A Few Random Leadership Thoughts (beginning the study of 1 Timothy)

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to throw a few new thoughts that I'm seeing & hearing on leadership lately. I can't even begin to express how much I love and appreciate you as Young Leaders in & around the Next Level & Church Planting World! You guys are truly world changers. Thanks for letting me be one of your "Leadership Inputs" in your life!!!

1. Go to iTunes and Search "National New Church Conference". Click on the icon. You should see a whole list of Podcasts come up. These are all from a recent conference they had in Orlando in April. I am just getting into alot of these messages. The one I want you guys to download is by a guy named "Dave Ferguson." It's "Plenary Session 3." I got to meet and hear Dave at a churchplanters.com conference I attended in ATL in February. He shared alot of the concepts in this Podcast in February too! He's got some great things to say!!! (if you need it in an mp3 format, you can just drag it over to your desktop and then to wherever you want to listen to it...)


2. On a seperate note, I am beginning a personal study of the book of 1 Timothy. Afterall, it's written to a "Young Leader," and church planter, Timothy by his mentor and "spiritual father" Paul. Here are a few things that jump out at me: First, Notice that Paul calls Timothy his: "True Son in the Faith." Isn't it interesting that Paul uses Familial language to describe his relationship with Timothy. He felt such a bond with the one he was mentoring that he described it in the Father/Son context. Wow. When I think about the relationship that I have with so many young leaders that I am apart of developing, I would say I feel the same thing in my heart. There is this "stronger than friendship" tie that exists. I think it has alot to do with the reality of pursuing a Greater Vision together. It goes beyond, "We have alot in common," or "We like each other," or "we both enjoy the same things." It's a deeper soul connection between people who are on mission together!


3. Paul asks Timothy to stay in Ephesus to provide Leadership that was needed. Notice the first thing he asks him to do: Deal with people who AREN'T doing something that is helping the cause. In other words, he asks him to reprimand and bring correction to those around him. Why are we as leaders so reluctant to do this? In fact, isn't it when we have missed the target, that we CAN learn so much? Think back to a time when you learned alot about life or leadership? Wasn't in a hard time, or a time when you made a mistake and either you, God or someone else was able to bring leadership and correction? That's why Paul wanted Timothy to stay. He's basically saying, "You stay here and keep communicating our heart to the people. Help them see things more clearly. "


4. Notice Paul makes it clear that "God's work is by faith." It's not something that we can mathematically calculate, or scientifically prove. It's faith. So is Leadership for God. It's us stepping out into uncharted territory and making decisions that may or may not be right with limited information. It's providing certainty in times of uncertainty! That's what leaders do. They provide leadership... by faith... in order that many may do "God's work."


5. One more... Paul communicates the Goal of Leadership in verse 5: Love. He wants to make sure that Timothy knows that we don't provide leadership for any reason other than LOVE FOR PEOPLE!!! That's why we do what we do! Because we genuinely love people and want them to reach their highest potential in becoming like Jesus!

Just a bloggish leadership thought,

Matt

It's Not "If" it's "When" ...

Have you ever had one of those things in your life that you just KNOW is going to happen? One of those big ideas, or goals or "Targets on the Bullseye" of your life that you are just confident is going to happen? Well, I feel like I've got a number of those happening in my life right now all at the same time. Here are a few of my thoughts:

1. When you have that kind of confidence, it changes the way you pray. I find myself praying completely different when I have that kind of confidence in my heart. Instead of praying some half-hearted, mamby-pamby prayer, I find myself praying boldly. Instead of praying for the idea or goal, I find myself praying that God would prepare my heart to be ready "when" it happens. Instead of praying in hypotheticals, I find myself praying in realities!


2. When it's a "when" instead of an "if" you have an urgency in the decisions you make daily. You begin to treat the details of your life differently. You begin to filter everything differently in your life.


3. When it's a "when" & not an "if" it changes your priorities. Suddenly, things that are lower on your priority list begin to move off your radar, and the things that bring preparation for the "when" that's coming push to the top.


4. When it's a "when" & not an "if" it changes the way you lead. The way you prepare and lead your team begins to change. There is a confidence that comes to the entire team when you know that the "if" is actually a "when!"

So what are the "when's" in your life?

Have you been treating them as "if's"?

What changes do you need to make in the way you, pray, decide, prioritize, & lead those around you in your life?

