On Monday morning the signed and anonymous comments will be piled in a neat stack on your desk. A cornucopia of advice on everything from how to preach to how to dress to how to raise your kids. How do you answer the onslaught of unsolicited advice? How do you deal with criticism?
The consistent thing I see for these leaders who lead well is that they love well. The most amazing missional community leaders I’ve seen are the ones that love people well by modeling the love of God to them.
Ministry magic is looking to woo people. Ministry is rarely that. And one or two magical moments may woo you into believing it’s something you can repeat.
We have been called and commissioned by God, empowered beyond our own resources, and granted the privilege of caring for His flock. And yet we still struggle with fear and insecurity, and with facing rejection.
Great leaders are great communicators. Communication certainly includes making a great speech, or for pastors, delivering a compelling sermon.
“Repent” is the first word of the good news. That means preaching repentance is part of the good news! Faith and hope come as we rethink our way of life based upon what God has already done.
Some of the things I’ve learned are things I wouldn’t do again if were were planting another church. If you are planting now – or in the future – I hope these church planting don’ts are helpful.
We all know great churches simply don’t exist without a price, nor without waiting for God. My whole life I’ve been impatient. I have often looked for ways in the past to find that golden shortcut to provide the perfect product but just not at such high a price.
Why “I’m not gonna be like those Christians” is not going to help.
To launch a successful church, you are going to need pioneers. Pioneers are the people who start these things. They want to be on the ground floor. They can see a picture of what could be and are willing to do the hard work of turning vision into reality.
