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Questioning the House Church

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I am not persuaded that “house churches” are the only way to do church. I think there is very little in Scripture about the “how” of church. As long as disciples are being made, and we are loving God, and loving others, I can be flexible on most other matters of the church.

Questions for the House Church

However, one blog I read has a post of 10 questions that all believers need to ask themselves about the church they attend. (Note: The website this came from no longer exists, or at least, I could no longer find this post. If you know where this post now resides on the internet, please let me know!).

These questions come from a person who thinks that “home churches” are the only way to go, but I think we all need to ask them. Questioning why we do what we do in church can help us focus on what God says in Scripture, and how we can effectively live it out in our world.

Here is my List of the Top 10 Questions to ask our caring friends and relatives who are concerned that we are in a Home Church:

1. Well Uncle John, we do home church because we see it mentioned in the scriptures like Romans 16:5 and 1 Corinthians 16:19. When you’ve studied why you gather the way you do, what did you discover?

2. Sister Suzi, when you gather together on Sundays, how do you all fulfill 1 Corinthians 14:26? And how did you personally exercise your to the edifying of others last Sunday?

3. Yes, Aunt Jenny. Order in the church is very important, I truly agree. And since the Bible is our source of understanding church order, can you help me to find the Scriptures that identify a single pastor of a single church? I see that pastors are one of several different given to the church, but I can’t seem to find where they are in charge of a church…

4. Cory, you bring up a good point about assembling together with other believers. So that we’re both on the same page, how many are supposed to gather together (minimum) before Christ will be in the midst of them? And also which verse tells me which building we must gather in?

5. Just so I understand you Cousin Andy, are you saying that if I don’t go to YOUR church, I’m not in the will of God? What was the verse on that again? And also, which book in the Bible tells me how to create a 501(c)3 non-profit organization?

6. You’re absolutely right, Neighbor Gene, we don’t have a Praise Team, a Vacation Bible School, and we don’t send our tithes to headquarters. Can you help me find the verses that direct me in these matters so I can walk in obedience like you?

7. How do we pay our tithes? Good question, Ronnie. If I remember right, we follow the New Testament. Can you show me one place in the New Testament (which is after the death of Christ because that’s when the New Testaments come into effect) where I’m directed to tithe? Now if you’re asking about our giving, we give as unto the Lord (often times above 10%) to the poor we meet on our way, to ministries the Lord has directed us to give to and to our neighbor who is a widow and a godly woman. Receipts? Well whether or not we get a tax write off isn’t the point is it…?

8. Accountability is important, Brother Doug. And since accountability has in it’s definition rewards or punishments for our actions that we’re accountable for, could you tell me how you personally practice your weekly accountability where you fellowship? Who were you accountable to and what has been your weekly reward or punishment? I guess I thought I was accountable to the Lord (Romans 14:12)

9. Of course we care about our children, Sister Edna. But if I’m not mistaken, the Bible tells us, as little Joey’s parents, that WE are responsible for diligently teaching and training our children in the knowledge of God. We didn’t know we were supposed to delegate that to a Youth Pastor. That’s very interesting. Can you show us that Scripture? Any Scripture that talks about Youth Pastors, Youth Camps, Praise Teams, Youth Leaders, Sunday School would be wonderful. Not these aren’t helpful perhaps, but are they required?

10. Stan, we’ve been praying and seeking God for several weeks about our direction as a family, like you have for yours. And with fear and trembling, we feel that we are walking in obedience to the Word of God concerning meeting together as a church in our home. I know you’re asking me the questions you’re asking because you care about us. Do you see something in what we’re doing that violates the scriptures? Can you show me?

I hope these thoughts are encouraging (and maybe a little humorous). I find that most folks haven’t really studied out why they do what they do, so when I ask for answers according to the Scriptures, I usually get “Uh….” and “Well, I’ve always heard that…”

We all should know why we do what we do. I’ve had to come to grips with each of these questions myself – according to the word. And it’s the word that is our direction, stability and authority. Anything else is opinion, heresay, and rumor.

The Heretic in Me

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The Heretic in MeI’m beginning to scare myself.

Why?

Long-held doctrines that I’ve held unswervingly to for years are beginning to teeter in my mind.

I can’t decide if this is good or bad, but one thing is for sure…it’s making me more humble. (You know you’re humble when you can brag about it.)

