We have discovered that pastors who lead growing churches have done some specific and intentional things to get to that point. They have most often cultivated a set of skills that bring fruit. The most common set of skills that they develop are in the area of people and system development. Meaning, that they have learned how to process people into effective teams that are well managed and faithfully carry out their tasks and mission. This set of skills will most commonly cultivate a successful level three leader. This type of leader usually has a good set of basic leadership skills. Often, he has read leadership and management books such as The E-Myth Revisited. These leaders learn the skills of how to process people and ideas into highly functional systems.
The challenge that these leaders face is that they are destined to live in the space I call the “plate spinner”. There was an old school entertainer who would spin dinner plates and balance them on a flexible pole. He could get about 12 plates spinning and the rest of the act was spent running around maintaining the plates that he had set in motion. This describes so many pastors in America. They launch churches and then spend all their energies trying to keep a handful of plates spinning. The better the leadership skills of the leader, the more people they are able to convince to get into the “plate spinner” system.
When we look at Jesus, He did not embrace people to feed His system. He released them into their own “Oikos” (people groups) to launch movements of life change.
This “plate spinner” system corresponds to what Todd Wilson & Dave Ferguson would describe as a “level three” church in their new book Becoming a Level Five Multiplying Church. The level three “plate spinner” leader lives and operates in a confining church culture that has come from classic 20th century evangelicalism. It does not move on to reproducing discipleship, but evangelism that is designed to feed the “plate spinner” system. The great need in these churches is to motivate volunteers to work in a system that will process, reach, and serve new attendees. But when we look at Jesus, He did not embrace people to feed His system. He released them into their own “Oikos” (people groups) to launch movements of life change.
In the level three church, new converts are challenged to identify friends that they will invite to join them for the church event. Everything points to assisting a new person to, “make a decision for Christ”. After they make a decision for Christ, they are celebrated, baptized, and placed in the system of “plate spinning”. Each of these new leaders must be maintained and cared for. The “plate spinning” is a process that creates sterile followers. For a few months the new attendee will invite their friends to attend with them, but before long their primary friend base centers around the church. The process requires the level three church to find new fresh candidates to sterilize. The level three church often calls this process “discipleship”. The problem is this form of discipleship looks nothing like what Jesus did. The approach of the level three church removes potentially viral people from the very people who need to be reached and discipled. Instead, it insulates new Christ followers in a church culture that is “safe and sterile”.
They are often taught that following Christ means that they must leave their “old life” and develop an entirely new life within the system. The “plate spinner” level three culture requires a great deal of effort to train, keep, and maintain the new “disciple” in the “plate spinner” church.
We call this disinfection, not discipleship. When we look at Jesus he launched a culture that would release leaders who would not focus on behavior modification and morality. Rather, the radical life change and indwelling power of the Holy Spirit would create a viral movement of level four leaders. Jesus launched a culture where leaders who embraced His practices would learn a different set of principles and launch a reproducing culture of leaders who would break the “plate spinner process”.
If you want to learn more about how to launch a movement that focuses on creating a level 4 and 5 church, join our team of leaders at the Exponential East and West pre-conferences this year. This event is designed to equip you to launch a level five disciple making movement out of your church.
Lets face it, all of us began our ministry journey hopeful that we would lead a Spirit-led disciple-making movement. Somehow, most of us have found ourselves doing weekend services, leading church programs, and not making disciples who are vibrant Christ followers. At best, most of us have found ourselves in level three churches. We believe that each of you can begin a movement.
We will give you a modern day process that is patterned from the principles and process that Jesus used to rapidly multiply disciples who reproduce disciples.
Every church leader who attends will get a free copy of the Generate One manual that includes three chapters of Dan Grider’s newest book, The Starfish Movement. All attenders will also get free access to the online university for further training. You will also receive one free simulcast coaching seminar to help you get started. We believe that each of you can begin a movement.
The post How to Break Out of Level 3 Plate Spinning to Become a Level 5 Church appeared first on Exponential.