State of the Church (2003)
From the Series—State of the Church
January 31, 2003This week’s evotional is NCC’s annual “State of the Church” evotional. If you’re short on time, page down to our dream. If you’ve got the time, take a few minutes to read about our history, our mission, our values, and our vitals.
Our History
Winston Churchill said, “ The farther backward you look the farther forward you’re likely to see .” If you want to know where you’re headed , it’s important to look back and see where you’ve come from .
Every January I get a little nostalgic. It was seven years ago that I became pastor of National Community Church. Only three people--my wife, my son, and myself--showed up that first Sunday as the blizzard of ‘96 left record snowfalls on DC. We’ve come a long way in the last seven years!
Ebenezers
In I Samuel 7:12 the prophet Samuel celebrates Israel’s victory over the Philistines by building a stone altar and naming it Ebenezer. “ Ebenezer “ means “ Hitherto the Lord has helped us .” That describes 2002.
In the past year, NCC has purchased a piece of property that is strategically located one block from Union Station and kitty-corner to what will be the largest office building in Washington, DC . That eyesore will be transformed into a coffeehouse and offices. In March we hosted our first Easter Eggstravaganza at Lincoln Park. Who can forget 300 kids hunting for Easter eggs at the same time? I have a new definition of chaos! During the summer months we held our first Baptism by the Bay and Inward Bound Retreat . And in September we made the move to three services in two theaters !
Just like the prophet Samuel, every once in a while we need to build an altar and name it Ebenezer! Hitherto the Lord has helped us! There is a timeline of NCC’s history in our 2003 Ministry Report that highlights some highlights . As I look back over our history, God’s faithfulness fills me with faith .
Our Mission
In Matthew 28:19, Jesus said, “ Make disciples .” That’s our mission. NCC is in the disciple-making business. In one sense, discipleship is simple. George Barna says, “ Ignite people’s passion for God and get out of their way .” But discipleship doesn’t happen by default .
There is not “ one way “ to do discipleship. Saddleback Community Church has their “ baseball diamond .” Willowcreek has their “ 5 G’s .” Pantego Bible Church has their “ 30 Core Competencies .” They have very different approaches, but they have one thing in common-- a strategy . Here’s NCC’s strategy in 2003.
Acts 2:42-47 reveals four dimensions of discipleship. Disciples are seekers , learners , influencers , and investors . We may have a totally different approach to discipleship in 2004. We may focus on different dimensions of discipleship in 2004. But we’re going to do our level best in 2003 to produce disciples who are seeking, learning, influencing, and investing.
Seekers
Disciples are seekers. In recent years, a lot of churches have given unbelievers the label “seekers.” I think it’s a misnomer. The connotation is that once you find Christ you stop seeking. But that’s when the real seeking begins! A.W. Tozer said, “ To have found God and still pursue him is the soul’s paradox .” Seekers can’t get enough of God . The Psalmist said it this way, “ My soul follows hard after Thee .”
Learners
Disciples are learners. The word “disciple” comes from the Greek word mathetes which means “learner.” By definition, a disciple is someone who never stops learning . Acts 2:42 says, “They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching .” Albert Einstein said, “Never lose a holy curiosity .” Disciples have a “holy curiosity” about the things of God. They can’t know enough of God.
Influencers
Disciples are influencers. Acts 2:47 says, “ They enjoyed the favor of all the people .” Influencers see and seize God-given opportunities to share their faith and their lives with others! “ A life isn’t significant ,” said Jackie Robinson, “ except for its impact on other lives .”
Investors
Disciples are investors. Acts 2:45 says, “ They gave to anyone as he had need .” Investors strategically invest their time , talents , and resources for eternal purposes. Winston Churchill said, “ You make a living by what you get, you make a life by what you give .”
Our Values
NCC’s twelve core values are part of the DNA of National Community Church. They are both descriptive and prescriptive of who we are as a church.
expect the unexpected
irrelevance is irreverence
maturity doesn’t equal conformity
everyone is invaluable and irreplaceable
dream the unthinkable and attempt the impossible
pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on you
love people when they least expect it and least deserve it
the simple things are the important things
the greatest risk is taking no risks
everything is an experiment
you can’t out give God
go the extra mile
Our Vitals
Our vitals can be summarized in one word: momentum . NCC has experienced unbelievable growth in giving and attendance in 2002, but it’s important to put “growth” in context. We believe growth is good . It’s a sign of health . On numerous occasions, the book of Acts says that “ the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved .” But growth isn’t something we control. I Corinthians 3:6 says that we plant and water but God gives the increase ! Our focus isn’t on growth because we don’t control growth. But we do need to plan for growth . You don’t plant without preparing to harvest.
In 2002, NCC’s total giving increased from $362,000 to $549,000--a 45% increase. We believe that giving is one of the many ways we worship God . When I look at that number--$549,000--here’s what I see. I see $549,000 worth of worship ! To put those numbers in context, I think back to the summer of 1996 when total giving for the months of July and August was $2,000. We could barely keep our heads above water.
