What They Are is Why They Work!
“Church Planting Movements” are characterized by these essential elements:

1. Mobilize persistent prayer on a large scale

2. Eliminate the inherent barriers caused by transmitting external “Western/Christian” culture

3. Establish “simple” churches based on the fundamental Biblical requirements

4. Gain access to restricted or resistant areas through compassionate service

5. Finding and discipling the “Man (or Woman) of Peace” (Mt.10, Luke 10) as the key to establishing an “insiders” movement

6. Utilize chronological storytelling within oral cultures to effectively lay a biblical foundation for understanding God, salvation, and the Christian life

7. “Disciple people into conversion” through progressive family-based evangelism and personal discovery from God’s Word

8. Provide heart-language Scripture resources in audio and written formats

9. Train new believers to discover God’s truth through personal study of His Word and to obey immediately

10. Emphasize “obedience-based discipleship” as a lifestyle for every believer

11. Utilize only indigenous church planters and local lay leaders to launch and lead new churches

12. Train new leaders to regularly plant new churches as a normal part of being a church

by NewGeneration

Dallas Fort Worth has been called “The Buckle of The Bible Belt.” This title is fitting considering the fact that the Metroplex has three major seminaries, two major Christian networks, and five major Christian universities. In addition, there seems to be a church on every corner. Even though the Christian community seems to be thriving, the spiritual pulse is rather faint. Hundreds of churches are closing their doors, and people are moving in. The Metroplex was the fastest growing Metro area in the U.S. in 2007. Many new churches are needed to replace the churches that have finished. In addition, many new residents of Dallas Fort Worth have never experienced the life of Jesus expressed through a transformational church. There are currently six lead churches that are working together to collaboratively start new churches that represent their healthy DNA. This DNA includes local community ministry, global engagement, and church multiplication. All of these lead churches also have national and global credibility and reach. The Vision360 board believes that if they can, “do it here, they can do it anywhere!”

The goal in Dallas Fort Worth includes starting 50 churches by 2015. These congregations will touch 250,000 lives through sustainable ministries that lead to community transformation locally and internationally. Over 150 potential leaders have been assisted, and 6 have been approved to move through the training process. Two churches begin this fall, including Crossroad church. They conducted their first meeting on Saturday, October 18 with 160 Asian Indians present. This church alone has a goal of starting multiple churches to reach the 155,000 Asian Indians that leave the 10-mile area of their location. Vista Church begins in November, and already has adopted a city in Nigeria for ongoing ministry. Vista also has three leaders praying about becoming Visionary Point Leaders of new churches within the next two years.

The Vision360 board that consists of ten members representing various companies, churches and ministries leads this movement in Dallas Fort Worth. On December 9, Lee Roy Mitchell, Co-Founder of Cinemark Theaters, will host a vision-casting meeting with Al Weiss to cast the Vision of 360, and to invite additional leaders to join the movement. The present goal is to raise 5 million dollars to seed this movement of 50 community-engaged churches.

“Your Kingdom Come, Your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.”

A few weeks ago I had a great discussion on this passage with Jim Hylton, a real-deal pastor from Missouri. Jim said, “Jesus doesn’t separate the supernatural and the practical. The supernatural is always very practical.” If it is God’s work, it’s all supernatural. We cannot separate practical from supernatural. There are planters and pastors reading this blog that have a desire to change their communities, cities, and even nations. How does this happen? It only happens through the supernatural work of Jesus Christ. The supernatural is something I once separated from the practical. But God has been showing Himself to me through the practical, “real” experiences that are also very supernatural.

I met Rodrick about eight months ago through friends, Mike Fechner and Roger Sappington (hisbridgebuilders.org). Rodrick was the top drug dealer in a community of Dallas. Early in life he had fathered a few kids and made a ton of money through drugs. He and his girlfriend didn’t have a way out. Through persistent prayers, and God working practically through believers, Roderick came to know the saving grace of Jesus. Rodrick was set free, and Dallas had one less drug dealer. Rodrick says it best. “When I got saved, Dallas was drug free…..for a few minutes.”  Mike and Roger are helping people like Rodrick experience the supernatural power of Jesus Christ in practical ways. “Your Kingdom Come….on Earth as it is in Heaven.” God’s transforming power unfolds in the lives of people through practical transactions. For Rodrick, God’s Kingdom has been very practical. God’s power is a diploma through a ministry sponsored GED program. God’s provision is Roderick learning a trade so that he can get a job. God Spirit is teaching him through a discipleship class led by Roger. God’s grace is experienced through a church that hosted Rodrick and Lisa’s wedding free of charge. It is just as powerful to see Rodrick’s transformation as it is for a blind man to receive sight. God’s Kingdom unfolds every day. It may be through a water well drilled in Nigeria, a preschooler learning about Jesus at church, or a pastor setting up for worship in a make shift auditorium every Sunday.  Don’t think for a moment that your practical service is less than a supernatural work.  Heaven touches Earth through us, and the World is changed one Rodrick at a time. 

