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A number of people give us a funny look when they hear that we are starting a new church. Given the number of established churches in Denver, they wonder why we would go to all the trouble of starting a new church when there is space available in existing congregations.
Many people assume that we are starting a new church in order to compete with existing ones. Maybe we think that most of the established churches are ‘bad’, so we are determined to start one that is ‘good’. Or maybe (and even less admirably) we just want our denominational franchise to get its share of the ecclesiastical pie in Denver.
However, the fact is that we are not interested in competing with existing churches. Rather, we are starting a new church because new churches are essential for the healthy functioning and growth of the body of Christ in any city.
One major reason new churches are essential relates to orientation. Established congregations become oriented toward the needs, interests, and preferences of those who are already members. This is natural and to a large degree desirable. Denver needs its established churches. But there is also a need for churches that are oriented toward the concerns and sensibilities of those who are not its members. New churches naturally and of necessity have just such an outward orientation.
Another major reason new churches are essential is capacity for innovation. Established congregations have a developed set of traditions, practices and norms to which its members have become accustomed, and which are difficult to change. Since new churches start with a blank slate, they have the unique freedom to approach every aspect of ministry from a fresh and forward-looking perspective. This is why new churches tend (especially in the first few years) to attract members who are entrepreneurial visionaries – people who appreciate the opportunity to contribute their insights and gifts within a culture that is actively seeking new possibilities, rather than one that tends to preserve existing practices.
