The Biggest Mistakes Leaders Make

This past weekend marked the 25th anniversary of Community Church. I can hardly believe it has been that long since I stood in the parking lot of the Churchland Country Day School nervously wondering if anyone would come. I had no idea what God in mind.

The question I am often asked is, Why do some churches grow while others don’t? Obviously, there can be many reasons, but there are two common mistakes that keep many churches from being all they can be.  I call them the biggest mistakes leaders make.

1. We think too small.

When Community Church started in 1989, I had no idea it would reach thousands of people. The biggest church I’d ever been associated with had less than 200 members. I had no frame of reference for thousands.

So how did we avoid thinking small?

We never defined the potential size of the church by our past experience or by the size of other churches. We defined it by the size of the need God had called us to meet. There were thousands of people around us who needed Jesus, so our goal was in the thousands. Our current senior pastor, Michael Brueseke, is now talking about 25,000 in next decade!

2. We expect results too soon.

It’s exciting to talk about how many people are a part of Community Church these days. The truth is what you see when you attend there is a church that has stayed healthy and stayed on vision for 25 years, reaching 100-150 people per year. There has never been an avalanche of newcomers in a given year. The church has been built on a simple commitment to reach our neighbors with the Gospel–one life at a time–year after year.

If you are really interested in making a difference in your world for Jesus. Don’t ever forget, changing the world  is a marathon not a sprint. Refuse to expect small, quick results. Pray and plan for big results over the long haul. Watch God do more than you dare to dream or think or ask!

 

Small Groups: Bridge to the Unchurched

I’ve noticed that our church’s celebration services typically sees two types of first time guests.

One type of guest is the one who walks about three steps into our atrium and stops dead in his tracks. He stands there looking at everything going on around him. He isn’t just taking it all in; he is debating whether or not to run away! You can almost read his thoughts as he stands there. “What have I gotten myself into? Will I find anyone in this crowd that I know? If not, will I meet anyone that I like? Is there anyone here like me?” Assuming he makes it into the sanctuary, any differences in the worship style from his past leave him feeling unsure of what’s going on. Nobody likes that feeling.

The other type of guest is the one who got invited to one of our community groups first. After several weeks of making friends in a small group setting, he decides to accept the group’s no-pressure invitation to attend a worship service with them. As he enters the atrium, he is surrounded by people he knows and trusts.  They have prepared him for what he is going to see. He has been assured that he won’t be put on the spot by anyone nor pressured to speak publically, give money or do anything he doesn’t want to do. He walks in like he owns the place.  He thoroughly enjoys the experience and can’t stop talking about what he heard and saw while they have lunch together afterward.

The next time the first type of guest gets invited to church by a neighbor or co-worker he replies, “Thanks, but I’ve been to church. That ain’t for me.” The next time the second type of guest is invited he says, “Sure! I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen this weekend!”

Does your church have small groups? Are they inviting unchurched people to their gatherings? If they are–once trust is formed–are they bringing those folks to your worship services? Small groups and worship services, working in concert, are a powerful partnership for the transformation of lives in Christ.

The early church understood that partnership. Acts 2 tells us they met in large public gatherings and smaller groups in homes. They became a movement that changed the world!

 

The Broken Window Theory

Two years ago Chesapeake Chief of Police, Kelvin Wright, told me about the Broken Window Theory. It goes like this, “Anytime you want to reduce crime in a neighborhood one of the first and most effective things you can do is to fix the broken windows.” I have huge respect for Chief Wright but, I’ve got to tell you that seemed absurd to me. Surely there was more to it than that!

I was talking with Chief Wright because we at Western Branch Community Church had set our hearts on reaching a high crime, struggling neighborhood in our area for Christ. Huge dream right? Sure! In fact, Chief Wright is a Christ-follower, but he even said, “I’d love to see you pull that one off!”

We started by fixing broken windows. We did good deeds in order to establish good will which opened the door for us to share the Good News. Two years later crime is down, residents are joining the civic league and PTA and most importantly, people are beginning to have faith in Jesus and His church again! The neighborhood is changing and it all started with fixing a few broken windows.

You understand why the Broken Window Theory works don’t you? It works because even the biggest dreams only require small starts. Big goals don’t require big starts. They simply require that you start! Pastor Steve Furtick says, “A big dream without a small start is nothing more than a daydream.”

Now, I’m wondering about my life…and yours. In what areas are we stuck in mediocrity because we keep thinking that big changes require big, audacious, miraculous starts. We live with broken relationships; even though the journey to a vibrant one starts with a small conversation. We’re convinced we’ll never lead our children to Christ; even though a simple prayer is often the beginning of faith for them.  The dream of making a difference for Christ is something that people with big talents and big dollars does, right? Wrong! Even the biggest dream starts with a simple “yes” to God’s call.

So, how many broken windows do you have in your life?  What is God calling you to do about them? Whatever they, it’s time to start? Start small, but start! Watch big dreams grow.

A Five Year Old Taught Me About Life

Life is simple in the Philippine rain forest.  Most people live in bamboo walled, thatched roof huts. There’s no electricity or clocks or cars. Life is simple. That’s where I learned a life-lesson from a five year old.

Children in those villages don’t see many Americans.  When they do, they squeal with delight, “Americano!” “Americano!” My reply, taking their delight to the next level,  would always be, “Filipinos!” “Filipinos!”

On one of my church planting trips to the region many years ago, I heard “Americano!” This time, it was lone little boy. I decided it would be fun to turn the tables on him so I said in his dialect, “No. I’m not an American. I am a Filipino. You are an American!“ He was confused at first. It didn’t take him long to rebound. “No,” he corrected, “I’m a Filipino. You are an Americano!

We went back and forth several times until this five year old genius stopped, thought for a moment, pointed to us both and said, “Ipugao.” This single, simple word, stopped me dead in my tracks;ipugao means person.

I grew up in the richest nation on Earth. He grew up in a remote corner of one of the poorest. I traveled thousands of miles by plane, bus and four wheel drive truck to get there. He had never even seen an airplane or traveled more than a mile from home. I’m Caucasian. He was Malay.  In that moment none of that mattered.  We were both simply people. People who’s lives crossed paths for only a few moments in time. People for whom Jesus gave His life.

Since that day, when I find myself with someone from a different background or who has a different value system than me; I remember that little boy. Whatever is different about us, at the end of the day, we are simply people who need Jesus.

I haven’t led everyone I’ve ever met to Jesus; not by a long shot. But by beginning from common ground I know my chances of helping them meet Him are dramatically better.  I also know, I’m the richer when I treat everyone I meet, simply as ipugao. After all, that’s what Jesus does.