Beautiful Simplicity

There’s something refreshing about the simple. After going to Ikea two different times yesterday that idea struck even a deeper chord within me than before.  What is Ikea about? Simplicity … clean and modern lines, not much frills or furls, but a great product including killer meatballs in the restaurant. We ended up getting a bed frame set from the AS-IS section for next to nothing. In a complex world where we’re bombarded 24/7 with emails / social media / other media / and a myriad of stimuli somehow the simple is beautiful and refreshing.

Somewhere along the line we’ve made church and teaching the Bible about the complex. We have vast organizational charts for how churches are structured and we’ve limited Bible teaching only to those who can devote 20-35 hours a week plowing through a passage of Scripture for only a 45 minute talk. I wonder if Peter put that much time into a talk?

What if following Jesus was a lot easier than we make it out to be? I’m sure that’d kill the Christian book industry because almost daily there’s some new book telling you how to be a better follower of Jesus, a better spouse, a better parent, a better employee, a better lover (in Jesus’ name of course), and you’re missing out if you don’t read it. What happened to simply reading your Bible daily, doing what it tells you to do and conversing with God?

What if church planting was a lot simpler than we make it out to be as well? What if you don’t need to go to the latest church planting conference to learn the coolest new idea from a church 2,500 miles away from you or hit all of the product booths where you can get a hip and trendy website for only $3,500 or some great marketing piece to magically grow your church. Is it time to drive out the money changers from the temple?

What if planting churches simply meant being yourself and that’s good enough because at the end of the day its not about you is it?

God Still Loves White Suburbanites

I had a hunch and a theory and now its become more painfully obvious … God still loves mostly white suburbanites and cares less for the people in the city, especially of differing ethnicities.  How do I know?  The proof is in the pudding …

As part of my dissertation I’ve been plotting where churches have been planted since the year 2000 in 7 large cities out West. I came up with roughly 200 church plants whereby I then plotted out on paper and map where each and every one is meeting / gathering. It’s not surprising that the majority (65%) of church planting is taking place in the suburbs and in American cities the overwhelming majority of suburbanites are white. So what does this mean?  Why did church planters go there instead of the city and what does this tell us about God?

Since I could see where churches were being planted I then wanted to see why.  Why did church planters start churches where they did? The top 2 reasons why church planters chose to plant where they did was (1) they felt God was calling them and (2) it was culturally compatible with their likes and preferences.  This made me think even more …

So not only is God calling most church planters to the suburbs but it’s also a location where they feel the most comfortable.  It is then not surprising that most planters themselves are white. So wait a minute, why is God calling mostly white dudes to plant churches among people like them in mostly parts of the city inhabited by whites? Most who end up planting are then not crossing any sort of cultural / ethnic boundaries and then are reaching people most like themselves? Does God’s will then look like he calls us to reach the people who’re most like us?

Listen, I know all of the questions/answers and rebuttals that are running through your head because I’ve been thinking the same things as well.  Also, I find that I’m more part of the problem and the troubling statistics more than the solution. Guilty as charged. I also fully realize that the suburbs are the new Urban Frontier in a city’s every-expanding growth and that’s the front end of the population boom so indeed it does make sense to start new churches where people are flocking and I get that and fully agree we need to start even MORE churches there.

I also realize that I’ve been speaking rather bluntly and the fingers I point come back to me as well.  Guilty as charged. I guess all of this has opened up a myriad of questions pertaining to God’s will. If most planters say God has called them to where they’re planting and right on the heels of that motivation is also cultural compatibility then what does this mean?  Your thoughts?

Rethinking the Gathering

I’ve been all over the board on the subject on the way a church gathers. I realize that it is almost foolish to talk like that because I believe many have moved beyond that discussion, but for the longest time that was a burning issue for many of us. Now that I’m planting a church again some of those old thoughts, ideas, and discussions have resurfaced.

I remember when the whole Emerging Church craze began picking up pace.  Most of the early idea-jockeying was in regards to the way churches gather for worship. We saw the proliferation of candles and if you were in the candle-selling business you probably got rich with all of the churches / church plants experimenting with candles, lighting, funky drapery, and of course you can’t forget gothic / celtic imagery. Whereas the seeker church downplayed religious images / icons / emblems the Emerging Church ran whole-heartedly after them.

Then after that I switched to being a house church guy. If a church met in a public place it wasn’t cool but if you met with a few people in your living room and watched Rob Bell Nooma videos and drank coffee then you were seriously creative, cutting-edge, organic and uber cool. It became about saving souls as well as whales and the environment all at the same time ensuring we shop locally, eat organic foods, and figure out how to start an urban co-op garden.

