Next Steps

Jason (lead pastor of Life Church in Rome, GA) and I had another great meeting today. We put an action plan in order. I'm going to start the process of gathering my launch team. Were simply going to start a life group so that we can begin to build stronger relationships, and so I can pour vision into them. I've had lots of verbal commitments, now it's time to see where the rubber meets the road. I'm looking for my committed core...I'm praying God gives me an awesome team!

Holding Pattern

Being a Type "A" or "Choleric" it's not in my nature to slow down...ever. I've always been the guy who dares you to tell me I can't, or the one who will put in twice the work you do to meet the goal. My 5 greatest strengths according to Tom Rath's Strengths Finder 2.0 are: Maximizer, Activator, Futuristic, Input, and Self Assurance. Basically they mean I'm gifted get the maximum results from a person or team, put thoughts into action, catching a vision and selling it, crave more information with the intent to archive it for practical use, and completely believe in myself. As you can guess I don't do well without a plan, I don't like entering into things without proper research, I can't stand slow moving organizations or people, and I'm not one to hang around if the vision is weak. I often identify with 2 Timothy chapter 2. Timothy is was after all a young preacher, and Paul titles the chapter "A Good Solider of Jesus Christ" which I like the thought of a minister acting like a solider. I'm a charge Hell with a water pistol type, and right now God has got me in a Abrahamic position of Faith. Abraham was given a directive: "Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you." Gen 12:1. That's it. God told him to go, and that He would provide that location at an undisclosed time. I don't do well with stuff like that. Which is probably why God isn't revealing every step of this church plant clearly to me. I'm in this place where God has told me to plant, but isn't ready to give me all (or even most) of the details. Typically God has to tell us things that are contrary to our nature. The Lord is giving my patience by building it into me. He's teaching me to move in His time. I'm good at doing things and simply asking God to bless it. I'm interested in doing God things and in turn being blessed.

Which is why Life Church in Rome getting involved is a big deal. They've walked through some trials that I might not have to. I'm excited about our partnership in this church plant. I don't know what every step is going to look like, but I'm willing and ready to take it on. I'm meeting again with lead pastor Jason tomorrow, and were going to talk about some of the next steps. My prayer is we will accurately discern one another in this process so that God gets the glory, and His church can be built.

On a tangible level. I spoke with startchurch.com today and they are ready and willing to make changes needed to assist our partnership with Life Church, and we are well on our way in our process to become legal. Our next step is fleshing out what this combination of vision will look like so that we can get to work on planting this church.

Building momentum

This was a week of ups and downs. (more ups than downs) I had 3 meetings this week. The first one was very discouraging. I went to meet from someone who's been a spiritual advisor to me in the past. My intent was to find a strategic partner, and instead I received some unsolicited advise on why I shouldn't plant a church. What was worse was I spoke with another person who wanted to assure me that my spiritual advisor was correct. By the end of our conversation I felt like I just had a professional debate. This was discouraging to say the least. Not that I all the sudden was going to forfeit God's call for a couple of opinions, but coming from guys I know and trust I effected my mood more than I anticipated.

Later that week I went to meet with my pastor, and former boss. I think it was the most encouraging conversation we've ever had. He shared his heart on ministry in general. He told me about when he quit a job paying $50,000 in the early 80's to serve in full-time ministry. I shared my vision, and he was excited to hear it. He told me things I already knew, but in that moment I really needed to hear. He told me if God's called you to do something don't ever worry about the people who think you're crazy. He said people are always going to doubt you in ministry, and you can't let that effect the call. He told me he would help as much as possible. Just to have his support morally was refreshing, but to have some financial help, and some assistance with with the legal side of establishing the church is key.

Today I met with one of my key leaders. We sat at Starbucks for close to 3 hours talking vision, mission, and strategy. It was awesome. It pumped me up talking to someone else who "gets it". Even though I'm only on step 3 of about a 700 item list I actually feel like a church planter. The call to plant a church reminds me of my call to ministry. I knew what I was suppose to do long before I actually admitted it. Responding to this call is about as scary as surrendering to full-time Christian ministry. The reality is setting in. Today was another one of those day's where I said to myself this is really going to happen. I'm so excited to see what God is going to do in the next year of my life. It really feels like were starting to build momentum.