Two years ago (back on Nov. 11 to be exact) I officially sold out and became a \u2018suit.\u2019 Leaving the world of youth ministry behind, I became a lead pastor. It\u2019s been an incredible journey so far. To celebrate two years as a pastor, here are twenty things I\u2019ve learned in two years:<\/p>\n
1. Little things make a big difference.<\/strong> One of our greatest successes is our Host Team, folks who make a welcoming environment that starts in the parking lot.<\/p>\n 2. People want hope.<\/strong> Hope is the most valuable commodity in the world today.<\/p>\n 3. Names, names, names.<\/strong> Do you want to connect with someone? Learn their names. Want to connect with 500 people? Learn 500 names. It\u2019s just that simple.<\/p>\n 4. I worry about money a lot.<\/strong> As a pastor, making sure that the mission gets funded is always in the back of my mind. When I was a youth pastor, I always assumed that the budget would be funded. Now I\u2019m the fundraiser-in-chief.<\/p>\n 5. I couldn\u2019t do what I do without volunteers.<\/strong> While I have a large presence on Sunday mornings, I am overwhelmed by just how much my success is dependent on a tremendous team of volunteers.<\/p>\n 6. My favorite part is life change.<\/strong> It always has been. Watching God do something miraculous in someone\u2019s life. That\u2019s why I do what I do.<\/p>\n 7. There is no bigger platform to speak into someone\u2019s life than tragedy.<\/strong> The biggest events at Mt Vernon over the past few years have been funerals. Tragedies are always painful, but a powerful opportunity to share the gospel.<\/p>\n 8. Saying \u2018no\u2019 is hard but necessary<\/strong>. I say \u2018no\u2019 to a lot of genuinely good things to protect my time with my family. Although hard, I don\u2019t regret it.<\/p>\n 9. People are acceptance magnets.<\/strong> Simply being part of a welcoming community constantly attracts new people.<\/p>\n 10. Once you get outside of the church bubble, life gets messy quick.<\/strong> Every month I get to speak with ladies who are in a residency program overcoming drug and alcohol dependencies. That will pop your church bubble real quick.<\/p>\n 11. Getting a crowd and assimilating a core are two different things.<\/strong> It\u2019s easy to attract a crowd. Do something glitzy. Throw some money around. Getting people to commit and become assimilated into the body is another matter entirely.<\/p>\n 12. It all comes down to small groups.<\/strong> The long term health and success of the church comes down to the small group level. If you have a healthy structure in place, you can sustain growth. Without it, you\u2019ll never break through your current ceiling.<\/p>\n 13. Church leadership truly is a team sport.<\/strong> Theoretically I\u2019m the guy with all the power, but in reality its shared with the entire staff. Without a great staff, you\u2019ll never have a great church.<\/p>\n 14. Having fun in the church isn\u2019t a sin.<\/strong> Rejecting traditional models of church services, Mt Vernon has embraced the idea that you can honor God and still have fun. It makes for such a more enjoyable experience!<\/p>\n 15. Marriages are in trouble. I knew that before.<\/strong> Now I\u2019m the guy trying to help save marriages. Marriages are in trouble.<\/p>\n 16. I love the slower pace of a smaller town.<\/strong> I miss the shopping and the restaurant choices, but I love the fact that my boys are being raised in a small town. With the slower pace of life, I actually have time to enjoy life alongside them.<\/p>\n 17. The church has become our family.<\/strong> Both Robin and I have great relationships with our parents, but they\u2019re all out of town. The church has become surrogate aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, grandmothers and grandfathers for our family.<\/p>\n 18. Pastoring is a humbling experience.<\/strong> I may give off the impression that I know what I\u2019m doing, but much of the time I\u2019m trying to figure it out with everyone else. True pastoring will always keep you humble.<\/p>\n 19. A church willing to change is a church that will grow.<\/strong> Mt Vernon made a conscious decision several years ago to change the way it did church. Because of that courageous choice, we\u2019re seeing new growth. Change is tough, but worth it.<\/p>\n 20. I wouldn\u2019t trade Mt Vernon for the world.<\/strong> I\u2019ve been in bigger churches with bigger budgets, bigger egos and bigger politics. I love where I am. Mt Vernon is drama free. There\u2019s no power plays behind the scenes. The leaders are servant leaders. And lives are being changed. I\u2019m right where I want to be.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Two years ago (back on Nov. 11 to be exact) I officially sold out and became a \u2018suit.\u2019 Leaving the world of youth ministry behind, I became a lead pastor. It\u2019s been an incredible journey so far. To celebrate two years as a pastor, here are twenty things I\u2019ve learned in two years: 1. Little […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2490,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[529,1556],"class_list":["post-1386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-food-for-thought","tag-what-im-living"],"yoast_head":"\n