Check out Gordon Duncan’s thoughts on Greenville here at his blog: Greenville and Dr. Unk’s

The next time you’re discussing an idea or proposal and you truly want the opinion of someone of the idea, and not just ’supporters’, ask neutral, honest questions.

And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.

This is spectacular. How often do our words and ideas hit brick walls, and fizzle out? No one hears them, and if they do, they don’t listen [definitely a difference].  To me as a preacher, this is more of a miracle than the parting of the Red Sea or a talking donkey. For someone’s words to always be heard, understood, and applied is nothing short of miraculous. 

Lord, let my words never hit the ground.

-Wes Jackson, found on a Chipotle Mexican Grill cup

I’m currently reading an utterly fascinating book about the startup of the largest search engine on the ‘net: Google. It’s written by David Vise and Mark Malseed, aptly titled The Google Story, and has some great tidbits for church planters. One I’ve gleaned?

But Google had something else special about it that Bharat (inventor of Google News) relished: a rule that software engineers spend at least 20 percent of their time, or one day a week, working on whatever projects interested them. The 20 percent rule was a way of encouraging innovation, and both Brin and Page (founders of Google) saw this as essential to establishing and maintaining the right culture and creating a place where bright technologists would want to work and be motivated to come up with breakthrough ideas….at Google, the 20 percent approach sent the opposite message- spend one day a week on something you, not your boss, are passionate about, and don’t worry about such pedestrian matters as whether the idea could be a moneymaker or something that could be turned into a successful product.

What if we, as leaders of our staffs, took this approach? We came to our staff and said: one day a week is yours. Use it for whatever you want to do related to the church. Don’t go run errands or anything; but be ministerially productive creatively and redemptively. I guarantee a few things would happen: our worship leaders would write more original songs. Our discipleship pastors would write great books on small groups. Ministry ideas would overflow come staff meeting time. “I’ve been working on this, what do you think?” Innovation is key, even in the church, and Google’s 20% rule is a great way to foster it.

• There will always be minor disputes in the church over ecclesiology and theology. These are secondary. What’s primary is displaying Christ for the world to see. The minor disputes are anti-mission and anti-Gospel, so they should be set aside. I am guilty of this, and for this I repent.
• People are different in some ways but united in this: we are all sinners. We place ourselves above others because we think we know the way church should be ‘done’ and the way that the Gospel should be taught. We elevate ourselves above others because we have the truth, but when all is said and done, we are missing the Truth. I am guilty of this, and for this I repent.
• Blogs are evil. At a recent gathering of bloggers, I made a comment that if what we are blogging is not redemptive, then we are blogging contrary to the Gospel. God has tested all bloggers during the video scandal, and some have been redemptive, some have not. I have fallen into the very sin that I have warned others about. I am guilty of this, and for this I repent.
• Gossip is one of the largest problems in the church, and blogs can be used to increase its proliferance. We all gossip, it seems, and usually about the church itself. What’s wrong with this church, what this pastor did yesterday, how this leader reacted during this drama, etc. I am guilty of this, and for this I repent.
• But most of all we have neglected the true Church Planter in all of this. There is only one way to plant a church. It doesn’t require men or women in leadership. It doesn’t require cool bands and nice marketing. It doesn’t require management software or community events. It requires lifting the Church Planter up so that He may draw all men to Himself. When we focus on the secondary things, we neglect the Primary Person. I am guilty of this, and for this I repent.

Any comments? Any additional lessons you’ve learned? Any things that require repentance on your behalf? Finally, let’s keep one another accountable in this. Send an email, though. Don’t comment that they should repent, otherwise it’s fueling the fire.

Church Planting Wisdom (PDF)

Church Planting Wisdom (DOC)

Feel free to pass it around and link here, but please don’t change the responses of the contributors. Thank you!

God has placed people in our paths as ministers, and He has given us each great talent and giftings. But if we refuse to do anything with them, or approach the task at hand (the Great Commission) with a lack of effort, the Enemy will do nothing but run up the score on us.

Monday night’s game was a modern day Parable of the Talents: the Bengals refused to risk it and approach the task with zeal, and they ended up with an “L”. Will you?