Do We Really Need Another Church in our City? (And other OAQ's)
Sep 14, 2016 | by Brad Sumner
I came across a blog the other day that had the heading “OAQ”. I was intrigued. Most of us will be familiar with FAQ sections of websites (Frequently Asked Questions) but the author noted that “OAQ (Occasionally Asked Questions) is a series of posts meant to answer some of the most common questions we receive when we tell people about.. church. Though they aren’t asked frequently enough for an FAQ, we thought an OAQ might be nice.”
I laughed but then thought I might take a stab at the same approach here in this space. And since this weekend, North Langley Community Church (NLCC) is launching a satellite congregation here in Willoughby at Richard Bulpitt Elementary School, I thought it might be a good occasion (get it, get it) to ask a few questions about Willoughby’s newest faith community and probe into some potential answers to the occasionally asked question (OAQ): Do We Really Need Another Church in our City?
It’s a question church planters get asked more than occasionally… and it’s a legitimate one. Meg and I certainly got asked it repeatedly when we planted Jericho Ridge here in Willoughby in the spring of 2005. If you can’t answer the “why are we doing this?” question, then that’s a problem! And you need to answer the question with contextual specificity: why are we planting a church in this place at this time? (as opposed to the generally vague yet true response that “more people need Jesus”)
Most of the time, I think what people posing the question are really doing is making a statement: “There are too many churches in Langley already!” While one the one hand this can be true (there are a lot of churches in Langley - In Willoughby, for example, there are 14 churches), there is another approach to the same question that has some merit.
The better question isn’t about the number of churches (though that is a legitimate question from a resource and stewardship perspective). The real question is what KIND or TYPES of churches does Willoughby have and are they designed to reach the various kinds of people who live here?
Once we get to this point, we’re not strictly talking census projection numbers in a given region, but more precisely, we are beginning to think like missiologists. If we were parachuted into Willoughby from Mozambique, for example, one of the first things we would do is a conduct a culturally appropriate ethnographic analysis (see here for a copy of the one Jericho did when we started). We would study who lives here and why they moved here. What are their needs and values? What questions do they have and how does faith speak to those longings? As we began to answer some of these questions, we then begin to ask ourselves “what kind of expression of the body of Christ would be uniquely designed to reach this group of people in this place that are as of yet unreached?”
So the question to ask around NLCC’s Yorkson campus isn’t so much “does Willoughby need another church?” but rather “do they have unique strategy or a ministry framework that will 
appeal to people who are not currently part of a faith community?” In this case, I believe this to be true. Pastor Jeff Renaud shared this with us when he was at Jericho on Sept 4. He shared how their heart is laser-focused on the Yorkson area and that that they are well-positioned relationally and structurally to have an impact in the neighbourhood around Bulpitt. I would add (having been on staff there a long time ago) that one of NLCC’s strengths is its programming. In a satellite campus model, one of the things that NLCC Yorkson can offer is a large scope and sequence of programs for people of all ages who are looking for that. Jericho Ridge isn’t designed on that framework and so this means that they are uniquely positioned to meet needs and reach people who likely would not find JRCC to be as attractive of a church home for them.
So friends, as NLCC Yorkson launches, I want you to make sure that you are speaking words of blessing and faith over them. I want you to ask you to speak well of them and the people that are serving and leading and working hard over there to reach people for Jesus. This isn’t a new business launching up the street that is going to gobble up market share, this is a sister congregation who shares our heart to see people in Willoughby experience the life-changing power of Jesus. They may not do things how you or I would do them but then again, isn’t that the whole point?