ARC Magazine: Vol 4 - Iss 1: April 2019

THE ASSOCIATION OF RELATED CHURCHES MAGAZINE

A P R 2 0 1 9 vol. 4 - iss. 1

Cincinnati, The Queen City p36

Fathers & Sons p62 / A Vision of Unity p68 WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

We were filled with incredible expectation about the next step on our journey, planting a church in Memphis, TN. We didn’t fully know what we were getting into, but we were ready to embrace this new chapter.

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MANY FACES OF ARC

CONTENTS

VOL 4 - ISSUE 1 - APR 2019

p18 A RC M A G A ZINE Volume 4 • Issue 1 • April 2019 The Official Publication of the Association of Related Churches P UB L I S HE R Shaun Ray E DI T OR S Rachel Compo Lindsey Hansen Ann Rivera CON T RIBU T OR S JP Brumfield Lori Champion Emily Chenevert Brian Cromer Heather Cromer Wayne Francis Kevin Gerald Carolyn Haas Les Harvey Rob Hoskins Phil Klein Jason Law Kevin Miller Darrin Patrick Nate Puccini Dino Rizzo Josh Roberie Chris Shinnick John Siebeling Michael W. Smith Larry Stockstill Greg Surratt Tim Timberlake DE SIGN & L AYOU T David Song HO W T O R E A CH U S Association of Related Churches 1201 Lee Branch Lane Birmingham, AL 35242 (205) 981-4566 info@arcchurches.com arcchurches.com

Where Are They Now?

p58

Tell the Story

by Wayne Francis

Catch up with a few of our planters to find out more about their ministry.

p60

p24

by Lori Champion

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

by Kevin Miller

p26

Church Planting is Risky!

by Josh Roberie

p28

Week Two Retention

by Les Harvey

p30

Scaling Culture in a Multi-Site Environment

Your church culture establishes the core values that drive your actions and the pace by which you progress. It is a significant factor in sustaining momentum and becomes increasingly more difficult to maintain as you grow.

by Phil Klein

p36

Cincinnati, The Queen City

Heather and Brian Cromer never set out to plant a church. They were pastors at a small church in Texas for years, and the idea of planting a church wasn’t even on their radar.

by Emily Chenevert

p50

Many Faces of ARC

We believe in the strength of relationships, and value each person’s wisdom and experience, and we want to share that with you.

p56

Pastoring Through Pain

by Chris Shinnick

Leading Side by Side p62

Fathers & Sons

Having someone speak life, encouragement, and biblical truths into your life can produce great rewards.

Interview with Dino Rizzo and Greg Surratt

p68

A Vision of Unity

We sat down with Jason Law from World Compassion to talk about what unity looks like and how it’s changing the culture of the local church.

Interview with Jason Law

p 84

God’s Not Just Building Our Churches, He’s Building Us!

by Carolyn Haas

p 86

Faith vs Finance

by Todd and Julie Mullins

p 88

Authentically You

by Tim Timberlake

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Building a Healthy Staff Culture

“We don’t use people to get ministry done. We use ministry to get people done.” I’ll never forget hearing these two sentences at my first leadership conference.

by Darrin Patrick

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Therefore Go

We didn’t fully know what we were getting into, but we were ready to embrace this new chapter.

by John and Leslie Siebeling

FIRST WORD

A NOTE FROM THE ARC PRESIDENT

Vision & Values Drive Culture VISION IS so important. When I was a young church planter, it was all I had. I

didn’t have a team, financial backing, or a building yet, but I had lots of vision!

When people ask me what I would do differently as a church planter today, I tell them that culture - how we accomplish the vision - is just as important as the dreams that drive you forward.

Culture isn’t necessarily tangible, but you can feel it. Think about what makes you shop at one grocery store but despise another, buy a certain brand of coffee, cell phone, chicken sandwich, or become loyal to a certain airline. Are they the best? Or was it a combination of their customer service, innovation, attention to detail, and people first approach? You appreciate that company’s culture, or their values. What we value (or believe) determines what we do.

Throughout this edition of the magazine we talked with pastors and church leaders about what makes a healthy culture. We talk about creating a healthy culture for your church staff, your marriage, how to carry a consistent culture from one campus to another. It’s neat to read each person’s perspective on this based off their personal experiences, but one theme remains the same–love God above all else.

There is so much knowledge and experience to pull from throughout our ARC Family. Each planter, each pastor, and each church bring a unique culture to the table. Together, we can accomplish the shared vision of ARC; to see a thriving church in every community, reaching people with the message of Jesus.

Culture making is our responsibility. If we produce a culture with God at the center, there is no way the world can stay the same!

GREG SURR AT T President, ARC

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8M

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DOL L A R S IN V E S T E D IN T O CHURCH P L A N T ING IN 2 018

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100

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P E RCE N TA GE OF PA R T NE R GI V ING T H AT GOE S DIR E C T LY T O CHURCH P L A N T ING.

843 NUMBER OF CHURCHES L AUNCHED WITH ARC (U.S. churches as of March 31, 2019)

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STATE OF ARC

THE LATEST UPDATE FROM ARC

Family Vibes IT FEELS LIKE WE KEEP saying it over and

W E GIV E. Generosity is ingrained in ARC deeply. We have been blessed to have a tremendously healthy financial model, and the result of that is that we stay in a position to be able to invest generously into planting churches - to the tune of $8 million last year alone.

One of the greatest factors that make ARC so healthy is that we are a family. We are built on relationships, and we are seeing God’s blessing flow through those relationships. More people are making decisions for Christ, more people are being baptized, more resources are being invested in missions, more lives are being set free from addictions, and more people who felt hopeless are finding purpose - all because life-giving churches are doing what the Church is here to do: give life.

W E UNIT E. It’s really all about the Kingdom of God. It’s not about any one of us. The Kingdom is full of diversity, so we celebrate our diversity. And we don’t do ministry alone. From all backgrounds, church environments, demographics, and regions, we gather. ARC meetups, conferences, and many other types of gatherings - all are part of how we make sure nobody has to be isolated and can unite with other pastors and leaders.

over, but we keep saying it because it’s true - this has been one of the greatest seasons for ARC. We’re growing stronger, healthier, and more efficient in what we do, and we’re closer and closer to seeing our dream of a life-giving church in every community.

Our culture really all gets down to being Jesus-centered, and we express that in a lot of ways.

W E L OV E. It’s the very nature of God. He is love. Nothing we do matters if it isn’t done in love. The love of God compels us as a family to be there for each other and to give that love to others who have not yet experienced it. Love is the fuel we need for carrying out the Great Commission.

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W E SERV E. Jesus didn’t come to be served but to serve. With that as our example, we as a family are quick to set aside our titles and pick up a towel to wash each other’s feet. But it’s not just serving each other - it’s also serving our cities. We aren’t called just to pastor our churches - we are called to pastor our cities. We do our best when we serve our cities with no strings attached. We serve the poor and hurting, serving those who may never be able to repay us but are the very heartbeat of God.

W E BELIE V E. One of the greatest things about our founder Billy Hornsby was that he believed in couples who no longer believed in themselves. There are so many pastors I have heard tell their story and the turning point for them was when they realized someone believed in them. What I love about that now is that it’s not just Billy Hornsby, but it’s all of ARC believing in you. All of this ARC family is pulling for you, whether you’re a future planter or a recent planter, or you pastor a church you didn’t plant, or if you’ve pastored the church you’re at for 50 years, this ARC Family believes in you and is pulling for you.

W E DRE A M. Church planting itself is intrinsically all about a dream. We love hearing the dream in a future church planter’s heart and dreaming with them. We love to dream of cities literally being transformed by the presence of God pouring out through a group of life-giving churches in that city, loving, giving, uniting, serving, honoring, and believing together. We dream, and we hope. We put motion to those dreams and those hopes, and by God’s grace, we will be able to see a life-giving church thriving in every community.

STATE OF ARC

W E HONOR. We have such a rich past. We’re getting ready to celebrate 20 years of ARC, and trust me, we will celebrate our past. So many great people have given themselves and paved the way for all of what we’re seeing now - and we honor them. We also honor those who are poised to carry ARC into what’s next. Some tremendous new ARC Lead Team members have been added, and there’s a great group of ARC Launch Coaches and ARC Meetup Coordinators who give of themselves and their time to bless other pastors and leaders. We honor them.

Thank you for being part of this family. It means so much - you mean so much. We are honored to get to love, give, unite, serve, honor, believe, and dream with you. When it’s all said and done, I believe Heaven will be fuller because of what God is able to do through us together.

DINO & DELYNN RIZZO Executive Directors, ARC

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Launch T HE MIS SION

WE EXIST TO SEE A THRIVING CHURCH IN EVERY COMMUNIT Y REACHING PEOPLE WITH THE MESSAGE OF JESUS. THANKS TO OUR A R C FA M I LY, W E H AV E B E E N A B L E T O A S S I S T HUNDREDS OF COUPLES PL ANT CHURCHES NATION-WIDE AND FORM GLOBAL NET WORKS TO L AUNCH CHURCHES AROUND THE WORLD. PL ANTING LIFE-GIVING CHURCHES IS AT THE CORE OF ALL WE DO. WE ARE E XCITED TO CELEBRATE EVERY SUCCESS AND MILESTONE A S T HE S E CHURCHE S GRO W, BUIL D, A ND M A K E A N I M P A C T O N T H E I R CI T Y.

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IN T HIS SEC TION

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Where Are They Now?

Catch up with a few of our planters to find out more about their ministry.

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Week Two Retention

To achieve great retention, you must give attendance great attention during the launch phase. Do not merely plan your first service—plan your first month.

by Les Harvey

p30

Scaling Culture in a Multi-Site Environment

Your church culture establishes the core values that drive your actions and the pace by which you progress. It is a significant factor in sustaining momentum and becomes increasingly more difficult to maintain as you grow.

by Phil Klein

p36

Cincinnati, The Queen City

Heather and Brian Cromer never set out to plant a church. They were pastors at a small church in Texas for years, and the idea of planting a church wasn’t even on their radar.

by Emily Chenevert

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LAUNCH

Resources

Create a Compelling Culture in 4 Steps

by Josh and Amy Roberie ARC Launch Team

A healthy culture is not easy to create or maintain. In her book, It’s My Pleasure: The Impact of Extraordinary Talent and a Compelling Culture, Dee Ann Turner offers some great advice to those seeking to foster an effective culture in their organizations. Here are four simple steps she recommends to create a compelling culture.

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A CL E A R PURPOSE FOR E XIS TING. This is the “why” for your church, or your vision statement. The Great Commission provides us a purpose. What language will you use to contextualize your specific part in that work?

A CH A L L ENGING MIS SION. Your vision is the world you see because your church exists. Your mission is what your team and you are going to do every day to achieve that vision. This statement should be simple and easy to repeat for everyone on your team.

DE T ERMINE CORE VA L UE S. Your church will be and do many things. If you could focus on only a few repeatable, memorable values, what would they be? Identify your values, and everything else will grow from there.

GUIDING PRINCIPL E S. These are your culture statements.

What phrases are you using to summarize the different aspects of the culture you want to create?

Leaders love seeing external growth, and who can blame them? However, we also must focus on creating cultures in our ministries that will cause us to be strong on the inside.

When we are growing up internally, growing out externally will become sustainable.

CAMPUS PASTOR TRAINING

by Focus 412

RIVER VALLEY CONFERENCE

May 20-21, 2019

UNEXPECTED

by Christine Caine

FIX IT!

by Rob Ketterling 12

APR 2019

LAUNCH

How to Attract and Keep Good People

by Matt Keller mattkelleronline.com FOCUS ON YOUR PERSON A L DE V EL OPMEN T. People want to work for someone who makes growth a priority.

CRE AT E A PL ACE FOR T HEM. People want to know they’re needed and that their contributions are invited.

CULTIVATE A CULTURE OF ENCOUR AGEMENT. When given the choice between working for an organization where team members are treated as cogs in the wheel or working somewhere where staff feels encouraged and recognized, people will always choose the latter.

GIV E T HEM A N OPPOR T UNIT Y T O BE PA R T OF SOME T HING BIGGER T H A N T HEM SELV E S. People want to know that what they’re doing is affecting a greater mission.

BE SOMEONE WHOM THEY WANT TO EMULATE. People want to be around leaders whom they’re like and whom they want to be like.

ENCOUR AGE T HEM T O BE BE T T ER A ND BECOME MORE. People want to work somewhere that challenges them to be the next best version of themselves.

Characteristics of Transformational Leaders johnmaxwell.com

T HE Y SEE T HINGS O T HERS DO NO T SEE Transformational leaders see problems, just like everyone else—but they see potential within those problems.

T HE Y S AY T HINGS O T HERS DO NO T S AY They leverage their influence by speaking bold words about a better future.

T HE Y FEEL T HINGS O T HERS DO NO T FEEL Passion is a transformational leader’s energy.

THEY BELIEVE THINGS OTHERS DO NOT BELIEVE Transformational leaders are belief magnets—people are drawn to those leaders not only because they believe in their cause, but because they believe in people too.

T HE Y DO T HINGS O T HERS DO NO T DO While others freeze because of fear, transformational leaders use their fear to find the courage to do something.

ARCCHURCHES.COM

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Church Launch Marketing yellowbox.co

Cookie cutters are for bakers, not church planters. It’s easy to get sucked into trying the “most popular” mailer that worked well for “so-and-so” in “such-and-such” state. There are Facebook groups and resource pages filled with examples of what has worked and what hasn’t when it comes to church launch marketing.

It’s healthy to be inspired and challenged by someone else’s ideas and to learn from their successes and mistakes. However, we want to challenge you to think for yourself. What unique voice is God giving you in your community? Consider the following church launch marketing best practices.

PR AC TICE S A FE DE SIGN A ND USE A CONCEP T There are several deliverables you’ll need to consider as a church planter:

• Launch mailer • Door hangers • Social campaign

• Invite cards • Online videos • Series concept One of the most common mistakes we’ve seen when it comes to church launch creative collateral is a fragmented approach to designing these deliverables. Instead of confusing your audience with disconnected messaging and design, start with a strong concept and brand and create your launch deliverables using that concept.

DIREC TION M AT T ERS When it comes to a successful launch, we’ve found that using one of three directions (or a balanced combination) works best:

• Bold • Humorous • Controversial A bold statement like “Dream again” or “What on earth am I here for?” has worked well historically. Perhaps, though, your culture requires a humorous design to accompany your bold statement. Or maybe you want to go with a more controversial concept like “The perfect church.” Whatever direction you take, the primary focus is to help make the biggest marketing investment—your mailer—be the most effective.

DE SIGN A L SO M AT T ERS A great direction and concept will fail to launch without quality design. Certainly design taste is subjective, but there are universal standards that deem good and bad design. While your friend who dabbled in design—and simultaneously served as youth pastor, led worship, and wore ten other hats at your former church—may give you a nice discount, you will need a professional for this job. Budget for excellent design and make it an important aspect of your launch plan.

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LAUNCH

Breaking the 500 Barrier rivervalleynetwork.com

CRE AT E CULT URE First things first, everything flows through your mission statement and values. Your what will determine your win and your win will determine your how.

Focus on better before you focus on bigger.

Bigger magnifies your deficiencies but better increases your capacity.

Celebrate the wins. Share during service, leverage social media, honor the team.

Protect against arrival. Don’t let up once you begin to accumulate wins.

FAIT H A ND EFFOR T We are accountable. Steward what God has set in our hands; your gifts, your team, key leaders, and resources.

