My Journey With Grace So Far

Posted on by
Reply

My position on grace has not moved, but my revelation of grace has. I have always found it odd how people react when others preach on grace, or do not.  And, I think our theological fears, insecurities, comparisons, and reactions keep us from experiencing the power of grace.  Especially when we are busy judging each other’s doctrine. I think it’s difficult to experience certain aspects of grace when we don’t have it for those who disagree with us theologically.  But because I have nothing theologically to prove, for me grace is neither the slippery slope to permissiveness nor the backdrop by which to identify legalism in others.  It just is… and I’m glad.

The last words of Jesus, after forgiving His accusers, at the end of His physical earthly journey, were possibly the most important words that He ever spoke. His last words weren’t “Good job!”  “Get ready to launch a church.” “Make sure the church has top leaders.” “I’ll be back.” or “John, where are the other disciples?”  He left us with what He knew we would need to hear and know.  His last exhale on earth formed the word “Tetalesti”… or “It is finished”.  This word was used when the final payment was made on a debt.  “Paid in full!” Jesus paid the price for every sin that humanity would ever commit.  We have a future because of this single act of redemption.

At first, it is hard to see everything that grace has changed and accomplished.  But as time goes by, or at key moments in our lives chosen by God, our revelation grows.  Grace is the reason I’m saved.  Grace is the equalizer.  Grace is why I’m free from the shame of my past and fear of my future.  It touches every part of my life every day.  It makes me more grateful.  Grace gives me courage!  Grace allows me to endure and to have understanding for others. It is a never-ending supply of virtue and vision.  More importantly, grace is more than an act or an event.  Grace is really a person… Jesus.  He is the personification of grace.   As Jesus changes me, grace changes me.

I live just over the Rockies now, and you can see the beautiful mountains from just about anywhere around Denver.  There position never changes, but their revelation does.  Every day the view is there, but depending on where you’re driving it might look a little different. Also, depending on how clear the air is you can see different levels of the mountains in the distance. On the clearest days I have identified three levels from my house, each higher than the first. My view of grace is like this.  During the storms I know it’s there.

View from my street. Click for close up.

On clear days I can see it.  Depending on where I am on the journey, almost daily I see a different angle. Then, on some especially clear days a new depth is revealed.

For those of you who know me well…  Yes, I am being affected at a very deep level by grace.  Something changed when I stopped reacting to grace and started responding to it.  The view is good from here.

 

In The Real World

Posted on by
1

 

I am sitting right now in a Starbucks after looking at a potential building for our church.  I needed a coffee to think… and, true, I don’t think that well without it.  From where I am sitting I can see 3 other church plant pastors, ha (special shout out to Shawn Reine, Connection Church).  It’s a bad pic, but maybe you can pick them out.  Its like Where’s Waldo, but for pastors.  All GREAT guys… full of vision, passionate and taking the biggest leap of faith in their lives.  I just walked around the room to say hi and talk with them about how their churches are doing, about their families, how to pray for them, etc..all the normal stuff.  If ANYONE can make it happen these three can.  And, here is my thought as I grabbed my Clover, Ka’u coffee.  That’s right Kona! Represent.

IN THE REAL WORLD… this is what it looks like.  All three of these guys are swinging for the fences.  Each of them has a word from God.  They are all from other states.  They are on the same timelines. They all have the same basic strategy. They all have been to the same conferences, and they all are in the same area!  And, yes I think all three will be a success.  I think if you haven’t you should read my post “Why do church plants fail?”  This will address a few things I can deal with here.

Why do I think this?  I have been talking to a few guys recently and I keep hearing the same thing from them… “Well if Steve Furtick (or whoever had a church that “exploded”) can do it at his age so can we…” My answer to that is, “Bro, your not Steve Furtick.”  And neither am I.  In the real world, church planting growth is hopefully consistent, and at times explosive.  You pray for more people from home to come, but only the ones who know how to work.  Work ethic is now more important than Charisma.  A few people leave and it hurts.  Your bank account is not overflowing and every day you pray for the moment that your account moves into a surplus.  You want the first ten raises in the church to all go to you.  You discovered that your wife REALLY IS a superhero.  The church grows, you grow, and God is faithful.  Are there explosive moments? Yes. But in between, you just want it to be steady.  You’re doing EVERYTHING that you know how to do, and somehow, you always end up at a Starbucks.

