Episode 3 is part of Exponential’s podcast series, “My Journey to Multiplication.” For previous episodes of the series, visit Exponential’s podcast page:
- E01: Bob Roberts’s Journey to Multiplication
- E02: Keith Ferguson’s Journey to Multiplication
In Episode 3, Brett Andrews shares his journey toward becoming a level five multiplying church. Joining him are Dan Smith, Vince Antonucci and Dale Spaulding, all of whom have shared time along Brett’s church-planting journey. Andrews planted New Life Christian Church in the Washington DC area over 20 years ago, and as a church, they’ve planted over 80 churches since that time.
New Life has served as a seedbed for many church plants, as well as other organizations that support church planting including the beginnings of Exponential. Passion for Planting also operates in and around New Life to provide resources and a residency program for church planters. In this episode, Brett shares his experience with church planting, along with valuable lessons he’s learned along the way.
“Becoming Five” is this year’s theme. Exponential is hosting regional conferences in Washington DC and Chicago for the first time ever this year. Use the promotional code “PODCAST” to receive a 10 percent discount on these regional conferences.
“Is level five just for entrepreneurs? Or is level five for the Peter, James, and Johns? For common Galileans – the uneducated through whom God is able to use to create multiplication movements. I think that’s the one thing I’d say about our experience, because we’re not brilliant entrepreneurs.
“I’m not the kind of disciple-making person who sits down with five guys every week, and turns out disciples, having done that for 25 years in ministry. (I probably need to become that way out of obedience and discipline.) But it’s been more of, Our strength is preaching teaching—now help us, God, to identify people you want us to send, to call out people you want us to send. If that’s one thing God’s blessed us in, it’s that God sends us a Terri Saliba, God sends us a Todd Wilson, we hold them loosely, and we say, ‘May God bless you to bless the kingdom.’ If there has been a multiplication impact, it’s been through us not being a stereotypical level five church, but it’s being faithful in the gifts God’s given us, and allowing Him to use that in a way that multiplies in a way we never could have on our own.”
If there has been a multiplication impact, it’s…allowing Him to use [us] in a way that multiplies in a way we never could have on our own.
What has surprised you the most in church planting?
“I’ve been surprised with how little control I have. I never would have expected that we would have planted as many churches as we have, I never would have expected that we would have been as encouraging to church planters as we have been. On the other hand, I thought we’d be more impressive than we have been, candidly, in my ego.”
Download Brett’s Exponential eBook, Give God Some Credit: Risk Taking for Greater Impact for free here. Also, featured in this episode is Dan Smith, who published an eBook with Exponential called Sending Church.
