#5 – I thought I knew everything – Just about every church planter I’ve ever met is a little cocky. Some are just confident in their calling and others are down right arrogant. I was a punk kid who thought he knew everything when I really knew nothing. I believe one of the greatest assets of a church planter is being sure of his calling. But we can’t let that cause us to get to the point where we aren’t teachable. God opposes proud people but gives grace to the humble. Hard times tend to beat arrogance out of people. … Read More

#4 – I was trying to be someone else – Here’s what I didn’t realize when I first started in ministry, that Jesus didn’t save us to clone us. God created you to be you. When we started our church, I was 26 years old, and I was desperate to know how a Senior Pastor acted. So I did what I knew: I wore a tie every Sunday, I taught the way I was taught to, and I said “Praise the Lord” and “God bless you” in all the right spots. What was the result? I was miserable. I hate … Read More

#3 – I had a hard time saying “no” – When we stated Calvary Fellowship, the last thing I wanted to do was say no when someone asked me something. What resulted was getting roped into commitments I didn’t want to be part of, agreeing to start ministries I didn’t feel called to, and allow people into positions of influence that had no business being there. The result: chaos. If you’re a leader, “No” is your best friend. “No” means you’re clear about what you’re called to do and what you aren’t called to do. “No” means you’d rather please … Read More

#2 – An Unclear Vision – Churches that aren’t sure why they exist tend to simply find out what another church’s passion is and adopt that as their vision. The problem with trying to take someone else’s vision is the same problem with as trying to date another man’s wife: she’s already taken. Taking another church’s vision and mission doesn’t help you because it’s not the mission God has empowered you to do. So you will spend your life struggling to accomplish something God has never called you to. The solution to an unclear vision is to spend time with … Read More

When we started Calvary Fellowship in 2000, we made so many mistakes. This week I’m going to share a few of those. #1 – Conference “Confusion” – This is a illness that church planters (and many young pastors) get. They go to a conference and get really excited about the host church, the speakers, and the model being presented, that they go home and immediately try to change everything to match what the conference speaker was teaching. The problem is, once the next conference comes around, they go home and try to do the same thing. What happens is that … Read More