Purpose Driven Conference Update
The conference was awesome. Rick Warren is such a humble man of God and on fire for the Kingdom. I want to learn everything I can from him – he’s such an amazing leader.
I feel very honored having been invited to participate in the conference. It was really great connecting with all the other speakers on the panels – it’s not often we get to do that in such a large setting. Thanks for all your prayers, it was a great trip.
What I’m pumped about…
I feel very honored to have been invited by Rick Warren to be one of the speakers at his Purpose Driven Community Conference this week. I have always looked up to him and admired him as a tremendous leader.
Rick has gathered pastors from all across the nation as well as other countries to attend this summit, and he’s invited about 35 pastors to come and share some of our best practices. I have been asked to speak about discipleship and will share what has worked with us at Celebration Church.
Choose Well
When making a choice put it through the God grid:
What do the scriptures say?
It is amazing how many times we make a choice based on emotions or “following our heart” instead of what is clear in God’s Word.
Is this acting in love?
There might not be anything directly against it in scripture but does it benefit and help others or only you? How is this choice going to affect your family, friends, and relationships with others in the community? If you are a pastor how is it going to affect your relationship with other churches and leaders in the community?
Does this fit my purpose?
Are you sure this fits your purpose in this current season? Is the timing right? Are you settling for a good thing instead of God’s best for you?
A good leader understands that in every yes there is an inherent no. And that every choice has a consequence or reward, even the small ones. Choose well!
Be in prayer for “One Prayer”
This is a guest blog post from my Executive Assistant, Linda Riddle.
Beginning Sunday, June 8, Pastor Stovall is joining with other pastors all across the nation for a simultaneous message series called, One Prayer. Each pastor is recording a message entitled “Lord make us __________” completing the phrase with the prayer God has put on their heart for the church. Each pastor will then upload their message and make it available to be shown in churches across the country.
Other churches and pastors include…
- Dino Rizzo – Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, LA
- Craig Groeschel – LifeChurch.tv in Oklahoma City, OK
- Rick Bezet – New Life Church in Little Rock, AR
- Chris Hodges – Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, AL
- Greg Surratt – Seacoast Church in Charleston, SC
- Ed Young – Fellowship Church in Dallas, TX
- Jentezen Franklin – Free Chapel in Gainesville, GA
- Perry Noble – NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC
Pastor Stovall’s message will be called “Lord, Make Us Unshakable.” Be praying that God does a great work of unity and impact through the Body of Christ as we partner with some incredible churches around the world to bring a greater glory to our God!
Some Well Deserved Thanks
I just wanted to take a moment and commend my wife Kerri on an awesome job with our SHINE Women’s Conference. This past weekend was incredible and the presence of God was so powerful.
I also want to express a huge thank you to all of our volunteers and our staff who worked so hard to make it happen; you all did a phenomenal job. And worship was awesome. It was great to hear our team perform many of our original songs off the new album “Awakening”.
For recaps about the conference and behind the scenes information about our Awakening album, check out Kerri’s blog.
An Eternal Perspective
One of the most intriguing passages in the gospels is the description of the transfiguration.
Matthew 17:2-5 (NLT)
2 As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance changed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothing became dazzling white. 3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. 4 Peter blurted out, “Lord, this is wonderful! If you want me to, I’ll make three shrines, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 But even as he said it, a bright cloud came over them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with him. Listen to him.”
Peter’s response was fascinating. He wanted to set up a shrine (or a shelter) for each of them. Set up a shelter for what? Why would Moses and Elijah want a shelter on earth when they lived in heaven ? This wasn’t home – heaven was their home and in a similar fashion, heaven is our home.
If those closest to Jesus could lose sight of that, it is no wonder we often do too; especially when we go through difficult seasons. We can become consumed in the moment. We sweat the small stuff – working hard to get to a place of ease and comfort; even though most of what we’re working toward will have very little eternal value.
Jesus said that He is preparing for us - the ultimate place. Let’s keep an eternal perspective. Our home is already settled in heaven and there will be plenty of time for ease. Today we must stay focused on our God-given purpose - to bring the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ to our world!
