If I could do it over again

I have a lot of church planters ask me, If you could start over again, what would you do differently?

Well, here are a couple of things that I would do differently:


1. I would begin with a larger core group.

We started with 17 people meeting in my living room, but if I were doing it again I would try to build a core of around 50 people or more.

Statistics show that churches that begin with a core of less than 50, rarely ever get beyond 200 in attendance. I suppose we were very fortunate that the 17 people that helped start Foothills Community Church were unbelievably committed to reaching this community, so we defied the odds.


2. I would put more emphasis on music.

In our early days we underestimated the importance of quality music. We did the best we could, but overall it wasn't too good.

If you are a church planter, don't skimp when it comes to the music. It is basically half of your service, so do what you can to find the best worship leader possible.


3. I would be slower about selecting leaders.

In the early days of a church plant there is such a huge need for leaders, that sometimes we can move too quickly and fast-track people to leadership positions that can burn you later. I can tell you from first-hand experience, you do not need people in your leadership who don't truly buy into the vision (even though they say they do)


4. I would trust God more.

This sounds like a no-brainer, but sometimes as a church planter you live with this continual pressure to grow the church. Almost every church planter that I know struggles with the emotional roller coaster of attendance. When the attendance is good--- you like life. But when you have a low attendance week--- you think the sky is falling. It's not!
Over the years I have come to understand better, that it's not MY church, it's HIS! He is perfectly capable of building His church. My job is to just be faithful.

5. I would enjoy the journey more.

Visionary leaders generally struggle with enjoying the moment, because they are always thinking about the future. When you're a portable church, you are always thinking of how nice it will be to have your own facility. When you have no staff, you you're always thinking about the day you have a full staff. I can tell you, that some of the most incredible days of a church are those early days, when you are totally dependent on God. In the early days, it's such an adventure, heck, you're not even sure anyone will even show up from one week to the next. Enjoy the moment!

6. Money is overrated.

Too many church planters are convincing themselves that the reason they're not growing is because they don't have money (or buildings, or all the bells and whistles)

Go back and read the first couple of chapter of Acts. Read Peter's sermon. No building, no lights or sound no fog machines, no big budgets, or guitar solos. There was nothing slick about it, but three thousand people were saved. Why? Because of the Holy Spirit working through a servant that was sold-out to Jesus.

That's it for now. I may think of a few more to share another time.

By the way, if you are a church planter or Pastor of a church with less than 500 people, why not consider being part of The Strategic Pastor coaching network.

new coaching network

I am very excited to announce that my friend Eddie Cox and I will launch thestrategicpastor.com coaching network in November 2009.

It is a network designed to help churches with less than 500 in attendance. (As far as I know, this is the only network that is exclusively for smaller churches)

Both Eddie and myself have always felt that part of our responsibilty and calling is to help other Pastors. We get calls on a regular basis of Pastors that have questions about how to take their churches to the next level, so we decided to develop this network and try to cover the most common questions we are asked. We will be limiting the group to 15 Pastors to allow for plenty of personal interaction.

The best part is that the cost is a fraction of what most coaches charge. Our goal is to help churches reach their communities more effectively for Christ.

If you are interested or know of a Pastor that might be, check out our website for more information and to register.

Remember, the first group begins in one month, so hurry!

A showdown with a skunk

I went hunting this past Sunday afternoon. As I was walking back to my truck after dark, I saw a pair of green eyes ahead of me. I wasn't sure what kind of animal was watching me, so I stopped, but it kept watching me at a distance of about 15 yards. Finally it moved on.
As I walked a few more yards, the green eyes were ahead of me. I tried to make as much noise a s possible, so it would move on and allow me to pass, but it wouldn't move.

I still couldn't tell what it was, and by now, all kind of things are running through my mind, and I'm getting a little nervous. What kind of ferocious beast is stalking me? I took off my backpack and found my bright flashlight and shined it on the animal and then I saw what had been watching me---a skunk!

I had a bit of a problem. The skunk was blocking the trail. I really couldn't go the left or the right because of the briers. I picked up a rock and threw it at him, but it only made him mad. He had his tail sticking straight up and was ready to spray me if I came any closer. I threw another rock, but this time he sort of charged me. Believe me, I was backing up pretty quick. Finally after what seemed like 20 minutes of this stand-off, It decided to move on, so I made a dash and got as far away from him as I could.

