Launch Lessons
We are at a Pastor’s Conference today in Renton, Washington. Mark is speaking at a workshop this morning on launching churches. We put together a bullet list of some of the things we’ve learned along the way. Thought I would share with you!
Launching Lessons…some learned by doing it right and some learned the other way…
1. Stay true to your vision with conviction and courage.
It is easy for leaders to get sidetracked form their original vision when they don’t see immediate results. No strategy is perfect; so you have to stick with your strategy! We’ve stuck with our strategy as much as we possibly could and we keep getting better at what God has called us to do. We don’t change our direction based on the latest great idea, trend, or complaint. That being said, we constantly evaluate what isn’t working and make course corrections along the way.
2. Be ridiculously optimistic in the face of every challenge.
There have been many discouraging bumps along the road, but you must remain fiercely optimistic to your team and congregation. Leading out of frustration or discouragement will not get the job done. If you want to say something pessimistic, do the exact opposite and watch your church turn around.
3. Get as many people as you can invested in leadership.
We’ve always had a great team at North Creek Church. In fact, most of our launch team is not only still with us, but they are all in key leadership positions. We also have a very broad base of leadership and have a large weekly staff meeting on Sunday nights so that people with full time jobs can be a part. Getting a paycheck is not a prerequisite for sitting at the table. When we recently added a second campus, we had an entire second staff sitting at the table that shifted into new positions literally overnight.
4. Put down your insecurities and pick up your authority.
We have people on our team who are more talented in various areas than us, so we let them lead to their strengths. As lead pastors, we don’t have to be the best at anything. What we do have to carry is the mantle of authority that God has placed on our shoulders. We may not be the most talented, but we are in charge. We need to protect the vision, deal with problems, and manage quality leaders with boldness.
5. Never get comfortable.
People in our community don’t know Jesus. That means that every decision we make as leaders needs to come in alignment with benefiting the mission of God. Nothing else matters.