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Things I Am Learning (pt 2): Adaptability

February 10, 2013 in Articles, Church Planting, Jesus, Leadership, pastor, The Church with 4 Comments

It is 11:30am on Sunday morning. On a normal week at this time I’d be right in the middle of delivering the message to our 11am gathering. This week, however, I am sitting at home wishing I was with my church family and wondering how many people will show up at our gathering space this morning only to read a sign on the door saying we had to cancel services again at the last minute because of a conflict we only learned about Friday.

Such is church planting.

::CHURCH PLANTING & ADAPTABILITY::

Future church planter, you must develop the ability to be adaptable. It is a non-negotiable for church planting. You have to learn to flex at all times and in every direction. You have to be okay with switching directions at a moment’s notice. You have to be able to change the plan when it is least convenient. Continue Reading…

A Pastor’s Response to Healthcare Reform

June 29, 2012 in Articles, Current Affairs, Leadership, politics, Religion with 21 Comments

After this week’s Supreme Court decision to uphold Obama’s healthcare law and the ensuing reaction on social media, I thought it might helpful to repost this article I wrote on March 22, 2010 just after the health care bill originally passed. 

Like many Americans, I anxiously watched last night as Congress officially passed a bill that will overhaul the American health care system and cost an estimated $1 trillion dollars over the next ten years. As someone who is neither Republican nor Democrat, I found myself wrestling with a number of mixed feelings about this monumental event and naturally wondered what it might mean for my wife and I and our two girls in the future. I even wondered what it would mean for their kids someday.

I was unprepared, however, for the cyber onslaught that has since been unleashed by so many well intentioned, but justifiably angry republican Christians. I understand why many are upset. I share many of their concerns. But what struck me most was not their feelings of frustration or their disagreement with this huge decision that will directly affect most of our lives, but their use of spiritual and even Christian language to support and defend their political position.

That bothers me. Continue Reading…

Planting A Church: Things I’ve Learned (part 1)

June 21, 2012 in Articles, Church Planting, Leadership, Mosaic with 10 Comments

It wasn’t all that long ago that I was wrestling for the first time with this unshakable feeling that I was supposed to start a new church. I remember the swirling cocktail of emotions that came with it – the excitement and the fear, the hope and the anxiety, and the ever-present question of, “How on earth am I going to do this?”

During that season, I consumed every bit of information I could get my hands on. I read books, attended conferences, called up church planters, and combed the blogs of those who had succeeded and failed at what I was setting out to do. Every piece of input felt valuable during that season. And I am forever grateful to those who shared with me the things they had learned along the way.

A couple years into planting now myself, I too would like to pass on some of the things we learned in the early stages of starting Mosaic Lincoln. There is a special place in my heart for church planters. My hope in the series of posts to follow is simply to help in any way I can those who are considering starting a new church or ministry, as well as those who are already well on their way.

::VISION-CASTING & RECRUITING::

When we arrived in Lincoln in April of 2010, we had shared the vision of Mosaic with just one Lincoln couple. Continue Reading…

Leaders Lead.

March 15, 2012 in Articles, Leadership with 0 Comments 

Photo RT:

If there’s one thing I know about leaders, it’s that leaders lead.

They don’t always do it purposefully. They don’t always do it actively. They don’t always do it well. But you put a leader into any context and given enough time, that leader will emerge as a leader. It is just a part of who they are.

Leaders have a gravitas to them that causes their peers to ascribe them influence. And this is part of the beauty of true leadership: it is contingent on the volunteered trust and followership of others. No position can demand this from others. A position might demand compliance (especially if their paycheck is dependent on that compliance), but a position can never demand the very best of someone – their passion, their creativity, their devotion. These things must be volunteered.  Continue Reading…

Some Things You Should Know About Your Pastor

December 13, 2011 in Articles, Church Planting, encouragement, Leadership, pastor, The Church with 5 Comments

Let’s admit it: at one point or another, we have all been critical of pastors. Sometimes it’s just too easy, isn’t it? Like the guy who insists on using antiquated language and five syllable words that haven’t been in common usage since Shakespeare, or his younger antithesis down the road who is always saying things like dude and bro in between Rolling Stone quotes. One is too hip. The other is not hip enough. Both, however, get criticized for where they land. Welcome to the life of a pastor.