As I thought about that, it occurred to me that in life we face many obstacles. There are many things that get in the way of where I want to go and who I want to become. Unfortunately many times instead of charging through the obstacles, I allow my fears to hold me back.

What is God wanting to do in your life, but you are being deterred by something? Instead of backing up, why not try blazing a trail? Is there risk? sure there is. Could you get a little dirty in the process? you bet! But I can tell you from experience, once you face those challenges, there never quite as big and bad as you thought they were!

Sunday highlights

** Message yesterday was about sharing our faith. I challenged people to use their social networks to promote Christ and Foothills Community Church. People are already leveraging Facebook and Twitter!!

** It never ceases to amaze me at how responsive Foothills people are. You guys and gals rock.

** I mentioned that it looks like we will be the only church doing the Trunk or Treat at Walmart this Halloween. I can't believe other churches are bailing on this. last year 8,000 people showed up! This is a huge opportunity for our church.

** We need hundreds of people who would be willing to bring their vehicles for Trunk or Treat to hand out candy. You can sign-up this Sunday.

** Don't forget about our benefit concert on October 23rd, called Resonate. All proceeds will go to The Foothills Crisis Care Pregnancy Center, Our Daily Rest, and The Golden Corner Food Bank. Tickets are $10

** We had so much energy at our services yesterday, it was incredible.

** I love to hear stories of people who come to Foothills after having been out of church for long periods of time. I heard about one person that hadn't been in church for 32 years, and came to Foothills and loves it!

** We will be wrapping up the "Disciple" series this Sunday. The following Sunday we will begin a new series called, "Zeros and Heroes"

phrases that get under my skin

I mentioned this past Sunday during my message, that I had a pet peeve about people who use the phrase: "I used to go to _______ Church, but I don't go there anymore because I wasn't being fed."

I came up with a few more that I hear occasionally that make me laugh:
I have also included some responses---So Please excuse my obvious sarcasm :)


** "You're not DEEP ENOUGH" (another variation is "they're a mile wide and an inch deep") (This one doesn't deserve an answer!)

** "At my old church we used to do_______" (Come on, If your old church was so great, why did you leave?)

** "We've never done it that way before." (Which is precisely why we're doing it now!)

** "I don't know everyone anymore" (Neither do I. The object is not to know everyone, it's to reach more people for Christ)

** "Why don't we have ______ ? (you can fill in the blank with just about any ministry... Awanas, Choir, Sunday School, etc.) (Some of these things are incredible ministries, but we have made the decision to simplify things and put our efforts into the things that absolutely essential to accomplish our mission)

** "You always talk about money". (ahh, no I don't)

** "You're a Pastor?, so what do you do the rest of the week?" (golf, fish, hunt :) )

** "A Pastor should preach in a suit, not jeans." (Isaiah preached in the buff (Isa. 20:2-3)---so maybe jeans aren't so bad after all)

** "Can we have a southern gospel night?" (ummm, NO!)

** "Pastor Greg, are you always this sarcastic?" (No, I'm just feeling a bit frisky today!)

Have a great day!!

sunday highlights

I know I say this every week, but it was another fantastic day at Foothills Community Church yesterday!

** 2nd week of Disciple series. Did a message called, Grow Up! Basically the message challenged everyone to take responsibility for their spiritual development.

** I am more pumped about the vision of Foothills than ever before. To help people find and follow Jesus.

** I just heard that we have seen nearly 500 people make significant spiritual decisions already this year (1st time salvations, and re-commitments)

** Can't wait for our benefit concert called Resonate on October 23rd. Proceeds will go toward the Foothills Crisis Care Pregnancy Center, the Golden Corner Food Bank, and Our Daily Rest homeless shelter. Tickets are $10 and are available at the Welcome Center. All proceeds will go to support these ministries.

** This Sunday I am doing a message called, Share. I am really praying that something huge happens.

** Had one of the best staff meetings we have ever had this morning. God is about to do something ridiculous at Foothills!

LEADER (part 5)

The second "E" in L.E.A.D.E.R. is:

E xpresses truth--no matter what.

Honesty is not only the "best policy"-- it's the "only policy".

Leaders need to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, even when it's difficult.

