shawnlovejoy.com

Welcome to VELOCITY!

Our Ministry Team’s Core Values (pt.1)…

Over the last ten years, Our Mountain Lake Ministry Team has been bound together by a set of core values. So many CHURCHES I know have core values these days. Great thing. However, most Church staffs/Ministry Teams don’t have a clear set of values they covenant to live by. Mind you, when we started Mountain Lake, we didn’t sit down and decide what we WANTED our values to be. We actually sat down as a leadership team about six years ago, and IDENTIFIED TOGETHER the values we saw bubbling up in our team environment every day. Here is what we wrote down:

The Mountain Lake Ministry team values:

• Community: We do life together
• Honesty: We share the last 10% of what we’re thinking.
• Teamwork: He help & serve each other regardless of job description.
• Loyalty: We have each other’s backs.
• Execution: We do what we say we’ll do.
• Resourcefulness: We’re thankful for what we have and do our best w/ it. 
• Sacrifice: We’re wiling to pay a price to do life and mission together.

We talk about these values ALL the time. We hold each other accountable to them. These values have governed our relationships as team members the last ten years and are one the main reasons why our church is so unified in our mission and love for one another ten years later! 

Questions for you…

What are YOUR team’s values?

Do you ever talk  about them as a team?

Are they written down?

Does everyone know them?

Is the team held accountable for them? 

BTW, at our upcoming churchplanters.com conference, I’ll be leading a breakout called: “Church Staffing 201.” I’ll be covering many of  Mountain Lake’s Best Practices when it comes to discovering, attracting, hiring, and leading ministry teams. 

Stay tuned as I unpack a few of our Ministry Team Values over the next few days…

The myth of balance: (pt.1)…

Family and work can’t be balanced. The good news is that it’s not supposed to be. You heard me. It’s not in the Bible.  Not one time in Scripture, are you and I encouraged to live “balanced” lives.  You know why? For one reason, life CAN’T be balanced! If it could be balanced, Jesus would’ve at least gotten it done, right?  However, does it surprise you to hear that Jesus didn’t balance family and work well? Jesus saw His priorities to family and work as equal “rhythms” that demanded ALL of His attention at a given point, rather than two competing loyalties that must be balanced at a given point. Here are some examples:

• When Jesus was 12 yrs old, He disappeared from his mom and dad and went to the Temple. When His mother found him and chastised Him, what did He say? “I must be about my Father’s business.” In other words, “Mom, right now, the most important thing I could be doing is learning to do what God has called me to do.”
• Jesus also didn’t have the typical mantra: “God first; family second; and work third.” I don’t know where we got that idea, but it wasn’t from the Bible. Jesus didn’t live this way. Jesus’ family was NOT ALWAYS more important than His ministry. Three Gospels record the true story that tells of a day in Jesus’  life  when He is  teaching great crowds; and  his mother and brothers show up and ask him to come home and be with them:  “As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers were outside, wanting to talk with him. Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, and they want to speak to you.” Matthew 12:46-47 (NLT). Upon hearing this request, Jesus refuses to even come to the door! Why? Because He was in the middle of His work!
• If Jesus would have valued family over work or ministry, He never would have died on the cross! Think about it.

Don’t get me wrong: Jesus highly valued relationships! Here are some examples:

• Jesus  picked 12 friends to do His ministry WITH. He had three He was closer to than anyone else.
• While on the cross, Jesus was very concerned with the welfare of his mother and his best friend John:  “When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.”  John 19:26-27 (NIV).
• Jesus passionately loved people! So much so that He died for us!

Jesus wasn’t balanced. He lived life in rhythm. When He was supposed to be working, He gave it His all:  His very life!  When He was supposed to be doing life with God or people, He was fully present physically, emotionally, and mentally.  NO one has ever been more passionate about people than Jesus. However, He didn’t just live at the whims of people, even his own family!

SO what do we learn from Jesus? Wherever you are, be there. When you’re at work, be at work. Don’t be on facebook; don’t be on the phone every hour with your family;  Be a good steward of your job! That  honors God.

When you’re at home; BE there! NOT on the phone; not on the laptop; not on facebook; BE with your family! Be fully present: physically, AND mentally! THAT honors God!  THAT’S following the way of Jesus! Life in Rhythm!

Does that set you free?

We’ll be unpacking all of this even more beginning this Sunday in our new series: “Rhythm: Less Stress. More Peace.”

Tenacity: A walk down memory lane…

Tenacity History Video from Mountain Lake Church on Vimeo.

Top 5 church planting lessons over 10 yrs (pt. 3)…

5. Vocational Ministry is only for the called.  I’m really not KNOCKING other careers and occupations when I say that I believe that vocational ministry is the hardest job there is. Before you say “yeah, but…” let me unpack it. I’ve been in the professional world. I worked in real estate for three years before entering the ministry. I know what it’s like out there. I have never questioned myself and my abilities as much as I have since entering the ministry. I NEVER felt the emotional weight I feel in vocational ministry. 

First of all, think about all the hats a Pastor has to wear: Counselor; Therapist; Cheerleader; Prophet; Preacher;  Marry-er; Bury-er;  CEO; CFO; Real Estate investor; Board Member; Boss; Friend; and tons of others, depending on the need of the day!