The Subtle Shift in My Theology

I’ve been noticing this shift for a while, but I was bowled over by it this morning on my walk to work. I was listening to a message by Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz and I found myself agreeing with nearly everything he said (He is a fantastic speaker, by the way).

I remembered the first time I was introduced to this book. It was about 5 years ago. I was the Senior Pastor of a church, and someone gave it to me and told me I must read it.

I got through twenty or thirty pages before I tossed it in the garbage can. Literally. I think his book is the only book I have ever thrown out. I have books on my shelves written by Muslims and Mormons, none of which I have thrown out. Miller’s book got thrown across the room as hard as I could and into the garbage can (True story!).

Now, I find myself laughing and agreeing with what he is saying.

What Happened to Me?

So I asked myself this morning, “What has happened to me in 5 years?!?”

Some would answer “You went to seminary.”

That might be true. Seminaries (sometimes) have a way of making heretics out of us all. But just as one person’s garbage is another person’s treasure, so also, one person’s heresy is another person’s cardinal doctrine.

It is just that I seem to have fewer and fewer cardinal doctrines. Several of my “Doctrines to die for” are no longer so important.

Fewer Doctrinal Hills to Die On

Hills to Die On“What doctrines?” you ask?

Not the “core fundamentals” like the Trinity, the inerrancy of Scripture, the deity of Jesus, and justification by faith alone in Christ alone. If I ever start to have misgivings these, please, somebody come kick me in the head…hard. I will defend these to my grave.

No, I am raising questions about various doctrines within ecclesiology, eschatology, angelology, and a few others.

How is this happening?

Some of these beliefs of mine are being undermined by the weight of exegesis. In other words, Bible study is making me doubt some of the theology I have been taught.

Below are a few areas I feel toppling.

Note that they haven’t toppled yet; they may right themselves, or like the Tower of Pisa, just lean over a bit. But I do not hold to these things as firmly as I once did.

I still believe these things to be true and biblical, but I am now aware of different ways of approaching these doctrines which require further study on my part.

My Current Leaning Towers of Pisa (why some might call me a heretic)

Leaning tower of PisaHere is my current list of doctrines which I am questioning, and which might cause some to label me as a heretic:

  • A literal, six-day-24-hour creation 6000 years ago. (Was Moses really writing a scientific treatise on how the universe began?)
  • “Messianic” prophecy in the Old Testament. (It’s not all about Jesus. But see #3 below).
  • Biblical Hermeneutics. (It’s all about Jesus, even the entire Old Testament.)
  • A future seven-year Tribulation. (Some of the passages which seem to teach this may not do so after all.)
  • Church. (The way we “do church” today is at best ineffective, and at worst, sinful.)
  • Eternal, conscious torment in hell. (I am NOT a universalist or an annihilationist. I’m just not sure hell=torture.)
  • The fall of Satan and his angels. (The Bible doesn’t seem to clearly talk about this.)

These are just a few of my own personal heresies. 

Now you see why I have to go into church planting. There are not many churches in the country that would hire a pastor who has misgivings about this list of doctrines. (Are there any?)

The simple act of raising questions about these doctrines will probably cause some to brand me as a heretic.

In fact, in some churches and ministries, if I started to investigate alternative understandings for these doctrines, I’d probably get fired or cause a split.

…Maybe I should just sell cars or clean carpets…

2012 Update

As it turned out, I did get branded as a heretic. This post was written in December of 2007. Two months later, after some blog readers informed my boss I had written this post, I was fired from my job at a Christian publishing company.

And guess what? After months of searching for a job, I ended up cleaning carpets! I may be a heretic, but I am also prophetic! Kind of scary. 

Here are some of the posts that explain more:

Eventually, I will write a book with chapters on each of the seven doctrinal areas above. Make sure you subscribe to the free email newsletter to get news, information, and a free copy of this book when it comes out.

Until then, what are your thoughts on any of the seven doctrines above which I had questions about? What do you think of branding people as heretics? Do you think a church or ministry should fire pastors and employees who begin to question their personal beliefs? Join the conversation below!

Planting Sterile Churches

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Sterile ChurchesI have previously written about sterile preaching. In this post, I want to direct you to a site I discovered today about church planting which has an excellent post on “Sterile Churches.”

What is a “Sterile Church”?

It is a church that doesn’t reproduce.

