Frugal Spending

To make it as a staff member at PCC, (paid, part time, or volunteer ministry leader), you have to be a coupon cutter.

Well, not literally, but in a sense of the word, yes. A word that defines our standard operating procedure is “frugality.” We operate in a constant state of frugal spending because we want to be good stewards.

You better understand that you cannot purchase your way out of a problem, and you must be willing to plan, wait, and come up with creative solutions. One of the greatest assets that churches have available to them is people and their time, and when these two come together in a creative way you can do more with less money. It is often poor planning and lack of oversight that leads to rushed printing jobs, expedited delivery charges, not reusing curriculum, and overstocking of supplies; stuff that doesn’t fly around here. Saving money and being good stewards is one of the reasons I am so passionate about good planning.

That doesn’t mean we are cheap, stingy, or don’t care about excellence. We believe that we should give God our best in all we do. But excellence also means that we don’t throw money at unnecessary things that doesn’t make a difference in God’s kingdom.

50% of Churches

I read today that 50% of churhces in America do NOT win even ONE PERSON to Christ in a single year! Can you believe it?

What are these people doing?

Why 500 People Attend PCC

Our church is now twelve years old, and we have seen God do some incredible things over the years. One of those things is the number of people who attend and call PCC their church home. I know, five hundred people doesn’t sound like much, but it really is when you look at the big picture.

There are 400,000 churches in America:

• 50% of all churches (200,000) have less than 75 people in attendance
• 25% of all churches (100,000) have less than 35 people in attendance
• 95% of all churches (380,000) have less than 300 people in attendance
  

That means when we hit the 75 attendance mark we were as large as ½ of the churches in America, and when we crossed the 300 attendance threshold we were in the upper five percent of all churches in American in regards to attendance size. Does that offer a sense of perspective?

Here are some reasons why I believe so many people are connected to PCC:

1. God is blessing our church. I don’t’ mean this in a lip-service kind of way. I really mean it. It’s obvious to see the hand of God’s favor upon us in many ways. The ministry of PCC has turned into a fruitful vineyard. When you do God’s work God’s way, you will never lack for God’s support. I am thankful to be a part of what He is doing at PCC.

2. We came to the right place at the right time. Before starting this church in Pace Florida, there were a lot of other communities that were on the list, (Pensacola, Milton, Jacksonville, Lady Lakes, Ocala, Ft. Myers). In fact, we came very, very close to planting a church in Jacksonville. But in the end God wanted us here. Turns out we were able to find the perfect niche here because Pace (and the surrounding area) did not have a church like PCC. A lot of people have gravitated to us because we were able to “position” ourselves as being different than all the other churches in the area. Since starting PCC, several other church plants has been started trying to emulate us.

3. We are intentional about growth & reaching people for Christ. We have an unmovable, unshakable conviction about church growth and making disciples. We plan for it, pray for it, and expect it. I think a lot of churches don’t grow because they really don’t expect it, and consequently, they never plan for it. I’m always asking “what’s next?”

4. We aren’t afraid to lose people. This is important. I have experienced key leaders, big donors, and mutinous groups walk away from PCC leaving us in a temporary jam. But I have never been tempted to change the vision, mission, strategy or structure just to accommodate demanding people. You may not realize this, but PCC has grown as much through subtraction as we have through addition. i.e., Every time someone has left PCC, God has replaced them tenfold! It’s tempting to think, “They can’t leave! They are vital to our church.” But before long God replaces them with new people who smile, who have good attitudes, and are generous in their giving. Yes, sometimes it is hurtful and painful when certain people leave our church, but God uses those times to grow our church.

5. We are not afraid of change or of making decisions. All living organisms need to change and adapt in order to grow. If churches are to grow, they’ve got to be willing to embrace change. This involves making decisions - sometimes tough ones. We never allow ourselves to become stagnant. If there is a logjam backing up the river, we tear the dam down so the water can flow freely again. If someone’s pet project is holding the whole church back, it is decision time. If current building usage practices are preventing us from launching a new initiative, it is decision time. If a current procedure is a drain on the resources, it is decision time. You get the idea.

I think these factors have helped position PCC for such a time as this. When I think of the future and the possibilities before us, I am excited at the prospect of what God is going to do. The best is yet to come.

Honor Among Thieves

4….. but he took the poor man’s lamb….. 5Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die”….. 7Nathan said to David, "YOU ARE THE MAN! (2 Samuel 12:1-7)

It is profoundly arrogant for anyone to assume that they or their church is one of the few in God’s kingdom whom Jesus has selected as the fountain of truth, giving them giving them permission to pilfer other churches and steal sheep. Such an attitude reveals not spiritual depth, but incredible shallowness and carnality. What bloated egos.

Seminary students are often such dreamers. They pledge to be honorable when they enter the ministry and promise to never build on another mans foundation. But after graduation and in the real world of budgets, sagging attendance, lack of conversions, no baptisms, and a need for volunteers, these dreamers soon forget about such lofty notions. It’s easier to steal sheep from other churches by soliciting the already saved, and then justify that cowardice in the name of leading them to truth. That’s how these thieves maintain honor among themselves. Like David in the passage above, they justify in themselves what they condemn in others.

