#16 – I didn’t make the goal clear for each ministry area When we started, I was under the impression that having a ministry for every need under the sun was the goal in and of itself. What I ended up with after 3 years was a group of exhausted people. Without a clear bull’s eye for each ministry, everyone decided what was the bull’s eye for them, even if that meant competing for space, resources, and time with other ministries. When I took a step back, I realized that I needed to tie every ministry back into the overall … Read More

#15 – I communicated well with my staff One of things that have been very important to me is communication with the staff. As a Senior Pastor, I’m out of the loop of a lot of things that go on, but communication with staff helps me stay informed. Also, communication with them allows me to consistently recast the church’s vision to them and keeps us having the church turn into a “federation of sub-ministries” in which everyone develops their own vision. Instead, my role is to invest my time and energy into the staff and let them minister to the … Read More

#15 – I thought it would be easy Talk about someone under a delusion! I actually thought planting a church would be easy. I thought everyone was all for advancing the kingdom and seeing people reached with the Gospel. What I learned was that this is not the case. I learned that it’s not easy to plant a church. It’s hard work. When I first became a Christian, I was convinced that my Pastor only worked on Sunday and Wednesday and took the other 5 days off. I think that might be one of the reasons God placed me in … Read More

#14 – I thought every idea could work in my environment I would listen to a CD or mp3 and hear an idea that another Pastor, church planter, or leader would have and I’d think, “That’s a great idea, I should do that.” Only to find that it wouldn’t work here. What works at another church in a different city may or may not work in your town, but you have to figure that out. Frustration happens when you just adopt an idea or ministry paradigm without taking into consideration the uniqueness of the people in your area. There are … Read More

#14 – I got ahead in my studying The early days for me were waking up early on Saturday only to find a blank sheet of paper. Then I would spend the next 15 hours putting a message together for Sunday. That is not a smart decision. Then I heard Andy Stanley talk a couple of years ago about how he is 3 weeks ahead in his preparation. I thought, “That can’t be too hard to do.” Let me tell you, this has made all the difference. It will take a little extra work the first couple of weeks, but … Read More

#13 – I gave too much weight to what insiders would think While my heart in the beginning was to reach outsiders, I found that soon after we started I was giving in to insiders for all the wrong reasons. This hurt us, because there was a moment when I drew a line in the sand and said, “This is not going to be an insider church. It’s going to be a place where outsiders can learn and grow.” Had I laid that out from the beginning, these people would have left because there’s a million churches that are insider … Read More