I just got back from a multi-site roundtable that I put together for a few Lead Pastors. It was an amazing time for many reasons. First, I got to hang out with some incredible Pastors for a day and a half that are doing some great things to reach people for Christ. A few I already knew, but a few I met for the first time. I have mentioned before that among lead Pastors there is an immediate camaraderie. These are guys who have been in the trenches, so you just kind of "get"each other. Here is a list of the guys that participated:
Roger Blackmore Grace Church Long island New York
Bryan Mills Meadow Heights Church Fredericktown, Missouri (Brian Pastor's a church of 700 in a town of less than 4,000 people!)
Tony McCollum Fusion Church Hamilton Mill, Ga.
Jim Carpenter Compass Church Athens, Ga.
Gary Lamb Revolution Church Canton, Ga.
Eddie Cox Marathon Church Powdersville, SC
We talked about how to mobilize to reach more people through the use of a multi-site strategy. We got a chance to laugh (a lot). I would share some of the things we laughed about, but it's top secret so then I would have to kill you! It's amazing what you learn about people when you spend some time with them.
A third thing that I enjoyed was the tremendous hospitality we enjoyed from the Wayko family for opening up their beautiful lake house to us and then treating us like royalty.
There is no doubt that going multi-site creates an unbelievable opportunity to reach so many more people. I am so pumped about our future!!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Happy birthday Cole
It's hard to believe, but my youngest child, Cole is 15 years old today!
Time really does fly. He is an incredible young man.
He truly is an answer to prayer, because before we had him, my wife and I were praying and asking God if we should try to have more children (we already had two at the time). God revealed some incredible passages of scripture to me as a away of confirming that we should keep trying to have another child. The result was Liz got pregnant, and 9 months later Cole arrived.
Cole, no matter where life leads you, remember keep Jesus first! I am proud of you son.
Time really does fly. He is an incredible young man.
He truly is an answer to prayer, because before we had him, my wife and I were praying and asking God if we should try to have more children (we already had two at the time). God revealed some incredible passages of scripture to me as a away of confirming that we should keep trying to have another child. The result was Liz got pregnant, and 9 months later Cole arrived.
Cole, no matter where life leads you, remember keep Jesus first! I am proud of you son.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
I need to be more sensitive
Yesterday I posted this video from the Miss Teen USA contest. Miss South Carolina, well, let's just say she struggled a wee bit trying to answer her question...such as.
I showed my wife the video. She didn't think it was very funny. She said, "Oh, I feel so sorry for that poor girl". I was like, yeah, ok, but isn't that hilarious? She just didn't find the humor in it.
I guess I am just a little bit insensitive, because I find that kind of stuff to be very funny. Maybe it's a guy thing.
For all of you that have a wierd sense of humor like me, here's another one that makes me laugh.
I showed my wife the video. She didn't think it was very funny. She said, "Oh, I feel so sorry for that poor girl". I was like, yeah, ok, but isn't that hilarious? She just didn't find the humor in it.
I guess I am just a little bit insensitive, because I find that kind of stuff to be very funny. Maybe it's a guy thing.
For all of you that have a wierd sense of humor like me, here's another one that makes me laugh.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Kicked off Mi-Tech series
Yesterday's services were absolutely amazing!
Attendance was over 1,500 and everything was really tight from a service flow standpoint. Our creative and tech teams hit a homerun, and the stage set was awesome. Eric Peters and the worship team were on the money,
The topic was worship, and we experienced worship big-time. Now comes the real test of worship--Monday morning, because worship is not just something we do for an hour on Sunday. It's what we do with the other 167 hours of our week. Keep God in the #1 position of your life, and fight the urge to replace him from that spot with anything else.
Whatever we do, let's do it with our whole hearts, as if we are doing it for the Lord and not for another person----that's Worship!
Attendance was over 1,500 and everything was really tight from a service flow standpoint. Our creative and tech teams hit a homerun, and the stage set was awesome. Eric Peters and the worship team were on the money,
The topic was worship, and we experienced worship big-time. Now comes the real test of worship--Monday morning, because worship is not just something we do for an hour on Sunday. It's what we do with the other 167 hours of our week. Keep God in the #1 position of your life, and fight the urge to replace him from that spot with anything else.