Is my mindset operating as a minister or a leader? Both are important but one will position us for increased capacity.

Hunger opens up effort. Rekindle the “church planter hustle” with increased capacity.

The weekend versus the week. Realistically we are not able to have one without the other.

Website Checklist by the ARC Marketing & Communications Team

What is the first impression of your homepage? Is it clean and simple to read? Do the images accurately represent your church?

List the service times, location, and full address of the venue. Make this easy to find.

Is childcare or student ministry is available?

Give a high priority to this area, explaining the check-in process, what to expect, and caring for the safety of the children.

Include the pastor(s) first and last name and a photo of them or their family.

What can you expect? This is geared to guests, or someone new to the church. What to wear, length of the service, what goes on, music, offering, teaching, prayer, etc.

Make it easy for people to give online.

Include links to social media accounts.

ARCCHURCHES.COM

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Resources

The 4 Essentials of Innovation

by Craig Groeschel Life.Church

MOTION STUDENT CONFERENCE July 25-27

What do we need to be innovators? We need a problem to solve, limited resources, a willingness to fail, and a crazy idea. Combine these factors, and you can experience explosive innovation.

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A PROBL EM T O SOLV E. Every great innovation is simply a solution to a problem. Therefore, problems are not things to be feared, but opportunities to embrace. We need to train our minds to see problems as opportunities for something new.

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LIMIT ED RE SOURCE S. Innovation is more about mindset than money. Having more isn’t always better—restraints can drive innovation. If you have a lot of anything, consider enforcing artificial restraints because limitations are breeding grounds for innovation.

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A WIL LINGNE S S T O FAIL . Failure is not an option if you want to innovate—it’s a necessity. We want to make aggressive mistakes while attempting something new, not passive mistakes from holding back and always playing it safe. If you’re not failing every now and then, you’re playing it way too safe.

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A CR A Z Y IDE A . A lot of people have crazy ideas, but it’s the potential value of the idea—the potential win—that will drive the innovation. It seems crazy at first because it’s never been done. Sometimes a crazy idea can become a breakthrough idea. When it does, follow that crazy idea to the next. It doesn’t have to be your crazy idea, but you’ll need the wisdom to recognize it and the courage to attempt it.

APR 2019

RELATE COACHING myrelate.org

GROWN UP FAITH

by Kevin Myers

THE CHURCH BUILDER PODCAST

by United Pastors Network

LAUNCH

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

AN UPDATE ON ARC LAUNCHES

Catch up with a few of our planters to find out more about what is happening in the life of their church.

Over the past 19 years, ARC has helped launch over 800 churches. We had the opportunity to catch up with a few of our planters to get an update on what is happening in the life of their church. It’s such a great honor to work with couples that have a heart to launch a thriving church in their city!

Fisher CHAD & KATIE

A RC CHURCH PL A N T #199

Rock City Church COLUMBUS, OH

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W H AT DO YOU L OV E A BOU T YOUR CHURCH A ND COMMUNIT Y ?

What we love most about our church is that we’re fearless. We show up. We give big. We run hard and fast all the time. We serve and love our city well. And we’re making a difference here. God is opening doors of influence for us that we never could have opened for ourselves. He’s always been faithful.

W H AT DO YOU WA N T T O SH A RE WIT H SOMEONE T HINK ING A BOU T BECOMING A CHURCH PL A N T ER? Do it, but don’t do it alone. You know very little, but it doesn’t matter. Trust God, and He will guide your path, one small step at a time. It’s not about how much you know; it’s how willing you are to trust Him and to listen to His still, small voice.

Every best decision we’ve made wasn’t our own—it was something God set up for us, and we had the opportunity to say yes or to say no. Say yes. Don’t be afraid to dream big.

Run fast and far—never slow down. While you rest, trust your team to do the work.

You’ll be better for it and so will they. God’s got you. If He’s supplied the vision, He’ll make it happen. All you’ve got to do is say yes, every time He directs you. Say yes.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

W H AT H A S BEEN ONE OF YOUR GRE AT E S T MOMEN T S SINCE PL A N TING YOUR CHURCH ?

In February 2018 we moved into a permanent location after three years of portable church.

Our church doubled in size over the next three months and is continuing to grow rapidly 12 months later. After seven years we are finally seeing the exponential growth that we were believing for.

Chandler STEPHEN & ZAI

A RC CHURCH PL A N T # 215

Destiny Church COLUMBIA, MD

WHAT HAS BEEN ONE OF THE TOUGHEST MOMENTS YOU’VE EXPERIENCED IN MINISTRY? The end of 2016 was probably the toughest season my wife and I had faced. We had a newborn who simply did not like to sleep, there were difficult staff transitions, a tenuous relationship with the school where we held church, and simply not seeing the growth that we felt was possible. All of that compounded the feeling of stress and discouragement. Three months later we learned about the possibility of a permanent location but was followed by 10 months of a stressful legal battle before the building was secured.

W H AT IS T HE BIGGE S T CH A NGE YOU’ V E SEEN IN YOURSEL F OR YOUR CHURCH SINCE YOU PL A N T ED? I have grown exponentially since the beginning of Destiny Church (then Destiny Harvest Church). Starting out as an isolated, inexperienced and insecure 24-year-old pastor, I now have a network of great leaders that are true friends. I am eight years wiser and less insecure than I once was. I feel like the growth of our church over the last eight years has simply mirrored the journey of internal growth that the Lord has been taking me on.

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

W H AT MO TIVAT ED YOU T O PL A N T YOUR CHURCH IN T HE CIT Y T H AT YOU A RE IN ?

We started by looking at growth trends of metro Atlanta, but soon hit dead ends. I was sharing my frustrations with Billy Hornsby over lunch, and he challenged me with this thought: “Don’t start with growth trends and metrics but begin by asking the Lord to give you a supernatural love for a city, and when He does, call me… and I’ll help you plant that church.” Still today I love where I live. I love the people in our city. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

Hardy HAL & SONDRA

ARC CHURCH PLANT #34

Highlands Church CUMMING, GA

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W H AT DO YOU L OV E A BOU T YOUR CHURCH A ND COMMUNIT Y ?

I love that when we dismiss at the end of our worship services, people stay for a while and hang out. Our lobby looks like Grand Central Station even during the different worship services at times. At first you might mistake it as “southern hospitality” (which is a real thing, by the way), but after a while you’ll realize that folks here at Highlands genuinely enjoy being with their friends at church. My favorite quote from a Highlands member is: “I used to come to church and look for a seat. Now I come and look for my friends.”

WHAT HAS BEEN ONE OF THE TOUGHEST MOMENTS YOU’VE EXPERIENCED IN MINISTRY? Last year our first Dream Team member unexpectedly died. The day after Thanksgiving his wife discovered he had passed in his sleep. As a pastor, I’ve officiated funerals for years, but this man was a fixture in our church. He was in one of my men’s small groups. Our church responded amazingly and rallied behind their sweet family.

Today on Sundays, I look over my right shoulder, and his wife and daughters are still there worshipping. I miss my friend.

W H AT IS T HE BIGGE S T CH A NGE YOU’ V E SEEN IN YOURSEL F OR YOUR CHURCH SINCE YOU PL A N T ED? The biggest change in my life has been connecting with the religious people in a life-giving way and seeing them tap into the good news of the gospel. I started to see people in a different way. I started seeing people through the eyes of compassion and the love God has for them. I stopped seeing them in a judgmental, self-righteous way. As I have been set free from religion, my freedom has helped set other people free and we have watched them be rebuilt, restored and revived.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

W H AT MO TIVAT ED YOU T O PL A N T YOUR CHURCH IN T HE CIT Y T H AT YOU A RE IN ?

The motivation for planting in Cullman, AL was two parts. Based on a prompting from the Lord, I went on a 21 day fast. God told me two things; plant in Cullman and plant in small towns. I believe that every large city and every small town needs a life-giving church.

Heis ANDY & LEAH

A RC CHURCH PL A N T #166

Desperation Church CULLMAN, AL

W H AT DO YOU WA N T T O SH A RE WIT H SOMEONE T HINK ING A BOU T BECOMING A CHURCH PL A N T ER? I personally believe that Church planting is a movement. I believe that in 100 years our grandchildren will be reading in church history books about what is happening through church planting today. I would build a service that attracts the presence of God so He can attract the people. This is accomplished through prayer and getting outside the four walls to serve and be a part of the community. Do all you can to learn from ARC the structures and systems you can put in place.

Revisit your systems often. Last but not least, I would teach your people how to love others from the parking lot to their chairs and from the chairs back to the parking lot.

Love is powerful.

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Powell ANTHONY & BONNIE

ARC CHURCH PLANT # 547

Redeemed Life Church AZUSA, CA

W H AT DO YOU L OV E A BOU T YOUR CHURCH A ND COMMUNIT Y ?

Redeemed Life Church is a place where the Spirit of God is showing with glory and power in the lives of those who are seeking Him. I’ve seen His miraculous hand move in families, students, professors, and professionals. The testimonies of God’s goodness have spoken out of the mouths of kids, youth, and adults! Stories of hearing, deliverance and breakthrough happen on a weekly basis.

God is not playing games in this community.

He’s changing lives!

W H AT H A S BEEN ONE OF YOUR GRE AT E S T MOMEN T S SINCE PL A N TING YOUR CHURCH ?

In the first year of launching our church I got to see over 120 people make a decision to follow Christ! I get choked up every time I think about it. If that wasn’t crazy exciting enough, my wife and I got to baptize our triplets in our church! Those watching didn’t know that I was filling the baptismal with my tears. It was one of my favorite all-time moments by far!

W H AT DO YOU WA N T T O SH A RE WIT H SOMEONE T HINK ING A BOU T BECOMING A CHURCH PL A N T ER? Fall on your face and seek God every step of the way! Don’t look to the endorsement of man if you’ve already received an endorsement of Heaven. Trust who God is over what you know. Faith will trump resource every time. Put more energy in growing your faith than you do growing your church. Your church cannot outgrow your faith. Work on cultivating a life of ever- expanding faith.

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

WHAT HAS BEEN ONE OF YOUR GREATEST MOMENTS SINCE PLANTING YOUR CHURCH? One of the greatest miracles I have seen— and best moments in my ministry—was watching a couple whose marriage was broken beyond repair come to our church, and through the authenticity of our church, take steps to find restoration and healing. Now this couple is growing into key leadership roles and influencing other people in crisis.

WHAT HAS BEEN ONE OF THE TOUGHEST MOMENTS YOU’VE EXPERIENCED IN MINISTRY? The first couple years when nothing would grow, yet we felt like we were doing everything right was one of the toughest moments.

It was a season when I truly had to learn to depend on and trust in God. Now looking back, I realize God was working on me before He began to bless the church. I had some major issues and developmental needs, and if the church grew, it would have been very unhealthy to my pride and struggles. He held the church back so I could get healthy.

W H AT IS T HE BIGGE S T CH A NGE YOU’ V E SEEN IN YOURSEL F OR YOUR CHURCH SINCE YOU PL A N T ED? God re-ordered my values from being incredibly success-driven for all the wrong reasons to being at peace with the pace of our growth and who I am personally becoming in Christ.

W H AT DO YOU WA N T T O SH A RE WIT H SOMEONE T HINK ING A BOU T BECOMING A CHURCH PL A N T ER? At the end of the day, people want someone with whom they can trust their soul. Be a man or woman of God and make sure your relationship with Jesus is real. People want to know that you are connected to God and are fighting on their behalf. People can sense spiritual authority, and it makes a huge difference in gaining their trust.

Jayne AARON & AMANDA

ARC CHURCH PLANT #229

Coastline Church CARLSBAD, CA

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Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

by Kevin Miller

WERE YOU EVER PICKED LAST for a kick-

ball team when you were a kid? It felt like the team that got you was getting punished.

Or maybe you were a team captain, and you had to make the best use of the scrawny kid on your team who was picked dead last every time.

I get it. You want the heavy lifters and the big hitters—go big or go home.

That’s fine for kickball, but God works entirely differently when it comes to the strategy of building His Church.

Speaking of teams, it has been said that “teamwork makes the dream work,” and I concur. Planting and building a church was always meant to be a team sport, not a solo campaign (see 1 Corinthians 12). As Pastor Brian Houston puts it, “Church is not built

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on the gifts and talents of a few, but on the sacrifices of many.”

Throughout the launch and life of your church, as you build a launch team, staff, and future leadership, here are a few principles to keep in mind.

CHOOSE IN T EGRIT Y BEFORE A BILIT Y. Talent and ability are important, and God cared about them, too (see Bezalel in Exodus 31). But God never cared about ability more than integrity. In fact, multiple breaches of integrity caused God to rip the kingdom from the white-knuckled grip of a massively able king, Saul. Ability? Absolutely.

Integrity? Not so much.

The last thing you want is a team member who is super talented but living a morally compromised life. Not only will his

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“ Ability is important, but integrity is mandatory.”

sin (gossip, pride, lust, infidelity, etc.) eat away at him, but it will become poison for your team and in your future church. You will have enough problems to face when launching the church; you need the least amount of problems from your team.

Ability is important, but integrity is mandatory.

T RUS T T HE PRE SENCE OF GOD MORE T H A N T HE PRE SENCE OF PEOPL E. This principle applies to your initial core team as much as it does to the future, when you begin hiring (and firing) and building the church. Jesus told the disciples it was to their advantage that He left because when He did, the Holy Spirit would come. Now we don’t have to catch Jesus while He’s on tour because God lives in us and is at our churches every day! The church is the only thing Jesus promised He would build, and then He left and tossed us the keys. You can be sure He cares about His Church and will be with you every step of the way.

I’ve been told not to take attendance dips or a lack of team members personally. If you take the blame when your church is not growing, you’ll take the credit when it is. And if you

want to bring a church down quickly, start acting like it’s your presence that matters, not God’s—He will see to it that the church, your platform, and your influence tanks.

PR AY FOR A ND WIT H YOUR T E A M. Don’t merely say you care most about God’s presence; model it. Pray with your team, for your team, and about your team. Of all the incredibly valuable leadership qualities and wisdom you can pass on and model to them, let it be the power of prayer.

Rather than “teamwork makes the dream work,” maybe it’s more accurate to say, “Prayer work makes the dream work because it makes the team work.”

Kevin Miller and a small team of four planted Awaken Church in Clarksville, TN, in 2009, where he is the lead pastor. His wife Jenn and he have three kids, Emery, Adalyn, and Haddon. Kevin enjoys writing and recently released his first book, Better Than Gold.

You can connect with him at kevmill.com.

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Church Planting is Risky!

by Josh Roberie

CHURCH PLANTERS are like the special

forces of ministry. It takes courage to launch into the unknown and serve people you have never met. It’s a worthy cause, and one filled with many surprises along the way.

Some of the things I have learned while working with church planters at ARC are what you would expect: church planting is risky. You should get a lot of experience leading and teaching in a local church before launching. The process requires a lot of coffee. Other lessons, however, were a surprise to discover.

Here are four insights you may not have considered when you first decided to plant a church.

Fundraising is both easier and harder than you think. When fundraising is about the 26

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vision and the people you are going to reach, it becomes much easier to make the ask— you are not asking for you, but for the people you are going to reach. This releases you to step out because you know the investment will make an eternal difference.

However, fundraising isn’t easy, and in some ways, it is harder than you think. It is not something that starts or stops in the launch phase of a church plant. It begins long before you have the need, by being faithful and considerate when you build relationships.

