Earlier this evening we held what I dubbed "Journey Launch Team LifeGroup", it was our first organized meeting with some of the core team plus a new family.

We had an amazing time getting to know some new like minded people 'who' had just moved into the area.  They had done a random search in Google and Journey Church popped up.  I actually think it was a #GodDidIt moment because he said that he did the same search later and didn't get the same results.  I quess need to talk to my SEO guy about that...(FYI - that's me).  

After the first email from our form on JourneyChurchATX.org we where able to set a time and I able to meet with this guy.  We spent some time together I shared our story and he shared parts of his.  We spoke for a hour or so and I invited him to come back and bring his family to our Launch Team LifeGroup, and guess what? He did!  

What do you tell people that you know are maybe interested in what you doing, but you don't know them?  This is the question I asked myself and God about this week.  Keep in mind, in the same room where people that have already committed to being apart of the launch team. 

I heard this very clearly in my spirit, "Tell them why?" The following is that attempt and a profound truth that I hope ministers to you.  Maybe you are a church planter asking yourself some of these same qustions.  Or maybe your a senior pastor of an established church and not sure about the "WHY" or it's been buried under all the "HOW" and "WHAT" of ministry.  Or possibly your on a Launch Team or thinking about launching a church in the future.  I hope you take few minutes and look at what I have prayed over, cried over and dedicated to the Lord as Journey Church's "WHY"!

Based on the audience in the room and just the name of the group, I started off with this statement:

"I believe there is a important question that I need to answer tonight for you guys."

WHY —— WHY JOURNEY CHURCH, WHY THIS TEAM, WHY THIS COMMUNITY, WHY, WHY, WHY?

Before I attempt to answer that 3-letter question, there is another one that needs to be answered for you.

WHY START WITH THE "WHY"?

I recently read a book called, "Start With Why", by Simon Sinek.  If we could throw off our holy theology hats for a moment, this secular book should be required reading for pastors, church planters and church leaders.  The capital 'C' Church could use this approach to stretch ourselves and become better.  I really am totally convinced of it!

Simon's book is focused on industry and business leaders, but the application of this methodology could revolutionize how we approach ministry.  

Simon Sinek begins with addressing some of the tactics use in the business world: Price, Promotions, Fear, Aspirations, Peer Pressure, Novelty.

In our LifeGroup I asked them to tell me good our bad what are some tactics that we as the church use? You can think of your own list I'm sure.  Some are very amazing, know that 'tactics' is not a bad word or should it have a negative connotation. 

But for us here at Journey Church, my prayer is that our motivation we use more than any other would be "LOVE", to strive to love like Jesus did each and everyday.

Sinek writes: “When companies or organizations do not have a clear sense of why their customers are their customers, they tend to rely on a disproportionate number of manipulations to get what they need. And for good reason. Manipulations work.”

But these types of manipulations lead to transactions, not loyalty.

Have you ever been to a church and you felt like it was more like a transaction vs an inspiration? Loyalty only comes from people when they understand the "WHY".

THE WHY is belief, the driving force behind what we do, the why people will stay and work hard to touch and impact others lives.  Blood sweat and tears are not pored out becasue of the "HOW" and "WHAT".  Been in the military for almost 20 years and this I know...the blood of America's sons and daughters was not shed for 'HOW' or 'WHAT' not for the FLAG but what it represents!  The 'WHY' for America is FREEDOM!

I believe without clearity and laser focused specificity of the "WHY", our outreach tactics will just be what I would call door jammers....just getting people in the door to grow a church.  I don't want to grow Journey Church, I want Journey Church to be a healthy church full of passionate people, that understand the "WHY".  Tactics that grow numbers almost never lead to healthy growth in the long term.  The best growth is healthy growth, it would be better to have a empty building then one full of unhealthy people.

What if everything we did as a church was laser focused?  If the sunglasses we placed over our eyes was the "WHY", that always and without fail we would look through the lens of "WHY"!  If it doesn't help us accomplish the "WHY"...then we won't do it!

There is a TED talk where Sinek lays out some very interesting thoughts.

Here are a few of them:

How do you explain when things don't go as we assume? Or better, how do you explain when others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all of the assumptions? For example: Why is Apple so innovative? Year after year, after year, they're more innovative than all their competition. And yet, they're just a computer company. They're just like everyone else. They have the same access to the same talent, the same agencies, the same consultants, the same media. Then why is it that they seem to have something different? Why is it that Martin Luther King led the Civil Rights Movement? He wasn't the only man who suffered in pre-civil rights America, and he certainly wasn't the only great orator of the day. Why him?

As it turns out, there's a pattern. As it turns out, all the great inspiring leaders and organizations in the world, whether it's Apple or Martin Luther King or the Wright brothers, they all think, act and communicate the exact same way. And it's the complete opposite to everyone else. All I did was codify it, and it's probably the world's simplest idea. I call it the golden circle.

The Golden Circle.

