As I read about the life of Noah I think the most frustrating thing about his 40 years of building the ark is probably not what we think it would be. I think the most frustrating thing would have been actually building that joker or even dealing with the criticism from those around him as he built it. I’m sure those things sucked but the part that was the worst I believe was the waiting part.

God had given him a vision and it took 40 years of PREPARATION and PAIN before the PAYOFF happened.

I’m convinced the reason most leaders never accomplish what God wants for their life is because they aren’t willing to go through the preparation and pain process that MUST happen before the payoff arrives.

4 years ago we started Revolution Church with a few clear cut things we felt God truly wanted us to accomplish.  Some of those like being known for doing whatever it takes to reach those far from God happened quickly.  Others like creating a culture of rocking worship music that men can relate to is just now happening as we are in the studio recording our first worship CD. God gave me that vision before we ever started Revolution and it has taken 4 years to get the ball rolling.  Then there are some things like being a training ground for church planters who truly want to reach those far from God is still in the pain and preparation stage.  We’ve done great things to influence church planters but we’re not to where I envisioned yet.  However, I don’t sweat it because I know the payoff will come. We’re willing to wait on God and pay the price of preparation and pain.

Waiting sucks.  But God forms and molds you in the process of waiting.  Far to many leaders miss the importance of this with their impatiance and that is why they never accomplish what God truly wanted them to accomplish.

I just got the office and it hit me that we are hosting The Sticks Conference in TWO weeks (May 12-13)!!!!!  I truly believe Charles and the gang at The Sticks have put together a GREAT conference with some GREAT speakers at a GREAT price! I know that in this economy that conference budgets are TIGHT and you’ve got to be wise about where you spend your dollars, but I truly believe with the price that they have set The Sticks that it is one of the best investments you can make in yourself, your church and your leadership growth.

Here is all you need to know:

• Perry Noble Speaking. Tony Morgan Speaking. Ed Stetzer Speaking. Charles Hill Speaking. Greg Oraham Speaking. Heck, they are even letting me speak!
• Breakouts that include Joe Sangl talking finances, Dave Anderson talking to bi-vocational pastors, Carlos Whitaker talking social networking, and the Revolution staff doing sharing all the mistakes we’ve made!
• The ONLY conference I know that is being held by a portable church in their portable Sunday setting. If you are a church planter THAT is reason enough to come! One of the most valuable things you can do is check out other churches and their set-up.
• Revolution Band leading worship. As Church leaders we rarely get to worship because we’re working on Sunday mornings. Come and enjoy corporate worship with NO worries about what is happening around you!
• $99. That is how much the conference is. Nuff Said.

Seriously, we would be honored to have you as our guest for The Sticks. If you are a church leader in a small to medium size town but you have a BIG vision then you should do whatever it takes to get to The Sticks.

Space is limited so go register NOW right here.

I’ve been hanging out in 2 Samuel lately reading about the life of David. David is one of my favorite dudes in the Bible (It’s a toss up between him and John the Baptist). I mean he was a simple shepherd boy who continually screwed up yet God used him to do great things. On paper, David wouldn’t have made the cut in many churches, but God saw his heart and used him.

Book after book have been written about David. His leadership qualities are to numerous to mention but I think one of the most overlooked aspects of David’s “success” is found in 2 Samuel 23. In this chapter we’re introduced to what the Bible calls David’s Mighty Men.  These were basically the dudes who had David’s back.  They didn’t get the credit that David did, but David would have never been able to accomplish what he accomplished without these men.

David led thousands of people through his military forces but he had a smaller group around him that he knew would give their life for him.  They were the elite.  They weren’t concerned with the credit.  They weren’t concerned with being known.  They knew their job/calling was to have David’s back.  These men were willing to fight even when the odds were stacked against them.  These men were willing to cling to the sword until their hand froze to it.  These men were willing to take a stand even if it meant the stand they were taking didn’t make sense to others (I mean Shammah stood and fought for a freaking pea patch!).

I’m convinced that David was able to lead because he knew these men had his back. That gave him the confidence to make the decisions he had to make, fight the wars he had to fight and enabled him to lead as God called him to lead.

Show me a pastor who is doing great things for God and I will show you mighty men (and women) who have his back.  I have the honor of being around some of the great leaders in the church today and I have seen the inner-workings of these churches.  The pastors are great men of God who are great leaders, but they all have great men around them that in many cases you will never know and never hear about.  The fact that they have these people behind them makes them better leaders.

