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16 Comments Published by Tadd Grandstaff on at 3:19 PM.
Last night we confirmed our meeting location. Now, before I tell you where we are meeting I have to tell the story that goes along with us using this location.
Last Thursday after being on the phone with Elon University (this is the location we were looking to do a Sunday Night service for college, singles and young adults) for a good part of the day the conclusion was drawn that they could not make a commitment to allow us to meet on their property on a weekly basis. They told us that we could use the facility whenever we needed but it just couldn't be a regular occurence.
That same day I received a phone from the project manager of the new mall being built here in our town. He told me that they are way behind schedule and they still have not signed a contract with the new movie theater and the way things looked that it would not be opening until late 2007 probably early 2008. So, as you can tell Thursday I was freaking out and beginning to get a little discouraged.
Thursday night I didn't sleep the whole night, I was consumed with our meeting location. And as clear as I have ever heard God speak to me he said go to West End Cinemas. West End Cinemas was the first location that I looked at over a year ago and was actually the location we had originally been interested in meeting in. I even tossed around the idea of calling the church West End Church since that is the name of that area. Once we moved here to Burlington and I got confirmation of the new mall and movie theater coming I steered away from this theater.
To make a very long story short last Friday I had a meeting over in the area. So, I left the house a few minutes early and pulled into the parking lot of West End Cinemas and just spent some time riding through the parking lot and praying over the facility. Once again I felt God speaking to me and he was telling me that I needed to go inside....I didn't go.
I went to my morning meeting and passed the cinemas later in that day on my way to my second meeting...again hearing God telling me that I needed to go inside. Finally, after my last meeting I was on my way home on I-85 and God's force was so overwhelming telling me to GO TO THE THEATER.
So, I immediately got off at the next exit...turned around and headed back to theater. When I pulled in the parking lot there was a heating & air conditioning truck, a carpet truck, and a painter van parked outside the front doors.
I went inside the theater and asked for the manager...I told the manager who I was and asked about renting the facility...he had remembered me from coming in last winter and asking about the availability of renting the theater. He told me to come back to the office because the owner of theater was actually at the facility...He said it was perfect timing since the owner is never at this theater location. I went back to the office and introduced myself to the owner again telling who I was and asked about renting the facility for a church plant.
He began to tell me that the theater is locally owned and that he owns 1 theater here in Burlington and 2 others in Greensboro, both theaters in Greensboro have church plants meeting in them.
He told me that they had just began a major remodeling of the entire facility, new paint, new carpet, new seats in some of theaters, new everything. He walked me through the theater showing me the entire facility.
Now, here is where it gets really unbelievable as we got back to his office he asked if I was interested in the renting the theater. I asked him how much it would be...he asked me how many theaters we would need each week...I told him probably 5-6...he told me it would be $100 a week. I asked if that was for each theater and he told me no $100 a week for all 5-6 theaters. (Okay, let me stop real quick and type that out again...I have this in writing...5-6 theaters...from 7 am-12 pm for $100 a week...$400 a month). He told me he knew how hard church planting was and that he knew we wouldn't have a lot of money...He said listen were not trying to get rich off of churches we make enough money off of the theaters. He told me that all of the money they were charging us was just going to pay their custodian.
He then asked me how much storage space we would need...I asked him how much they were willing to give us...he told me we could have all the storage under the movie screens in each theater we rent as well as a 2 storage closets in the hallway. Then he asked me would we want to put of directional signs or banners (I am not over-exaggerating these are the questions he asked me)...I told most definitely...He then told me that we could put up the signs and banners on Saturdays and keep them up until Sunday afternoons.
Listen, this guy was answering questions that I didn't even have time to ask. Last night he sent me an email confirming everything that I am quoting from above. Today, I had a meeting with the manager of that theater and he also agree to what the owner had quoted me.
Guys, I don't know about you but stuff like this just gets me so stinking jacked up that I can barely contain myself. I can't help but think if I had never turned the car around and went back to that theater...I would have possibly missed the opportunity of a life-time.
