In a couple months Discovery Church is going to do something Radical.  In our October and November worship services we are going to give away 51% of our offerings.  Let me explain.

There are 5 core values that embody who Discovery Church is.  One of those values is “Others First”.  In a recent article I said that we want “to be known for how much we give away, not how much we take in”.  Discovery Church is all about leaving the 99, for the 1. (Luke 15:7)  This has to be reflected in the stewardship of our finances.

I’ve struggled to obey God in this.  Like many church plants we find ourselves well short of our funding goals.   A huge part of me says, “We need all the funds in those offerings for our church”.  I argued that when we had enough people coming, and enough money coming in, and all the things we need – then we will be generous.

Every time I would argue with God – I lost.  So I gave up, and decided to follow His leading in doing something a little Radical.  After all, if we say Discovery Church is about “Others First”, then we have to live out that value.

On Sunday October 17^th after my message: “Hope for Our City” we are going to receive our offering and give 51% of it to local projects and causes that we are partnering with in Knoxville.

On November 14^th after my message: “Hope for the World” we are giving away 51% of our offering to global causes fighting poverty and the sex trafficking industry through Gospel centered initiatives.

We want to redefine the way people see the church in our community.  We want to create a culture that loves giving more than receiving.  We will be generous when we have little, so that we will be generous when we have much.

For His Glory,

Brad Raby, Lead Pastor

Monday night I was asked a really good question – a question that I’ve only been asked a handful of times.  I’ve said a hundred times quoting another pastor, “Knoxville doesn’t need another church, it needs different kinds of churches.”  The implication being that we want Discovery Church to be a movement of God that is sold out to reach people others are not.  So the question was asked:

What will make Discovery different than X, Y, and Z churches?

That is such a great question.  It is one I can only partly answer now because while the vision and mission of Discovery Church have been clearly defined – the expression of how it will be carried out is still being shaped.  Truth is, it will always be in the ‘shaping’ process.  So here are some statements and ideas that can create a portrait of what will be different about Discovery Church.  (note: we will certainly not be the only church doing these things, but as a general rule here are some distinctives)

We will never gather as a congregation to discuss, argue about and vote on carpet for our facility.  We will gather as a congregation to install carpet in a single mother’s home.

We will not let a donor base determine the direction and programming of our church. We surrender the direction of our church to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Our mission of helping people discover life in Jesus Christ, and God’s vision for Discovery to reach people no one else is reaching will determine our path.

Community in Small Groups will be the heartbeat of Discovery Church, not just something we offer.

We will be passionately devoted to being attractional (creating ministry environments that are culturally relevant and irresistible) and missional (believing compassion is more than emotion – we will walk across the street to serve and minister in our community.  We will love people because Jesus does.  We want to live among people in such a way that our lives create positive influence and pathways for the Gospel to penetrate our city.)  By being both, we mean 50/50, not 90/10 or 10/90.

We will be a church that plants other churches.   Lots of other churches.

We will evaluate constantly whether we are funding and operating a ministry because we are emotionally attached to it, or because it is helping transform the lives of people.  When a ministry program we are doing becomes ineffective in helping us fulfill the mission of the church – we will cease to use that ministry program.

Leadership and responsibility will be distributed, not hoarded.

We will not staff with pastors what volunteers can do.  We believe the role of pastors given by God  is to be the ones who equip people to do the work of the ministry, not be professional ‘ministers’.

I want us to be known for how much we give away, not how much we take in.

How we go about accomplishing our mission will evolve.  Till then…

-  Brad