Church planting isn’t always sexy.

It’s not always sexy to NOT own your own building.

It’s not always sexy when you don’t offer a program for everything under the sun.

It’s not always sexy to have wheels on every piece of equipment that your church owns.

It’s not always sexy to have to set up and tear down every week for 3 hours to have church for 1 hour.

It’s not always sexy to have all of your leadership meetings around a kitchen table.

It’s not always sexy to have to drive to Kinko’s to make your copies.

It’s not always sexy when you have more people on stage than in the seats.

It’s not always sexy to not have a permanent church sign that you can put catchy phrases on it like, “God answers knee-mail.”

It’s not always sexy to be one week away from bottoming out financially.

It’s not always sexy to have to recruit someone 5 minutes before the service for “clicker duty.”

It’s not always sexy when the guy pulling the trailer oversleeps on Sunday morning.

Church planting is not always sexy…but yet I still find her incredibly attractive!

If there’s one thing that I have learned in church planting, it’s the concept that…some will, some won’t.

Some will be fired up about the vision of your church…some won’t

Some will be extremely committed…some won’t

Some will sacrificially give…some won’t

Some will make a decision to follow Christ…some won’t

Some will tough it out through thick and thin…some won’t

Some will have your back no matter what…some won’t

Some will still be at your church 1 year from now…some won’t

The tendency is to allow yourself to focus so much on the some won’ts that it overshadows the some will’s.

Church planting is hard work…ministry is hard work. Remember…some will, some won’t. Always encourage the won’ts to be will’s, but if they won’t, then move on to someone that will.

• 
• His motto would be, “derail the vision…you will die.”
• He’d fight through the tough times…giving up would never be an option.
• He’d bring church discipline to a whole nutha level!
• He’d speak the truth with urgency and not water down the message….ever.
• He’d break the rules in order to save just one person.
• The giving would be great because, well…who’s gonna hold back from Jack?
• He would never steer away from the mission, he would give up his life first.
• I’m thinking that Jack wouldn’t do much counseling.
• His passion would attract people to be a part of the vision…but few would pay the price and hang in there with him.
• People would have his back…because Jack always has their back!
• His church would be small, because the commitment would be great.
• He’d find a way to get the job done!

Why is it that we would think it is absolutely ridiculous for a professional sports team to compete on the field without a coach. Yet, we get up everyday to face our incredibly important profession and the thought of having a coach is often the furthest thing from our mind.

Whether you are planting a church, running your own business, or in middle-management, having a top-notch coach is the difference between winning and losing. I believe that each of us has God-given dreams and desires that often times lay dormant. Top-notch coaching will help you discover what is already inside of you and take you to places that you never dreamed possible.

Here are 5 reasons why you need to hire a top-notch coach.

1.   A top-notch coach will pay for him or herself almost immediately. 

Studies have shown that people who are coached are 65% more effective than those that aren’t coached. If you are in business, being 65% more effective, means that you have also increased your earning potential by 65%. It’s not always about the money. What about the time it would save? If you were able to increase your effectiveness and productivity that means more time that can spend with your family. 

2.   A top-notch coach will ask you the right questions.

A top-notch coach has developed the art of asking the right questions. Questions that reveal barriers and blockades that are potentially getting in your way. They know how to drill down through layers and layers of questions to get to the roots. It’s like a mining expedition and uncovering valuable gems along the way. They are asking the questions systematically, and as you are answering the questions, you are discovering solutions to your challenges. 

3.   A top-notch coach will keep you on mission and won’t allow you to drift.

A top-notch coach knows when you are side-stepping the real issue and getting off track. They see the big picture and help you establish steps to get to your goal. They keep you focused on your goals and dreams. You set the agenda, and they help you stick to it! So often, we drift. We’re drifters by nature. A good coach doesn’t let us drift too far before pulling us back.

4.   A top-notch coach is not paid to give you advice.

Coaching is not mentoring, counseling, or consulting. There is a place for all of these things, but don’t expect your coach to give you advice. That’s not what a coach does. When you are being coached, expect to expend some energy. A good coach will force you to dig deep in the recesses of your life. Be prepared to really think through your fears and failures. 

5.   A top-notch coach is a top-notch listener.

Good coaching starts with good listening. They are listening between the lines, asking discerning questions, and then listening some more. They are listening to what is being said, but also what is not being said.

