It seemed I had tried it all! From dropping thousands of eggs from a helicopter to sending out what seemed like millions of postcards, our church was not getting the “results” that everyone else had gotten. I hired coaches and mentors who told me “how” to plant the church. I did everything by the book, but the results were minimal in comparison to what everyone else was “getting.” Was there something wrong with me? Was I really called? Is this really what God wanted me to do: start a church from scratch?
I still remember the day that I just came to a realization that I needed to stop listening to coaches, books, and blogs first and start listening to what God was saying through the Holy Spirit for our church in our town. That’s when everything changed! I remember praying and asking God, “What’s next?” As I stopped and listened, He spoke, and we started becoming who God wanted us to be as a church in our town.
For example, God said…
- Move your location 9 miles across town to another school when you do not have the money to do so- we did, and we started growing, and God provided!
- Set a goal to touch 5,000 people with random acts of Kindness in six months; when we had no dollars for this outreach- we did, and people’s lives were changed forever, and God provided!
- Move again to another location that you cannot afford- we did, and God provided, and since that time, over 260 people have given their lives to Jesus in our services!
My point is this:
There is nothing wrong with coaching, mentors, and blogs, but please LISTEN TO GOD FIRST, and God will use the other voices to implement the vision that He gives you.
