Shannon O’Dell is the Senior Pastor of Brand New Church with a passion for healthy church in rural America. He has been pastoring for six years in a town of 407 beginning with a congregation of 31 to now five campuses and 2,000+ in attendance weekly. The county Shannon serves in Arkansas has only 19,000 people in it. If you want to minister in rural America, you better get some tough skin. It’s difficult. One of the biggest obstacles is the local families that end up running the church. Shannon shares the story of his church and the crazy math that resulted from its re-launch: 31 minus 12 equals 2,000.
The Brand New Church Story
- God’s will for every pastor is to lead white collar people outside of a major city (sarcasm).
- God’s everywhere, go where the money is (sarcastic again).
- He knew God had called him to pioneer and blaze a trail by building a church in rural America.
- In ministry, pastors and ministers have turned certain churches into “Hollywood”… thinking, “if you make it there, you’ve made it…”
- God lead him to South Lead Hill, population of 88.
- They want to church of 31… which is now 2,000.
- 5 campuses and 3 house churches now.
- If God calls a man to rural America it looks like they don’t add up to other churches.
- Some churches get put on the pedestal for their size, instead of their seismology.
- God has called us to do great things wherever He’s called us.
- We are so concerned about our significance in eyes of others that we’ll give up success in eyes of God.
- Rural America is the most unchurched “churched” place in the world.
- God blesses people who are excited about seeing changed lives.
- In 2 years they were multisite in rural America!
- We have this idea that if you get to the “big church” that God is using you.
- Got their name from Colossians 3:10 – brand new…
- They have seen explosive growth, life change and record-breaking baptisms.
Church in the Sticks…
- None of their campuses have adequate internet services… so they got a Hummer equipped with a satellite.
- They have satellite house churches in other rural areas.
- Hundreds of people are showing up because they are desperate to hear the Gospel.
- There’s familiar soil, not just foreign soil, where people are desperate to hear the Good News.
- Why do we have to be church planters outside of metro areas?
- Why are there so few called to rural America?
- Why do people leave so quickly?
- God wants us to be effective wherever we are.
- The calling is clear: 1 Tim 3.
- God’s given us a prerequisite…
1 – You need to be called.
- There are so many people who are good Sunday school teachers but they are not called to be pastors.
- In rural America, a whisper is a roar.
- When you are called to ministry, you need to be certain that you are called.
- We have to know our calling.
2 – You must love your family.
- If you are married you a required by God to have a red-hot marriage.
- In rural America, your greatest evangelistic tool is your family.
- Your marriage is a picture of your salvation.
- You cannot have an average marriage and an excellent church.
- If you are single, you are called to maintain a level of holiness.
3 – It’s not the size of your church, it’s the seismic activity.
- What kind of ripple are you creating in your community?
- Everyone wants to be a part of greatness and Jesus Christ and His Church alive is just that.
- Instead of saying we have “1,500 people”… say, we’re a “6.5″
- The epicenter is your walk with God, your holiness.
- You can’t preach something you are not living.
4 – Make certain you have accurate structure.
- No one can stand without an excellent skeletal system.
- Make sure your by-laws and organizational structures do not limit the hand of God.
- It does not begin with deacons or committees, it begins with Jesus as the head of the Church.
- Get an accurate structure and fight for it to be biblical.
- We need theocratic churches, not churches that are democratic.
God is more concerned about growing congregants instead of congregations.
