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Things I have learned while planting Real Church

April 9, 2008 in Leadership, Ministry with 2 Comments

1. Start with a good team. I think the pathway for us could have been easier if we would have developed a team of 75 to 100 before we launched. When I left my last position I had told no one except my supervisors. As I started a Bible Study we only had 8 people. Growing from 8 is a long way to being great.

2. Raise more money. It is plain expensive to start a church. There are so many items needed, plus staff, and marketing. We started with just a couple of thousand in the bank. We should have had 100k plus. This would have allowed for us to have two pastors on the ground at start up. And another reason I said MORE is because as a lead pastor this will be one of your main duties.

3. Cast vision, structure teams and go back and do it again and again and again. You can never do these two things enough. In a church plant people can come and go quick, they must feel connected or you will lose them. Therefor tell them what you are about and give them ways to be involved.

4. Pray, Pray, and Pray. Moving from Youth Pastor to Lead Pastor is a major shift. I only thought I carried a lot of stress when I was in a support roll. As a lead pastor and especially in a plant, you make most of the calls and you carry most if not all of the burden. Prayer is what keeps you sane. It is the only way you have wisdom to make tough calls and good calls and it is the only thing that keeps you when all is falling down around you. You have to be praying and then find some people who will pray and support you.

5. Make sure God is calling you. Forget the first four if this one is not in place. Planting a church is not something you do because you are upset or because you want to be the next big deal. 80 to 90 percent of church plants fail, and I think it is in the calling. My wife and I often talk that starting a church has been the hardest thing we have ever been a part of. If it was not for God’s call I would have been gone a long time ago.

First Bible Study

First Bible study at Real Church.

the CONTRARIAN'S guide to leadership

April 1, 2008 in Leadership with 0 Comments

Contraian’s guide

I just finished reading this book for the second time.  It is a great read. 

Here are 15 things the author concludes with that hopefully I will remember.

  1. Think gray: try not to form firm opinions about ideas or people unless and until you have to.
  2. Think free: train yourself to move several steps beyond traditional brainstorming by considering really outrageous solutions and approaches.
  3. Listen first, talk later; and when you listen, do so artfully.
  4. Experts can be helpful, but they’re no substitute for your own critical thinking and discernment.
  5. Beware of pseudoscience masquerading as incontrovertible fact or unassailable wisdom; it typically will do nothing to serve your interest or those of the organization you are leading.
  6. Dig for gold in the super-texts while your competition stays mired down in trade publications and other ephemera; you can depend on your lieutenants to give you any current news that really matters.
  7. Never make a decision yourself that can reasonably be delegated to a lieutenant; and never make a decision today that can be reasonably put off tomorrow.
  8. Ignore sunk cost and yesterday’s mistakes; the decisions you make as a leader can only affect the future, not the past.
  9. Don’t unnecessarily humiliate a defeated opponent.
  10. Know which hill you’re willing to die on, and realize that your choice may at some point require you to retreat from all surrounding hills.
  11. Work for those who work for you; recruit the best lieutenants available, and then spend most of your time and energy helping them to succeed.
  12. Many people want to be leader, but few want to do leader; if you’re not in the latter group you should stay away from leader business all together.
  13. You as a leader can’t really run your organization; rather, you can only lead individual followers, who then collectively give motion and substance to the organization of which you are the head.
  14. Don’t delude yourself into thinking that people are intrinsically better or worse than they really are; instead, work to bring out the best in your followers (and yourself) while minimizing the worst.
  15. You can’t copy your way to excellence; rather, true excellence can only be achieved through original thinking and unconventional approaches.

What am I willing to pay?

March 25, 2008 in Convictions, Leadership, Ministry with 0 Comments

World’s End

David Livingstone a great missionary that charted pathways through Africa once had a missionary society write him about some people to join the mission he was on.  They wrote a letter saying, “We have some people who would like to join you.  Do you have some easy access roads to get where you are?”  Dr. Livingstone wrote back and said, “If you have men who will come only if there are good roads, I don’t want them.  I want men who will come even if there is no road at all.”

Most of the time the good stuff that God is calling us to do requires we cut a new road.  The work is hard and the journey is tough.  For many the only way they will follow God is if a road is wide open and huge.  God’s work most often does not happen that way.  “Enter by the narrow gate.  For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”  (Matthew 7:13-14)  The tough question for me on most days is “What am I willing to pay to follow Christ?”  Eternal life is a free gift, obedience cost you everything.

