Currently From the Blog

A Walk Down a Dark Hallway Turns into a Dream

In the middle of 2009 I had an epiphany. For three days in a row, I had to walk to the other side of our building through our lower level. The lights were off. The classrooms in our Children’s Center were dark. The hallway was quiet. Now understand–this is a multi-million dollar, creatively-themed, educational space that is filled with more than 800 kids every weekend. But as I asked around, I realized that it was rarely in use during week days.

At the same time, we were in deep discussions about how to more effectively help parents disciple their kids–yet we were in a difficult recession with decreasing financial resources. That’s when it hit me on my third trip down the darkened hallway: Why not use what God has already given us?

I suppose this could be real obvious to others, but for me the idea of using our Children’s Center as the location of a high quality, faith-based preschool was a new thought. I shared it with Mark Beeson and he said “absolutely yes!” before I could even get my words out. He’d been thinking the same thing. And then, when we asked our congregation to tell us what dream they had for our church over the next 5- to 10-years…we were amazed by how many mentioned a desire to start a preschool on our campus.

That desire turned into action, and is almost a reality. Registration for the fall 2012 classes opens in just a few days. More details on GCC’s Early Learning Center in the days to come.

Scott Williams: “Real Leaders Develop People, Then Release Them”

A couple weeks ago I had the privilege of listening to Scott Williams talk about leadership at Velocity 2012. I scribbled some notes that i thought might encourage you.

• The highest form of leadership is leadership development.
• Good leaders create an environment where other leaders can win.
• In Mark 14, Barnabas truly believed in John Mark even though he had some problems.
• To develop leaders, you need to acknowledge their misses and their wins.
• Real leaders will release their developed leaders to other ministries or locations.
• People who do not develop leaders will reject leaders who need help rather than mentoring them to take their next steps.

Do Statistics Have to be Boring?

I love numbers, spreadsheets, statistics and trend lines. But I’m totally aware that most people don’t. Their eyes gloss over with that near-death look of paleness where you can tell they’d rather poke their eyes out with a fork than have to think about numbers.

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t important to occasionally let people know how things are going “by the numbers.”

Our team recently produced a statistics brochure that was filled with stories, vision, and purpose. I think you’ll agree that it was anything but boring.

Download your own copy of the entire brochure here.

13 Leaders. 13 States.

Today I have the opportunity, once again, to lead the Executive Pastors’ Coaching Network. This is my 6th group, but what is unique about this one is that all 13 leaders are from a different state. They are also from churches of all sizes, styles and denominations. It always proves to be a mutual learning experience that doesn’t end after our six days together conclude.

If you are interested in our next group (beginning in September), leave me a comment and we’ll make sure to put you on the short list for an early invite.

Pete Wilson: “God’s Silence is Not His Absence”

I’ve had a great respect for Pete Wilson for several years. He is a pastor who is following God in Nashville, Tennessee–and has been a mentor for my daughter. Loved hearing Pete’s challenge today at Velocity 12…

• Just because your dream is delayed doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen.
• Most of us have been trained to hear God speak, but we don’t know what to do with His silence.
• Story of Lazarus — Jesus’ friend was dying, and He waited. He didn’t come right away.
• Sometimes God will wait 2 days or 2 weeks or 2 years before He answers.
• God will allow suffering, pain and trials in order to detach your reliance on other things and reconnect it to Him.
• You have to stop looking at your unmet expectation as though God is doing something TO you.
• Hope doesn’t just come from believing in God’s timing. Hope comes from trusting on His timing.
• When we are waiting on God, that is when we are most prone to idolatry.
• People assume that when God is not speaking that He is not with them.
• God’s silence is not His absence.
• If God’s plan is a little bit different than yours, always remember Psalm 18:2.
• I think God is looking for pastors’ who love Him more than they do their church.

Dr. Samuel Chand: “Crisis Helps us Grow”

I’ve respected Dr. Samuel Chand from a distance, but was able to meet him for the first time today. I thoroughly enjoyed his talk at Velocity 2012. Some of my notes…

• Everything has a capacity. This room will never hold 3,000 people at one time. Your laptop battery will never last all week. You also have a capacity. But you can grow your capacity.
• Most churches are two funerals away from revival. And you probably know who they are.
• Growth means change. Change means loss. Loss means pain. It’s all about “growing pains.”
• There are two types of people in the world: Those who make deposits, and those who make withdrawals.
• Never throw a crisis away. Crisis help us grow.
• If you take care of your personal life, God will take care of your public life.
• There are two things that might keep you from being able to handle the blessing when God sends it: Broken systems or the wrong people.

Stacy Spencer: “God’s Not Going to Give You a Lot Until You Can Handle a Little”

Stacy Spencer was a youth pastor for 11 years, then planted a church and grew it from 60 to 13,000 in about ten years. He closed off the first day at Velocity 2012…

• I found myself not wanting to be around the people I was supposed to be leading.
• There is a lot of drama in leading a church. Anytime you bring a group of people together, there will be drama.
• Sometimes the drama can lead you to be disconnected from God.
• Everyone starts out humble–but somewhere along the way we start reading our press clippings and thinking we did it.
• Peter started following Jesus from a distance–close enough to see where He was going, but not close enough to be associated as a follower.
• It is the death nail on your ministry when you are too big to be accountable.
• God’s not going to give you a lot until you can handle a little.
• It’s more important that you grow disciples than grow the size of your church.

Shawn Lovejoy: “Speed Can Kill You”

Shawn Lovejoy is the host pastor of the Velocity Conference. He has become a true friend in the past couple years. He offered a very strong challenge to this room of a thousand church planters…

• Church planters love speed! Their favorite movie is top gun.
• Our entrepreneurial, fast-moving spirit is what makes us great church planters. However, our greatest assets and abilities outside of Jesus’ empowerment–those assets become our greatest liability.
• When stuff isn’t happening, we are wired to manufacture it. Just do something. Give Jesus some help and make it happen.
• Funny quote: “Telling a church planter to be patient is like telling John MacArthur to be seeker-sensitive.”
• Abraham was similarly wired. He got impatient and tried to make things happen. And it had consequences for his wife, his kids, an entire country.
• Speed can kill. Our inability to slow down can literally kill us.
• We don’t have time to spend time with God. We have to get on that growth stair-climber and take the church to the next level.
• The most often violated commands of pastors’ is not taking a sabbath. We don’t take time off because we don’t trust Jesus to build His church. He thinks He needs our help.
• My most proud achievement after 10 years in this church plant: “My wife likes me. Not just loves me, but likes me. And my kids like the church. They don’t see it as my mistress.”
• What do we gain if we gain the whole world, but we lose our family? We gain nothing.
• Waiting is a faith issue. Do we trust God enough to walk with Him at His pace?
• In ministry, motivation matters. We can do all the right things, but do them with a wrong motivation, and none of it counts.
• Faithfulness matters more to God than fruitfulness.