CWOC the Blog

Here are some of the things I’ve learned — the hard way.

1.  Money can’t build a church.  In four years I spent $300,000 buying furniture, equipment, paying for trips, people’s training, functions.  Everything — we’d just pay for it.  Thinking that would bring growth.  It didn’t.

2.  Every person is not a leader.  I made a tremendous mistake by not "learning from other’s mistakes".  When I assumed the pastorate here I "inherited" leadership from the previous pastor (who is a dear friend of mine).  For some reason, I assumed I could take the people he had in leadership and do something with them he could not.  I’ve learned from that this lesson: IF THEY WERE NOT LEADERS UNDER HIM THEY WOULD NOT BE LEADERS UNDER ME.  John Maxwell tells the story of sitting down with the CEO of a major hotel chain.  This was an "elite" hotel… not a Holiday Inn.  This company began going throughout the world and purchasing struggling companies.  Maxwell asked the man what was the first thing they would do when purchasing a new location.  To which the man replied: FIRE ALL THE STAFF.  The man saw Maxwell’s shock and informed him: "They were the problem the thing wasn’t working to start with.  You can’t make someone into something they are not."

Even in starting a new work you need to be cautious not to try to "put" someone in leadership or in a position just because they’re available and you "need" someone.  Wait for the right people who are true leaders.

3.  You, as a leader, must be a person of INFLUENCE.  This may sound hard, but I don’t mean it to be… if you can’t INFLUENCE people stay where you are and keep doing what you are doing.  If you can’t meet people and talk to strangers you are not influencing people.  If you don’t talk to your neighbors where you live right now about spiritual matters then you can’t grow a church.  If you are not INFLUENCING people right where you are then don’t take your family to another city and attempt to become something you are not.

However, if you can walk into Starbucks order a cup of coffee and carry on a conversation with the person behind the counter and open a door of opportunity to share a brief second about "what your vision of ministry is" then you are a INFLUENCER.

I mean this.  I’ve seen guys go to cities, get a building, put up a sign and just expect people to come in.  It does not work.  It will not work.  You have got to be able to pursue people.

The encouraging thing about this is YOU CAN LEARN and DISCIPLINE yourself to INFLUENCE people.

4.  Don’t study too much.  Again, I hope this doesn’t sound too hard, but people could really care less if you are a great preacher communicator.  There is an old proverb: "PEOPLE DON’T CARE HOW MUCH YOU KNOW UNTIL THEY KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CARE."  If you lock yourself away for hours reading and studying just to preach you are over-killing.  When it comes to WORD time just feed yourself.  Don’t get too caught up in sermonizing.  Bishop TD Jakes said plainly he doesn’t write sermons.  He lets the Holy Spirit feed him from the Word and God gives him revelation and inspiration to put messages together.

If it doesn’t taste good to you first then you can’t really feed it to someone else.  Never read the Bible just to get a message to preach.  First, read it to get a message to live.  You will never build a ministry locked away in a room with Bibles, books, and computers.  You’ve got to allow the WORD to build you and then let God release you into the sea of humanity.

Mind you, you must read books, watch videos, Christian TV, listen to tapes, etc.  But that is not the extent of the ministry.  The ministry involves PEOPLE.

5. Don’t study too little. I know this sounds like an unbalanced statement as compared to the previous point. However, it will do you and the people you minister to no good for them to come to whatever your ministry has to offer if you are empty. In our busy, fast-paced society we had better have something of substance to offer people when they enter our ministry facilities. Fluff may pacify people for a while, but sooner or later they’ll get tired of milk and toast. They will begin to yearn for the deeper things of God.

Find a balance between points 4 and 5.

6.  This is one of the most important things I’ve learned: YOU NEED A TEAM.  Church growth experts agree… in starting a new ministry you NEED TEAM.  Ministers flying solo have a 90% failure rate.  If you are truly called to this I encourage you to wait, formulate your vision… write it down.  Begin to share it with people and ask them to pray about buying in and giving you six months to a year to help you work in this ministry when you are ready to begin it.

Here are some of the basic positions that you will find helpful: 1. Someone to do your music ministry.  2.  Someone to work with the children.  3.  Someone to work with the teens.  4.  Someone who is very administrative.  5.  Someone who is very pastoral who can help you love people into the kingdom.  Even if your giftings are not pastoral this latter person can help you.

6.  Finally, a ministry will not grow if the leader does not PRAY.  I’m talking prophetic declaration over that thing and bathing it continually in the Word of God.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 5th, 2009 at 2:42 pm and is filed under Featured, From Our Pastor, From The Pastor, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.