An Inspiring Story from Rural Arkansas
Lots of bad news in the world–so sometimes it is nice to hear an inspiring story. Let me tell you about my friend, Shannon O'Dell, who pastors in Bergman, Arkansas (population 407). They call it Brand New Church — yep, that's the actual name of the church, and the story of that church is amazing. Some highlights…
- Six years ago, Shannon was a youth pastor in a church of 3,000+ and took a $30,000 pay-cut to move to a church with 31 aging members in a town with 88 people in rural Arkansas.
- He quickly changed the way the church was governed, from a deacon-led entity to one that was senior pastor led.
- Next they changed the worship, from traditional organ music and hymns to a multimedia experience with upbeat music, a band, videos and innovative preaching. And the growth began.
- They were considering a building campaign in 2005…but stopped when a congregation with six people in a nearby town (Bergman, Arkansas) asked for help. Instead of building, Shannon began preaching in both locations. By easter Sunday in 2006, the church topped 600 people.
- They soon built in Bergman and now that site consistently averages more than 1,000 people (remember, they had 6 in 2005).
- In 13 months, Brand New Church went from a single-campus site to four physical locations and a high-tech internet campus. They are averaging more than 2,000 each weekend!
An amazing story! And I want you to meet Shannon.
In fact, let's meet up at Brand New Church in March. That is the location of the next regional Sticks Conference.I'm going–and you should consider it as well. This conference is for anyone who is leading at a church in small- and medium-sized towns. If you want to be inspired–you have to make your way to Arkansas with me on March 17-18.
Get a taste of Shannon's energy and passion in this video short:
Posted by Tim Stevens | 11 comments
bill (cycleguy)
Tim: I was at theSticks in Loudonville and was blown away by every speaker and was especially impressed with Shannon’s heart for lost people and multi-site churches. I recommend your readers not walk but run to register. They too will be blessed beyond measure. (You did a pretty awesome job also)
charles hill
Thanks Tim and Bill for the shout out. I for one can’t wait to learn from BNC and the other leaders who will gather in Arkansas in March and Georgia in May. It truly was life-changing for so many pastors and we were humbled by that and are excited to do it again!
Glad it’s not today as they are without power!
Thanks guys for your support for the sticks…it is truly appreciated. Thanks for being kingdom minded!
Craig Warner
I was at the Sticks Conference in Loudonville, also. Going into it I didn’t know who Shannon was, but he ended up being one of my favorite speakers… next to you of course, Tim.
Here are my notes from his session if anyone’s interested in checking them out, http://craigwarner.net/2008/11/17/the-sticks-shannon-odell/
Patrick Sievert
I should be there. It’s only a little over an hour away.
larry
I am sure the conference will be great, but no plans to go. I was struck by just how blatantly several people in the video indicated that they thought they were Christian before, but not until they came to BNC did they really come to Christ. Now I am all for the church growing through evangelism, but it sounds to me like BNC is drawing less from the unchurched and more from people leaving another church to be a part of it. Of course, if they are getting saved through the ministry of BNC, that’s great (and also a sad indication of the weakness of other congregations in terms of real evangelism). However, I wonder about whether there is a kind of “Wal-Mart effect” in small communities of having one large church with whom the smaller churchs simply cannot compare programatically, etc.
In other words, if the “already saved” are coming to BNC from other churches, then is that really such a great thing? Just a question.
Tim Stevens
Don’t confuse “already churched” with “already saved.” There are scores of people coming to BNC who were not previously attending church. But there are also a bunch who were doing what you do in the Bible belt–you go to church. Doesn’t mean you have a relationship with Jesus and doesn’t have anything to do with how you live your life. Although churched, they are finding new life in Jesus at BNC and a community of faith where they can serve.
I can’t wait to visit!
Barry
Regarding your statement/question: “I wonder about whether there is a kind of “Wal-Mart effect” in small communities of having one large church with whom the smaller churchs simply cannot compare programatically”… it appears that BNC was one of those small churches 6 years ago. My take on it is that any church can embrace a change in methodology if it chooses. Change is usually scary, though, and requires faith and trust.
peace,
Barry
larry
I tried to be careful with my language, but maybe I wasn’t as clear as I wanted to be.
I really celebrate those who are coming to Christ for the first time through BNC, whether they are churched or not. Those
I wonder about are those who do know Christ and are saved but choose to leave their local church to attend BNC . . . what are their reasons? There are plenty of legitimate reasons for believers choosing to attend one local church instead of another, but my experience in ministry is that many people change for flimsy reasons. Maybe its a nonfactor – perhaps none of the people switching to BNC from other churches are already saved.
larry
Barry,
That BNC was one such small church so recently is one of the awesome parts of this story!! I think that gives it a level of authenticity for ministry in those communities that Megachurch XYZ from the Big City starting a new church there would never have. Obviously, there are great reasons for churches to reach into new areas, start new campuses, etc. – just beware the law of unintented consequences when it comes to the health of existing congregations.
dave anderson
I heard Shannon at The Sticks in Loudonville and he wrecked me! In fact the whole conference messed me up. I was at a round table meeting with some pastors at Brand New Church a few weeks ago and had the BEST time EVER at a church leaders gathering. I dont care if you pastor in New York City – you will learn something at The Sticks. And if you have hurdles to overcome by being in a small town – facilities, money, leaders, even existing churches and church mentality – this is THE conference you need to go to.
Im so excited about it I think I’ll shave my head so I can blend in with Tim and Charles Hill! Trust me when I say you need to be there. Don’t wait for May. Go in March. You have to see BNC to believe what’s happening there!
michael piedt
Wow tim what a story thankx for sharring this,would like to no more about the conference in march