Here is an excerpt from the article that put into words what I have been thinking:

I want to show you the difference between what I call a “growth culture” in which we’ve all been trained and a “reproduction model.” Because I believe to plant a church is a different animal than to plant a church-planting church. In fact, I’m convinced that the skill sets we learned in ministry training will actually insure that things don’t reproduce.

In our growth culture we’ve learned to focus on individual conversions, while a reproduction model focuses on group conversions.

We’ve started on believer’s turf. But in order to reproduce, we must start on unbeliever’s turf. If we want group conversions of family members, co-workers, neighbors and friends, those people are not going to come to a stranger’s house or into the strange setting of a church. They will come to turf where they are always involved. In our culture we teach Scripture for information. With the reproductive model it is taught for application, so that people are watching the power of God.

We’ve begun by finding Christians. But if you want a really powerful church start, find people of peace. Bar the Christians; don’t let them in. They mess things up in the early stages.

We’ve begun in facilities. This takes money and expertise, which are not readily available. If you begin in homes or front porches or yards or parks, there are always more of them.

We’ve tended to start with celebration in a large group. For reproduction you start with a small group. Very few people actually have the ability and gifts to do a large group well. It takes more expertise, more preparation, more everything. A lot of people can facilitate small groups. They were already doing it in their own natural network before they were saved.

We build programs and buildings. To reproduce, you build leaders.

Leadership is also different. Traditionally we import professional clergy. But what we need for reproduction is to have indigenous and convert-emerging clergy. Where are the future pastors for this setting? They are in the streets, they are beating their wives, they are ripping off their employers.

Also, the leader tends to see himself as the leader for all the participants. In a reproducing church, the leader is the equipper for the emerging leaders. That is how they see themselves, and that is how they stay focused. We are used to funding the church starter. But for churches that will start other churches, you need to have bi-vocational church starters. If we are going to see the cities reached, it is going to be with bi-vocational people. Otherwise, it takes too long to actually fund.

In my own experience, every time we got ready to plant a church we felt like we couldn’t afford to lose those people, their tithes and all that. But every time we did, we actually didn’t skip a beat. God supplied. I found the most powerful thing is that connection with another church who cares.

In fact, in every church that I see planting churches, I find that some of their own issues begin to dissolve. I don’t know what it is. They are giving themselves away. I am convinced you cannot out-give God. The more you give, the more God does.

Update: Sadly, the original post for this article no longer exists, so I cannot direct you to it. I don’t even remember who wrote it. If you know, please leave a comment below. Thanks!

Preach the Word? Maybe not.

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preach the word

One of the things I loved most about being a pastor was preaching the Word.

For years, I thought that a church could get by without music, without a building, without programs, without youth groups, and without children’s programs, but a church was not a true church unless there was strong biblical verse by verse preaching. A true church required a pastor who would preach the Word.

Several years ago, it occurred to me, however, that my requirement for churches to preach the word may be partly due to the fact that preaching and teaching the Word is my spiritual gift. I am a teacher, and so naturally, believe that teaching is the most important part of church. Better yet, I even have a verse! 2 Timothy 4:2 says “Preach the Word.”

You may not realize it, but whatever your spiritual gift is, you tend to think it is the most important part of being the church. If you have the gift of service, you think a church is not really doing it’s job unless it’s serving in the community. If you have gifts of hospitality, you think churches are only genuinely following Jesus if they spend a lot of time hanging out with each other in homes and around dinner tables. I have the gift of teaching, and so I thought that it was essential for churches to “preach the word.”

But recently, I have undertaken the practice of questioning absolutely everything the church does in light of Scripture and effectiveness. (By the way, I define “effectiveness” as “making disciples.” Something is “effective” if it is helping people become more like Christ.)

I came to the uncomfortable conclusion that it may not be best for pastors to spend so much time preaching the word.

Preaching is Ineffective at Making Disciples

The stats and studies are in. As much as it pains me to admit it, preaching is one of the most ineffective ways of making disciples. So along with me asking “Why?” about every other aspect of church, I have had to painfully face that tough questions about my own passion as well. Why do I preach, especially when it is so ineffective? Should we abandon the sermon altogether?

So I set out to figure out what Paul meant in 2 Timothy 4:2, and if it was meant as a universal command for all who lead part of church. For various reasons, I do think it is a universal instruction for all pastors. All pastors are to preach the Word.

Preach the Word – 2 Timothy 4:2

As I studied what Paul might have had in mind when he told Timothy to “Preach the Word” I learned that preaching in Paul’s day was not much like “preaching” in our day.

