This idea isn’t original to me.  Solomon was an early identifier of this principle:

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

I was introduced to it last year by Bill Hybels in his book Axiom, and since then it has revolutionized the way I think.  Here’s how Bill finishes the chapter on seasons:

“You’re always in a season, leader.  It’s your role to know which it is and what to do about it.”

Looking back, I can see how there were times when God was leading RPC into a time of rebuilding or consolidation, but I fought it because I thought we were always supposed to grow by leaps and bounds.  I didn’t understand seasons.  God often uses times of rebuilding or consolidation or even upheaval to position us for better, healthier growth.

Or there was a time early on in our marriage when things began to settle into a routine, and in the back of my mind I was nervous because I thought our love was going cold.  I thought we were supposed to be head-over-heels about each other until the day we died (that’s the way it works in the movies, right?)  Now I see that we were becoming comfortable with each other, and it was necessary so our friendship could grow to new levels.  And it has.

Right now RPC is in a season of slower, steadier numerical growth.  But I also see signs that many of our key leaders are beginning to grow much deeper.  In fact, I think we’re in a season of preparation for an incredible coming harvest.  So I choose to wait on God until he’s ready to move us forward.

Instead of asking why everything in your life isn’t constantly growing and moving and progressing, try asking yourself a different question: Am I in a season at work?  In my marriage?  With my kids?

And if so, which season is it?  What should I do about it?

Anyone want to share what season they’re in?

Here’s a great way to tell: who answers to who?  What are the consequences if expectations aren’t met?  What about if they’re exceeded?  Does everyone understand their role?

I heard a story recently about a governing board of a church that was in the middle of a misunderstanding with their pastor.  It seems the board wasn’t happy with some of the day-to-day decisions in the church, and they started trying to wrestle control away from the pastor.  As we’ve seen so many times before in the church world, a huge brouhaha ensued.  A mediator was brought in who, with incredible wisdom, sat the board down and explained to them that according to the bylaws their job was big-picture items only.  The day-to-day decisions were to be left up to the pastor.  It was the legal way to do things (according to their bylaws), and the smart way.

Know what the board did?  They recanted of their actions, apologized to the pastor, and gave him a full vote of confidence.  It seems their problem wasn’t selfishness or having the wrong agenda; they’d never been told exactly what they were supposed to be doing.

Here’s the thing: if you do the hard work of establishing boundaries – if you take the time to be sure roles and consequences and rewards are clearly defined – you reduce the likelihood later for confusion, disappointment, and misunderstanding.  At RPC we haven’t always done well with this (and by “we” I mean me), but things are getting better.  I’m finding that clearly defined boundaries help us avoid a multitude of troubles.  Because most people aren’t deceitful or making a power play – they just haven’t been told how far they can go, and exactly who is responsible if they’re not.

Manage your boundaries earlier, and the boundaries will manage your people later.

“Guys leave ministry and then write books about how church should be.”

“You won’t learn much about pastoring from guys who’ve never done it or quit to do easier ministry.  Listen to experience, not experts.”

To be honest, these sentiments scare me.  As a pastor, I hope I never get to the place where I’m discounting entire demographics of people from speaking into my life.  People like Ben Arment, Seth Godin, Ed Stetzer, Dave Ramsey, Al Mohler, and even John Maxwell.

None of the above are currently serving as pastors in any capacity.  And they’re some of the most brilliant people I’ve come across. To be sure, some of them were pastors at one time.  But who am I to judge whether they left the pastorate because they were scared or because God called them to do something else?  Heck, for a little while Tony Morgan was between ministry jobs and spent some time consulting.  So if he hadn’t accepted the position at West Ridge then I couldn’t listen to him?  Seriously?

Maybe I’m going against the flow here, but I’m going to keep listening to them.  And I’ll decide who will or won’t get my attention based on what they’re saying, not where they’re sitting.

I’m not trying to call anyone out on this.  And some of these statements were made by guys I really respect.  But I feel like we need a different perspective added to the mix here.  And after all, I’m a pastor so I must be worth listening to. 