It continues long after the launch because your church will continue to use financial resources to grow, reach more people, and serve the hurting and overlooked.

There is a language to church planting. You must learn and speak the language of a church planter if you are going to start a

You speak the language of a church planter when you translate insider Christian language into messaging everyone can understand. One way to do this is by communicating your reason for planting a church in a way that is meaningful not only to someone who already values faith and spirituality, but to those you hope to reach.

How you leave one season determines how you enter the next. If you want to reap in favor, then you must sow in honor. Even the best transitions can be challenging because a disconnection is taking place. When you honor, respect, and speak well of your sending pastor, you are investing in your own future by attracting loyal followers.

When you enter your city, it can be easy to think only of the needs of your new church plant. Remember, you are joining a community of existing churches. One day a new church planter will be moving into your area.

Lead the way with honor. Create an environment of unity in your city by asking how you can serve the other churches in your community instead of asking what they can do for you.

It takes longer than you think. You may be able to launch your church with ARC in as short as six months. This doesn’t mean everything you hoped to see will happen instantly—it takes time to grow. Often God must develop your capacity as a leader before your church’s capacity to attract people can increase too.

There are many aspects of your vision to start a church that will not be online by day one.

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church. When Jesus spoke, He used stories and illustrations that were common to His audience. Church planters must follow the same principle when starting a church.

“Often God must develop your capacity as a leader before your church’s capacity to attract people can increase too.

Trying to accomplish too much at once can lead to discouragement for you and exhaustion for your team. Dividing your focus prematurely also can lead to your not giving the essentials the attention they deserve.

Aspects of your vision will be realized on day one, others the next year, and still others in the years to come.

Church planting is an exciting journey filled with unexpected twists and turns. It allows you to witness the miracle of a new faith community being born firsthand.

Josh and Amy Roberie are a part of the ARC Launch Team. They have helped hundreds of couples through the ARC launch training process and onto successfully launching their churches. They love to help couples take a dream and turn it into a reality. To learn more about starting a church with ARC, please go to arcchurches.com and click, “I Want to Start a Church.”

We will provide free resources to you simply for contacting us.

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Week Two Retention

by Les Harvey

WHEN GOD PLACED THE VISION to plant

a life-giving church in Tyler, TX, in the hearts of my wife Angela and me, we knew without a doubt that we would plant Church of the Pines through the ARC. We loved the model, the training, the relationships... the money. Throughout the process God confirmed that these were our people! We had great coaches and leaders who cheered us on, helped us refine our vision, and allowed us to learn from their experiences. We were so thankful to see all the hard work and investment come together as we launched large. Not only did we launch large, but we retained 90 percent of launch attendance in week two!

ARC training is focused on launching great life-giving churches. So much of the focus is on the launch day. And rightly so! The experience and statistics tell us that approximately 40 percent of launch attendance will 28

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not return for week two—regardless of the launch size. Put everything you have into getting as many people as you can to launch day. Great retention in week two begins with great attendance in week one. Let’s face it— if no one comes to the launch, who is going to return the second week?

With all the excitement and focus on launch day, it is easy to forget that the number one goal of the weekend service is to get people to come back. I know salvation is the goal, but you want attendees to return so that you can pastor them beyond that decision. After all, you are launching a church, not a crusade that is here for “one night and one night only.” You are a pastor, not an evangelist trying to tell people everything you think you know in one message. There are some things you intentionally can do that will dramatically reduce the attrition rate from week one to week two.

Speaking of comeback events—they are great tools for retaining attendance from week one to week two and were a big contributor to our retention. Give people a reason to come back besides another church service, which they experienced week one.

Show them a different side of you. Plan some fun! The Bible is relevant to their lives, but you need to show them that your church is, too. Free food trucks, ice cream, donut walls, and inflatables for the kids are all great ideas for such an event. Every city is a little different, and depending on the time of year and your location, options will vary. Reserve some of your launch money and invest it in a comeback event!

Such planning takes attention during the launch phase. Make your comeback event a part of your launch promotion. Let people know from the first time they hear about your church that you not only want them to visit on launch day, but that you have prepared for them to come back week two.

Create space on your direct mailer for this announcement, include it in your pre-launch social media advertising, and post it on your website. It will be a long time before you get

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To achieve great retention, you must give attendance great attention during the launch phase. Do not merely plan your first service—plan your first month. Launch day has taken a lifetime to get here; week two is only seven days away! I recommend planning a series—a continuation of what you talk about in week one. Also, in your announcements, whether in person or by video, communicate what attendees can expect for week two or even week three. For example, are you starting a membership class or organizing a comeback event? Let people know you have thought about where you are going, and they will be more open to giving you a second chance.

“With all the excitement and focus on launch day, it is easy to forget that the number one goal of the weekend service is to get people to come back.” as much social media and website traffic as you do leading up to launch day, so use it for your comeback event.

They say you get only one chance to launch large. You also get only one shot at week two (and every other week, for that matter). The statistics for post-launch can be intimidating and discouraging. With some planning and intentionality, you can slow the trend and put your church and you in a position to effectively minister to more people earlier in your ministry.

Les and Angela Harvey are the lead pastors of Church of the Pines in Tyler, TX (ARC Church plant number 760.) They dreamed about a church that would lead people into an “evergreen life”—one that is full and vibrant, in every season. To learn more, visit churchofthepines.com.

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Scaling Culture in a multi-site environment

by Phil Klein Your church culture establishes the core values that drive your actions and the pace by which you progress. It is a significant factor in sustaining momentum and becomes increasingly more difficult to maintain as you grow. It is critical to understand culture and design a plan and process to scale it.

W

W H AT IS CULT URE A ND W H Y IS IT SO IMPOR TA N T ?

Culture is the glue that holds everything together in an organization. It connects and engulfs people, systems, and structures. It is the protective net that catches and corrects any failures or shortcomings of people or systems. It’s where individuals take responsibility for end results, not merely process execution. Process is critical, and it needs to be defined, documented, and taught, but culture is the self-healing ring that encircles systems and processes when they fail us. It’s what keeps people and churches healthy. In other words, culture assures that your values and your behavior are in alignment. It steers the vision God has given you throughout every level of your church.

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Culture is what you celebrate and correct. The first thing anyone does when they join a new church or any organization is to observe others in the culture. Even in subtle scenarios, they look for signs of what behaviors are celebrated (to be replicated) and what are corrected (to be avoided).

It is essential to celebrate the things that represent and reflect your culture and correct anything that isn’t emblematic of it.

For example, celebrate a leader’s practice of developing other leaders, or correct a volunteer leader’s language to reinforce that serving is a “get to,” not a “have to” mentality. Every church or organization has its own style and culture of correction. Some will be subtler, others will be more direct.

Celebrating and correcting people’s language and behavior is one way you can continually close the gap between actual behavior and your stated shared values as a church.

• Step 1: Communicate culture • Step 2: Consistently live culture • Step 3: Celebrate culture • Step 4: Correct culture • Step 5: Repeat steps one to four

The first thing anyone does when

In his book, Boundaries for Leaders: Results, Relationships, and Being Ridiculously in Charge, Dr. Henry Cloud says, “As a leader, you are always going to get a combination of two things: What you create and What you allow.” I have found this true in my personal leadership journey, specifically when it comes to culture. Whatever exists in your culture is your culture. Therefore, we must scale culture at the same pace that we grow.

they join a new church W H AT H A PPENS IF I DON’ T SCA L E M Y CULT URE ?

or any organization is to observe others in the culture.

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Scaling culture, both as you grow and multiply, is critical but can have its challenges. Think of the space between your core culture and the culture at your furthest location as an integrity gap. How much of a gap are you comfortable with in your integrity? The definition of integrity is “the state of being whole and undivided.” Isn’t that the same for culture? If two locations have different cultures, you create confusion and a lack of trust for those assimilating. Being whole and undivided is the culture God calls us to have as the Church.

You must create a system if you want to sustain and scale your culture. Nothing happens or scales without a system. Nothing. Did I mention nothing? God built everything in systems. Our bodies are a good example of this, and so are our churches. What is your system for scaling culture? Who does it?

What’s the process? How do you test and measure it?

How much of a gap are you comfortable with in your integrity?

Here are a few thoughts about scaling culture centrally and at a campus level in a multi-site church.

CEN T R A L RE SPONSIBILITIE S Clearly define your values and the culture that keeps them aligned. Write these values. Step back and think about them. Get your team involved. Determine what your culture is today and what you want it to be. What language do you currently use to articulate your culture? Is it aspirational or behavioral? Is it consistent with your team’s behavior? Is the language you use still relevant to who you are, or does it describe who you used to be?

Develop an onboarding process for people coming into your culture. How does someone learn your culture? Your process must clearly articulate your values. Determine what level of involvement or relationship you expect people to live by in your culture, considering those who are attending, volunteering, leading, and working. Answering these important questions will determine the approach you take. For example, if you decide that your inflection point for culture is when someone volunteers, then your volunteer assimilation and training process may be the system used to communicate your culture and set expectations. Moreover, it may ARCCHURCHES.COM

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be asking what degree of culture volunteers are expected to carry at each level of involvement.

Use culture as content for your leadership pipeline. What better way to develop leaders than to infuse culture within them at a deeper level. It’s a simple process of developing a series of leadership training sessions, each covering a different component or aspect of your culture. Potential leaders will feel invested in and will be exposed at a deeper level to who you are. They will respond to what they are learning, giving you a measure of whether they are a great fit for leadership. It’s a win either way—you are investing in people while driving culture and developing future leaders.

CA MPUS RE SPONSIBILITIE S Start locations with culture carriers. You are, in essence, replicating your culture location by location. It becomes paramount you start with a leader who carries and embodies your culture. The campus/location pastor represents the “lid” of your culture at that location. The culture can never be any greater than it is in that leader. The fundamental responsibilities of campus pastors are to replicate culture, mobilize people, communicate clearly, and develop leaders. Winning in culture is foundational to their ability to win in any of the other areas.

You are, in essence, replicating your culture location by location.

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Implement a consistent development system across all campuses. A campus pastor’s primary focus must be to develop the culture of the immediate leadership team. If he is successful, then his team can focus on the layer below them. It’s a cascade approach that keeps leaders from over reaching and diluting their effectiveness. This is accomplished by both casting the vision for the culture and developing it in teams through group and one-to-one interactions. Leaders can’t infuse culture strictly by broadcasting it in group settings—specific and intentional interactions with individuals are required.

Identify your culture warriors. These are the volunteer leaders and team members at each campus who embody and are incredibly passionate about the culture. They are vital to the process as both standard bearers and culture keepers. They can help curate the culture by setting an example, thereby

encouraging and challenging others to live in the unity of your culture.

The fundamental responsibilities

T HERE IS NO BE T T ER TIME T H A N NO W

of campus

Here is a list of questions that can help you take an inventory of where you are today in the process of building culture:

pastors are to

• Is your culture clearly defined?

Do you see it embodied in your team and leaders?

• Is it action-oriented? Does it determine behavior for your volunteers and staff?

• Is it celebrated? Do you reinforce ways it is exemplified?

• Is it corrected? Do you address missed behavior and language?

• Is it replicable? Does it produce comparable results at all locations?

• Is it relational? Is it initiated and overseen through intentional relationships?

• Is it systematic? Do you have a process?

• Is it scalable? Will it handle an influx of people?

replicate culture, mobilize people, communicate clearly, and develop leaders.

No matter where your culture is today, don’t lose heart. It takes time, but with focus and a process, you can close the gap and take your church to the next level!

Phil Klein is the founder of Focus 412, an initiative dedicated to equipping leaders to grow the church with an emphasis on people, culture, systems, and strategy.

For more information on Campus Pastor Training, visit focus412.com.

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BY EMILY CHENEVERT

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Brian and Heather Cromer never set out to plant a church. They were pastors at a small church in Texas for years, and the idea of planting a church wasn’t even on their radar. Little did they know, a mission trip to China would become the bridge to a future

We

relationship with ARC and their undiscovered dream to plant a church.

“We went on a mission trip to China with about 30 country kids, and there was another church there,” says Brian. “We didn’t know that churches like that even existed.”

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He was talking about Church of the Highlands from Alabama. Out of that trip, Brian became good friends with one of Highlands’ pastors. He connected Brian with ARC after that trip, although the Cromer’s desire to plant a church would come later.

Brian later went on to oversee student ministry as Gateway Church in Dallas, Texas, when God spoke to him about planting a church. He described the feeling to Heather, as if he were pregnant with something that kept growing.

“It was a little over four years ago—the first time God spoke church planting to us,” Brian explains. “We walked through a process together for about six months, and if it were God, He needed to speak to her about this as well,” he says, referring to Heather.

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Heather and Brian had just walked through a difficult season when they realized Jordan was on the autism spectrum, and they were focused on how to help him.

God confirmed it to Heather, too, and it was then that they gave their dream to God and began to share it with their fellow leadership at Gateway.

Brian says, “In a meeting, I showed the leaders my phone and said, ‘This is my desire and hope to plant a church.’ I slid the phone across the table to them and stated, ‘I give it to you first and won’t pick it up until it’s time.’” At that point, Gateway leadership began to prepare the Cromer’s for their next step.

As for Heather, her hesitations had to do with figuring out her role and challenges with their oldest son Jordan. Heather and Brian had just walked through a difficult season when they realized Jordan was on the autism spectrum, and they were focused on how to help him.

“I said, ‘I will never do this,’” recalls Heather.

“It was a shock. I told God that I knew He could do it, but I said, ‘You know that means I have to do this, too.’ I had to pray through what that would look like for me and what my part would be. It was more like—can I trust Him with our children? With everything we had been doing—getting our son into good routines and thriving and succeeding—and now it seemed He was telling us, ‘I want you to move your family and Jordan’s consistency.’ A lot of the things they teach you with autism is opposite of what they teach you when it comes to what church planting will look like. That was my biggest issue—trusting that He could take care of it,” she explains.

Heather kept seeking God and received several confirmations along the way that it was going to be okay.

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“Eventually you have to close your eyes and jump,” she says. “At some point, I knew it wasn’t about the fears; I didn’t want fears to choke out what God was trying to speak to me. I had some moments, especially with Jordan, when God spoke clearly to me that He was going to be an asset in the process and that He was made for this,” says Heather.

Heather and Brian felt that God was leading them to learn even more before they launched. Brian went to Church of the Highlands and traveled back and forth from Dallas to Birmingham until they moved there as a family. For Heather, it was a time when she noticed that Jordan began to truly thrive. She connected to a woman at Church of the Highlands who was an expert in autism, which changed everything.

“God gave me the word ‘adventure,’ and I created a trifold calendar and made our journey an adventure,” Heather says. “While we were at Highlands, we saw so many miracles, including Jordan. He tested out of needing special school, and although he is still on the scale, he doesn’t need special attention. He helped lead worship in kids’ church. If you direct him, he is good at helping people feel welcome,” she explains.

The Cromer family walked through a lot of learning and planning, and then their Gateway leadership said it was time. But they still weren’t sure which city.

“The number one question people always asked us was where, not why,” Brian says.

“Similarly, whenever God spoke, we were asking, ‘Where?’ We didn’t know. There was a silhouette on the horizon, and I knew something was there, so I had to walk in faith toward it,” says Brian.

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“When we walked through the church planting process, we felt like it was our job to put ourselves in a position to hear,” he continues. “We had been doing ministry for a while and had learned a lot about ourselves.