Preaching the WordThere are few (if any) accounts of a monologue sermon where one person gets up, and teaches for 30 minutes or an hour, and then sits down. “Preaching” in Paul’s day was closer to what we would think of as “Teaching.” There was frequent interaction between the main teacher and the students.

When you read the Gospels and Acts, you see hints that this is the way Jesus, the apostles, and Paul taught. When you read the sermon transcriptions of the early church fathers, especially those of St. John Chrysostom (aka “Golden Tongue”) when he taught through books of the Bible, it becomes clear that while the “Teacher” did most of the speaking, there was a lot of interaction with those who were there to hear him.

Interactive Teaching

And guess what? Those same studies that have proven the ineffectiveness of preaching have also shows that interactive teaching is incredibly effective. Interactive teaching engages the mind, helping the learner not only learn the text, but also how to study it on their own, and then apply it to their lives.

This is not to say that there is never a place for one person standing up in front of a crowd and delivering a monologue. In fact, that may be the only way to teach in some large-group settings (though even then, wise teachers may include a Q&A time after the message). But for the most part, I am convinced that some sort of interaction should be a normal part of “preaching.”

Looking back to the times I have taught this way, I now realize that it is in the interactive studies of Scripture that I have most often felt the electric presence of the Holy Spirit.

Do I love “Upfront-on-the-stage-in-the-spotlight” preaching? Kind of. Though between you and me, I usually feel a bit guilty after I step down off the stage. I don’t know why though…

However, there are two forms of teaching I love. The first is interactive teaching, where a group of people get together and discuss Scripture and theology. There is usually not just one person leading the discussion, but there is genuine give-and-take between all who are present, with each one learning from the others. I think it is in these settings where the Holy Spirit is most at work.

The second form of teaching I love is writing. Especially blog writing. Why? Because, once again, it is interactive. You can leave comments, and I can learn from you, and you can provide your own input and insights into the topic of the blog post.

Both of these can be applications of what Paul means when he instructs Timothy to preach the Word.

So having said that, can you do two things for me?

First, let me get you input in the comments below! I would love to know your thoughts on preaching, teaching, and what it means to “preach the Word.” 

Secondly, would you please invite other people into the conversation by using the share buttons below? Thanks!

Fishing for Men…Literally

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Some men go fishing, and sometimes, fish go “menning.” Either way, here is a video about how real men fish:

Catfish NoodlingThis type of fishing is called Catfish Noodling.

I wonder what would happen if a church decided to plant a church for these types of guys?

What would this kind of church look like? How would they function? Would there be singing and sermons? I doubt it.

Preaching until we’re Sterile

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I remember when I preached my last seminary sermon. It felt so good.

Though I learned a lot about preaching while in seminary, I immediately tried to forget most of it.

If I had to preach for the rest of my life within the box that is the seminary sermon, I would quit the ministry.

Sadly, I think most seminary students don’t understand that what the seminary teaches about preaching is a bare bones template, and we have to add in our own personality and creativity to make preaching come alive. Such pastors who preach predicable three point sermons every week, are boring themselves and their congregations into spiritual sterility.

Seeds of God’s Word are being flung out there, but the seeds are impotent to reproduce disciples.

PreachingPart of this is because too many pastors get their sermons from a can, and present them to a sitting, smiling, and nodding audience (maybe they’re nodding off). Adding more stories and jokes is not going to help. It may help people pay attention, but keeping their attention is not the same thing as making disciples. Some have tried shorter sermons, while others go for longer sermons. Some go for topical series, while others do “exposition.”

None of it seems to be working very well.

It’s a cop-out to say (as I’ve heard some pastors say) that “Results are not up to us. We just need to preach the Word and leave the rest up to God.” This is an excuse to not face the hard questions.

So I wonder if it isn’t time to reexamine “The Sermon.” This is something I fear to do, because frankly, I LOVE to preach. Preaching is one of the aspects of pastoral ministry I enjoy the most. I am not sure I would enjoy pastoral ministry if I wasn’t able to preach (maybe that says something about my heart…).

But I’ll put off that examination until some other time, since I don’t want to face the music today.

2012 update: I faced the music. See my posts about preaching here.

Ask Why About Church

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Sometimes our church traditions can get in the way of doing what we’re supposed to be doing. For example, I am not convinced that it is wise for most churches to have buildings, meet on Sunday morning, and be non-profit.

