Formulas

As Project 160 began, and the first inclinations of divine motivation began to stir my thoughts and visions of what could be, inspiration for future work began to be revealed.  And as those moments of illumination began to take form in radiant thoughts of budding probability, I began to reflect on the past.  Throughout seminary, a majority of the focus of my Master's in Divinity revolved around church planting; it seemed that whenever there was room for an elective, I would be overcome with thoughts of new churches, new work, and new ways to reach into culture, with those ideas driving me into deeper and deeper investigation.  As I read book upon book recounting Holy Spirit driven ministry, and the ways in which God's Kingdom was reaching out to those seeking something, anything, that could provide answers and meaning and hope, I became an addict.  I couldn't stop dreaming.  And in those moments of overwhelming possibility, I pledged that if I was ever fortunate enough to lead a multi-generational ministry I would willingly join with God in anything He wanted to do.

The truth is, church planting is not a very specific science.  Now I know that there are those who would argue that point and allude to the formulaic, citing methodology and detailed examples of success stories from across the globe.  I've never been a "formula" guy...in my mind, formulas are a constricting noose which squeezes out the inspired and spontaneous, often times leaving organizations insipid and lifeless.  The reality is that most church plants used as comparative models are really measuring apples to oranges...or maybe apples to pineapples.  The size isn't close...the shape isn't close...the taste isn't even remotely close.  There's no way to truly judge them because so many factors, outside of the formula, influence success or failure.  Each of those factors varies tremendously with built-in diversity such as culture, ethnic demographics, socio-economic need, size and infrastructure, historical significance, and spiritual climate.  To say that a church plant in Berkeley, California should follow the same formula as a plant in Amarillo, Texas is naive, at best...self-destructive at worst.  But the truth is that one doesn't even have to travel across the country to find differences:  planting a church in Amarillo is dramatically different than planting one in Austin...they're both in the same state but are as dissimilar as any two places could be.  The fact is that no formula exists that can  bypass the foundational cultural indicators that define a community or a region.  It just does not happen.

In the early church, expansion was critical to the growth of followers of "the Way".  The church itself began in Jerusalem, with a number around 120 (Acts 1:15).  This number grew exponentially with Pentecost and the permanent arrival of the Holy Spirit in the world.  After the death of Stephen, a great persecution broke out.  Acts 8:1 describes it in this way:  "On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria."  Moving on to verse 4 we see, "Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went."  So the church scattered, as it had been called to do in Acts 1:8.  As they scattered they walked alongside of people, preaching the Gospel, and watching the number of Christ-Followers grow.  Churches formed...growing in places that no one thought they ever would.  Then we see something interesting in Acts 9:31:  "Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee  and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace.  It was strengthened and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord."  The key for the early church, just like today's church, comes back to  the idea that churches are "strengthened and encouraged" not by men...not by great expository preaching, not by solid worship and music...but "by the Holy Spirit".  And what happens when churches exist in dependence upon God and "in the fear of the Lord"?  Churches grow.  Christ will grow the churches that understands the way things happen; it's not by human striving but rather purely by God-dependence that any growth, or any success, takes place.  It's not about the formula...it's purely about Him.

The foundation for Project 160 is built on the idea of Holy Spirit dependence.  Nothing of worth will take place in South Fork or anywhere else in the San Luis Valley if this foundation is not acknowledged, accepted, and enacted.  Just like in the early church, Calvary has been sent out.  With the beginnings of a work in South Fork, a living out of the foundational principle of Holy Spirit dependence is being seen and look what's happening...yes, Jesus is growing His church.  And as this model for future work moves forward into the future, we can trust in one of the only "formulas" that I would hold to as necessary for any new work:    Calvary will be "strengthened and encouraged by the Holy Spirit", growing in numbers, "living in the fear of the Lord."