We approached God and asked, ‘What are some things you are doing in us, in our family? Help us to know in what type of city we would thrive.’ He gave us some filters. We put every city through those filters.”

Heather and Brian felt that there were three possible cities, so they spent time in all three.

“We tried to spend as much time in those cities as we could,” says Brian. “We studied them. We vacationed in those cities.”

However, Brian kept going back to something Pastor Chris Hodges told him regarding planting their church.

“I constantly had his voice in my head saying, ‘Don’t go anywhere until you have supernatural love for that city—until you would go and buy your burial plot in that city.’”

That city was Cincinnati. Although they didn’t know anyone there or have any connections, Heather and Brian knew Cincinnati was where God was calling them.

Brian says, “We discovered this beautiful city filled with amazing people, beautiful scenery, rich history, and culture. It’s also a broken city. Do a quick Google search, and you’ll find terrible statistics on poverty, crime, segregation, and decline in church engagement. Cincinnati is the fifth most racially divided city in the US. We feel we are to be a bridge builder to reach a generation.”

Heather and Brian started the ARC launch process and moved to Cincinnati. They built their team and launched Queen City Church in September 2018.

“I believe that the presence of a life-giving local church can turn those numbers upside down,” Brian says. “We already are experiencing Ephesians 3:20: ‘Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.’ It’s unreal. We are having the time of our life like I have never felt.”

When asked about the impact ARC has had on them, the word “family” stands out for both Heather and Brian.

Heather says, “I remember the first time I got to go to the ARC Conference. I felt so welcomed and like family. I thought, ‘These people get me,’ and I didn’t really do anything. When Brian first talked to me about planting, the ARC Women’s Podcast helped me. There wasn’t a set mold—the women looked so different, and ARC celebrates that. For me, that podcast was an amazing resource.”

“It’s family; it’s my tribe,” says Brian. “My spiritual fathers and brothers are in ARC. I couldn’t imagine doing this without ARC, and I don’t want to. We refuse to live life alone. I remember that statement at ARC—a seat at the table. I love that because it’s the heart of what ARC can provide to someone.

You feel it. You experience it.”

Brian and Heather Cromer are the lead pastors of Queen City Church in Cincinnati, OH (ARC Church Plant number 782.) Their vision is to reach all people and teach them to have a relationship with God that gets better and better. They are expectant for what God is going to do in their city through Queen City Church.

To learn, more visit queencitypeople.com.

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Connect T HE REL ATIONSHIP S

R E L AT ION S HIP I S T RU LY T HE S T R E NG T H OF T H E C H U R C H A N D O F A N Y M I N I S T R Y. W E E N COUR AGE PASTORS AND CHURCH LE ADERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO JOIN E ACH OTHER AT ARC EVENTS, TR AININGS, AND GATHE RING S A S A WAY T O IN T E N T ION A L LY B UIL D REL ATIONSHIPS. OUR HOPE IS THAT YOU WILL DR AW STRENGTH AND WISDOM FROM OTHERS, AND PROVIDE IT AS WELL. THAT IS THE JOY OF NOT DOING MINISTRY ALONE. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO BE A PART OF ALL YOU CAN AND ADD YOUR UNIQUE S TRENGTHS AND GIF TINGS T O T H I S B I G F A M I L Y.

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IN T HIS SEC TION

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Many Faces of ARC

The ARC Family consists of a growing network of leaders from all around the globe.

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Pastoring Through Pain

As soon as I read the text, I knew Lysander was in trouble. Becky had been at a routine ultrasound at 22 weeks pregnant, and it was the first doctor’s visit where I couldn’t accompany her.

by Chris Shinnick

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Fathers & Sons

Having someone speak life, encouragement, and biblical truths into your life can produce great rewards.

Interview with Dino Rizzo & Greg Surratt

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A Vision of Unity

We sat down with Jason Law from World Compassion to talk about what unity looks like and how it’s changing the culture of the local church.

Interview with Jason Law

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CONNECT

Energize Your Relationships

by Larry Stockstill larrystockstill.com

01.

LIS T EN BE T T ER. We need to “shut up” and focus more. When you become bored with a partner or friend, you hear him but don’t listen to him. You miss details. You fail to get his point. You think you know everything he is going to say before he says it.

A person is an endless well. She has experiences, thoughts, memories, opinions, dreams, and talents you have not even begun to tap. Sit up straight, look in her eyes, lean in, and prepare to discover something amazing.

02.

BE EMPAT HE TIC. Empathy is entering in to the feelings of others, including their disappointments, their pain, and their rejection. Dry, boring relationships have lost their empathy. In these relationships, there is little sense of feeling, concern, or compassion for what the other person is going through.

Grow your empathy. As you listen (for a good while), the person you are engaged in conversation with is going to mention a problem in his life. Whether it is physical, financial, job-related, marital, parenting, or a host of other human challenges, you can lean in to show him you care about this hardship. It has been said that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

03.

RECEIV E FEEDBACK .

This is the big one. A person whom you listen to and empathize with will eventually feel comfortable to give you some feedback. She closes the loop. She tells you what she thinks about you. She mentions little things that bother or bless her in your life.

Feedback is gold. It is the highest fruit of a committed relationship. Companies crave it because they can use it to implement changes. They see it as their pathway to improvement. Why don’t we?

Thank your friend or partner for his feedback. Others may be thinking it, but he had the courage to say it. He is not criticizing and attacking, but changing and adjusting.

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CONNECT

Are You Managing or Leading?

by Kevin Gerald kevingerald.tv In every single organization, there is a vision gap. This gap represents the distance between where you are and where you want to be as an organization. If you’re facing a vision gap right now, you’re probably wanting to know what the key resource to closing it is. While financial resources are important to close that gap, we’ve found that the other catalyst is, leadership.

If leadership is so important to close the gap, then we have to ask ourselves, What does a leader look like, sound like? What does a leader accomplish that makes them be viewed as a “leader”?

Sometimes, people blur the lines between a leader and a manager. Are they the same thing? Do they produce similar results? Does management equal leadership?

Management and leadership are both essential in the life of every healthy, progressive organization. It’s helpful to understand the differences in management and leadership so we can do both effectively.

Managers work with systems. Leaders work with people. Leaders draw people in, unite people around a goal, and inspire people to action.

I want to encourage you if/when you have a choice between management and leadership, to choose leadership. We want to mobilize our church family to find their fit through serving on a team, participating in a life group, and feeling like they belong to the community. We rely on those who are managers to support the administrative side of this, and, at the same time, we need those who are leaders to put on their leadership hat.

Why choose leadership over management? Leaders will draw in managers, but managers don’t draw in leaders. Leadership is more about movement. Management is more about maintenance. People can be managed, but they would rather be led. Even managers would rather be led than managed. When people are not just managed but are led, they perform at a much higher level.

If you are a manager, by all means, put your heart into management! Please know you are highly valued and necessary to the overall vision of an organization. If you are a leader, manage what and who you must manage, but lean into leadership. Keep focused on your leadership so that you can help move people forward toward God’s best for their lives.

Leadership is a key element to close the vision gap (between where we are and where we want to go). Think about how you can lean into leadership for your organization. What can you do to start effectively leading instead of managing to help close the vision gap?

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CONNECT

Resources

Be for People

DO SOMETHING CONFERENCE May 16-18, 2019

by Dino Rizzo Exective Director, ARC View people from a healthy lens.

Hold people in high regard.

Recognize the relationship is more important than the transaction.

UPN CONFERENCE May 20-22, 2019

Value people unconditionally.

Love people deeply.

Allow people to succeed even when they are different from you.

Speak your “no” with understanding that God loves you and is for you.

BORN OF A WOMAN

by Oneka McClellan

Lean in when adversity comes against you.

Say it—your unspoken encouragement is a mystery to everyone else.

See that there’s a God-end to what’s going to happen—there’s hope in the future.

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MADE FOR THE MIDDLE

by Micahn Carter

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10 Things Church Leaders Need to Know About Gen Z

by Rob Hoskins OneHope.net

01.

02.

03.

0 4.

05.

ACCORDING T O T HE CENSUS BURE AU, GEN Z IS T HE MOS T DIV ERSE GENER ATION IN A MERICA . They’re looking for diversity in all areas of their lives— make sure your environments and experiences welcome, reflect, and respect a wide range of variety.

GENER ATION Z TA K E S IN INFORM ATION INS TA N TA NEOUSLY A ND L OSE S IN T ERE S T JUS T A S FA S T. Keep messages short, simple, and visually oriented.

T HE Y WA N T T O WORK FOR T HEIR SUCCE S S, NO T BE DISCOV ERED. Speak destiny over their lives.

Then, walk alongside them for the entirety of their faith journey—even when it gets bumpy and messy.

GEN Z IS RE A LIS TIC V ERSUS OPPOR T UNIS TIC OR FA L SELY OP TIMIS TIC. They’ve seen it all, and they want substance, authenticity, and truth—all things the Church can and should provide!

T HE Y BELIE V E T H AT EQUA LIT Y IS NON-NEGO TIA BL E. We must give them a biblical lens and framework for what is important in God’s eyes, not merely the eyes of the media, their peers, or the social justice cause of the moment.

06.

07.

08.

09.

10.

T HE Y WA N T T O CRE AT E A ND CUR AT E T HEIR O W N IDEN TITIE S. We would do well to present the truth that they are image-bearers of Christ, while allowing members of this generation the opportunity to create unique identities.

GEN Z IS SEL F-SEL EC TING. They choose where to seek their information and how to spend their time.

T HIS GENER ATION IS L A RGELY MORE INDEPENDEN T T H A N COL L A BOR ATIV E. Remind them the Bible says that more can be done together than alone, and that we are to be agents of inclusion, not seclusion.

GEN Z PREFERS PRIVAT E T O PUBLIC. This generation is more selective of where and how they use social media than the Millennial generation.

T HE Y A RE RE T URNING T O FACET O-FACE V ERSUS DIGITA L ONLY. Despite being the first generation of true digital natives, this generation craves real relationships and substantive conversations.

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Church Bylaws

by Michael W. Smith Director of ARC Global Establishing the structure of church governance is one of the most important decisions to be made. Church bylaws allow for life-giving leadership, accountability, clarity, and security.

ARC has a template for church bylaws that accomplishes just that. It allows for vision and leadership to come from the senior pastor. It also provides for his accountability through a board of overseers made up of pastors outside of the church.

The senior pastor is ultimately responsible for both the spiritual and corporate health of the church. This includes communicating the ministry vision and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the church. This also includes leading, hiring, and firing staff.

The trustees (non-staff board) serve as the corporate directors of the organization. Their responsibilities include assuring compliance with the church’s management policies and procedures by approving the annual budget and other major financial commitments of the church.

The senior pastor’s leadership team (internal elder board) serves in both a spiritual leadership and staff leadership capacity. These individuals serve as the protectors and encouragers of a positive spiritual climate within the church, and as seasoned and experienced members of the pastoral team who work alongside the senior pastor.

The overseers (outside pastors) provide apostolic oversight to the senior pastor and are charged with protecting the church through counsel, prayer, and—if required—the discipline of the senior pastor.

Here are some things to consider: DUS T OFF YOUR OL D BY L AW S. Ensure they represent a church governance structure that positions your church well for good leadership, accountability, and growth. If they do not, consider the ARC-recommended template. It is well designed by both pastors and attorneys and has served our churches well over the years.

HIRE A N AT T ORNE Y. Ensure compliance with the state where your church is registered. An attorney can guide you in the steps to take when updating your bylaws.

TA K E TIME T O SHEPHERD T HE PROCE S S. Typically, an existing board must approve the changes, which may shift some of the responsibilities of that board. Allow time for board members to review revisions, process how these changes will affect them and the church, and ask questions for clarification.

To download the ARC bylaws template visit, arcchurches.com/bylaws.

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MANY FACES OF ARC

GET TO KNOW THE ARC FAMILY

The ARC Family consists of a growing network of leaders from all around the globe.

Each person brings significant value and something unique to the ARC Family and body of Christ. We believe in the strength of relationships, and value each person’s wisdom and experience, and we want to share that with you.

LEAD PASTOR

Rescue Church DURHAM, NC

Overton DE S CRIBE YOUR S E L F IN 3 WOR D S

JOSH

PASSIONATE, CREATIVE, TYPE 2 W/ 3 WING IF YOU COUL D T R A DE LIV E S WIT H A N YONE FOR A DAY W HO WOUL D IT BE A ND W H Y ?

I have three beautiful and wild kids, that I would trade places with in a heartbeat. First, just to experience things as a kid again, because who doesn’t love nostalgia. But ultimately, because I’d love to see our home from their perspective. I would love to see the interaction with the other siblings, their mom and with me of course.

I think I could learn a ton, and that would ultimately impact everything moving forward. If that didn’t work out, then I would just swap places with Chris Pratt because that dude is awesome.

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MANY FACES OF ARC

LEAD PASTOR

Shoreline City DALLAS, TX DE S CRIBE YOUR S E L F

FULL OF LIFE LOVER OF PEOPLE

McClellan ONEKA

CA N YOU T EL L US A T E S TIMON Y OF GOD'S FAIT HFUL NE S S IN YOUR LIFE ?

I’m so grateful to be on this journey of a lifetime, building the local church with my husband, family, and team. It is the hardest thing we have ever done, but the most rewarding and life-giving adventure of our dreams. I can honestly say it is worth it, even on the days and in the seasons that are rough. Every Sunday when I see the beauty that surrounds me, and as I look at all that God is building, I grow overwhelmed with gratitude. I remember the beginning, when my husband, kids, and I were packing up everything we owned to move to a new city to start our church. We had no idea what and who was on the other side of our call. But because He loves His Church, He has exceeded all that we could have planned or imagined. What an honor to get to make His house a home!

WHAT INSPIRES YOU AND WHY? Seeing people realize the part they play in telling God’s epic love story inspires me. There is nothing like playing a small part in someone’s growth and development as a leader and influencer. It’s a journey that is filled with highs and lows, but it is worth the risk because when people “get it,” so many others become beneficiaries— including those of us who get to cheer them on every step of the way!

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MANY FACES OF ARC

LEAD PASTOR

Union Houston HOUSTON, TX

Vargas DE S CRIBE YOUR S E L F IN 3 WOR D S

ENERGETIC HOPEFUL REDEEMED

W HEN YOU HE A R T HE WORD “OV ERCOMING,�

W H AT COME S T O MIND A ND W H Y ?

Excitement! I overcame a horrible drug addiction that led to my being a manic depressive who attempted suicide. It requires getting to a very dark place to ever consider taking your own life.

On my third day in rehab, I looked up at the sky and told Jesus I would stop running from Him and that He could have my life to do what He wanted with it.

I believe that we can overcome all obstacles in our lives by holding on to Jesus and His word for us.

I get excited when I meet new people who are so broken by these obstacles and give their lives to Jesus because I know I will witness their becoming overcomers! I live to overcome, I live to train overcomers, and I live to tell about the One who overcame it all.

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RODRIGO

HO W WOUL D YOU DE SCRIBE YOUR HOPE S A ND DE SIRE S FOR YOUR LIFE ?

This is simple. I consecrated my life to God. I want to be the very best husband to my wife and the best father to my children while leaving them a legacy of faith. I want to be the best neighbor to all my brothers and sisters near me, and share the gospel with every breath I have. It is my dream to be sharing Jesus with people as I am laying on my death bed. I live to be the helping person to the hurting persons near me as long as I breathe.