Sure, there are times when these things make sense. But in many ways today, such practices are only getting in the way of reaching out to unbelievers and adequately making disciples.

Good and Bad Church Traditions

So how can we discern good and helpful traditions from bad ones?

One good way is to practice something I learned from my two-year old: ask “Why?” a lot.

Why ask why?

To discover if a certain church practice should be continued or not, ask “Why?” about it seven times.

If, in asking “Why?” seven times, you don’t get to a good reason, you might want to consider dumping whatever it was you were asking “Why?” about.

And if you ever answer “Because the Bible says so” then ask “Where?” and “Is that really what that verse means?”

This is often good to do with a group of people because they can help you answer the questions, and tell you when an answer is not valid. You may have to “tweak” your question asking a bit to get at the root of the issue, but the point is to ruthlessly examine and question everything. It may look like this:

Here’s how it works:

Asking Why? about Sunday Church

Statement: The church meets on Sunday morning.

Why?

Possible answers:

It’s the Sabbath. (No, it isn’t. Saturday is.)

It’s the day Jesus rose from the dead (So? Where does it say we have to meet on the day Jesus rose from the dead? Doesn’t Paul say all days are equal?)

It’s a day that everybody has off. (Not any more. If we’re trying to meet when most people are free, would Tuesday night be better? And for that matter, why do we want to meet when most people can meet? Furthermore, which people are “most people?”)

See how this works?

Just keep questioning everything you do in the church, and with some careful, critical thinking, you come to see that most of what the church does, it does by tradition: just because we’ve always done it that way.

This frees us up to realize that if there is a better way to make disciples, we should do it, even if we have to abandon most of our traditions.

Asking Why About Preaching

What if we asked “why” about preaching?

Why do we have preaching?

So we can teach the Bible and make disciples.

Ok. Why? Is preaching the best way to teach the Bible and make disciples?

Well, it is not the only way (or even the best way) to do either.

Ok. So if there are better ways, back to the original question: Why do we have preaching?

Well, because the pastor has the spiritual gift of teaching and he should get to use his gift.

Preaching vs TeachingOk. So why is the pastor the one who gets to use the majority of the church service using his gift, and why is preaching the best way to use the gift of teaching?

Well, other people get to use their gifts too, but the pastor went to Seminary, and we’re paying him to preach, and preaching is when he can reach the most people all at once with biblical truth. If he had to use his gifts one-on-one, it would take hundreds of hours of week to disseminate the same biblical truth. And besides, Paul told Timothy to “Preach the Word.”

I see. Each of those statements is going to need it’s own “Why?” question: Why did the pastor have to go to seminary to get his training to use his gift when we don’t send others to seminary to get training to practice their gifts? Why are we paying the pastor to use his gift when we don’t pay others to use theirs?  Why do we need to reach a lot of people all at once with biblical truth? (Which returns to the earlier question of whether or not preaching is the best way to make disciples.) And why do we need to follow today the same instruction that Paul gave Timothy? And related to that, why do we think think the practice of “preaching” as it is done today is the same thing Paul meant when he told Timothy to “preach” the Word? If we do have to follow Paul’s instruction to Timothy (which isn’t yet certain), why don’t we figure out what Paul meant by “preach the Word” and then do that?

This line of questioning goes on and on.

The end result is that we eventually see that there are no good reasons for why churches do most of what they do. Often, as we try to defend the practices and traditions of the church, we find ourselves talking in circles and arguing from the basis of the way things have always been done, which keeps us from thinking about how things could be done.

My Traditional Christmas Movie

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Lonesome DoveOne of my Christmas traditions during the weeks leading up to Christmas is to watch the six hour movie “Lonesome Dove“ with Robert Duvall, Danny Glover, and Tommy Lee Jones. Last night, my wife and I sat down and watched Part 1.

Afterwards, as we were sitting on the couch, a little depressed from all the people who die, the women who get treated like trash, and the overall view in the movie that life is cheap, my wife said, “Of all the traditional Christmas movies, “Miracle on 34th Street,” “White Christmas,” or “A Christmas Story“ why do you watch this movie? It’s so depressing.”

I looked at her and said, “I have no idea. It’s just what I’ve always done.”

My Christmas Tradition

Upon further reflection, this tradition began for me around 15 years ago. I think that the local television station showed this movie on television around the Christmas season for two or three years, and then my mother bought me the tapes for my birthday one summer, and after that, it was just something I did during Christmas. Now I watch the movie at Christmas because it helps me “feel” the season.