Why? How? What? This little idea explains why some organizations and some leaders are able to inspire where others aren't. Let me define the terms really quickly. Every single person, every single organization on the planet knows what they do, 100 percent. Some know how they do it, whether you call it your differentiated value proposition or your proprietary process or your USP. But very, very few people or organizations know why they do what they do. And by "why" I don't mean "to make a profit." That's a result. It's always a result. By "why," I mean: What's your purpose? What's your cause? What's your belief? Why does your organization exist? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should anyone care? As a result, the way we think, we act, the way we communicate is from the outside in, it's obvious. We go from the clearest thing to the fuzziest thing. But the inspired leaders and the inspired organizations — regardless of their size, regardless of their industry — all think, act and communicate from the inside out.

Let me give you an example. I use Apple because they're easy to understand and everybody gets it. If Apple were like everyone else, a marketing message from them might sound like this: "We make great computers. They're beautifully designed, simple to use and user friendly. Want to buy one?" "Meh." That's how most of us communicate. That's how most marketing and sales are done, that's how we communicate interpersonally. We say what we do, we say how we're different or better and we expect some sort of a behavior, a purchase, a vote, something like that. Here's our new law firm: We have the best lawyers with the biggest clients, we always perform for our clients. Here's our new car: It gets great gas mileage, it has leather seats. Buy our car. But it's uninspiring.

Here's how Apple actually communicates. "Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in thinking differently. The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use and user friendly. We just happen to make great computers. Want to buy one?" Totally different, right? You're ready to buy a computer from me. I just reversed the order of the information. What it proves to us is that people don't buy what you do; people buy why you do it.

WHAT – Every single organization on the planet knows WHAT they do.

HOW – Some companies and people know "HOW" they do what they do.

WHY – Very few people, companies can clearly articulate WHY they do what they do.

When we look at churches in this light the "WHAT" is our ministries and programs.  

• Can you name a few possibilities? - Men's & Women's Ministries/Childrens Church/Food Bank/Outreach Ministry the list could be endless.

The HOW speaks to strategy.  As a church I know we need clear value inspired strategy that helps us understand where we want to go.  If you don't know where we want to go, how will we know if we get there?

In the future we will tackle the HOW and the values to get us there.  We will touch on them so here is a sneek peek:

THE HOW--#LoveGod #LovePeople #ServeTheCity

#LoveGod #LovePeople #ServeTheCity ---- These three things are what we value and it is HOW we are going to accomplish the "WHY"!

Most important piece the "WHY" is your deep sense of mission or purpose. It’s has to be God Inspired, the passion behind why we exsist...It needs to be worded in a memorable way that connects with the community.

This is what I want us at Journey to focus on! For your church it might be something else, but I do believe there is a Devine truth in here somewhere that we all can learn from.

When asking myself, "Why plant a church"? "Why do we need one more church?" (There are amazing churches in Austin, Tx) "Why give our lives to ministry?" "Why ask good people to help us?" "Why ask people for their time, talents and treasure?" "Why ask people to move across the country?"

In my heart and spirit It's a very simple answer.  I do pray that these words jump off the page and into your spirit...I hope this explodes in your spirit as well...RELATIONSHIP!

Journey's "WHY" or you could say "Mission Statement"

- Doing life together, while developing authentic (Christ Centered) RELATIONSHIPS with messy people just like us! 

To truly reach people at the heart level and build a healthy church, we got to build around the "WHY". 

If I had to sum it up In one word?  For us it would have to be: "RELATIONSHIPS" 

It's really is the foundation of why God sent His son Jesus to die on the cross. It really is the single greatest mystery solved in one word.  It is the axial of why God did everything.

Lets look at I John 4:7-10 MSG

“My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know Him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent His only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.

Here is a little something hot of the press of my spirit: The open arms of Christ were nailed in place, but the nails did not keep them there.  It was the desire for Relationship.

I truely believe it breaks down like this:

1. GOD desired relationship with man.
2. Jesus relationship with His Father set the course for God's desire to be fulfilled.
3. OUR relationship with each other is how we find Christ.

For Journey Church our "WHY" will help us focus on the single most important things in our lives. RELATIONSHIPS

RELATIONSHIPS - OUR'S WITH OUR CREATOR AND WITH HIS SON JESUS AND WITH EACH OTHER. 

For Journey Church and this church plant, if something doesn't propel us to building authentic RELATIONSHIPS, then we are not going to do it!  It what I would call the line in the sand for us.

What could that mean? I don't know... maybe a foodbank.  Just giving food away doesn't build relationships necessarily.  If the City of Austin, Baptist, Catholic or Muslim Mosque down the street from us has the best food bank... then why we going to do it?  More beneficial Christ motivated relationships might come from serving others in those fellowships and pastors, priest or Imam rather than us running our own foodbank. (just a example)

Please comment/like/share what you think about these thoughts...also feel free to email me @: mike@journeychurchatx.org

Mike Chapman | Lead Pastor | Journey Church Austin

Again, I would suggest getting your own copy of Start with Why.  

This resource could be a powerful leadership tool to digest for you, your team or anyone breathing. Also you should watch when you get time Simon Sinek’s TED talk.