One of the toughest and most rewarding things I have ever done is leading a group of young adults in planting Fellowship Church. We still don't know what we are doing but the mistakes we have made and the ride we have had the last two years has lately been wonderful. We have seen our church steadily grow this year from the low 30's in March to over 100 in October this year. That's amamzing growth in just 8 months. So right now, we are figuring things out and enjoying our journey.
Yet, this has not always been the case. There have been many more times in our journey where I have come home and just wanted to fold up shop and quit. I said things like, "This is not going to work" and "why would anyone want to come to this church...I wouldn't come back next week!" When it all came to a crashing hault was when I began to do two things.
First, I began the painful process of learning to pray.
I can't remember when I got saved. Don't remember the place where I chose to make Him my Lord and Savior. But I can take you to the place that I died to my pride. It was in March of 2011 in the corner of the auditorium of The Crown Center, our parent church. This is the place where I came face to face with the realization that there was way too much of me wrapped up in this church plant thing and I was actually the cancer that was keeping the church from growth.
I believe far too many of us as church leaders have our self-esteem tied to the size of our churches. It is liberating to truly come to understand that He didn't create us to "do" anything except be in relationship with Him. To know that it is He who not only calls and equips but it is He who will build the church if we let him build us first.
Since then, I have developed a very steady and consistent prayer life and now live by the simple principle of "pray and obey everyday."
If you are a church leader and are feeling the weight of building a church, struggling with feelings of failure or seriously concidering quiting, before you do anything I would encourage you to honestly pray and deal with any areas of pride that reside inside. You are more than just a church planter. You are more than just a minister. You are a child of God whose value to the Father goes way beyond your value to your organization and if your organization gives you more value than your relationship with God, then you really need to deal with the fact that the Church may have the key place in your heart instead of the Father.
Second, I opened my life to a coach.
One of the greatest experiences of my life has been the relationships that I have built through our connection to Next Level Church in Fort Myers, Florida. Their pastors, Matt & Sara Keller and their associate pastors, Mike Ash and Scott Drummond, have played a major role in our developement as leaders.
In planting a church or growing an organization you will go through a phase where you have to define the voices that you give influence into your life. There was a time when I had too many voices speaking...too many ideas...too many opinions. Finally, I settled on Next Level Coaching with Matt Keller and we have never looked back.
I know what it's like to feel frustrated, scared and alone as a church leader. I understand how easy it is to put on the ministry mask and fake it while inside the dream is crumbling before your eyes. It was one of the darkest moments of my life.
Then, out of no where, Matt Keller called. He was concerned and just wanted to check up on me. Well, the flood gates opened and I poured out my pain and worry. My marriage was not failing but it wasn't progressing either. The church was sliding in the wrong direction. Marriages close to us were in trouble and some were breaking at that very moment.
In a way only Matt can communicate, he reminded me of some thing he had shared previously with me in regards to planting a church. He suggested I go back and begin putting some systems in place. More than anything he shared his belief in me, my wife, our calling and our vision. By the end of the phone call, I was pumped and ready to tackle it again.
Coaching, at least from Next Level Coaching, is more than just information. The information is second to none because it is born out of a church that has gone from the tens to the thousands in under 10 years so they know what they are talking about. As great as that is, it's the relationships that you can form with them and other pastors through the virtual coaching network that give you a support group when the hard times hit.
I can truly say that Next Level Coaching has played a major role in our recent upswing and will continue to have an influential part in our developement moving forward.
If you are a struggling pastor or church planter, let me strongly encourage you to consider allowing Matt Keller and Next Level Coaching into your life. It's life changing and liberating to know for sure that you are not alone in this ministry thing.
The challenge of reaping the harvest is too big for us to take this stuff lightly. Lives are on the line. Yours and mine included. Don't try to do this without prayer and coaching. To do so will only lead to frustration and burnout.
For more information on Next Level Coaching, check out their site at www.mynextlevel.me. This is a life changing opportunity for those who are willing to take it.
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