…if it is God’s will, then it is God’s bill! What the King wants the King pays for!

You are going to run into doubters

You are going to doubt yourself

You are going to lose people

You are going to feel financial pressure

You are going to see God in ways that many do not get to see Him

You are going to have to declare what you are for rather than what you are against

You are going to have to choose whether or not you want to please insiders or reach outsiders.

You are going to have to take steps of faith

You are going to want to quit

You are going to experience a whole new level of spiritual warfare

You are going to be tempted to copy the success you see in church world rather than believe the vision God gave you.

You are going to change your mind about things you are pretty set on right now.

#7 – You are going to see God in ways that many do not get to see Him.

#8 – You are going to have to be WAY more passionate about what you are for rather than what you are against!

#9 – You are going to have to choose whether or not you want to please insiders or reach outsiders…you cannot do both.

#10 – You are going to want to quit–don’t! He who called you is with you and will sustain you!!! (See Philippians 1:6)

#11 – You are going to experience a whole new level of spiritual warfare…just remember, the only reason the enemy is attacking you is because he sees you as a threat! Take up the promise in Isaiah 54:17!

#12 – You are going to be tempted to copy the success you see in church world rather than believe the vision God gave you. BUT…God called you because He knew He could trust you with what He has given you…so be who HE has called you to be.

#13 – You are going to change your mind about things you are pretty set on right now…what you think is innovative and cutting edge will one day be considered “traditional.” You can’t allow the pride behind the fact that your idea is no longer the best idea to bring your church to a place where people meet and talk about what God used to do!

When Your Pastor Becomes A Screen...

I've been pondering the trend towards multi-site venues with video screens.  There are some things that have been concerning me and I'm not prepared to say I'm against the idea of multi-site video venues, but I do have some thoughts that I think should be considered.

1.  Video Venues appears to be a one generational model of church expansion.
They are built on the "cult of personality" of one pastor.  What happens when that pastor dies or transitions out?  Do they keep playing re-runs and don't tell anybody?  Now instead of one congregation looking for transition you have multiple congregations.  Even if you replace the teaching pastor, the initial growth is built on the strength of one and not many.  I see many multi-site churches closing their satellite campuses creating multiple groups of disenfranchised congregants in the event that the "ONE" is no longer there.

2.  Video Venues assume that there is no one as gifted as the "ONE."
I've even heard it suggested... that person is such an amazing teacher.  There's no one who can do what they do.  If this is true, then the multi-site approach appears to be built on the premise of expanding the platform of the individual.  I'm not making judgments, just observations.  One person that I respect in that he has multi-site locations, but he himself teaches at them personally is Erwin McManus.  To me, this keeps it personal.  He's actually transitioned out of some of the sites and left qualified teachers in his place.  What a great model.

3. Video Venues are not effective in duplicating great teachers.
One of the things I appreciate about Pastor Chuck Smith is that he has been successful in duplicating Calvary Chapel nearly 1800 times.  If he dies, the individual churches won't stop meeting... they will continue unaffected.  Additionally, there are a number of great teachers that have been developed throughout the 1800 churches.  Not every church has a world class teacher, but not every church needs a world class teacher.  Some just need a pastor who can bring them to Jesus and love on their kids.

4.  Video Venues demonstrate an impersonal approach to pastoral ministry.
Instead of getting revelation from a person, I now get revelation from an image on a screen.  If I read my Bible correctly, there seems to be something about getting revelation from an image spoken of concerning the last days.  I no longer care if the pastor is living a moral life, is a loving person or lives what he preaches because I will never see the pastor.  I will only relate to him as an image on a screen.  What a scary place for the church to be.

5.  Video Venues communicate that church is about a crowd, not a community.
When I no longer have a personal connection with the pastor, then it really becomes more about attending "the event" than about being "the church."  I think there is a reason that you were limited to a certain walking distance to get to the synagogue in Judaism.  It perpetuated the value of community and belonging.  When church becomes reduced to an event, then people can attend and never be impacted.  There's just something special about a pastor that is looking into your eyes while he is preaching the message... and responding to the Holy Spirit that is at work in a room.  Of course... if that's what you're after... then you can always check the "touring" schedule of the pastor and make sure you're there when the ONE arrives to speak at your video venue.

Having made these observations, I also see great potential in that multi-site campuses allow large numbers of people to be involved, they are extremely profitable to run (more than church plants) and they are useful in revitalizing dying churches.

Personally, I'm for a personal approach to ministry... hands on... authentic and real.  I haven't come to a conclusion on video venues, but I do see problems ahead.  I pray for the sake of the multiple congregations that leadership is developing a plan to address the concerns I've observed.

