Andy Stanley brought it home during the last session as he talked about gaining and maintaining momentum. It’s amazing how simple stuff can be so profound. 3 things create momentum according Andy: #1 – Something New #2 – Something Improved #3 – Something Improving I just kept coming back to this whole idea thread that I heard over and over again that incremental change doesn’t really do much. Sometimes you just have to make a 180 to get to where God wants you. The whole experience was fantastic. I got visit Buckhead Church and spend some time with the amazing … Read More

Andy gave a great message about the importance of preaching with life change in mind. He challenged every communicator to think about 5 things before they open their mouths: #1 – What do they need to know? (Information) #2 – Why do they need to know it? (Motivation) #3 – What do they need to do? (Application) #4 – Why do they need to do it? (Inspiration) #5 – How can I help them remember? (Reiteration) He also shared about preaching a 1 point message. I adopted this style over a year ago and it has been one of the … Read More

Reggie hit another one out of the park this morning with a message on creating synergy with our ministries. Too many times, ministries have their own agenda and vision that does not line up with or support the vision of the entire church. The result is ministries competing for time, resources, space, etc… Instead, our goal should be to create synergy or focus in which all of our ministries are headed in the same direction so we can get see the most important thing take place, which is for people to grow in their relationship with Jesus. Reggie pointed out … Read More

I’m really excited about the new series that I’m starting this weekend called, “Message in a Bottle.” We’re going to explore the call that every believer has to share the message of the Gospel. God has placed His message in earthen vessels (2 Cor. 4:7), or otherwise put – A message in a bottle. I think this series has the potential to wake up some sleeping Christians to the opportunities that are all around us to be used by God to reach out to others…

Let’s just start out by laying out the fact that Andy Stanley is a beast! The guy just blows me away every time I hear him speak. Session #2 was on creating relevant environments. He mentioned the 3 components that make an environment relevant: Context, content, and presentation. Context is where the material is presented Content is the material that is being presented Presentation is how the material is presented The key to having an environment that is relevant is to have all 3 of the factors in operation. At dinner tonight, our staff discussed where we are strong and … Read More

I can’t even begin to tell you how challenged I have been over the last 2 days. This has been like drinking water from a fire hose. Reggie Joiner taught session 1 and challenged every church leader to institute radical change. He shared that incremental change never works, even though we try it, hoping that we can fly under the radar. He says that what is needed is nothing short of radical change. Whatever it is that needs to change in our churches, we already know what it is, we just need the courage to do it. He ended his … Read More