Do you have a coach? How valuable has coaching been for you?

Saw this video on Chis Brogan’s blog. This is not my idea of fun. It’s dirty, it hurts, and it’s dangerous.

My idea of fishing is to stay in the boat where it’s dry, safe, & comfortable…and if someone can clean the fish for me, that’s even better.

I’m thinking that God wants us to start gettng out of the boat and into the water. He wants us to get our hands dirty and be willing to take the risk of going into the unknown. He wants us to extend our hand out to people at the risk of potentially losing it. It starts with caring more about people than about my own comfort & safety.

What are your thoughts?

This is a good video to remind us that first impressions are important…very important. Sometimes in the smallest details that are overlooked. 

What are some turn-offs that you have experienced either at church or with a business that left you as a first-time visitor with a bad taste in your mouth?

In yesterday’s post, I began sharing some things that I learned from my 18 years in the service industry that helped to prepare me for church planting. Here are some more…

• It taught me how to get things done as a team.  When I was first hired as a supervisor back in 1990, it was the first job where I was leading other people. I had a team of 5 people. Our job was to clean a 160,000 square foot department store every morning in 4 hours. I learned really quick, that the only way that this was going to be possible was if all of us worked together. I learned what did and didn’t motivate people to want to work hard. I learned how to delegate and follow up to make sure that the job got done. I learned how to make the job fun. We joked around. We laughed together. Almost every morning, after our work got done we sat down and had a cup of coffee together. We got to know one another. We were a team that enjoyed working together. 

• It taught me how to relate to people.  I remember working with one guy named Jerry. Jerry loved watching professional wrestling. I didn’t. In fact, I could care less about wrestling, but I cared about Jerry and I wanted to be able to relate to him. So I would try my best to keep up with the popular wrestlers and who beat who so that I could share in his excitement. I was relating to Jerry. One of the biggest things that I learned was how to relate differently to different people. It comes down to getting to know people. What makes them tick. What are their passions. What motivates them. After you get to know them, help them achieve their goals. Talk to them about what excites them. Get into their world. That’s what relating is all about.

• It taught me the value of promoting from within. No doubt, the best leaders that I had in my organization were the leaders that started out part-time and worked their way up through the ranks. They understood the culture of our company better than anybody.  Our best supervisors were our previous part time employees and our best managers were our previous supervisors. In fact, I can only count a few times where hiring leaders from the outside actually panned out. It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t ever hire anyone from the outside, but it does mean that you should always look within first. 

God is preparing you today for what He has for you tomorrow. Have you noticed?

As I turned 1 year older yesterday(and still under 40 by the way…just sayin’), I spent some time reflecting on the journey that God has taken me over the past 38 years. It’s been quite a journey and one that I never could’ve predicted. I can look back over my last 18 years in the business world and can see how God was preparing me for the exciting world of church planting. How did the service industry prepare me for church planting?

• It taught me how to be resourceful. I have been in many situations throughout my business career where I have been in over my head and have had to figure out a solution. I remember a time where I had landed a large account in the Boston area. This new business was great. however, we didn’t have any other business in that area. The business was spread out over 12 locations all over the Greater Boston area. I had to hire a management team, hire about 50 employees, train them, order about $30,000 worth of equipment, and by the way…the customer would only give me 3 weeks to make it happen! Man, was I scrambling. But, with a team of people working hard together, it got done…and got done extremely well. We were high-fiving each other and celebrating, because we knew we had accomplished something big. We had to think out of the box. We had to be resourceful. It’s amazing what we can accomplish, when we force ourselves to be resourceful & creative. So often, we give up right on the brink of success and we miss out on a victory. Church planting requires resourcefulness with limited money, limited people, meeting locations, being portable, etc…

• It taught me how to make quick but informed decisions. One thing that drives me crazy is a person that drags their feet on making a decision. (I’m sure the feeling is mutual for those of you that like to have every duck in row before making a decision.) In the service industry you get paid to perform a service. The niche industry that I was in is very fast-paced & production-driven. The customer is paying for a service, and they expect it to be performed at a high level. When the customer calls you to fix a problem, they want it fixed now, not 4 days from now. You don’t always have time to call a meeting, appoint a committee, bounce it off of 5 people, or sleep on it. I have learned how to gather the necessary facts, listen to my first gut feeling, and pull the trigger quickly. Here’s the thing…the facts aren’t going to change if they are in fact, facts. What might change if we give it enough time is our gut feelings. I’ve learned that the first gut feeling is usually the right one. One thing I have discovered is that even if I spend extra time to thinking about a decision and mulling it over, the extra time rarely causes me to overturn a decision that I have already made up my mind on. Just because a decision is a quick decision doesn’t mean that it is a careless decision. The only careless decision is an uninformed decision. 