Some leaders seem to be deceptive, and give a lot of 1/2 truths.

Here's the reason why being honest is so important; it gives you credibility. When we mess up and are honest enough to admit that, people respect our authenticity.

I have worked for people who were less than honest and you always have a sense that, something just isn't right. You get to the point where you're not sure what's truth and what's a fabrication. That's a very unhealthy environment.

When doing our staff reviews I have found that it is extremely important to be very honest. People need to know exactly where they stand. They need to know what areas they are doing well on, and which ones they need to work on. If we are afraid to be honest and give a good review, but there are areas that need improvement, then we are doing them a disservice. They need (and want) us to be honest.

Next time I am going to wrap up this series of posts with the "R" in L.E.A.D.E.R.

Shine

Some of you know that for the last couple of years we have done an annual Shine project, where 1,000 plus volunteers from Foothills Community Church have tackled various community service projects. It has been a huge success.

Well, we had the idea that we would use the same concept again except we would ask the volunteers to serve at Foothills campus in Seneca.

First impressions are important and we have always sought to have the most pristine campus possible so that guests would feel like we were prepared to receive them.

Even though our facility is pretty new, there are a lot of things that need attention. We have some outside things like, grass seeding and pressure washing, and landscaping, and then there are some inside things like painting and general clean-up.

On Saturday October 10th from 9:00am until noon, we need your help. This is a great chance to give some of our most precious commodity--time, back to your church!

We'll be giving you more info this Sunday, but go ahead and mark it on your calendars.

Sunday thoughts

What a day today at Foothills Community Church. I can't believe what God is uo to at both of our campuses.

**First, a shout out to our Toccoa campus. Wow, can you believe what happened there? They celebrated their one year anniversary with a new record attendance and they baptized 8 more people!

**They were watching the , "What If... Today Was Your last Day?" message, and Shannon Chiles, our campus Pastor told me that one lady that was baptized was held-up at gunpoint this morning before church (she works at a convenience store) So needless to say, the message hit home with her.

**I can hardly wait to see what happens when they move into their new facility in a couple of months!

**At our Seneca campus we began a new series called, "Disciple". The message was called, "The Gospel". Basically I just preached the Gospel. The gospel is so simple, yet so profound.

**Once again, I want to brag on all of the staff and volunteers that pitch in to make things happen at Foothills--Thank you, thank you, thank you.

**Taylor did a great job again with the stage set. worship was awesome. Scott Chatfield did a nice job with the Via Dolorosa video at the 11:15am service. All in all, a great day.

**Next Sunday my message is called, "Grow Up". I wish tomorrow was Sunday, I can hardly wait!

In case you missed it

For those of you who could not make it to Foothills this past weekend because of the flooding, here is what you missed. What If... Today Was Your Last Day?

Dozens of people were baptized in horse troughs set up on stage (you can watch them on the video as well).

Leaders (part 4)

The "D" in L.E.A.D.E.R. is:

Do the right thing--always.

That's right, integrity is one of the most important attributes of a leader (probably the most important)

Leaders have to keep their guards up at all time. One slip morally can be fatal to your ability to lead, and your reputation.

In 1 Kings 15:5, we are reminded of this. It says: " For David had done what was pleasing in the Lord's sight and had obeyed the Lord's commands throughout his life, EXCEPT in the affair concerning Uriah the Hittite."

All of the great things that David did throughout his lifetime, like defeating Goliath, and great military victories were overshadowed by his lack of integrity.

I wonder how President Nixon will be remembered? Most likely it will be Watergate.

Or how about President Clinton? probably for his dealings with Monica Lewinsky.
How about you? What will you be remembered for?

It takes a lifetime to build integrity and only 1 moment to lose it!

Leaders, it is up to us to model integrity.

Leaders (part 3)

The "A" in Leaders stands for Admonish. Great Leaders:

A dmonish when necessary.

Colossians 3:16 says to "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom.

Great leaders are not afraid to confront people when necessary. It has been said that confrontation is the greatest form of love. It's hard to do, but when you truly care about people you become willing to take the relational risk associated with admonishment.

It's a whole lot easier to let things slide, but if you keep in mind, the goal of admonishment is actually to help another person, then it's a little easier.

Admonishment is not meant to be critical it is meant to correct. It's designed to spur a person on to a higher way of living.

