Reformer Martin Luther said “Here I stand” in response to the maintenance-minded Church leaders of his day who saw no need to change. The Church of his day was furious with him for his prophetic call to change and threatened him ultimately with death unless he backed off on his call. Yet he made it clear he could not lighten up.

“Brother Martin” loved the Church and realized that Jesus desired to use her to love those in it into relationship with God. He also saw the need for change to take place before the Church became equipped for usefulness in God’s hands.

Luther was a catalyst, one who not only saw the need to move toward change, but who lived out the message of change. Most importantly, he drew many thousands into the very life he lived, living increasingly the way Jesus lived, but living in Jesus’ power one hundred percent.

JumpStartChurch.com is a site for leaders in the church that are in the “99%+” category. Let’s be honest about our numbers: weekly attendance and baptisms of believers who have come to Christ in the past year who were converted, not simply those raised in the church, is minimal. If we are not seeing close to 10% of our regular weekend population being baptized each year something is not working correctly.

For those who do show evidence of growth, where is that “growth” originating? Studies done over the past 25 years show the same result consistently, there is a “re-shuffling of he deck” going on. People from church A move to church B because they “get more out of it." Translated: “I like the music more here!” or “This place makes me feel good for some reason…”

How would it look if the Church in our day began to move toward organic growth, if leaders, the key to change, chose not to take the status quo as the ultimate answer. Let’s reach forward together like Luther and usher in change, reaching into our culture without fear, no matter the cost.

Steve Sjogren
January, 2007