It’s Just Different

Last updated on: July 1, 2016 at 11:57 am by Adrian Crawford

It’s Just Different 2016-07-01T11:57:47-04:00 Adrian Crawford

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night club

Thrilled doesn’t express how eager I am to join in on this conversation with the Patheos team on the future of “non-traditional” churches and it’s impact on the future of the church. Non-traditional church planting has been one of the biggest focuses for me over the last 5 years.

I submit that the only way the body of Christ will be able to keep up with the rate of churches that need to be planted is if we expand into this idea of using different, unconventional models for church planting. We must begin a conservative effort for a push to non-traditional models in North America. My friend, Dr. Ed Stetzer, has done extensive research and writing on the topic of church planting and its trends. I would encourage you check out his stuff at Christianity Today.

I know many are speaking about the importance of non-traditional church building, the “why”, and I think I fit best in the “how”. My ideas behind the “how” have been developed (and are presently developing) through my own trial and error and through the experiences of those who I have seen up close and at a distance.

As DJ Khaled would say… MAJOR KEY ALERT! How to build a church in a non-traditional space:

1. Spiritual Entrepreneurs. These are the boundary pushers, the ones who roll up their sleeves and reach into the grime. They are the ones who look at the bare bones of a church and paint the picture for how it will work. Many churches today are lead by shepherds and not by people with an apostolic gift. These spiritual entrepreneurs are today’s apostles. Shepherds are needed in the body and they are not endowed with a lesser gift, but I believe over the next decade the church will need mobilize more people with an apostolic gift. These social entrepreneurs, these apostles need to begin to step forward to lead churches. Peter Tiel, the legendary founder of PayPal and venture capitalist, speaks to this in his outstanding book Zero to One. He discusses this topic of horizontal leaders verses vertical leaders. Apostles think vertically while everyone around them is focused on the horizontal. Horizontal leaders copy, but vertical leaders move the needle from 0 to 1. We need more innovators leading the way. They won’t let an idea get in the way of getting something accomplished. Leadership teams for new churches need these people on board. They need people who have not grown up in a conventional church and thus are not tied to “the way church should be” and are willing to pioneer. “There are no rules here — we’re trying to accomplish something.” ― Thomas A. Edison

2. Willingness to be Bi-vocational. If you have a church that may be a multi-use space (ie. a movie theater, night club, coffee shop, etc.) you must be ready to be a multi-use person. This means, that your role in the church may not be defined in a pretty little box, in fact, it may involve you being part time on the church team and even full time at another job. Good thing church doesn’t end when we walk outside the church building! Not only is it cost effective, but now the church can begin impacting right where it is.

3. Lean Church Plants. When I started my first business, I started with a few hundred dollars, hope, and dreams. Many people said the business would fail because I didn’t have enough money to do it. 12 years later and this business has grown into a 6 figure deal. Though it was very hard to start a business that way, it taught me things I would use later when I started Engage. We started the church with 18 people and $10,000 over 3 years ago. Our non-traditional model and church space cut cost drastically. This monetary advantage enables the church planter to move past the need for raising six figures to launch out of a brand new building. The church can be planted faster and focus the energy where it is most useful. Think lean!

I pastor a church that has it’s newest location sandwiched between a bar and a night club, in the heart our university campuses. Nothing like preaching and having half naked college students stroll through your doors trying to get to the pool party. In addition to this location, we have our primary church which was a former night club (we have a thing for clubs, I guess). This is a multi-use space and during the week it houses a for profit dance studio. Our willingness to step off of the beaten path has allowed us to expand the mission that God has given us, much faster. I own my own business, as does my wife and not to belabor the point, but we believe in being unconventional. This mindset has allowed our church to grow faster and it allows us to put money toward the mission and not a massive building budget. It has allowed us to grow a leadership team of people who are impacting their workplaces while being major influences in the growth of our church. It is hard? Of course it is, but show me something worthwhile that isn’t. If we stay married to the model of church planting and refuse to un-glue ourselves from our new building-fund-thermometers, the church could lose focus on what matters most. One day, we may grow big enough to buy a building, or build on vacant land, but that comes later. Just like anything else, a church plant can start small and it has a much better chance of finishing strong if we can remove the financial hurdles from the starting line. Matthew 10:16, Jesus says “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” The world around us is evolving its business models and strategies, we must continue to progress all while holding tightly to the Gospel.

I think we are in need of all types of models, in order to continue to advance God’s mission in North America. I just want to challenge the church, to think as creative as the God they serve.

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