Rich Kao

In Part 1, I described the angst I had in realizing I wasn't gifted as an evangelist, and then my subsequent discovery that "it's ok" that I'm not; I may not be a evangelist but I can sure do the "work of one." 2 Tim 4:5.

So how am I doing that?  Here's my run at it....

1)  Start a church!  Yeah, that's right.  If you want to serve ice cream, start a ice cream shop (or at least make a bucket of it).  This way, those who want ice cream know to come to "your place."  It's been said the greatest evangelistic strategy is starting new churches.  If that is true, then I'm in statistical good standing. No guarantee of success, but certainly increasing my chances.

2) In starting a church, you can serve bad ice cream or good ice cream.  Obviously we want to serve the good stuff.  Hence I work hard at speaking, communicating, preaching.  Yes, there are "bad batches," but hopefully the good ones outweigh the bad ones. 

3) Hire a great staff.  If the ice cream isn't good, at least hire good people to serve it!  One of my great joys has been hiring great people to be part of our team.  If I can't "get 'em" myself, than maybe a group hug will work. 

4) "Build it and they will come."  Vancouver is a tough place for "ice cream" shops.  They just don't let you build church buildings or develop church property easily.  Not much land, and expensive to build.  But we're honing in on a place we can lease that will be just like "home."  We think it'll be a winner, and help people find Jesus to be the highest of all delights.

5) Take your ice cream to the streets.  Maybe people don't know where you're located, or don't come to your shop like they're suppose to; well then we can take it to them.  We have on-going activities that reach out to the homeless, refugee families, and muslim kids. We like to do small things with great love.  Sandwhiches, mittens, and bikes show God's love in a practical way.  We're looking at providing after-school tutoring, french language assistance, art events, documentary features at a local restaurant, and more. 

Results: Well, we're haven't taken over the city yet, but we're working on it.  With so many other delights in the city...it's a crowded market.  But we're confident Jesus will become the biggest hit. 

It's a privilege for me to plant a church.  Evangelism is about sowing and reaping.  The gifted in evangelism seem to experience the reaping side as a norm.  For those of us doing the work of the evangelist, our norm seems to be the sowing side.  But I see planting a church as building a community, an atmophere & environment, creating a "city within a city," all which is like a big net.  It takes awhile to build it, but in due season, our haul will come.  We've caught some fishes already, but we're anxious for more.  (Luke 5:4-6).  I may not be an evangelist, but I enjoy doing the work of one.

Number #2 operating principle of the incubator church is Excellence.  In "What Matter's Now" famed author Tom Peters riffs on the 19 E's of excellence.  Great expansion of what it means to pursue excellence.

I love both Amazon (books, Jeff Bezos is a genius) & Zappos (CEO Tony's tweets are the best; my wife loves their shoes).  When I heard Amazon bought Zappos, I was anxious to hear Jeff's (CEO of Amazon) take on the purchase, and he did not disappoint.  Listen to what Jeff has learned in building Amazon; he's reduced it to just 4 things, and how Zappos fits into the picture.  Each of his lessons can be used for the gospel, church planting and Kingdom expansion.  See my applications below the video.   Great stuff.

Application:

Lesson #1 - Obsess over customers = Obsess over Jesus (i.e. what's the one thing your org is about?) Jn 12:32.

Lesson #2 - Invent = Creativity is the lifeblood of the re-articulating the gospel in each generation. 1 Cor 9:22.

Lesson #3 - Think long term = Have a 20 year plan!  See here.  Don't be afraid to take your time.  Our culture is obsessed with instant success.  Gal. 6:9.

Lesson #4 - It's always Day 1 = There's always something new to learn.  There's never a dull moment.  Be a life long learner.  Prov. 4:18.

Here's a snap shot of some church planting stats.  It goes against the oft quoted 80% failure rate (typically attributed to Acts 29 network).  In fact this study by Ed Stetzer shows only 20% failure rate after 3 years, with average attendance at 72 people.  Click here for snapshot.  Make sure to click on links Part 5 for full report (PDF) (very helpful).

Here's a great site for church stats by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.

What's the average church size?  75

How many congregations are there in America? 335,000

If your church is under 100 members, you're in the 60th percentile.

If your church is between 100-500 members, you're in top 35% percentile.

If your church is over 500 people, you're in the top 4% percentile.

How much do much pastors make?  Small church pastors average just over $31,000 in total compensation.  Large church pastors (1000 or more members) make just under $82,000.  Interesting factoid:  Jewish rabbis make more than Catholic priests and Protestant pastors combined!

For more interesting and informative stats, check it out here.