This week the Pastoral
Team at Mountaintop spent two days at NewSpring’s
Double Conference (which also provided some of our staff their first chance
to experience the awesomeness that is Clemson
University). Here are some random (stream-of-consciousness) thoughts from an amazing conference.
If people speak the same language anything (and everything)) is possible – Genesis 11
Everybody that walks through the door has a vision for the
church.
To gather those who feel spiritually superior to others #failedvisionstatement
To be angry at the world for not being as awesome as we are
#failedvisionstatement
To resist change and be proud about it as we die a slow
painful death #failedvisionstatement
If the early church was so awesome… why did people die for
not giving…. get sent to the world and not go… sleep with their mother-in-law…
#weirdstuff
It’s better for Jesus to change a heart than for us to
change a behavior.
Can people smoke in your parking lot? (our staff can)
Sick people don’t need to hear how sick they are.
Too many Christians
sound like Americans in foreign countries – speaking loudly and rudely….
Nehemiah 8 – make them understand.
If you aren’t excited about your church no one will be.
It’s hype if you don’t believe it – if you believe it, it’s hope!
We celebrate what we worship #selfie
It’s okay to be excited about the church.
When babies walk and fall down – we celebrate their first
steps then pick them up!
The early church wasn’t known for theology – they were known
for their generosity.
What if the church
was known for being nice to people?
If our church really wants to reach people we have to give
up our seats (and parking spaces).
Found people find
people
All Andrew did was bring Peter to Jesus and then get out of
the way.
Asking people to come to a place where they can meet Jesus
IS evangelism.
It’s okay to have normal conversations.
Changed lives should be celebrated – what gets celebrated
gets repeated.
Having intentional services for reaching people far from God
really does work (2 to 3 times a year).
Saved people serve
people
Members have rights – Owners have responsibility
The only way a church begins to experience ownership is when
people begin to serve.
Servanthood is THE way to become great.
If your aren’t serving you aren’t growing – if you aren’t
serving you aren’t serving you aren’t becoming more like Jesus.
“If you had the gift of discernment, you’d be able to
discern that I don’t care!”
4 reasons people aren’t serving 1) they desire attention not
spiritual growth, 2) we motivate by guilt not vision, 3) they don’ t know they
can 4) they don’t know they are called to serve.
The difference between elders and deacons – elders drink and
deacons smoke.
There is a problem when the “4 to 6” try to tell the “40 to
60” how to run the church.
A church is not effective when the pastor ministers to
people but when the body ministers to the body.
I am a child of God
first – A minister of people second – A (job title) third.
In everything we must be 1) prayed up, 2) punctual, 3) prepared.
No one should serve more than 40 - 42 Sundays a year.
If you aren’t doing ministry one person at a time you aren’t
doing ministry – you are herding people
Stop Training – Start
Developing
When people grow things get messy – messy people don’t need
to be judged – they need people to walk with them
Pretty people are always hiding something.
Do we have an environment where people can confess sin and
be messy?
To be a successful church you MUST have a strong children’s
ministry and strong student’s ministry.
If you are going to have a strong student’s ministry you
have to FUND it!
If you don’t have funds then “you haven’t cast the right
vision to pull the money out of the people who have it”
Growing churches change.
The change in the church reflects the change in the leader.
Proverbs 4: 7 –
whatever the cost!
The church didn’t have a Bible for 350 years – what they had
was each other.
You can’t out give
God.
It takes money to run a church.
Every church has a resource challenge.
If your vision is bigger than your current resources you are
on the right path.
If you think this church is after your money – give it to
another church (I will give you some
names).
You can give without loving but you can’t love without giving.
Too many people
go to the Burger King Church - have it your way right away.
Don't lead
through imitation – Lead through revelation
One of the
biggest mistakes a church (or leader) can make is to begin to care way more
about progress than process.
Too many leaders
(and churches) want to be discovered - not developed.
You make progress
when you make mistakes and deal with them.
You can't pray
away a mistake - you have to deal with it and go back and make the right
decision.
Don't confuse
benevolence with ministry.
To feel better
about yourself go to a watermark and see someone else in a bathing suit.
If you have to
tell someone you are anointed - you aren't.
Nothing is more crippling to a church than
an insecure leader.
We have G-rated
the Bible.
The king wants no
other price for the bride than 100 Philistine foreskins #ministryismessy
You will never
have authority until you learn to operate under authority.
The distressed,
in debt, and discontented gathered around him #firstchurchplant
After the service
the "normal" people go home but "they" find you every
Sunday.
Start loving the
people you have and God will trust you with more people to love.
Process >
Progress
It's all about the bass - no treble...
We never take a
Sunday off - every Sunday is THE most important Sunday.
You know you are
planning well when there is margin to accomplish what you planned.
Pray more than
"I pray this works!"
Often the thing
that makes the difference is hard work.
Creativity doesn't save anyone!
Excellence is
removing anything from the service that distracts us from who Jesus is
Our goal isn't to
be cute, clever, creative or reverent - our goal is to connect people to the
gospel
Pray - Prepare -
Plan - Practice (Perspire)
It's awesome to
be at a conference where the Senior Pastor celebrates SCar getting thumped by
A&M last night - just saying...
God will only ask
you to do what He has – or will – give you the ability to do.
Common language
contributes to a healthy staff.
Listen to Jesus
Embrace C.H.A.N.G.E.
– Care about people. Health. Awe. Numbers never lie. Grit. Everything matters.
Do your kids and
spouse LOVD that you work at a church.
It’s okay not to
be okay – it’s not okay to stay that way.
Do whatever it
takes to accomplish whatever needs to be done.
Our staff should
be in shape, out of debt and one step closer to Jesus.
A win anywhere is a win everywhere.
When we forget
that the Lord is our shepherd religion replaces relationship.
Religion kills
relationship.
We create golden
“calves” because we are always tempted to worship stupid things.
Either the Lord
is your shepherd or you are going through the motions.
When God is our
shepherd it means we will lack nothing.
Stop telling God what you don’t have and
focus on what we do have.
An empty vessel
can’t fill broken people.
Ministry flows
(overflows) out of what God is doing in us
The shepherd
MAKES me lie down in places where I can totally relax.
Don’t let anyone
else define what’s an emergency for you.
We have become addicted to the noise of
social media.
“the rate at
which I am doing the work of God in the world
is destroying the work of God in
me”
You can’t plan Pentecost (but you can prepare).
If you can plan
what God will do over the next three years – that’s a small “g” god – our God
does immeasurably more.
If you make a
good decision when you are tired – it was an accident.
Refreshment =
Refocus
If you are going
to make a mistake – make it in the right direction.
Praise God for
vegans - more meat for me!
You don’t get the
table prepared by God without also getting memories.
We can get so
caught up in the presence of our enemies that we take our eyes off of the table
God has prepared.
I got 99 problems
But you won't be one
Like what!
