Saturate Austin

Hey John: Realtime Q&A from a Prospective Planter

Below is an interesting dialog from a curious planter who is exploring the Residency at Hill Country Bible Church.  He is bright and asking good questions.  The first step in any decision is knowing WHAT questions to ask, and the second is knowing WHO to ask.

Hey John,
Thanks for the info this morning. That was very helpful.

Here's a host of questions I have. They are not burning so if you'd rather wait to answer them in our meetings this weekend that's fine.

Have any church plants of HCBC failed and if so how many? What was the cause of their failure?

NONE HAVE FAILED TO DATE.  1-2 RESIDENTS PER YEAR DO NOT MAKE IT TO THE "GREEN LIGHT" TO LAUNCH WHICH OCCURS IN MAY.  WE STOP THEM BEFORE THEY GET TO LAUNCH IF THEY ARE NOT ACHIEVING AGREED UPON TARGETS SUCH AS IDENTIFYING 200 CONTACTS, DEVELOPING FROM THOSE CONTACTS 50 UNCHURCHED PEOPLE WITH WHOM THEY HAVE RELATIONAL CONNECTION (RELATIONAL CONNECTION IS CLEARLY DEFINED).  THESE MINIMUMS ARE EASILY ACHIEVABLE FOR MOST GUYS.  IF YOU CAN'T GET THE MINIMUMS THEN WE HELP GUYS PUT TOGETHER A RECOVERY PLAN TO GET BACK ON TRACK.  MOST OF THE BREAK DOWN HAS TO DO WITH ONE THING:  A FAILURE TO ENLIST AN EVANGELIZING MISSIONAL CORE AND THEREFORE A FAILURE TO GET ADEQUATE RELATIONAL CONNECTION WITH UNCHURCHED PEOPLE.   OUR BEST PLANTS HAVE A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF CONVERSIONS BEFORE THEY EVER HAVE A SERVICE.

What would you say are the most common leadership mistakes church planters make?

• FAILURE TO ACCURATELY EXEGETE THE MISSION FOCUS GROUP
• FAILURE TO ENLIST SOLID MISSIONAL ELDERS OR LACK OF A PLAN FOR DEVELOPING THEM.
• FAILURE TO DEVELOP A TACTICAL PLAN.
• ASSUMPTION THAT HE CAN DO IT HIMSELF RATHER THAN ENLIST, EQUIP, AND EMPOWER A TEAM.
• FAILURE TO BUILD SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS
• FAILURE TO ASK FOR HIGH LEVELS OF COMMITMENT FROM THE CORE, INCLUDING FINANCIAL COMMITMENT
  

What would you say are the most common moral failures church planters make?

WE HAVEN'T HAD A LOT OF THOSE.  SINGLE GUYS ON STAFF ARE THE COMMONEST CASUALTY.  I am of course referring to outright immorality, not porn or emotionally inappropriate involvement.  The list would get much longer with that expanded definition.

What is usually the wife's greatest struggle in church planting?

DEPENDS ON THE WIFE.  THE MOST COMMON ONE IS FEAR OF FINANCIAL TROUBLE OR GETTING DEPRESSED WITH NO SUPPORT SYSTEM (WE HAVE A PRETTY DARN GOOD ONE AS THE WIVES MEET TOGETHER WITH MY WIFE AND TIM HAWK'S WIFE) WHAT WE CALL "SPOUSAL COOPERATION AND COMMITMENT" IS ONE OF THE FEW ABSOLUTE KNOCKOUTS WE LOOK FOR IN THE ASSESSMENT.

What is an ideal (if any) number of people for the start up team?

THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS:  START UP AND LAUNCH.  THE MORE MOBILIZED MISSIONAL PEOPLE YOU HAVE IN YOUR MISSIONAL CORE, THE FASTER YOU CAN RUN. IN ANY CATEGORY, IT IS NOT SIZE, IT IS ABOUT SUBSTANCE OF THE PEOPLE.

How do you achieve and accomplish conversion growth and not just transfer growth?

WHAT GETS PRAYED FOR, PLANNED FOR, AND DEFINED AS SUCCESS DETERMINES WHO YOU GET.

How soon do you recommend a membership process be in place?

NO CHURCH LAUNCHES WITHOUT A COMPLETE MINISTRY PLAN, INCLUDING A DETAILED PLAN FOR ASSIMILATION.

What kind of ministry leadership (like children's, youth, greeting, follow up, worship) is most needed to be in place before the launch day?

SEE ABOVE.  WE (normally) DESIGN SEVEN CORE SYSTEMS BEFORE LAUNCH.

What do you think is the most effective approach for outreach in urban communities in Austin? (like follow up of visitors, outreach events, door-to-door etc.)

