The more we grow...

My senior pastor, Jamie westlake, forwarded this to our staff:

…words for us to consider from Mark Batterson in the midst of our growth. What do we need to pay attention to when we are doing well? Great question. Here’s what one pastor thinks.

Have a great day,

PJ

Just thought I'd share the ten reminders I shared at Healing Place in their staff meeting. Think of them as a gut check for growing churches. These are personal reflections on our journey @ NCC.

The more we grow...

1) ...the greater the PRIVILEGE. I never want myself or anyone on our staff to have a sense of entitlement. We're only servants--I Cor. 3:5.

2) ...the more COMPLICATED things get. Sin complicates your life in negative ways. Growth complicates your life in positive ways. Learn to thank God for complications!

3) ...the harder it is to maintain UNITY. Vision is the key to unity! The larger you get the more frequently you need to cast vision. Unity doesn't happen by default--Eph 4:3.

4) ...the better STEWARDS we need to be. Growth raises the stakes. With greater responsibility comes greater accountability.

5) ...the more ABOVE REPROACH we need to be. I Corinthians 10:23 says, "Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial." As our leadership expands, there can be an unhealthy and unholy tendency toward the permissible end of the spectrum! Guard against it. As our influence expands, leaders need to move toward the beneficial end of that spectrum!

6) ...the easier it is to exist for those who ALREADY BELONG. As a church grows it is very easy to give in to centripetal force--we become inward-focused and ingrown. The Great Commission is centrifugal--go into all the world.

7) ...the easier it is to do ministry out of MEMORY instead of ministry out of IMAGINATION. The beginning of the end for every entreprenurial organization is the moment they stop doing what got them to where they are! You need to keep making mistakes. You need to keep experimenting. Don't repeat the past. Create the future!

8) ...the more we have to remind ourselves of WHY we're doing what we're doing and WHO we're doing it for. There is a fine line between building Thy Kingdom and My Kingdom. As your circle of influence grows, you need to stay Christ-centered.

9) ...the more you have to guard your heart. As you grow, so does the target on your back. Leaders need to keep a pure heart in the midst of criticism and temptation. The blessings of God backfire when they produce pride. Stay humble.

10) ...the bigger our DREAMS need to get. The size of our dreams is one of the best barometers of spiritual maturity. People with a big God have big dreams!