Whatever we do, let's do it with our whole hearts, as if we are doing it for the Lord and not for another person----that's Worship!
Thursday, August 23, 2007
As promised
In case you haven't driven by the church this week, you have missed the first of the steel building going up. So here is what it looks like so far!
(What you are seeing is the front of the new lobby)
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Multi-site roundtable
I am getting very excited about a multi-site roundtable discussion group that I am hosting next week. Myself and 6 other Lead Pastors from 4 different states will be getting together to discuss all of the ins and outs of going multi-site.
As I look ahead to the future of Foothills Community Church it seems very evident that adding new sites to begin new churches is the most strategic way of continually growing. Foothills has averaged around 35% growth per year for 9 years, which is amazing! As you know, we are constructing a larger facility to help accomodate continued growth. But the reality is even if we are able to reach 5,000 people on this campus, that still leaves alot of people who we are not reaching.
I mentioned in my message Sunday that in addition to people in South Carolina, we have people from North Carolina and Georgia that come to Foothills every weekend. There is no way that these people will be able to invite their neighbors. It's just too far to travel. But with the multi-site strategy, we can take Foothills to them!
Basically what we would be able to do is open new locations once we develop a core group of people in a new area. We would find a location to meet (a school, or movie theater), hire a campus Pastor, send some of our people to help and try to impact the area. (OK, it's a little more complicated than that, but you get the picture)
Over the next couple of months I will be trying to arrange meetings with churches who are currently successfully using this strategy to see what steps we need to be taking. I will give you updates as we progress.
I am so pumped about our future!!
As I look ahead to the future of Foothills Community Church it seems very evident that adding new sites to begin new churches is the most strategic way of continually growing. Foothills has averaged around 35% growth per year for 9 years, which is amazing! As you know, we are constructing a larger facility to help accomodate continued growth. But the reality is even if we are able to reach 5,000 people on this campus, that still leaves alot of people who we are not reaching.
I mentioned in my message Sunday that in addition to people in South Carolina, we have people from North Carolina and Georgia that come to Foothills every weekend. There is no way that these people will be able to invite their neighbors. It's just too far to travel. But with the multi-site strategy, we can take Foothills to them!
Basically what we would be able to do is open new locations once we develop a core group of people in a new area. We would find a location to meet (a school, or movie theater), hire a campus Pastor, send some of our people to help and try to impact the area. (OK, it's a little more complicated than that, but you get the picture)
Over the next couple of months I will be trying to arrange meetings with churches who are currently successfully using this strategy to see what steps we need to be taking. I will give you updates as we progress.
I am so pumped about our future!!
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Get ready for Sunday!
This Sunday is going to be amazing at Foothills Community Church. There has been a lot of time and effort to create an incredible back to school message series called Mi-Tech. We'll take a close look at a look at some high- tech products that captivate our attention these days. This week I'll be talking about the iPhone. You may be wondering what an iPhone has to do with your spiritual life. Come this week and you'll find out!
Also, one more reminder. If it is possible, consider coming to either the 8:30am or 6:00pm service to free up seats for guests at 9:45am and 11:15am. School starts back this week, so it's going to be a little crowded.
We are experiencing some amazing things at Foothills. Don't forget to invite your friends.
Oh yeah, tonight is the first of two Grouplink's, hope you plan on being there to get connected to a Life group.
Also, one more reminder. If it is possible, consider coming to either the 8:30am or 6:00pm service to free up seats for guests at 9:45am and 11:15am. School starts back this week, so it's going to be a little crowded.
We are experiencing some amazing things at Foothills. Don't forget to invite your friends.
Oh yeah, tonight is the first of two Grouplink's, hope you plan on being there to get connected to a Life group.
Monday, August 20, 2007
video
Yesterday was incredible! We had huge numbers of people, and a great response to signing up for our Grouplink on Tuesday evening.