I stopped by today and took some pictures of the outside of the building...tomorrow morning I will be inside taking some more photo and measuring out a few of the theaters.
To let you know just how close to target area we are...the theater sets about 1.8 miles from Elon University....about .6 miles from the new mall.... .8 miles from the new exit in Elon that is really our target area. This theater allows us to be so regional...there is not another theater unless you travel about 20 miles into Greensboro (west) or 25 miles the opposite direction into Chapel Hill (East). So, for now everyone knows where West End Cinemas is and it is on the main street (church street) in town.
Parking will never be an issue since I counted every marked spot today...there are 722 marked parking spots. The largest theater holds about 220...which is smaller than what I really would have liked...but it does allow the option of going to a second service much quicker if necessary...we will start with a 10:30 am service that way if we need to add a second service we can add one at 9 am...There are 14 theaters inside the facility so we are not limited on space.
Anyways, I know this post is so stinking long but I could go on forever...I am just so excited about meeting in a location where they owner actually wants a church plant to meet in their facility and is literally bending over backwards to make it happen for us.
Here are the pictures from today and I will post some more tomorrow!
West End Cinema
Sep 14, 2006 - 15 Photos
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An Interview with Church Planter Drew Field:
Drew and his wife Donna Field have been a part of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan since 1990. Before entering the ministry, Field was an investment banker specializing in media and entertainment companies but left his Wall Street career to attend Westminster Theological Seminary.
In 1999 the Fields made plans for Grace Presbyterian, a Redeemer church plant in Palo Alto, CA. Originally dubbed "the Silicon Valley Project," Grace Presbyterian opened its doors in April 2001 and serves young professionals, families and university students in Santa Clara/San Mateo County. The mission of Grace Presbyterian is to create a church where the gospel, in word and deed, changes both Christians and non-Christians. They seek to be agents of renewal as God expands his Kingdom in Silicon Valley.
Drew and Donna have four children and live in Mountain View, CA.
What were your church-planting experiences before Grace Presbyterian?
My family and I were around Redeemer NYC from the early days as lay people. In 1992, we helped the core families in Westchester County, New York plan what would later become Trinity Presbyterian Church in Rye, New York. Also, we were part of an Orthodox Presbyterican Church (OPC) church plant outside of Philadelphia during seminary. Each of those experiences gave us different perspectives on the early stages of church planting.
Are there misconceptions that you had about the Silicon Valley?
What is it really like out there?
Well, I thought people would be more curious, skeptical. For the most part, people are content and comfortable. Fewer people actually wrestle with Christianity, and they don't want to be bothered.
Also, the Silicon Valley really changed the month we arrived. In 1999, when we were preparing for this plant and raising money, the Valley was a high growth area. People had a lot of money and there were so many people moving into the area. But the tech bubble burst about a week after we signed a lease for the church and committed to moving to the area. Population has actually declined a bit and perhaps people have a bit more humility.
With all this happening, I thought it would make it harder to start a church. Perhaps it has, financially, but in other ways it's been a good time. And, we'll be already established by the time the area returns to attracting large groups of people. We're reaching a younger, generally more recent network of people.
| After-church fellowship at Grace Presbyterian. |
"We will be a church that never closes, that meets during the week in small communities, on-line, or in ministry teams. It is our vision that the whole community, not just the pastor, will be deeply involved in caring for one another."
from the Grace Presbyterian Church
Vision statement |
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What are 5 things you wish you knew before you started this church?
1) The more that someone seems "really, really excited" early on, the less likely you'll ever see them again. Quiet, dependable people are worth their weight in gold.
2) Church planters tend to default to their last church situation when making decisions, even if that doesn't make sense in the current situation.
3) The biggest obstacle in church planting is the church planter himself.
4) For the first six months you'll be thrilled if anyone calls or emails. A year later you'll be swamped.
5) Start community groups a few weeks before the first worship service so there are places for newcomers and seekers to get involved.
What's your biggest challenge? How are you overcoming this?
