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Do You Feel Stuck?
Have you ever felt like your attendance was just stuck? Like you haven’t grown in eons and don’t know how to? Believe me, I have! Most churches face growth barriers at five points – when their attendance hits 65, 125, 250, 500, and/or 1000. When you feel like you are on the edge of getting stuck, the first thing you need to do is make sure you are asking the right question about growth:
The Wrong Question: How do I get my church to grow? Your job is not to force growth. When you think growth is your responsibility, you will inevitably make bad decisions.
The Right Question: What is keeping my church from growing? Healthy organisms grow. If you feel stagnation setting in, understand that there are barriers inhibiting your growth and put a plan in place to remove them.
Once you have started asking the right question, remember:
God Wants Your Church To Grow - Your church is an essential part of God’s redemptive plan. Of course He wants it to grow. Just take a look at 2 Peter 3:9. Growth signals repentance and life change.
You Want Your Church To Grow - Sometimes thinking about the next phase of growth can scare us into inactivity. Don’t get discouraged or let doubt set in. God never gives you a vision without supplying what you need to fulfill it.
When you are asking the right question, and you know in your core that both you and God want your church to go to the next level, you will be on your way to meaningful, Kingdom-building growth.
- Nelson
P.S. - Do you know what the most common growth barriers are and how to break them? If not, check out these growth barrier downloads.
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Debate versus Denigrate
Yesterday I read an article by someone disagrees with some of my ideas about church planting (launching large, building the church from the outside in, etc.). He wrote a great article and made some great points that offered alternatives to my views.
I actually wrote him and congratulated him on his analysis while clarifying some of my own positions. We exchanged several emails that were respectful and, I believe, God honoring. It was healthy and productive.
It reminded me that there is a difference between ‘debate‘ and ‘denigrate.’ I love it when Church Leaders debate. I’m sickened when we denigrate.
Maybe this is on my mind because I’m doing a teaching series right now on the power of words (Tongue Pierced) or maybe God is trying to remind me to use my words to build up rather than tear down. Either way, I want to remove any hint of denigration from my life.
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” – Psalm 19:14 -
Q & A: How To Read More
Got this question from Church Planting Coaching Network Alumni Mike Sorcinelli (New Day Church - www.newdaychurch.cc ) in Longmeadow, MA:
“I really want to be a reader but it literally took me 6 hours + to read your book “Fusion”, which is a short book. It’ll take me almost a month to read “Planting Missional Churches” (I’m about half way through) and there are so many books I want to read (I’ve got a pile of them on my shelf). Do you have any tools or resources for learning to read faster?”
Mike, I love your passion! All leaders are readers.
As for me, I haven’t always been a reader, in fact I don’t think I ever read a book from cover to cover before I became a Christian (at age 17) but since then God has given me a passion for reading and its been one of the primary sources of my on-going growth as a leader.
I still struggle with reading all that’s on my shelf but here’s one major tip:
Skim, skim and skim!
Most big books (like the one you mention above from my friend Ed Stetzer) can easily be skimmed and you’ll still get 75-80% of the content while saving 90% of your time.
Here’s a few things I’ve learned::
- Only read the chapters that interest you (read the table of contents and then the first and last paragraphs of the chapters that interest you. If that’s helpful, read the entire chapter.)
- Only thoroughly read those books recommended by a good source (like the ones we recommend in the CLI newsletter. Hint: You can subscribe for free on the right —>)
- Read as fast as you can with no distractions and then next time try to do it even faster - shoot for one page every minute and then one page every 45seconds and then every 30seconds. I currently read one page at less than 30sec with a high retention rate.
- Listen to books on tape at twice the speed (use m4b setting on your ipod).
- Read in blocks of time with a goal - say to yourself, “I’m going to read Fusion in this two hour block of time” and then push yourself to do it.
- Be sure you have good glasses (if needed).
- Read, read, read and read some more!
Your mind is a muscle so exercise it and it will increase. I currently read 3 to 5 books a week but the goal is not quantity. The goal is to read what is most helpful and to retain a large part of what you read.
So what have you found helpful in reading faster with greater retention?
Nelson
P.S. The next round of Church Planter Coaching starts in July and will be lead by Kerrick Thomas. If you hare launching a church this fall or next spring, now is the perfect time to apply. Click Here for More Information.
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Hanging with Church Planters
Today Kerrick and I will be leading a one day Launch conference based on our Church Planting book of the same name. The event will be here in NYC. We have a full house coming from all over the US.
If you have a moment, please pray for us! There’s nothing more exciting than hanging with a group of fired up church ‘launchers’,
Nelson Searcy
P.S. We are in the final stages of confirming other one day Launch Conferences in Syracuse and Cincinatti. Kerrick will be leading both. More info soon!
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Launch En Espanol
I just found out that my book “Launch:Starting A New Church From Scratch” is being translated into Spanish.
Hola!
OK, now I’ve exhausted the extent of my spanish, even though I had two years in high school (in defense of Mrs. Williams, my teacher, I can read spanish much better than I can speak it!).
I don’t know yet when the translation will be available. The publisher is saying within two years - I guess that says something about the difficultly of translating what Kerrick and I wrote (I’m sure its my parts, not his, that are so problematic).
Either way, its a honor AND its a testimony to how well the book has been received in its English translation. So my BIG THANKS to you for buying the book and spreading the word about it!
Which, btw, if you have a Launch testimony, please send it to me. My email is in the About CLI section above or you can use the Ask Nelson button at the right —>
Adios mis amigos.
Senor Nelson Searcy
Journey Iglesia
P.S. If you are a church planter and you haven’t taken advantage of all the free resources I offer to new church leaders, just click here
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