During the message I talked about how important it is for everyone to get connected to a Life Group. I shared this passage from Ecclesiastes which talks about how we are stronger in a team. I shared a story about a video I saw on Youtube with a baby Cape buffalo who is attacked by lions and a crocodile, but survives because the other buffaloes were there for him in his time of need.
Here is the link to the video
The bottom line is that we need each other. Do yourself a favor, Get Connected.
During the message I talked about how important it is for everyone to get connected to a Life Group. I shared this passage from Ecclesiastes which talks about how we are stronger in a team. I shared a story about a video I saw on Youtube with a baby Cape buffalo who is attacked by lions and a crocodile, but survives because the other buffaloes were there for him in his time of need.
Here is the link to the video
The bottom line is that we need each other. Do yourself a favor, Get Connected.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Lesson learned
Yesterday we loaded up the family and headed out to a long awaited fun day-trip excursion. Our destination was Fontana Village North Carolina. We love this place. There is lots of family friendly stuff to do. Mini-golf, hiking, softball games, scavenger hunts for the kids, tennis, shufflebard, volleyball; but the thing that we were really looking forward to (with the record heatwave) was the waterslide and swimming pool.
We have gone to Fontana Village every summer (except maybe one) for the last 20 years. It had become a family tradition. The one thing we had noticed over the last several years is that the resort was showing some serious signs of age. It was sold to a new company a couple of years back, but they weren't maintaining things properly. Rather than repair things they would close them. First it was a cafeteria, then another restaurant, then the basketball courts. Year after year there were less and less people.
So yesterday we drove up to spend the day. We drove the 2 1/2 hour trip, looking forward to spending time by the pool and waterslide. When we arrived, we couldn't believe our eyes. The pool had been drained and the waterslide was shut down!
The place was like a ghost town. There were literally no cars in the parking lot but ours. This once thriving growing happy family destination had all but closed up. How sad.
We bought an ice cream and loaded back up and turned around and came back.
I thought about how this same thing happens many times in churches all across this country.
Many, at one time were growing, happening, relevant places that people looked forward to coming to, but over the years they didn't make adjustments. They hadn't made the necessary updates. The parking lots that were once full are now empty. The lobbies that were once filled with the sound of excited people, are now silent. They used to be a shining lighthouse in the community. Now they are barely a flashlight. How sad.
It doesn't have to be this way. God has called The Church to be hope of the world. Churches must be willing to make updates when it comes to the methods we use to reach people, while holding firmly to the message that we have been mandated to deliver.
From a physical appearance standpoint, facilites must be constantly cleaned, maintained and updated.
If churches are not willing to make the changes they will die a slow agonizing, pathetic death.
We have gone to Fontana Village every summer (except maybe one) for the last 20 years. It had become a family tradition. The one thing we had noticed over the last several years is that the resort was showing some serious signs of age. It was sold to a new company a couple of years back, but they weren't maintaining things properly. Rather than repair things they would close them. First it was a cafeteria, then another restaurant, then the basketball courts. Year after year there were less and less people.
So yesterday we drove up to spend the day. We drove the 2 1/2 hour trip, looking forward to spending time by the pool and waterslide. When we arrived, we couldn't believe our eyes. The pool had been drained and the waterslide was shut down!
The place was like a ghost town. There were literally no cars in the parking lot but ours. This once thriving growing happy family destination had all but closed up. How sad.
We bought an ice cream and loaded back up and turned around and came back.
I thought about how this same thing happens many times in churches all across this country.
Many, at one time were growing, happening, relevant places that people looked forward to coming to, but over the years they didn't make adjustments. They hadn't made the necessary updates. The parking lots that were once full are now empty. The lobbies that were once filled with the sound of excited people, are now silent. They used to be a shining lighthouse in the community. Now they are barely a flashlight. How sad.
It doesn't have to be this way. God has called The Church to be hope of the world. Churches must be willing to make updates when it comes to the methods we use to reach people, while holding firmly to the message that we have been mandated to deliver.
From a physical appearance standpoint, facilites must be constantly cleaned, maintained and updated.
