One of the hardest things in church planting is defining the win. Wait, let me rephrase that. One of the hardest things in church planting is remembering how we defined the win. Yes, much better. Let me explain why.
Most new organizations (and a church would fall into that category) don’t have a hard time defining the win early on. Of course, most of those wins are on paper, which is worthless for the most part because it doesn’t actually count. (If wins on paper counted, the Carolina Panthers really would go to the Super Bowl this season!)
Early on churches say the right things, like “we reach people for Jesus” or “we invite the unchurched” or something similar. But lots of times those wins disappear in a flurry of activities that feel very different than what we expected. Let’s be honest: coming early and setting up a heavy sound system week in and week out doesn’t feel very much like a win, and it doesn’t take long for us – and I don’t care who you are, if you’re breathing, you’ve struggled with this – to start to wonder if we are, in fact, winning.
(Insert your favorite Charlie Sheen joke here, even though it has been way overplayed and you should stop telling it.)
Back to the point. This past Sunday was one of those days when all of us who have invested our time and energy shaking hands, pouring coffee, smiling at first-time guests and making phone calls were able to get in our cars after The Gathering’s worship service and say, “Ahh! Now that’s a win.” While I appreciate all of the kind words and all of the effort that went into making Pastor Appreciation Day so much fun, it was the constant pointing to Jesus that made my day. Did you see it, too? Did you hear how many people told different stories with the same themes?
“Umm. This is the first time I’ve ever shared my story in public.”
“I used to attend church but didn’t like it. I came to The Gathering and loved it.”
“I used to wake up on Sundays and think, ‘Man. It’s Sunday.’ Now I can’t wait for Sundays!”
“This place doesn’t have a layer of religious crap.”
“This place is real.”
“This place just has…it.”
To everyone who shared a testimony about what Jesus is doing in your life, thank you. You could not have done a better job of defining for all of us again what it looks like when Jesus wins us over. To everyone who has worn an orange shirt, has come early, has spent time in prayer asking Jesus to shine His glory on our city, let me say congratulations! Sunday was the day that you could enjoy the fruit of so much of your labor, and I know you felt the same way I did: it is worth it to see the change and hope in people’s lives.
Are we done? Heck no!! We’re just getting started, and I can promise you that there are days ahead of us when we will all feel tired again and the win won’t seem to be quite as clear as it was on Sunday. But that’s what happens when ordinary people answer an extra-ordinary call. This task is bigger than you and me combined, but on the days that we feel overwhelmed, I invite you to pull this entry back up, read it, and remember that we are winning!
I LOVE MY CHURCH!!!