I know that every context is different, and God personalizes every journey.  But some of what church planting is about is identical.  So in talking with these three today, why do I feel like they will all be successful in fulfilling their vision?  Here are their answers to a few questions (without the questions).  I wasn’t interviewing them, but it all comes out in conversation.  Their answers are the recipe for success.  It’s not hyped up (no over-selling the experience), they speak with wisdom, patience, and they understand church and how to reach people.  Here’s what they said.  Something to think about.

  1. I came with a team.  DNA is worth more than money.
  2. I could work at another church easily if that was God’s plan, but its not, I know it, God called me here.
  3. I have a home church supporting me.  I feel their strength and they are with me.
  4. Church planting is some of what I thought it would be, and whole lot of what I didn’t know.  Especially in the area where we live… we are working hard to know our demographic.  However…
  5. We are not changing who we are at the core.  We are not giving into changes that compromise our spiritual values.
  6. My salary is paid for the first year, and though that cut off day is coming fast, we have a plan to be at a certain place at that moment to make it work.
  7. We have had salvations in our new church and they are staying.  The church is growing but its hard work.
  8. I have had years of experience in pastoring and serving another man’s vision, with success.
  9. I’m making sure that our marriage is healthy.  We are taking time to spend together and keep our relationship strong.

10. I can’t wait to sow into other church plant in the city.

11. I have no sense of competition with other guys in the room.  In fact, I think I need them.

 

Some Right And Wrong Reasons To Church Plant

Posted on by
3

In the last few weeks I have met several Church Planters. I gotta say… I am really impressed with these couples. They understand their own gift. They have supporting home churches. They have small teams of people who are very committed. They have experience in handling the Word and leading people. I’m excited because I know they are statistic busters.

Whenever I meet new church planters I ask them the same question… “Why are you starting a church?”

I have been keeping track of their answers and I think I want to pass some of them along to you. Here are 20 reasons to church plant from the mouths of church planters.  I have put them in categories of right and wrong… my opinion. You may not agree with some of these points on either list, that’s ok. But remember we dealing with a 60% closure rate within 2 years, and an average of 85 attendees after 4.  So lets talk about some of the whys.  Perhaps this is part.  Also, we are not talking about taking churches or inheriting churches. We are talking specifically about planting churches.

Wrong Reasons to Church Plant – Some of these sound good, but by themselves are not a reason to plant a church.

1. Because you don’t know what else to do (I actually think this is number one, but can’t expound here).
2. Because you are unhappy where you are.
3. Because someone gave you a prophetic word.
4. Because you have a heart for a city.
5. Because you have had success in ministry in another church.
6. Because you want to be your own boss.
7. Because the world needs more churches.
8. Because you have Bible training.
9. Because your friends think you should.
10. Because you want to build a culture that fits you.

Right Reasons to Church Plant – These all make sense but in no way are the above reasons not important.

1. Because your leadership has been proven over time.
2. Because you have an uncommon ability to gather people.
3. Because of agreement. Your leaders, peers, family and friends all see the call and gift in you.
4. Because you are willing to make the sacrifices needed and know what they are (for the most part).
5. Because your family is in agreement that this is God’s call for them.
6. Because you have addressed every other option and avenue for ministry (with your leaders) and determined this is God’s course.
7. Because you have the right support system in place for the journey, emotionally, relationally and financially.
8. Because you have prayed and fasted for confirmation.
9. Because you been preparing and training for this for years.
10. Because it just makes sense for you. Just like a fast runner should race, its what you were made to do.

