Have you ever been in near-miss car accident?  Last night, Jenni and I were driving home and this cat ran out in front of us.  I saw it, but Jenni yelled “CAT!” and I jerked on the wheel and slammed on the brakes.  It wasn’t that big of a deal, but it got the adrenaline flowing and I single handedly saved a cats life (what was I thinking – sorry cat lovers). That incident wasn’t too life altering, but I have been in a few instances in a car where the maneuvers I made and the corrections I engaged were literally a matter of life or death.  In those moments, as the driver, you have to make quick decisions and changes – you must react in order to survive.  We have all come across car wrecks where the situation or the driver were such that the proper corrections were not made (sometimes because there were no feasible corrections to stop the impending crash).

I have been thinking a lot about church planting, especially the way we planted Epic – it’s called “Parachute Planting”, the idea being that you parachute into an unfamiliar area and try to find people and help them get connected to God and form a church out of it.  There are better ways of doing church planting, but that was the option we had to work with when engaging Wichita.  The early days of a church that has been started as a Parachute plant feel a little like a car wreck that might be impending.  What I mean is that in order to survive the early days of this scenario (an organization full of people who don’t know each other being thrust into relationship and leadership) the organization operates in a “Correction” mentality.  Some of you who have been with Epic for a while will identify with this.  There is a problem, a systems issue, a new challenge on the horizon and “Kent” stepped in, exerted some influence to try and course correct and then stepped out.  The honest truth is, in order for us to make it to our second birthday (which we celebrated just earlier this month), this type of leadership was necessary.

While a correction type of leadership was necessary, that type of leadership has some definite drawbacks.  It has huge potential to hurt people.  It has huge potential to give leadership to someone who should have earned it instead of inheriting it.  It has huge potential to cause the organization to become risk adverse (being afraid to take the calculated faith steps that started the original organization in the first place). This is where we find ourselves.  We are on the verge of a shift in the life of Epic, and if we don’t recognize that shift, some people will feel very much left behind or fearful of the future.  We are moving from Correction to Direction.  The problem is, just like someone coming out of a potential car wreck – folks who have existed in the two years of correction leadership may feel the adrenaline still pumping and constantly be pushing on the imaginary passenger side break (you know you do it).  You know what I’m talking about, right?  I mean, you’ve felt that fearfulness and the high alert of the adrenaline after the near-miss that causes you to be fearful and apprehensive for the next hour of the drive.

We are on the verge of a seismic shift at Epic – some of you are already feeling it in your ministry areas.  But if we cannot acknowledge that we may still have left over baggage from the previous leadership style, we may never move forward to see people get connected to God, one person at a time! “So, Kent, what’s this direction then?”  I can share the big picture – and yes, as you hear it, you will say to yourself, “Self!  What about this?  What about that?  Have you thought about this?”.  As I share this vision and direction, I want you to know I am asking those questions too, that’s kind of the point.  To focus our energy as a church into asking the right questions to fulfill the vision God is giving the church!  That to me is exciting, because it means if you are asking the right questions, then you are in the right place!  I’m not presenting a solution – I’m presenting a destination, something to give us organizational direction.

The Direction:

I believe God is calling Epic to plant new life-giving churches in Wichita and then out into the rural parts of Kansas where the church is dying.  I am not talking about one or two churches, I am talking about the potential of a reproducing movement of churches of hundreds and thousands that would impact the rural parts of our country (I believe these places are raising up generations of children that move to our cultural centers, cities, and influence the American landscape).  I do not have the full picture lined out right now, and that’s ok.  I feel like my job is going to be to keep pointing us towards the end of seeing people get connected to God, one person at a time.