I would say that the affluent lifestyle of Silicon Valley presents one of the biggest barriers to the gospel. People ask "why do I need Christ?" even though they have slight indications that they are still empty at their core. Most non-Christians, and even most Christians here, are content with their private life. Our approach has been to lovingly question people's contentedness ("are you really as happy as you look?") while allowing them to question genuine Christianity.
What are some other things that you have learned in your church planting experience?
Every church is different, even if they are based on the same model. Grace Church in Palo Alto is certainly a 'Redeemer' model of church and yet there are many adjustments that have been made. All kinds of things make even similar churches look different -- the gifts of the early leaders, the particular city that the church is in, the unique culture of unbelief in that area, the level of funding, the demographics of the first 100 people, just to name a few.
Every church planter needs to recognize that it takes a few years to develop the right kind of voice and language that fits the new church's context. You cannot just follow a manual and "presto," start a church.
The other thing that was a surprise is that the vision gets imbedded into a new church not only in presenting the vision. It has to become part of the culture in the midst of hundreds of minute decisions and tiny corrections along the way. People 'get' the vision as they see it expressed in actions and in ministry decisions.
What are some other challenges and how are you meeting them?
Here are four. First, cost of living. The cost of living is incredibly high in the Silicon Valley. That makes it more difficult to add staff. But so far that has been matched with great generosity from the congregation.
Then, geography. The Silicon Valley is wide-ranging target area covering nearly 60 square miles. We have to focus on building many local community groups and using electronic communications often.
Meeting space: this is a densely built area with virtually no available meeting space! But our needs have always been met through umm... prayer!
A large unbelieving population. The Valley has a highly non-Christian culture (95%+). I've seen a lot of effective, winsome personal evangelism that is helping to reach these unbelievers.
And volunteers: Some locals told me that I'd never get people to volunteer at a new church. I'm amazed at how active the majority of people are at Grace. I can't take any credit for it; we simply have prayed for new leaders and God provides them every time.
Are you forming partnerships with other ministries in the area?
We have six partnerships with local holistic ministries. We provide volunteers and limited funds, while they provide opportunities for service and training.
We are also partnering with Reformed University Ministries to help launch a campus ministry at nearby Stanford University. A staff couple moved out last summer, and that ministry is off to a terrific start.
Grace has been helped by the support of two local churches and pastors, City Church of San Francisco and Redeemer Santa Rosa. They gave advice, encouragement, people and finances.
Also, a local pastor who isn't in [our denomination] was a valuable prayer partner and encourager. Church planters need that kind of local community to thrive.
What is one thing that has remained consistent through all your church planting experiences?
The theology of grace is rich. It is radical, unique and something that always surprises us. That's the one thing that a church planter can't forget. No context can override this principle.
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October 8, 2006 @ 10:13 am · Filed under Leadership, Management, Ministry, Church
Griffith Coaching Network offers the top ten reasons church plants fail. Their list is as follows:
- Lack of a clear definition of “success” and a clear exit strategy
- Premature birth (starting public worship too quickly)
- Mismatch between the planter and the community/context/target audience
- Insufficient assessment (of the planter and the planting context)
- Lack of training and coaching
- Putting all your eggs in one basket (depending on one big advertising campaign or event)
- Too much overhead too fast
- The inability or unwillingness to recruit new people
- Lack of focus and ignoring the pressing priorities
- Inebriation (being drunk on your vision)
Special thanks to Ben Arment for sharing the list. I particular like his addition to #5 - “Lack of ongoing training and coaching.” - and his paraphrase of #10 - ”Unwillingness to change the strategy when it doesn’t work.”
So what do you think? Are there any reasons you would add to the list?
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(Filed under: Evangelism & Outreach)
by Marcus Neto, Guest Blogger
At a recent Word of Mouth Marketing convention several bigwigs sat down and came up with 40 ideas to boost word of mouth marketing in 40 minutes. As leadership in a church shouldn't we be thinking about these same types of things? What are we doing to refocus our congregation on relationship building, evangelism or servant evangelism? What tools are we putting in their hands to make that happen? So often we forget that as leaders we can reach a few people, but if we empower our congregations they can reach exponentially more people. It's how the church works.