Justification is the MOTHER OF ALL SIN. It inspires a logic that bends biblical boundaries, conforming them to our own wants. In this land of half-truths, God’s truth is distorted with semantics. The graves of Adam & Eve can be found here.

For failing church leaders, easy numerical growth through sheep stealing is a powerful intoxicant at justifying personal sin and the betrayal of brothers. It impairs sound judgment and makes them vulnerable to anything that will help them achieve success. Sheep stealing is wrong, no matter how you slice or dice it. HOW a church grows is what matters – especially when Biblical principles are being compromised to achieve it.

Hard working pastors and church planters who sacrificially labor to lead the lost and un-churched to Christ rarely find any merit in the pompas talk of these theorists who love to pontificate about the ministry; yet are failures in the ministry. Oracles from these empty wells ring hollow.

Transfer growth, by definition, creates no new converts, no baptisms, no increase of the knowledge of God in the earth, and no salvation fruit. It simply gathers the already-saved and relocates them. It is a reshuffling of the deck. Sheep-stealers target Christians from other churches. They avoid the messy business of evangelism (of sinners) and discipleship (of new converts) by raiding the pews of other churches. All they have to do is simply convert these stolen sheep to another style of worship or doctrinal beliefs. Is that kingdom advancement? No it's not.

The motivation for sheep-stealing has much to do with the ease and fast results of attracting the already-converted to a new church home. Building a church on true conversions takes time, energy and resources. Even when these efforts are successful, it often takes years to develop a disciple. How easy it is for a sheep-stealer to come along and simply pluck such a person from a another flock; the work is already done and it produces positive results and immediate assets the new church. It is fast and efficient; it graphs well and looks good on the church’s end-of-year report.

The longer I think about sheep stealing and those who deliberately engage in it, the more I am convinced that this practice is not energized by God’s Spirit, but by God’s enemy.

Sunday Mind Dump On Monday

• Okay. I realize I that I haven’t posted anything new for three days. This was done deliberately. I wanted to be sure that my post about JOHN PIPER was read/seen by everyone who logs on to this site. More than four hundred hits later, I can now move on. Mission accomplished.
  
  
• I enjoyed church yesterday.
  
  
• Attendance was a little off due to holiday travel, which is to be expected. This particular Sunday (between Christmas & New Year) is always a challenge.
  
  
• The morning message (Annual State of the Church Address) was the right topic to speak on. With Christmas behind us and the New Year just before us, it was the perfect Sunday to review 2009 and outline some objectives for 2010.
  
  
• I had a lot of fun with some of the content, and some moments were pretty tense too. It needed to be said.
  
  
• A group of teenagers came to the stage at the conclusion of the second service to help with the closing song. They did a good job and it was a pleasant surprise.
  
  
• We are preparing for some changes in 2010. Business-as-usual won’t cut it if we are going to be the kind of prevailing church God has called us to be.
  
  
• Every year we evaluate our programming, procedures and personnel. It’s always a tense time but it must be done. We do this to ensure that we are as lean and as efficient as possible. If a program isn’t working, it gets axed. If a procedure is inefficient, it gets changed or improved. Ineffective leaders are replaced.
  
  
• It is also time for MY ROLE to change at PCC. I spend too much time working “in” the church when I should be working “on” the church. I should be doing more “equipping” of others to carry the work load. Ephesians 4:11-12 is very clear that the role of pastors is to “perfect the saints” so that they can “do the work of the ministry.” I should not be vacuuming the carpet in our church.
  
  
• Our church should become a congregation of 600-700 in 2010. There is no reason why we shouldn’t.
  
  
• BREAKING 500 IN ATTENDANCE: “When a church is at the 500-attendance-threshold, it is a very critical time in the life-cycle of that church. This is the stage that will determine the future of that church. Either they break through the 500 barrier and go to the next level, or either they let the small church mentality keep them like they are….”
  
  I remember saying those exact words two summers ago to a group of leaders in our church – almost all who are now gone. They couldn’t cope with the prospect of change. They wanted us to remain like we were in the days of meeting at the High School. Yet, our attendance is better now than it was then and we have done more to fulfill the Great Commission than ever before. But the best part is this – the people who are with us now HAVE a WHOLE NEW MINDSET. They are ready and eager to move forward.
  
  
• A new message series begins this Sunday – based on the book of Malachi. It’s going to be very challenging, but will result in spiritual growth for the members of our church family who desire it.
  
  

Brittany Denny Devotional

Brittany Denny is sharing a Christmas devotional. She did an outstanding job.

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Youth Christmas Party

A few group shots.

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Pictures

An orchid I am growing.

Our family Christmas tree.

Part of the library in my office.
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Can't Lie

Can't lie. I am ready for 2009 to be over and 2010 to begin. It's going to be a great year.

Redneck

I admitt it, I've got a little redneck in me. But I went to Carpenter's Park in Milton today and noticed that the redneck-ness there goes to a whole-nutha-level.

Just saying...