I ran across a statement by Jim Herrington today. We’ve been looking for a worship pastor for several months and his thought captured the essence of why we are searching.
A Church cannot be on mission with God without an energizing corporate worship experience that helps the body encounter God’s holiness.
Worship is central to the life of any congregation– the hub and catalyst of it’s life, hence our search for a worship pastor who will make our worship experience exceptional.
ps. Danny Gokey declined.
Dan Browning (Christ the King Church) wrote a book called Deliberate Simplicity. It’s essence: the church can do more by doing less. Browing isn’t the first to recognize this (or even state it in a book)…ministry leaders have been saying this for a several years. Less is more. Create a stop doing list. The secret to concentration is elimination. Narrow the focus. It’s not about the hours you put in, it’s about what you put in those hours. Work smarter instead of harder. Use the discipline of intelligent loss. Andy Stanley writes about this in 7 Practices, Craig Groeschel touches it in It, Simple Church by Thom Rainer discusses it in depth, etc.
Browing made the first 50 people in his church sign a document that asked them to agree that they would do three things and three things only. Interestingly, they sound a bit like the path KW is taking. Browing: A worshipping church, 2) a church centered on small groups and 3) a church that was committed to outreach.
KingsWay? 1)Worship. 2)Grow. 3)Send.
I asked the people of Kingsway months ago…if we could only do a few things as a church, what would they be? What are the most foundational things that God is calling us to do? The answer: Worship. Grow. Send.
If we can do those things well, we’ll have the potential for significant Kingdom impact.
I skimmed an article by Greg Atkins talking about the church and innovation. Personally, I think that 80% of churches think innovation is sinful and is a sell out to our culture. I disagree. The lack of innovation had rendered most churches irrelevant, hence the massive decline and plateauing. On the opposite spectrum are churches who make an idol out of innovation: The pursuit is for innovation itself, instead of the ultimate ends—people meeting Jesus.
In any case, love this article. Here’s an exerpt.
Innovation is born out of times of frustration. I was listening to Larry Osborne of North Coast talk on innovation recently and he said that it often comes from the guy who questions things and says, “There has got to be a better way to do this” or “Why do we have to always do it like that?” I believe God can and does use the things that drive us crazy to allow us to find new and creative solutions for doing things differently.
There are people who are content with the way things are being done and those that live with a sense of restlessness that things could always be done better and in a different (and more effective?) way.
I have developed into a voracious reader. Leadership demands it-unless you are naturally brilliant (which my wife will tell you, I am not)
As stated in a previous post, I believe that
*Leaders are learners.
*The moment you stop learning is the moment you stop leading.
*Growing churches are lead by growing leaders.
That’s enough axioms for now…
I thought I’d share some books that have fueled my imagination and leadership potential in the past 5-6 months :
It- Groeschel
Leadership Gold-Maxwell
The Big Idea-Ferguson
Chasing Daylight-McManus
7 Practices of Effective Ministry-Stanley (reading it again)
Essential Church-Rainer
Deliberate Simplicity-Browning
Who Moved my Cheese-Blanchard
Courageous Leadership-Hybels (reading it again)
Just Walk Across the Room-Hybels
Simple Church-Rainer (reading it again)
Huckabee: The Return to Common Sense-Huckabee (He was a pastor)
Axiom-Hybels
In a Pit with A Lion on a snowy Day-Batterson
Rediscovering Church-Hybels
Fusion-Searcy
Conspiracy of Kindness- Sjogren
The Forgotten Ways-Hirsch
The Power of Multisensory Preaching- Blackwood
Thinking of spending the summer focusing on being a better communicator. Pastor Mark Batterson says “the greatest message ought to be communicated in the most memorable ways.” Exactly. I’ve got a long way to go for that to happen… I’ve got a few resources lined up:
Purpose filled Presentations-Jeary
Speaking to Win-Tracy
Communicating for a Change- Stanley (will read again)
360 Degree Preaching- Quicke (will read again)
What are you reading/learning?
I love when new worship songs are introduced to the local church community. 
Have you ever been to a worship experience where a certain song becomes transcendent-and God is glorified? I crave that. One of my favorite psalms is 96:1– “Sing unto the Lord a new song.” Some songs we’ve sung in christendom have stood the test of time–churches throughout the decades/centuries have sung them on occassion and we still sing them today– and that’s how some songs should be treated. I think some “contemporary/modern/post contemporary” songs should be put to rest sooner than others. Let them rest in peace– may we remember their power for their particular time and place. May a new song rise up and take it’s place.
I was browsing ccli.com to search for the top 25 worship songs and noticed that 20 of the top 25 were tired songs. They’ve been printed on worship bulletins and sung by congregations for the past 10 years–or so it seems. Isn’t it time for new creativity and new lyrical and musical expressions of worship? Nothing against artists who’s songs made the list, but there just needs to be more chart movement, and ultimatley, new life in our churches.
I love Revelation 5:9– it hints that there are songs that will be sung in heaven that haven’t even been written yet. We’ll spend eternity writing new songs…and putting old ones to rest.
Psalm 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the LORD.
Psalm 96:1 Sing to the LORD a new song; Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Psalm 98:1 A Psalm. O sing to the LORD a new song, For He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.
Psalm 98:4 Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.
Psalm 144:9 I will sing a new song to You, O God; Upon a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
Isaiah 42:10 Sing to the LORD a new song, Sing His praise from the end of the earth! You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it. You islands, and those who dwell on them.
I found Jesus the other day.
No really, I did. I was digging up some mulch/dirt in the front yard the other day and there was a Jesus figurine buried in the ground.
It’s sort of a neat metaphor for what I hope happens at KingsWay as we Launch in September:
*Many will find Jesus even though they weren’t really looking for him or even knew He existed.
*Those who “lost Jesus” years ago will find him again.
*People will find Jesus when and where they least expect him to be
However it will happen or whomever it will happen to– hopefully many will find Jesus.
Woke up today to find out KingsWay was on tv… we made the local news! Click