So without further ado here is my list of Word of Mouth boosters for churches. Some of these are taken directly from the Word of Mouth Marketing Association list (link via Brand Autopsy) as they apply in both instances. And some are originals. I whittled the list down from 43 to 18 as I felt some of theirs were redundant or did not apply.
1. Identify the Connectors (see Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point) in your church and encourage them to do what is natural.
2. If you train your congregation in the ways of evangelism, they become better recruiters. Teach them about servant evangelism, enable them to make friends in the world, make evangelism easy. Bring it back to the way that Christ modeled.
3. Make it easy for people to find you (i.e. yellow pages, signage, website, free advertising sources, paid advertising sources).
4. Use interesting stories or testimonials to bring your ministry impact topics to life. Whether it be on your promo materials or on your website or in your services, oftentimes this has more impact than the sermon.
5. Encourage your church marketing evangelists to tell two friends about you, not just one.
6. Do something unexpected and generous for your congregation--send a free item (include an extra one for them to pass along to a friend) just for being a valued member of the church. This can include T-Shirts, Sermon CDs, Books that the church finds foundational, etc.
7. Do something unexpected and generous for your visitors. The visitors bag should not be a boring place. Your printed materials should be of professional quality. In the very least they should be printed in color and not just on colored paper. The material should be informative and positive in tone. And there should be a gift of some sort like a gift certificate to Starbucks or Chick-Fil-A
8. Create experiences. Your services should be experiential.
9. Be an evangelist for your evangelists. If there is someone you know who is making a difference in bringing people in to your church then point them out so others can learn from what they're doing. You would also do well to praise them in front of others. Make them feel special, as they are.
10. Give your congregation business card holders packed with referral cards.
11. Ask--just ask your congregation to talk about you. (Duh!)
12. Leverage the content your church creates to make it talk-worthy. This includes PowerPoint slides, the bulletin, touch cards, visitor bags, outline sheets etc. If it can be used in multiple places then do so (i.e., web site, visitor bags, etc). And make it memorable.
13. Put your marketing collateral in something noticeable that gets people talking.
14. Make it easy for people to easily spread the word about you (Create a button for their blog or web site, a card or CD they can pass along to a friend)
15. Create clever 30-second viral videos and post to your home page. Poke fun at yourselves. Do something fun. Spoof a popular TV show. Talk about something in current culture. Engage the audience.
16. Let your congregation create ways to make it easy for members to show off their creativity. Use artwork by church members on Thinking of You cards, post cards, church bulletins etc.
17. Let your marketing evangelists know you're listening. Comment on their blogs, invite them to marketing planning meetings or to your office for a VIP meeting to hear their ideas.
18. Join in the conversation (and start one if needed).
Posted by Guest Blogger at October 17, 2006 6:07 AM
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(Filed under: Public Relations)
by Kevin Peterson, Guest Blogger
- Just the Facts, Ma'am Don't rack your brain trying to craft some clever lead. Just get to the facts. That's all the reporter wants anyway. If you've gotten all your facts down and the information lends itself to a catchy lead then write one.
- Put the Most Important Information First
Editors are busy. If your press release doesn't grab their attention in the first paragraph it will never see the light of day. So don't bog down the first paragraph with event details like registration deadlines or contact information. Save that for the last paragraph. Give your news angle in the first paragraph.
- Use Short Sentences and Paragraphs
Why use a comma, when a period will do the same thing? You are not trying to emulate a Pauline Epistle here. Keep your sentences short and to the point.
- Always Use Active Voice
A press release is a call to action. Use strong, vigorous language. Don't say, "Won't you consider joining us for revival next week?" say "Come to First Church next week for an inspiring revival."
- Avoid Jargon and Cliches
Don't use "Christian-ese" in your releases. Don't use "VBS", say "Vacation Bible School." Don't say "he was saved in 1985," instead try "he became a Christian in 1985."
