David Crosby Jr. (via Mowser)

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Church Planting Landmines - Pt. 2

Landmine #3 - Leadership Backlash
As a leader, everyone is not going to agree with you - even other leaders on your team. Some common battlegrounds include: philosophy of ministry, vision, finances, worship style, preaching and the list goes on.

I'm fortunate to have a great leadership team that finds solutions for each potential conflict.That doesn't mean we haven't struggled through some tough issues and long meetings.

This chapter encouraged me to begin laying out some of the major changes that our church will be facing as we move into our new building. I want to be as proactive as possible and lead our church through change with as minimal backlash as possible.

Landmine #3 - Personal Evangelism Entropy
Entropy is the natural and irreversible tendency to turn inward which leads to chaos and disorder. For the church planter, they begin white hot with the desire to reach out to the lost. But overtime, the tendency is to turn their focus inward and cater to those already converted.

While there are seasons for evangelistic growth and outreach - there are also times to focus on discipleship and stability.

My desire to continue to keep PCCs outward focus will come through:

fall sermon series on reaching out to the lost creating opportunities for continued relationship evangelism (going to Rotary meetings, building friendships with leaders in our community that don't know Jesus, etc.) rewarding those in the church that are winning the lost

Monday, July 21, 2008

Church Planting Landmines

This week one of the books I'm reading is "Church Planting Landmines: Mistakes to Avoid in Years 2 through 10." It's a great read from some road-tested church planters. I'll share some personal reflections on each of the 10 landmines outlined in the book this week and what I'm doing to safely lead PCC through the ministry minefield.

Landmine #1: Ignoring Personal Health and Growth
You've got to begin with the end in mind. Many church planters start so well and end so poorly because they ignore the signs of ministry fatigue and consequently open their lives to the attack of the enemy. This occurs easily when we fail to stay in physical shape, or through inconsistent devotional times with the Lord or even abusing their spiritual authority and becoming filled with pride.

I've committed to protecting myself from this landmine by:

Guarding my time with God in consistent daily prayer and devotions Guarding my day off with my family / need to be refreshed Asking others to pray and fast and intercede for me Asking one trusted friend to hold me accountable Eating right and getting in shape (I lost 7 pounds in the past 2 weeks)

Landmine #2: Lack of Leadership Development
I've been reading this other book, "What got you here won't get you there." Church planters must create a culture of leadership development and always encourage those on the team to grow and mature in their faith and leadership.

I've done a decent job at this personally, but not corporately. This chapter has really encouraged me to rethink and retool our leadership culture here at PCC. I've got to do a better job at raising up others and releasing them into the ministry. In fact, I plan on revealing the direction God is leading me in this area this fall for our entire church staff. It would be a little premature to share it now. But this chapter is a must read for any church planter.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Day Trip

Today is my day off. I didn't get everything accomplished this week that I had set out to do. But I'm not too worried about it. I'm still going to spend the day with my family. We are headed out to a nearby state park where they have a great beach and BBQ pits. We'll have tons of fun. Hope you stay cool in this 95+ degree weather. Gotta run. The family is waiting.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Staying Sharp

This is my Braun razor. I love it. I used to be a Remington man - but I've converted to the light. Nothing like a close shave in only minutes time. My dad bought me my first Braun for Christmas a couple years ago. Lately, it's been taking me longer and longer to shave and then I realized that the blades on this thing must be dull.

Yesterday I got a new set of replacement blades and micro screen. My Braun is back! It's cutting like a hot knife through butter. It literally takes half the time to shave with the new blades.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "If I had only 8 hours to cut down a tree, I'd spend the first 6 sharpening my axe." I think about all the things I have to do on a daily basis and ask myself, "What am I doing to sharpen my skills as a leader, pastor, church planter, husband, counselor, etc." Everyone wants to get more done in less time. The key is to in preparation.

Here are some of the things I'm doing to stay sharp:

Spend more time in God's Word / prayer Read, read, read Commit to a coaching relationship Prioritize my schedule - get more done by doing less Relax

What are you doing to invest in you?

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

All Star Witness

Josh Hamilton put on a show at the home run derby the other night in Yankee Stadium hitting an all-time record 28 home runs in the first round. It was a spectacular demonstration of hitting. The best of any MLB All-star ever!

Josh plays major league baseball for the Texas Rangers. I first heard about Josh when I saw his picture on the front of June 2 Sports Illustrated edition and read the cover story by Albert Chen called "The Supernatural."

Josh was the overall first round draft pick for MLB in 1999. He was picked up by Tampa Bay and earned a 4 million dollar signing bonus. Before he ever played in his first major league game, injuries and drug addiction derailed his career. He lost everything because of some seriously bad decisions. Josh was out of the game for years before returning this season.

His comeback story is nothing short of miraculous. After surrendering his life to Jesus Christ, Josh witnessed God restore his faith and career. Josh now leads the major leagues in RBIs and more importantly, uses his position of influence to tell others how God restored his life. Like the other night when interviewed on national tv after the home run derby, Josh said before millions of people, that he thanked his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for saving his life.

To me, that's an all-start witness. It makes me want to take a stand in my life everyday to tell others about what Jesus has done in my life. Who will you tell today?

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

New Beginnings Daycare

From the very beginning, PCC has looked for strategic ways to make the Poconos a better place to live and raise a family. We've purposed to impact our growing community with the tangible love of Christ.

With over 25,000 commuters from our community that travel to New York City and New Jersey everyday, quality daycare has become a huge need in our area.

I'm excited to announce that PCC will be opening a full service day care and before/after school program in January of 09 with the the opening of our new building.

New Beginnings Day Care will provide professional care and a Christian education for infants through pre-K and will be open from 6am until 6pm Monday through Friday.

For more information, check out the website by clicking here. Enrollment is now open! We are expecting the day care to fill up quickly so enroll today.

We are in the process of hiring teachers, as well. If you are interested in a teaching position, click here for more information.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Week At A Glance

This week is shaping up to be full of ministry activity. Here's a brief look at some of the events I am am looking at:

1. Monday

Staff Meeting/Prayer - the staff meets every Monday for prayer and logistical planning. With my Executive Pastor out of town this week, I'll be leading both meetings. I love our staff at PCC and enjoy our times of prayer and planning.

Monday is also a day for follow up. We had lots of first-time guests yesterday and I will be working on follow up contacts today. A number of people have recently given their heart to Christ and we are working to connect them to our Fresh Start class.

I'm also getting together with the Creative Team to plan out the worship elements for Sunday's service, as well as meeting with the Elder Team Monday night for our monthly gathering.

2. Tuesday

Fall Sermon Research - I'll be spending a good deal of my time Tuesday working on my message series for this Fall. I'm reading a book, "The Church of Irresistible Influence" in preparation for for a vision message series in October that I'm thinking about calling, "Simply Irresistible." I'm also working on a staff retreat talk in August.

3. Wednesday

Weekend Sermon Prep - I'm preaching this weekend on the Fruit of the Spirit - Peace. I'm loving the Juicy Fruit series we are in right now. Getting lots of great feedback.

4. Thursday

Wrap up the message notes and get them to the office for print with the rest of the weekend programs, etc. Also have lots of meetings and appointments throughout the day. Thursday is a good day to just meet with people and get lots of administrative work done.

5. Friday

This is my day off! I'll be spending time with my family and maybe get in a round of golf.

6. Saturday

I spend Saturday morning with my family and then spend a four to six hours going over my message for Sunday and just seeking the Lord in prayer in preparation.

David Crosby Jr.