“Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it.  The time will pass anyway;  we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.”
—  Earl Nightingale, Motivational Speaker and Author

What a great first week it’s been on the Top 3 Growth Barriers Tour for Senior Pastors!

Today is stop #4 and I’m in Metro Atlanta (Marietta), getting ready to train over 200 pastors in the top 3 growth barriers that every church faces, regardless of size.

Our host today is Pastor Bryant Wright and  Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, they were gracious enough to partner with me to invest in some of our fellow pastors.

Bryant is one of the most effective and unique communicators I know – check out his “Right from the Heart” ministry here.

A lot has changed around Metro Atlanta since Johnson Ferry Baptist Church began in the early 1980′s, but one thing has remained constant: their solid commitment to Christ and expanding His Kingdom.

It’s going to be a great day in the Peach State!

P.S. I’ll be wrapping up the Top 3 Growth Barriers Tour for Senior Pastors with events in the Metro Washington, D.C. Area and New York City – if you’re a Senior Pastor in these areas, I hope you’ll join me! Click here for more info.

I’m in the Nashville Area today for the next stop on my Top 3 Growth Barriers Tour for Senior Pastors.

Our host today is Freedom Church and Pastor Terrell Somerville.  Terrell is a Coaching Alum and has done a great job of leading Freedom since its founding in 2000.

Today, Freedom Church is one of the fastest growing churches in the region and they have just recently moved into the first phase of a new building.

It’s going to be another fun day of getting to meet and train 100+ Senior Pastors – one of my favorite ways to spend a morning!

P.S. If you’re looking for a proven process to grow yourself and your church over the next year, you might be a good fit for my upcoming Tele-Coaching Network for Senior Pastors – click here to read more and apply today!

For this month’s book recommendation, I sat down with author Gary McIntosh to discuss his book, Taking Your Church to the Next Level: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.

Here’s my January book recommendation video:

January Book Recommendation:

Taking Your Church to the Next Level: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Gary McIntosh

P.S. Have you read a book recently that you think I would enjoy? I’d love to hear your feedback — you can send it using the “Ask Nelson” button on the right side of the blog.

Today is Stop #2 on my Top 3 Growth Barriers Tour for Senior Pastors, and I’m in St. Louis!

It’s been just over 30 years since God shared the vision for Life Christian Church with Pastor Rick Shelton (one of my coaching alumni), and I’m excited to take a closer look at the church He’s been building during that time.

I’m also excited to meet and invest in so many Senior Pastors here in the Gateway City – it should be one of our biggest turnouts on the whole tour!

P.S. Now is the time to get in your application for my next Senior Pastor Tele-Coaching Network – you can find out more and download your application by clicking here.

Today I’m in Indianapolis – preparing for the first stop on my Top 3 Growth Barriers Tour for Senior Pastors!

Our hosts for the day here in Indy are Pastor John Newland and Fall Creek Baptist Church.

John is a Coaching Alum who has done a great job of implementing what he’s learned about church systems into the life of Fall Creek.

I’m looking forward to seeing John and he and I both are excited to be able to give back through this Free Event to a great group of Senior Pastors.

If you would, please pray for me and this group of pastors from all over the Indianapolis area and beyond!

P.S. You can hear about John’s experience in my Coaching Network in this video – click here.

I’m wrapping up a my 3 part series of posts today about those characteristics that are essential for a church planter to be successful. You can read the first 2 posts here and here.

Drum roll please… Here are the final three:

7. Must be Motivated and Driven to Succeed

I spend a lot of time in my church planting resources (The Call of a Church Planter, Launch, The Launch Conference, etc.) talking about clarifying your CALL to plant a church.

I do that because – like every seasoned church planter I know – there have been many times, situations and obstacles over the years that would have served as the perfect opportunity to quit if it weren’t for knowing that God called me to do this.

And once you’ve clarified your call, you can harness that as motivation to do whatever it takes to make this new church a success.

8. Must be Willing to Embrace the “Inner Entrepreneur”

One of the reasons that church planting has had such an abysmal failure rate is that it requires a different skillset than most other areas of ministry.

