They needed $14 million two years ago; this past Sunday, they only needed $2.4 million to see their vision come fully to life.
Two years ago, the leadership of Valley Creek Church, based in Flower Mound, announced an ambitious plan: double the space in Flower Mound, open a Denton location and set up a school in New Delhi, India, to train local church planters.
This past Sunday was the two-year missional anniversary of that vision and happened to be the day of my visit. My companions and I arrived early, giving us ample time to tour the 27,000-square-foot Denton campus, located in a storefront next to Hobby Lobby.
A spacious welcome area, complete with commercial-quality coffee shop and bistro tables, led to superb children’s areas — well equipped with the latest in screens and computer technology where children from babies to the fifth grade would be well-cared for and entertained during the worship times — and a modern, technology-laced, comfort-chaired, stage-centered worship center.
The wide stage, flanked by three giant screens, held nothing but Plexiglass-encased drums and a keyboard.
No altar or podium, and a clean, almost stark appearance, highlighted by a blue-lit background.
General information flashed on the screen with periodic interruptions by the countdown clock appearing five minutes before the 9:30 a.m. service was to start.
At 9:28 a.m, the percussionist and more musicians prepared to open worship the moment the expertly filmed announcement video ended. The congregation — primarily straight, white, young adults — stood, lifting hands in worship, as the band launched into nearly 30 minutes of room-filling, heavy-beat praise choruses.
Around 10 a.m., campus pastor Justin Nall briefly took the stage. Attention then moved to the screens as the Valley Creek Church’s lead pastor, Jason Stickl, offered an approximately 30-minute taped message.
Stickl skillfully recounted the story of the last two years, peppering his talk with easy-to-remember one-liners, all circling around the theme of taking the next step. Everything was focused around movement, change and making space for others.
He likened himself and the church to Joshua and the Israelites as they prepared to take possession of Canaan. He then moved to the call of Peter, reminding us several times that Jesus told him, “You follow, I make,” in the movement to become fishers of men.
He spoke of the magnitude of what they sought to accomplish by reminding the listeners: “‘What ifs disappear when you gaze into the eyes of love.”
He reviewed the vision. They heard the voice of God telling them to take the land and become a church for the city. The keys to the kingdom of heaven have been given to the people of this church and they are the gatekeepers.
Their job is to open the gates as wide as possible so as to bring as many as possible to Valley Creek Church. Once in, each person is to be a disciple-making disciple of Jesus, representing the life of Jesus by their own lives.
Stickl called on the power of the miracle, referencing the feeding of the 5,000 by Jesus. He noted that the miracle, at that time in hands of the disciples as they handed out food, is now in the hands of the people of Valley Creek Church.
A key phrase repeated several times, “Somebody’s somebody is sitting here now.”
The terms “somebody’s somebody” forms the core of their evangelistic push: Each person has a “somebody” for whom we need to make room by our own movement, our own next steps.
Stickl ended his message by a robust call for commitment. Upon entering worship, each of us had been given a card titled “What has God done in you?” and a “My somebody” card.
Stickl asked each person to write the answers to several questions that revolved around what God has done for them since they’ve been a part of the Valley Creek Church.
At this point, Stickl instructed the congregation to take out their “My somebody” card and write a name on it — the name of the somebody for whom each person needs to take the next steps in order to bring them into this church.
As the band gathered on the stage, all were asked to come forward with their “My somebody” cards as well as their offerings (with a plea that those who are not yet tithers — 10 percent givers — start doing so on this day) and place the cards and funds in the receptacles provided at the base of the stage.
There was no formal dismissal after the final song.
People just began filing out, and so we joined them, and were warmly thanked for our attendance by the many men manning the various exits.
We spoke briefly with the centrally located and highly visible security guard, and then left, knowing that 40 men in India are being trained in how to do a church plant modeled after this one.