If you were to ask me what something like this may look like, I would tell you that I believe the end result may look something like a hub and spoke system.  Think tinker-toys (remember, the little wood wheels and sticks?) .  You would have a hub church that spokes out into a different area or region and plants another church – this church has within it the potential to hub and spoke out another church and is expected to do so itself.  the system would create a network of interlocking spokes and hubs of churches that are sharing resources across the system and working together to catalyze a movement that would connect people to God one person at a time. This is big!  Honestly, this was the vision we started with as we moved to plant Epic in the first place – this is what got me excited about church planting, this picture God placed in my heart to see people being connected one at a time.  But the truth is, I was afraid to share this direction because it seems so big and so unattainable.   What if we fail?  What if we can’t pull it off?  These were all of the what if questions I had and that kept me from sharing this vision clearly and you may be having them as well.

I have come to the conviction that  me not sharing this direction has left Epic stuck in a correction system that has hurt us.  I believe this direction, this vision of something so great that God would have to show up for us to accomplish it, is the kind of thing that He wants us to engage in.  It is the kind of thing that pushes us to rely on Him, the kind of thing that forces us to prayer, to engaging the mission of connecting people.  it is the thing that invokes creativity and drives us to raise up leaders.  It makes everything each of us is doing to further the mission of God in the world that much more important. I am not sure how all this will play out – I think this is a 10-15 year vision.  I am working with our team of leaders to start taking this direction and working backwards to today to say, “what are our next steps as a church in the next 6 months.”  I think you will start seeing things in the near future that look much more like direction than correction and my hope is that it makes your soul sing to know you are a part of the ground floor of something that could be huge! I will say this, as we move forward there are three values that we have begun to identify about this whole process that Epic must begin to embody.

1. Reproducing - everything we do must be marked with an intentionality towards reproducing.  This means every leader in our organization is intentional about reproducing their position – if we plan on starting new churches the practical side means we have to have many more leaders and artists and so, reproduction is a HIGH value!
2. Simple – we must maintain a model that is simple – complex systems are not reproducible.  This means we will continue to push harder into connection groups, stuff for kids, outreach, and Sunday morning celebration services rather than creating a bajillion ministries for ever single thing under the sun.  Simple is reproducible.
3. Biblically Responsible – look, at Epic, we believe the bible to be God’s word, that means something for us.  It means we are going to do our best to speak where the bible speaks and be silent where the bible is silent.  We are going to be honest when we are operating in areas of opinion and take stands where we believe the bible is clear.  This matters because we are not trying to please anyone but the tri-une God of the Bible!

I believe that these three values give us a workable paradigm to begin exploring the direction God has called us to – planting hub and spoke churches to impact the rural part of Kansas and beyond!

I want to invite you to join us in dreaming!  I want to invite you to begin praying!  I want to invite you to begin getting involved and contributing your talents, energy, time and resources to be a part of the most compelling vision I have ever personally encountered!

I know, it’s hard to see how those two things connect.  Let me explain.

When I was younger, a teenager, and had just come to know Jesus – I really believed that God loved the whole world and sent His Son to die for everyone – that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life – phew!

As I have aged, I have found myself starting to believe that there is only a percentage of people who will really believe this and so it’s only possible for most or some people to come to know Jesus (this is one of those things you would never say out loud, but most people really think it).  I know that verse doesn’t say that everyone will come to know Jesus – but it sure does say that He died for everyone.  Jesus came so that people would have life – all people!  I don’t believe that God was willing to settle for a percentage and the rest are just damned to hell.  I think God is an optimist, hoping that none would perish, as 2 Peter 3:9 says.

So the question I have been asking myself lately, is:

Am I crazy enough to believe that we can reach everyone with the Gospel and see their lives turned around for eternity?

It makes me ask some questions, that’s for sure.

• What are the barriers in each persons life that need to be removed so they can see the living Christ and His sacrifice for what it is?
• How must I live my life differently?
• How should the church reallocate it’s dollars and volunteer hours?