Just a bloggish thought...

Matt

Big League Leadership Thought - Integrity & Priorities

By far one of the greatest struggles I face right now is in the area of integrity. What i mean by integrity is the idea of "oneness throughout," - down to the core. I feel like I have so many irons in the fire all at the same time that you begin to feel this "scattered" thing start to creep in. I feel like I am having so many conversations on so many levels with so many people that the thing begins to feel skizophrenic in a way. I don't know. Perhaps that's all part of the "releasing thing" that has to happen in order for people to reach their full potential as leaders inside NLC!

I know that I have to protect my solitude that's for sure. The higher up you go, the more quiet you have to have in your life. I know it's just not optional for me right now. I need Jesus in a big, big way. And that means I've got to shut off the noise more often.

It's a struggle to maintain focus on so many levels all at one time. it's weird because in the early days of church planting you have to be a generalist. Then as the thing gets bigger you have the ability to stay more speicific, but I feel like where I find myself now is this place of a "focus by necessity." I don't have the luxury to be as scattered as I once was.

(I recognize that these are rather scattered thoughts, so sorry about that... hopefully a nugget will jump out at you)

I am anxious to revisit a list Mike read to me at lunch about 4 weeks ago he found in a book written by the leadership of Grainger Community Church (which is where we got the whole "mycrappysexlife.com" idea. They did "mylamesexlife.com" Yeah, those guys). The list was basicaly "5 Things that only the Senior Pastor can do." Here goes from memory.

1. Cast Vision for the Organization.

2. Commuicate the Word of God effectively.

3. Love his wife and kids like they need to be loved.

4. Take care of himself.

5. Drink deeply from the well of God on behalf of the church.

May my days be centered around the reality of those 5 statements in the days ahead. Only then will I have the ability to live in true "integrity."

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

The Importance of Drinking Deeply

Nothing can take the place of drinking deeply from the well of God. This morning I found myself at a rather dry place and rather than doing what is typical Matt fashion, (which is running into the fray and busyness of my day,) I drove to the Bell Tower Shops, sat down outside of Blackhawk Coffee Shop, all alone and connected with Jesus.

There is an instrumental CD on my iPod that has really been ministering to me lately. It was done several years ago by a friend of mine that I have lost touch with, but I can’t even begin to tell you how just listening to instrumental worship began to still my soul.

Psalm 23 says “He leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul.” I experienced that this morning.

I was able to open up the Bible and read from Proverbs and Psalms and understand how God’s love is unfailing (Psalm 107). He helps the sick, the lost, the bound & the mighty by supplying just what they have need of.

I was challenged in my personal growth by a chapter on Character in a John Maxwell book I'm reading.

I know that my day will bring with it stresses, pressures, decisions and scenarios that will REQUIRE the wisdom of God. I’m so thiankful for a moment in time, away from the hecticness of life, to connect with Jesus.

Jesus modeled this for us by escaping to the mountain to pray. I think he understood something, didn’t He, about needing to Drink Deeply from the well of the Holy Spirit?  To allow God a chance to "Restore His Soul."

So what about you? Are you taking time to pull away from the craziness of your life for a few moments and be still and know that He is God, and you don’t have to be?  Make time for it today... you won't regret it.

I’m so glad I did…

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

Next Level Church's Newest Staff Member

On Sunday, June 17th, Next Level Church took a huge step forward! If you were't able to be in church on Sunday, then you didn't hear the announcement of the newest member of the NLC Staff: Our New Executive Pastor, Scott Drummond. Scott is a veteran of ministry and has served as the Senior Pastor of Grace Community Church in Grove City, OH for the past 11 years. Scott actually grew up in that church and then took over as the Senior Pastor in 1996 upon graduating from Bible college.

Kirsten (Scott's wife) is a school teacher who works with Special Needs, Elementary Age kids. She was recently hired by Six Mile Charter Academy and will start this fall. Scott and Kirsten have 2 kids, Josh and Matthew (9 & 7). They were in NLC Kids yesterday and loved it! (Of course, we do have the best bag of candy ever for 1st time kids!)

Scott and Kirsten have been 2 of our best friends for the last few years. Sarah and I have vacationed with them several times and just love spending time with them! We definitely share a heart, vision & passion for ministry with them!!! It's amazing.

