This past weekend our launch team for Renew went down to Annapolis, MD for a weekend conference . We joined three other east coast church plants for a weekend of worship, study, bonding, and church plant conversation. There were many, many, memorable moments – not the least of which involved a good friend, a dance floor, and a randomly placed stripper pole (don’t worry, there were no strip clubs or strippers involved).
All in all, God used the weekend to challenge my heart with a number of things. One of the friends i met was JR Woodward. He spoke a bunch on what i would consider to be “the reality of church planting” and the perception of “success.” His track record on this speaks for itself – he’s planted a very “successful” church at Virgina Tech (over 1,000 people now attend) and is currently pastoring/planting three churches in the LA area (one in Hollywood!). And yet, he stressed the gospel over the other means by which we typically evaluate success (i.e. numbers and finances). It seems obvious, but i was impressed – and encouraged. He quoted a great missionary to India named Leslie Newbigin, who when asked, “Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of the church in India?”, would answer, “I believe Jesus rose from the dead, and therefore the question doesn’t arise. In regards to a fact, one is not optimistic or pessimistic. One is believing or unbelieving.”
What a refreshingling simple way to view our lives – is Jesus at the center or not? That’s really what matters most.
