Exponential & Steve Childers

God's grace and the help of Mercy Hill's extended support team has enabled me to attend Exponential, a gathering of church planters and church planting networks, in Orlando FL.

I'll be posting notes from some of my sessions from the week here.

As you read, you'll know better how to pray for me (or whoever your pastor or church planter is); also, these principles apply to people involved in church plants, too.

The first pre-conference session was taught by Steve Childers, missions professor at RTS Orlando.

He spoke on a subject I've heard him address before: "My eight biggest mistakes in church planting (that I can discuss publicly)."

My notes on these eight are below. You can read Steve's original here.

(1) It is criucal to have a biblical view of success.

In Luke 10:20, Jesus exhorts te disciples to not rejoice that the demons were subject to them, but that their names were written in the Book of Life. Their "ministry success" was not as important as their identity as children of God, loved by God, and known by God.

My worth, and our worth, as people, is not based on our success, but on our identity in, and joy from Christ.

(2) Managing your time vs. managing your life.

The work of ministry is never done.

Te key is not to schedule your priorities but to priorltize your schedule.

On a persons death bed, the last cry is not, "I wish I had spent more time on my ministry!" but, "I wish I spent more time with my family."

Some church planters need to work less, not more, after a conference like this.

That would be more spiritual than anything else you could do.

Isaiah 30:15, "In repentance and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust is your strength."

A missionary from Peru said, "There are two types of missionaries: those who take siestas, and those who leave the field."

There needs to be a sabbath rhythm of work and rest in every day, every week, every month, every quarter, and every year.

These rests should include sun, sleep, solitude, sabbaths, sex, sustenance, and sweat (exercise).

(3) Understand the difference between goals and desires.

Matthew 6:34, "Each day has enough trouble of it's own."

If there is a whole forest of trees that need chopping down, Jesus calls us to focus on the one that we can do today.

We work hard on the things we can control but we pray for the things we can't control. Keep them separate.

(4) Pursue the God of Grace not the grace of God.

John 17:3, "This is eternal life: that they may know You the One True God, and Jesus whom you have sent."

1 John 3:1 teaches we are not only soldiers in Gods army but we are children of God.

It is easy to pursue the kingdom of God and not the king.

God isn't there necessarily to help us solve problems, but our problems are there to help us find God.

(5) The way up is the way down.

"God is opposed to the proud and gives grace to the humble."

"All through history," said Oswald Chambers, "God has used nobodies because then unusual dependence upon Him makes possible unique displays of his glory."

(6) Value People over Process

Jesus said to Peter, "Do you love me? Then feed my sheep." This means that people, not process, was the big deal.

Church planters--and all people for that matter--tend to see people as a means to "my ends."

(7) Likewise, We Need to Focus on Process Living not Product Living.

We, as people, tend to be members of the "cult of the next thing." This means nothing more than our sinful discontentment cast in exalted terms.

But, "the joy and happiness from the process lasts much longer and can be more satisfying over the duration of your life."

We tend to say, "I'll be happy when..." and we always tend to live for some "next product."

But when you get that "thing," it winds up like "sand that slips through your hands." (Isaac Rubin)

(8) Make the Main Thing the Main Thing.

Matthew 22:37ff shows that the main thing is not the Great Commission, but the Great Commandment: "Love the Lord Your God with all your heart..."

The main thing is not the ministry, but the Lord.

Illustration: Dr. McQuilken