Above all, there’s the spiritual warfare aspect of my job.  Satan knows if he can take me down, he can damaged the faiths of THOUSANDS of people. Would you say I am a target? Would you say he wants me out of the ministry? Would you say he wants me discouraged? Lazy? Prideful? Undisciplined? Unloving? Unfaithful?  You bet he does; and you can bet he’s got a host of demons assigned to me and every other pastor, because he can do a ton of damage through us!

All of this is why, as pastors, we MUST nail down our call. NOW. Yesterday. If you;re thinking about planting a church, DO NOT PLANT A CHURCH  unless you know that you know that you know that GOD is CALLING you to do so! If you’re in vocational ministry now, or pastoring a church,  and don’t know that you know that you know that God CALLED you into vocational ministry, do yourself and the church a favor. Quit. Resign. Get out. NOW. It’s only a matter of time before you quit anyway. Here’s what Jesus said:

“A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will leave the sheep because they aren’t his and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he is merely hired and has no real concern for the sheep.”  John 10:12-13 (NLT)

You’ve GOT to be called or you will run away when times get tough. If I did not know for CERTAIN that God had called me to do what I’m doing right now, I would have quit DOZENS of times! You will, too!

However, if we KNOW we HAVE been called, it means we KNOW we can’t quit, even when it’s hard. I can’t do anything else! I’m called! Anything else would be to be disobedient to God! We must hold TIGHTLY to the call! When we’re called, this is God’s prayer for us:

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)

Top 5 Church Planting Lessons over 10 Years (pt.2)…

3. The Sr. Pastor can only lead the church so far by himself. The Sr. Pastor must build a team…no, not just a team…a GREAT team. If he doesn’t, it WILL stop the church from reaching its God-given potential.   At a certain level…as a matter of fact at every level of a church’s growth, the Sr. Pastor must evaluate the team around him, and the seats they sit in on the bus and raise the bar of the team around him. A church is not as good as its preaching and music. I know of some GREAT churches who have average music and teaching. A church is only as good as the team that leads it. At churchplanters.com, we say: “Think Team”: ALL THE TIME; EVERY DAY; EVERY DECISION. Consistent  team thinking will move the pastor to constantly examine and reposition his dream team for maximum Kingdom effectiveness. Mountain Lake is what it is today because of an extraordinary team! It will be everything God wants it to be in the future based on the team God leads it with!

4.  Contemporary or traditional doesn’t matter.  I used to think that God wanted to use contemporary, cutting edge churches to change the world. I’ve learned that God wants to use HEALTHY churches (regardless of music style or dress) to change the world. I know some traditional churches God is using GREATLY right now in our world; and I know some “cutting edge ones” that are. I also know some dead “cutting edge” churches and many dead “traditional” ones. Health is what matters. Acts 2 is what matters. Not music style or video elements. 

Top 5 Church Planting Lessons over 10 Years (pt.1)…

As Mountain Lake Church approaches our Tenth Anniversary, I’ve been reflecting on our church planting experience. God has DONE so much; and I have learned SO MUCH! As I reflect on everything that’s happened in my life and the lessons I’ve learned, here are my top 5:

1. The most difficult person to lead is myself.  As a pastor, the tendency is to think we need to spend al of our time changing the world by changing everyone around me and leading them. I must do that. However, what I’ve learned is that the best way to change the world is to change me and lead myself. This includes what we call at churchplanters.com: “Nurturing Vitality” Paying close attention to my own physical, spiritual, emotional, and relational vitality. Mountain Lake has grown as I have grown. Discipline is probably the most important characteristic of the spiritual leader in a church. Mountain Lake will continue to grow as I grow.  I must lead myself.

2. It takes extraordinary courage to be the leader. Followers make suggestions. Leaders make decisions.  The Sr. Pastor has to possess a measure of courage and confidence that can only come from God.  We must relentlessly protect the vision of the church, and not allow it to be high-jacked. At churchplanters.com, we call it “being mean about the vision.” I’m not talking about being mean to people. Jesus wasn’t mean to people. He was mean about protecting the mission Jesus had given Him and would not allow anyone or anything to get in the way or sidetrack Him!  We must also be willing to have courageous conversations and make tough, sometime unpopular decisions with our church and our staffs, if we are going to go where God is leading us.  A leader must be secure in his own skin and be willing to please God OVER people no matter what. The Sr. Pastor must choose daily to be respected over liked. That takes a TON of COURAGE!

Tune in tomorrow for Part 2 of this post.

What Urban Meyer would say to Pastors…

News about Urban Meyer, the Florida gators football coach, has sent shock waves of every kind through the sports world over the last few days. How could a guy resign in the midst of a highly successful career? How could he renege on the same resignation within 24 hours? Regardless of your opinion on the whole deal, I think ALL PASTORS could learn something from all of this.

In fact, I think if Urban Meyer had a chance to speak to pastors right now, I think this is what he’d say to Pastors.

• “Pastors: Don’t worry too much about things that don’t matter.”