I believe the people a leader surrounds themselves with will make or break them on a number of levels. And I am so excited to be adding Scott to the NLC Leadership Team. His experience, passion & heart for people is going to truly take NLC to the Next Level!! Scott has a heart for people on an individual level that is going to be a huge asset to NLC! Scott will be transitioning in to the leadership of our Connection Groups at NLC! I know he has a huge vision for leadership development and multiplication!

I know that the Vision of Next Level Church is a huge one! God has given us a unique voice in Southwest Florida that we believe has the potential to speak into the lives of thousands of people in the coming years! I believe Scott and Kirsten are going to be a huge piece of that equation. They will be relocating in the next couple of weeks and then attempting to settle in to their new surroundings by mid-July. Be sure to encourage them if and when you see them around NLC!

The future looks bright at NLC... that's for blogging sure!

Matt

My Birthday Bloggish Thoughts

Greetings my Bloggish friends,

I greet you from my 32nd birthday! There is good news for all of you who have failed to heed the warnings I posted at the beginning of June about my Birthday Bloggish Wish List (scroll down to review)... I celebrate my birthday all month long, so, you still have time to acquire and give the Perfect Bloggish Gift for yours truly. (I understand that soliciting birthday presents with a blog site is completely ridiculous and self-serving and unethical and probably illegal in 32 states, but, hey, that's a chance I'm willing to take.)

Anyway, I do have some serious Birthday Bloggish thoughts to throw your direction I have been pondering this impending day for the last week or so now. they are as follows...

On my 32nd Birthday, I'm Thankful...

1. That some really great big rocks are in place in my life. Like a great wife of 10 1/2 years. 2 kids who I love and can't wait to watch grow. An amazing church, (the healthiest I've ever had the privilege of being a part of,) a great team around me that I get to do life with everyday, some amazing young leaders who are willing to grow and learn from me, and a really bright future ahead.


2. for some amazingly great friends. I can't believe that I get to rub shoulders (or at least cell phone calls) with some world changers in the church world across the country. I got to speak with 3 of them yesterday alone. Great friends and mentors who know how to sow good seeds into good soil in my life. Thanks you guys.


3. for just an awesome church I get to serve. There is just no where else on the planet that I would rather be investing my life then with the people of Next Level Church of Southwest Florida. You are some of the freshest, most genuine, life-giving people I've ever met! There isn't a Sunday that goes by that I don't think to myself, "I can't believe I get to attend this church!" Thanks for letting me be a part of it.


4. for great friends. It's the people you do life deeply with who will make or break you. I am humbled everyday that I get to serve, connect and grow with these guys!

On m 32nd Birthday, I surprised that...

1. I'm still so prone to "less than godly" tendencies. I really thought I would have a better handle on some little things like anger, or jealousy, or insecurity, you know. I'm amazed at how quickly and subtly those things can creap up in me.


2. My wife is so stinkin' patient with me. She's just a great woman! Sarah truly does complete me in every way! I love that woman like crazy! It's hard to believe that almost 16 years after our first "date" God has brought us this far! I love you baby!


3. People so sacrificially serve the vision of God for NLC! There is no more humbling experience than to see dozens and dozens of people who have caught the vision of NLC and willingly sacrifice and give, and serve and move and love and devote so much of themselves to it on a weekly basis. That never ceases to amaze me in so many ways! Thank you everyone for making the NLC vision what it is today!


4. God continues to be so merciful to me. I just can't believe that He continues to pour Himself out on me in so many ways. I can't believe He lets me do this for a living! Thanks Jesus for your mercy, I'm more aware of it than ever.

Well, I'm off to celebrate my day, and mow my yard, and change the filter in my air conditioner, etc.

Just some Birthday Bloggish Thoughts,

Matt

Checkers and Forgiveness

Last night before bed, Will and I played 2 games of checkers and it was a ton of fun. Well, sure enough, when Drew (his little brother) saw us, he said he wanted to play too. So right before bed, Drew and I wrote a note to remind us to play Checkers in the morning. Well that didn't sit too well with the 6 year old.

So this morning about 6:57 am, I hear Will get up and come in our room. He lays there for a minute and then asks if he can go do something. I say "sure buddy" and he runs out. He comes back in a minute and looks like he has seen a ghost. Then Drew’s door opens. So I ask Will if he did something to wake up his brother and he is just standing there all pale and looking guilty. So I look at Sarah and almost laughing ask again, “Will, what did you just go and do?” and he says something like, “Nothing, why do you want to know?” to which I am like laughing inside, going, “Come on buddy what are you trying to hide?” "What did you do?"

