Strategy Lab
In September of 2011 we went to
Strategy Lab with Kairos. Three things happened there. The first is that we
finally concluded that we are going to become church planters. We felt God call
us to take the step of committing to start new churches. It has been a long process
to get to this point. We had been moving toward that decision for years without
ever committing that we were going to do it. At strategy lab we finally took
the last step.
The second thing that happened
is that we decided upon planting in the San Francisco bay area (though probably
not in San Francisco proper, but maybe). We feel pulled to the population
density, the diversity of culture, income, religions, ethnicity and everything else.
In Galatians 3:27-28 Paul said “ 27 For as many of
you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There
is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave[g] nor free, there is no male
and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. We are excited to see
that vision happen in the Bay.
The last thing that happened was
that we agreed upon a clear vision of lots of churches in the bay. We Want to
50 churches in 30 years around the bay. Churches of Christ on the West Coast are
dying, not growing. More and more churches close their doors every year. The
way we see it there are three options.
1. Ignore the issue and watch
the Church die.
2. Attempt to revitalize
established churches.
3. Build new churches in new
places for new people.
We are obviously choosing the third option because we
think it is the best chance we have for churches to reverse the trend of
shrinking, dying churches.
I
believe this post will stir up lots more questions for those who read it. I will
be continuing to write about our process, and I think many questions will be
answered as we go. I also believe more questions will be stirred up along the
way and on we go.