Pastor Frank Damazio… Church Planting DNA Download

Posted on by
1

This weekend my Pastor, Frank Damazion, was here…  At The Pearl Church we do what is called DNA Downloads.  We bring leaders in to discuss a topic and glean as much as we can on that subject.  With Pastor Frank we discussed leadership and church planting among other things… Here are 21 Thoughts/Quotes from Pastor Frank that deal with Church Planting.  These are not exact quotes but rather these are my personal notes from my iPad and at times my personal interpretation of what he said.

At the end are  The 7 Stages of Church Planting.  These are his main points with quote/thoughts from my notes.  What stage are you in and are preparing now for the next one?

Leaders and Church Planters, I guarantee it will be worth it to read through this quickly.

Blessings, PD

 

Notes: Pastor Frank Damazio

Quotes/Thoughts:

1. The Local Church is the best incubator for spiritual leadership that exists. All the leaders you will ever need are here now or on their way.

2. Great churches are built on people with great attitudes.

3. People want to be great, but in the Kingdom you will never be great until you learn to serve someone else’s greatness. The way to great is through a revelation of the least.

4. The question leadership should ask is, “Why do some churches have leaders that stay with them over very long periods of time?” There is a revelation in this for churches with high turn over.

5. Churches should never be built for a season, but for a lifetime.

6. One of the greatest tests for a leader: How do you treat the ones who can’t “do” anything for you…

7. Some people who are with you in the beginning… are people on Kingdom Loan. God just loaned them to you for a season to get the church off the ground and running. Soon, the lifers will come.  Don’t despise when people leave, rather know that it means more are on their way.

8. Some of the worst people who ever come to you will end up being the best people you ever work with.

9. Great churches, like large trees, have deep roots.  Create an environment for people to put roots down deep not just fast.

10. Often it seems like there is nothing fair in church planting except the will of God.  Accept it, and then redefine “fair” through the eyes of Jesus.

11. Growing the church means eventually letting other people pastor others… hard to do.

12. There is a difference between the “church plant team” and the first “leadership team”. Over time they will be different and all our motives will be tested.  We must pass the motive test.

13. One of the first scary moments that a church planter has is the first time he transfers authority to someone else.  He knows he can’t get it back.

14. Influence is an invisible force that you can’t take back. When you give authority you are giving influence, and influence can never be taken back. Once a person has it, they can use it as they wish. Choose the right people and take time to give it away.

15. Worship DNA must be established by a person, not by a team otherwise there will be discord. Teams implement, but the DNA comes from the senior leader.

16. Leaders who volunteer have a double pressure… they have jobs, families, activities, relationships, and responsibilities that fill 60+ hours per week. Then, they give another 10-20 hours per week to the church. Understand their sacrifice and match it with appreciation.

17. Never chose a leader just because they are available, we all want available people, but for some there is a reason they are available.

18. Your leadership team is the picture and reality of where the church is going. Build leaders and you will grow the church.

19. Build the church as if you were building your dream house and you were going to live in it your whole life. If you cut corners in the construction, you are only hurting yourself.

20. Teach people to be Stewards over each others gifts, not competitors.

21. Don’t worry about who you need, and focus on raising up what you have.

Seven Stages of Church Planting – From Sow to Grow

1. The Pastor And Church Plant Team Successfully Plant The Seed

a. The team plants, the seed is watered, God does His part to honor the work of planting the seed in the first place.

b. This team is special and anointed to do this specific task. Their role will change over time but always remember their work to sow the first seeds.

c. Each leader must define what it means to plant successfully, but there may also be some objective goals to meet.

2. The Church Plant Team Changes As The Church Takes Root

a. Change is part of the growth, and each member of the team must be willing to change as needed.

b. You will begin to see new growth and new leaders off in the distance but you can’t use them yet.

c. Responsibilities will be redistributed over and over again. People can’t get territorial in this season.

d. Take great care in this season to make sure that people understand the changes and that they are not personal. Everyone must find his or her place in the body for each season.

e. The team will begin to grow with a combination of people. Those that came with, those that came in (from some other place, state, etc.), and those that came over (from the city you are in).

