Tag: Competence

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Planting by Pastoring Book Review by Jeff Bush

By Nathan Knight 

  • Don’t look at the best business models, look to God. 
  • We love size and speed, but a church can grow and be healthy without those. 
  • Most authors and church planters say that size and speed are important in church planting, but when we go to Scripture, the narrative of God is more on slowness. Consider Abraham and Sarah who were childless for 25 years after being told they would have a child. Consider Israel who was is in slavery in Egypt for 420 years. Or consider the coming of Christ in which thousands of years have passed.
  • The essence of a church is not their financial stability.
  • Multiplication does not come at the expense of depth. 
  • Planting by pastoring is glorious and grace filled, but it is not efficient. It takes time and energy. 
  • Evangelism is not the finish line in church planting. 
  • We want to know names, not just see numbers. We want to know stories, not just statistics. 
  • We plant churches to pastor people individually so we can worship Jesus collectively.
  • What if Jesus did not intend for churches to look like McDonald’s serving a billion people, rather look like your kitchen to serve your family and friends?
  • Pastor’s sacrifice for their sheep
  • Jesus knew His people and His people knew Him. He pastored them as names and not numbers.
  • The foundation of the church is Jesus and His Gospel. If you are a church planter, you should ask yourself what lies at the foundation of this thing that you are spending so much time building. 
  • Let the size and significance of the church you are planting take care of themselves. Slow down and press the Gospel into the lives of the people just as Jesus did.
  • The people need to know that you are wanting to help them, not get something from them. You are a pastor, not an entrepreneur.
  • Jesus gathered men before He ever held a public campaign or evangelistic effort.
  • A planter pastor must have character, competence, and compassion. 
  • Charisma might attract people on the front end, but it rarely endures. Your love for Jesus will keep you there, not your charisma. 
  • The power is in the Gospel. A magnetic personality and eloquent composure is nice to have, but they are bonus, extra, and unnecessary. 
  • If you are planting churches to be respected, heard, and esteemed, you are doing so for the wrong reasons.
  • Plant churches for the identity of Jesus, not to find or focus on your own identity.
  • Our areas do not need community centers and places of entertainment, they need a church where Christ is preached.
  • If you’re going to plant a church you need to be sent out by a church. A church that will love you and lead you.
  • A church planting team will minimize weaknesses and maximize effectiveness. Throughout the Bible, we see teams going out. Paul and Barnabas, Jesus and the disciples, and even many letters that Paul signed included a team of people.
  • In planting a church, we can get so involved with a list of what needs done and neglect our own souls. 
  • A team helps you with encouragement and accountability.
  • Prayer is your lifeline to God. Prayer is essential.
  • You should allow people to challenge your thinking. Is the place you are wanting to go truly a place of need? 
  • When, choosing a city, ask yourself if you are reflecting the need of Romans 15:19–20.
  • Preach, pray, love, and stay in a community. 
  • Love people, not programs.
  • Use as many evangelistic tools as possible, but one of the best tools will be the church members’ influence on other people.
  • Church planters can rest in God’s fruit as they faithfully scatter the seed.
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Planting a Church Without Losing Your Soul: Book Review by Jeff Bush

By Tim Morey 

  • Spiritual competencies are as important, if not more, as other competencies.
  • You as the pastor are not meant to hold all of the church problems. If you try to do what only God can do, you will live anxious and exhausted. Be the Pastor and let God be God.
  • When Elijah was discouraged, God spoke to him about the physical: food, water, and sleep. The physical is connected to the spiritual.
  • Overeating and unhealthy eating is common for those in ministry, but it is not good.
  • Don’t wait until you break. Let God and others help you with your emotional needs.
  • Many church planters started a church, hoping for the story of someone else, but God might want to write your story differently.
  • God doesn’t always meet us in the way we want or expect, but He does always meet us how we need.
  • The number one problem of pastors is isolation.
  • The main thing you will give your congregation is the person you become – Dallas Willard 
  • Church planters become professionals at “winging it.” The problem is you cannot “wing” your spiritual life.
  • The church’s strengths and weaknesses mirror the pastors strengths and weaknesses.
  • Suffering contains the seeds for success.
  • Church planters often have a mixture of confidence and self-doubt. Humility is needed.
  • Suffering keeps me humble and aware of the things I do not know.
  • We fear suffering, but we should probably fear more the absence of suffering.
  • It seems in 2 Corinthians 12 that Paul’s greatest asset was his greatest weakness – and that very likely could be the case with each of us.
  • Are you able to embrace the difficulties as a gift from God? 
  • Without suffering, how could we develop empathy – helping people in an understanding way.
  • Power without love is reckless and abusive. Love without power is sentimental and anemic.
  • According to a survey at Duke University, 43% of US churches run less than 50 people. Another 24% are between 50-100 people. 21% are between 100–200 people. 10% are between 250-1000 people. And 2% are 1000 or more.
  • A study from Harvard Institute for religion says the median size of a church in the US is 80 people. Only half of 1% of churches in the US are mega churches (2,000 plus people). 
  • We should focus more on making big Christians instead of trying to make big churches.
  • We must move from being superheroes to equippers.
  • If you as the pastor are doing the bulk of ministry, you are doing it wrong. Ephesians 4 teaches that the pastor is to equip others, not just do all the work.
  • Teaching others to do what you do means you don’t get to be the hero. 
  • Before we deal with difficult people, we must face the issues with the man in the mirror.
  • If you lose your family, you lose your ministry as well.
  • Do you want your kids to grow up loving church or hating church? Do you want your spouse to be thankful they married someone in the ministry, or regret it?
  • To succeed in church and fail in your family is to fail.
  • As a church planter, you will likely not have as much money as the people in your church, but you do have more power over your schedule than others do. You can use this to your strength to make sure you have time for your family.
  • Most church planters feel like they can’t get away, but a healthy church needs their pastor to be absent so they can learn to take care of areas. Your family and your church need you to get away.