I remember reading about former Miami Dolphin head coach, Don Shula. he was once talking to a reporter and was asked about on of his players mistake during practice. He said, "we never let an error go unchallenged." the reporter then asked, "isn't there a benefit in overlooking one small flaw?" He responded by saying, "uncorrected errors multiply. You've got to face them someday, so you might as well face them on the spot."

Over the years I have found that there are some keys to proper admonishment. Here's a list:

** Admonish quickly.
** Admonish in private (praise in public)
** Pray before confronting
** Admonish in love
** Check your motives

Sunday thoughts

Today will go down in history as one of the best at Foothills. Here are a few highlights:

** Woke up this morning to a driving rain. Always hate torrential rains on Sundays. It definitely affects attendance.

** Today we did spontaneous baptisms. It's always a little scary because they are so unpredictable. But I guess that's why i love doing them. It is a total step of faith.

** We had 3 horse troughs set up on the stage to do the baptisms in. (You never know what to expect at Foothills!)

** Leading up to the message, the band did the Nickelback song, If Today was Your Last Day. Then we had some eerie organ music playing with some slides on the big screens that had scriptures talking about the brevity of life, and then we had pallbearers carry out a casket---very creepy.

** The message today was, What If... Today Was Your Last Day? It was probably the most "gloves-off" presentation of the need to follow Christ as any message I've ever done.

** We had a ton of responses of people giving their lives to Jesus, and 36 people baptized spontaneously---it was awesome!

** The buzz in the concourse was crazy. I had so many people tell me that a friend got baptized, or someone they invited gave their life to Christ. Very cool.

The best part is, we have another Sunday coming up in 7 days, and we will start a new message series called, "Disciple"!

This Sunday

Every weekend at Foothills Community Church is a great time to invite a friend to come with you. Every single service that we do has hundreds of hours of planning, preparing and praying behind it. But there are some Sundays that are prime for inviting your friends. This Sunday is one of them.

This is a Sunday that I believe will go down in our history as one of the most powerful Sundays ever. It is a Sunday that you do not want to miss. It is a Sunday that if you have friends that don't know Jesus, that you need to do ANYTHING you can to get them there.

I will be wrapping up the "What If..." series, with a message called, What If... Today was Your Last Day?

The message is going to be one of the most frank, honest, and sobering messages I've ever preached. I'm pretty sure that it will cause every single person there to re-evaluate their lives. I am praying that we have record numbers of people make significant spiritual decisions.

We've got a couple of other things planned that we've never done before, and of course, some incredible music.

See you Sunday---and bring someone with you!

Leaders (part 2)

The "E" in L.E.A.D.E.R.S is:

E xhibits humility

Humility can be one of the leaders greatest assets. Jesus said in Matthew 20:25-25, "You know that in this world kings are tyrants, and officials lord it over the people beneath them. But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant."

Jesus said this in response to the request of the mother of two of his disciples (James and John) who wanted Jesus to allow her two sons to sit in the place of honor beside Him.

Jesus taught that the way up, is actually down---by humbling ourselves. This is in stark contrast to the flamboyant power-hungry, controlling leadership possessed by some leaders.

Humble leadership is when the leader, doesn't always have to be right, or have his own way, or have his stamp of approval on every aspect of the organization. He learns to trust the judgment of the team around him. He knows that they are more qualified to make decisions in some areas than he is. A humble leader admits when he is wrong instead of making excuses.

Next we'll discuss the "A" in leader.

sunday night review

It was an absolute blast at Foothills Community Church today. It was just one of those days that makes me so thankful to be the Pastor of this great church!

9:30am service attendance was a bit light, but Eric Peters and his team knocked it out of the park.

The 11:15 service was pretty full and David O and his team rocked the house. We had a fiddle player and she was awesome!

The question I asked today was, What If... I got connected? I talked about the benefits of being in a LIFE group. We had a LIFE group fair tonight. Hopefully a lot of new people signed up for a group.

Talked to a friend of mine a little while ago, Daniel Lucas from Crosspoint Church in Morehead KY. They had over 100 people give their lives to Christ today!!

Next Sunday is going to be one of the coolest services that we've ever had at Foothills. Pray-Pray-Pray!

If you have friends that do not know Jesus, bring them next Sunday. Trust me, it will be worth it.