I get a lot of credit for what God has done at Revolution.  For whatever reason I am the person God has chosen to use to lead this place and I’m honored by that.  However, I am able to lead this place because I have a team around me who believes in me and loves me.  They support my calling, the respect my calling and they honor that calling.  Here’s a confession: It has taken us four years and A LOT of mistakes to get that team together.  However the results have been obvious. I’m a better leader because I have a team that has my best interest at heart.  From my personal assistant to our executive pastor down to our interns, they love, protect and support me and the vision.

I think the missing ingredient in many leaders is the fact that they don’t have mighty men around them.  If you ever hope to accomplish what God has called you to do that won’t happen until you allow God to put the right people around you. Quit trying to be the Lone Ranger and embrace that fact that God has uniquely gifted people to have your back.

Just my 2 cents for the day.

I have a huge heart for leaders. I believe leaders change the world and because I love leaders so much I would be a jerk not to tell you about Perry Noble’s coaching network he’s starting in the fall.  It’s pretty safe to say if you read my blog that you know how Perry is, but you can read the details here.

I’m not here to tell you about the fact that he is putting a coaching network on (you already know that), but I do want to take a minute and tell you that if you are the pastor of a local church you need to apply for this network.  I went through the last one and it was a turning point in the leadership of our church.  It literally changed the course of our church.  If you’ve been in our offices this year you would see the changes instantly.

The best way to describe the network would be to imagine you stuck your mouth up to a fire hydrant and someone turned it on full blast!!!  That is the way the leadership lessons he shared were. My hand literally would hurt after leaving the network from taking so many notes.  Just last week I pulled out the notebook I took notes in and continued to have my world rocked.

I can’t insure you will get accepted if you apply BUT if you are a leader you owe it to yourself, you owe it to your staff, and you owe it to your church to apply.

I love the book Good to Great by Jim Collins. If you are a business owner, leader, or just want a very interesting read, this is a great book to get!  In the book Collins talks about the differences between good companies and great companies. I love how he says good is the enemy of great.

One of the principles that Collins talks about is The Flywheel Principle.  Basically he talks about how it is not one great idea that makes a company great.  It is a company consistently doing what they do.  Imagine you are pushing a huge concrete flywheel. At first it is hard to get going, but over time it starts spinning faster and faster yet you aren’t working any harder. You just kept pushing and doing what you do until it got momentum.

I think this is a huge principle that church planters can learn.  We are about 4 1/2 years old now and I’ve seen a lot of church plants come and go in our time.  Matter of fact I have seen church plants with more money, better teachers, and even better leaders then me not make it. Over and over The Flywheel Principle is one of the reasons I see for them not making it.

Far to many leaders are looking for lightning in a bottle.  They are not looking LONG term and they are looking for that quick fix when they simply need to be consistent. I know one of the big reasons God has blessed Revolution the way He has is because in many areas we have just pushed and pushed AND pushed the flywheel. Because we’ve done it for so long now the flywheel is spinning faster then ever and yet we’re not really working any harder.

Now, don’t get me wrong we’ve had some inconsistent areas and you will find over and over again those are the weakest areas in our church.  Being consistent doesn’t mean NOT taking risks, it doesn’t mean not stepping out on faith, it doesn’t mean not changing things, but it does mean we make sure God is leading and directing as we make those decisions.  We look long term.

Revolution has been consistent with our vision - A LOT has changed at Revolution since we started.   There are a lot more people, we do portable church a lot better, and I have grown as a teacher, BUT the vision is the exact same as the day we launched.  We exist to reach those far from God. It was the vision day one and it will be as long as I am the pastor. If that stops being the vision, I’ll shut it down.

Revolution has been consistent in our location - I know that sounds weird because we are in our third location in a little over 4 years BUT God called us to reach Canton.  All three of our locations were great and served a purpose and all are within about 3 miles of each other in the same area. I watch churches move around all over the place and it is no wonder they can’t get momentum. We’ve turned down GREAT locations in Hickory Flat and the Sixes Rd. area because God called us to reach Canton and we can best do that by being in between exit 16 and exit 20.

Revolution has been consistent with what we do - We don’t do much at Revolution. If you are looking for a church with a lot of programs, there are better fits in our community for you and your family.  We do the weekend.  90% of everything that gets our attention is about the weekend!  I believe the weekend is the best opportunity we have to reach lost people, have people invite their friends, and to show people what God’s Word says.  All of our efforts go into Sunday morning services.  The ONLY other thing we do is providing a place for those in recovery.  I have a heart for those with hurts, habits, and hang-ups and on Tuesday nights we do Celebrate Recovery. We’ve been like that since day one in what we do.

We’ve been consistent in style - I’m not sure what that style is but it is LOUD guitar-driven music, creativity, great children areas, and me preaching. I’m not a teacher, I just get up and do whatever I can to bring the heat in a way people can understand. If you’re looking for something else, we ain’t that.

