The role of handymen in church planting

Speaker screen torn apart by a squirrel that snuck into the building at some point...

There are all kinds of helpful people that show up and use their gifts and talents when it comes to planting and re-planting churches.  One of those categories of people that are extremely helpful, particularly during the early stages of re-planting a church are the "handymen."

As I look around the church building, here's what I see...

• 1.  Soft flooring in the entryway that needs to be ripped out and replaced with new plywood.
• 2.  Bathrooms that need new sinks/vanities
• 3.  A gate that needs to be installed at the top of a stairwell to keep people from falling down the steps
• 4.  Speaker screen that needs to be replaced in the sancturary because a squirrel got in the building and ripped it apart
• 5.  A general inspection of the building is needed by a "trained eye" to make sure we aren't missing other repairs that need to be made

New sinks/vanities are needed in three bathrooms...

If you're handy and like taking on projects like this, we need you right now.  Not kidding.  This is your moment.  We'll even play Rocky's theme song for you if you show up and bring your tools.

We will be working at the building today from 2:00-9:00pm.  425 Ford St.  West Conshohocken, PA.

Meeting people and making connections

Looking down the street toward the neighborhood that surrounds the church...

It's very early in this process, so I don't necessary consider this the "relationship building" phase of re-planting this church, but we still want to be very intentional about meeting people in the community even while the building updates and repairs are underway.

Last week after painting for several hours in the sanctuary of this sweaty, hot, non-air-conditioned building, I stepped outside to enjoy the breeze (and to clear my head from the oil-based paint fumes I had been breathing).

As I stepped outside, I noticed that one of the neighbors of the church was walking up to her door.  I introduced myself and apologized for the fact that my hands were spattered with paint.  I then told her who we were and what we were doing at the church.  The conversation was very pleasant.

Then she said, "It will be nice to see something happening at this church.  It's been closed for years."

The truth is that the church has only been closed for a couple months, but one of the signs of a church in decline is that they become overly inwardly focused and stop making meaningful connections with their neighborhood and community.  Clearly, that's one of the factors that contributed to this church closing.

So, please pray for more of these opportunities to meet and introduce ourselves to the neighbors and community of West Conshohocken.  We're looking forward to many more pleasant conversations.

Purging the sacred clutter

The mountains of "sacred clutter" are growing...

If you did a quick search right now on Amazon, you would discover that some of the top non-fiction books have to do with the concept of "de-cluttering" your home, life, schedule, etc.  Those who oversee church buildings could benefit from some of that advice.

In my experience, one of the commonalities of a church in decline or a church that has recently closed is the fact that the building is filled with useless clutter.  Cabinets, rooms, hallways, and even the sanctuary contain relics of a time when there was life and activity in the church, but for years, things haven't been purged once they've exceeded their usefulness.

The truth is, once something is brought into a church building, it can become challenging to get rid of it.  Everything seems to become sentimental.  Either we remember the person who donated it, favorite events that it was used for, someone special that may have used it, etc.  

At present, we are clearing out the clutter in the church at West Conshohocken.  We have been going through the building and moving just about everything that isn't nailed down to the downstairs rooms.  The "throwaway" pile is becoming a mountain in the back room by the kitchen.  The "keep" and "giveaway" piles are growing on the tables in the fellowship hall.

At some point soon, we will be ordering a dumpster, but in the meantime, let me know if you want to come and help yourself to anything we're giving or throwing away.

By the way, I have no mercy when it come to throwing things away.  I don't care what it is or how sentimental it may be to someone.  It doesn't bother my conscience in the least.  If it isn't going to be useful to the work of getting a new church started in this place, it's my new "enemy" and it's getting in the way of the work we are trying to do.  So come rescue some items that might be useful to you before they find their new home in the landfill.

We will be at the building between 2:00-9:00pm this Friday, July 8th.

Pictures of our progress on the building

The outside of the building has been power washed and will soon be painted with a fresh coat of paint.  We have started removing junk and clutter from the inside of the building and we are in the process of repainting the sanctuary and entryway.  After that, we will progress through the rest of the rooms in the building.

Replanting churches when others throw in the towel

Standing outside the front door of the church in West Conshohocken

Planting and replanting churches are tasks that many Christians believe need to take place, but at the same time, many believers struggle to know how to help make that happen.

In 2008, I had the privilege of replanting Core Creek Community Church in Langhorne, PA.  For years, it existed as "Newtown Community Church" and had many good years of ministry.  Then, for a variety of reasons, it dwindled down to a handful of people and sought the outside counsel of others as to whether it should sell the building, liquidate assets and donate the proceeds to church planting and foreign missions or if a new church could be planted in its place using the existing building.

After some conversation and prayer, the Lord made it clear to my family that he wanted us to move to Langhorne and plant the new church.  We did so and since that time, we have been joined by some wonderful people who share a desire to see our community impacted by the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Over the past eight years, we have watched and continue to see God doing some amazing and encouraging things.

As a recently re-planted church, one of the ministries we have been supporting with our prayers and finances is the planting and replanting of other churches.  From the start, it has been our desire to make the concept of church planting part of the DNA of our church and very recently, an intriguing and exciting opportunity has come our way.  We have been given the opportunity to re-plant another local church that has died.

About 30 minutes from us is a church building in West Conshohocken, PA.  Years ago, a vibrant church family met in the small facilities of that building and had a good impact on their community as they served as ambassadors of Christ to their neighbors.  In recent years, for a variety of reasons, the church dwindled and several months ago, it closed its doors.

The network of churches that we are a part of made this known to us and sought the input of area pastors as to what should be done with what was left of the church.  Should it be sold?  Were there other options?

One option that was quickly discussed was the idea of planting a new church in that facility and the building was turned over to the care of our church and one of our sister churches, Hatboro Community Church.  Since that time, I have been meeting with Pastor Kerry Ritts who is a long-term friend of mine, and we have been brainstorming ideas related to our churches adopting this project together.

I presented the idea to our church leadership and church family and he did the same with his congregation.  Both churches have expressed enthusiasm regarding the idea and we are now in the beginning stages of getting the building ready, making connections in the community and preparing for long-term leadership once we get everything up and running.

In the coming months, my intention is to chronicle the experience on this blog so you can get a first-hand glimpse into how the process is moving along and what we're learning along the way.  Please be in prayer for Kerry and I as we lead this.  Please be in prayer for our churches as they partner together to help make this happen.  And please be in prayer for the community of West Conshohocken as we seek to do our best to share the gospel of Jesus in that community through the planting of a new church.