Video Transcript: Seeker Friendly Essentials

So we're talking about that launching phase that getting out there and reaching  people. And it can be in various styles. It can maybe be in a cell church, new cell church, house church, it can be meeting in a building, it could be more  traditional understanding of church planting. There's all sorts of ways to think  about these church, planting essentials and the seeker friendly essentials. Now  I'm not saying seeker driven here. Seeker driven is like, all we're thinking about  is the seeker I'm talking about how you can be welcoming to everybody, no  matter what style of church that you plant. That is, even if you go deep with  believers, you also want to have those aspects of when a seeker comes near  your church, you want to have this winsome, welcoming attitude. So whatever  style you're thinking about, as you're really thinking about launching now, what  we want to do is to have this checklist for you to sort of ask ourselves, are we  ready to be seeker friendly? So here's some of the things one is interesting in  biblical messages. So we haven't talked too much about messages in this  church planting class, because in many ways, this is about getting people in.  We've talked a little bit and we've given you some advice. We have the church,  sermon class, the sermon preparation, class and presentation class here at CLI. But you can't be boring to a seeker. You know, we read about in Acts 18:11, he  dwelt there a year and six months teaching the Word of God among them. What  are those characteristics of a seeker friendly message, enthusiastic? Good  exegeted biblical message? Remarkable. That means can it be talked about do  people want to talk about after they leave is it practical does it have that  creativity? Is it seeker understandable? Seeker understandable means that  you're not throwing these terms of that no one's ever heard of, they are always  sensitive. You're asking yourself this question all the time. If I knew nothing  about the gospel, would I understand this message? The preaching class at CLI  deals with many of these principles. But as you are being seeker friendly, they  gotta see the joy. Wow, life is beautiful. The Word of God is amazing. You're  you're talking about things they want to talk about it's practical, creative, seeker.  Understandable. So that's the first checklist as you begin your new church to be  seeker friendly. Here's one breaking bread together. You know, it's fascinating  that the Church was founded in the event of the cross, the resurrection, the  ascension, in the moment before moments before that event. They had dinner  together, would they call it we call it the Last Supper. There's something  powerful. There's endorphins that are given off when you break bread together.  So in many churches, even church plants, they are so careful, we have to get  greeters at the door to greet people. In many ways. I believe that superficial.  greeters, okay, your greeter, see you Okay, welcome to church, I'm so glad  you're here. And there's this greeting time. And a lot of times the greeting time is nothing more than my way of saying, we have the illusion of a friendly church.  What everybody's greeting each other isn't that nice. And then we get to the  message. And then that's the last time they talk to someone. Maybe there's a 

handshake on the way out. So what happens is we have friendliness happening, but we don't have friendships. When you're planting a church, you want to move from friendliness to friendships. The goal is to build a network of relationships of  connections. Romans 12:10-14, In love of the brethren be tenderly affectionate  

one to another; in honor preferring one another; in diligence not slothful; fervent  in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing  stedfastly in prayer; communicating to the necessities of the saints; given to  hospitality. Bless them that persecute you; bless, and curse not. Now, what are  we talking about? We're talking about connection, connection to the community,  even connection with those who persecute you, somebody who persecute you  could be someone who's eventually going to be in your church. I like that one  line given to hospitality. In other words, we as a church, a new church plant,  hospitality is out of balance. In other words, it's more it's one of the distinctive  things that are that are in your church. Right now. I have a church in Grand  Haven, Michigan and and my family is Doing our best to help them grow. And  we really feel that missional impulse. And one of the things that I volunteer to do  is to build to make a hospitality team. So when people come to Trinity Church,  they are being welcomed in going to someone's house, even on a Sunday after  church, because that breaking of bread is so vital to reaching people and  seekers want to be connected, if they're seeking, they're coming, and they want  to make a friend in the Lord. They're seeking during a reason that there's a  reason they've come to church. Here's another very important thing, corporate  communications that are understood in the village you are reaching Hmm, what  does that mean? Okay, so your worship? Is your worship, the music,  understandable? We just talked about that in the last presentation. Is your  preaching. Understandable? Are your programs understandable? In who you  are reaching? Acts 2:7-8, utterly amazed, they asked, are not all these men who are speaking Galileans then how is it that each of us hears them in their own  native language? Now to me, that's pretty incredible. It was a special miraculous miracle of the church at Pentecost, that each person would hear the gospel in  their own language. As we live that we don't have that like winds of fire in we're  not often speaking other languages, but I believe it foreshadowed what we do,  each of us speak in the language of our community, because we understand our community. So our worship, our preaching, our programs are tailor made to  those we're trying to reach appropriate facilities. Meeting options safe as  possible. You know, when you're reaching seeker people, they are really  concerned about safety, like go out of your way to make sure that the nursery,  the childcare, and all that is highly credible, appropriately clean and inviting, you  know, in Philemon 1:2 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy, our brother  to Philemon, our dear friend and fellow worker, to Apphia, our sister to  Archippus, our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home. Now,  that's sort of cool to me, because I read this passage, some people, it's just the 

