Newsflash: some people will inspire you or some will drive you crazy! What I have learned through now more than 15 years of ministry is to surround myself with people who inspire me, to read from people who encourage and inspire me and be mentored by and follow people who inspire my socks off. The world of blogging makes it that much easier.
Most Mondays, and other times, I take a few minutes to read the thoughts of pastors and church planters that are seeing God do some awesome things. This morning was a home run, and I want to share with you one such blog that may give you some insight into my heart and vision and dreams and desire. You get the point.
"Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life." Galatians 6:5 (MSG)
Before I give you that thought I want to tell you what I am thinking about. God created each of us to be unique and ourselves. He has given us skills, talents and more to do stuff for Him. We have got to be two things: relevant and creative. Relevant is to speak about what people are talking about get them to see what really matters, and that is Jesus. Creative is 'thinking outside the box' and doing things that are beyond what is normal to impact people for Jesus. There are other thoughts on being relevant and creative, but those are mine.
After 5 years at The Orchard, my thoughts mingle with those of Gary Lamb, a church planter and Baptist from Canton, Georgia. Here is part of a blog Gary shared at www.garylamb.org:
I was thinking about some of the lessons I have learned over the last two years and these thoughts jumped out to me:
1.) If you truly believe in your vision then 99% of decisions are already decided. Saves you a lot of trouble.
2.) God will send scaffolding. You need scaffolding to build a house but once it is built the scaffolding is gone. God sent us some GREAT and GODLY people who were scaffolding. I hated to see them leave but I now realize God sent them for a time and for a purpose.
3.) You CAN build a church without a building. Everyone told me you couldn't in this area but, God has done it here. I have really kicked up our land search lately just to be prepared, but lack of a building will never be an excuse for us not growing.
4.) You can lead your people by doing life WITH them instead of being ABOVE them.
5.) People want a pastor who is the same Monday-Saturday as he is on Sunday.
6.) You can't grow as a leader without having mentors who are ahead of you in the game. I thank God for those people in my life.
7.) I have the greateast wife in the world. She is the greatest pastor's wife in the world because her ministry is our family, not Ridge Stone Church.
8.) God WILL send Christians who will be sold out to your vision. It took me a year to understand this.
9.) Go after those that no other church would want and ask God to send those to you.
10.) Be yourself. Love me or hate me, I am who I am. Most pastors are who they think they are supposed to be.
11.) There will be critics. Only insecure leaders feel the need to defend themselves.
12.) You must grow ahead of your church's growth
13.) Fight, scrap, and kill if necessary to keep the BIG MO going. It is so vital.
14.) Preach vision AT LEAST every two months. You think your people are sick of it, but they don't live with it like you do and will forget it.
15.) Core Values aren't some written thing, they are something you live.
16.) Have tunnel vision.
17.) If you aren't friends with your staff, then why are they around?
18.) Sold out lay people actually make the church what it is.
19.) RUN to confrontation.
20.) Love your people no matter what.
21.) It's ALL about two things: Jesus and People
Most Mondays, and other times, I take a few minutes to read the thoughts of pastors and church planters that are seeing God do some awesome things. This morning was a home run, and I want to share with you one such blog that may give you some insight into my heart and vision and dreams and desire. You get the point.
"Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life." Galatians 6:5 (MSG)
Before I give you that thought I want to tell you what I am thinking about. God created each of us to be unique and ourselves. He has given us skills, talents and more to do stuff for Him. We have got to be two things: relevant and creative. Relevant is to speak about what people are talking about get them to see what really matters, and that is Jesus. Creative is 'thinking outside the box' and doing things that are beyond what is normal to impact people for Jesus. There are other thoughts on being relevant and creative, but those are mine.
After 5 years at The Orchard, my thoughts mingle with those of Gary Lamb, a church planter and Baptist from Canton, Georgia. Here is part of a blog Gary shared at www.garylamb.org:
I was thinking about some of the lessons I have learned over the last two years and these thoughts jumped out to me:
1.) If you truly believe in your vision then 99% of decisions are already decided. Saves you a lot of trouble.
2.) God will send scaffolding. You need scaffolding to build a house but once it is built the scaffolding is gone. God sent us some GREAT and GODLY people who were scaffolding. I hated to see them leave but I now realize God sent them for a time and for a purpose.
3.) You CAN build a church without a building. Everyone told me you couldn't in this area but, God has done it here. I have really kicked up our land search lately just to be prepared, but lack of a building will never be an excuse for us not growing.
4.) You can lead your people by doing life WITH them instead of being ABOVE them.
5.) People want a pastor who is the same Monday-Saturday as he is on Sunday.
6.) You can't grow as a leader without having mentors who are ahead of you in the game. I thank God for those people in my life.
7.) I have the greateast wife in the world. She is the greatest pastor's wife in the world because her ministry is our family, not Ridge Stone Church.
8.) God WILL send Christians who will be sold out to your vision. It took me a year to understand this.
9.) Go after those that no other church would want and ask God to send those to you.
10.) Be yourself. Love me or hate me, I am who I am. Most pastors are who they think they are supposed to be.
11.) There will be critics. Only insecure leaders feel the need to defend themselves.
12.) You must grow ahead of your church's growth
13.) Fight, scrap, and kill if necessary to keep the BIG MO going. It is so vital.
14.) Preach vision AT LEAST every two months. You think your people are sick of it, but they don't live with it like you do and will forget it.
15.) Core Values aren't some written thing, they are something you live.
16.) Have tunnel vision.
17.) If you aren't friends with your staff, then why are they around?
18.) Sold out lay people actually make the church what it is.
19.) RUN to confrontation.
20.) Love your people no matter what.
21.) It's ALL about two things: Jesus and People
Comments