This may seem like selling out, but trust me it’s not. When everyone else in your industry is going out of business, call it success that you’re paying the bills. If your sales are down 15% while everyone else’s are down 40%, that’s success. We’re more prone to compare ourselves to where we were two months ago or two years ago. Sometimes, that’s the only way to get a true read on where you are. Other times it’s disaster.

For example, our budget just went down 10%. We budget on a 6-month cycle, and this 6-months’ budget is about 10% less than last because our giving went down. But we’ve paid all of our bills, paid all of our employees, and even managed to save some. And as I look around at the landscape of what’s going on in churches right now, that’s success.

Would it have been 2 or 3 years ago? Absolutely not. But things have changed.

So when is it ok to redefine success, and when is it disastrous? When is it wisdom, and when is it relativism?

You’ve got to figure that out for yourself. Get informed on what’s really going on out there, and get your bible, and get alone with God, and follow him to the conclusions he has for you.

There’s no easy answer. Welcome to leadership.

• Block your calendar if possible.  It’s important that you get away from all distractions and interruptions, even if that means physically getting away.
• Do this as regularly as possible.  I’ve scheduled it for every week, but in reality if I’m able to pull it off 1/4 of the time I’ll be pleased. I know everyone’s job doesn’t allow for this, but I think most of us could find a Saturday once every few months if we tried.  It’s worth the cost of a babysitter or a few meals away from home.
• How do you spend the time?  Start by getting caught up on reading the books you’ve been meaning to get to.  In fact, you should keep a list of books you want to read.  When I come across something that sounds interesting, I usually order it and add it to my stack for future reading.  Obviously, I’m not talking about Twilight or John Grisham here.   Spiritual/business/leadership/personal growth books work well.
• Also, take note of magazine articles/web articles/podcasts you’d like to catch up on.  One benefit of adding this time to the calendar is that you can begin to collect material as it draws closer.  You’ll be surprised how much you’re coming in to contact with if you just start paying attention.
• It’s a good idea to start a time like this with some prayer – for focus and an open mind and wisdom to know what you need to pursue.  In fact, if you pray up to, during, and after the time it’ll work much better.
• As always, if you want some recommendations for reading or listening, shoot me an email and let’s chat.

I couldn’t believe how much more productive I was the rest of the week by spending that time developing myself.  I also can’t believe how much better I feel about the future, simply by being able to pull away and focus on the big picture.

I know the thought of taking time off work or school or taking care of your kids is daunting and may seem impossible, but let me assure you it’s worth it.  And maybe you can’t do it now, but you can make plans to do it when your schedule lightens up.  The point is that you can’t wait for someone else to invest in you before you start growing.  Start investing in yourself.  After all, if you don’t think you’re important enough, why should anyone else?

• I’ve got an incredible staff that is truly developing into a team.  These folks are talented, and Spirit-led, and I trust them with my life.  That’s saying a lot.  I can’t stress enough how much the people you’re doing life with affect your outlook.  And “the people you do life with” is more than your spouse and kids.
• Things are progressing.  Even though nothing has officially happened yet, I can sense RPC moving toward where we need to be.  Although I can’t verbalize it yet, I sense the promise of great things for us just over the next hill.
• I’m learning better ways to evaluate what we’re doing.  In short, I’m paying more attention to stories of lifechange and less attention to numbers or circumstances.
• I’m learning to turn it over.  And I think, because of my personality type (any High D’s in the house?) this is something I’ll always struggle with.  But, like I shared with someone yesterday, I’m moving away from trying to make things happen and toward following God where he’s working.  Leadership is much easier when you follow the Spirit as HE leads.

As I re-read this, I find myself asking the same question you may be asking: “Shouldn’t he have learned some of this by now?”  And the answer is: I did.  But sometimes I get busy and self-centered, and give up ground I’d already conquered and lessons I’d already learned.  Which forces me to learn them all over again.

Surely I’m not the only one who moves backwards sometimes.  Anyone feel like sharing?

There are definitely some BIG things dropping this fall at RPC.  In a week and a half, I have two (count ‘em – two!) new staff members joining our team.  We’re planning to come back strong in August with our live teaching, and are already working on our upcoming series.  And we’re planning and praying about some pivotal opportunities to bless our community by giving away a portion of our budget.  All of this means it’s pivotal for me to get away right now for a few days to recharge my batteries.