list of names. It's not to me, it's this church that meets in your home, there's a  community. So when if somebody's doing the Home Church option, those who  are maybe the host, let other people connect to that host and help that host  family to be able to do it well in such a way to be sustainable. So like, if you're  meeting a house church, make sure that at the end of the meeting, there's a  team that cleaned the bathroom, there's a team that helps clean the vacuums,  don't just leave it to the host. Oh, that's their service. Because if you're going to  do the house church option, you really want to be sustainable. The same thing  with any building that you occupy, go out of their way to be good citizens, even if you're renting it clean up. So when the janitor cleans up, the janitor doesn't have to do anything practically. In fact, he says to the administrators, that is the best  church that's ever rented our school, they go out of their way to make it that I  only have to do anything. So appropriate facilities are very important in  connected to who you are reaching a prayer place. When you're planting a  church. What's the role of prayer in launching? Is there a place to meet before  and after the service? For those who have come to know Christ, those who are  sick, James 5:14, is any one of you sick, he should call the elders of the church  pray over him, and anoint him with oil in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  People who are seeking they're often seeking is a problem in their life. I often  believe if your church planting that it'd be wonderful to have like this prayer.  Prayer place call it that, let's say on this big banner, and then it's some  somewhat private, somebody staffing it. I believe that seekers will go there  before they go to the information desk, because lot of times when a seeker  comes into your church plant, there's a reason there's something they're  wondering about. Something's happened to their life. They need prayer. When  you're seeker sensitive, seeker friendly, what you're really doing is you're paying attention to children's needs. To many the church is for children too in fact that's  why many of them even come to church because they've sorted out of it. Now  they have young children there Thinking about coming back because they think  their children need religion, or whatever. So they're seeking that again. In Acts  2:38-, Peter replied, Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of  Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the  Holy Spirit. The promise is to you, and your children and all who are a far off all  whom the Lord our God, the Lord, our God will call. So when you're launching,  really pay attention, and I would say do less better than doing more sloppy when it comes to children's needs. Don't set an expectation that basically you are  stressed out or that you can't sustain clear information. In reaching, those who  are seeking word of mouth is the most powerful, but have a great looking  website. It doesn't have to be over the top expensive just, they can be clean and understandable. When you have on site communication, make sure that the  onsite communication roughly is not all about things that do not relate to the  seeker just be very simple, have something that a new Seeker would 

immediately understand. So like the opening comments might be something that everyone would appreciate and understand about your community.  Announcements, make sure the announcements are kept to a minimal when it  comes to all these things that do not relate to a seeker signage, make sure  signage is clear and where the bathrooms are, where the worship is even like  little tips on what to do first, do this second, this third this avoid insider church  language, I'm going to say it again, avoid insider church language. That's  something that a seeker when they come, it's like it stresses them to even be  there. And then when they're there, they're hearing words and thoughts. They've never heard of it insider church language or, or inside church jokes that if you're  there for the last four or five years, you'll get but new people won't get in. If you  are going to do those kind of jokes, which is fine to do. On some occasion, make sure that you explain the setup again. And don't be apologizing. You know, I've  said this before here, and I'm gonna say it again, no, just you know, bring it up  as if it's the first time. And you'll be surprised most people even if they've heard  that joke before, they'll laugh even more the second time. Acts 13:49, the word  of the Lord spread through the whole region, that's what you want, is just that  sizzle, where it's all about God is clear, it's all about God. And it's clear that it's  about reaching people who do not yet know God. And with that clear information in that sensitivity to seekers, people will get that you are a church that's  welcoming to them who's looking for God. When you ask for money, make sure  it's the appropriate appeal for support. Explain how your church and its outreach works briefly. And understandably. It's okay to ask for money, it's okay to do a  collection, that's fine. But do a collection where you're smiling, do the collection,  you know feature if you're if there's a mission you're supporting, give like the two minute video of the benefits of that mission. II Corinthians 8:7, But just as you  excel in everything in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness,  and in your love for us see that you also excel in this grace of giving. People are fine with giving to charities and so forth. What people don't want is this non  sensitive, non seeker friendly way of doing it. They don't want to be guilted in  anything, but they do want to support a meaningful work in their community, you  know, to be seeker sensitive, really start still with your own heart? Do you have  some relationships in your life of people who are not reached for Christ? Do you  talk to your own neighbor? Do you actually hang around with people who are  looking for the Lord? And people who have a mild interest in talking to you about that? And are you into heavy and engaging conversations, because if you are  some of this stuff will translate its way into the worship service. As a church  planter. I always encourage church planters to have a diverse set of  relationships of people who are not even going to their church yet. But they're  the ones that might be open to be reached at some point. And then they sort of  inform you and sometimes you'll meet someone and they're not going to church, they're not even believers. And in the you'll form a friendship with them where 

you'll be able to pitch to them certain things they are going to do Hey, how would you hear this? How would you understand this if I said this, and they'll give you  their honest feedback a lot of times for me that's how I learned how to be more  and more seeker sensitive. seeker sensitive is a lot of fun. Because proclaiming  the gospel is a lot of fun. And it's partially it is a little bit of an art. And partially,  it's something that's a duty. Partially it's something that you learn. But as you  meet people and talk to your people groups in your area, more and more if you  have that in your mind that you want to reach people, your language, your  body language, your people start in ministry approach will be more and more effective  in being seeker understandable in your church plant.