After about a minute, he finally confesses that he took the note that Drew and I had written to remind us to play checkers the next morning. And I mean you would have thought that he had eaten the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden or something. He was “guilty as charged.” I was so proud of him for actually being honest and confessing it which was cool. So I knew I needed to seize the teachable moment.

at 7:00 am... (there's nothing like parenting!)

So I say, “What’s going on in your heart buddy?” And he starts to say that he doesn’t want Drew to play with his checkers game. So we talked about having an Abundance Mentality and that he wouldn’t like it if he went to a friend’s house and they wouldn’t let him play with their playstation or something. He agreed. So I asked him about what he needed to do to clean up his heart and he said, ‘Get the weeds out.” (Which was really cute by the way…)

So I said, “How do we do that?” and he said, “Ask forgiveness.” “From whom?” He replied, ‘From God’ “and…” “from you and Drew.” So right there at 7:05 am in the morning, he asks Drew to forgive him and then me and then he prays the cutest prayer I’ve probably ever heard: “Jesus, I’m sorry I hid the note, please forgive me and cleanse my heart of the weeds.”

Then he had to go get the game and set it up for Drew and I to play. That was hard. Making restitution. He didn’t want to do it, but he did it and I was so proud of him. He sat there the whole time watching his brother and I play checkers and not getting to play… But his heart was clean and you could tell he felt great.

On our way to school I revisited the whole incident and let him know how proud I was of him for all that he had done that morning. I told him how we as people are going to make mistakes and hurt people and sin. Then I told him that if he could learn this lesson of keeping a real short leash on his heart and not letting sin go too long without asking for forgiveness and making it right with those we wrong, that it would be the greatest lesson of his life.

I think his comment was, “Dad, look at that bird flying up there!!!” I think he got it! At least I hope so. I know that at 32 years old, I’m still trying to get it. I’m glad he’s starting early.

Just a bloggish thought...

Matt

One Great Lunch with Josh Quigley

One of the greatest joys of my life is getting to go to work everyday with some really amazing people. If there's one thing I've learned in the last 15 years of ministry, it's that team is everything! Team will make or break you. Period. I can't even tell you how great of a team God continues to assemble here at NLC. I got to have lunch today with our Programming Director, Josh Quigley. We spent about 90 minutes together, and I laughed harder and thought more than I have in a while. He was just full of one liners that were both histerical and challenging all at the same time.

Josh' responsibilities at NLC are huge. He is basically in charge of everything that you see and don't see inside of the Auditorium environments every weekend! Josh is the lead visionary & director over all of our Worship, Video, Production, Sound & Programming Departments. He is the go-to guy for everything Technical at NLC. Josh makes me and the entire NLC staff look great in so many ways! I can't even begin to brag on how great of a blessing Josh "Quigs" is to our church! He's truly an NLC Superstar in so many ways!

During our lunch today he made a statement that has rocked me all day... He said: "It's not that Satan is all that smart, he just keeps a good log book." He went on to explain that so often Satan will simply use the same issues that we have struggled with and dealt with sometimes for decades or even generations and simply keep bringing them up and throwing them in our face, time after time. Wow. How true is that? We have all known someone who just couldn't seem to "get victory" over a particular sin. and every time they turn around, it seems to be rearing it's ugly head again.

What about us? Is there some "sin" or "vice" that you have a propensity toward from your past? If so, what are you doing about it? Are you aggressively pursuing healing, deliverance and freedom from it? Or is it continuing to lurk in the shadows of your life somewhere? Great thoughts, huh? I can't tell you how great it is to have such a wonderful & spiritual leader overseeing so many of the key departments that make NLC what it is! thanks Josh,

Oh yeah, & Josh, "Keep Smilin'!" thanks for a great lunch my friend,

Matt

(Just some bloggish thoughts on team for ya...)

Some Monday Morning, "Wrestling" thoughts...

Hey everyone,

it was sure great being back in the Big House yesterday with all of you NLC-ites. I can't believe we're already into the summer season. I'm pumped about the "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" Series that begins June 24th! Every week is going to be dynamite!

