Why I love the Church
I can't talk about the Church and not get excited. I love the Church. I love everything the Church was meant to be...notice I said meant to be. There are a lot of things that churches have become that aren't necessarily what the church was meant to be.
I believe that the Church is the hope of the world. It is the one institution that was God designed and created. It is the Church that carries hope to a dying world...because the church carries with it the message of Jesus.
There are also a lot of practical things about the church that grow my love and excitement for the church. Here are 10 of the things that excite me the most about the church.
- People coming to Jesus
- Kids that love being at church
- Generous Givers
- First time guests
- People that bring first time guests
- People that live with a servant heart
- Baptisms
- Life transformation stories
- Watching young leaders getting excited about the church
- Churches starting other churches
Honestly, my list could go on and on. What are some of the things that excite you about the Church?
6 Leadership Tips for Church Planters
1. Think marathon not sprint – When church planting you will have some great days but you will have some "not so great" days. There will people that criticize your vision and the implementation of that vision. What will always help you keep moving forward is remind yourself that this is a long term goal...there is a bigger vision that you are about! Train to run the marathon...anyone can sprint.
2. Fight the battles that matter – The key is to remember the over all vision. Anything that distracts, impedes, or destroys the vision God has given you for that church and for you community is worth the fight. Remind yourself of the end goal- Go for that and don’t be distracted by the things that won’t matter in eternity.
3. Don’t try to duplicate the success of others – I see a lot of new church planters stress out about their overall progress of the church and ministry. It is good to be aware of progress but don't define your progress based on what you see other's doing. Trying to duplicate someone else's success just leads to unwarranted stress and disappointment. Remain faithful to what God has called you to do and He will take care of the rest.
4. Be yourself – Live authentically. People will trust you more if you are who you claim to be…always. Don’t try to make yourself bigger than you are. People can easily spot the gap between the portrayed you and the real you.
5. Run with runners, Lead with leaders – The more you surround yourself with people capable of leading others, the greater the impact your leadership. Besides, just like runners enjoy running with other runners, leaders enjoy spending time with other leaders. This will help keep your cup full.
6. Your downtime cannot be neglected – Discipline yourself to build sufficient rest and family time into your schedule.
5 Marketing Ideas for Church Plants that are Cheap
When you are church planting money is a helpful tool and also a place of great pain. Here are 5 ideas to get the word out about your church without breaking the bank.
1. Go where the people are
Where do the people you are trying to reach live, relax, and connect with others? To reach people you have to be about people. Looks for ways to create conversation at the local coffee shop, parks, etc. Consider walking door to door to the small businesses in the neighborhood with the purpose of connecting with the management team or business owner. Introduce yourself and ask if there is something you pray for when it comes to their business. Write it down and visit them a month later to see how things are going.
2. Create a WOW moment
Consider the success of viral videos. Can you capture the same energy and excitement in an experience? Sure you can. Instead of looking for ways to get people talking; find something to get people talking about. Remember, people talk about something because they want to...not necessarily because you asked them to.
3. Hand write invitations and thank you notes
That little extra personal touch can make a huge difference when it comes to connecting with someone. Don't be afraid of writer's cramp and make something happen.
4. Saturate the area with your name
The goal is simply to have as many people in the area know who you are. Here are some ways we did it in the early days of Harvest.
1. Go where the people are
Where do the people you are trying to reach live, relax, and connect with others? To reach people you have to be about people. Looks for ways to create conversation at the local coffee shop, parks, etc. Consider walking door to door to the small businesses in the neighborhood with the purpose of connecting with the management team or business owner. Introduce yourself and ask if there is something you pray for when it comes to their business. Write it down and visit them a month later to see how things are going.
2. Create a WOW moment
Consider the success of viral videos. Can you capture the same energy and excitement in an experience? Sure you can. Instead of looking for ways to get people talking; find something to get people talking about. Remember, people talk about something because they want to...not necessarily because you asked them to.
3. Hand write invitations and thank you notes
That little extra personal touch can make a huge difference when it comes to connecting with someone. Don't be afraid of writer's cramp and make something happen.
4. Saturate the area with your name
The goal is simply to have as many people in the area know who you are. Here are some ways we did it in the early days of Harvest.
- T-Shirts with the Harvest Name plastered on the front (Note: the more comfortable the shirt the more likely people will enjoy wearing it)
- Car decals
- Summer day in Phoenix - we gave away free popsicles under a sign that read Harvest Community Church.
- Make a nice wooden sandwich signs...place them on every corner in a 4-5 mile radius around your church. We painted ours, neon orange. Everyone in our community saw those signs.
- Don't be afraid of being creative
5. Don't do anything
This speaks for itself!