Inspiration from FRANCIS CHAN

October 22, 2007 in Leadership, Ministry with 0 Comments

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” ~ Jeremiah 1:5

God wanted you on this earth, and he set you apart from birth. Do you believe that about yourself or are you just running a church?

Sometimes we pretend we’re humble and inadequate, but when we put ourselves down, we put down the Creator who made us.

If Jesus had a church in Simi Valley, I bet mine would be bigger. If the apostle Paul had a church in Simi Valley, I bet mine would be larger. In fact, I bet people would leave their churches to come to mine. I would be more popular than Jesus. Why? Because I don’t call them to the same commitment Jesus would call them to. His calling is tough. It’s a calling of sacrifice and crucifixion.

When I get to heaven, I don’t want to watch Jesus spew my sheep out of his mouth. No, I’d rather have a select few behind me and be able to say, “Jesus, these are all I had left, but they are crazy in love with you. They sacrificed all of their lives to serve you.”

I’m concerned we say a lot about ourselves but don’t really mean it. If we love people who are suffering, wouldn’t we spend the same on them as we would on ourselves?

When God called Jeremiah, He told him to expect opposition. “Jeremiah,” He said, “The kings will oppose you, the officials will oppose you, the priests will oppose you…and, oh yeah, the people will be against you, too. They will fight against you, but they won’t overcome you. Why? Because I’m with you.”

changing?

September 24, 2007 in Leadership, Teaching with 0 Comments

“When I was young man, I wanted to change the world.  I found it difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.  When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I begin to focus on my town.  I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.  Now as an older man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family.  My family and I could have made an impact on our town.  Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.”

-Unknown Monk, A.D. 1100

When thinking about change, where is the focus?  Others or yourself?

Boomer Soooner…

September 9, 2007 in Family, Leadership, Ministry with 0 Comments

What can you say; the Sooner’s are loaded once again this year.  As I watch the game yesterday I was amazed at how year after year regardless of the challenges and obstacles, Bob Stoops finds a way to win.  It does not matter if he loses a super star like Adrian Petterson or has to start a young guy like Sam Bradford, Stoops is committed to team work and winning. 

The church could learn a lot about winning from the OU Sooners.  Each week every church has a chance to win people to Jesus.  Every church faces incredible obstacles, whether it is financial, lack of volunteers, or just plain old PR.  Those things may help you win, but they are not required to win.  We serve God and I think he has enough power to handle anything.  So what is the problem, why do we not win more in the local church?  Here are a few things that come to mind.

1. We do not believe God can do anything. Instead of looking to Him and believing that His power is enough, instead we look at the obstacles. Lack of funds, lack of people, or not the right location. If God is going to cause our church to win, it is going to be based on His power, not all the others stuff. When we focus on Him, He will lead us to the right resources. Ephesians 3:20 says “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…” The key is the power we allow to work in us.

2. We do not prepare like we should. Winning on the football field and winning in the church begins with preparation. Often times we wing it in church instead of sitting down and mapping out a plan and then executing that plan. Other times we just repeat the same stuff over and over instead of praying, creating, and dreaming big. Proverbs 21:5 says “Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind.” We must sit down and plan our services in order to win on Sunday’s.

3. We do not work together. When you are on a great football team, everybody knows their position and what is expected when the ball is snapped. The only time you have problems is when someone wants to do their own thing. In churches we allow opinion, preferences, and our own personal idea of what God wants to overtake the big picture. Every weekend we should focus on the big picture and then align everyone to work toward that objective. 1 Corinthians 12:18-20 says “But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” The key to winning is getting everybody to do their part as one body. One body with one focus; winning people to Jesus.

4. We do not like pain. Yes I said pain. One thing you will notice in football is that players want to play regardless of the pain involved. They are willing to sacrifice their body so that the team will win. Often times in church, we just are not willing to face a little pain in order to win the game. Instead of sacrificing our wallets or our comforts or our time, we look for the easiest route. Progress creates pain. It is a pain to create new stuff instead of just doing what you did last year. It is a pain to replace leaders who are not doing their job. It is a pain to ask people to give more dollars so the Kingdom can advance instead of their house, cars, or bellies. It is a pain to face criticism for doing something on the edge instead of playing it safe. It is a pain when people leave because you did not do it their way. Winning creates pain for those involved and especially for the leaders. Most people in church avoid pain. You cannot win without a little pain. I love what Paul tells his dear friends in Philippians. He says, 1:29 “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.” Pain is part of winning.