Worship Life Calvary Chapel.... is born

On November 8, 2010 I received a letter from Calvary Chapel Outreach Fellowship welcoming Roxie and myself and Worship Life Calvary Chapel into the Calvary Chapel family. This is such a blessing and a milestone in life of our church. As I look back on the history of our birth, I see the hand of the Lord. Just a couple of things come to my mind...



1. In June of 2009 Bill Stonebraker of Calvary Chapel Honolulu prophesied that we would be pastoring a church within the year.



2. In July of 2009 we were ministering at a couples retreat with John Milhouse from Calvary Chapel Moreno Valley. On Saturday morning, the speaker said he had a word from the Lord. He said the Lord is looking for a man to birth a new work through and he pointed his finger at me and said... Holland, You are the man... you are the man!!! We were shocked.



3. In November of 2009 Bob Botsford prayed Lord give Holland one option... close every door, but one. When I resigned from Ocean Hills, I had two booking agents and gave them a list of 100 churches that wanted me to come lead worship for them. One church in particular needed someone the coming Sunday. They came back after a couple days and said... no one wants you!!! Doors closed. I went back to Nashville to explore the possibility of starting a new record company with some very well known and well connected people... but I didn't sense that God was leading me towards that. Doors closed. I turned to my wife and I said... what about the possibility of starting a church. She said... I thought that's what we were doing... let's go for it. That was the open door.



4. In December 1994, Larry Randolph and Tim Sherman prophesied over Roxie and myself over 26 years ago in our second year of marriage that God would call us to pastor a church in the later years of our life. It was a very detailed prophecy that basically told us in advance the major events that would occur with regards to ministry. We've watched God fulfill His word to us over the past 26 years in stunning accuracy and detail. The part that struck us was a part that said... "when the cave of Adullam comes, I will give you the strength to run my son... Saul is not a part of you." In August of 2009, the pastor of the church where I was serving announced that they would start a study on the life of Saul and David in 1 Samuel in the fall. Roxie looked at me and said... the cave of Adullam is coming, you will be gone from here by the end of the year. She was right. On the night that we held our first Bible study as Worship Life Calvary Chapel, the pastor taught on the cave of Adullam. The Cave of Adullam came!!! And God had give us the strength to run with integrity and grace. The second part said... Saul is not a part of you. In my final meeting with the pastor it was told to me that my home church would not support my wife and I in any way or have anything to do with Worship Life or anything we ever did. We received no financial help, no prayer, no encouragement, no severance... we were left with nothing. We were not surprised, because God had told me that this would be done to us 2 years previous. It was God's plan. It was very painful and a dark time for us. But it was clear, Saul is not a part of us.



5. I went back to my pastor for counsel - Pastor Chuck Smith... In December of 2009 I met with Pastor Chuck and he gave us the blessing to start a Calvary Chapel... he said "go for it" and prayed for us that God would raise up a ministry in San Clemente that would preach and teach God's Word. That is our prayer for Worship Life. CCOF confirmed God's call in us in November 2010. We are a church plant from Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa.



6. Since then God has blessed us with equipment, trailers, the support of local pastors, sound systems, a congregation of people who love the Lord, great partners in ministry... it truly is a work of the LORD... a work of the Spirit and we are in awe of what He is doing. The first church to pray for us and bless us was Calvary Chapel Moreno Valley with Pastor John Milhouse. Crossline Church donated to us all their used portable church equipment so we could do church in a box and also prayed for us and sent us with a blessing.



7. In August of 2010, a random guy prophesied over us at a coffee house. I don't know if there is a sign over us that says... pray for us and give us a word from God.... but it happens a lot. The man said... it takes 9 months to birth a baby... in 9 months you will be born and told us some things that would happen in our first year... which I hold close to my heart. 9 months is 36 weeks... 40 weeks is a complete pregnancy... in week 38 we were informed that our articles of incorporation were accepted, our non-profit status granted and our church was accepted into the family of Calvary Chapels... a church was born in 9 months.



All this happened because we surrendered our lives to Romans 12:1,2 - the theme verse for Worship Life...



I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.



How awesome it is to see God's word fulfilled through our lives as we simply live according to the scriptures.

Worship Life Calvary Chapel is born...

Today we witnessed a miracle of God. We witnessed the birth of a brand new fellowship of believers in San Clemente called Worship Life Calvary Chapel. A God breathed... Spirit filled community of faith, hope and love under the Lordship of Jesus Christ who desire to know God through His WORD, love God through our WORSHIP and reflect God through our WITNESS.

