Brian Jones is the author of Second Guessing God: Hanging on When You Cant See Plan (March 2006) and the founding Senior Pastor of Christs Church of the Valley in Collegeville PA. More information about his writing and speaking can be found at www.brianjones.com.
Five years ago my family and I started a new church in the suburbs of Philadelphia. When we arrived I wanted the first dollar our church spent to make a statement about the kind of church we were going to become. So I took every penny we had in our church’s checking account, which wasn’t much, and blew it all in one day.
At first glance you’d probably think I’m resistant to change. I don’t drink Starbucks coffee. I not a big Abercrombie & Fitch fan. I’m still not used to women having tattoos. I’m not getting an earring any time soon. The Palm Pilot craze has passed me by. I can’t take pictures with my cell phone and I still can’t program my VCR. My wife even says I still have the same haircut I had when I was in fifth grade. I assume she thinks that’s a bad thing.
Recently I spent the day reflecting on my fumbling attempts to lead our church in growth. To say that I’ve felt unprepared for my current assignment is an understatement…the Three Stooges meet Forrest Gump strikes me as a more accurate picture. While my initial list filled three pages, here are four things I wish someone told me before my boat left the dock:
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