We’ve had a ton of positive feedback for One Prayer, our video teaching series for the month of July.  Most of you have enjoyed this series, and along the way you’ve been exposed to some different voices that are shaping today’s church.  So I thought I’d leave you with a chance to hear more of what these men of God have to offer.  Below are some links to more info about our speakers for this series, including blogs and sermon archives (fyi: anything I’ve marked ‘archive’ = listening online and ‘podcast’ = subscribe through itunes or another rss tool)…

Craig Groeschel’s blog, sermon archive and podcast.

Andy Stanley’s sermon archive and sermon/leadership podcasts.

Perry Noble’s blog, sermon archive and podcast.

Steven Furtick’s blog, sermon archive and podcast.

By the way, I know you haven’t heard Steven Furtick speak yet, but just wait.  You have no idea what you’re in for…

Oh, and by the way, that works for pastors too.  And church staff.  And teachers.  And…

J.D. was one of the speakers this year at Advance09, and his talk was titled “Planting is for Wimps: Revitalizing a Church around the Gospel.”  He admits himself that this title is ‘tongue in cheek’, since his church is actively involved in planting other churches.  And I in no way believe that either, as several of my friends are planters and I have the utmost respect for them.  But it brings to mind a specific observation: the perceived emphasis on church planting, to the detriment of those brave souls who are attempting to transition or revitalize an existing congregation.

Maybe it’s just me, but as I’ve attended conferences and listened to podcasts and read books over the last seven years it seems there is a plethora of information, support, and attention given to church planters.  They’re the true heroes.  The only brave ones.  The guys down in the trenches.

And when I hear stuff like that, I think: man I wish you could’ve been a fly on the wall around FBC/RPC during the spring of ’05, when I had people openly mocking me during a business meeting.  Or the summer before when I was almost physically accosted by a member who didn’t like the direction we were headed.  Or the time we had to keep my address private from one particular nutjob so he wouldn’t know where my wife lived.

To be sure, planting a church requires a lot of faith, and courage, and leadership.  But so does transitioning one.  Each experience has unique challenges.  Each experience has unique rewards.  And I’m no hero, by any stretch of the imagination.  But I can assure you that transitioning and revitalizing a church also requires a good bit of courage, and can ONLY be done down in the trenches.

I heard Andy Stanley say recently he thinks the biggest issue facing the church is that all across America there are guys and gals starting churches from scratch, while down the road a completely debt-free facility sits unused and wasting because the congregation that meets there is dwindling and dying.  He thinks the problem to be solved by the next generation of church leaders is for someone to figure out how to address this issue effectively.  And I’m not sure how to solve this problem on a large scale.  But I know there’s already a small minority of us out there who have set their hands to the good work of reclaiming a past kingdom endeavor and leveraging it for future kingdom impact.

But this is the side of point leadership that no one is talking about.  This year at Drive, Lane Jones (NPCC’s campus pastor of Browns Bridge Community Church) related a story to me that reiterated this.  After one of his breakout sessions he had a guy approach him and say that while he appreciated the discussions about ministry philosophies, most of it seemed to be geared toward planters.  He really needed to know how to bring it into the context of an existing congregation and begin to transition it towards effectiveness. Lane had heard me talk about transitioning RPC earlier in the week at the NPCC staff meeting, so his response to the guy was “You need to find Timm Collins.”  I’m not taking anything away from Lane or NorthPoint, because I was humbled that he recommended me, but seriously?  If I’m your go-to guy then we may ALL be in trouble.  See what I mean?  This discussion isn’t on anyone’s radar, and I think it’s time to put it there.

Not to take anything away from church planters, but they’re not the only ones buying the books and going to the conferences.

How about talking to the rest of us for a change?

“While the worriers are worrying, the planners are planning & the accountants are figuring out why we can’t afford it, I’m busy getting started.” – Walt Disney

Which reminds me: those who say it can’t be done rarely discourage those who are busy doing it.