“Shoot for the Moon Locally & Hit a Mars Hill, … reflections on CCC@UW and the beginnings of Mars Hill Seattle”

Dedicated to: D.J. Jenkins, and other CCC MTL’s whom the Spirit seems to have put “a wild hare up their arses” to see an increase of missional churches happen for their college and university disciples. I've respectfully drafted this essay in response to a wise observation DJ has made about college and university town church partnerships on: http://brianbarela.typepad.com/the_necessary_things/2009/06/insight-from-a-church-planter.html#comments

Dear D.J. --- I want to encourage you to go with the "impression" you are getting from CCC’s National leadership. Go for it man, ...figure out church-partnerships locally. It sounds like you have a kairos opportunity in your backyard --- again I say, "go for it". And, at the same time I want to encourage you to simultaneously “shoot for the moon” in another arena --- in terms of fostering as many local pastoral friendships as you can --- for the sake of your students and The Gospel. God will show you what to do in the situation he has uniquely called you into; and, you will be forever grateful for offering your “two loaves and three fishes”.

Some back-story: Mark Driscoll originally proposed forming an exclusive partnership with CCC@UW to plant an on-campus church that would meet in U of W's amazing Husky Union Building, …affectionately called “The HUB”. Gratefully, the day we met to discuss his ideas, I heard a little voice inside me strongly saying, "Tell Mark not to partner with CCC --- a partnership will slow him down --- God's hand is on this young man --- he needs the freedom to do his own thing --- don't tie him down with verbal promises he'll one day need to break --- you need to back him up 100% in what he's doing and chart a course for students to be involved both in Mars Hill & CCC at the same time --- CCC needs the freedom to partner with an unlimited number of Christ-centered churches and not just Mars Hill --- nip any future folly in the bud that could put student leaders in a position of where they will have to “choose” between their local churches and their campus ministries --- covenant with Mark to find ways CCC students can be involved simultaneously in CCC, and a Local Church, and a local Church college group for their entire college career".

D.J., it’s my opinion that local church partnerships (ie. if they are styled after CCC's WSN partnerships overseas) are untenable for most CCC staff to forge, develop, and maintain; even with their own local church, esp with multiple churches! Partnerships are by their very nature viewed by both parties as contractual; they quickly become political –especially when money, calendaring, and student leadership distribution are made prime issues; and, they require hours and hours of relational energy and extra meetings you really don’t have time for.

A much more viable and attractive (more Biblical?) alternative to "building Church Partnerships" is something I call "fostering Pastoral Networks". I believe CCC has been called by God to be more than just an M28 Discipleship Movement. God has also called CCC to be an interdenominational missional renewal movement that “makes every effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit” on the local level (Ephesians 4:1-6). One of your(our) missionary callings is help your(our) local peers and colleagues to become authentic “fellow workers” (Biblical Greek = “synergos”). Therefore, the onus is on every CCC staff missionary to take the lead in fostering high-trust relational "synergistic" networks amongst all their colleagues in their respective college towns and campus mission fields (ie. senior pastors, college pastors, church planters, IVCF/Nav staff, etc).

One of my greatest joys during my season at the University of Washington was to host “The Greater Seattle College Pastors Network" a series of 6-7 gatherings over the course of a few years --- that eventually spawned into two consecutive Labor Day Weekend College Conferences at the end of the summers of 1994 & 1995 which Mark attended, brought his student leaders to, and where he got to meet and befriend other pastors who shared his heart for the University of Washington. To watch Mark and others form "iron sharpens iron" friendships, to see their attitudes towards one another soften, and to get to advocate for Mark on number of occasions was a real privilege.

I didn't have (and don't have) a close relationship with Mark --- but some of my students, …especially Chris Kuntzen did --- I didn't really understand what kind of "hare [Mark] had up his arse" about starting a campus church -or for that matter what a campus church was in the first place! --- By the grace of God, I clearly understand my kairos role was to believe in and befriend Mark (who was not well liked by some key people) --- I affirmed his call to pastor and teach and create a church to reach a new generation --- I held a conviction I was supposed to work and pray and advocate not only for his "success", ...but for the success of all other Kingdom-minded college ministers --- and the rest is history. It's very important to note that Mars Hill: http://www.marshillchurch.org/ wasn't the only church-plant or college ministry CCC students assisted in planting during the 90’s in Seattle --- there were many, many others.

