Super Saturday Keynote APril 29, 2017

1. NEW WORSHIPPING COMMUNITIES:
WHERE TO BEGIN?
Rev. Zac Morton

2. WHO AM I?
Ordained in PC(USA) in 2011
Graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan
College (BS) and Pittsburgh Theological
Seminary (MDiv)
Born & raised in Pittsburgh, PA - cradle
Presbyterian
Married to Meaghan Cochrane w/ 2 dogs
(Pomeranians/children)
Soccer, Gardening, Hiking & Camping,
Golf, Art, Archaeology, Weird Food.

3. WHAT WILL WE COVER?
The story of The Mustard Seed Project
Cultural Shifts to Consider
How to get started - Discernment Questions & Top 10

5. WHAT IS THE MUSTARD
SEED PROJECT?
Initiative of Roswell
Presbyterian Church
(Roswell, GA)
Mother/Daughter Parachute
Drop Church-Planting
Model
Idea began taking shape in
2011

6. WHAT IS THE MUSTARD
SEED PROJECT?
RPC’s Mission: A church that
would engage the Nones and
Dones of the world.
Vision: Create a sustainable
congregation that focused on
ministry to Nones & Dones
Plan:
- Raised Money
- Identified a Community
- Hired a Planter

7. WHAT IS THE MUSTARD
SEED PROJECT?
Christmas 2014 - Zac arrived at RPC
April 2015 - Moved to Suwanee Full-Time
June 2015 - Started Hiking Group
September 2015 - Convened Small
Group
December 2015 - Our first “service”
January 2016 - Began Bible Study
April 2016 - Vision Retreat
May 2016 - Began partnership with
Home of Hope - Gwinnett Children’s
Shelter
November 2016 - Began looking for own
space.

8. What is the unmet need?
Who in our community is
looking for it?
How can we connect with
them?
How can we help them
form spiritual community
together?

9. A space that is open for deep
and authentic spiritual/faith
exploration.
Singles, Non-Traditional
Families, Mega-Church
“dropouts”
Shared interest groups, service
projects, social gatherings
Gather regularly for discussion,
service, spiritual practice.

10. Mission Statement
1) Creating a spiritual home…
Rooted in one another - God makes room for a diverse crowd and so
should we. We do our best to refrain from judgement and lead with love and
hospitality.
2) …that challenges us…
Rooted in the world - Taking an honest look at the world requires us to
face the reality that there are equal parts beauty and suffering around us and
we are called to respond to both.
3) …to keep growing.
Rooted in God - We are called to be a growing kind of people,
recognizing that God is always has more grace, more compassion, and more
love to offer.

11. 3 Core Practices
1) Honor Each Other
Create authentic, open, and safe spiritual space for all people by
practicing radical hospitality.
2) Explore Our Traditions
Inviting ourselves and others to engage, question, and wrestle with our
faith tradition and belief systems.
3) Act Out
Empowering one another to do good, compassionate work in our
neighborhoods, city, country, and world.

12. 3-Layered Approach

13. 3-Layered Approach
Layer 1-
Hiking Group, Social/Community Events, Game Nights
Layer 2 -
Yoga Classes, Discussion Groups, Mission Partnerships, Film
Screenings, Bible Workshops, etc.
Layer 3 -
Prayer Services, BIG & small table, Stepping into Leadership
Roles, Centering Prayer Classes, Retreats

22. Realities of Our Context
- Nobody else is doing what we’re doing - That’s an opportunity
and a great challenge - establish a presence and reputation is a
big challenge!
- People do not pledge allegiance to a single church
- People do not attend church weekly anymore. Once a month
attendance is considered steady!
- Production Worship and Providing Religious Services dominates
via Mega-Church Presence.

23. Realities of Our Context
- Suwanee is growing increasingly expensive, driving much of the
millennial population into surrounding communities.
- We’re building faith community primarily for people who are not
looking for a faith community!
- Forming community around shared interests is a great way to
connect in an unconnected community.
- Personal relationships are what bring new people in, not passive
and massive advertising.

24. SUCCESSES & FAILURES
SUCCESSES
Home of Hope Garden Project
Hiking Group
Discussion Groups
Game Nights
Blood Drive
Retreats
FAILURES
Art & Faith Nights
#FaithDropSuwanee
First Easter Service
Text Listserv
First Bible Study

25. MEANINGFUL THEOLOGY
Priesthood of ALL believers
Living Communion - Experiencing God in Every Moment
Cosmic Christ and Historical Jesus - Worldview
Shalom as a vision for the future and call to participation in the
present. - Find Purpose and Hope.