Then wouldn’t you know … it all changed again. Just when I figured out how I’d plant 1,500 house churches in 3 months I shifted again. Drat, how could that happen to me again? I hate to admit that the way we do and be church is in constant flux and I’m alright with that.  As a matter of fact the way church is done and lived out has been nothing but changing since the 1st century.  The reason? Church is always contextual and as society changes, as it does rapidly, so does the way church is done and expressed.

So where am I at today when I think of the Ion Community? Honestly, that topic has become more of a back-burner issue than maybe it should be because I’m not too hung up on how or even where we gather. Context is everything and I haven’t been here long enough to figure out how people here like to gather. Is private settings too creepy to start off with? In a setting like this are 3rd Places the best place to gather which is more public and open?  I’m not too sure but that’s okay.

Church Planting in Creative Cities

One of the interesting correlations I’m looking to explore and uncover is to see if there’s a direct connection between where a city ranks on the Creativity Index and how much church planting is taking place. So if creative cities are great magnets drawing in people are they also drawing church planters as well?

Richard Florida makes the case that the Creative Class cluster together in various cities and companies follow suit. In his book Who’s Your City? Florida argues that geography is not dead and that more and more people choose where to live first and then find a job once they land. Or they may be part of the Creative Class and land in a hotpot like a Seattle, San Francisco, Austin, Raleigh, and so on knowing there will be an abundance of opportunities in alignment with their career pursuits. He even makes the case that instead of people moving to where the companies are companies more frequently going to where the talent is.

So is church planting any different? We’ve seen people flood to the suburbs for decades and its no surprise that’s where the majority of church planting is taking place. Planters go where the people are going to. Is it the same with cities high on the Creativity Index? In my studying of church planting at various cities in North America so far this rings true as well. The city where I found the most going on as far as church planting also ranks the highest in the group (Seattle) on the Creativity Index. On the other hand, the city that ranks the lowest in the group on the Creativity Index also has the least amount of church planting (Tucson). Is there a direct correlation?  Does this apply across the board?

Are then Creative Cities not only drawing the Creative Class but they’re drawing church planters as well?

I Wonder Why It Has to Be So Difficult?

Have you ever wondered why following God has to be difficult and challenging? You hear so many pastors/teachers say things like, “Come to faith in Jesus and He’ll make your life better.” It’s actually quite the opposite. Maybe we should be saying things like, “Come to faith in Jesus and He’ll ruin your life for good.” But the catch is you’ll love life more than anything you could image. Paradox?

We see this from the time Jesus was walking around Israel in the 1st century and teaching. As long as he was handing out free bread and fish and speaking in parables then everyone loved and followed him. However, once he started to turn up the heat on what it would cost people to follow him the crowds “mysteriously” got thinner. We all want the crown but we don’t want the cross.

This morning as I was reading in Acts 14 Paul and Barnabas said something to the disciples who lived in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. They said, “We must go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God (v. 22).” Why? Why can’t following Jesus be a lot easier? Why can’t those who follow him live in better health and never suffer any hardships? It seems like quite the opposite. The deeper your love for God and the more you take steps in radical obedience the more treacherous the path becomes. It’s like you’re now bowling without the bumper buffers in life.

We read of stories of missionaries in the 19th century packing their belongings in caskets as they headed overseas to proclaim the Gospel. They knew the risk and the cost yet they went nevertheless. I still am kicking around the quote I heard not too long ago that said, “God called us to go … not come home.”

Maybe this whole blog post is simply for self-speak. I’m not hacking my way through a jungle to proclaim the Good News to a loin-cloth wearing groups of tribesman, I’m not having to eat bizarre foods that are still alive and wiggling, and heck, I don’t even have to learn a new language. I’ve been thinking of the cost as I think that we pulled out all of our life savings to simply move here. I think of this as I fret and worry about wondering if we’ll even make ends meet living in a city where the average person spends 68% of their income on their mortgage because of the high cost of living. I just wonder …

In the end I simply look up and say, “it’s all worth it.” PERIOD. I have no complaints, no regrets, and no hesitation about being here. I’m incredibly humbled and grateful simply to be here to begin praying for the people in Edmonds Town Centre and looking for ways to connect with them hoping to win their favor in order to share with them the love of Christ. Is it difficult?  Yes and no, but there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing …

Urban Height and Blight

Everyday we’re getting more and more familiar with our community that we’ve moved to at Edmonds Town Centre in Burnaby. As a matter of fact to saying I’m digging it is an understatement. Sure, I’ve lived in cities of 1,000,000-4,000,000 before but never in an urban environment. It was always on the periphery or at least a ways from anything urban. One of the things that attracted me to Burnaby is that though it is technically a suburb (since it’s not Vancouver proper) it still is urban. Throughout it’s short history Burnaby has gone from rural to suburban to now urban. Sure, it doesn’t have the compact density of the downtown core but I can still live an urban lifestyle but not pay the high rent/mortgage prices that those who live downtown do.