Leaders

I wanted to talk about leadership from the angle of what a great leader IS, and what a great leader DOES.
I will be using the acrostic, L.E.A.D.E.R.

L ooks out for the interests of others.

A great leader is not first and foremost interested in himself and his own interests, he cares about others --especially those on his team or staff.

Ephesians 5:1-2a says, "Follow God's example in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins."

Martin Luther King Jr. gave himself for the sake of others. He set aside his personal comforts for the equality of the oppressed.

Great military leaders lay their lives down for the sake of freedom of the masses.

Jesus willingly laid down His life for us-- so that we might have life.

It would be hard to argue, that Jesus was not the most successful leader that ever walked the earth. In 3 short years, He led a movement that is still flourishing today. And when you study Jesus leadership style, it is not the type A leadership that you would expect from someone tackling such a big endeavor.

Yes, Jesus was driven. Yes, Jesus never backed down from a fight. Yes, He was committed, but He was first and foremost a Servant-Leader.

In fact Jesus taught against the "push my weight around, do it because I say so" type leadership that many leaders of His day were teaching.

For clarity, this does not mean that as a leader you need to please everyone. It does not mean you don't lead with passion and conviction. It doesn't mean you have to poll everyone to make sure everyone is good with the decision before you make it. It simply means that ultimately you consider others around you.

In my next blog, we'll look at the letter E in Leader.

a few thoughts

** A long weekend is nice but a short work week is a little stressful!

** Spoke to Charles Hill about doing some things with The Sticks conferences in the future. We share a similar heart to help reach small to mid-sized towns for Christ and helping to equip pastors.

** Speaking of equipping pastors, my friend Eddie Cox and I are about to unveil The Strategic Pastor, which will be a coaching and equipping resource for pastors. It looks like we will begin in October.

** Very excited that in the last 2 weeks we have received over $30,000 to go towards our building renovation in Toccoa, and another several thousand dollars in pledges. The people of Foothills Community Church really get it!

** I am super excited about this Sunday at Foothills. We have some unbelievable services planned. PLEASE make sure to be on time, especially for the 11:15am service. Be in your seat when the countdown clock hits zero, or you will miss out. (actually, that's something to shoot for every week!)

** This Sunday we will be having our Fall Grouplink event at both Foothills locations. Toccoa Grouplink will be following the morning service. The Seneca Grouplink will begin at 6:30pm. If you want to get connected at Foothills, This is THE WAY to do it!

** God is up to something bigger than we've ever experienced!

Today was a blast

I had a blast this morning. I got to preach live at our Foothills Toccoa campus. Here are a few highlights:

** Very good attendance. It was comfortably full.

** They have so much energy over there, it's incredible. They sing loud. They are rowdy. They hung with the message and interacted a lot.

** Jonathan Bryant and his team did a phenomenal job of leading us in worship.

** Shannon Chiles (our Campus Pastor) has a team of tireless volunteers who do an amazing job.

** It was an added bonus that the Ga. Bulldogs lost on Saturday. I took it easy on them and didn't talk much smack.

** Shannon took me and my wife to see their new building after the service. They are doing a ton of renovation over there. Most likely they won't get finished until November, but it's going to be nice!

** I'm praying that everyone will step up and give to the What If...? campaign.

** Back in Seneca, I heard that Brian Rhodes did a great job delivering the message.

** Already looking forward to next Sunday. I'll be back in Seneca.

Thursday quick hits

Productive week so far here at Foothills. Here are few quick hits about what's been happening.

** Our student ministry (Thrive) had 100 kids there last night. Gaining serious momentum!

** Last Sunday our Seneca campus stepped up and gave over $14,000 in a spontaneous offering to help renovate our Toccoa campus!

** If you weren't prepared to give last weekend to the Toccoa project, you're in luck, because you can do it this Sunday!

** Looking forward to Sunday.

** College football season is officially here. Yes!

** Weather has really cooled off. It feels like Fall.

** I have been working on our next message series coming up on September 27th. It's going to be awesome.

** The "What If...?" series is stretching a lot of people. 3 more weeks to go. Trust me, you don't want to miss any of it.

** I am really enjoying my study of the gospel of Mark. I think I'm going to do an entire series on this great book.

** I love doing what I'm doing. I am blessed beyond measure!