Wednesday is for Leadership – May 6, 2009

I’m going to post the new E-mail series I’m sending to the leaders of the church. I’m posting it here if you’d like to look over my shoulder as I participate with the church I serve in fully devoted lives for Christ:

Every Wednesday I’d like to share with the staff, Church Council, and Vision team some of the things I’ve been learning and what I’ve been reading. It is my hope that we will learn and grow together as a team in order to help our church become what God desires. This is not a private E-mail so feel free to pass it along to anyone you’d like.

I just finished reading Axiom, a book of leadership axioms by Bill Hybels, the founding pastor and Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church. It was recommended by Bryan Collier, founding pastor and Senior Pastor of The Orchard – a United Methodist Church in Tupelo, MS. Bryan spoke to the Connected in Christ group of which I was a part last week and since I already had this book on my shelf I went ahead and read it. One amazing passage spoke to me and has caused me to dream a little bit this week.

One of the most amazing gifts that God gives people is the ability to think creatively. So when things get stale at a church, it is a fair bet that God is not to blame. Usually it’s that church leaders don’t carve out the time, establish the right environment, and rally the requisite energy to think new thoughts.

“What would we do to advance the kingdom of God if there was nothing to stop us from doing it?”

What if we had no family obligations, no job stresses, no time constraints, no budgetary or personnel or facility restrictions, and no fear of failure? What would we do then? – Hybels, Axiom, 131

I’d like for you to take five minutes and think about what you, personally, might do if you knew there was nothing to stop you. Would you climb Mt. Everest? Would you sail around the world? What would that dream look like if I asked you to consider dreaming about what the church would look like if you were able to pursue a goal if there was nothing to stop you or us from doing it?

The next, reasonable question is, “What do we think it is that prohibits us from pursuing that dream?”

I’ll be back in your in-box next week.

May God bless you with enormous dreams,

Matthew