MANY FACES OF ARC

PASTOR

Mannahouse

Estes PORTLAND, OR

DE S CRIBE YOUR S E L F IN 3 WOR D S

LOYAL HOSPITABLE EASYGOING

CA N YOU T EL L US A T E S TIMON Y OF GOD’S FAIT HFUL NE S S IN YOUR LIFE ?

In 37 years of serving the Lord, He has proven His faithfulness over and over. He has always shown up and met me at my point of need. I’ve learned over the years that when I say yes to God, even to the hard things and even when I don’t feel qualified, He has always been faithful to provide me with everything I need to accomplish what He’s called me to do. From adopting and raising children with special needs to leading a large church, He’s been faithful every step of the way to show me that I can do all things through Christ who is my strength.

SUSAN

W H AT DOE S SUCCE S S L OOK LIK E T O YOU ?

Success to me is first and foremost knowing what God’s will is for me and making sure I am right where He’s called me to be and doing what He’s called me to do.

W H AT DO YOU T HINK A BOU T W HEN YOU’RE A L ONE IN YOUR CA R? Lately, when I’m alone in the car, I tend to find myself thinking about my family and using the time to be praying for them.

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MANY FACES OF ARC

LEAD PASTOR

Manna Church Hawaii KAPOLEI, HI DE S CRIBE YOUR S E L F IN 3 WOR D S

LOYAL COMMITTED FUN-LOVING

Withy-Allen W H AT IS IT LIK E BEHIND T HE SCENE ON YOUR AV ER AGE MONDAY MORNING? Monday is a workday for me, so I get our two oldest out the door to school, check the surf report, and have a “board” meeting with my associate pastor to discuss how Sunday went in between waves. It’s a great way to knock out a workout, a meeting, and refresh my soul all at the same time.

From there I get home to hang out with my youngest son, so my wife can have a couple of hours to recharge and plan out her week. Then after lunch I write out my outline of the message for the upcoming Sunday.

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SHAWN

W H AT INSPIRE S YOU A ND W H Y ?

There’s nothing more inspiring to me than seeing somebody enthusiastically take their next step with God. My heart leaps every time the scales are removed from a person’s eyes and heart and they come to the realization that they were created on purpose for a purpose. I had a dramatic conversion at age 19. I would literally tell people, “I feel like a blindfold has been removed and the world makes sense now.” Seeing this happen in others holds a special place in my heart.

MANY FACES OF ARC

LEAD PASTOR

Slate Church WATERLOO, ONTARIO, CANADA

DE S CRIBE YOUR S E L F IN 3 WOR D S

INTUITIVE BRAVE PASSIONATE W H AT IS IT LIK E BEHIND T HE SCENE ON YOUR AV ER AGE MONDAY MORNING? As a family, we are knee deep in diapers, bottles, and potty-training, so a typical Monday morning for me revolves around my children! My week is a balancing act of church, my counseling private practice, and being an at-home mom to my kids several days a week - one of those days being Mondays.

We take Monday as our family day, so typically you will find us cuddled up early with our one-year-old who won’t sleep past 7 am and joined shortly after by our two-yearold who loves to jump into bed with us all.

We gather around the kitchen table and eat pancakes while reflecting on a great day in church the day before. We try to take on new adventures with the kids on Mondays. You may find us in the community pool, at an indoor play place (hello winter in Canada!), or checking out books at our nearby library.

Mondays are certainly one of my favourite days of the week!

Richardson EMMA

W HEN YOU HE A R T HE WORD “OV ERCOMING,” W H AT COME S T O MIND A ND W H Y ?

The word “overcoming” is one that speaks to the journey and less about the destination. I think of someone who is moving forward, driven and solution-focused. In a world where we can find ourselves consumed with the problem, someone who is overcoming is focused on the solution. It is a pursuit for more than what you see directly in front of you. The desire to overcome is a state of mind and heart, and one that we truly need.

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Pastoring Through Pain

by Chris Shinnick

“CHRIS, I HAVE SOME HARD NEWS to

share with you when I get home.”

As soon as I read the text, I knew Lysander was in trouble. Becky had been at a routine ultrasound at 22 weeks pregnant, and it was the first doctor’s visit where I couldn’t accompany her.

Within 24 hours, after a consultation with the additional specialists, our fears were confirmed. Our son was struggling with multiple developmental abnormalities, making our hope for a healthy child an almost certain impossibility. We were told he would likely die in the womb, or, at best, immediately after birth. Medically, nothing could be done.

For the next month, we grieved. We only shared the news with family, close friends, and trusted prayer partners. I continued to preach a series through the book of Philippians, reminding our church (and myself) that “God designs every person on 56

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purpose and for a purpose.” By the final week of the series, my wife and I shared the news with our church, declaring that Lysander Immanuel Shinnick had a purpose.

Eight weeks later, on July 27th, our son was born. He was officially diagnosed with Cornelia deLange syndrome, had a left diaphragmatic hernia and multiple limb abnormalities, and weighed a little over two pounds. He lived a miraculous eleven days on life support, and between the various surgeries, exams, and tests, we spent as much time with him as possible.

Parents are supposed to have an impact on their children, but Lysander was designed to have an immediate impact on us. The first time we were able to hold him was the moment he took his final breath. I did not know that joy and pain could overlap so abruptly. Our lives would never be the same.

Aside from a handful of individuals who helped us launch, our young church is made

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up of people we’ve known for about a year or two. Nevertheless, throughout this painful journey, they believed for a miracle, showered us with support, and gave us space and time to grieve and heal. By the time I returned to preach after six weeks, I simply shared Lysander’s story, with the book of Psalms as my guide.

The beautiful thing about the Psalms is that they give us a framework for how to wrestle with this incredible tension between emotion and faith. The Psalms are the place where poetry and theology collide—and many of the tensions that arise from these passages don’t necessarily resolve immediately. Faith, fear, and frustration seem to co-mingle, but God is always near.

As difficult as it’s been, my wife and I have chosen to be consistently vulnerable with our church. We’ve been honest about our struggle and haven’t hesitated to ask for help.

After being back for a couple of months, I felt led to ask multiple local pastors to cover for me during the holidays in anticipation of the grief that would accompany the season. These friends moved their schedules to serve both my family and our church. As unplanned (and unwanted) as this tragedy has been, God has used it to strengthen my friendships with other pastors in our community, while also galvanizing the faith of our church.

For Becky and me, these last few months have been filled with regular grief counseling sessions, a scaled back weekly rhythm with plenty of margin, as much laughter as possible with our other three children, and a renewed appreciation for our friendship. In 15 years of marriage, we feel as connected to

“...God has used it to strengthen my friendships with other pastors in our community, while also galvanizing the faith of our church.” one another as we’ve ever been, and our calling to ministry couldn’t be stronger!

Avoiding pain as a pastor is impossible.

However, pastoring through pain brings an unparalleled depth to your ministry as you trust Jesus and His Body through the process. Don’t do ministry alone. Trust God with your pain. He is faithful.

Chris and Becky Shinnick lead Manna Church in Niceville, FL, ARC church plant number 589. Their mission is to glorify God by equipping His people to change their world and by planting churches with the same world-changing vision. They have four children: Sebastian (10), Evangeline (7), Emmett (4), and Lysander Immanuel (with Jesus).

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Tell the Story

by Wayne Francis

THE AVERAGE AMERICAN MOVES 11.7

times in their lifetime. It appears every couple of years many North Americans uproot themselves to find a new home, apartment, or job. This transience has caused many people to feel the lack of a basic human desire—security.

In the New York City suburb where I pastor, my church significantly feels the impact of transience as people come and go every two to four years. Watching our congregation change as though we were playing a cruel game of musical chairs caused us to tap into a silent yet profoundly primal cry for stability.

We came across the Scripture written to Jewish exiles through the prophet Jeremiah, describing how these exiles would be captive in a foreign land for 70 years.

God says in Jeremiah 29:5-7: “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children.

Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not 58

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dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”

From this one passage we discovered a message that resonated deeply with our congregation who were gathering on Sundays and serving on teams—for whatever period of time these individuals were to be a part of our church, they should plan to stay as though they’d be with us forever. We envisioned what it would look like to go from portable environments to permanent ones.

What phrase would help galvanize people to create a roadmap to rootedness?

When it came time to launch our generosity initiative, instead of communicating a campaign idea, we gave our vision vernacular that would resonate with anyone who had any connection to the idea of home. “Plan to Stay” became a mantra and a mission. And, to date, it has been one of the most effective strategies to keep people tethered to our church in a variety of ways.

art direction. They brainstorm one-liners to support the telescopic vision and produce the assets that allow you to effectively share that vision.

1. CR A F T A CAT CH Y S TAT EMEN T. To create a healthy story that people want to believe, you must craft a catchy, repeatable, and sticky statement. We wanted a statement that was more conversational and would pervade the daily lives of our congregants. Thus, “Plan to Stay” was born.

You cannot successfully create a memorable campaign without all three of these leaders.

2. COL L A BOR AT E WIT H A DIV ERSE S T ORYT EL LING T E A M. When building an excellent initiative that will be used for a year or two, you must identify multiple narratives that will keep the main idea fresh. Beyond merely thinking of clever ways to communicate the vision, try assembling the right team to help you roll out your strategy. Here’s the team trifecta we used: • Telescope leaders. We like to see the big idea from a distance. We gather people who can help us shape this vision by identifying the statement, describing the idea’s general vibe, and determining how to make it compelling and magnetic.

• Microscope leaders. You must have leaders who enjoy minutiae—the technical details that serve to execute the larger vision. These people ask the following questions: How do we communicate this vision to different age groups? How should we communicate from the stage versus social media? These leaders are your administrators who put a long-term timeline together, anticipate challenges, create budgets, and delegate assignments.

• Kaleidoscope leaders. These are your creatives. Their sole purpose is to help you design conviction content with creative packaging. These individuals worry about the right pantone colors and consistency in

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How can you put flesh to your vision in a way that invites people to participate? The following are three essential steps you can take to tell your church’s story.

3. COUPL E YOUR V ISION T O A L A RGER A ND POPUL A R S T ORY. As Christian leaders, we always tie our church’s story to the gospel—the most compelling story of Jesus.

However, to craft a memorable storytelling experience that will motivate your audience, connect it in to a popular story that has been told frequently.

We wanted the message of Plan to Stay to evoke a sense of home, so we tapped into the story of the Wizard of Oz. The famous line is: “There’s no place like home.” We dug a little deeper and highlighted some excerpts that were not as popular but provided convicting content. Tapping into this story’s familiarity and effortless humor gave us much room to bring life to our vision, and today Plan to Stay is a part of our common language.

These basic steps will help you begin to communicate your church’s vision. Great storytellers don’t share stories that are important to them, but stories that are important to their audience and that cultivate a transcendent experience. As pastors and leaders, appealing to the core of what matters most to people will move the most people. Now that’s a type of move that I get behind, and I’m sure you do, too.

Wayne and Claudene Francis pastor Authentic Church outside of New York City. They love the local church and seeing people find real life in Jesus. To learn more, visit authenticchurch.com.

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Leading Side by Side A R E YOU S T RI V ING OR T HRI V ING ?

by Lori Champion

CONTRARY TO POPULAR OPINION , there

is no right way to structure a ministry marriage. Just as no two families are exactly alike, God has a unique call for each couple who has decided to serve and lead in ministry together. In almost 29 years of marriage, I’ve been every kind of pastor’s wife— breadwinner at a corporate job, home front support while the kids were little, and partner on a church staff in a variety of roles (yes, I even played the keyboard and led worship).

I’ve enjoyed and valued each season to which God has called me, and I have counted myself as a co-laborer, whether I had a title and paycheck.

When we started our church, Joe said: “Lori, this is our calling, not just my calling. One puts 1000 to flight and two puts 10,000. We will have exponential impact when we both function in our giftings to build the vision He has called us to!” With those words, my husband empowered me to serve God in a way that has been more fulfilling than I ever dreamed pastoring could be. In the 60

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last 18-plus years, Joe and I have built an awesome, bigger-than-our-dreams church, and the greatest joy is that we have done it together!

One of our life verses for ministering together is Philippians 1:27 (ESV): “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.”

The word striving is interesting. To strive means 1) to make great efforts to achieve or obtain something, and 2) to struggle or fight vigorously.

Whenever two Type A personalities come together in a marriage, as well as in a ministry, the results often end up with the second definition of striving side by side. Striving can mean struggling, when instead God wants our striving to be thriving. It is far too

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easy for a couple serving together in ministry to allow their passion and drive to blur the lines between building a church and raising a family. Despite all their gifting and experience, we have seen some great ministry couples simply unable to prevent the frustrations of the workplace from bleeding into their home.

Ministering side by side requires consistent investment, cultivation, intentionality, selflessness, and at times, God’s intervention. The following are three simple truths that have helped our marriage thrive over the years, despite all the opposing forces that serving in ministry together can bring: W E A RE A COUPL E FIRS T, A ND A MINIS T RY SECOND. While serving in ministry together, we as couples must make a commitment to always keep our romantic feelings for each other alive—the ones we had before church budgets and board meetings! Dating, whether you choose to do so during the day or night, must remain a necessity. Do not confuse eating, sleeping, and working together with spending quality time together. Invest in and keep your connection with each other as unified as possible.

W E A RE CO-L A BORERS, NO T COMPE TIT ORS. Learn to celebrate the complementary gifts God has given to each of you. I often refer to Joe as the lead visionary and communicator, while I am the lead implementor. Over the years I’ve put strategy, systems, and staff in place to carry out what God has put in Joe’s (and our) heart. It doesn’t matter who gets the credit! We are each other’s biggest fans, and he never ceases to impress me with strengths that I do not possess. He feels the same way about my strengths and me. I love office meetings; he loves meeting people

and receiving the heart of God for what our church needs spiritually. We both love pastoring, but he is a true shepherd through and through.

W E A RE INDIV ISIBL E. As couples in ministry, we can tend to have strong individual opinions about a variety of things. But it is imperative that we have an even stronger resolve to always be quick to forgive. There is no place for low blows. Fighting fair is when you can learn to love and respect each other as God has demonstrated to us all.

Today, I would like to challenge your spouse and you to pause, just as Joe and I had to, and ask the following questions of each other: Are our priorities in order?

Are we spending too much time on church matters?

Is there any romance in our marriage?

How are we encouraging one another in our individual roles?

Lori Champion, along with her husband, Joe, pastor Celebration Church in Austin, TX. They also have a ministry called 2Strong dedicated to strengthening couples who serve together in full-time ministry, through round-table events. They have served on the ARC Lead team for 16 years. They have three adult sons and a daughter-in-law who all love serving in their church! For more information, visit Celebration.

Church or 2Strong.org.

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H IS

TRUE

AVING

A

FATHER

(OR

SPIRITUAL MOTHER)

IS A BLESSING. THIS FOR

NON-PASTORS

PASTORS ALIKE.

AND

HAVING

SOMEONE SPEAK LIFE, ENCOURAGEMENT, AND BIBLICAL TRUTHS INTO YOUR LIFE CAN PRODUCE GREAT REWARDS. THE ARC FAMILY IS FULL OF SPIRITUAL FATHERS AND SONS AND SPIRITUAL MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS. WE SAT DOWN WITH ARC PRESIDENT, GREG SURRATT, AND ARC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DINO RIZZO, TO LEARN ABOUT WHAT A SPIRITUAL FATHER IS AND HOW A SON CAN LOOK TO BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH A SPIRITUAL FATHER. ARCCHURCHES.COM

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WHAT DOES IT ME AN TO BE A SPIRITUAL FATHER?

greg: It's not that unlike being a natural father. Fathers protect, encourage, and guide. I think a spiritual father does the same thing. Just because you're 30 or 40 years old and planting a church doesn't mean you don't need a cheerleader on your team.