TOTALLY DEPENDS UPON THE MISSION FOCUS GROUP.  THIS IS NOT A ONE-SIZE-FITS ALL DESIGN.  MOST EFFECTIVE MINISTRIES ANYWHERE COMBINE ATTRACTIONAL WITH MISSIONAL.  MOST URBAN STRATEGIES FOCUS ON PEOPLE WITH LITTLE OR NO CHRISTIAN MEMORY, THEREFORE QUICK STRIKE STRATEGIES WORK FOR A FEW GIFTED EVANGELISTS...SOMETIMES.  OTHERWISE, IT HAS TO DO WITH I CORITHIANS 9:23 AND CREATING A MISSIONARY BAND WHO GET UP EVERY DAY ASKING THE HOLY SPIRIT TO LEAD THEM TO LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO BOTH DECLARE AND DEMONSTRATE THE GOSPEL.

How would you describe the kind of people needed for the core team?
MISSIONAL CORE:  LIKABLE, LEADERS WHO LOVE LOST PEOPLE.  PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO ENDURE HARDSHIP BECAUSE OF THEIR LOVE FOR THE GOSPEL.  AVOID REBELS, THE DOCTRINAIRE, THE SECTARIAN, THOSE WHO THINK THE MAIN OPERATIVE TERM FOR THE CHURCH IS TEACH RATHER THAN OBEY.

If we are trained through HCBC how do we find the 10 families to go with us? Does this happen through meeting people on Sunday mornings at HCBC NW or is there a particular method used?

IT IS MAINLY UP TO YOU TO FIND THEM. FEW CHURCHES GIVE A PLANTER FISHING RIGHTS IN THEIR POND.  THIS IS EXTRAVAGANT BECAUSE IT PROVIDES ALREADY ENVISIONED, EQUIPPED PEOPLE WHO GIVE.  (HOWEVER, THERE ARE PLENTY OF NOMINAL CHRISTIANS IN A CHURCH OF 5,000 WHO DON'T FULLY GRASP WHAT WE ARE DOING.) WE TEACH PLANTERS WHAT TO LOOK FOR, HOW TO LOOK AND WHERE TO LOOK. PERSONAL QUALITIES OF THE PLATER ARE KEY:  PRAYER, COMPETENCE, COMPELLING VISION, RELATIONAL PROWESS. WE OFFER SOME INTERNAL ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION, A TRAINING OPPORTUNITY CALLED MISSIONAL LIVING FOR THOSE THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NUDGING; SOMETIMES WE HAVE A PLANTER PREACH.

I have a network of 6 guys from 5 different churches who make up the Ministry Board, which has become an overflow of my ministry in the local church. We are in the process of becoming a 501(c)3 and people have approached us and asked if they can give to it financially for the purpose of church planting. The purpose of this ministry is to equip people for ministry, and most importantly to help facilitate church planting in the US. The people who follow the blogs and sermon of this ministry would also be the main supporters for us if we end up planting through HCBC. One of the board members is a guy in the process of launching a church plant this fall in his community near to the Kalamazoo area. I wanted you to be aware of this ahead of time so we can discuss further if needed.

I WOULD NOT ANTICIPATE THIS BEING A PROBLEM.  In fact, this demonstrates the kind of entrepreneurship that good planters must demonstrate.

Yours in Christ,

Potential Church Planter

Recruiting Blue Chippers

When I discovered the Gallup Strengthsfinders Test, I learned why I love coaching church planters so well:  my signature strengths are Command, Strategic, Ideation, Competition. If you are a Strengthsfinders junkie you know that describes, among other things, a coach.  It is little wonder that I enjoy recruiting, strategizing, thinking and ... winning.  

The Dallas Cowboys once famously held to a recruiting philosophy that said, "don't hire positions; hire athletes."  There is a great deal of truth in that, but there is a problem:  what if you need a 350 pound tackle and all you have recruited are 190 pound safeties?  

As we race toward fall "kickoff" of our residency program, we have identified some new positions that require specialized recruiting.  It is heartbreaking to pass on a blue chip planter with amazing potential, but we need to swap him for a position void.  Our great void is identifying people capable of planting a missional community in The Void neighborhoods in Austin -- those places where it takes a special size and speed and strength to pull it off.  We can't recruit enough planters for that position!

The City Church Makes the News

Some people are shamelessly self-promoting.  Others are not so much.  Matthias Heusel is one of the not so much category.  He hates "cheese", initially refused to advertise and still cringes at the idea of commercializing the Gospel.  He is the  planting pastor of The City Community Church, and has been plowing up the rough, rocky terrain of the urban core of Austin.  He has discovered that most unchurched people in his mission focus group are a) not thinking they need to get back to church.  They never went in the first place. b) not looking for ways to improve their family life.  Most are single.  c)  not going to be attracted by really great speaking or really great music.  

One key to reaching any group is by sending the clear message:  we care about what you care about.  We care about the city.  We care about you really connecting with the "DIvine Nature" as Paul described the God who created the earth, and placed us in the exact places where we should live, so that men would seek him.  (Acts 17)

So here's the results of an anti-advertising, not so much of a shameless promoter:  they get free press from the Statesman, and from several of the local television news shows (they even showed up on the Today Show's crawler.)  

Check out the spot from Fox (paste and enjoy): http://tinyurl.com/fox070509