A Spiritual Environmentalist

At the request of Amanda, I've decided to write a little about what it means (to me) to plant a church. I really like Erwin McManus's concept of the pastor as a spiritual environmentalist, and it goes great with the idea of "planting."

Basically, I see my role as creating spiritual environments for people to become rooted in Christ. As they do, the life he give will allow them to blossom and grow, developing and reproducing, creating new life in others.

"Vibrant Christians reproduce new believers, vibrant small groups reproduce new communities of faith, and vibrant churches become the catalysts for an apostolic movement." Erwin McManus, An Unstoppable Force.

So I nurture those in the garden, keep the weeds out, and create opportunities for people to grow. What's different than most expressions of "church" is that we don't meet on Sundays. It's not even on our radar right now. We genuinely want to invest in people that we encounter, and right now, a church service wouldn't do that.

Some people get this impression that churches just want me around because I'll fill a seat and give some money. Sadly, this is true in a lot of cases. We're trying to show that Christ's love goes beyond what you can do for us. We want to serve others, call them to experience God as we have, and allow them to join us as we serve. It's much slower growth, but I feel that the foundation is better laid to actually create a movement, a group of people who are passionate about Christ, His church, and taking the good news to the ends of the earth.

So, rather than an "attractional" approach (come and check out our great preaching! music! programs!), we're taking an "incarnational" approach, where we pour into others, and show them how to do the same.

This has taken a lot of time for me to digest, but I truly feel, for me and those I try to reach, it's the best way to do it. Not the only way, just the best way for me. If you have any questions or need clarification, I'll see you in the comments.