You need somebody who wants to encourage you, who will protect you, and who will help to provide for you. I think we all need that. dino: I think of love and responsibility all merged together. It's a huge responsibility to be a father.

And you can't do it without love.

When I became a father to my family, I didn't know what I was getting into. I mean, these kids show up! The more that you are in it, the more you begin to realize the responsibility of fathering.

It's the same experience in ministry for pastors or leaders.

HOW DO YOU BECOME A SPIRITUAL FATHER , OR HOW DOES SOMEONE GAIN A SPIRITUAL FATHER?

dino: I had this discussion the other day with one of my friends.

He said someone had asked him to be his pastor. And I thought, “That's even different from saying, ‘You're my father.’” A lot of guys have somebody who pastors them. But fathering is a different thing. I may say, "Can you be my pastor?" But I can't say, "Hey, can 64

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“It's a huge responsibility to be a father.

And you can't do it without love.”

you be my spiritual father?" That comes out of a relationship, which takes time. greg: For some people, it may be very simple. For me, it's difficult. I think it needs to be organic. When I raised four children, I knew I was their father. But in spiritual fathering it's more like adoption, in a sense. dino: John Osteen, Joel Osteen’s father, called it “divine flow.” There’s this divine thing happening back and forth. There’s probably a little bit of covenant in there.

Fathers and sons have permission to speak freely, be honest, and encourage one another.

DO YOU HAVE A SPIRITUAL FATHER IN YOUR LIFE? WHAT DOES THAT REL ATIONSHIP LOOK LIKE? dino: My father-in-law, Wayne Austin, has been a spiritual father. The older I've gotten, I'm understanding the value of it. Dave Ohlerking was a spiritual father of missions in my life. I look to Pastor Greg as a spiritual big brother, which is huge. greg: I have never been directly asked that, but yes, I had a spiritual father. He was my uncle. He wouldn't call himself a spiritual father to me, but he was. He was a guy who was on my team, who cheered for me when other people thought that maybe my ideas were crazy, who was able to speak truth into my life, and who had a major impact on me.

“You need somebody who wants to encourage you, who will protect you, and who will help to provide for you.”

WHEN DID YOU FEEL THE SC ALE TIP FROM “I’M WORKING TO BUILD THE KINGDOM” TO “WE’ VE GOT TO HELP OTHERS BUILD?” dino: It's not an age. I think it's a season.

You come to a place in your life—Billy Hornsby said it well, and Pastor Greg says it all the time—when you start realizing, ARCCHURCHES.COM

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"Wow, I'm grateful for the fruit that has grown on my tree; it’s time to grow fruit on other people's trees." It’s a big topic of conversation within ARC right now. greg: Just a few years ago I saw my role changing. My role had been, “I’m going to take the hill and build the kingdom!” Which is good. But I woke up one day and thought, “I'm not sure I want to take the next hill right here, right now.”

And as I worked through this process, I realized that my life was transitioning from being a king to be a sage. There are kings who have kingdoms and there are warriors in the kingdom, but sages don't have their own kingdoms necessarily. They are advisors to many, many kings.

That's what I see the rest of my life being—whatever it is I've learned, I want to pass on a little bit, or be an encouragement to whoever's coming next. dino: I've always felt that if you've been the recipient of it and if you've benefited from it, then start doing it. It's not an age. It is an experience, a trusted place.

You've got to get some mileage and have some wins and some losses. If you’re not ready to father, start brothering. Go ahead and start.

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greg: I agree—start where you are.

HOW WOULD YOU ENCOUR AGE SOMEONE WHO IS LOOKING FOR A SPIRITUAL FATHER? WHAT WOULD YOU TELL HIM TO DO?

there for you? Sometimes you need to start with the obvious. Is there someone already there who is in that role, or trying to be in that role? There are no perfect fathers. There may be people in your life, and you don’t realize it right now.

God has a way of providing.

dino: I always tell guys, “Take inventory of your life.” Is there someone in your life who has been

I think there are a lot of guys out there who, when they say, "I need a spiritual father,” truly mean they

“If you’re not ready to father, start brothering.” need a safe place for someone to listen, and then maybe give some commentary. I tell guys all the time, "I can't make your decision, but this is what I would do if I were in your situation.” greg: You’ve just got to look around. Who’s investing in you right now? dino: Sometimes it's seasonal. Somebody is fathering you in your life, and then suddenly, in another decade, there's someone else. It's the same with pastoring. There are several pastors who have pastored me throughout my life. Some have pastored me from a distance. Some have pastored me in one area of my life. I've had guys father me in an area spiritually, but then I've looked to someone else who’s helped me to be a father to my own kids. You want to be able to make those transitions in your life and in the right seasons of your life. greg: You need somebody in your corner even when you screw up. Maybe especially when you screw up. There have been several

times in my life when I've known people who made terrible decisions. And God prompted me to realize, “You know what, they need a friend.” You just need to go in and be their cheerleader. Even if you know they did something stupid. They don't need to hear that from you. They just need you to be an encouragement to them. I think that's part of what a dad does.

You may be in a season right now when you'd love to be a father, you'd love to be a help to other people, and you're going to do the best you can, but you've got a church to build, and you've got a family to build.

And that's okay—you're building a kingdom. That's what God has called you to do right now. There will be seasons of your life, and sometimes they ebb and flow, when you'll have more discretionary time. You'll actually be able to sleep through the night without changing a diaper. And that's okay.

Don't get hung up in the "should haves." Be present in whatever season God has you in right now.

Greg Surratt is the Founding Pastor of Seacoast Church in Charleston, SC, and President of the Association of Related Churches. Greg led Seacoast as it grew from one campus to many, as Seacoast became one of the first churches to pioneer the multi-site approach to the weekend experience. Greg has a heart to father the next generation of pastors and equip and grow the local church around the world. To learn more, visit seacoast.org.

Dino Rizzo is the Founding Pastor of Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, LA, and Executive Director of the Association of Related Churches. Dino has a passion for the local church and serving the poor and the broken with the love and hope of Jesus. He has been a driving force behind the SERVE Day movement, and author of Servolution and Serve Your City. To learn more, visit serveday.com.

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UNIT A VISION OF

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We sat down with Jason Law, President of World Compassion, to talk about what unity looks like and how it’s changing the culture of the local church.

In the first part of John 17, Jesus is praying for His immediate disciples, His 12. In the second part, He’s praying for everybody—every believer—that they will come to know the Father through Jesus Christ. He says, “God I pray that they are one, just as you and I are one.”

I believe we are one in Christ—with those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are united spiritually. I believe there is another piece that has not yet come to fruition—when he says, “God I pray that they are one, as you and I are one, so that the world may know that you sent me.”

This proves the sonship of Jesus. When the world sees us functioning together as one, they see Jesus the son, and they see that God sent Him. Also, it proves to the world that God loves them just as he loved His son.

At what level can we express our love for one another so it proves to the world that God loves them just as He loved His son? It must be big and powerful enough for the world to take notice. When they can see churches and ministries, in the context of the city, working together at such a level, then the world—our cities—must take notice.

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There are four pillars that help create lanes for structure and begin putting legs to the vision of unity that we want to see come to reality.

REL ATIONSHIP S First, we must have a vertical relationship with God the Father, but we also must focus on relationships between church leaders in the city. I believe the local church is the Body of Christ within a certain geographic region.

There are different congregations throughout the city, and those collectively are what make the local church.

Creating trusted relationships between church leaders is the backbone to seeing unity take place.

From that place of trust, we can move forward, begin to do things together, and mobilize the Body of Christ.

Psalm 133 says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments.…

For there the Lord commanded the blessing—Life forevermore.”

Aaron was a priestly leader, appointed

by Moses. I believe this Scripture in Psalms show us that unity is driven by the Holy Spirit. No man can do it; we can only respond to it. I believe God is pouring out a move of unity over His Church, and it’s going to start with His priestly leaders—the pastors.

We began working on the Unite My City initiative years ago. I was in talks with Pastor Michael Todd at 70

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“ WHEN THE WORLD SEES US FUNCTIONING TOGETHER AS ONE, THEY SEE JESUS THE SON...”

Transformation Church (Tulsa, OK) about hosting a racial healing panel, when the Terence Crutcher shooting took place here in Tulsa. [On September 16, 2016, Terence Crutcher was shot and killed by a police officer while standing in the middle of a street near his vehicle.]

Pastor Michael called me and said, “Now is the time. We can’t wait two months to plan this; we’ve got to do something now.”

I agreed. We decided to hold a breakfast at Transformation Church, and 72 lead pastors from around the city came together.

We talked about racial reconciliation for our city, but more importantly, we divided into

small groups and everyone asked each other questions and listened to one another. Some amazing stories came out of that time.

There was a Nazarene pastor there who had pastored the officer who fired the shot.

Terrence Crutcher’s cousin, who also is a pastor in town, was at the meeting. These pastors didn’t know each other at all but randomly ended up in the same group. God was in that moment. Today, three years later, these pastors still talk. They’ve done pulpit swaps and have developed relationships.

There is good coming out of that situation that I believe ultimately is leading to sustainable healing for our city.

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PR AY ER Once you’re in relationship with one another, you can trust each other enough to pray together. Not only pray because there’s a crisis but come together and get your hearts to a place of one accord.

In the Upper Room, the apostles were first in one accord. When they prayed, the power of the Holy Spirit came. I think that order is important. If we want God to work in our hearts, and we want revival to hit our cities, it’s time to get to a place of one accord. From that place, we can seek God’s direction for what He wants to do in our city together.

Unity is not uniformity. Biblical unity is about rallying around one purpose without sacrificing individuality. ARC does a beautiful job of articulating this. We’re all created in uniqueness, but when we come together in prayer, seeking God’s direction for what he wants to do in the city, then He’s going to align hearts to take on causes (which is the fourth pillar). I believe anything significant is going to be birthed and sustained from a place of prayer.

WORSHIP Worship is a unifier. There are different expressions and styles. Some people prefer loud music, some more hymnal music, and others like something in between—but regardless, music is a unifier. We conduct Unite My City worship nights, or “One Voice.” It’s an intentional time when our minds are focused on glorifying God. We’re not coming together as this church or that church, but to worship as the Body of Christ. It allows not just the pastors to build relationship with one another but the congregations, too.

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These are diverse congregations coming together to worship the father with one voice. We’re seeing churches conduct joint congregational worship events where predominately white congregations and primarily black congregations are now spending time together, sitting together, and worshiping together.

As Michael Todd puts it, “There’s no end to the impact that we can have if the Church comes together in unity…. It will create a different culture.”

I believe there’s something spiritually significant and powerful when we choose to intentionally come together. These events are an opportunity for us to remain not merely Kingdom-minded, but Kingdom-focused. I believe that we’re going to see our local arena filled one day. Not because we bring in a bigname artist, but because there’s a genuine desire for the local church of our city to come together and glorify Jesus.

We call it Unite My City because each of us has a personal responsibility to do something to bring the spirit of unity. The first three pillars strengthen the unity of the church. Then the church is ready to get outside of the walls.

SERV E When we come together and hit the streets in unity, our unity becomes missional. We are going to come out in such force and show such power and oneness, that the world around us will take notice. They cannot deny God’s love because they’re seeing people who once might have been segregated from one another now coming together and serving out of a heart of love and unity. They simply must be a part of it!

“ THAT’S OUR WHOLE AIM —TO CRE ATE A FAVOR ABLE IMPRESSION OF JESUS CHRIST IN THE EYES OF THE WORLD.” Last year, we held our first Serve Day, and 33 churches participated. It was incredible to see the impact the Church can make when we come together as one. We saw churches rally around local schools that desperately needed our help, and the city took notice.

Practically, we as the Church can take on issues together that seem overwhelming alone. We can begin to take things off the plate of the government and capture the world’s attention. The church could eliminate the need for foster care, tackle homelessness, or support our low-income schools. Not one church nor one denomination will get credit for it, but Jesus will. That’s our whole aim— to create a favorable impression of Jesus Christ in the eyes of the world.

My heart is that people grab this mission and that it reaches a demographic of the church that may not be having this conversation. It is more than a message; I hope it becomes a movement in cities around the world.

To learn more about the Unite My City movement or to purchase the book, Unite My City, visit unitemycity.tv.

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Equip T HE RE SOURCE S

T HE A RC FA MILY IS F UL L OF T R E ME NDOU S WISDOM AND RESOURCES TO DR AW FROM. WE AIM TO GATHER A WE A LTH OF GRE AT TE ACHING AND TR AINING ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS AROUND MINISTRY AND LIFE. WE HOPE YOU WILL READ AND SHARE! WE LOVE TO SEE PAS TORS GROW HE A LTHIER AS LE ADERS, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT IS WHAT MAKES CHURCHES THRIVE.

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IN T HIS SEC TION

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Faith vs Finance

In ministry, finances always seem to be an issue, whether you’re starting a church, trying to hire a staff member, or advancing your vision. Sometimes it can feel like faith and finance are competing.

by Todd and Julie Mullins

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Authentically You

Often when desiring to be better leaders, we compare our lives, churches, and leadership styles to those around us who are seemingly perfect, and try to copy the lives that they live.

by Tim Timberlake

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Building a Healthy Staff Culture

“We don’t use people to get ministry done. We use ministry to get people done.” I’ll never forget hearing these two sentences at my first leadership conference.

by Darrin Patrick

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Therefore Go

We were filled with incredible expectation about the next step on our journey, planting a church in Memphis, TN. We didn’t fully know what we were getting into, but we were ready to embrace this new chapter.

by John and Leslie Siebeling

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6 Practices of a Great Staff Meeting

by Nate Puccini Substance Church

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W E E AT T OGE T HER. There is nothing like taking extra time to enjoy a meal before or after our staff meeting. We realize that as we grow, size affects what this looks like, but it’s been helpful to reinforce community as a team.

W E PR AY A ND WORSHIP T OGE T HER. Often we are so focused on ministry strategy and execution that prayer and worship can be missed. We love prioritizing moments to connect spiritually. These spaces have included prayer for one another and the church, prophetic moments, and incredible instances of surrender. If we are linked in spiritual unity, it is so much easier to overcome offenses, negotiate, and fight for each other.

W E RE S TAT E T HE V ISION. We clarify where are we going, why are we going there, and how we are going to get there. Vision drift is a real thing, and so we use this time for constant alignment. We also share the organizational progress made toward the vision; the goal is to keep our teams aligned with it.

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0 4.

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W E REINFORCE BEH AV IOR A L VA L UE S. We talk about expectations for staff behavior in relationship to our organizational values. We teach why and how we behave as staff members. We cover topics including conflict management, communication, work ethic, teamwork, and the overall staff member scorecard.

W E CEL EBR AT E T RUE WINS. We celebrate stories of lives transformed. We don’t simply share stories of staff doing their jobs and organizational execution, but we talk about the life transformation that is happening in relation to the mission and vision.

W E HONOR A ND PR AY FOR OUR L E A D PA S T ORS. This commitment reminds us that we are all here to serve a vision that God has given to our senior leaders. It is not fake or false honor, but rather a beautiful way to come around and lift up our pastors.

