Something I just learned and taught the staff

A few weeks before Christmas, Dave and I drove to Indiana to Granger Community Church to listen and learn from Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel for a day.  It was an awesome event and well worth the trip.   

Below is a picture from the day as well as my biggest takeaways.  (I taught all this stuff to the staff a few days later.)

Some of the coolest points of learning from the day:

1) To reach people no one else is reaching, we have to do things no one else is doing.  "We have 175,000 people within 10 miles of North Point, and we aren't reaching them. We aren't going to reach them by building another church building. We have to do something no one else is doing."  -  Andy Stanley

• Become preoccupied with those you want to reach rather than those you are trying to keep.
• Church isn't about making people happy; it is about reaching people far from God.  (OH YEAH, I am loving that thought.)

2) The best idea for reaching the next generation isn't going to come from the existing generation, it's going to come from the next generation.

• If you are over 45 years old, you aren't going to have any good ideas. It's your job to recognize the good ideas.  (Don't be offended. This is from a guy over 45.)
• Don't do to the next generation what the previous generation did to you.
• Be a student, not a critic.

3) I'm looking for what can't be done in church, but if it could be done would fundamentally change the church.

• Pay attention to people who are breaking the rules. It's the rule-breakers who are oftentimes the problem solvers.

4) The problem with most churches is we fall in love with the way we do ministry.  Therefore we don't solve problems; we live with our problems.   (OUCH!!)

5) When your memories exceed your dreams, the end is near. You look back with smiles and lots to celebrate, but you don't have a lot to look forward to.

• Are you willing to be involved in the future more than the present?
• Don't let success overshadow your vision.
• Success breeds complacency, and complacency breeds failure.

6)  The best thing a leader can ever bring is his/her energy.

•     If the leader is not enthusiastic about the mission, his/her people won't be either.

7)  Don't be that old couch.  Many times churches keep programs that are no longer helpful.  Like keeping an old ugly piece of furniture just because it has nostalgia to you.  If a program is old and isn't helpful, cut it loose.  Don't become attached to anything that is not producing results. 

8)  Success doesn't happen by accident.  It happens through continuous, systematic, unfiltered evaluation.  No one and nothing is off limits.   

•  In the business world if the product isn’t making money, it is cut or changed.

9)  The most successful churches in the country are the ones with the least amount of programs.  Keep it simple, stupid. 

• If we want to really reach people we must keep our programs streamlined and simple: 
  
• We do weekend services, small groups, Celebrate Recovery, The Cellar, Church planting/ multi-site; (coming soon: Youth Ministry)  and that is about all.  That way we do a few things very well rather than 25 things poorly.

WHAT COOL STUFF!!  THE CROSSING IS HEADED FOR AWESOME, AWESOME THINGS!!