In 2002, NCC gave $75,000 to missions . That’s a 56% increase over 2001. We believe that missions is the greatest investment we can make. Our 2003 goal is to invest over $100,000 in missions!
In 2002, average attendance broke through 500. NCC has more than doubled in attendance in the past two years. We don’t control growth, but we need to continue to plan for it. 53% of NCCers have attended NCC less than six months . Approximately 21% of NCCers did not regularly attend church prior to coming to NCC. One reason for the growth is the fact that 86% of NCCers invited someone to NCC in the past year.
Our Dream
In John 1, Jesus has an encounter with Nathanael. Nathanael is blown away because Jesus says, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree.” He says, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God ; you are the King of Israel.” This is a pretty big jump considering he had just said, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there? “ I love what Jesus says next. Nathanael is blown away, but Jesus says, “You shall see greater things than that.” In other words, you haven’t seen anything yet!
2002 was an amazing year at NCC, but we haven’t seen anything yet! Habakkuk 1:5 is the Old Testament version of John 1:50. “ I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told.”
God-given dreams ought to be unbelievable. The poet, William Auden, said, “Unless you are certain you are dreaming, it is certainly a dream. Unless you exclaim-’There must be some mistake’-you must be mistaken.” God-given dreams are unbelievable because they are beyond our ability!
If a dream is achievable or believable then it doesn’t require any faith. One of our core values is dream the unthinkable and attempt the impossible. We believe God is honored when we step out in faith and attempt something that is destined to fail unless God himself intervenes . Besides, as Howard Schultz the CEO of Starbucks says, “ Who wants a dream that’s near-fetched?”
Our dream is to become one church with multiple locations throughout the metro DC area . On September 21st, 2003 , NCC will take its first step towards fulfilling that dream by launching our second location . We will invest $100,000 in the launch, recruit and equip a launch team of 100 NCCers, and establish 10 community groups in our target area.
That dream is beyond our ability! We want to invest $100,000 in the launch but that $100,000 isn’t even in our 2003 budget. But God doesn’t operate via budgets and spread sheets. He’s the God who takes 5 loaves and 2 fish and feeds 5,000 ! When God gives a vision He always make pro-vision . God is going to provide in miraculous ways and NCC is going to rise to the challenge like the Macedonian church in I Corinthians 8:3. It says, “ They gave as much as they were able , and even beyond their ability.”
The Who Question
Who’s going to launch NCC’s second location? The short answer is a launch team of 100 NCCers. Over the next nine months, God is going to tap a hundred NCCers on the shoulder and say, “I want you to invest your life in this.”
There are a couple key factors when it comes to “who.” First of all, we aren’t going to tell anybody where to go ! We’ll have high expectations for our launch team, but there is only one qualification . The qualification is calling . We want every NCCer to pray and ask God where He wants them to go . If God calls you to be part of the launch, then don’t stay at Union Station. If God calls you to stay at Union Station, then don’t be part of the launch. This is all about calling-- where does God want you ?
We aren’t going to tell anybody where to go! And one location isn’t more important than another location . I’m excited about the launch because I love to see God grow something from the ground up. But I’m equally excited about what’s going to happen at Union Station.
Here’s a key piece of my theology: God fills vacuums ! Ephesians 1:23 refers to God as “ Him who fills everything in every way .” When we step out in faith, God fills the vacuum. That’s exactly what happened in September of 2002. NCC stepped out in faith and launched a third service. The Sunday before our launch we had 350 in attendance. The very next Sunday, the Sunday we launched our third service, we had over 500 in attendance for the first time in our history and we never looked back.
I’ll never forget the feeling I had between the second and third service. I was doing the math in my mind and our attendance from the first two services already exceeded the previous week’s attendance. I thought our 11:00 service would be empty! I couldn’t believe it when I walked in and the place was packed.
What happened? I think there are lots of factors that come into play. I certainly don’t want to discount all the hard work that went into adding a third service. But here is my take on what happen: God filled a vacuum. We stepped out in faith , added a third service , and God filled it in one Sunday ! Why? Because He is the God who fills everything in every way!
The What Question
What is one church with multiple locations? The “multi-site” model is a new wineskin for the 21st century church. It’s an Isaiah 42:9 phenomenon. “The former things have passed away. Behold, I am doing a new thing.”
Before NCC was even a self-supporting church, I felt like God’s vision for NCC was multiple locations. I envisioned a metro map with locations at different metro stops and movie theaters around the metro area. At the time, I hadn’t heard of any “multi-site “ churches. There are now 200 multi-site churches across America.
NCC will be one church. We’ll have one staff, one budget, one vision, one name, and one Spiritual Life Committee. But we’ll have multiple locations. In some ways, the simplest way to think of it is this: we’re adding an additional service just like we did last fall, but it’ll be at a different location.
The When Question
When are we going to launch the second location? D-day is September 21st, 2003 .
The Where Question
Where is NCC going to launch it’s second location? We are currently exploring different options, but the short answer is Northwest DC or Northern Virginia .