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Resources

GROW

growleader.com

by Hillsong Church hillsong.com

BE INCL USIV E OF E V ERYONE. SE T T HE RIGH T K IND OF AT MOSPHERE.

TEAM CHURCH CONFERENCE Aug 5-7, 2019

REMEMBER T H AT YOUR ROL E IS A BOU T SERV ING. PUSH T HROUGH NERV E S A ND FE A R. PREPA R ATION IS WORSHIP T OO. GRO W YOUR O W N PERSON A L L E A DERSHIP. BE YOUR AU T HEN TIC SEL F. L E T YOUR COUN T EN A NCE SHO W T H AT YOU L OV E JE SUS !

MAKE ROOM WHITE BOARD SESSIONS with John Siebeling

BE A GOOD S T E WA RD OF YOUR GIF T. SPE A K PURPOSEFUL LY A ND BIBLICA L LY. DON’ T ONLY WORSHIP ON SUNDAYS. L E A RN T O L AUGH AT YOUR MIS TA K E S.

UNITE MY CITY

by Jason Law

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5 Event Essentials

Resources

by ARC Events Team arcchurches.com

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DEFINE T HE PURPOSE. An event is an investment, so define its purpose from the very beginning. Ask: Who is our target audience, what is the purpose for gathering them, and what is the take away?

HONOR T H Y BUDGE T. Honoring the budget is practically an event commandment.

Establish the budget up front, and then plan. Use the budget as a guide, but don’t let it kill your big ideas.

LIV E BY T HE CHECK LIS T. A checklist is your BFF, even for something you do regularly at your church, like water baptism. The events you conduct most often tend to be the ones where you end up slacking, and eventually you’ll find yourself on a baptism Sunday with no towels and a bunch of fingers pointing. You can think through details ahead of time, but if no one is looking at a checklist on event day, there is no guarantee you won’t find yourself in an “uh oh” moment.

CH A MPION T HE DE TAIL S. Paying attention to the smallest detail has less to do with perfectionism and more to do with creating a quality experience for the attendee. Overlooking a simple detail like not having an adequate number of trash cans for an event may seem small, but overflowing trash cans kill the vibe quickly.

Envision the event from start to finish as an attendee, rehearsing it until you are confident all details are covered.

DE V EL OP T HE BE S T E V EN T S T E A M. Build a team! Your event execution is as good as your team.

Whether staff or volunteers, define team member roles and train them in advance. Between set-up, serving, trash duty, restocking, bathroom checks, and tear-down, there truly is always something to be done.

WHAT’S NEXT

by Chris Hodges

THE HOLY SPIRIT TODAY

by John Siebeling

HOPE IN THE DARK

by Craig Groeschel

NEXT LEVEL CONFERENCE

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How to Create an Outreach in 5 Simple Steps

by JP Brumfield yourbestlife.me

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0 4.

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FIND A NEED Needs are everywhere. We simply must take time to notice them. Often outreach ideas come from needs we personally have experienced, such as requiring some help with the yard, food in the pantry, or even a stick of gum after a garlic-heavy meal. Ask God to reveal needs to you that He would have you help meet.

CA N YOU MEE T IT PR AC TICA L LY ?

If you’re tackling a need, big or small, break down some practical steps to meet it.

W EIGH QUA N TIT Y A ND QUA LIT Y Some ideas for service are designed to brighten the days of a load of people at a quick pace—for example, giving out 1000 cups of hot chocolate at a busy street corner on a cold day. Other ideas are designed to make a deep impact in the lives of a few people, such as completing an extreme home makeover for a single mom and her kids. And some ideas are a combination of the two. Both kinds of ideas are important and have a place in serving. Take some time to define your outreach goal.

ENSURE IT ’S VOL UN T EER FRIENDLY Consider whom you will invite to participate in your outreach and that their experiences will be worthwhile. Make sure everyone gets a chance to add value, that their time is honored, and that they want to come back to serve again.

A SK YOURSEL F, “ WIL L T HIS IDE A T RULY SH A RE JE SUS’S L OV E WIT H SOMEONE ? ” Some outreach ideas can be fantastic, but if they aren’t centered on Jesus, they’ll result in wasted effort. Take some time to pray and seek Jesus’s heart before going out and making any moves. Your service must be all about His heart for people!

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The 5 Pillars of Social Media for Smaller Churches prochurchtools.com

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DON’ T DO IT A L L You’re a smaller church with limited resources. The worst thing you can do is go out and sign up for five new social media accounts. Start with only up to three social media accounts. We started with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Of those three, I recommend beginning with Facebook first, Instagram second and Twitter third. Despite what you may have heard, Facebook is still the biggest player in social media and more of your church will be on Facebook than anywhere else.

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BE YOURSEL F Your social media personality needs to be an accurate reflection of your church. By having a presence on social media, people will begin to get a feel for who you are based on your posts and interactions. Over time they may even make a decision to check out your church. But what could be worse than someone coming to your church and realizing your services are nothing like the persona you shaped on social media?

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GIV E VA L UE People don’t care what you have to say. That’s the bottom line and it’s the truth. Don’t flood people’s timelines with your events and how awesome your church is. Listen to what people are saying, learn about people and understand them, then post things that will be useful to them. Choose to be the church that isn’t always talking about themselves.

Be the church that cares for others.

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0 4.

LIS T EN The biggest benefit social media will bring to your church is the opportunity to listen. But this doesn’t happen automatically. Just like in real life, people are prone to speak more than they listen. It’s important that you actively fight this tendency and focus most of your efforts on listening to what others are saying. Once you know what people are saying, you’ll be able to respond in a way that is helpful to them. But it all starts with intentional listening.

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REPE AT It’s very likely that in six months, even if you follow every step, you may feel like that you’ve made no headway.

Social media may be a newer technology, but it is by no means a quick fix.

Just like a regular relationship, it takes time to build trust and it takes time to build a presence on social media. Just work at it, be persistent and most of all be consistent. It won’t happen overnight, but the worst thing you can do is to start, and then quit because everything didn’t happen at once.

Remember that social media isn’t a fad – it’s here to stay. It will play a central role in your church’s communication for years to come.

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God’s Not Just Building Our Churches, He’s Building Us!

by Carolyn Haas

IF SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME in 2008,

“You’re going to grow by more than 1000 members in a single year,” I wouldn’t believe her. If someone had told me in 2011, “You’re going to lose close to 1000 members” (a third of our church), I again wouldn’t believe him.

Yet both of these things happened. Leading a church is a roller coaster ride.

If someone told me in 2010, “You’ll raise $5 million in cash, yet not be able to purchase property for five years,” I would have responded, “How could this be?” And if someone told me in 2016, “You’ll supernaturally acquire two giant buildings worth tens of millions of dollars,” again I’d say, “How could this be?”

Substance was ARC church plant number 15. Our growth started slowly—we gained approximately 120 people in the first three years. We finally hit our explosive growth 84

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years and expanded to seven services in four large locations. At that time, it seemed like we could do no wrong. Then we hit a fiveyear season when we couldn’t get a win to save our lives. We lost half of our staff and had to shut down campuses. And now, we’re in the middle of the biggest growth spurt in our church’s history. Our church record label is thriving, and we can’t even keep up with our growth.

Looking back, we’ve learned that church growth requires a far more elaborate formula than Peter and I once imagined. You must be the right leader in the right place at the right time, with the right message, method, and inner circle of leaders. And if all these elements line up, boom! You have growth—hopefully.

I’m convinced that many leaders stumble upon these six criteria by accident or by

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“In fact, He loves us too much to give us success that we’re not ready to handle.”

providence; yet, over time, all of us will hit plateaus when God requires us to meticulously cultivate each of them. In fact, He loves us too much to give us success that we’re not ready to handle. Quite simply, God has a more important agenda than building our churches: He’s building us!

Recently, there was an international pastor who lost his 2000-member church due to government persecution. As we’ve processed this tragedy, it’s caused us to take a deep breath and ask the question, Why are we doing ministry? Would we still do it if it was all gone tomorrow? Are we truly living for eternity?

end of the day, “[Your] soul finds rest in God alone” (Psalm 62:1). And there is no leadership circumstance that can solve this.

As Christ once said to his church in Pergamum, “I know where you live, where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name” (Revelation 2:13). Think about that: God knows where we live. He knows our resources. He knows our obstacles. He knows our season of harvest.

No matter what season you’re in, simply remain true to His name, and God will write a story that people will talk about forever.

Here’s some advice that will serve you well: Don’t let your self-esteem ride the roller coaster of church growth (or lack thereof).

And don’t get your sense of value from the numbers.

God has a completely different plan for all of us. The Apostle Paul said, “At the proper time you will reap a harvest” (Galatians 6:9).

There is a proper time as well as an improper time for a harvest. And God’s timeline is often different from our timeline. At the

Peter and Carolyn Haas are the pastors of Substance Church in Spring Lake Park, MN. Since planting their church in 2004, they have grown to multiple campuses. They are not afraid to approach church differently and believe that the greatest miracles are yet to come. To learn more about what’s going on in the Twin Cities and beyond, visit substancechurch.com.

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Faith vs Finance

by Todd and Julie Mullins

IN MINISTRY, FINANCES ALWAYS seem to

be an issue, whether you’re starting a church, trying to hire a staff member, or advancing your vision. Sometimes it can feel like faith and finance are competing. The question is—how do you navigate the two? How do you integrate them? Instead of looking at faith versus finance, maybe it’s time to consider faith and finance. It’s not a question of either/or; it’s both/and.

But the two sometimes cause tension, right?

We have big dreams of what we know God’s calling us to do, and then we are faced with the realities that are in our bank account. If you can manage and master this tension, you 86

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will experience expansion and growth, personally and as a church.

Here are a few tools we’ve learned along the way that have helped us to master this tension of faith versus finance.

1. PRINCIPL E S Choose to be wise and start looking for insight in Scripture. We’ve learned along the way to look especially for God’s principles of stewardship when considering our church and personal budgets.

We know from God’s Word that God calls us to give first, right? We are always going to

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ensure that we give, and that we’re faithful to give. Give the first ten percent, save next, and then spend. It’s only after those first two practices occur that we begin spending.

2. PR AY ER God wants to speak to you. He wants to guide you. And if you are in spiritual leadership in your church, He has a specific vision and a word that He wants to give you. Jesus said, “My sheep know my voice.” As His sheep we want to hear His voice.

And as a senior leader, you must have that sense of “Godfidence”—that God is breathing on this word, and He’s leading you into this calling so that when you step up, you say, “I heard from the Lord on this. God is guiding us to do this.”

3. PEOPL E You must have the right people around you when you’re making these decisions. You must bounce ideas off the right counsel.

Proverbs 15:22 says that “plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed.” You must have the many advisors.

Bringing them along in the process helps you make better decisions today.

We know our leaders can’t take people places that they haven’t been. This principle goes for every area of ministry—spiritually and in generosity. If you invest in people and help them get where they need to go, when you’re casting vision for something, these people are going to parrot what you say because they have the heart behind it. So spend time on them.

4. PERSPEC TIV E Know where you are, where you’ve been, and where you’re going—that’s what perspective is. You must have this understanding. Most

“You must understand where you are so you can get where you want to go.”

people do not have a clear understanding of where they are financially. We’re talking about faith, not blind faith. The Bible says watch and pray. You’re going to pray in faith, but you’re watching what’s happening. You must understand where you are so you can get where you want to go.

Putting these principles in practice will take you to a place of freedom to be able to step up and obey God; do what God is calling you to do; and be that life-giving church in your city, your community, and beyond in Jesus’s name.

Todd and Julie Mullins are members of the ARC Lead Team and pastors of Christ Fellowship Church, a multi-ethnic congregation gathering in nine campuses throughout South Florida with more than 27,000 in attendance each week. To learn more visit gochristfellowship.com and to listen to this ARC Conference App Session in full, visit media.arcchurches.com.

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Authentically You

by Tim Timberlake

OFTEN WHEN DESIRING to be better lead-

ers, we compare our lives, churches, and leadership styles to those around us who are seemingly perfect, and try to copy the lives that they live. Instead, we must accept the people we are, from our greatest strengths to our greatest weaknesses. If we always compare, we will never be content and thankful for who God made us to be.

The comparisons game can be very dangerous to our spiritual growth. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 10:12, “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.”

In Genesis 25:27-31, we can learn a lot from Jacob: “As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter. He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home. Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought 88

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home, but Rebekah loved Jacob. One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. Esau said to Jacob, ‘I’m starved!

Give me some of that red stew!’ (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means ‘red.’) ‘All right,’ Jacob replied, ‘but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.’”

Comparing himself with his brother with such a skewed perspective, it’s no wonder Jacob tried to take what Esau had. The Bible describes Esau as a real “man’s man,” and the favorite son of his father. Jacob, on the other hand, was a plain man who lived in tents and made soup—a “mama’s boy.” Not very impressive sounding, is it?

But for all his manly strength, Esau lacked Jacob’s intelligence. Jacob had no trouble figuring this out, nor did he have any qualms about adopting his superior intellect—a misuse of his gift from God—to get what he wanted. Much like Jacob, when we don’t like who we are or what we do, we begin

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to compare our lives to the lives of others.

When we make such comparisons, almost without fail we find that other people seem to have better lives than we, and we try to capture what they have and transform ourselves into something we’re not. The problem here is that we can never be who God intended us to be if we’re struggling with all our might to be like someone else.

Instead of comparing and wanting to be a “more successful leader” by man’s standards, can we agree to try a different approach?

Can we agree to lay aside the man-made mentality of who we “should” be and cooperate with God and His version of who we already are? You are a rare, one-of-a-kind, world-changing leader. It’s time you started believing that.

But how?

BE T H A NK FUL FOR BEING DIFFEREN T. Psalms 139:14 says, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

The next time you find that you’re comparing yourself with someone else, remind yourself that you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

You must let that truth sink in: You are one of a kind.

RE A LIZE NOBODY ’S PERFEC T. According to Psalm 119:96, “Nothing is perfect except God’s Word.”

Therefore, build your life on God’s Word and not the lives of others.

“The comparisons game can be very dangerous to our spiritual growth.”

L E T GOD H A NDL E T HINGS. At the root of perfectionism is the desire to control. You think that if you can simply control things, then they’ll be perfect.

Proverbs 14:30 says, “A relaxed attitude lengthens a man’s life.” Paul said it like this: “I’ve learned to be content in whatever situation I am. I’ve learned to be content no matter what state I’m in.”

Notice he says, “learned.” I, by nature, am not a contented person. I, by nature, am discontented. So are you. It is not human nature to be content. It’s something you must learn.

Tim Timberlake, along with his wife Jennifer, serve as the lead pastors of Christian Faith Center in Creedmoor, NC. He has the ability to minister to people of all cultures and generations, and a vision and heart for helping people meet Jesus. To learn more, visit christianfaithcenternc.com.

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“ We don’t use people to get ministry done. We use ministry to get people done.” I’ll never forget hearing these two sentences at my first leadership conference. What an amazing call to leadership depth! How encouraging that it might be possible to develop the people doing the ministry, and not merely use their skills to build the ministry.

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At the time, I was in my 20s and serving as a youth pastor at a new church plant. I had no budget to draw from and no buildings to meet in. We had 12 students—nine didn’t want to be there and three weren’t sure. I had a plan but needed a team. I somehow convinced (deceived) some parents and college students to serve as leaders in this fledgling ministry. We had nothing but each other! I poured into my leaders, and God began to grow the leaders along with the ministry.