On a personal note, one of the books I'm currently reading is: The Gospel According to Starbucks by Leonard Sweet. I really like Leonard Sweet, he thinks about stuff nobody else thinks about. Here are a few of the big thoughts that I'm wrestling with right now:

• There is a whole section on what he calls "The Well-Curving of Society." The idea is that the "Bell-Curve" days of society are gone... Big Middle, small extremes. We are now living in the Opposite State: Big Extremes, small Middle. He has a whole section of the book that gives examples of this. Like:
  
  
  
  • No company beginning today would think of naming themselves: General Electric, General Motors, or General Foods today.
  
  
  • Sales of Mid-sized TV's are lagging, but Big Screens and Small Handhelds (think Video iPods) are on the rise.
  
  
  • The Middle Class of America is shrinking (Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki wrote a book on this recently) but the poor and upper classes are gaining momentum.
  
  
  • Even sports is drifting toward the extremes: What kid doesn't want to rock climb, bungee jump, wake board, moutain bike, or skateboard.
  
  
  
  Where this gets interesting for me is when I begin to filter our faith through that lense. People aren't looking for safe, middle of the road Christianity any longer. They want extreme, on the edge radical Christianity that causes us to push past what is reasonable and safe, and move toward what contains risk and adventure.

What about us? Where do we find our faith? In the safe middle, or on an extreme that pushes our comfort zone?

• "Is God a reality to be experienced or a belief to be remembered?" I love this quote! It's so easy to turn our faith into just something we believe, rather than something we experience with our whole lives! How are we doing at that? Are we living the experience that is God daily? Or are we just content to have an intellectualized version of Him existant in our lives? (Wow, that's intense... Give yourself permission to wrestle with that for a minute.)


• "If faith is not both an engagement and an experience, then it's little more than a good idea... or an argument. And who is looking for another argument? Did Jesus die to win an argument? Did Jesus die to give us a better position paper?" Are you kiddin' me? That's just ridiculous!!! I have been near some Christians who really believe that the essence of Christianity is simply about arguments and retoric. That makes me sick. My staff knows that one of the things I'm known to say is: "Never mistake those who talk about ministry with those who are actually doing it!" Sweet contends that Christianity is the same way... So what about us? ? Is Jesus just something we talk about? Or are we actually engaging in the life that is truly life?

Just some bloggish thoughts... (not bad for a Monday morning...)

Pastor Matt

My Final Stop on the Train - Kansas City (& St. Louis)

The final stop for me this year on my study break/ vacation/ church planting coaching trip was with Timmy Gibson, pastor of OlatheLifeFellowship just outside of Kansas City, KS.  Timmy and his wife Jana started the church in January of 2003 and meet in a High School that seats close to 1,000 (just like we do…).

I consider Timmy a peer and friend in ministry that I was anxious to get to know on a more personal level then just the last few years at the ARC Church Planting Conferences.  Man, am I glad that I got to spend 2 days with them in their city and in their home.

First, Timmy and I come from a similar background of Youth Ministry.  We share a passion for our generation (although he’s “a lot” older than me, 38…) and reaching the emerging generation with the Gospel in a relevant and life-giving way.

Second, Timmy’s church is roughly the same size as ours.  This makes for amazing conversation, b/c he can totally relate to the struggles, pressures, and issues that I’m dealing with.  I can’t tell you how great it is to find someone who is on the same plane as I am in church work.

Third, Timmy sees life so much the same as I do… same frustrations, questions, issues, & pursuits.

Here are a few thoughts that jumped out at me as to the way Timmy and Jana live their lives:

1.  He is extremely missional in his everyday life.  It seemed like everywhere we went, he was telling someone about their church, inviting them, or giving them an invite card to OLF.  Wow.  I was so challenged (again, as I’ve mentioned in the past couple of weeks of blogs) to really start viewing my life through a more missional lense.

2.  He and Jana have a great marriage.  Just like Sarah & I, they are passionately in love with each other and it shows at every level.  It certainly made me so thankful for all that Sarah and I have as well.  Timmy and I see all things marriage & passion & romance the same!  It was awesome to talk with him about all that!

3.  They have great kids.  Their  2 kids (their daughter, Shaeyley, 9, & their son, Vandon, 5, made me miss my kids big time.  They’re great.  (We all got to drive across the state of Missouri to St. Louis for a Cardinals Game last night and they were absolute troopers!)  Thanks Shae & Vandon for making my 16th stadium amazing!