It is a tall order to live up to the expectations that come with the title “Pastor,” especially with so many different opinions on what a pastor should be. I’d imagine if we took all the expectations of everyone in your church and inserted them into a job description for your pastor, it’d might read something like:

CHURCH SEEKING NEW SENIOR PASTOR. Must be highly visionary, administratively strong, theologically astute, culturally connected, strong in both interpersonal and public communication, seasoned counselor, proven track record of longevity and initiating new projects, general knowledge in marketing and good business practice, able to cast vision, raise funds, manage budgets, hire and fire, submit to authority, speak with authority, teach and preach, gifted in planning but highly adaptable, be passionate but not overbearing, strong and meek, funny but not too funny, faithful and careful, bold and calculated, not too conservative and not too liberal. Applications can be submitted to jennifer@theresnowayyoucansucceedatthis.com.
You get my point. Everyone (including you) has different expectations of how your pastor ought to be gifted and what he ought to be doing with it. And the truth is, he likely has days when he feels like he is falling short of all of them. If you don’t believe that to be true, consider these jarring statistics:
  • 80% of pastors feel unqualified and discouraged in their role
  • 70% say they have a lower self-image now than when they first started in ministry
  • 70% of pastors constantly fight depression
  • 90% feel they’re inadequately trained to cope w/ work demands
  • 50% of pastors feel so discouraged that they would leave the ministry tomorrow if they felt they had a viable alternative

Continue Reading…

Leaders Are Not…

September 12, 2011 in Leadership, Quotes with 4 Comments

“Leaders are not what many people think–people with huge crowds following them. Leaders are people who go their own way without caring, or even looking to see whether anyone is following them. “Leadership qualities” are not the qualities that enable people to attract followers, but those that enable them to do without them. The include, at the very least, courage, endurance, patience, humor, flexibility, resourcefulness, determination, a keen sense of reality, and the ability to keep a cool and clear head even when things are going badly. This is the opposite of the “charisma” that we hear so much about.” – John Holt

Pixar: Perseverance

July 27, 2011 in arts, Creativity, Film, Leadership, Uncategorized with 1 Comment

I recently watched the documentary The Pixar Story. (Confession: I love documentaries, I love Pixar, and I have a man crush on Steve Jobs.) The documentary is fantastic – a must-see for any entrepreneur, church planter, creative or Pixar fan. (FYI, it is currently on Netflix.) In the documentary, there are some real gems about leadership and creativity that come out of their story and the things they learned along the way. Some of those things are directly relatable to serving and leading in the church. Here are a few, enjoy. Continue Reading…

Video: Rhythm

July 20, 2011 in Church Planting, fatherhood, Leadership, Mosaic, Videos with 2 Comments

Hey friends, I want to share a video with you about something that has deeply impacted my life and leadership. I have posted about Rhythm before, but this video shares more about the vision behind it and its impact on me and a few others. The video is kind of long, but if you have the time, you’ll get to hear from some very good friends of mine. (For those interested, I share about some of my own journey at about 5:25). Enjoy.

RHYTHMinTWENTY

June 24, 2011 in emerging, fatherhood, Leadership with 0 Comments

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Alright, so I am going to put aside the porn talk one more time because there is something I really want to tell you about before it’s too late. For the past couple years, I have been a part of something that has profoundly shaped the way that I live, the way that I lead, and the way that I pastor. It is called RHYTHMinTWENTY. Continue Reading…

Church Planting::Count the Cost

June 1, 2011 in Articles, Church Planting, encouragement, Leadership with 10 Comments

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My dad gave this to me a very long time ago. I must admit that for a long time, I really didn't like it. I couldn't appreciate it's drab, almost cynical outlook on the task of church planting. It rubbed my vision and my idealism the wrong way. For my dad, however, I could tell it had become over the years a deep source of solace for him during difficult times; something he returned to regularly, perhaps to remind himself that he wasn't the only one to think and feel many of these things; assuring him perhaps that he wasn't crazy. There were others who had walked a similar road and along the way, had thought and felt many of the same things he had…and amidst it all, stayed faithful, pressing onward.

I couldn't fully appreciate all that this article had to say then. And I'm not sure I can fully appreciate it now, but I am getting there. Church planting is tough. Being the lead guy is tough. Pastoring is tough. Uncertainty is tough. Having a vision so big it terrifies you and no earthly idea how to see it come to fruition is tough. It is a tough road. So future church planters, take the words below seriously. He's not blowing smoke. Church planting is tough, so you'd better know that you know that you know that you're called. Past and current church planters, know that you are not alone and you are not crazy (well, okay, maybe a little bit:).    

"Attn: Future Church Planters — Count the Cost," by Joe Boyd:

Continue Reading…

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