3. The Lead Pastor Develops An Emerging Team Of “Servants/Helpers” Not Leaders

a. No titles should be given for two years. You have no idea who will be there with you, who the Lord will send, so if you appoint now you may have to back up later.

b. These leaders are servants, untitled, and ready to help.

c. The Lead pastor needs time to set the stage and DNA of pastoring. This DNA must be transferred to each emerging leader.

d. Leadership is defined in the heart of the person to serve, not the desire of a person to lead.

4. The Church Plant Is Now A Church Growing And Focus Begins To Shift

a. There is a shift from the pastor  who pastors everyone, to shared pastoring by many servants.

b. There is a shift from everyone does everything, to a slow identification of primary gifts in those around you.

c. There is a shift from looking outward for leaders to looking inward.

d. There is a shift from potential to practice.

i. Dt 34:9 Moses put his spirit/mantle on Joshua who was with him…. Not the Holy Spirit, his spirit.

ii. Raise up from within the house – Gen 14:4… Leaders from his own house.

5. The First Leadership Team Begins To Function

a. The church plant team will not be the leadership team in the future and there will come a time when the First Church Leadership Team is established, identified and released.

b. This can as long as two years after the launch of a church.

c. Everyone finds their acre and works their acre to accomplish the whole.

d. As people begin to function in their passion they must be given the tools to do function at this point. So, leadership goes from general to specific.

e. Sometimes you must go outside the church to find those that can equip those in the church for specific tasks/functions.

6. The Team Leader Must Grow Personally Into a Great Leader

a. Devotions/vibrant relationship with God

b. Health – Health affects performance, attitude, and longevity.

c. Leadership – Leadership can be learned even though each person may have a different leadership gifting.

d. Family – The Leader must have a passion to pastor and lead his family. This makes the whole leadership healthy and they church follows suit.

e. Reproducing leadership – A good leader can reproduce other leaders.

7. The Team Now Learns The Power Of Process

a. Without process everything falls apart.

b. Process can be the make or break of a church because it affects everything from finance, to staff, to relationships.

c. Process is not an emotional decision making event, but an objective decision making responsibility.

d. Leadership Process is work but it gives a leadership path for people to follow.

e. Process is what takes you into the future. It is your bridge to greater things and wise decision making. It protects you from potential pitfall.

Why Do Church Plants Fail?

Posted on by
1

In the next season I am going to write about some of the experiences, successes and failures that we have had in our church plant here in Denver, CO.  And I promise not to leave  out the failures. We are motivated, grateful, humbled and excited to be apart of what God is doing in The Pearl Church.  Now that things are established and the church is growing, it is also a time to reflect.

I want to wrestle with some of the questions that my wife and I have faced every day for the last 3 years. I think this will help some of you, but it will also help me…  It helps to write things out, to ponder, to think on paper.  There may not be much balance to some of my statements or thoughts… but that’s ok.  I’m thinking and working it through… if you are interested, follow along, especially if you are a church planter. But to really understand me, and what I believe please read my first post “The White Board” that summarized the last 20 years of our lives and ministry before you move on.

Question 1: Why Do Church Plants Fail?  There is this statistic out there that no one can source that says “8/10 church plants in America fail after the first year.” Recent studies have shown that things are a little better than that.  Ed Stetzer and the North American Missions Board reported that after about 4 years 60% of church plants were still in existence with an average membership of 80 people.  Ok so we’re doing better. But, perhaps the more relevant issue is not whether or not churches still exist after 4 yrs. but rather how do we define success. Success is determined by a church’s vision and mission, and not by numbers. I get that.  So lets leave that alone for now and just deal with the minimum 40% failure rate.  But I will come back to the numbers at some point. 

I think this says it all… and what it doesn’t say is just as important.

