I probably should stop blogging right now…
But…I’m not going to stop….
So…
I just want to say this-I’m over church planting-I think it’s over-rated.
There, I said it 
Why?
Because church planting has become the prima donna of the evangelical world. I just think we can’t stop at “church-planting.” Church planting is not enough. Sunday’s are not enough. Numbers who attend are not enough.
I want to focus more on being a catalyst for movements…(Which includes church planting) I just worry that church planting in and of itself has not got the ROI that we need in America. Also, I think church planting in America has really hurt the global church. We spend so much of our resources in America on reaching suburbanites. Hmm, we spend the most money on reaching the wealthiest-strange! If I was not a lazy blogger I could come up with all the stats, how fewer and fewer people are attending church now then ever, etc.
Just because you start a church and you have 10,50,100,200 at launch does not make you a missional church. We’ve got to stop using the word missional. Showing up and hearing a sermon and listening to worship does not make you missional. But leaving the the four-walls of the church and “living” out the gospel in your community-that is missional.
I think we spend so much time, effort and resources to attract people to our services. Maybe it’s time to really create pathways for people to understand the Lordship of Jesus and how He had called them to “go” into their world and “proclaim” the gospel story with action, love, justice and power. And then bring them into our church community. No money spent on “hooks” or anything.
Think about this. When is the last time you got together with fellow friends and just worshiped and prayed? Not planned, not scripted, not forced. Just natural. Just some friends who love each other and Jesus. I can’t remember, maybe 10 years for me. Back then I believed prayer and community could change the world.
Sorry for the randomness. I just can’t grasp this deep stirring in my soul. Something must change. Somehow movements have to break out and missional men and women must walk with Jesus into their world with the sole purpose of bringing redemption.
If I’m “off” on something please let me know. This is not a negative post-I just want to think deeper from a missional perspective.
I resonate with some of your concerns, Chris. Which is why I wrote the article “How Missional is Your Church?: Keeping the global in missional” I think it would line up some with your direction of thought…let me know!
http://www.acts29network.org/article/how-missional-is-your-church-keeping-the-global-in-missional