I am Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International, and this is the “Strategic Christian Leadership” Podcast, Episode 62. The simple purpose of this podcast is to help Christian leaders understand how planning and strategizing is important to carrying out the Great Commission.
Our Bible verse for this episode is Proverbs 25:28 which says, “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.”
Our quote for this episode is from Max Lucado. He said, “A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.”
In this podcast, we are going through the fine books: “Advanced Strategic Planning: A New Model for Church and Ministry Leaders” by Aubrey Malphurs, “Deliberate Simplicity: How the Church Does More by Doing Less” by Dave Browning, and “Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership” by John Dickson. If you enjoy this podcast, please feel free to purchase a copy of these books from our website podcastpulpit.com.
Our topic today is part 3 of “Chapter 4: Multility: Keep it Cellular” from “Deliberate Simplicity: How the Church Does More by Doing Less” by Dave Browning. He continues as follows:
In 1999, through a series of God-directed events, I was able to implement a Deliberately Simple approach to church development with the founding of Christ the King Community Church of Skagit Valley, Washington. I told the core group that gathered then, “We’re not going to ask everyone to come to us. We’re going to ask us to go to them.” They all nodded their heads in agreement, but I doubt they knew what I was talking about. I didn’t even know what I was talking about. I just knew I wanted to find out what was down the road we hadn’t taken in Bellingham. I had a dream of a church that would multiply from one to two to three sites, and maybe beyond. I said, “We want to reach an unlimited number of people in an unlimited number of places.” In a few years, to my surprise and delight, this church expanded into other counties, states, and countries and changed its name to Christ the King Community Church, International.
A Hewlett-Packard television commercial pictures a man in a single scull, rowing smoothly through pristine water. All of a sudden his face lights up. The next scene shows him at a pay phone on the dock, saying excitedly, “Bill, what if …” And then his voice trails off. The commercial ends with a voice-over and a logo, aligning the advertised company with creative thinking and innovation. The commercial is memorable because I resonate with the question, what if? Those two words fire up my imagination. They stimulate my passion.
• What if a church became more outward focused than inward focused?
• What if, when a church outgrew its location, it started up in an additional location instead of building a bigger building?
• What if a church grew in an unlimited way — by multiplication instead of addition?
• What if a church took the resources it had been allocating toward buildings and put them into leader development?
• What if a church could aspire to become a movement instead of a ministry?
As I have reflected on these questions, a vision for the church has crystallized in my mind. (To say that I caught a vision for the church would be incorrect. It would be better to say that a vision for the church caught me.) It is a vision of a church growing exponentially, by multiplying believers, leaders, groups, services, and sites. It is a church characterized by multility.
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— PRAYER —
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, here’s how.
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9-13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
God bless.
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