“Sometimes seemingly small things can make the difference between success or failure, and that is certainly true in church planting. Expectations might not seem like they would make such a profound difference in the survivability rate, but they had the biggest impact (400%). When realistic expectations are combined with a plan to develop leaders, benefit from others, and develop stewards, the difference is remarkable.”  North American Missions Board

Expectations had the “biggest impact”!  Expectations have a “profound impact on the survivability rate”! Didn’t see that coming, but I think I get it now.  The problem is that the components of the “plan” are not easy to do.  When church planters have unrealistic expectations based on passion or vision, rather than fruit, experience, or skill the result can be devastating.  I think church planting takes experience and skill just like anything else.  So without that, regardless of what their proposal says they may be setting themselves up for rough journey.  I think we must balance what we hope God will do, and what we should expect to happen and when. Here is the difference between hoping and expecting.

A ministry hope places the work in God’s hands through faith.  A ministry expectation is a personal, tangible, measure of success. 

So, what does it take to properly set expectations and get a plan?  It takes what that paragraph did not say.  It did not say that you can’t just “develop leaders”, but you must have leadership experience.  It did not say that you don’t just “develop stewards”, but you must have experience and knowledge in biblical stewardship, tested with real assets. We may be called to plant a church but lets give God something to work with as He builds it.  We are just as called to prepare as we are to plant.  Answer the tough questions before you start so that God can do a quicker work, and discouragement doesn’t set it when expectations aren’t met.

Here are some more questions… you can use this as a checklist and I will deal with most of these in my next few posts.  As you read them… I’m believing that you and I are both growing in the grace and the measure of faith that God has given us… and that success for us is not an emotion, it is an attainable goal as we are guided by the Holy Spirit. I am believing with you for all the best on your church plant journey. 

  1. Have You Defined Your Call and Gift Accurately? Are you truly a lead pastor and are you willing to reevaluate?
  2. Have You Estimated The Cost Accurately? How many people will this decision affect, and is there a limit to the cost they should pay?
  3. Do You Have Appropriate Expectations? Does your plan match your reality?  Have you ever done anything that is in your proposal before or is the church an experiment with profound consequences?
  4. Are You Connected To Other Churches and Leaders? Who are you getting advice from, do they know what they are talking about, and are you humble enough to take the advice they give you?
  5. Are You Covered? Who are you submitted to and can they give real input or are they a rubberstamp committee?
  6. Do You Have A Team?  Is going alone wrong, or is it just harder?
  7. Are You Aware Of Your Weaknesses?  Are you ready for your weakness, the ones you know about and the ones you don’t, to reveal them selves?
  8. Are You Launching Or Leaving?  Do you believe that how you start the journey will affect the success of the journey?
  9. Do you have the peace of God?  Remember… a church can send you, the ARC can launch you, but only the Holy Spirit can sustain you.


The White Board

Posted on by
3

Hey Everyone!  I wrote this 24 months ago in anticipation of  the blog.  I wanted to make sure and start with this, its a little long but its not easy to wrap up almost 2 decades…. From here on out my blog will take shape around our church planting experience… at least for the next year… Blessings, pd

I have just wrapped up 17 total years in youth ministry and it was truly an amazing journey. Into my second year as a youth pastor, my assistant at the time, Alex Hernandez and I, sat in my little office and scribbled on a white board all that God was putting in our hearts to do in youth ministry. We are both dreamers and visionaries, and when we were through scratching and scribbling out the list that day, I remember laughing as Alex said “Well, that could take a while!” Small groups, creative arts, worship CD’s, conferences of thousands, Bible studies, raising up leaders, outreaches, missions, training and equipping, transforming culture, multiple extension services, impacting the Northwest, and even the nation were just some of the things on the board that day. It sounded like a movement and not just a ministry.

Yet, my heart was to build the local church and not necessarily start a movement. Over time I realized that the local church is the movement.

Every corner of the board had something written on it and there was almost no white left. I knew that it would take a lifetime to accomplish everything we had written down, so in my heart I committed my life to long-term youth ministry, silently though as I thought some would think I was overshooting with everything we wanted to accomplish. There are some things you just hide in your heart until God helps them come to pass.