I've come to appreciate the small roles God has called me to play over the years with a variety of church and ministry planters -many of whom I'm still in touch with today. I see myself primarily as a Jesus Person with a call to serve as a campus missionary. And, part of that calling is be a true friend to the local college pastors God has sovereignly put in my path, young and old, quasi-conservative and quasi-liberal, funky and professional. My only qualification (which is a deal breaker for me) is that they are at their core, ...a radical Jesus person. Collegiate spiritual leadership development is my primary “industry” by the will of God, ...but, befriending, encouraging and sending my students into church-plants and college ministry-plants is one of my favorite hobbies! As I've indulged myself in my hobby it seems to bear extraordinary Kingdom fruit:

1) 7-8 different Seattle Area College Groups & Church Plants

2) New Church Berkeley (PCA Church-Plant)

3) Mosaic Berkeley (Southern Baptist Church-plant)

4) Veritas Fellowship (Graduate Student Ministry-Plant)

5) Grace-Period (Campus Ministry Re-Plant)

6) College Life (PCA College Ministry Plant)

7) Regeneration Church (Calvary Chapel Church-Plant)

8) Christ Church Berkeley & RUF (Church/Ministry-Plant)

9) DVCUnited (Interdenominational Campus Ministry Plant)

10) The Commons (Covenant Church Young Adult/College Group Plant)

11) Several new church plants in the San Jose/South Bay Area

My favorite experience was my first church-plant venture; where I had the extraordinary privilege of serving as an alpha visionary and advocate for planting University Bible Church, an IFBC Church Plant in Pocatello Idaho: http://www.universitybible.org/ where basically God impressed on me the idea to see my 200 member semi-suburban church re-plant itself in the middle of the Idaho State University campus via moving into the recently vacated A-frame Ecumenical Center (picture at top of blog). 900 worshippers later, hundreds of pastors and missionaries sent-out later, using the largest university auditorium on campus for it’s Sunday services later, University Bible Church is I guess what Mark Driscoll would call a "Campus Church".

Here's the wisdom underneath all the hype: UBC was NOT a partnership (neither was Mars Hill), ...it was about good, healthy, solid local pastoral relationships; high-trust friendships between CCC campus missionaries (me, Chris Knutzen Mike Gunn, John Rodgers, Kirt Henman, Kevin Pettit and others) and two local pastors: Mike Powell & Mark Driscoll. Oh, and in case you wonder, "yes" I'm intentionally trying to be cool like Mark "the cussing pastor" and cowboy pastor Mike who used to say "crap" in his sermons every now and then. I've carefully used the Irish idiom “wild hare up their arse” to vividly illustrate what apostolic unction looks like in His servants when the Holy Spirit calls them to start something new for the sake of Gospel.

As I look back over my 25 year missionary career, I'm filled with great joy that on a few occasions I was sober-minded enough to hear the whispers of the Holy Spirit in my ear about Jesus' beautiful vision for His Church. It's been an honor to encourage each of these men and others, to shoot for the moon. It was a matter of pure, strategic, prophetic missionary obedience --- brother to brother --- between one colleague and another --- in the spirit and style of Barnabus. God gets all the glory for blessing Idaho State University & the University of Washington each with their own "Mars Hill". Jesus gets all the glory for enriching the Gospel environment for my college & university students with more missional churches. And, the Holy Spirit gets ever increasing glory as both UBC and MHC have both become church-planting churches -each sending out an ever growing number of satellite churches that are orbiting within their solar systems. Whatever the case, if you haven't figured it out by now, Mike and Mark weren't the only ones who had a "hare up their you know where". There was also was this certain tall, Irish, campus missionary who had one, too (and still does). -dc

"...the world has yet to see what God can do with an ever expanding relational network of college pastors and missionaries whose hearts are fully His."

*What do you think is better for discipling todays college & university students: formal church partnerships? ...or relational pastoral networks between local pastors and campus missionaries? --- Working on this issue is priority Kingdom work for our generation. Everyone welcome to make comments by clicking "comments" below.