What Wise People Know

Last week I was given the opportunity by Christian Reformed Home Missions to attend Church Planting Leadership Fellowship (CPLF). This is a gathering of church leaders are involved in church revitalization and planting. I have attended this gathering about 7 times in the last few years and have found it to be very helpful.

One of the featured teachers at this last gathering was Larry Osborne of North Coast Church in California. Part of his talk was on leadership wisdom. I think that what he offered is helpful to both church planters and to pastors of established churches as we do our work. It is also helpful to coaches and councils as they set out realistic expectations. Here are some of the notes from Larry’s talk.

• Leadership Wisdom:
  • Wise People live in the world of the possible, too many live in the world of the ideal and it breaks the spirit.
    • Church planters are crushed under the weight of unrealistic growth expectations both in terms of numbers and spiritual growth
      • remind planters that most church plants (80%) never break 200
  • Wise people know that most people on stage (Exponential, Willow Conferences) are huge in the area of leadership gifts. Most other people don't have those same gifts. Instead of demanding planters have those gifts, allow planters to own and use the gifts they have.
    • Note: You can't put into someone what doesn't exist, you can only we pull out what is there. We believe that information and experience will change a person (Skinner B.F.), but you can't pull stuff out of person, if they have never have built something, they won't do it etc.
  • Wise people know that healthy things do not always grow and multiply. What actually grows all of the time are things low on the food chain, other things grow and decline. We stop growing when we reach our right size. For church planters the question is, "What is God's right size for this congregation and for me?"
    • Notes:
      • Church planters try to put their churches on steroids when they don't grow the way they want. Steroids make churches unhealthy.
      • Deep in our American thinking is that we can grow to any size we want and get whatever size we want: this sends people into depression.
      • We need to learn from Romans 12, "Don't think of yourself more highly than you ought."
  • Wise people know the NT Church was seriously messed up
    • It is crazy to want a NT Church, even the Acts 2 church was disobedient by not bringing the gospel to the world. It took persecution to get them on mission
      • Most church planters don't understand the fallenness of the world and so they believe their church is unique in its lack of commitment.
  • Wise people know that not all church planters are made to create a movement. Some people are gifted this way, but others are not. Planters live with guilt and feel like failures because they don't do all they are told. Planters need to live in the freedom of their gift and have realistic expectations. Planters die trying to be what Jesus never made them to be.  
  • Wise Planters Plant the Church they would like to go to: It is the only church they are gifted to plant and the only one they can do authentically, it is the only one God gifted them to plant.
  • Wise people understand the difference between potential and calling: A blind spot is that all have is we believe we have to live up to our potential. Our potential and calling are different things (if you want to live up to your potential the only way to do so is stay single—See Paul in 1 Corinthians). Once you marry, have children, etc. your calling changes. These people are part of your calling. The more needs that present themselves in your family systems, the more this takes away from your potential in the church plant. This fulfilling of a complete calling is a godly thing.
  • Wise people know encouragement comes when we undercut the messages and myths of our culture: myths of growth, success, power...we need to blow up these voices
  • Wise people shepherd the Sheep you have, they don't use them to get more sheep: we put the sheep to work to get the church we want, but that forces people away. Take care of people and let the chips fall where they may.
  • Wise People are  flexible: It is great to have a plan...but then tomorrow comes
  • Wise People kill the perks: live like a regular person, beware the perks of ministry.
  • Wise People watch out for gift projection: pastors can be ahead of their congregations in spiritual growth, they become impatient with the lack of progress and push hard for change--they get angry at their people.

So what wisdom would you add to the list as you’ve either planted, brought renewal to your church, or sought to do ministry in a wise way?