It was on September 2, 2009, walking into Pastor’s office (Pastor Frank Damazio, City Bible Church, Portland, OR) when I realized that everything on the white board had been accomplished and it took almost two decades. I have learned that the time it takes to fulfill a vision is directly connected to the size, breadth, and width of the foundation for that vision. I have come to understand that the larger the foundation, the larger the plans, and the greater the cost. City Bible Church had a large foundation and nothing done right could be done quickly. Notice what Luke 14 says;

Luke 14:27-30 “27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it? 29 Lest, after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’”

Some people are given a great foundation but have no idea what to do with it and dream small. They sacrifice little, miss opportunity, and constantly look backwards wondering if they were truly effective. Some people have great vision but no commitment to laying a proper foundation. They are impatient and their vision is larger than their reality. What is worse, is some already know they won’t pay the cost, but don’t tell anyone. Unfortunately, I have known people like this. They are the ones who want the spotlight, but they don’t want it on their character. For whatever reason, their character, motives, and agendas keep them from truly committing for the long haul. Jesus identifies these traitors as “hirelings” in John chapter 10. You can read about them there as this post has another purpose. Be assured that God will reveal motives in due season.

Luke 14 however, focuses on an even more critical issue, cost. Some people estimate the cost incorrectly, and though sincere in their call and motives, they fall short of finishing. This happens for various reasons. Some factors that affect our miscalculating cost would be; immaturity, a lack of spiritual covering when making decisions, wrong motives, inexperience, a wrong perspective of ones own gift, and on an on. As a Leader you must work hard to know your own gift, receive good advice from proven mentors, plan well, and pray. This process will help you accurately discern what the cost will be. What is certain is that cost, if not estimated correctly, will steal every bit of joy, every drop of strength, and every ounce of vision that you started with, and you will fall short. Stop where you are right now, and estimate the cost of the next leg of your journey. Be more aware of what the next leg of the race will cost and you will experience more success and more joy.

We could go farther, but here is my heart on the matter looking back over the last two decades. Luke 14:29, has always alarmed me. Could I do something that would actually cause people to laugh or mock not just me, but the church? What a tragedy that would be! Donna and I have had our share of successes and our share of failures. Also, not everyone has agreed with every decision that I have made in my career as a pastor and leader. That is to be expected. But my dream, my heart, and motive was to live life in such a way that no one could ever “mock” the church, the ministry, or the grace of God because I couldn’t finish what I started. And, correctly calculating cost is the key. This is why this section of Luke begins with “27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” Cost is synonymous with cross in this portion of scripture. When you say to God, “I will pick up my cross,” you are saying to God “What ever it takes, as long as it takes, and with all my heart.” Cost is now not about what I am willing to give, but about what He is asking us to give. And when we get this right, the fruit speaks for itself.

I decided to believe God for big things and He met us at the point of our faith. Then, somewhere along the way I realized that one persons’ entire ministry is just the next mans foundation.

My goal was show the next generation that they could dream big as well… and that they could see their dreams come to pass.

I want to honor all the young people over the years that have responded to the call of God in their own lives. We are so proud of all of you. Around the world you are now pastors, leaders, worship leaders, missionaries, business people, teachers, politicians, athletes, musicians, world shapers, and on and on. Over time you became builders with us, and now you are building wherever God has you. A special shout out to all of you carrying the torch in Portland. Donna and I couldn’t be more proud. You have followed God’s plan for your lives and you are proof that building God’s way works.

And now, people are asking about the new church, how it is going, when did it start, and what do I want to build. We will get to that in upcoming posts. But for now, here I am with a white board on my wall once again, casting vision, making plans, and dreaming big. I’ve been here before. Each time I pause with this dry erase pen in my hand, I am counting the cost. Am I willing to pay? More than willing. Look at what God has done! We will only truly appreciate and value those things that cost us something. Jesus wants us to feel about our destiny the way He feels about us. We cost him everything. He gave his Son so that we might live. We were the joy set before Him that enabled Him to endure the cross. Now He is the joy set before us. Give all you have, believe big, pursue Him with passion and sacrifice, and hold nothing back. He’s worth it… and there’s still room on your board.

Pastor Doug Lasit
The Pearl Church
Denver, CO