Fast forward seven years. I was now being sent out of this church to plant another church across our state. I was moving from the third chair to the first chair in leadership speak.

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As my wife and one-year-old daughter parachuted into our new city, we began to meet people. This was in 2001 before good church planting training existed. Church planting in those days was like the opening scene to the movie Saving Private Ryan. It was brutal and bloody and 70 percent of church plants didn’t survive. ARC and other networks were just getting started, but few systems had proven structures to be replicated. We, like many others, were making it up as we went along. Nevertheless, we determined to charge hell with a water pistol, and Jesus honored his promise to build His church.

The church began to grow. In less than 10 years the church grew from one location to four, sent three church planting teams, and helped to birth two nonprofits. The dream was happening, the vision was alive, and the Spirit was on the move! I was being asked to speak nationally and internationally about all that God was doing in our great city. I wrote two books about church planting and was emerging as a thought leader in church planting world.

Be careful what you wish for. I loved that God was saving sinners and that our ministries were building the saints, but something was being lost in my leadership as our church began to grow.

My son Drew is 12 years old. He currently is 5’3” and very frustrated about it. His friends have grown, and his responsibilities have grown—he desperately wants his height to join the party. Growth does things to your body. Drew is starting to experience strange pains in his legs and back and the glory of acne. His feet are starting to smell like death incarnate. The question is not will Drew grow, but whether he will be able to thrive as he grows.

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“ The real question is whether we will develop our staff and leaders as our churches grow.”

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This is our question as well, pastors. Your church will grow.

Jesus promised it, He called you, and He will be faithful. The real question is whether we will develop our staff and leaders as our churches grow. Will we create an environment where people become all that they can as they sacrifice for all that the church should be?

Leadership is about managing tensions. At that same leadership conference I heard another phrase that helped me: “There are problems to be solved and tensions to be managed.” Wise leaders, the speaker said, know the difference between a problem and a tension.

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Certainly, there are leadership problems. Securing a permanent facility is a problem to be solved, as is hiring a worship leader or counseling a couple whose marriage is on the rocks.

But there also are tensions in ministry that must be managed.

What comes to your mind when you hear the word tension?

Maybe you go to the physical and imagine pulling a tan rubber band with fingers from opposite hands. Perhaps you go to the emotional and think about the kind of unrest and imbalance you feel in your soul regarding a hard decision. Tension is the result of something being pulled from two opposing directions. You can’t solve tension; you only can manage it.

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I lost my way when failing to manage leadership tensions.

The result was an unhealthy soul and an unhealthy staff. Here are some tensions pastors must manage if they aim to not use leaders but develop them.

Solitude versus community Our Messiah is our model for ministry. Jesus not only showed the mission, but demonstrated how to lead it. He managed the tension of being with God the Father and with His leaders.

He would rise early to spend time with God and God alone.

Conversely, Jesus rarely completed a ministry task by Himself, choosing to partner with the disciples to extend the Kingdom of Heaven. A leader can spend too much time alone, resulting in a lack of leadership engagement and empowerment. A leader can spend too much time with people, producing a dry soul that will not inspire for the long haul.

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Fly in versus live with One of the beautiful things about Christian leadership is the plethora of conferences, cohorts, and service opportunities available with other churches and ministries. A leader can travel every single week of the year to gain knowledge that can help her grow her leadership and church.

As I began to train pastors and leaders from other churches, I found training everyone else’s leaders much easier than training my own. It was fun to be the guru with new wisdom. It was also beneficial for our church because I returned excited with new ideas to develop our own staff. Over time, however, I realized that our leaders felt neglected because I was gone being coached and coaching others outside of our church. I was becoming a consultant who visited with our staff instead of a coach who was living with them.

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Wise pastors know that it is easy to become too focused on their church and not learn from others. They also know it is easy to “hide” from the hard work of developing their own leaders by traveling constantly.

Teach versus train Senior pastors talk for a living. We love to make complex truths accessible to real people. We love to give our staff principles to take their leadership to the next level. Teaching is necessary! It is imperative for senior leaders to teach the Bible in ways that connect, inspire, and transform.

We love to teach. For many of us, teaching is easy. It is the icing on the cake of ministry. But training is hard. This is one of the reasons conferences are so popular—we can outsource training to world-class leaders. What a gift! However, just as we don’t tell the church to seek their primary spiritual nutrition from podcast pastors, we should not expect our staff to get their primary leadership training from conferences. We must create and catalyze an environment of development.

Vision versus execution There is a war that exists in organizations in general and churches in particular. This war is about what could be, versus what is. It is a battle between a preferred future and an

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The other executive leaders must wrestle the hopes, dreams, and ideas into a strategy that is actionable. Ideas must be deliverable. Vision and execution can thrive in the hearts of humble leaders who both listen to each other and are willing to prefer one another.

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One of the best things for a human being to do is put himself in the shoes of another—to imagine his middle-class self as poor or his healthy body as broken fuels gratitude. The same is true for our leaders.

Remember what it was like to work on a church staff rather than lead a church or a ministry? Remember how you longed to be taught, trained, and valued? For many of us, the shoe is on the other foot now. We are leading people. We are the ones being looked to for guidance. Many people would give anything to spend time with us.

And we have the opportunity to not use these people to get ministry done, but to use ministry to help them grow.

“ Jesus rarely completed a ministry task by himself, choosing to partner with the disciples to extend the Kingdom of Heaven.”

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Darrin Patrick is a teaching pastor at Seacoast Church in Charleston, SC. He is the founding pastor of The Journey Church and former chaplain to the St. Louis Cardinals. To learn more, visit seacoast.org.

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It was June of 1996. As much as I tried, I couldn’t sleep on the overnight Air France flight into Houston. Leslie and I had spent the last three years as missionaries, living and serving in one of the great cities of the world, Nairobi, Kenya.

We were filled with incredible expectation about the next step on our journey, planting a church in Memphis, TN. We didn’t fully know what we were getting into, but we were ready to embrace this new chapter.

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1996—were you born yet? Often these days I am the “old guy” in the room (even though I still feel like I’m 30!), and it’s so exciting to see all our new ARC church planters and the incredible things God is doing through them. It’s amazing how much has changed since 1996. Just to paint a picture, let me give you some reference points.

In 1996 there wasn’t an ARC. There wasn’t an Internet. And it was the last time Dallas won the Super Bowl (sorry Cowboy fans!). Looking back, it can feel like a completely different world—and in a lot of ways it was.

We had no clue what we were doing when we launched The Life Church on November 10, 1996, but an incredible foundation had been laid in our lives. In preparing to be missionaries, we had raised our own financial support, packed an overseas container, and moved to another country—and we’d lived by faith there for three years!

Even though nothing can fully prepare you for being a church planter, what a foundation that experience proved to be for us, in so many ways.

We loved Africa and thoroughly enjoyed our life there. Shortly after Leslie and I were married, we packed everything we owned and brought it with us to Kenya because we thought we might live there for the rest of our lives. We were in it, heart and soul. But over the course of our time there, the Lord began to speak to us about returning to the U.S. to plant a life-giving church. And now, more than two decades later, it’s amazing to look back and see that what started with a heart to reach people in other nations has come full circle as we begin to launch international campuses.

DIVINE CONNECTIONS I am grateful that as a young person I was planted in a church that valued missions and gave me the opportunity to go on short-term mission trips. These trips expand your heart for the world and for reaching people in a way 98

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that’s unlike anything else and help you understand that the world is so much bigger than the piece of land we call home.

Several years ago, we were conducting leadership round tables in Santiago, Chile, with Pastor Robert Barriger, who pastors an amazing church called Camino de Vida in Peru. He’d asked us to come and train leaders from around the country on the principles of church growth. It was an amazing time, and while we were there, I began to feel drawn to Santiago. I asked around to see if there were many life-giving churches and found that in proportion to Santiago’s 5.6 million people, there were relatively few.

During our time there, I shared my heart with Pastor Robert and told him that I would love to plant a campus in Santiago one day. Over the years, God had been stirring my heart with a vision for a network of international campuses that would serve as “hubs” for The Life Church. In addition to being local churches, these hubs would provide leadership development programs and outreach initiatives to meet needs in local communities. They also would function as places where we could send interns to gain hands-on mission experiences and from which we could bring leaders back to our church in the U.S. to learn from us. The picture we saw in our minds was a network of churches

“ God had been stirring my heart with a vision for a network of international campuses that would serve as ‘hubs’ for The Life Church.”

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that would be sending and receiving centers—a bridge between countries where people could travel and build relationships to sustain meaningful, impactful ministry.

When Pastor Robert heard what was in my heart, he immediately suggested a young man, Josh Fuentes, whom he felt would be a great fit as a campus pastor.

He was a young Chilean

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man who’d grown up in church. His father was the leader of a large traditional denomination, so he was well acquainted with the spiritual dynamics of the area and people’s view on religion and church. Josh had spent some time in the States, and during that time he began to sense a stirring to plant a life-giving, vibrant church, focused on reaching the community and making an impact. He

felt God was calling him to return home to Chile and plant such a church in Santiago, but he didn’t know the details of how to move forward.

In the process of pursuing this dream of planting a church in his native Chile, Josh connected with Pastor Robert, and they formed a coaching relationship.

Fast forward a few years, and Josh was one of the

contacts helping Pastor Robert coordinate the round tables we attended in Chile. When Pastor Robert called him to discuss potentially planting a campus of The Life Church, he was very interested. He was engaged to an incredible young woman from Pastor Robert’s church, and they felt compelled to seriously consider the possibility.

We continued to explore what next steps could look like.

Leslie and I fell in love with Josh and Jessica Fuentes and felt like we had a true God-connection. Josh and Jessica agreed, and we put together a plan and a timeline. Shortly after they were married, Josh and Jessica came to Memphis for several weeks to complete our campus pastor training and become familiar with our DNA and culture. It was an incredible time for us to get to know them better, and for them to get to know us. At the end of the training period, Josh and Jessica went back to Chile to launch The Life Church Santiago in 2014.

This May, we’ll celebrate the five-year anniversary of our Santiago location, and it’s amazing to see all God has done!

The church launched with a mere handful of people and in five years has grown to more than 400. Of those 400-plus people, 200 of them serve on a weekly basis, during weekends, with outreach efforts in the community, or in other areas to help build and lead the church. Many of the systems and leadership structures in our Memphis church have been implemented in Santiago, and Josh and Jessica have effectively adapted these practices to the culture in Chile. They are reaching their city in a powerful way, and we’ve seen significant momentum build each year, especially in the areas of youth and leadership development.

“ Planting a campus in Santiago [Chile] is a dream come true, and an exciting step toward fulfilling our vision to reach more people globally.”

FRESH FAITH FOR THE FUTURE Planting a campus in Santiago is a dream come true, and an exciting step toward fulfilling our vision to reach more people globally. But that’s not all. It’s also been a blessing to us and our church in many ways. It’s energized our vision for mission work in other countries, and we’re currently dreaming and strategizing about how we can replicate what we’ve seen take place in Santiago. Josh and Jessica are very much a part of our church, and they contribute a unique strength and perspective, which we love. One of my favorite things about having an international location is the fact that it ARCCHURCHES.COM

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allows us to send interns to Santiago for a medium-term missions experience, anywhere from a few months to a year, as well as host key leaders from our Santiago team in Memphis for leadership training and relationship building.

Every time we go and see all that God is doing in Santiago or hear the stories of lives changed through outreach, we receive fresh fuel on our passion and commitment to invest in missions and church planting around the world. From the start, part of our vision has been to raise leaders and generations to serve God in other countries. The local church is God’s vehicle to bring hope and help to the broken world in which we live, and we’re seeing it happen in Santiago right before our eyes.

GROWING LOCALLY AND GLOBALLY

“ If we want to reach people the way Jesus intends us to, we can’t think only locally— we must think internationally!”

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In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gives his disciples these famous words, known as The Great Commission: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” In Acts 1:8, He tells them: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

In Memphis we’ve launched a Dream Center, and after mapping the city, we envision developing a total of four centers to effectively reach our city and meet the practical needs it’s facing. We have a huge heart for outreach. But it’s so important that we don’t limit our efforts to reach people to our cities and surrounding communities. If we

want to reach people the way Jesus intends us to, we can’t think only locally—we must think internationally!

to do, while remaining wise, strategic, and resourceful. Research, good planning, and receiving wise counsel are invaluable!

How do you know if an international campus is right for you? For those considering the possibility of launching one, here are three essentials to recognize:

Perhaps reaching people internationally is already part of your passion and vision, or maybe it’s something you haven’t thought about and feels far off in terms of feasibility.

Wherever you are on your journey of church planting and reaching people for Jesus, I encourage you to make some room in your heart for nations beyond our own.

1. The right people to lead it. Everything rises and falls on leadership. Your campus pastors will be your eyes, hands, and feet on the ground—literally an extension of you.

Not only should they be capable people of integrity, but also people you feel can “catch and carry” your culture and DNA. Having someone who knows the local area and culture is a huge help, if possible. But most of all, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. There’s nothing like a God-breathed connection and the kind of relationship that comes when you sense a divine flow with someone.

2. The right place. Proverbs 19:21 tells us, “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail” (NLT). I always encourage people to have vision and dream big, but also make a little margin in your plans for God’s purposes. Is there a place to which you feel drawn? Do you have any opportunities or relational connections? Most importantly, ask God to open doors and lead you where He wants you. A God-breathed opportunity is always better than a man-made possibility.

3. The right resources. Luke 14:28-30 reminds us about the importance of counting the cost before we start to build so that we can complete our work with excellence. Anyone who has planted a church knows that it requires resources (and a whole lot of faith), and planting internationally is no exception. But I don’t think wisdom and faith are mutually exclusive. We can be people of faith who boldly follow what God has called them

If you’re not ready to launch an international location, think about some steps you can take to be part of reaching people in other countries. Prayerfully consider sowing financially into an overseas church or mission organization. Short-term mission trips are also a great place to begin. Reaching people internationally always starts with having a heart for it.

Pray for God to open the right doors at the right time, and I’m confident that He will.

I love thinking about what God can—and will—do as we open our hearts and passionately commit to reaching people, both locally and around the world!

John and Leslie Siebeling are the founders and lead pastors of The Life Church in Memphis, TN and serve on the ARC Lead Team. The Life Church is a thriving, multi-cultural body of believers committed to serving people, developing leaders and impacting generations.

The Life Church has continued to grow, adding three campuses in the Mid-South area, and an international campus in Santiago, Chile. To learn more visit, thelifechurch.com.

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LAST WORD

A PARTING THOUGHT

Dear ARC Family,

IT’S SUCH AN HONOR to get to work with so many pastors, churches, and

leaders, from around the country. There is so much wisdom, talent, and knowledge to learn from throughout the ARC Family. We hope you found something helpful or inspiring in this edition of the ARC Magazine. We loved putting it together for you!

Thank you to everyone who contributed! It is so important to take the wisdom we have gained and share it with others. We are always looking for resources and stories to share throughout the year like; testimonies, community impact stories, event success, new music, books, or podcasts. If you have something you would like to share, or if you are interested in writing for our different platforms, please reach out to share@arcchurches.com.

If you’re not already, we invite you to become a part of the ARC Family. We are a global family of churches and leaders that exist to see a thriving church in every community, reaching people with the message of Jesus. We do this by providing relationships, resources, and opportunities to leaders of new and existing churches so that they can thrive.

Please connect with us at arcchurches.com.

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