FAQ

It’s time again for a little Q and A. We get tons of emails from planters and many times they are the same questions so from time to time I have just decided to answer them all at once.

1.) How do you get volunteers to do so much work?

I don’t. We have some GREAT volunteers who buy into our vision and are thrilled to make things happen. If you have volunteer issues, you probably have vision issues. People don’t volunteer because of need, they volunteer because their lives have been changed and they buy into the vision.

2.) Where do you find your staff?

Everyone on our staff was my friend BEFORE they were on staff. We hire people who are already serving in the church and who I like to be around. If I don’t like you or don’t know you, how can I work with you? All of our staff were volunteers and doing their job for FREE before we started paying them. Look within because those people understand your vision and mission.  If we have to look outside our walls, we look again to people we like and already have a connection with.  If we don’t have a connection with you either personally or from someone we know, we ain’t giving you a second look.

3.) Who sets your salary?

We have a Board of Overseers that is made up of 5 pastors from churches all across America who keep me spiritually accountable, set my salary, have the right to remove me as the pastor, and are committed to helping our church find another pastor should something happen to me.  Since I am in it for the money, this works out great.
4.) What is your biggest mistake?

Not having a plan when we started. We had a vision to reach unchurched people, but didn’t have a plan to do implement that vision. Not having a plan caused us to do some stupid things and make some bad decisions. Lucky for us, our people love us and allowed us to mess things up. If we would have known then what we know now, we would be running 2,000 people. But it wouldn’t have been as much fun.

5.) Do you hate Christians?

I get this one a lot especially from people who leave our church. No, I love those who are Christ-followers. I love those who are unselfish, understand it isn’t about them, live a life trying to model the life of Jesus, and who have a passion for those disconnected from God. Christians who think it is all about them, who stir up trouble, do nothing to forward the cause of Christ and sit around getting FAT on their knowledge but have no action, I’m not so fond of. I don’t hate them, but I sure do feel sorry for them.