I could go on and on but you get the point. We’ve just been consistent and I think God honors knowing what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. Planters/pastors need to stop looking short term and anchor down for the long term.

Anyone who knows me knows I have a huge heart for churches in smaller towns. I always get a kick out of planters I meet or pastors I meet who are looking to get to “large city where they can make a “large” impact.”  Obviously everywhere needs great churches, but I think one of the forgotten mission fields in our country is towns that aren’t considered large!

Canton, Ga. is about 17,000 people. Don’t get me wrong, it is BOOMING with growth and the world is moving here but live here very long and you’ll find out very quickly it’s got a small town feel. I love that about it!  As Revolution Church looks to get multi-site in the years to come, we’re looking north into even smaller towns because the need is so great!!!

Our passion for smaller towns is why I’m very excited that we are hosting The Sticks Conference in May!!!  The founder of the conference, Charles Hill is the real deal and practices what he preaches when it comes to small towns. He started a church in a town in Ohio that makes Canton look like downtown Atlanta. :)  Not only did he start the church but God used him to lead it to over 1,000 people in attendance and several locations!!

Taking on the task of hosting a conference was not a decision we took lightly!!  In case you didn’t know it is a lot of work for any church much less one that is portable like we are!!!!!  However, we feel that The Sticks is meeting a unique need in an area where there is not much of a voice!!!  It was a natural fit for Revolution because of our passion for smaller towns!!!

Another great thing about us hosting is we get to be the Revolution DNA on it!!!  TRUST ME, if you ever wanted to check out what Revolution was about, this is your chance!!!  We’ll be meeting in our portable location, our Volunteers will be serving you, our band will be leading worship like only they can, our staff will be leading the break-out sessions, and I can promise it will be no-holds barred!!!!

God has given us an incredible speaker line-up as well!!!!!  Along Charles Hill and myself sharing what God has laid on our heart, we’ll also be having Greg Oraham, Tony Morgan, Ed Stetzer, and Perry Noble as main speakers!!  That is an incredible line-up and I can’t wait to hear what they have to say!!!

As if all that wasn’t enough reason to sign-up for The Sticks Southeast, right now you can register until March 22nd for $99!!!  That is a low price that I had to beg Charles to offer but with the economy being tight, this is his way of “stimulating the economy.” Due to the fact we’re meeting in our portable Sunday location, SPACE IS LIMITED!!!!  When it fills up, we’re done so I would register quickly!

We’ll see you May 12th and 13th at The Sticks…..Revolution Style.

To see more about The Sticks Southeast click here.

To register for The Sticks Southeast click here.

Last night after a conversation Chunks Corbett, who serves on my Board of Overseers I had one of those moments where you feel you have found that missing ingredient in the recipe you’ve been trying to create.

We were talking about staffing and it occurred to me why we’ve not always added the right people to our team over the years.  As any growing church, we are constantly adding people to our team to put us in a position to reach more people and be more effective.

As with most guys I know we’ve always used the “Three C’s” that Bill Hybles made so famous:

Competence - Can the actually do the job?  Do they have the skill set that is needed for this job?  Can they build a successful ministry?  Basically, do they have the goods?

Character - Is their walk with God where it needs to be?  Are they ethical?  How is their marriage?  Can they keep their zipper up?

Chemistry - Do we freaking like them?  Do they get on our nerves?  Do they pass the parking lot test?

We’ve always held to these three things when hiring and we’ve brought some great people on to our team who have been here for a long time.  However, we’ve also brought some people on our team who were very bad fits. They weren’t bad people (well a few of them did actually suck pretty bad), they passed the “Three C’s” yet they didn’t fit Revolution at all.  I wondered for a long time why this was the case and last night while talking to Chunks, he said something that hit me in the face like a ton of bricks and I realized there should be another “C” in the hiring process.

Culture - The missing ingredient in the formula is Culture.  They can be competent, have character, and even have chemistry with our team on a individual basis but if they don’t fit our culture they aren’t going to make it!

Every church has a unique culture.  At Revolution our culture is we are trying to reach unchurched men. That is part of our culture.  We are in Canton, Ga.  That is part of our culture.  Our office vibe is very frat house.  That is part of our culture.  We reach crazy, wild people.  That is part of our culture.  We are raw, very raw.  That is part of our culture.  Finding people who fit our culture is a must.  If they don’t fit our culture that doesn’t mean they are bad people but they aren’t going to make it on our team very long.

Let’s be honest:  Finding guys who character, competence, and even chemistry is not that hard.  Finding people who fit your culture is a different story.  It’s the missing ingredient in the recipe for a great team.