You can be a great preacher, care-giver and Bible study leader and still fail at planting a church because you have to be able to start something from nothing.

There is no boss to set your hours, hand you a to-do list or scold you for slacking off — if you’re not a self-starter, your church planting experience is likely to be unpleasant (and brief).

9. Must be Enthusiastic about this New Church

Somewhere along the line, God called you to play a role in the frontlines of writing redemptive history, helping people cross over from death to eternal life by planting a church.

With that in mind, there is no excuse not to be passionate about what you’re doing.

This isn’t about a certain type of personality so much as it is about enjoying the work to which God has called you.

Be passionate about your city. Be passionate about the people God has called you to reach. And beyond all that, be passionate about doing whatever it takes to introduce people to Jesus!

What are some other characteristics that you think belong on this list? Click the “Ask Nelson” button on the right side of this blog and send me your addition to the list.

P.S. Are you currently planting a new church? I’d like to give you more than $85.00 in Free Church Planting Resources. Get yours by clicking here.

“The person who pays an ounce of principle for a pound of popularity gets badly cheated.”
– Ronald Reagan, 40th U.S. president

Yesterday I started a series of posts (click here to read Part 1) about the characteristics of a successful church planter.  Here are the next few:

4. Must Display Confidence and Optimism about the Task at Hand

I am constantly amazed by how many church planters (and pastors) I meet who are pessimistic and insecure. It makes me wonder who they’re working for.

Church Planter, if the God of the universe has tapped you on the shoulder and called you to start a new church… walk, talk and act in the confidence that He knows what He’s doing (even if you’re not always completely sure)!

5. Must be Diligent

There are seasons in church planting where it feels like your church is never going to grow. Other times, you’ll wonder if there will ever be enough money to do what you think you need to do.

You need to develop the persistence to keep doing the right things and calling out to God to do what only He can do. The breakthroughs that follow these periods are some of the greatest joys of starting a new church. And you’ll only experience them if you’re persistent

6. Must be a Voracious Learner

In all of the hustle and bustle of starting a new church, one of the “easiest” ways to save a little time is to cut down on your reading and training opportunities. This is a move that will come back to bite you sooner than you realize.

If you’re not growing, your church won’t grow for long.

We live in a time when there are more books, resources, audio training and coaching available for pastors and church planters than ever before… now is the time to develop lifelong learning habits that will serve you for the rest of your ministry.

P.S. Are you currently planting a new church? I’d like to give you more than $85.00 in Free Church Planting Resources. Get yours by clicking here.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – starting a new church is an heroic venture and, if God has called you to it, there’s nothing else like it.

I was reading this post and it sparked that there are also 9 Characteristics of a Church Planter:

1. Must Complement Vision by Working toward Goals, Setting Up Accountability and Maintaining Discipline

God-inspired vision is essential in starting a church that will make an impact for His Kingdom. However, vision alone (like talent) is never enough.

Church Planter, you must be able to set goals and work toward achieving them, hold yourself accountable (and enlist others to help you do so) and demonstrate the discipline to stay focused on doing the little things to pursue that vision in the midst of challenges and pressure from all sides.

2. Must be Willing to Change without Losing Determination

Show me a church planter who has never failed and I’ll show you one who has never taken a risk. The key to long term effectiveness is “failing forward;”

When something doesn’t work or circumstances change, you must be willing to adapt without losing hope or throwing in the towel. Like the old Timex watch commercials, can you “take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’?”

3. Must Understand and Embrace True Creativity

Creativity is sometimes pigeon-holed into how flashy your postcards are or how fancy your website is, but true creativity is essential to success in church planting. Inflexibility has been the downfall of many a new church.

You have to be creative in managing your time, solving problems, connecting with those you’re trying to reach and communicating God’s Word to your people.

Check back tomorrow, when I’ll be sharing the next 3 characteristics.

P.S. One of the best ways to hold yourself accountable is to be a part of a network of other pastors who are committed to growing as well.  My next Senior Pastor Tele-Coaching Network (it begins on February 18) might be a good fit for you – click here for more information.

P.P.S. Are you currently planting a new church? I’d like to give you more than $85.00 in Free Church Planting Resources. Get yours by clicking here.