The Accidental...
I was an accidental church planter, pastor, and now church growth evangelist. As you will read below, this was not my career path. I was a kid that grew up in Texas, horses and all, and my folks moved us to California when I was in grade school – not a good time to move a kid. Dad sold our two horses and when we landed in So Cal he bought me and my brother surfboards. The rest of my early spiritual formation mirrors the Jesus Revolution (you should see the movie).
Pastor, my ridiculous vision is that every Jesus loving church in America one-by-one mobilizes to pray for the people in every household across our Nation by name and needs, with salvation being the greatest need for all. This pnly happens in relationship. This is what EATS is about. EATS is an easy, non-confrontational way for churched folks to meet and know their "neighbors" (where they live, work, and play). The result is deeper discipleship and church growth. It works every time for Any church, in Any place, of Any size, at Any time.
TO: You
FROM: ME
RE: Jesus
Pastor, I was called to ministry at age 18. I ignored this call I had clearly received. My career path led to military service, college, sales and marketing, direct mail fundraising, advertising, and launching a finance company. At age 38 I was recalled to ministry. I tried to ignore it again before making a one-sided bargain with God, “I’ll enroll in a preaching course. If I earn an A, I’ll take another course.” I enrolled in homiletics, gave it my best effort, and the worst happened. My grade was an A. I kept my promise and took another course, and another, and another until I completed the academic prerequisites for ordination in the Church of the Nazarene.
A highlight was when my academic advisor, Dr. C.S. Cowles, talked me out of a church staff internship and offered one at Mission Media, a faith-based nonprofit media production and marketing agency. Mission Media produced media and purchased ad spots for a church cooperative they formed. It was a great fit for me. I knew media and advertising well having worked at an agency in Los Angeles where my Dad was a founding partner. After completing the internship, my plan was to start a branch of Mission Media in another market. I would be in ministry doing what I already knew and loved. Again, God foiled my plan. After I completed the internship, He made it clear that I was to start a church.
Real Life Community Church was the numerically largest church launch in the history of the Church of the Nazarene, then a 100-year-old denomination. What we did prior to our grand opening was implement a marketing blitz. We were in a midsize media market in Southern Idaho and had the funding to produce and purchase TV ads, radio spots, billboards, direct mail, and something that worked incredibly well – yard signs. We planted them at every major intersection and highway onramp. They became affectionately known as, “signs from God.”
We planned the church launch one year in advance of the grand opening date. We produced media, purchased ad spots to support our marketing plan, and had a launch team trained and ready for support. Everything was in place and the team was excited. Then, the worst possible thing that could happen did. Our grand opening unknowingly fell on the Sunday following September 11, 2001. I would like to say our brilliant marketing campaign worked beyond expectation. The truth is, the cowardly terrorist attacks on 9/11 put our nation in shock. People began searching for hope. Real Life happened to be visible, available, and different. Page 2
NOTE: Linked from page 2 is a Church Growth Chart from EATS, the book.
Please take some time to look it over, pray, and consider the potential for your church.