Jonathan Herron

5 Reasons Church Planting Will Ruin Your Life

Thinking of starting a new church from scratch?

Got the itch to "graduate" from leading the youth group to becoming the lead pastor of your own thing?

Sure, church planting looks hot and sexy on Instagram, but take it from me, there are 5 Reasons Church Planting Will Ruin Your Life:

5. Get Used To Being Broke.

You will never have all the resources you used to have at your cushy, all-expenses-paid, endowed former established church. Church planting is like Adulting for Church Leaders: you'll learn very quickly that receipts matter and you'll have to get used to raising cash for your salary and ministry needs.

The good news? You're reaching people far from God. The bad news? Baby Christians don't tithe.

There's a reason the Apostle Paul wrote so many fundraising letters (I'm looking at you, 2 Corinthians). Stop whining and get used to it.

4. Get Used to Being Misunderstood.

You're a dreamer, like Joseph. You can pitch a crowd on what could be and what should be with both hands tied behind your back and blindfolded. Vision is just your thing.

And because you're seeking to persuade people to join your cause, you will be misunderstood. Some church people will assume you're in it for the money (*ahem* See #5 above). Others will think you want to become the next attention-starved Celebrity Pastor.

Here's the thing: They won't actually come to you with their "concerns." Instead of a face-to-face conversation, misunderstandings happen through behind-the-scenes condemnation. You'll be going through life, doing ministry, minding your own business when WHAM-O! You're socked from the rear by a book-length Facebook post that tags everyone in your church.

Not cool, but it really does happen. A lot.

Whatever the case, just remember that passive aggressiveness is not a fruit of the Spirit. Put on that Ephesians 6 Armor and suck it up because being misunderstood sucks.

3. Get Used to Having Zero Vacation Time.

When you're the only staff member on staff, who can you trust to fill in for you? Further, if you really do believe that every Sunday is somebody's first Sunday, do you want their first Sunday to be a JV experience?

You see, it's not that you don't have dedicated, carved out vacation time on the calendar... It's that you are constantly in Vision / Survival Mode and it requires your direct attention. This makes missing a Sunday nearly impossible. Is this healthy? No, and that is why you will need to really think through a strategy for getting dedicated time off to recharge your batteries.

2. Get Used to the High Turn-Over Rate.

Just like Shakira's hips, statistics don't lie. Do you know what percentage of your church start-up will experience turnover two years in? 100%. That's right, complete turn-over.

Starting a church from scratch requires sacrificial amounts of energy, time, giving, and buy-in. It will wear on your people over time.

Get ready for experiencing pain. In fact, your pain threshold is also your leadership lid. Love people and hold them loosely with open hands. Bless them on the way out but don't be shocked when they're on their way out.

1. Get Used to Collapsing at Jesus' Feet.

At the end of the day, Jesus is the Senior Pastor of your church; you're just an undershepherd (see 1 Peter 5). This means that He is responsible for what happens in your church start-up, not you. It's His church, not yours.

And so you can cast your cares on Him because He really, really does care for you.

Collapsing at Jesus' Feet gets you off your pedestal and into a position of submission. Advancing the church on your knees is the best strategy for reaching people far from God.

Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2022 in Church Start-Up, MultiSite / Franchising | Permalink | Comments (0)

Inside My Doctoral Process

A video-blog on my doctoral journey thus far.

Posted on Saturday, May 21, 2022 in Church Start-Up, Leadership | Permalink | Comments (0)

Leading Through Change - When Staff Members and Church Members Leave

WHEN STAFF MEMBERS AND CHURCH MEMBERS LEAVE

STAFFING IS A KEY DECISION

1 Timothy 5: “Do not lay hands on a man suddenly.” Any staff hire is a very important, sobering decision. Be slow to hire.
You want to hire someone who is focused on the TOWEL, not the TITLE. You are here to SERVE.

2. HAVE A PROCESS IN PLACE FOR EVALUATING STAFF AND KEY VOLUNTEERS

You are giving people significant responsibilities; have a system for evaluating:

Character — Not just about morality. Look at their work ethic, faithfulness, integrity.
Competency — Are they all hat, no cattle?
Culture — Do they fit well within your existing culture?
Chemistry — Likeability Factor. Do you enjoy being around this guy?
Calling — Look for the fingerprint of God on the hire of that person.
Capacity for Leadership — Can they grow with the role and the growth of the church? Can they reproduce themself and become a multiplier, not a maintainer?

3. UNDERSTAND + ACCEPT THAT SOME STAFF + CHURCH MEMBERS WILL HAVE TO TRANSITION

Understanding this will save you a lot of heartache.
Think of your church like a bus with stops along the way. What happens at a bus stop? Some people get on and some people get off.
There will be significant transition points as your church grows.
When this happens, remind yourself that this is just all part of the process of church planting.
Don’t lose perspective. Your “loss” may actually be a huge win!
Some folks need to get off the bus.
Why do people leave your church?
Sometimes staff will leave you because the responsibilities have grown beyond their capacity to grow with the role.
They may outgrow the responsibilities. Your job is to always make sure your staff are being challenged.
They may lack the character / competence / chemistry required to stick with it.
They may not want to do the spiritual and emotional work in order to grow.
Unexpected circumstances arise in life. Think seasons. Life happens in seasons.

4. REMEMBER THAT ALL STAFF AND MEMBERS NEED TO BE HELD LOOSELY.
Anything you hold tightly you suffocate.

5. PROMOTIONS TO KEY LEADERSHIP ROLES SHOULD BE CAREFULLY CONSIDERED THROUGH PRAYER.

Faithful in the little before being faithful with much.
Make sure they have been tested.
This doesn’t always work: people fool you. Potential staff will lie to you to get a job.
Be very careful in giving out titles… You can’t take it back.
It doesn’t feed your ego, it fits your function.

