Author Archives: Craig Whitney

My Story of Sifting

I am in Orlando this week for Exponential. The theme this year is Sifted and and they have been publishing some great stories leading up to the conference.

Here is mine:

I said yes to the invitation to plant a church in 1991; I was 26 years old. I was more enthusiastic than experience and was more passionate than prepared. I have had many years to reflect on my experience and I believe two things shaped my sifting.

The first issue was spiritual. I thought I was planting a church for God, instead of understanding that God was building his church through me. Without question I had a pride problem, but mostly I had an identity problem. My self esteem was tied to my performance as a planter and thus rose and fell with every win and every loss. If you’ve planted a church you know there are lots of losses, so I spent a lot of time trying drag myself out of the “woe is me” pit of despair.

The second issue was cultural. I thought if we built it they would come – by the hundreds! My pride probably contributed to that idea, but so did the stories I heard. You don’t read a lot about the church plant that grows to 100 people, but that is normal. You do read all the time about new churches that start with hundreds and grow to thousands. That’s exciting, but it is also exceptional – or maybe it would be better to say abnormal.

God did grow his church, but people came one by one, most with hurts and struggles, and many finding faith and following Jesus for the very first time. I smile every time I think of any one of them. However, at the time, my unrealistic expectations for growth combined with my misplaced identity led me to an unhealthy drive to constantly do more.

After 6 years I was burnt out mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I resigned my role as pastor and took a job managing a retail store. God used that short season to show me who I was and how I could best use my gifts on mission with Him.

Gratefully, he is a God of second chances (and third and fourth and …) It’s now been over 20 years since I took that leap of faith into church planting. I’ve never regretted it, or the sifting God led me through. It is a great privilege today to develop, encourage and train church planters around the world. If that’s where you find yourself, be faithful. He who began a good work in you (and through you) will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Jaxton’s Story

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Exponential is running a really helpful series of stories on sifting.
A recent post featured ELI Cultivate planters Josh and Lisa Husmann. God
has used them to plant a great church, Mercy Road, in the
Indianapolis area.

In the process God also gave them Jaxton, whose very
short life was used in very unexpected ways. Josh and Lisa’s faithfulness is
a great testimony. You can read the story here and watch the video
below.

People Raising

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A few months back Bill Dillon called an asked if I would write an endorsement for the new edition of his book People Raising. Since the first version of People Raising has been my most often recommended resource for church planters and other leaders raising support, I was glad to.

Somewhere in the introductory pages you will find the following:

People Raising has been my go to resource for church planters needing to raise support. This new edition provides a whole new generation of church planters with a wealth of wisdom, practical ideas and doable action plans. This isn’t just a book you read, this is a book you do.

If the current gap between you and the church God is calling you to start is raising support – reading and implementing this book is will help you close that gap.

Developing Leaders

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I just returned from a ten day trip with John Burke to Finland, Russia and Estonia. While there, I had an opportunity to meet with a small group of young adult ministry leaders in the Finnish Lutheran church to talk about developing leaders. I shared two things with them.
First is the recognition that most of our understanding of leaders is formed culturally, not Biblically. I believe our best definition of Biblical leadership comes from Ephesians 4:11-13:

Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers
for
perfecting of the saints
for
work of the ministry
for
edifying of the body of Christ

Thus, a leader equips God’s people to do more serving that results in more people following Jesus and becoming all God intended them to be.

Next is the need for a framework for developing these kind of leaders. We are using the following model at ELI in developing church planters.

The order is important. Being must come first. Developing skills and knowledge in leaders who lack Christ like character will not multiply the kind of leaders the church needs. In the same way, doing needs to be prioritized over knowing which means we need more training grounds for practice. Knowledge is best provided just enough, just in time. I have added the tools dimension to the familiar heart, hands, head metaphor to acknowledge that leaders in various roles need to to know how to use various tools. The tools don’t make a leader, but they can help a leader be more effective.

What do you think? What is your definition of Biblical leadership? How are you developing those kind of leaders?

Teaching Your Church to Dance

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I’m neither a drummer, nor a fan of Dancing with the Stars, but I know enough to tell the difference between the slow, simple rhythm of the waltz and the much faster and more complex rhythm of the salsa. I wonder – do you know the beat your church plant dances to?

Rhythm Creates Momentum

Most North American churches have a rhythm – Sunday morning services, midweek groups, and maybe a meeting or two along the way. Whether that rhythm is ideal, or not, it informs what’s “next.” If it’s Sunday, we go to church service. If it’s Tuesday, we go to group. If it’s the 3rd Thursday, we have a meeting. Rhythm creates momentum. During the formation of a new church those familiar rhythms are missing, and so is the momentum they create.

The absence of established rhythms provides church planters with the opportunity, and responsibility, to create new ones for themselves, their team, their circle of influence and ultimately the new church. How do you establish new rhythms to create missional momentum?

Set The Beat

Start by prioritizing what is important. Things like…

Passionate prayer.
Meeting new people.
Creating space for community to form.
Serving your neighbors.
Spiritual conversations.
Developing leaders.
Celebration.

Order them into daily, weekly and monthly rhythms. For example…

Order each day around prayer and intentional time in public and social spaces to meet new people.
Order each week around community, serving and spiritual conversations.
Order each month around developing leaders and celebrating God’s work in your lives.

Just like there are almost infinite drum patterns, there are more ways to prioritize and order a forming church than could possibly be listed here. Your rhythm needs to fit your calling, capacity and context. Find your rhythm, and you will create missional momentum.