If churches are not willing to make the changes they will die a slow agonizing, pathetic death.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Building activity
It looks like there is some progress on our new building. Yesterday they moved the steel from the pile it has been sitting in to inside the footprint of the building. It is basically laying on the ground next to where it will be erected. It kind of reminds me of a big jigsaw puzzle.
This morning there are a couple more concrete trucks pouring some concrete.
As impatient as I am to see this building get put up, I realize that the laying of the foundation is the most important part of construction. If they don't get this part right there will always be problems with the building in the future. Kind of reminds me of something Jesus once said about building our lives on a solid foundation!
Anyway, as soon as there is something moving vertical I will post some pictures.
This morning there are a couple more concrete trucks pouring some concrete.
As impatient as I am to see this building get put up, I realize that the laying of the foundation is the most important part of construction. If they don't get this part right there will always be problems with the building in the future. Kind of reminds me of something Jesus once said about building our lives on a solid foundation!
Anyway, as soon as there is something moving vertical I will post some pictures.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Everything Matters
As a staff we are reading through the book "The Starbucks Experience."
Chapter 2 is titled, Everything Matters. In a church setting the philosophy that everything matters is crucial. From the time a person enters the parking lot, everything matters. Are they being directed by a parking attendant so they don't have to drive around in circles trying to find a space? Are there smiling greeters strategically placed throughout the campus welcoming and directing guests? If it is raining, are there greeters with umbrellas ready to help people stay dry from the time they get out of their cars until they get to the building? (This is fresh on my mind because our umbrella crew did an incredible job in the storm yesterday). Is there adequate signage for people to be able to navigate around the building? Is the building clean and inviting looking? Is the children's area the kind of place that kids don't want to leave to go home? (We have kids cry when their parents pick them up because they are having so much fun!.) Is the lobby atmosphere full of energy and expectation? Are the band and worship team thoroughly prepared and ready to lead in worship? Is the message relevant and will it connect to people's lives? Is the bulletin helpful for people to follow along? Is the stage set changing often to give a fresh look? Are the people responsive to the worship experience?
All of things are important because, EVERYTHING MATTERS!
At Foothills we desire to have the kind of place that when people come for the first time, they go home and tell all their friends about how much church impacted their lives, and they come back the following week with a carload of their friends.
This blog is read by many people from around the country who are at different churches, so my question is, do you believe that everything matters? If so, are you constantly striving to make improvements to become a place that is reaching more people in your community?
Chapter 2 is titled, Everything Matters. In a church setting the philosophy that everything matters is crucial. From the time a person enters the parking lot, everything matters. Are they being directed by a parking attendant so they don't have to drive around in circles trying to find a space? Are there smiling greeters strategically placed throughout the campus welcoming and directing guests? If it is raining, are there greeters with umbrellas ready to help people stay dry from the time they get out of their cars until they get to the building? (This is fresh on my mind because our umbrella crew did an incredible job in the storm yesterday). Is there adequate signage for people to be able to navigate around the building? Is the building clean and inviting looking? Is the children's area the kind of place that kids don't want to leave to go home? (We have kids cry when their parents pick them up because they are having so much fun!.) Is the lobby atmosphere full of energy and expectation? Are the band and worship team thoroughly prepared and ready to lead in worship? Is the message relevant and will it connect to people's lives? Is the bulletin helpful for people to follow along? Is the stage set changing often to give a fresh look? Are the people responsive to the worship experience?
All of things are important because, EVERYTHING MATTERS!
At Foothills we desire to have the kind of place that when people come for the first time, they go home and tell all their friends about how much church impacted their lives, and they come back the following week with a carload of their friends.
This blog is read by many people from around the country who are at different churches, so my question is, do you believe that everything matters? If so, are you constantly striving to make improvements to become a place that is reaching more people in your community?
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
New opportunities
Had a great time yesterday catching up with my good friend Jay Hardwick over lunch.
Jay was the Lead Pastor of Catalyst Church in Greenville, but is heading to northeast Columbia, SC to plant a new church.