Church Traditions

I think most of what we do in church is the same way. We do what we do because we’ve done it for a long time, and it helps us “feel” like a Christian. It’s not that what we do is mandated in Scripture, or that it helps us accomplish what Scripture does mandate (e.g., go and make disciples), but we do it because we’ve always done it.

Tomorrow we’ll look at a way to determine if a tradition is something that should be cut or continued.

What strange Christmas traditions do you practice during the holidays?

Free Grace Churches

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2012 Note: A while back I tried to start a church planting website to promote and encourage churches that focus on the free grace of God. The attempt failed… 

Here is the post from that time….

Free GraceFree Grace Churches is now live! 

At that site, we want to focus on taking the Free Grace theology we all know and love, and putting it into practice in our churches, in our communities, and around the world. By joining today, you have the opportunity to change the future.

By becoming a member, you can:

  • Add your church to the list of Free Grace Churches (and edit the information any time it changes)
  • Post (or search for) job openings
  • Get YOUR VERY OWN Blog for your friends, family, and congregation to read
  • Get your own “___@freegracechurches” e-mail address
  • Connect with other Free Grace people around the world
  • Post (or find out about) mission trips
  • Get ministry and leadership ideas and resources
  • Help plant Free Grace Churches in the US and around the world

Best of all…there is no charge! Like grace, it’s free.

Check out the site, join today, and start connecting with others.

Church Planting with Will Smith – Part 3

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This is third and final installment on things about church leaders and church planters can learn from Will Smith. Yesterday we looked at the first five principles of his success.

Church Planting with Will Smith

Here are the last five:

6. Understand ideas, and which ideas move people.

Smith says that when studying movies, and which ones are popular, he tries to back up and get the big picture. “I look at movies in their essence,” Smith says. “Will that idea sell?” If you look at the movies Smith does, he always does movies that focus on an idea or a story that resonate with the vast majority of people on the planet. He is not just trying to entertain, he is trying to connect.

This is key for church planters. Too often we get caught up in the entertainment mode. But entertainment is fleeting; personal connections are forever.

7. Understand universal patterns.

This is related to number 6. Smith calls himself a student of universal patterns. He watches for movements in worldwide society and culture, and then tries to focus on these patterns. He and his manager sit down every Monday morning any analyze the box office numbers for the past weekend, as well as the past 10, 20, and 30 weekends. He is looking for trends and patterns.

We too can look for universal trends, needs, and patterns. Study history, culture, and relationships. These are the areas in which God is at work.

8. Think globally.

Smith doesn’t just want people in the US to see his movies. He wants to be a worldwide movie star. So after a movie debuts in the US, he travels to England, Germany, Japan, Brazil, China, and promotes his movies. This, of course, makes him popular with the movie producers because it is  more money for them.

So also with church planting. While our first focus is our neighborhood, we must also develop a global perspective. See the excellent book by Bob Roberts on this: Glocalization: How Followers of Jesus Engage a Flat World.

9. Go where the people are.

Since Smith didn’t initially have worldwide recognition, he knew it would be hard to get a worldwide platform unless he went where people were already gathering. So when he travels, he travels intentionally. He promotes his movies in South Korea at the World Cup, in Brazil during Carnival, and is headed to Beijing for the 2008 Olympics. Why try to gather a crowd on your own when you can just use a ready-made crowd?

Churches often try to gather their own crowds, and they spend huge sums of money and large amounts of time to do it. Why not just go to wherever the crowds are already gathering in town?

10. Never neglect what is important: family.

This I though was the most amazing thing of all. Hollywood actors are not known for stable marriages, mostly because they are trying to follow their dreams and make it big. Smith has been married for 10 years and says, “Our first official date was with a relationship counselor. The math is simple. Start while it’s good. Do it three times a week while you’re laughing and still having fun. You get so much more work done. You head off problems. Do it during the ether time, and do it aggressively.” Smith knows that all of his fame and glory is nothing if he doesn’t have a his wife and kids to share it with.

Church planters and church leaders take heed! What good does it do to have a huge church if you lose your wife and kids in the process?

Conclusion

Most of these ten principles are driven by secular goals. But if you go back through them, and substitute in spiritual, biblically-based goals, you have a surprisingly good list of what it takes to hear God say “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

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