First Year as Pastor

Here are some random thoughts and lessons I've learned my first year. These are not original thoughts but thoughts that I had to originally learn on my own!

• Let God lead and guide me, not any committee or any person.
• Do whatever you can to get momentum and then fight, kick, and scream NOT to lose it.
• It is easy to get comfortable. Don’t let that happen.
• You quickly learn the darkside of leadership in yourself and those who are in leadership around you- wow can it change people!
• Developing leaders around you is easier said than done
• Keep it fresh or you will leave.
• Take Sundays off. It is good to reengerize your batteries and I am not doing well at this. Learning that church will be fine and not exploding when your gone is a hard lesson to learn.
• Take off during the week.
• Stay flexible.
• Creativity and innovation is key to survival in church
• Making time to love God is essential to daily living
• Learning to not be scared to preach on giving or to preach the difficult issues even when it steps on peoples toes.
• It is about Jesus and people. Nothing else.
• Don't take advice from someone who hasn't been where you are wanting to go!
• If you lose your church, God might give you another one. You lose your family, you’re done.
• Push your people to live lives that reflect the Bible.
• Go after the unwanted people. You CAN build a church with those no one else wants.
• Other Churches in our area are NOT our competition.
• When it quits being fun, step back and figure out why.
• Lead as God tells you, not as others think you ought too.
• There are times you have to do what others think is crazy and do it standing alone. That is called being a leader.
• Loving people even the ones that you drive you nuts.
• You need friends in the ministry. They have been there, done that, got the T-Shirt to prove it.
• If you can do anything else and be happy then do it. I can’t. I love this thing.
• Don’t be afraid of shaking it up.
• Seeking to save the world one life at a time is essential for the church or it dies.
• Hire ahead of your growth.
• If you wait until you can afford to hire, you will never do it.
• Know the vision God has given you and let nothing or no one change it.
• I am never 100% about any decision I make. If I can get to about 85%, I’m good.
• Small groups that work are an amazing and powerful thing.
• Find one or two mentors then shut up and learn from them.
• Enjoy the ride. Far too many guys miss out the awesomeness of the ride.
• There is nothing sweeter then a changed life.
• I’m as excited and sold out to this thing as I was the day when I preached my first sermon
• I am the MOST blessed person in the world to pastor this church.