I promise you that Urban Meyer was EMBARASSED that he had to be taken to the hospital for stress related symptoms after a football game.  Before we judge, pastors, I think if we’re honest, we tend to worry too much about things that don’t make a hill of a beans difference in the grand scheme of things. We worry way too much about lights, songs, buildings, illustrations, and what people think about us, and being edgy or contemporary.  God’s more concerned with us loving Him and loving people.  Urban Meyer resigned to focus on “faith and family”: Loving God and loving people. Regardless of what the future holds for him, he is learning NOT to sweat the small stuff. We could take some cues from Urban. 

• “Pastors: No matter how much you influence the lives of others, your most important job is being a spouse and parent.”

Here’s EXACTLY what Urban said in his resignation: "I have given my heart and soul to coaching college football and mentoring young men for the last 24-plus years and I have dedicated most of my waking moments the last five years to the Gator football program…”. In other words: “ I’ve influenced the lives of HUNDREDS of  people, but my family has gotten leftovers.” Urban confessed to what his children said when he told them of his decision to resign: “Finally, we have our dad back!” WOW. I wonder how many pastors’ kids would be HAPPIER if their dads resigned today. If so, shame on us!  Pastors, if Urban could talk to us He would say: “Make your spouse and your kids your best ministry, not your leftover ministry.” Thanks for that challenge, Urban.

• “Pastors: success will be ultimately determined by your physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual vitality.”

According to ANYONE’S measurements, Urban Meyer has been one of the most successful coaches in the history of college football.  Meyer's resume includes two national championships, two SEC titles, three SEC East crowns and three BCS bowls. The Sporting News recently named him "Coach of the Decade" after going 95-18 at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida. HOWEVER, if Urban Meyer could talk to us as pastors, He would tell you that He doesn’t feel successful right now.    He’s basically told us in the last few days that while the numbers look great, what he’d really love to be successful at is his health:

• Physically: Meyer, scarcely available for interviews in December, said last week he had lost "ridiculous amounts" of weight during the 2009 season because of illnesses and not eating. Quarterback Tim Tebow said recently that he warned Meyer to watch his health.
• Emotionally: His doctor has told him repeatedly that his chest pains ARE stress related.  He’s tired, burned out, and discouraged because of his health.
• Relationally: "He's really worried he's going to lose his family," one staff source told the Orlando Sentinel.
• Spiritually: Urban Meyer goes to church almost every Sunday. However, in his Resignation statement, He mentioned the desire to spend more time on “FAITH and family.” FAITH is evidently more than putting on our Sunday Best. Remember that, pastors.

Suffice to say, pastors, if Urban Meyer could and would address us today, he would have a lot to say; and we would have a lot to think about; and MAYBE a lot to repent of.  Thanks for the challenge, Urban.  You’re on the verge of getting it right. Don’t blow it. I prayed for you today.  We’ll be watching and learning from you; and so will THOUSANDS of young men and women: including me. I just hope that you’ll be able to find some pastors around you that will model the way for you.

3 Things I’ve learned about preaching…

In part 3 of this series, I want to talk abut perhaps the most important thing I’ve ever learned about preaching, and that is the fact that:

3. Preaching is empty without passion and authority.

Passion comes from spending enough time with the Scriptures I’m teaching on that God has captured ME through them FIRST. Passion comes from an urgency of knowing that THIS MESSAGE might be the message that brings someone to faith in Christ. Passion comes from a moving of the holy Spirit in my life in such a way that I can not HELP but raise my voice to some extent when I talk about what he has laid on my heart. Passion comes from my own emotion. Passion comes with my own confessions and willingness to become vulnerable as the preacher on the platform. Passion comes from understanding that everyone in the crowd that day has showed up HOPING that the preacher possess some answer, some hope, some level of intimacy with God that they do not currently possess!

Authority comes with understanding that I AM GOD’S  MESSENGER to the church.  He has called me to speak for Him. He as asked me to be the spiritual leader.  He has commanded me to care for the flock that He’s given me. He has celled me as and Elder to be able to teach, and as I do, to allow my life to preach on a daily basis. He has called me to live above reproach, so that I can speak with moral authority when I preach. He has called me to model the way. He has called me to speak with boldness and authority and to love for the applause of Him, not the applause of men.  he has called me to preach in such a way that people are impressed by HIM,  not ME.  He has called me to rebuke, encourage, and lift people up with good teaching. He has anointed me, ordained me, and given me the privilege and power to proclaim His Good News. I need to preach like I believe  He has!

I can say all the right things and make all the correct interpretations, be funny, be impressive, be loud, and be engaging. However, if I have not preached with passion and authority, I have failed?  A sermon without passion and authority is like  coke without the fizz.  These days as I am finishing up prep work for a message, I ask myself: “Where’s the fizz?” Where’s the heart? Where’s the urgency? Transparency? Challenge?  Emotion? Call?  Pastors, let’s PLEASE covenant together that we will preach without passion and authority! It may be our greatest opportunity in ministry to worship Him!

Doing everything we can to shine our lights…

This is my car. The first one done. However…

Hopefully you are about to see A TON of these around metro Atlanta!

Mountain Lakers, get it done!