4.  Timmy was so quick to get vulnerable with me.  As I mentioned he and I had never spent a lot of time together before these 2 days, and from the moment I arrived, he and I pushed past any perceived awkwardness and just got real and vulnerable with each other.  It was great to talk about everything from church to pressures, to temptations, to money, etc with Timmy.  He truly lives authentically.

5.  Timmy has wisdom.  It was fun to mine out wisdom from him.  He’s been around ministry for as long as I have, and has went through some really tough stuff (like I have) and it was cool to share those stories and experiences.

All in all, I had a great 2 days in Kansas City and appreciate Timmy and Jana for opening up their home and their lives to me and road-tripping to a baseball game! (“Hey guys, remember that one time when the police chased us at 3 am and Timmy outran them??? Kind of…”)  Long story.  That’s a whole other blog altogether!!!

A Couple of Leadership Challenge Questions for you:

1.  ?  How are you doing at living Missionally?  Who have you told lately about your relationship with Christ?

2.  ? How’s the relational zones of your life right now?  What needs work?  Where are you slackin’ or taking someone important in your life for granted?

3.  ? Who in your life are you “getting vulnerable” with?  Who knows the real you?

4.  ? Who in your world are you “mining wisdom” from?

May we, just like Timmy Gibson, live more missional, authentic lives in the coming days as young leaders… I can’t wait to see all of you this weekend at NLC!

…just some bloggish thoughts…

Matt

Next Level Church - New Hampshire

What a great 2 days I had in New England with Josh and Jennifer Gagnon, pastors of Next Level Church of New Hampshire (NLC-NH). I flew into Boston, MA on Saturday morning and Josh picked me up at the Airport. From there we went downtown to Fenuiel Hall which has an open air walkway, and a Memorial to the Millions of Holocaust Victims. Wow. What a powerful moment for me to see the “numbers” of the millions of Jews who were killed in the Concentration Camps in Nazi Germany. It was truly overwhelming for me.

We headed to Fenway Park, had some lunch and got to experience all that is Fenway, an historic, monument to America’s pastime. Truly an amazing memory…

And now for Next Level Church – New Hampshire…

Sunday morning was great… Josh and Jen picked me up @ 7:40 am and we made our way over to the Movie Theater where they have church. I can’t even tell you how fun it was to be back in a movie theater. It brought back some amazing memories of the 200 Sundays we did at the Bell Tower theaters. They have 25 to 30 great, faithful set up crew who have great attitudes and love what God is up to at NLC-NH.

After everything is set up, all of the set up crew gather in the main Auditorium for a time of worship and preparing their hearts for about 20 – 25 minutes. It was really cool to just see people disconnecting from set up and getting ready to serve people as they come in.

The service began at 10 am, and they had about 115 people there. Worship was great, with about 11 people on their team, Josh did a few announcements and then we showed our 5 year anniversary Video as part of my introduction.

I spoke from I Samuel 16 about David and Goliath and how I believe that God is raising up a new generation of leaders to take the church of Jesus Christ into the coming decades. You can listen to the message on their website: www.NextLevelChurch.net It should be up in a few days or so...

I had a chance to meet with about 18 of their leaders for a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon. It was supposed to be a cookout, but it was rainy, overcast and 53 degrees. I could totally see my breath which was crazy. I was stinkin’ cold, to say the least. So we moved the meeting inside the house.

I shared with them a half dozen principles that I wish I would have known when our church was 5 months old. It was great to interact and field so many of the leaders’ questions.

Sunday evening I met with Josh and Jennifer for 2 ½ hours and gave them about 2 pages of notes and ideas I had on how they could improve their environments and set themselves up to grow big time.

All in all, the leaders at NLC-NH are doing a great job! They have all of the big rocks in place and are now set to tweek their environments and take their church and impact to the Next Level!

Because I know there are alot of young leaders who read this blog, I wanted to share a few of the leadership principles I stressed with them in order to go from 100 to 250 as a church:

1. The size of structure you want to build will determine the foundation you need to lay. If you want to build a backyard shed, you only need a few inches of concrete as a foundation. If you want to build a single story house, you need about 16 inches, to build a skyscraper, you need 50-80 feet of concrete as a foundation. Boston was the perfect illustration of this for us. I encouraged Josh and Jen to focus their time and attention on building the foundation more than “above the surface” results right now.