I love it that it can be 10 PM and I need something from the store for Camden so I can grab my coat, walk out the door, and in a couple of minutes I’m at a myriad of stores, plus I can swing by to an over over-flowing coffee shop that’s busier at night than in the morning. I know all of this makes me sound almost tourist-ish but I can’t help myself. It’s nice to not use a car much and me and Katie already decided if our only vehicle does indeed break down then no worries because we’ll be completely auto-free. The bus stop is right outside our place and the Skytrain is less than a mile away.

One of the frustrations I had, felt, and experienced about more suburban settings was how often time communities were made up of a similar socio-economic strata. What I love about our new community is that you have swank high-rise residential towers and then across the street are more run-down low-rise apartments. Yet everyone mingles together on the sidewalks and goes to the same coffee shops, grocery stores, etc. This is what I longed for … urban height living next to urban blight. I pray the Ion Community would look like whatever hub/town centre it is planted in. Mixed incomes, mixed ethnicity, but held together by the community we live in but more importantly the equality we all find in Christ. In Him there are no distinctions because we’re all saints and sinners and that’s the beauty of God’s grace and love.

Is This Heaven? … No, It’s Iowa

It’s bad when the only thing you’re home state is known for is a baseball movie in a cornfield. Welcome to my Iowa. Sure, we had the Hawkeye football team that made a run for greatness this season only to tank it at the end with loses to Northwestern and Ohio State, but then again, it’s Iowa, not Michigan, Ohio State, of Penn State (not that Michigan has been good of late). When College Gameday was at Iowa for a big football game all they showed was images of corn and John Deere tractors.

As I walked over to Starbucks this morning I thought of Iowa. I thought about the irony of ending up in a cosmopolitan world-class city like Vancouver to plant a church.  Planting soy beans would’ve been more in line with being from Iowa. I’m still in the awe and wonder stage of being here. Sure, we’ve lived in Omaha, Phoenix, and Tucson which are cities indeed but Vancouver is something completely different … even other-worldly. The way my boys are growing up is a far cry from the simple way I did back in Iowa.

I thought about that when I walked them to school yesterday. I saw Sikhs and Hindus (as evidenced by the way they adorned themselves) as well as a myriad of others. Much different than growing up in a Catholic-heavy eastern Iowa. I heard so many languages that I couldn’t even pinpoint what some of them were. And then I thought … “what the heck am I doing here?”  I’m from Iowa … I-O-W-A!

As I walk around the city sometimes I feel a tinge of guilt for not raising my boys in a nice suburban setting with a ranch-style house, 2 car garage, and a big grassy backyard where we can play football or set up tents. Instead we’re in an upstairs apartment figuring out how to live. As I’ve been reading through the book of Acts I am reminded that a more appropriate name of the book should be the Acts of God. It certainly wasn’t about the apostles and other early Christians. Instead it was about God carrying along this infant group of worshippers. It wasn’t about Peter’s great leadership, Paul’s keen strategy, but God’s Spirit evidenced among them pulling them along.

That’s all I want. I know I’m a dumpster fire waiting to happen unless God does something. I know that He must work through me and even in spite of me and any momentum is simply because I was able to hear His voice and discern His direction. I know I’m in way over my head but that’s okay, He’s God and I’m not.

Me and My Dog (Not a Country Song)

This is a crazy admission but I owe a lot to my dog and before you think I’m beginning to sing a country song let me explain. When we got the pooch 3 years ago I didn’t want the flea-bag … at all. But since I was outnumbered I had no choice but to go along with it begrudgingly. I had even come up with “affectionate” names for him.  Most of the time I’d simply call him “MB-1″ which stood for “mouth breather” because  of the noises dogs back when they always breath through their mouth and the occasional drool. I even had a mental tab running in my mind of how much that dog was costing me in vet visits, dog food, haircuts, and so on.

But today I’m feeling a bit more grateful for him.When we had our brief stint in Illinois we ended up getting a house with no fenced in yard. So instead of letting the dog go loose in the backyard to do his thing I had to take him for walks and then pick up the poo which is something beyond hideous. Not only that but Illinois winters aren’t like sunny Arizona days so I remember trudging through ice and snow sometimes in negative temps just so the dog can sniff 132 trees before he decides that on that day it would be the last tree where he’d take care of business.

However, something happened. I began to really enjoy those times and God used them for me to connect with Him on a deeper level like never before. I’d end up making the walks longer and many times alone in the snow at the park it’d be just me and God alone … and my dog. It was through that wonderful time of repentance, soul-searching, and seeking God that He used to redirect us to Vancouver.