6. CELEBRATE THE STAYS AND POSITIVELY RELEASE THE GO'S.

For some churches the only time the Staff has a party is when someone leaves. When is the last time you had a party with the people who STAY?
Sometimes God calls you to go but often God calls you to STAY!
Sometimes someone goes and it’s a good thing. Sometimes someone goes and it’s painful. Sometimes people go when they shouldn’t and you can see the truck that’s about to hit them, but they won’t listen to you.

7. BE PREPARED FOR + POSITIVELY PROCESS THE EMOTIONS THAT WILL ACCOMPANY THE EXIT OF PEOPLE.

Loss leads to Grief, which can confuse people. Be prepared for the grief. You love the person, you’ve invested in them for years.
When you feel grief, don’t beat yourself up about it. Allow yourself to experience and feel.

8. GIVE CLEAR GUIDELINES TO DEPARTING STAFF ON YOUR EXPECTATIONS REGARDING COMMUNICATION.

Information Void can crank up a church gossip grapevine: “What’s happening behind the scenes?”
This happens when there is too much of time that passes between their decision and the communication.
It is foolish to allow departing staff to announce their departure.
Provide information to fill any potential void. SOMEBODY is going to tell ‘the story.’ You need to protect the health of your church as it continues moving forward.

9. EXPECT EMOTIONAL RESPONSES TO ANY STAFF MEMBER’S DEPARTURE.

Help them process, give them assurance.

10. LEARN LESSONS FROM DEPARTURES THAT CAN MAKE YOU AND YOUR ORGANIZATION BETTER.

How can we improve for next time?
What can I learn from this?
How can this make me better?

11. AVOID PROLONGED DEPARTURES.

When someone says they want to leave, let them.
Don’t drag it out or they will drag people down with them.
When they say they want to leave, their heart has already left.
Be generous in their transition.

12. BE APPROPRIATELY GENEROUS TOWARD DEPARTING PEOPLE WHO LEAVE WELL.

Err on the side of grace, not pettiness.
Oftentimes people who leave will talk badly about you behind your back. Be gracious.

13. EXPECT A HONEYMOON PERIOD ON SOCIAL MEDIA AT THE DEPARTING PERSON’S NEW PLACE.

“This new place is amazing!” Which means your place wasn’t.
At some point real life will kick in and they’ll stop.
Weather their honeymoon. You don’t need it in your spirit.
If it’s getting to you, delete the app.
Social media can feed a failure mentality.

14. DON’T GET DISCOURAGED.

Don’t Think You’re the Only Person This Happens To.
This is the secret: don’t get discouraged. Fight it.
People WILL leave your church.
Staff members WILL betray you.
Don’t give air to fear.
Pruning leads to better fruit and a better future.
Get up and keep going by faith.
Sometimes you have to wait 11 years to see someone who left in a bad way come back in repentance.

WISDOM FOR DEPARTING STAFF

If you’re leaving a church, get planted somewhere. Don’t wander.
When you get planted somewhere, be a son or daughter of that House.
Be an honorable, loyal, ethical, trusting Christian. Integrity matters. Honor your former pastor. Don’t go bush-league.
If you’re leaving a church, do not play the “God told me” game.
Don’t run from your issues! Your next church won’t change things. Geography doesn’t fix your problems.
Remember whose spiritual platform you have been using and you have been benefiting from. You were LOANED a platform. Never take the power and trust.
Never steal sheep.
Never steal staff. That is unethical behavior.
Fulfill your commitments. Don’t cut and run. That only hurts God’s people.
Leave your assigned area of responsibility stronger, not weaker.
Encourage commitment and faithfulness to the House that you’re leaving.
Watch your words, non-verbals and your actions on the way out… …because God is.

Posted on Saturday, May 21, 2022 in Church Start-Up, Honor + Integrity, Leadership, MultiSite / Franchising | Permalink | Comments (0)

2 QUESTIONS TO ASK IF YOUR CHURCH FEELS STUCK

Churches get stuck all the time.

Too often we can find ourselves doing ministry out of memory.

For what it's worth, here are 2 Important Questions for Fearless Leaders to ask...

1) HAVE WE LOST OUR LOVE FOR LOST PEOPLE?

400 years ago Protestants fled England and came to the New World to set up churches... for themselves. If your church is insider-focused, it's because of our Pilgrim heritage!

Ignite your passion for what ignites God's heart -- Remind your church that EVERY person matters!

If your church is reaching the lost, you WILL be a target from RELIGIOUS people!

Religious people were ALWAYS walking away and rejecting Jesus throughout His ministry. If you are not receiving the same rejection as Jesus, then you may not be preaching the same gospel that Jesus preached!

Ask yourself: Am I a fisher of men or a keeper of an aquarium?

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2) AM I LEADING WITH A RISING LEVEL OF HOPE?

Nothing great ever happens THROUGH YOU until it happens TO YOU!

Look at every great hero in the Scriptures:

Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness before ascending into leadership
David was living in a cave down by the river for a decade
Peter beat himself up after rejecting Jesus three times

God LOVES using BROKEN people to minister to BROKEN people!

The key is to not wallow in your brokenness. Minister from the OVERFLOW of what the Lord is doing in your life and in your heart! You cannot lead people to a place that you are not already at.

The most important thing I do as a leader: Making sure that I stay encouraged!

Ask yourself: 'What things CHARGE MY BATTERIES?'

If your internal batteries aren't charged up, you will fall into weariness.

DISCOURAGEMENT precedes DESTRUCTION:

The Enemy RUINS your FUTURE by first RUINING your DAY so that you will run toward destructive habits and choices!