Alright, I’ve had enough. I love our city and His Kingdom too much to be quiet on this one.

Starting a church has been one of the most fun, challenging, fullfilling, stretching things I have ever done. And if it weren’t for the fact that several churches in Knoxville strategically and intentionally got behind my vision to launch OneLife we would still be floundering around instead of seeing God blow the doors off and change lives each and every week. We couldn’t have done it on our own.

Which brings me to my soapbox: I am sick of disgruntled youth pastors, church splits, splits of splits, and splits of splits of splits starting churches and calling themselves a church plant. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned, it is that healthy churches start healthy churches. Period.

Are there exceptions? I’m sure there are. But don’t think you are it! Two church plants have already closed their doors in Knoxville over the past few months and I’m afraid this might be the culprit.

 As I’ve learned more about the various churches in our region that have gotten started over the past five years or so and as I learn about more new churches attempting to get going, I’ve been heartbroken to hear all the dysfunction. Jesus said “they will know you are Christians by your love” but yet it appears that reality is they will know you are Christians when you get mad, take your little red wagon, and go somewhere else.

So OneLife is going to do our part to change that. Healthy organisms reproduce so we are taking our DNA of being started when other churches reproduced and we’re dreaming big dreams of regional transformation all across East Tennessee as we partner with other healthy churches to launch more healthy churches.

OneLifers, stay tuned. I’ve had some great conversations lately and we are going to play some major roles in helping some great churches get started in 2010. And you can rest assured, it will be because they are healthy organisms being reproduced not cancer being cut out and trying to survive outside the body.