- Proofread, Proofreed, Proufread
Obviously anything you submit for publication should be proofread. Find someone to proofread your release. Then find someone else. You aren't going to catch your own mistakes, but someone else will.
Posted by Guest Blogger at October 31, 2006 6:37 AM
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1. Start in a difficult location. [Judges 6:14]
God told Gideon, "Am I not sending you?"
2. Start with no leadership ability. [6:14]
God told Gideon, "Go in the strength you have."
3. Start with doubt. [6:18]
God told Gideon, "I will wait [for you]."
4. Start with fear. [6:23]
God told Gideon, "Do not be afraid. You are not going to die."
5. Start without people's approval. [6:26]
God told Gideon to tear down his father's altar
6. Start by questioning your calling. [6:36]
God patiently assured Gideon
7. Start with no core group. [7:2]
God told Gideon, "You have too many men."
8. Start with people who don't stay. [7:3]
God told Gideon, "Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back."
9. Start with no resources. [7:16]
God told Gideon to fight with trumpets and empty jars.
10. Start with inexperienced people. [7:17]
Gideon told them, "Follow my lead... do exactly as I do."
January 26, 2007 at 05:36 PM | Permalink
by Cory Miller
Each of the seven denominations stipulated in this study is losing more members each year than it is gaining. Each denomination admits to having many established congregations in need of transformational leadership and re-development. Developing new churches is seen as one of the hopes for the future for these denominations.
Dr. H. Stanley Wood, Extraordinary Leaders in Extraordinary Times: Unadorned Clay Pot Messengers |
SAN FRANCISCO (PD) — What are the key characteristics a church planter must possess to be effective in starting a new church?
That was the question Dr. H. Stanley Wood, the Ford Chair Associate Professor of Congregational Leadership and Evangelism at San Francisco Theological Seminary, and his team sought to answer through a massive research project of the most effective church planters in the last 20 years within seven mainline denominations.
The results of this comprehensive study are detailed in a new book, published by Eerdmans, titled Extraordinary Leaders in Extraordinary Times: Unadorned Clay Pot Messengers, the first of two volumes written from the study.
"Throughout her history, the Church has had men and women whose passion has been to take the message of the Gospel to the unchurched," wrote Wood, who served as the book's editor as well as a key contributor for the chapters detailing the traits. "This zeal exists in every generation, in both genders, among varying age groups, and in every corner of the world."
Wood describes this passion of church planters (or ‘new church developers' as they are known in mainline traditions) as a "holy mystery that is linked to the graciousness of the Holy Spirit working within the human heart."
Through the research study, Wood and his team sought to find empirical evidence of that work in the lives of God's people so that others (in particular, mainline denominational leaders) could identify and nurture them. To do so, they surveyed more than 700 new church developers (NCDs), and then followed up with six focus groups of the most "effective" and "extraordinary" founding pastors to determine what pastoral leadership traits were common among them.
Wood describes the most effective NCDs as being "those pastors who started and sustained new churches that achieved the highest membership growth within their respective denominations" and "those pastors who were able to attract and assimilate formerly unchurched persons into active church membership."
The study sought to discover what core traits, behaviors, and spiritual gifts were most vital to them in their first seven years of ministry in the new church development.
Wood found eight key traits, organized into two tiers.
| Starting a Purpose Driven Church Conference |
| Is God calling you to start new churches? Don't miss one of two upcoming free Starting a Purpose Driven Church Conferences. The conferences will be held in Nashville, Tenn. (Sept. 26-27) and Victoria, Texas (Oct. 17-18). |
1. "Catalytic innovator"
In the top tier, the single most important profile is made up of five skills and abilities that Wood describes as a "catalytic innovator."
Often referred by some planters as "entrepreneurial leadership," Wood describes this core trait as "somebody or something that makes a change happen or brings about an event" and as "someone who introduces a new way of doing something."
"The term ‘catalytic innovator' captures the entrepreneur's bold style of work; and again, it emphasizes that the work of the innovator is not done in a vacuum," Wood wrote.