Humanly speaking this may not make sense to some people. Catalyst Church is one of the strategic partner churches with Northpoint Church. Things were going well in Greenville, the church is growing, there is a good staff in place. Basically it was the type situation most people would love to be the Lead Pastor. So then, why is Jay leaving and going to Columbia of all places (home of the Gamecocks)? Because he feels God's calling.
I have no doubt that Jay will be successful. He is a bright, sharp guy, but ultimately he will be successful because he is aligning his life with God's will for him.
Anytime we are willing to abandon our own agendas to seek God's will we will succeed. Is there something that God is asking you to do, but you've been running from it?
Jay was the Lead Pastor of Catalyst Church in Greenville, but is heading to northeast Columbia, SC to plant a new church.
Humanly speaking this may not make sense to some people. Catalyst Church is one of the strategic partner churches with Northpoint Church. Things were going well in Greenville, the church is growing, there is a good staff in place. Basically it was the type situation most people would love to be the Lead Pastor. So then, why is Jay leaving and going to Columbia of all places (home of the Gamecocks)? Because he feels God's calling.
I have no doubt that Jay will be successful. He is a bright, sharp guy, but ultimately he will be successful because he is aligning his life with God's will for him.
Anytime we are willing to abandon our own agendas to seek God's will we will succeed. Is there something that God is asking you to do, but you've been running from it?
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
A great verse
If there is one verse in the Bible I have tried to live by as a Pastor, it's Psalms 78:72.
Here is what it says: "And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them."
The two main components of David's success as a leader are the two areas that I try to base my leadership on.
First, David shepherded them with integrity of heart. David was a great leader because of his integrity. He wasn't perfect (as we all can recall his affair with Bathsheba), but he was also known as a man after God's own heart. A leader without integrity, in my opinion, forefits his right to lead. Integrity and character are traits that need to be evident in our lives. We should be trustworthy and honest in all of our dealings. A regular time with God praying and reading the scripture helps us stay centered.
Secondly David led with skillful hands. Not only did David have the heart as a leader, he also had the skill. I imagine David as being someone who was a life-long learner. Someone who was like a sponge when it came to learning about how to lead better. There are so many practical ways to hone your skills as a leader. There are conferences, books, magazines, face to face meetings with other leaders and other things you can do. If we ever get to the point where we think we have it all figured out, we're in big trouble.
I meet people all the time who say they are too busy, and don't have the time to read a book, or go to a conference or go online and see what others are doing. All I can say about that is that mentality is short-sighted. There is an old adage that says, we all have time to do what we want to. In other words if we really want to do something, we find the time to do it.
Do you have integrity of heart? How about skillful hands? A great leader needs to have both.
Here is what it says: "And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them."
The two main components of David's success as a leader are the two areas that I try to base my leadership on.
First, David shepherded them with integrity of heart. David was a great leader because of his integrity. He wasn't perfect (as we all can recall his affair with Bathsheba), but he was also known as a man after God's own heart. A leader without integrity, in my opinion, forefits his right to lead. Integrity and character are traits that need to be evident in our lives. We should be trustworthy and honest in all of our dealings. A regular time with God praying and reading the scripture helps us stay centered.
Secondly David led with skillful hands. Not only did David have the heart as a leader, he also had the skill. I imagine David as being someone who was a life-long learner. Someone who was like a sponge when it came to learning about how to lead better. There are so many practical ways to hone your skills as a leader. There are conferences, books, magazines, face to face meetings with other leaders and other things you can do. If we ever get to the point where we think we have it all figured out, we're in big trouble.
I meet people all the time who say they are too busy, and don't have the time to read a book, or go to a conference or go online and see what others are doing. All I can say about that is that mentality is short-sighted. There is an old adage that says, we all have time to do what we want to. In other words if we really want to do something, we find the time to do it.
Do you have integrity of heart? How about skillful hands? A great leader needs to have both.
Friday, August 03, 2007
Back to 4 services
This Sunday we will be going back to our 4 service schedule. We gave all of our staff and volunteers an 8 week break for summer.
