New Church Planting Training '08
So I was looking through my Blog archive from 2008, and I came across some blogging I did during my new church ministry training in Indianapolis back in 2008. I blogged everyday during the week while we were there in preparation to plant in Orlando. Wow! It's amazing what I was thinking and writing about back then, and now to see Arise Christian Church a reality is just amazing! Here are the posts from over 1 year ago:
Saturday, October 24, 2009 | 0 Comments
Setting goals & challenging yourself and your leadership
In leadership, it's important to set goals for not only yourself, but also your leadership. From a new church perspective, it's important to take steps forward. Put "one foot in front of the other." Here is a simple method that I use to help me set goals for our group: 1) Assess my leadership group. Every group I have ever been in has its own identity, strengths, and gifts. While there are certain traits that are consistently found in various groups, there are also certain traits that make each group unique. Take time to identify them, and use them as a strength. 2) I need to also assess how my leaders can also continue to develop themselves. So while I am also assessing their strengths and gifts, I am also identifying weaknesses and areas of improvement. This is where the leader can become their coach. Be strategic about this, and challenge your leaders with love. 3) I promote teamwork. This is important because no one should be taking on heavy tasks alone. Delegate tasks appropriately, but also create ways that people can work together and collaborate. This not only enriches the project at hand, but it also builds the group cohesion and it's an opportunity for people to learn from each other. This can be a very rewarding moment. I also want to add to this the importance of celebration! Yes, take time to celebrate, especially if you're a new church plant. A new church has no history and no archive. Just about everything that is done is usually the first time in that church's history, and every accomplishment feels great. Celebrate! Take time to pat yourself on the back, and take time to pat your leadership on the back and tell them "job well done." Be sure to reward your leadership and let them know that you appreciate them for their hard work and time. And above all, thank God, and celebrate His goodness, because without Him, none of this is possible!
Friday, October 16, 2009 | 0 Comments
Spiritual Growth vs. Congregational Growth
This is a topic that requires much time for thought, reflection, and attention. I have read and heard various perspectives on this, and many of them (which speak from opposite ends of the spectrum) present valid points. I will offer a quick thought to the discussion.
I recently had a wonderful discussion on this with my coach, and I was asked how I measure our church's success. Well, my response was that I do not measure the success of our new church on numbers. My goal is not to create the largest congregation. My goal is for lives to come to Christ and be transformed from the inside out. With this ideological mindset, I find that a church can grow.
Ultimately, I measure success by the testimonies of the people. For example, someone from our congregation recently shared with me how they have seen their life change. This person is what we call at Arise an "unreachable." They grew up in a church where Spanish was only spoken, and this person eventually left the church at a young age because they did not understand what was being said. This person has now found a church where they are feeling whole in their identity and being discipled. Understanding this brief background, this person was on vacation one weekend, and instead of taking a vacation from God on the Sunday morning of their vacation, they took time in the morning to read the Bible, listen to what we call "Arise music" on their mp3 player, and took time to meditate and pray before heading out to the theme park. Wow! For someone who is now starting to build a relationship with the Lord, this is amazing. This is what ministry is about.
Now, this does not discount the importance of a church planter and/or pastor needing to be attentive to church growth as well. Why? Because if the church is not growing, there is a possible "red flag." The church SHOULD and NEEDS to be working to fulfill the Great Commission. If a/the church is not spreading the Gospel message, then a self-evaluation needs to take place.
What are your thoughts on this topic?
Friday, October 16, 2009 | 0 Comments