• It taught me how to be flexible. The service industry required a high level of flexibility. It was a rare day that didn’t require a change to my planning. In any industry where the product or service is delivered through people, there is bound to be a level of unpredictability. Add to it the fact that the employees that I was dealing with were mostly part-time, lower wage, in a less than glamorous line of work, and that only adds to the level of unpredictability. This meant every day there was some sort of a curveball thrown at me. Someone didn’t show up over here. Someone is late somewhere else. There is a problem that needs to be corrected over there. The customer has a special request… On and on it goes. It required constant retooling, regrouping & flexibility. The ebbs and flows of church planting require tons of flexibility. If you can’t be flexible, you will be frustrated. Always, always plan, but always, always be prepared to change your plans when necessary.

How has God prepared you for ministry? Where has He placed you in the past to prepare you for something else?

I took a recent trip to Washington D.C. No, I didn’t exactly have a cup of coffee with the President, but I did have a cup of coffee with Mark Batterson, pastor of National Community Church in Washington D.C. and author of Wild Goose Chase.

It was great to talk to Mark about leadership and ministry and hear him talk about some of the challenges they went through as a church plant in their early years. It was refreshing to hear Mark talk about the times that we are currently in as a church. He talked about the financial struggles and wondering if people were actually going to show up. He talked about their lack of resources, and how God always provided both in people and in money. One thing that Mark said that stuck with me was this…“Our God is a God that fills voids.” 

What I am most impressed about with Mark is his humility. He’s quick to point to Christ. He’s quick to deflect the credit from himself and give it to Jesus. God has His hand of blessing all over Mark and National Community Church and I’m confident it’s because of Mark’s obedience to the calling that God’s placed on his life..

I enjoy being around leaders that bleed the local church. I get energized being around difference makers that are sold out for the mission of Jesus Christ.

Who is a difference maker that you would love to have a cup of coffee with?

What would you ask them if you had the opportunity?

When we launched Elk Creek Church in September 2007, we spent roughly $25,000 in advertising prior to our launch. There were some things that worked well, and some things that…well…not so much. Here is where our advertising dollars went.

• TV commercials – For us, this was a mistake, and it wasn’t a cheap one either. We spent quite a bit of money on quality TV commercials. We ran 60 spots/week on 4 different cable TV channels leading up to our launch. We continued to run them for several months after our launch. Only 2 people indicated that they came as a result of them, but they also said they heard about us from other advertising sources as well. I’m not a fan of TV commercials. maybe they work in other places, but they didn’t work here.

• Telephone Canvassing – I had my doubts going into this one, but I was pleasantly surprised at the results. We used a company that called 40,000 homes in our area with a short message about our launch. We saw a 0.5% response from it(which was exactly what the company told us to expect). We came away with 200 names, addresses, and phone numbers of people that wanted more information. We had quite a few people come to our launch as a result. I highly recommend phone call canvassing. As annoying as receiving a recorded message is…people responded.

• Direct Mail – We sent out 20,000 direct mail pieces prior to our launch…man, I wish I had some of that TV commercial budget to sink into direct mail. In my opinion, if done correctly…every penny spent on direct mail is money well spent. Don’t send out generic direct mail pieces about your church. Use direct mail to advertise an event or a series of events. Using direct mail to advertise sermon series has also worked well for us.

• Newspaper – Waste of money…nuf said. Seriously, the only response we ever got from a newspaper ad was advertising in the free paper that gets delivered to every home. We still pay a very small amount of money to have a small ad in it.

• Doorhangers – They work, but it’s work! If you have some helpers, you can cover a lot of ground. It’s fairly inexpensive and it works. 

• Yard Signs – Yard signs are the bomb! Great results for little cash. People notice them. We had a lot of first-time guests that said they came because they saw our signs all over the place.

Interestingly enough, most every person that came to our launch said they came as a result of at least two forms of advertising. Using several methods is key to hitting a broader target area.

What types of advertising have you done? What has worked, and what hasn’t?