Under the broad category of "catalytic innovator," Wood identified five aspects that further define that role for a new church developer and described them as "crucial competencies for success in the early years of ministry."
The five aspects are, with comments by Wood:
- Charismatic leader – "It is perhaps not surprising, therefore, that effective NCD pastors freely describe themselves as ‘entrepreneurs.'"
- Tenacious perseverer – "Like workers in every field, these developers go through times of ease and times of difficulty; despite the times, though, they persist in growing and building the church."
- Risk-taker – "An effective NCD pastor takes risks with exceptional energy and when the stakes are exceptionally high."
- Flexible adapter – "A skilled change agent who is agile and flexible with people and their agendas."
- Self-starter – "They are not afraid to initiate a difficult plan of action or to take risks to see it through."
2. Vibrant faith in God
The second key trait in the top tier noted by effective NCDs was a "vibrant faith in God" – in his calling and provision, but not to a "life in a spiritual comfort zone."
One developer said: "You can't give away what you don't have."
Prayer was mentioned frequently in the focus groups.
"Vibrant faith in God is a trait to be nurtured, one that is cultivated and nourished by making prayer and reflection on Scripture a disciplined priority in life," Wood wrote.
3. Visionary/vision caster
The third characteristic in the top tier of effective NCD pastors was that of "visionary/vision caster."
"These developers dreamed big dreams and moved forward to fulfill them," Wood wrote. "They rooted these dreams in their understanding of God's purposes for the new church."
He added that the NCD pastors in the study who had the largest church memberships made the articulation of a clear vision to their congregation "a very high priority."
The most effective, he observed, were more likely to present their vision statements as "goals and objectives" rather than traditional statements with "ideals and hopes."
4. Empowering leadership
Unlike the top tier traits, which have significant percentage differences between them, Wood found that the second tier traits were all of relatively equal importance.
Within the second tier of characteristics, Wood found "empowering leadership" as one of the most cited traits of effective NCDs.
"This brand of leadership is not simply energetic leading; it is also the ‘ability to spot' and nurture other leaders," he wrote.
Wood observed that the most effective NCD pastors put "a continuous and urgent premium on the identification and training of indigenous leadership" and "devote their time and energies to it."
Restated, he wrote: "They lead to give their leadership away."
5. Passion for people
Passion and love for people is the fifth characteristic noted by effective NCDs.
"These leaders love, they care, and they show it – and they identify relational skills as a key ingredient of leadership in the success of any new church," Wood wrote.
These leaders learned to communicate contextually with their congregation, understanding their "needs, hopes, and dreams," and turned it into the new church's purpose.
"They not only feel for those to whom they minister, but they also can demonstrate their passion in appropriate and meaningful ways," he wrote. "They can connect with people."
6. Personal and relational health
The sixth trait was an emphasis on both "personal and relational health" – "keeping body, mind, and spirit aligned and healthy."
"Most importantly, this trait underscores the importance of attending to and nurturing healthy families," Wood wrote. "Most of the top church developers are married."
7. Passion for faith-sharing
The seventh characteristic found is that effective NCDs had a passion for "faith-sharing," or evangelism.
They viewed evangelism as a "continual lifestyle."
"The most effective NCD pastors are likely, within any 90-day period, to have assisted a person making a first-time affirmation of faith," Wood wrote.
8. Inspiring preaching or worship
The final characteristic noted within the two top tiers for the first seven years of a new church development was "inspiring preaching and worship."
"The goal of inspiring worship is an encounter that can be described as a celebration in which both the seeker and mature disciple ‘meet God' and understand Scripture," Wood wrote.
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Wood noted that the need for new church development within mainline denominations is critical.
"Each of the seven denominations stipulated in this study is losing more members each year than it is gaining," Wood wrote. "Each denomination admits to having many established congregations in need of transformational leadership and re-development.
"Developing new churches is seen as one of the hopes for the future for these denominations."
And according to Wood, new church developers – who are identified, nurtured, and then sent out – will provide the vital pastoral leadership necessary for those new churches to flourish.
