4. Be you: Pastor Brian Houston talked several times about being you. I appreciated him talking about his struggles in the past of trying to be somebody he wasn't. It was great to hear how he realized that he was at his best and most effective by just being himself no matter where he was. He also talked about learning yourself. To be effective for the long haul, you have to know what drains you and what energizes you. A part of being you is learning what gives you energy and what takes away your energy. You have to be honest with the way you are wired so you can be effective for the long haul.
5. God's Kiss: There are pastors who try to imitate other successful ministries and churches because they think by doing so they will get the same results. Pastor Brian talked about how God chooses to bless (KISS) certain things, and it can't be manufactured. God has blessed (KISSED) Hillsong's music. Their music is listened to and sung all over the world. He said Hillsong doesn't have the best singers or musicians, but God has chosen to bless it. Other churches can do exactly what they do, but it doesn't mean that they will have the same success. Hearing Pastor talk about this reminded me of how much I need God's blessing on my life and ministry more than anything else. It's not all about the right program, system or staff. I have to have God's blessing and favor. We need to work hard, network and do our very best, but what we need more than anything is God's KISS!
6. Help People Flourish: The goal of the local church is to reach people who don't know Christ and to help people flourish in Christ. Pastor talked about how church leaders shouldn't spend all of their time preaching to peoples’ Sundays, but instead, preaching to their Mondays. In other words, he said our teaching, announcements and services should be geared to helping people live their lives Monday through Saturday and not spending all of our time trying to build the church's Sundays. If we help people flourish on Monday through Saturday, God will build the Sundays. He went on to say that when the church is healthy and people are flourishing, growth just happens. Healthy things grow. Our job as pastors is to help people get planted in the house of the Lord and teach them to flourish. Psalm 92:13 Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God. (NKJV)
Here are some other random things I gleaned: Never develop a wounded spirit. Vision is the most energizing thing. Every seven years or so, the church needs to reinvent itself. Very few churches reinvent themselves. Reinventing usually involves the church working to get younger by reaching the next generation. Our loyalty to the future has to be stronger than our loyalty to the past. You have to keep your church young spirited. When a church reaches a lid, it usually involves people changes or repositioning people. Have the right people in the right place doing the right thing. The church is resilient. What they say won't hurt you; it's what they say that's true that will. Raise your family where your kids know church is who we are. The family shouldn't compete with the church; it should be a natural flow. Part of the reason we all exist is to finance the salvation of the world. One of the most selfish statements people make is “I don't like big churches, I only like small churches.” It's so selfish for a church to only think about themselves. There is a world to reach with the Gospel.
