Same Frustrations, Challenges and Hopes

One of my favorite pastors is Perry Noble. He's really funny, he's gifted at helping people cross the line of faith and his "filter" doesn't work well, so you really get into his head and heart. I see some of my same frustrations, challenges and hopes reflected in the stuff he writes and talks about. Here are some points he made at a church planter's conference, summarized by Tony Morgan (highlights follow):

  • The leader must champion the vision.
  • God does not give visions to committees. God never gave a vision to a committee in the Bible.
  • "The Internet is a place for cowards to hangout." They hide behind their blogs and their email addresses.
  • The leader cannot please everyone.
  • As leaders, there's a deep desire in us to make everyone happy. You can't please everyone.
  • Just in case you're wondering, "NewSpring will start a Christian school when Hell freezes over."
  • Some people will ask, "When are we going to go deeper." You can go deeper right now. Open your Bible. There's some deep stuff in there. Read it.
  • "If you've never had a sleepless night, you're not really in ministry."
  • "There's a fine line between faith and stupidity."
  • "If you know how to play the G, C and D chord on the guitar, you can play any country song ever written." (That's true.)
  • "Make sure you're having that daily time with God. If you're not getting that fresh word, it's really hard to trust him."
  • Leaders cannot do everything.
  • The bigger your church gets, the less people are going to be able to interact with you.
  • "I used to print my cell phone in the bulletin. That's stupid. Don't do that." You can't solve everyone's problem.
  • Leaders are not that smart.
  • "The worst thing that can happen to us is if we start to believe we're good."
  • Seek wisdom from others. I network with others. I blog. I learn from the other guys on the senior management team.
  • I listen to people who have a heart for God. They have to love the church. They have to love me. They have to do it in that order.
  • Create a leadership environment where people can be very honest with you. Behind closed doors, there has to be passionate debate. Outside the room, there has to be complete unity.