Identifying Needs Before Determining Metrics

Today I met with Denise Hurst. She is a neighbor. She is also friends with brainy, highly influential world changers like Bob Buford, Jim Collins, etc. Peter Drucker mentored her, and she now heads up the newly established Drucker Institute in Fort Worth.  Here’s the short of it.  She is really smart – specifically in the areas of identifying needs, setting goals, and developing systems. It was a great meeting, and three questions still keep resonating with me. I will throw them out to you to chew on. Your answer will be different than mine, but if you are a city leader, pastor or planter, you must answer them. These questions are crucial before you determine metrics of success for your ministry or church.

1. “What needs doing that meets the needs of your community?”
2. “What is it that could be done?”
3. “What are the economics of how we need to fund this?”

Planters, don’t miss this. I am talking more than dollars and cents. Economics include time, talents and resources of the community at large. The city church! Not just your church.

The Body of Christ has all the gifts needed to do what God has initiated for you in your community. This is what Paul means when he says in I Corinthians 12, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. 7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. I love question #2, “What is it that could be done.” Of course, God can do everything, but He blesses you and me with segments of His work that are just for us during this place and time. (Acts 17:26) The work God has for you is bigger than your church. But here is the good news. His Kingdom resources are more than adequate for the job.  He will never call you to a work that He cannot resource through His Kingdom. Remember that you are “His workmanship, created n Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that we should walk in them.” Open your eyes to the city, Identify the needs, and watch Him work through His Body.

A hunger for reaching the city

“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it.”

The Bible speaks of the city when talking about specific churches. Most of our New Testament is writing to specific cities. For instance, the church of Ephesus had different smaller groups, but Paul addressed key issues, exhortations, encouragement, and warnings to the city. Every city has an identity. It is known for something. In the physical realm this is true, but it also plays out in the spiritual realm. Dallas Texas is known for Texas Pride. They say, “everything is bigger in Texas”. Dallas also boasts of two major seminaries, two major “religious” universities, and churches on every corner. We are known for the proud Christians that seem to have it all together. This is just the reality. There must be a spiritual hunger for what God has for us in the Metroplex. The sad fact is that the prideful, and religious do not hunger for reaching their city. A pastor of a large church in Fort Worth told me that God showed him this reality one evening. As he looked out at the city near Carswell AFB, God said, “I see your church, but I do not attend.’” God made it clear to this pastor that he would attend his church if his church began to have a heart for the city.

Satan tries to get our eyes off the city and onto our church/community. If you focus on the church, you can miss the Kingdom, but if you focus on the Kingdom, you get the church and so much more.
“Seek First His Kingdom”

Strategy for the city
1. Start with the Servant Leaders – You will get further in collaboration with those that have no need for logos and egos. If somebody has a personal agenda, it will come out during city collaboration.
• There are only a few – Work with the few that surface
• Find the hungry – If they aren’t hungry for Christ and His Kingdom, they aren’t hungry. You can’t produce a hunger in them. That’s the Holy Spirit’s job.
2. Mobilize the young – The 20 something’s do want to change the world. Once they get married and get kids, it’s all over… for a while. They make great families, but it is hard for them to be the leaders of a city movement. For the most part, they are focused on building their homes rather than reaching the city. This is a huge generality, but it’s typically correct.
3. Find the older adults that yearn for true significance – Some of our best planters of the future are those that have sent their kids off to college. They are ready to make a Kingdom Impact as planters.
4. Stay focused on City Collaboration – Religious leaders will want to drift from this goal because many are building their own kingdom. It is easier to default back to doing ministry the old way. Here is a realistic challenge to keep us focused.
The future of church planting is about the city, not about the church.

Warnings:
1. Don’t give the vision of the city to church leaders that miss the big picture.
2. Some leaders will act like they get it, but will continue to shift back to their own tribe or network. They still have a place in the movement, but they can’t drive it.
More to come…

Check out the following link for a very intersting blog from Bob Roberts, Pastor of Northwood Church in Keller. He is writing about Dallas-Fort Worth, but the principles he shares can relate to other cities.

http://www.glocal.net/2007/12/19/2008-what-could-be-in-dfw/

There is a new wave of planting that is emerging. It’s so new, we probably shouldn’t even call give it a name. By the time we write a book or label it “emerging,” it’s no longer new. So let’s just paint a picture of what we would like to see in Dallas in the way of church planting. This diagram may help clarify what Vision360 is about here in Dallas.

Compare And Contrast

Years ago I read a book by Peter Wagner called, On the Crest of the Wave. To be honest, I didn’t finish the book. I was in seminary, and I just didn’t have time to read an entire book. You know the feeling? I did love the title, though. Vision360 is the crest of a wave in DFW. In the next few months we will be posting stories about what is happening in DFW through Vision360. This site will help inform and chronicle what God is doing. Some of you have already attended a couple of gathering events. You are the first ones on the wave. The crest of the wave is unknown, scary and even deadly at times. You can also choose to bail out when fear grips you. We want help those of you that are involved in transformational ministry in DFW to stay the course, and see some collaborative fruit that comes only by staying on the wave. We want to hear about what you are doing in your church and business to see life transformation. Thank you for being a part.

Know that it can be difficult and challenging to be the first of a movement. But if you are a leader, that’s the place to be. You are going to able to help shape and share the story of Dallas that has the potential to touch the world. I mean that! Do not hesitate to share your stories and practices. The beauty of Vision360 includes sharing your best so that we can all learn here in DFW, and throughout the world. Let’s do the work He has called us to!