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Followup on Churches that “Get It”
On Monday, I wrote a piece about things I'm learning from churches that "get it". That post has gotten a lot of feedback, most of it good... but has also brought up some questions that I thought I'd clarify here today... First of all, how do I define a church that 'gets it'?
I mentioned in the article that these churches were running on all cylinders and that they had all claimed more than 250 conversions over the past year. Does that mean that if your church doesn’t have 250 conversions in a year that I think you don’t ‘get it’? Absolutely not! Let’s face it… these are big churches (and those are the types/sizes of churches that I’ll visit most often in my role with Leadership Network). Does it mean that if your church isn’t a megachurch, that I think you don’t ‘get it’? tot at all.
You see, the 250 conversions and megachurch status has nothing to do with whether your church ‘gets it’ or not.
There are hundreds (hopefully thousands) of churches of all sizes that ‘get it’. They are being effective in affecting their communities with the love of Christ…
I was basing my observations on the growth and vibrancy of these churches. And on their passion for reaching out to those who are lost and hurting. When you visit one of these places, you’ll get the vibe as soon as you step on campus. As I said in the article, those are just ten observations I found after visiting these churches.
Another question that was asked was… who exactly are those churches you were talking about? How big are they, and what are their mission, vision and values specifically? So… I decided to provide a link to each of these churches and their websites. Some of these churches you will be pretty aware of… there may there are a couple that are not on your radar.
(Again, this is not a list of all the churches that ‘get it’… just a group of churches I’ve been priviledged to visit over the past few weeks).
Now that I’ve written out this list… I think I can add #11 to my list of observations. Five of the six churches on this list were still have their founding leadership leading the church. (The only exception is NorthRidge, which has an absolutely AMAZING story of transition). Of all these churches, Perry’s (NewSpring) is probably the youngest church on the list. Most of the others are at least 10 years old. (That tells you a little something about the longevity of their leadership).
Do you have other questions about these churches or my observations? I’ll be happy to answer any other questions anyone has about this list or my observations after visiting these churches.
Have a great day, and thanks for reading!
Todd
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This post has been viewed 846 times and was added on April 04, 2007 by Todd Rhoades. Filed under: Leadership Issues Leadership Development Share this post with a friend right now! View reactions to this post at other blogs... You can really help us out by subscribing to our free RSS feed with your favorite feed reader, or here at Bloglines. Also, you can add us to your favorites at Technorati.
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My name is Todd Rhoades, the 'behind the scenes' guy here at MMI. I'm also on the team at Leadership Network (although that doesn't mean that they endorse everything I write here). In my past life, I was the developer of a of a website called ChurchStaffing.com. I hope you'll enjoy your time here and tell all your colleagues about MMI! 
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Posted by
Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 12:34 PM
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Posted by Todd Rhoades
Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 1:29 PM
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Posted by Matt Fry
Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 2:52 PM
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Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 3:58 PM
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Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 5:26 PM
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Posted by Todd Rhoades
Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 6:11 PM
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Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 6:18 PM
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Posted by Jeff
Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 7:48 PM
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Posted by reGeN
Sunday, April 08, 2007 at 9:57 PM
Post Your Comments:I was right
Will, your comment was “Seems like you visit the same type of churches.”
That was kinda the point of the post… that these churches have some things in common.
But I’ll be the first to pat you on the back and say “you were right” if that’s really what you need.
Todd
Hey Todd, great to have you down here in NC! I loved your comments and observations… come on back to C3 Church anytime and we’ll eat some good ole BBQ. We are humbled to mentioned with those other great churches. Our strength is #5 on your list..."No clue what we are doing but crazy enough to believe that God wants to use us to do big things.”
todd - thanks for coming down here and thanks for including us in the list. i think what stands out to me is how much respect i have for the other five listed. to be included with the likes of c3, newspring, northpoint, northridge and community christian is quite an honor as far as i’m concerned.
love the observations, too. we really don’t have much of a clue what we’re doing. (we are learning, but the more we learn, the more we see that we really don’t have a clue.)
love ya todd! come back whenever for some boutin’s - we’ll try again when they’re open.
What does that mean “we have no clue what we are doing”? You must have some clue. The websites sure look like they do. The conferences offer a wealth of information, there are a ton of books written about “doing church” in a postmodern way., the connection cards the small group programs, the building programs, etc it all has a strategy behing them. Isn’t the opposite really true? The churches that “don’t get it” are the ones that have no clue.
Will… you sound bitter. Do you have a burr in your saddle?
Todd
Todd,
I have no clue.
Will
I don’t know that we “get it,” but anytime you happen to be around southeast Arkansas, you’re more than welcome to join us for worship and then a java! Love your blog and website. Great stuff here. Thanks for the hard work you put in.
I want to say a big thanks to the folks who are following the call of Christ to make disciples. Some (who may actually be stagnant in their own ability to fulfil the Great Commission) are way too content to throw stones from glass houses at those who are actually doing the work of the ministry. Jesus isn’t interested in jealousy, stone throwing, and nitpicking; He is concerned with saving the lost. I work in Youth Ministry at The Dream Center in Los Angeles and have personally seen some of the pastors referenced in Todd’s article. I thank God for each of you. Thanks for being transparent about the joys and challenges of being leaders and Todd, thank you for allowing God to use you to provide so many resources and outlets for discussion. Peace.
reGeN
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