The Why Question
Why is NCC launching another location? Here are the “top seven” reasons.
#7 Options
This past fall we created three unique experiences--Mosaic @ 9:30, Encounter @ 10:30, and Catalyst @ 11:00. We wanted to give people more options. Our three experiences give people three different time options and worship options . A second location will give people geographic options .
Different locations enable us to reach different geographic areas. While some NCCers commute upwards of an hour to get to church, it’s a lot easier if you’re five minutes away! Instead of expecting people to come to us, we go to them!
#6 Unity
On our 2002 survey we asked the question, “Would you be interested in being part of the launch team?” 99 NCCers said “definitely” or “probably.” That’s God’s way of giving us a green light to go for it.
While some NCCers are committed to staying at Union Station, 84% of NCCers are open and interested in the idea of launching a second location. What’s shocking is that that isn’t shocking! Some churches wouldn’t get a 84% vote on moving the piano or changing the color of the carpet!
#5 Stewardship
We have learned so many lessons over the past seven years that it’d be bad stewardship not to try to do again what we’ve done before ! The first launch was the toughest launch. Each launch will become progressively easier because of accumulated experience!
Here’s the fundamental difference between our first launch seven years ago and our second launch in September of 2003. Seven years ago we started from weakness . I remember services where we’d start with six or eight people. We had no money , no staff , no community groups , and no ministries . And, frankly, our worship services really weren’t all that good.
Our second launch will be starting from strength . We’ll have a 100 NCCers called and equipped to launch the second location. We’ll have 10 community groups ready to go on our first Sunday. And we’ll invest $100,000 in the launch.
#4 Momentum
Max DePree, the author of Leadership is an Art , says the single most important and most difficult job of a leader is “ the interception of entropy .” There are two words that I use all the time in relation to leadership--rhythm and momentum. Leaders understand the law of rhythm and the law of momentum . Life and Ministry are full of momentum-stoppers , but good leaders anticipate and avoid the momentum stoppers. They intercept entropy.
Organizations go through predictable cycles of incline and decline . One way to avoid the decline is “ jumping the curve .” That is the title of a book by Nicholas Imparato and Oren Harari. Here is their definition: leaving one stage of development for another . It is a “ shift in their priorities from stabilizing to innovating .” It would be easy for us to try to stabilize things, but it’d be the biggest mistake we could make.
Jumping the curve requires “ a leap from the conventional into the untried .” It would be so easy for us to keep doing what we’re doing. But that’s the problem with too many churches and businesses. They never jump the curve. They don’t intercept the entropy.
One of our core values is: everything is an experiment . We’re going to continue experimenting with the untried. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “ Do not go where the path may be. Go where there is not path and leave a trail .”
#3 Economy of Scale
While I was in Seminary, my wife, Lora, worked at Walgreen’s corporate office in Chicago. Walgreens is the largest pharmacy chain in the country with nearly 3,950 locations. Here’s the amazing thing: they will open more than a store per day in 2003 . They’ve got “launching new locations” down to a science. Walmart is the same way. So is McDonalds and Cracker Barrel and Krispy Kreme.
I think the church could learn some lessons from the whole phenomenon of franchising. For what it’s worth, a new franchise opens its doors every eight minutes . James Amos, the CEO of Mail Boxes, Etc., makes a couple of valid observations about franchising. He says, “You transfer not just the trade name and product, but you also provide the entrepreneur with a complete operational system .” When NCC first started we had no operational system, no budget, and frankly, no clue! Seven years later we’ve learned a few things and we’ve got a pretty good operational system in place. As James Amos says, we don’t have to “ reinvent the wheel “ the second time around.
#2 Opportunity
There are two ways of looking at this launch: the glass is half-empty or the glass is half-full . Here’s the “glass is half empty” perspective: we barely have enough people to handle one location, how can we handle two? Here’s the “glass is half-full” perspective: if we double our locations we double our opportunities for ministry, we double our potential impact .
#1 Vision
In Acts 26, Paul is standing before King Agrippa and this is what he says. “ I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision .” Ultimately, everything comes down to this question: What’s God’s vision for NCC ?
A few months into our lease at Union Station I realized that God had strategically positioned NCC right in the middle of the marketplace ! I started out with the traditional church planting mindset-- meet in rented facilities until we can afford our own church building . But I’ll never forget the depth of conviction that I felt one day as I thought about where God had positioned us. I realized that even if we could afford the biggest church building in DC , there was no way we could vacate Union Station . As long as God keeps the door open at Union Station we need to have a presence here--anything less would be less than God’s perfect plan for NCC.
In the same sense, anything less than launching another location would be disobedience to God’s vision. It’s tempting to think that it’d be a lot safer and easier to just keep on doing what we’re doing . But one of our core values is: the greatest risk is taking no risks . We’ve never been a church that plays not to lose . We’ve never been a church that takes the road more traveled . And we’ve never been a church that takes the easy way out . And we’re not going to start now!
The dream is beyond our ability , but a God-given dream always comes in God-sized proportions! Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine , according to His power that’s at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”