Yesterday I attended an area-wide gathering of a new grassroots network called “Breakthrough Leaders Network.” Their purpose is simple: how do we best stimulate the creation of new churches in Denver? Depending on the part of Denver you might live in, only 5-10% of the population attends a church of any kind.
When I first had coffee with Joe Beckler, BLN founder, I was impressed with his passion for helping all churches reach more people. While the focus is on starting new churches, BLN offers principles all churches can benefit from.
One aspect of BLN that I appreciate most is the diversity of people at their monthly coaching forum and quarterly gatherings. Yesterday we had pastors from the Southern Baptist Convention, Independent Christian Churches, Disciples of Christ, Converge, Evangelical Free, Assemblies of God, and several others.
At the coaching forums, you will find suburban pastors alongside urban pastors, black pastors and white pastors, pastors from countries such as Kansas, Nepal, Mexico, and India. One guy has started a biker ministry to reach hardcore biker gangs. Another is physically handicapped and is starting a church especially for disabled people.
When we gather, the focus is on how to reach people who don’t know Jesus. We don’t argue or debate. With so many of our friends and neighbors not having any connection to any church, that’s a luxury (?) we cannot afford.
Wherever you might live, if you are involved in Christian leadership, let me encourage you to venture out to groups like this. It’s not about compromise or giving up your convictions. It’s about recognizing that there are more of them (lost people) than there are of us (believers) and God expects us to do something about that.