Addition to Multiplication

Remember times tables from school? They were helpful when learning to multiply.

I have been thinking about our Regional Reach Team Strategy. RRT's are the future of The Rock Church as we get ready to go multi-site on Wednesday nights throughout our county. Our vision is moving from addition to multiplication. Let me explain.

Recently I began looking at ministry from a different lens. I began to see that 74.5% of our church was not coming from our town of Monroe; instead, other cities throughout Snohomish County were well represented. I started researching where people were traveling from and I discovered TRC is a regional church not confined to one city, but reaching many cities. My thinking had to change. Instead of seeing TRC's influence exclusively over Monroe, I had to see the influence over all of Snohomish county. Instead of getting excited about reaching 25,000 people within a 5 mile radius of Monroe, I had to get excited about reaching the 660,000 people in Snohomish County and those living in Northern King County.

I had to examine my heart and be willing to let go of Mr. Comfort to make room for those being saved. It is not always easy to be in a growing church, because things change, but if the local church is not growing, either God is not who He says He is, or we are not stewarding our calling. I know God is the one who gives growth to the church, so you and I must steward our responsibility to His church. With God, multiplication is not only possible, it is inevitable when people are faithful to His plans.

How are we going to do church in a way to reach our county? I have been asking the Lord this question for over nine months. I think several elements will play a role, but the most important aspect will be people already connected to TRC. Those already connected to the vision of TRC will be the rocket God launches with exciting new momentum.

In Acts 2 we read, "the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." What began with a core of 120 was now growing daily. However, we know something changed in the early church because in Acts 6:7 a new word defines the growth: Multiplication. What was it that changed? I believe it is found just a few verses earlier in Acts 6. In not so many words it goes something like this: "People got up and did what they were called to do." Let me elaborate, some were to aid in the distribution of bread, others were to wait on tables, some were to give themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word. When this was settled, the scripture reads, "And the saying pleased the whole multitude," but the real exciting part reads, "Then the word of God spread and the number of disciples multiplied greatly..."

I am ready for a year of multiplication. There is no way to reach all 660,000 people in our region if we rely on a few staff, pastors and elders. No way! The only way we will fulfill the call of God is if our entire church finds their niche and begins to tell the good news. When we do that, multiplication can occur. To build the church God wants means we need to build people willing to do what God has called them to. Period. Spectator driven churches cannot grow and will not grow.

TRC's multiplication conference, Mitosis, is coming up March 15-16. In John Bevere's latest book, he gives an illustration that makes a ton of sense. It is regarding exponential growth. He says, if one man reached 10,000 people for Christ per month it would take him 600 lifetimes to reach the world. But if one man committed to reach 2 people a month, and those two committed to the same, and so on...it would take only 33 months to reach the world!

So how about it? Do you know two people who don't have a solid relationship with Christ? Are you willing to reach two every month and plug them into your church? It only takes two. I would be 100% satisfied if each person committed at TRC dedicated 2007 to reaching at least 2 people and making certain they were plugged into The Rock. What do you say?

Let's face it, multiplication is what Regional Reach Teams is about. There are too many people not connected to a local church. Stats tell us 3 in 4 are not a part of a church in Snohomish County. Truth is, they know where churches are, it is just not that compelling for people to find a good church. Maybe it is because the church, that is you and I, need to do a far better job at investing in people and inviting them in. Let's reach two people and teach them to do the same. If we did, reaching 660,000 people is absolutely possible.

"It is up to you, and all you need is 2."