People ask me all the time, how do you preach 4 times in one day? Don't you get tired? Well, the answer is, sometimes you just do what you've got to do. When we started Foothills we said that we would do whatever it took to reach people for Christ in this area. God has blessed us and our building kept getting filled up, so we kept adding services, so for this season we will continue to do 4 services. but the answer to the second question is YES, I do get tired. This may not make sense unless you are a Pastor that speaks every week, but delivering a message drains you physically, and emotionally more than anything I know of. I must admit though, the most difficult service I speak at is the 6:00pm service. Mainly because I have already spoken three times that day. I get home at 1:30 or 2:00pm, grab some lunch and then I just kind of hang out and wait for 4:45 so I can head back to the church. It is during that couple of hours that I am home that I really start to feel it.
I am definitely looking forward to getting in the new building so that we can get back to something a little more doable, like 2 or 3 services on Sunday.
In the meantime, if you are currently attending the 9:45 or 11:15 service and you can switch to the 8:30am or 6:00pm service that would really help free up more seats during those prime times. We are still in summer and last week both the 9:45am and 11:15am were at 85% capacity. It's a fact that guests feel uncomfortable when they feel too cramped for space.
People ask me all the time, how do you preach 4 times in one day? Don't you get tired? Well, the answer is, sometimes you just do what you've got to do. When we started Foothills we said that we would do whatever it took to reach people for Christ in this area. God has blessed us and our building kept getting filled up, so we kept adding services, so for this season we will continue to do 4 services. but the answer to the second question is YES, I do get tired. This may not make sense unless you are a Pastor that speaks every week, but delivering a message drains you physically, and emotionally more than anything I know of. I must admit though, the most difficult service I speak at is the 6:00pm service. Mainly because I have already spoken three times that day. I get home at 1:30 or 2:00pm, grab some lunch and then I just kind of hang out and wait for 4:45 so I can head back to the church. It is during that couple of hours that I am home that I really start to feel it.
I am definitely looking forward to getting in the new building so that we can get back to something a little more doable, like 2 or 3 services on Sunday.
In the meantime, if you are currently attending the 9:45 or 11:15 service and you can switch to the 8:30am or 6:00pm service that would really help free up more seats during those prime times. We are still in summer and last week both the 9:45am and 11:15am were at 85% capacity. It's a fact that guests feel uncomfortable when they feel too cramped for space.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Creative team retreat
This week we had a mini-retreat for our creative team. It was great getting together and spending time with them. There is so much that goes into trying to create engaging services. When I left the meeting, I was drained.
In this meeting we were able to finalize sermon series ideas for the next 6 months. There are a few details that we will still need to nail down, but overall it was very productive. It feels so good to get ahead.
Let me try to explain why these meetings are so important. First of all, it gives the entire service a theme. I have been to church services that seemed obvious that there was no communication between the person leading the worship and the person delivering the message. The stage didn't reflect any particular theme, nor did the bulletins. Basically it was left up to the person sitting in the congregation to try to connect the pieces. I'm sure most people would leave the service with more questions than answers.
By spending the time to sit down with a team of people and hashing out creative elements to the service, it helps take the person in the congreagtaion on a journey that has some common thread. This allows them to stay engaged during the whole service.
I can't wait to share these new series, but I can't let the cat out of the bag. Just make sure you don't miss a Sunday!
In this meeting we were able to finalize sermon series ideas for the next 6 months. There are a few details that we will still need to nail down, but overall it was very productive. It feels so good to get ahead.
Let me try to explain why these meetings are so important. First of all, it gives the entire service a theme. I have been to church services that seemed obvious that there was no communication between the person leading the worship and the person delivering the message. The stage didn't reflect any particular theme, nor did the bulletins. Basically it was left up to the person sitting in the congregation to try to connect the pieces. I'm sure most people would leave the service with more questions than answers.
By spending the time to sit down with a team of people and hashing out creative elements to the service, it helps take the person in the congreagtaion on a journey that has some common thread. This allows them to stay engaged during the whole service.
I can't wait to share these new series, but I can't let the cat out of the bag. Just make sure you don't miss a Sunday!
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