2. If you don’t have a strong enough foundation, and you try to build something too big, then the structure will eventually fall. The right foundation is key. If you try and put a skyscraper on a single story slab, it won’t stand the test of time. The same is true with a church. In order to see a "big vision" come to pass, you've got to have the foundation that can sustain it.

3. Focus on Systems and Leadership Development. At 100 people, the church can and should feel like "One Big Family," but as it grows to 200 or 250, the church has to begin to take on more of the feel of an actual "Organization." Families can be "rough around the edges" and we still forgive and smile and say things like, "Oh, that's just Uncle Roy..." (We all had an Uncle Roy didn't we?) But as a church grows the expectations for systems and excellence begin to grow and advance as well. Scheduling of workers, volunteers, and set up crews becomes huge at this point, b/c the load will begin to increase as well. The likelihood of burnout becoming an issue is a real deal.

4. It's not about "Doing things right" as much as it is about learning to become the Right things. I really emphasized the idea that "church growth" doesn't happen because we "do" the right things as much as it is a by-product of our Becoming the right things, and believing the right things in our hearts, and then letting that change the way we "do" ministry and church, thus giving us diferent outcomes. This is the whole "Beliefs determine Decisions, Decisions determine Outcomes" stuff that Andy Stanley teaches so well. What's true for individuals is true for churches.

5. Our #1 responsibility as leaders is to "Create Reality" for our people. I gave an illustration to their leaders about a Sunset that I think is so powerful when it comes to creating an effective leadership culture in their church. I said that Josh and Jennifer as the "Senior Leaders" of the church have a vision of what they see God wanting to do in their church. In other words, it's like they see a beautiful Sunset in their mind. However, the catch of leadership is that all of the people around you have the paintbrushes.

So... our job as the "senior leader" is to try and explain the sunset we see in our mind to the people who have the brushes to paint it into reality. Here's where it gets tricky. The essence of creating a Life-Giving Culture in a new church is a messy one. Because the people will not paint the picture right every time. The senior leader tries to describe what he sees, then the people try and paint. It's this tedious and arduous process of paint, erase, repaint. Paint, erase, repaint.

I talked to them at length about creating a culture of grace in their leadership level of their church so that when Josh and Jennifer come to them and want "less purple," or "more blue" in the painting, it's not offensive or hurtful, it's just that they're the ones who have been given the picture of the sunset in their mind that God wants for them to paint, and the lay leadership are the ones who are called to paint it. (I hope that makes sense)

From Tiger Woods to Fenway Park

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that the next stop on my study break/vacation took me to Boston, MA and Fenway Park, Home of the Boston Red Sox. Of course, most of you know that I'm a huge baseball fan, and since moving to Southwest Florida have become a big Red Sox fan b/c they spring trainin Fort Myers.

I also have a goal to see a Major League Baseball Game in every stadium in the majors, and up until Saturday, I was at 14 out of 30. Fenway Park makes #15, and let me tell you it was truly like nothing I've ever experienced before. Here are a few of the high points:

1. The Fans. -There is such a thing called "Red Sox Nation" and on Saturday I was a part of it! Big Time! These people are crazy about "their sox." They love them, defend them, eat and sleep them, and bleed Sox Red, that's for sure. It was intense.


2. The Ballpark itself. - Fenway Park is the 2nd oldest ballpark in the Majors, behind Wrigley Field in Chicago where the Cubs play. Having grown up going to Wrigley I knew that today's trip to Fenway would have a similar atmosphere. and indeed it did. The stadium was built in 1912, the year the Titanic sank, (just for a reference point) and the ballpark definitely lacks the amenities of the modern day baseball parks we've become accustomed to. However, what Fenway lacks in amenities, it more than makes up for in charm. It was just beautiful. Quaint, personal, and intimate. all great characteristics of a great ballpark!


3. The Reason. - So the reason I'm in New England is because I'm speaking at Next Level Church on Sunday. No, not Next Level Church of Southwest Florida, but Next Level Church of New Hampshire. They are a church plant that began 5 months ago and are meeting in a Movie Theater. I have been doing alot of coaching with the pastor and am spending a couple of days encouraging their people, meeting with their leaders and getting to know Josh and Jennifer Gagnon. (I'll talk more about my time at NLC - New Hampshire in tomorrow's blog.)


4. The actual game. - The game itself was one of the best I've seen in a long time. The Red Sox played their arch rivals the New York Yankees and beat them 11 - 6. It was a game for the history books.