So, am I that crazy?  I think so.  I am a “Wild and Crazy Guy…”

• Rocky Mountain Christian Church
• LIfebridge Christian Church
• Flatiron Community Church

Each one was a little different.  What impressed me about each was how well targeted they were to the group of people they were trying to reach.  Each one was completely different, but perfect for their audience. 

Flatiron was the most like what I would like to be as a Church Plant.  They were reaching young adults and families who were really disconnected from God.  They have 5 or 6 services and at the one we were at they had at least 60 baptisms, it was amazing! 

I think the biggest thing I am learning is that God is the one who leads, it is simply up to us to be sensitive to that lead. 

Would you be praying with Jenni and I as we seek to follow His lead to reach the disconnected in the Kansas City area.  I am praying that God would expand me as a leader so we could infect the most people possible with the Kingdom!

Revelation 2:4-5

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.  Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.

I started thinking about how I lived life when I first came to know Jesus.  I remember picking people up and giving them rides, I remember giving money because I had been given so much (through Jesus), I remember praying like everything depended on it and reading the scripture like it was a cool drink for a parched throat.

It has been funny how stepping out on faith has forced me back into that person again.  It is like I had been looking through rose colored lenses and now I see things as they are.  Every step seems more important, every conversation takes has a different tone.  It’s like I am back at that place with God where everything is new and trust and hope are the only things I’ve got!

For me, all of this comes down to one thing. There are people out there who still do not know Jesus! That is the real “cost” thats burning inside me, that is what keeps me up at night.

“What was your inspiration for tackling spirituality on television, examining the idea of a modern-day prophet?Spirituality really seems to be in the zeitgeist these days, particularly with the popularity of The Secret. We think it’s a reaction to spirituality being co-opted for political purposes in this country recently. Everybody is spiritual to some degree and many people are tired of feeling as if they need to practice a one, specific religion in order to feel legitimately spiritual. We see this show as, in part, returning ownership of spirituality to everyone.”

While Christianity is on the decline in our society, I think the environment which we find ourselves is fertile for the ideas of Jesus. It is time we lose our religion and introduce people to a relationship with Jesus! If anything, shows like Eli Stone point to the fact that people are curiously seeking for something deeper and more meaningful – I hope and pray that we can capture this moment and capitalize on it for the Kingdom!

I am encouraged to be a part of a group of people who carry on that legacy of faith to this day! Jenni and I have been embraced by our friends and family at BCC when they very easily could have turned their backs and said, “fuh-ee (I have no idea how to spell that) on you!” We have experienced the exact opposite – we have had only encouragement and pledged support. I only hope that as Jenni and I step out and carry the legacy of faith with us, that we do honor to those who are sending us! I could not have chosen a better place to carry out the last 6 years of growing in ministry and life!

21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Boy, yesterday Bob Bates preached on the passion of Jesus for the Lost and did a great job bringing it to life!

You can hear in Paul’s words above the heart of Jesus beating strong. I love that Paul was willing to become whatever to whoever in order that he might save even just a few! What a strong statement of commitment to the gospel. I want to be an “all in” kind of guy! Too many people are dying without Jesus – they are too important!

Bob talked about Luke 15:7 – “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Man, if I could give my life to one thing, it would be ensuring that there is constant partying in Heaven – we must reach those who are disconnected and far from God – plain and simple!

Dear Friends and Family,

It has been six years since I began working as the High School Youth Minister for Bible Christian Church. I have had the distinct pleasure of working with many of your teenage sons and daughters and seeing them through those tough adolescent years. I would not trade one minute from those years with your students. Both Jenni and I have counted it as a true privilege to serve at Bible Christian Church.

Over the past six years, God has been growing inside of me an overwhelming desire to plant a new church. Let me tell you where this desire comes from and where it does not come from. IT DOES come from the fact that in the US there is not one county that has more people going to church in it now than it did 10 years ago (let that soak in). IT DOES come from the fact that Nearly 4,000 churches close their doors every year! GET THIS out of 194 nations, only 11 has more unchurched people than the United States. Churches are losing ground – fast. Lost people matter to God and church planting is one of the most effective means of evangelism. This is where the desire comes from, it comes from a true passion to see those who are disconnected and far from God come home to Jesus!

