Flannel are the non-profit film company behind NOOMA which is famous for making Rob Bell famous. Over 2.5 million copies have been sold of Bell’s DVD’s around the world and a majority of viewers say they have shown it to a nonbeliever.
Steve Carr, the executive director of Flannel, has been searching for new and unique speakers for their next project, and several people mentioned to him that it was worth looking up Francis Chan.
“One of the things on our criteria list was authenticity," Carr said in an interview with The Christian Post. "Is the person real? Do they live the lives they're telling us? And I can tell you without question, Francis is the real deal."
Chan is a popular speaker and author who has been struggling with frustrations around the church and its authenticity and true purpose in this world. Carr was attracted to his message and so decided to partner with Chan in a new series of talks where Chan lays bare his soul - and what is on his soul is the disconnect between what he sees in Scripture and the church today.
Millions of people call themselves followers of Jesus. Yet their lives look nothing like his and they're not obeying the things he called them to do, laments Chan.
The series is entitled “BASIC” and will be set over seven parts. Chan’s story has become well known because he was the founder of an extremely successful megachurch which he resigned from because of these very frustrations.
Carr recalled, "The more [Chan] looked at it and thought about it, he got together with his elders and really asked the question 'Why are we expanding again? It's great that people want to come here but ...'"
"It kind of bothered him that people would drive 60 or 70 miles to hear him speak," Carr said. "He looked at it and thought, 'that’s nice, I hope it’s worthwhile that they come, but that’s not church.'"
"Church is not we’re going to get together once a week and sit and sing some songs and hear a great speaker and then go home. That’s not church," the executive director remembered discussing with Chan.
The "BASIC" series essentially is Chan's personal reflection on what church is and what is on his heart. Since leaving the pastorate, Chan has spoken about his restlessness with comfortable Christianity and his desire to live by the Scriptures and surrender himself fully to God.
"What bothers Francis, I believe, is the fact that in our culture, in particular, there’s millions and millions of people who consider themselves Christian and yet they don’t look really any different than anybody else," said Carr. "That’s a concern."
Some of those frustrations are laid out in the second "BASIC" film, titled "Follow Jesus."
"See, these words that we give without action behind it, that was never acceptable to Jesus," Chan says in the film. "He says 'it's pretty simple; when I say follow me, you follow me. You do what I do. And when I ask you to do something you just obey.'"
And Jesus didn't hide the fact that following him would be difficult. He was completely honest, the preacher highlights.
Though a difficult and narrow path, Chan stresses the promise Jesus gave to his followers. "If you would surrender to me, if you would just trust me, trust that I have something better and let go of everything else ... then you're really going to find life."
"Follow Jesus," Carr said, "is a really hard-hitting film. Francis has a way of delivering a really hard message, maybe a message you don't want to hear, and when he's done, for some reason you're left saying 'thanks, man. I really needed that.'"
The first three short films in the series were released this year. They address the Trinity and set the stage for who God is, Carr explained. The other four films, set for release over the next year, then explain the purpose of the church. The four building blocks of the church, Carr said, are fellowship, teaching, prayer and communion.
"Our hope with the series is to inspire people to really be the church that’s explained in Scripture," said the Flannel director.