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Chris Question Friday: Things I Wish I Had Known About Church Planting
QUESTION: What things do you wish you had known before you planted your church? (by Todd in Baltimore)
ANSWER: Good question, Todd. I was so naive when we planted three years ago. The sheer metric tons of stuff I didn't know then that I know now could feel volumes of books. However, there are a few things that come to mind as great lessons I learned the hard way.
1. Half of your core team will leave you in the first year. I heard other church planters say this, but I didn't believe it. Going into year two I had already lived it. At present we only have one couple from our original core group. Some moved out of town...others lost the vision...others never got it in the first place.
2. Never pick staff from outside the church. I kept trying to bring in staff members from the outside. They were already "ruined" by other churches and just couldn't grasp the concept of what God called us to do. We have had much better luck by recruiting staff from within Compass Point.
3. You can't build a church on college students. Our first year we had almost 70% college students...almost all unchurched. They were great....they worked hard...they grew spiritually...they developed into good leaders...they left town when they graduated. Christmas and summer got pretty ugly around Compass Point the first year! College students are wonderful folks to have on a church plant team...just know they are temporary.
4. Never count on the money until the check arrives. We met with the pastor of a mega-church (the parents of one our core team went there) and he did the whole "dog and pony show" while we were there. He kept saying that the church "would help us out financially" to give him a call when we needed it. We called...no reply. After a bunch of calls, emails and a few snail mail letters I finally got a note from his secretary telling me that they were tight on money and couldn't spare any. Two Sundays before she contacted me they had raised millions of dollars (it made the state denominational paper) in a single day to fund several satellite video-venues in order to perpetuate the pastor's "cult of personality". Just a complete lack of integrity!!!
5. Recent church planters are your best resource. The greatest advice, financial gifts and friendship I have ever received is from guys that planted within the last several years. They will cry with you, rejoice with you and sacrifice for you. As long as I live I will remember the day that the pastor of local church plant (less than 3 months old) handed me their last $250 because another church (mentioned in answer #4) didn't come through and we couldn't pay rent (God bless you Hal). To this day other church panters are some of my closest friends and greatest source of inspiration. God uses them in mighty ways to speak into my life (God bless you Gary, Shawn, Travis and Adam).
6. You can always plant another church...you can't always have another family. As much as I love church planting and shepherding people...I love my wife more. As a man with a divorce on his record, I can tell you nothing...I mean nothing...espeically ministry...should ever get in the way of your family. That also reminds me...if your wife is not on board with planting a church....don't plant!!!
7. Spend more time reading the Bible than other books. Church growth, church planting, church strategy and church leadership books are great...but I spent way too much time pouring into them (at the beginning) and not enough time in God's Word. The best church practices, strategies and leadership ideas can be found within the pages of the Bible.
8. Get out of the freakin' pulpit every once in a while. Pastors have this idea that the world will fall apart for their church if they don't preach every Sunday. I gotta tell you...preaching week after week without a break will dull your abilities. Taking a break every now and then gives other leaders a chance to step up and you a rest to get fired back up. Nothing makes me preach better than being out of the pulpit for a week or two. Nothing grows our leaders like me being out of the pulpit for a week or two.
9. Don't fall in love with some else's community, vision or calling. I got fired up by reading books by Andy Stanley and Erwin McManus. Unfortunately, I fell in love with their calling...and their community. God didn't call me to shepherd the people of Los Angeles or Atlanta...he called me to shepherd the people of Lakeland, Florida. I wasted way too many days trying to be Mark Driscoll and Ed Young. Jr. when God just wanted me to be Chris Elrod and to love on the people of Polk County.
10. Pray, pray, pray!!! When things suck...pray. When things go well...pray. When thing look hopeless...pray. When things look successful...pray.
There is a bunch of other stuff...but the answers above are probably the most important lessons I learned along the way. Ultimately, seek God and His Word for your unique vision, community and calling. What worked for others may not work for you!
Posted on May 25, 2007 at 09:58 PM in General | Permalink
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© 2005 Passion for Planting
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