This desire DOES NOT come from some problem within Bible Christian Church, I love this Church and if anything, I want to take the great things about BCC with us! As a matter of fact, Jenni and I do not look at this transition to Church Planting as us leaving, rather we look at it as being missionaries sent from BCC. IT DOES NOT come from me being tired of youth ministry or our students, the kids in our youth ministry are the finest around, I would never leave them for anything but the call of God on Mine and Jenni’s life. IT DOES NOT come from some issue with the staff or elders, if anything I am closer with these guys and gals than ever! They are not only quality leaders but truly the finest leaders I have had the privilege of serving with! I hope you can see that this is not a decision based on some negative result flowing out from BCC, but an overwhelming desire to reach lost people. Peter Wagner (no relation) says that church planting is “the single most effective evangelistic methodology under heaven.” If that is the case, then I can see nothing more important than giving my life to that cause!

I know there are a ton of questions you may have, and I would love to sit down and answer all of them. I imagine that a few of you may be asking yourself, “Aren’t new churches competing with existing churches?” This is a common misconception among Christians – especially other leaders. The fact is that in any given community on any weekend if every seat in every church were full, 90% of the population would still have no place to attend. That is huge!

Some of you may have questions about the process or how all of this would work. The over-simplified version is that Jenni and I would raise prayer support and financial support throughout the next few months and then be sent off in January 2009 from BCC to begin the process of planting Epic Church (you can get more information on the church we will plant called Epic Church at www.epic4life.com) in the Kansas City area. We would work with area churches there to develop a launch team, do events similar to the day of service and build a group of people who are sold out to the cause of reaching disconnected people through the venture of a new church! We would have several events and preview services leading up to a grand opening in September 2009, hopefully launching with over 300 people in attendance!

Jenni and I know this is a lot to take in. I wanted to be able to say to the body of Christ at BCC how blessed we are to have you as family and friends and that we are excited about the future that God has here in Garden City and around the world. If there is one thing I know about Church planting, it is that we cannot survive without each of you praying for us and lending us your support and hearts. I want to thank you ahead of time for the generosity that I’m sure will outflow from each of you. We have been touched in such amazing ways and cannot wait to take that same spirit of love and care to people who are living in a hopeless existence in desperate need of Jesus!

Serving Christ,

Kent and Jenni Wagner

Church Planters

I have been mulling over the idea that any entrepreneurial entity in our society starts behind the 8 ball. What I mean is this: the level at which an entrepreneurs competition operates and the level of expectation from their prospective customers are at astronomically high levels.

The same is true for new Churches. Those expectation levels cross over – in ministry demands, level of quality, and personal attention.

In a perfect world a new Church would not need to start out at the same level as an established church. In the ideal world a new church could grow like a baby does – not being expected to take on adult roles until adulthood has been reached. Unfortunately, our culture has such high demands that new Churches must start out on a level that is equal to that of established Churches.

This is the reason that I am so passionate about doing everything we can on the front end to make sure that Epic Church is the very best she can be! Some people don’t understand why a new Church would need so much money to start (the average price is $300,000 over 3 years – I think this is even a little low). The reason is, people who are disconnected from Christ count! They are worth every penny and so much more. I will not allow the eternal future of those people in Kansas City that Epic Church will reach to be undervalued because the project seems to large or the number of zeros behind the $ are too daunting. I want to honor those people now; I want to work my tail off to pay the price of doing this right, on the front, so they can reap the rewards on the backside.

Isn’t that the kind of example Christ gave us, He paid on the front end so that we could be rewarded on the back end. He gave it all, so we could have it all. Simply put, $300,000 is nothing if it means seeing people who need Jesus come to know and love Him!