The first Year was full of nervous anxious OH GOD what have we gotten ourselves into feelings.
My favorite memory was when I would tell people that we were going to meet in the movie theatre. We were meeting in a warehouse building owned by a family we knew who at the time wasn't even apart of the church... (Later they would be a core reason why we had such great community that year.) Ron the theatre manager must have thought I was nuts when I asked if we could rent the theatre. We worked out a contract and set a date to start meeting in the theatre. That first Sunday in January we all showed up to the theatre I think including children there were 25 of us. I remember speaking and noticing Ron come and peak in I think he must have laughed inside because the 250-seat theatre had so few heads in it.
On that Grad opening Sunday, two years ago, I was a nervous wreck. I wasn't thinking straight I hardly slept I kept looking out the window to see if anyone would show up. We had sent out a mailer and had been out in the community but it was January and a cold January at that. To our amazement 130 people showed up. WOW! I remember seeing Ron peek in again and seeing his face drop as he looked at the drastic difference from that 1st pre-launch service.
That year was a huge education. I had to learn how to be a pastor, preacher, businessman, leader, boss and visionary. I had grown up in the church my whole life as a pastor’s kid. I understood the church world inside and out and had sat at dinner tables for years while older wiser people shared their wisdom and insight. But doing it is a million times harder than knowing the theory behind it. I had to learn how to communicate on a weekly basis, how to manage volunteers and work from the spare bedroom of your home. In Your weakness He (God) is made strong and He can do exceedingly and abundantly more than you can imagine.
God showed up and people started coming and finding "Life". We had people comment that we did great "Karaoke" others said that they didn’t fall asleep and that made them come back. But what really mattered was when someone told me that when we leave High Point we just feel something different... We are a spirit lead church and we want the Holy Spirit to be evident and working in all we do! I love that!
Lessons learned in the first year...
* Practice makes perfect... ill let you know when I stop practicing
* Doing it right means that you often have to do it over again... I wrote messages two and three times a week to get them right
* Ruthlessly critique what you do
* It is worthless if God isn't in the mix!
* Don’t live on the ups and downs... They give you a false sense of reality... live on the averages.
* Ask a lot of questions of people who are bigger and better than you
* Don’t check your email before bed or before a service you risk distraction
* Enjoy the journey because it is what really matters
* Pray like it depends on God and Work like it depends on you!
* Be you and be real
* Laugh a lot
* Get away from it all in regular rhythms
* Creativity comes from Rested mind an body
* Find people who are the best and ask them to help! You have a team that Rocks and you get to build the dream together!
Year one I spent a good nine months with a lump in my throat. I thought it was heartburn but it was stress. I don't have that anymore very often. God has been very good and I have had a great education along the way. Thank you all who hung in there with E and I we value you and we know that it has been amazingly worth it.
I love hearing about your church. Keep living the dream and keep changing lives for the kingdom.
Posted by: Jon Roe | January 25, 2008 at 08:41 AM