Like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates share in the Times article link below, I too have found that the key to success is to narrow the focus – to move from a shotgun to a lightsaber (from Elmer J. Fudd to Darth Vader).
When we planted a church in Cincinnati we committed to just two focuses for the first two years:
#1. Outreach
#2 Community (mostly through small groups).
I have found that one of the most common causes of a church plant being stuck is it has taken on too many focuses, too early. It’s good to have a ministry to (fill in the blank), but even those good and seemingly essential ministries may take a bit to develop to become a focus without draining your workforce from other more foundational matters – and those are the ones that will allow you to grow with momentum on your side.