5. The Team. - The Red Sox are currently the best team in baseball and have a great chance to make it to the World Series again this year, after winning it in 2004. What a privilege to see them at home against the Yanks, and win! Sweet.


6. The Seats. - So it's probably an understatement when I say that getting tickets to a high profile game like this one was hard to do. Well, thankfully our boy Pastor Josh Gagnon has a hook up, or sold a kidney, or mortgaged a house recently, b/c we sat 4 rows up from the field just down from the Yankees dugout. Let me put it this way, the 3rd baseman for the Yankees, Alex Rodriguez, could hear us (I mean those in our section) heckling him the entire game! At one point he looked over at us, (I mean them) and gave us (them) this look like, "will you punks knock it off already!" Believe me when I say, Red Sox Nation is something to behold.

I have to tell you there is nothing like a baseball game to help me relax and unwind from the pressures and stresses of the last few months. It was great to have Fenway Park be #15 on my "Tour of America's Pastime..."

I can't wait to tell you about Next Level Church of New Hampshire, stay tuned tomorrow.

Oh yeah, don't worry, the baseball illustrations will be flowing upon my return to Southwest Florida... You can count on it!

Thanks for reading my Baseball Bloggish Thoughts,

Matt

The Official Announcement: June 15th is my Birthday!!!

Alright, last year, I stayed real low key about my birthday, but this year... no can do!!! 2 Weeks from today is my birthday! That's right, I'll be 32 years old and I am going to be celebrating the entire month of June!!!

Please feel free to begin thinking / praying about what it is that you'll be getting me this year. Here are my Most Current Top 5 List of Birthday Wants:

1. Restaruant Gift Cards - For the wife and I to go out to dinner or lunch with. It's a great relationship builder! A quality investment in your pastor.

2. Clothing Store Gift Cards - Express is at the top of the list, GAP is a close second, Old Navy is in the Top 3, Target does rule the school as well, etc.

3. Electronics Store Gift Cards - Best Buy, COMP USA, etc. I'm definitely a gadget guy and this fills that need fairly well!

4. Bookstore Gift Cards - Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, etc. I love to read so bring on the books

5. Generalized VISA Gift Cards - These are just home runs cause then I can do whatever I want with them!

In closing this bloggish thought, I have chosen to leave you with a Bible Verse (Forgive me Lord for my selfish motives here...)

"You have not because you ask not..."

May that not be said of me this year in my birthday month! Thanks for thinking of me while shopping this month!

Just a Birthday, Bloggish Thought,

Matt

Dealing with Feelings of Inadequacy

Anytime I get away, I love to take several books with me so that I can devour as much information as I can. (Bill Hybels calls it a "Study Break." A time every year when a pastor gets away from the rigors of the weekly routine and can rest, relax, reflect, study, pray, connect with God, and reconnect with the big picture of what God is up to in their life and church.) This year, one of the books I'm reading is "Confessions of a Pastor" by Craig Groeschel. It's a great book that I think every person at NLC should read. (Trust me, this won't be the last time you hear about it...)

Basically, Craig gives 10 confessions that he (& so many other Christians) deal with. Confession #7 is: I feel Completely Inadequate. He talks with great candor about how he never feels "good enough" to do what God has called him to do. I wanted to just give you a couple of quotes from the chapter and my thoughts on them:

1. "I live everyday with the fear that I won't be able to pull it all off." Ever feel that way? I know I do, alot of the time. There is this underriding fear that someone will realize that "We're just making it up as we go?" Especially when it comes to what God is doing at NLC! As I said in my message on Mother's Day (5.6.07), my wife and I constantly feel this way when it comes to the church! We are so humbled by the lives that God is changing on a weekly basis, it blows us away. What a privilege to see God use us this way. Perhaps you feel that way too. When you look at your life, or career, or connection group, or ministry area, you realize: "This is all God." I think maybe that is God's hope.


2. "God specializes in accomplishing His plans through unlikely people." I love that about God. He never seems to carry out His Will the way you think He should. Do you ever catch yourself saying things like: "If I were God I would..." but aren't you glad you aren't. And how many times in the end, are you glad that God didn't do it like you initially thought it should be done? I am so thankful for the mercy of God that allows me daily to be apart of God "accomplishing His plans" on the earth.

Just a few bloggish thoughts...

Matt