I wrote the following post over 3 years ago and for some reason it has gotten a lot of buzz this week. My understanding is there is a forum or something for church planting wives and they posted a link to it.  Anyway, people have been sending me thoughts on it so I thought I would repost it here again in the hope that it will be a help to a church planter as he plants a church and balances having a family.  I told our staff today that a lot of guys are successful at building a church but complete failures when it comes to being husbands.  Anyway, here is the post just as I wrote it 3 years ago with a few minor tweaks where it would make sense.

About 3 years ago Perry Noble introduced me to Steven Furtick (how is that for name dropping?). :)  I drove to Charlotte, N.C. to hang out with him for the day and it was like drinking from a fire hydrant.  Here was a guy that was younger then me and was pastoring a church that was younger then ours and he rocked my world with some of the things he pourd into my life. We hit it off and today I consider him a mentor and a friend.

To say Pastor Furtick is a friend of Revolution Church would be an understatement.  He has went above and beyond in supporting the vision of Revolution and our allowing our staff unlimited access to their staff.  Pastor Furtick actually serves on my Board of Overseers which keeps me spiritually accountable, sets my salary, and has the right to remove me as the pastor of Revolution over sin issues.  He has a vested interest in my life and the life of Revolution.

Here’s the deal:  What God is doing through Pastor Furtick and Elevation Church is NOT happening anywhere else in America.  God is all over it and He is choosing to do things there that is unexplainable.  It truly is a God thing!

I said all that to say that if you are a church pastor you should do whatever it takes to get to the one day event that Elevation Church is holding called Thr3e.  This is a one time event where Pastor Furtick is going to simply walk on a stage and for three straight sessions pour leadership into your life in a way that I can promise you won’t get anywhere else.  No music, no screens, no bells, no whistles, just leadership from one of the greatest leaders in the church today.

If you know me you know I HATE conferences. I can’t stand to travel, I get bored easily, and it is the same old stuff every time.  I am 100% expecting Thr3e to be worth my time away from my family, my church, and what I do in Canton.  I have a team around me that I ask before attending anything due to my time being the most valuable thing I have.  All 4 of these people thought this was a no-brainer. So, I’ll be attending and I am expecting this event (along with Unleash which we are taking 100 volunteers to attend) to be the catalyst that takes Revolution to 2,000 people in weekly attendance.

Pastors, go check it out here for the 411 and if you are looking for something that is different, fresh, and life-changing you’ll find a way to be at this event.

The last two days I had the privilege of speaking at the ChurchPlanters.com Conference in Cumming, Ga. CP.com is the 2nd largest church planting gathering in America. Because I was teaching there I got to hang out and go check out a few of the sessions. Mountain Lake Church does a good job with the conference.

I loved getting to reconnect with so many church planters who over the years have become friends.  Church Planters are a strong fraternity and I love connecting with guys how are out planting churches. I believe church planting is the extreme sport of ministry. I know the sacrifices these guys have made to step out and follow God and I love being around them.

I also love being around church planters because it reminds me that what we do at Revolution is SO much bigger then what just happens in Canton, Ga.  Over and over I had guys coming up to me telling me the influence Revolution has had in their lives.  That is always humbling to me.  God is doing an amazing thing at Revolution and I am glad we are getting to influence others to reach more people for Jesus.  We’re going to be taking our church planting efforts to another level in the next few months so stay tuned.

Being at other churches reminds me that I think Revolution is the greatest church in the world. I love Mountain Lake Church. I love their pastor, Shawn Lovejoy. I love most of their staff.  What God is doing there is amazing. BUT, I love being a part of what God is doing at Revolution so much that nothing compares to it in my mind.  I wouldn’t trade the move of God here to be anywhere else.  I get asked a lot when I’m leaving Canton for a bigger town.  Matter of fact, there is a former pastor in town who since I’ve been in Canton loves to tell anyone who will listen that I’ll be gone one day because I’m all about myself.  The fact of the matter is I pray that God allows me to retire as the pastor of Revolution.  Once, I retire, I want to sit on the front row and encourage the next guy. I don’t want to leave. Trust me, I’ve had offers but leaving here to go ANYWHERE else would be a step down.

Hanging out with my team today just reminded me lucky I am. I love doing life with the people I get to do it with. Tim, Preston, Thad, Chad, and Libby went with me today and I had so much fun hanging out with them.  Not only do I love hanging with them, I love partnering with them to reach this community.  I’ve been wth Tim and Preston since day one.  Thad has been here over a year now.  They’re like family.  Chad and Libby have been here since the start of the year and it is like they’ve been here since we started. I had a great time hanging with them. BTW, I’m pretty fond of the rest of our crew who didn’t get to go with us today too.

Going to conferences gets me off my schedule that I try so hard to maintain but getting away for a few hours was awesome and it reminded me have good life is serving God.