There Is Purpose In Pain
There are basically two environments for growth in your walk with God: devotion and pain.
We grow in our relationship with God through the Word, prayer and worship, but we also grow through learning to trust God in the difficult and painful seasons of our life. Kerri and I have been through countless ministry tears, battles, and disappointments. But it has been in those times that we have seen and experienced the goodness and faithfulness of God in a much deeper way. The Bible says….
James 1:2-4 (NLT)
Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.
God allows us to walk through difficult seasons and circumstances so that, through the pain, we can grow. Grow in endurance, character and in our understanding of and commitment to Christ.
If you’re going through a trial right now, make the decision to trust God and rejoice that He can, and will, care for and sustain you. Through this difficult season, use the trial to make you strong in Jesus Christ, and Him alone.
Finding Your Rhythm (Part 6 of 6)
Only add a service when you absolutely have to.I used to live by the 80% rule. Maybe you know it. It states that once a service is 80% full, it’s time to start planning to add your next service. The underlying thought is that when a service is 80% full most people begin to find it over-crowded and inconvenient to attend and they will attend less frequently.
I’ve come to find out that, while that may be a good guideline, it isn’t always true. I’ve discovered that there are lots of environments where crowds can actually be a positive. There are places where the anticipation and momentum of a crowd brings an unmistakable energy – and exciting dynamic!
Part of our particular church culture is that our services are VERY passionate!
When I go to a football game I don’t mind the crowds because I enjoy the experience. Any place people like — be it a restaurant, a theme park, or a shopping center — is going to be crowded. Why should church be any different?
There are other options.
The third filter is one of the great commission: if we are at capacity in our primetime services, then how are we going to continue to reach people for Christ?
Well, I think this will help you. Remember, the great commandment is not a commandment that has to do with the number of services or being a multi-site church. Our vision is reaching people and making disciples. Services, campuses and venues are all tools for the vision of reaching people. Remember God wants to reach people a lot more than you do. God has a rhythm for your life and if you follow His blueprint and obey Him you will be successful.
Finding Your Rhythm (Part 5 of 6)
As I mentioned in my previous post, I would be sharing questions that you can ask yourself if you’re considering whether or not you should add more services.
In this post:
How is this new service going to affect the strength and health of my team?
Most growing churches have no problem doing 2 or 3 weekend services, but after that you really need to think about strength and health and the big picture.
Ask yourself if there is any way to add seats during your main services on Sunday. What about overflow environments? Annex venues? Or encouraging members to attend other campuses (if you are a multi site church). Is there any possible way to capitalize on the energy you are already spending to reach people for Christ during your current service times?
Finding Your Rhythm (Part 4 of 6)
Asking the right questions
If you are a pastor of a growing church and you find yourself considering whether or not you should add more services, I have a few questions you can ask yourself that might help as you process your options. These are questions I WISH I had asked myself before I went from four to six services in one weekend! From now on, these are the questions I WILL ask myself before moving forward with more services.
Does the new service have the potential to reach people and be full?
Here is my first filter: Can the service eventually be full?
If not, then I suggest not preaching it live, and possibly not doing it at all. If having an 8 am service on Sunday morning can only reach 30% capacity then really consider not doing it. If your Saturday night service only has the potential to be 20% of your Sunday service, then don’t do it.
If the service doesn’t have the potential to reach people and be full, I would really consider some other options first.
I know what some of you are thinking (it’s the same thing I used to think). “We have to keep reaching people for Christ….right?” Right, but we also have to look at the big picture.
There are other factors to consider that are just as vital, especially when it comes to longevity. It’s not just about your church reaching people next Sunday but reaching people for Christ over the next 20 years. You have to think about health and strength and multiplication.
I know some pastors that just won’t do Saturday night services because of the strain it puts on their families. I know some pastors that will not do Sunday nights. Some pastors will do both. Some pastors will do neither. Some pastors use more video.
Find your rhythm and guard it.
But be careful about adding services at inconvenient times that you know do not have the potential to be full.