My prayer for these next few months is that the Sooner’s would go all the way to the national championship, but more than the Sooner’s I pray that they church would win like never before.

PS – Yesterday during the game, our Sooner’s had a new cheerleader.  Look at this little angel.

Elli 2 Elli 1 Elli 3

Mowing

August 22, 2007 in Leadership, Random with 0 Comments

mowing

Tonight I mowed our lawn.  I know mowing is a complete pain to most, but I actually enjoy mowing.  Even though Julie and I have a huge yard, every time I mow I feel such a sense of accomplishment and I seem to clear up some thinking in my head.

Tonight a few things went through my head: 

Change is a process.  More often than not, I want to see progress and change quickly.  In reality though, change takes time.  When you mow the lawn, it is always one line or circle at a time mowing down a 20″ path in route to the goal of seeing every blade of grass cut short.  The same is true in changing your life or your business; great change is made one step at a time.  You must stay faithful to see the beauty in the end.  It reminds me of a verse I read this week:  Col. 4:17 “See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.”

Change is the result of faith.  Nothing happens with your lawn until you start the mower and then begin to push.  Often times when I want to see God do something, I will pray.  But prayer is the beginning point, the invitation to see what God wants me to DO.  If I really want to see change take place in life or an organization, I must start the process of change and then push.  When you push, you are putting ideas into action believing God for results.  (Right now in our church we are making lots of changes.  God is telling me to push.  In other words, faith without works is dead.  You have to do the work.)

Change is always part of following God. In order to do the work of God, we must allow God to lead us into change.  God never wants to leave you the same.

So here is the deal.  Go mow your lawn and get some clarity.  It will change you.

Wooden on Leadership

August 9, 2007 in Leadership with 0 Comments

Wooden Book

“Balance is crucial in everything we do.  Along with love it’s among the most important things in life.  I strove for balance in my leadership and coaching and taught that balance was necessary for Competitive Greatness:  The body has to be in balance; the mind has to be in balance; emotions must be in balance.  Balance is important everywhere and in everything we do.” -John Wooden

As I look back on ministry and life the times I have gotten off course and have gotten into trouble was when I did not maintain balance.  Sometimes it has been ministry where I allowed the church or the needs of people to drive my life instead of my relationship with God.  Other times it has been my personal life, recreation, friendships, or just personal hobbies that I allow to dictate my direction.  Regardless of what the issues of balance have been, the key to a successful future is balance.  It is learning to balance God, family, ministry, and recreation.  Balance in each is important! 

“The joy and great satisfaction I derived from leadership – working with and teaching others, helping them reach their potential in contributing to the team’s common goals – ultimately surpassed outscoring an opponent, the standings, even championships…Ultimately, I believe that’s what leadership is all about: helping others to achieve their own greatness by helping the organization to succeed.” -John Wooden

Even in Wooden’s words here you can see balance.  Leadership is a balance of helping people and helping the organization.  When both the organization and the person working within that organization understand this balance, greatness is to come for both.  When one succeeds so does the other.  Balance is key!

Jamestown

July 21, 2007 in Leadership, Travel with 0 Comments

Jamestown Ship

May 12, 1607 was an historic date in America.  On this date, the first permanent English settlement was established in Jamestown.  Yesterday, my family and I got to tour this historic location.  As we walked through this area learning about the Indians, the Englishmen, and the suffering and sacrifice, I was amazed. 

Most of the first men and women that came to Jamestown eventually died.  Disease, famine, and continuing attacks from the Algonquian Indians devastated the original settlers.  Only 60 out of the 214 survived.  One man, named Captain John Smith showed tenacious leadership as he explored the territory, drew up a map of Virginia, and established trade relations with the natives, while surviving death multiple times.  This man eventually had to return to England because of an injuring suffered by an explosion accident, but his work helped established the eventual foundation of America.

As I observed Jamestown, many thoughts captured my thinking.  Here are a few:

  • Great establishments, whether they are a country, a church, or a business, will require men to sacrifice and suffer.
  • Great establishments will take a lot longer to get going than you ever expect at the beginning.
  • Great establishments will be attacked by outsiders and insiders.
  • Great establishments require great leadership.
  • Great establishments are usually enjoyed more by those of the future than those of the present.
  • Great establishments cost a lot of money, time, and energy.
  • Great establishments are worth it because they usually bring greatness for many others for years to come.

Jamestown is worth the trip and the $13.50 ticket if you ever get to travel north to Virginia.

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