Why call it a miracle? Because it's true. Every church you see represents a work of God that at it's moment of inception was a true miracle with unique stories of God's faithfulness. Like a baby that's born into this world, all churches begin with the childlike sense of wonder and awe. My prayer is that Worship Life will maintain that childlike sense of wonder and awe at the love and grace of God that would bring such life into the world.

When I think of the story of Worship Life... it is truly a miraculous work of God. Going back to prophecies that were spoken over Roxie and I over 25 years ago... during our first year of marriage. Words that were long behind us and forgotten until this year when the cassette tape (yes... it was hard getting it to a digital format!!!) suddenly appeared again. When we add to those words that were spoken so long ago the recent prophecies that God spoke to us in the most bizarre places and through the most bizarre people. We knew that the end of 2009 would mark the end of an era of ministry and set us on a new season of life.

I think about all the gifts we've received from churches all over South Orange County. We are deeply greatful to Crossline Church... to Heritage Christian Fellowship... to all the churches involved in the South Orange County Association of Pastors... to Harvest Christian Fellowship... to Calvary Chapel Moreno Valley... South Coast Church... Calvary Chapel Rancho Santa Margarita... so many who have been such a blessing to Roxie and I in prayer, encouragement and support and generous gifts to help the ministry launch.

I think of my mentors in the faith... Pastor Chuck Smith, Don Williams, John Milhouse, Greg Fadness, Greg Laurie, Skip Heitzig, John Lai, Ken Blue, Tony Logan and Carl Westerlund. Men of God who I have had the privilege of serving alongside and who have inspired me and challenged me to grow and take huge steps of faith. Men who have set an example of quality in ministry that I look up to and respect and glean from. Even the prayer that Bob Botsford prayed over me at the 2009 Pastor's Conference at Ricky Ryan's church when he prayed - God give Holland one option. That prayer was answered.

I think of the families that have partnered with us in ministry... the Warejkos, the Englers, the Ormonde's, the Balmasedas, the Horsagers, the Schuetz's, the Levchak's, Lynn Jenks, the Arce's, Finley's, the Barcellona's, the Stoner's, the Adent's, the Fuchser's and so many others. I even remember the early days at Chris and Careen Lewis' house. We didn't know God was building a church... we were just excited to meet togethr, study the word and worship. Roxie and I are grateful that they are part of the story.

I think of Lighthouse Christian Fellowship - who brought their entire worship team to Worship Life... who were praying for us during our service today... thank you Greg and Pam Fadness!!! I will never forget your generosity. My friends Rick and Debra Evans... who came all the way from Nasvhille to bless our church on it's birth day!!! Wow!!! Unbelievable. It's so humbling. Hunt Adent who video taped our first service... wow!!! what a gift... just too much to mention.

It is all a reminder that the birth of a church is not the work of a man - but it's a work of God. There were too many "conincidences" to deny God's hand. What it tells me is that God really loves the people in San Clemente and He really wants to reach them with the gospel. Today we have over 190 at our first service. 12 re-dedications and 1 profession of faith. God... loving His people. Amazing to watch. We're just looking forward to seeing what the Lord will do as He builds His Church in San Clemente called Worship Life Calvary Chapel.

This was our order of service:

Welcome - Holland Davis

Opening Prayer - Chris Smith (South Coast Church)

Prepare For The Word / Worship: Greg and Pam Fadness
Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble
Hosanna
Unafraid

Responsive Scripture Reading - Psalm 27
Offering

Guest Artist: Rick Evans

Meet and Greet

Message - Intro: The New Community
Stand For The Reading of God's Word: 1 John 1:1-4

Respond To The Word / Worship: Greg and Pam Fadness
Emmanuel
God Of This City
Revelation Song

Closing Prayer

Announcements

Benediction

New Church In Town...

Pastor / songwriter Holland Davis to start Calvary Chapel


Pastor Holland Davis knows the importance of song when it comes to spirituality. A former music executive with Maranatha! Music, Davis was the originator of the gold selling Top 25 Praise Songs CD, and now is bringing his successful mix of music and religion to San Clemente in the form of the new church Worship Life Calvary Chapel. The church, a nondenominational Christian church, will be opening its doors on February 14 at Vista Del Mar Middle School in San Clemente.


“I met Jesus at a Young Life meeting while my dad was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni, Japan when I was thirteen,” recalls Davis, founder of Worship Life, Inc. and a featured writer for Technologies For Worship magazine. “Jesus became so real to me that I simply surrendered my life to following him all the days of my life.” After his career in worship music, Holland served as the worship leader at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. This new church will be affiliated with Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa.


To learn more about the church visit worshiplifecalvary.com

-- article from the San Clemente Times