Fast forward and now we’re here and in a good way not much has changed. We live upstairs in a 4-plex which means I need to take the pooch for a walk morning and night. But I don’t mind. It gives me a great chance to pray and now walk our new community taking in the sights and sounds all the while praying and listening for God to speak. I walk Wilson through high traffic pedestrian areas where I run into countless people who stop and say hi to the pooch and make comments on his good manners or silly little sweater. My dog is actually helping me now exegete my community. I walk and pray while he sniffs, poops, and looks cute. I’m constantly asking God to show me where He’s at work and what He wants me to do.

It is such a rich time to have an excuse to walk and pray while meeting people and not looking like a dork. So MB-1 is now helping me plant a church while he fertilizes and waters the grass.  I think that is a good trade-off.

Woah There Horsey …

So it’s been 18 days since we moved to the Vancouver area and we’re still adjusting and settling in. We finally got into our new abode over the weekend so we’re beginning to unpack, arrange and rearrange furniture, put up wall-hangings, and so on. Yesterday the boys started school and they all loved it and were excited to go back again today. It’s kind of funny that we’re here to plant a church and we’ve been so busy settling in that I honestly haven’t had much time to even begin to think about it. But that’s okay because this is all part of exegeting and understanding our context.

I’m a coffeehouse junkie for sure and God in His good sovereignty has allowed us to live just a couple blocks from a Waves Coffee and a Starbucks. Knowing that these are great Third Places to network and meet people it was on my high priority list when it came to housing to find a place close to a town centre / hub with ample coffee shops and hang-out places. I still believe that Starbucks (or any coffee shop) is the best place to people-watch (of course without coming across as the creepy guy in the corner at his laptop staring at people).

What I love about hanging out at a coffee shop surrounded by residential high-rises (see pic above for our area) is that most people are on foot and there’s never a shortage of traffic coming in and out.  On top of that is you have different crowds depending on the time of day. In the mornings its about 70% Anglo comprising of the 30-50’s crowd sprinkled in with a few 20-somethings. I was here last night at 10 PM at the same Starbucks and there was literally not one seat open and was full of about 95% 20-something Asians. Same place, same neighborhood, but its the great intersection of life. Also couple that with the elementary school just a few blocks. As I was walking the boys to school I saw and heard Punjabi Sikhs, Russians, East Asians, Africans, and so on who were the parents taking their kids to school. Again, same neighborhood but its the great intersection of life.

All of this is making me stop, slow down, and begin to listen. Having a dog is a great benefit in the city because as I walk Wilson (our pooch) around the neighborhood it allows me a chance to meet people, pray for those who I see out and about, and begin asking God to give me His eyes for this neighborhood. The time for church planting activities will come soon enough but for now it is time for me to watch, pray, and listen … which in reality is part of church planting.

Supernatural

I suppose as followers of Jesus there really isn’t any such thing as supernatural. As a matter of fact everything we see recorded in the Bible in reality is natural. For God to do something that goes against our scientific or rational understanding doesn’t make it supernatural. It indeed is natural. Why does God have to avoid or bypass the laws of nature that He alone set in place when He works in our lives?

When Jesus or the apostles (through Jesus’ power) healed people things like bones mended, muscles and sinew strengthened, eyebs were healed, life came back to dead corpses, and so much more. Somehow the healing process was sped up quicker than fast-acting pain killers or the normal time frame it takes our bodies to heal. So what then do we do with the book of Acts?

You can’t read through it without noticing some key aspects that leap right off the page to the eyes that are trained to thinking logically, scientifically, or rationally. As the church was birthed and rapidly spread it went hand-in-hand with the supernatural … or the “sped-up natural.” As the Gospel went out so did miracles (otherwise known as signs and wonders). People were healed and the dead was raised. For example, in Acts 9 Peter raises Tabitha from the dead and tons of people “believed in the Lord.” Last night we worshipped with The Point church up at SFU. Victor gave a great message as he talked about dreams and visions. In our highly rationalistic Western mindset a topic like that can be met with skepticism but it’s the type of thinking we’ve missed as we’ve downplayed how God works.

As we drove down Burnaby Mountain from SFU last night and in light of reading through Acts I told Katie that I want the Ion Community to be known for its signs and wonders. Not for the sake of sensationalism or emotionalism but the fact that we can tangible see, feel, and sense God’s presence among us because He’s changing lives, healing, and so much more. I think that’s why we stepped out in faith and risked it all to come here without not really knowing anything other than we HAVE to trust God for His supernatural provision. I figured that if I couldn’t trust Him to provide for us to get us here and care for us when we’re here then what business do I have trusting Him to use us to plant churches?

Maybe as followers of Jesus we need to take “supernatural” out of vocabulary. Maybe what we deem as supernatural needs to become normal and everyday?