26. MEANINGFUL THEOLOGY
Creation Care/EcoTheology
Prophetic Calls to Justice & Equality - Self-Critique
Pro-Science & Technology! Use Science for Spiritual Illustrations,
Find Common Ground
Experiential Trinity - Presence, Activity, Revelation

28. Emerging Patterns
of
Faith & Spirituality in
America

29. Societal Issues Influencing Spiritual Shift
- Increasing skepticism towards and critiques of large entities
(corporations, institutions, governments, etc.)
- Concern for the Environment (over 70% feel climate-change is a
major issue, multiple sources)
- Proliferation of Information and appeal of Self-Autonomy
- Catholic Scandal/Cover-Up and Moral Majority Movement

30. Societal Issues Influencing Spiritual Shift
- Movements to Reform: Criminal Justice System,
Education System, Health Care, Higher Education, etc.
- Social Equality Movements: LGBTQ+, Women’s Rights,
Immigration, Racial Justice
- Deconstructing Populist/Nationalist Narratives via
Historical Inquiry

31. Construction,
Deconstruction,
Reconstruction
- Build up an identity
- That constructed identity is brought into question, challenged, and
dismantled.
- A new, transformed identity emerges and begins being constructed.
- Which phase is the modern church best equipped to deal with?

32. PRRI Study -
2014

33. PRRI Study - 2014

34. PRRI Study - 2014

36. Where does our opportunity lie?
- Get involved in good work in the community and build
partnerships with other organizations.
- Explore the breadth of Christian Tradition and History
honestly and openly.
- Developing community and opportunities that embrace and
encourage personal and corporate spiritual experience.

37. Where does our opportunity lie?
- Becoming skeptics of our own orthodoxy
- Advocating for social reform where it is obviously needed,
using non-partisan rhetoric - reclaiming the church’s
prophetic voice.
- Affirming spiritual experiences, creating space to talk about
them in community, equip/empower people to connect more
deeply (give language for their experience)

38. What is at Stake?
The Vitality of the Christian Faith Tradition
“The greatness of Christianity is it’s capacity
to adapt and adopt whatever the findings of
the human spirit are. Christ is the central
archetype of the union between God and
Man.”
-William Everson (20th c. poet)

39. The Essence of Christianity
- “What would it mean for Christians to rediscover their
faith not as a system of beliefs, but as a just and
generous way of life, rooted in prayerful reflection and
expressed in compassion, making amends for its
mistakes and dedicated to creating beloved community
for all?…What would it mean for Christians to
understand, experience, and embody God as the loving,
healing, reconciling Spirit in whom all creatures live,
move, and have their being?”
- -Brian McLaren, The Great Spiritual Migration

40. Where do we START?

41. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
WHY - do we feel called to do this?
WHO - do we feel called to connect with?
WHERE - are they already gathering?
HOW - can we get in a position to listen and learn from
them?
WHAT - do they care deeply about?

42. ACTION ITEMS
Once you identify a target audience, go into their territory and
OBSERVE - listen and learn first.
BE CONSISTENT in showing up, and strike up low-stakes
conversation with “go-tos” and regulars.
ORGANIZE, or equip members of target audience to organize, a
shared-interest and primarily social event(s).
Develop a social NETWORK from which you can draw a core
group/base of interested parties.

43. ACTION ITEMS
CAPITALIZE on already existing social networks around
shared-interests.
PARTNER with other organizations and existing networks.
F-words - Food and Friends. Everybody needs those.
EMPOWER them to take the lead and develop ownership
and direction over the community.

44. THE DREADED CLICHE…
“Meeting people where they are at…”
Take it literally.

45. “MEETING PEOPLE
WHERE THEY ARE”
Engaging with ‘Nones’ and ‘Dones’:
1) Listen. Give them space just to be heard.
2) Give them space to engage with ideas/beliefs for themselves.
3) Hold their involvement carefully - stepping back in is a process for
many and will take time and trust. Some will always keep a
distance.
4) Know something about yoga/meditation/centering prayer from the
Christian Tradition.
5) Don’t dismiss the need for getting together in unstructured ways -
don’t turn everything into fellowship programming.

46. “MEETING PEOPLE
WHERE THEY ARE”
What types of things are they doing that they consider
“spiritual?”
What are the persistent challenges they face? (existential and
practical)
Where is an experience of meaninglessness creeping in,
where is “daily grind” wearing on them?
What is their story? What, precisely, is their issue with
organized religion/churches?

47. “MEETING PEOPLE
WHERE THEY ARE”
Where are they finding joy?
What are they worrying about? What is their view of the future?
(optimistic or pessimistic)
What past experiences have shaped their current spiritual
demeanor?
What is their stage of consciousness? How do they perceive other
faith traditions, different people groups, interest in political/social
justice issues?

48. THE TOP TEN
THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN DISCERNING
WHETHER OR NOT TO START A NWC
10. Measure Growth, not Proficiency - Every community will have a
unique life of it’s own.
9. Qualitative > Quantitative
8. Take on the translation, don’t ask your target audience to do it.
7. Don’t imitate, innovate.
6. There are no new Messiahs - resist the “cult of personality” model at
all cost.

49. THE TOP TEN
THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN DISCERNING
WHETHER OR NOT TO START A NWC
5. Timelines are cute. That is all.
4. Nobody out there cares about the PC(USA).
3. Context is everything.
2. Support is way more than $$.
1. Failure is essential. So is persistence.

50. RESOURCES
Center for Progressive Renewal -
www.progressiverenewal.org
OPEN Network -
www.theopennetworkus.org
The Enneagram (for leaders) -
www.enneagraminstitute.com
Path1 - United Methodist Church -
www.umcdiscipleship.org/new-church-starts