What’s On Your “To Don’t” List?
Posted by Chris
LifeChurch based out of Edmond, OK and led by Craig Groeschel is perhaps one of the most influential churches in America right now. Andrea and I have been to several LifeChurch services over the years when we lived in the Kansas & Oklahoma, and we have friends who are members there.
I ran into a blog entry on LifeChurch.tv written by Groeschel that just seemed to echo in my spirit. In it he was speaking to the idea that when LifeChurch first began that he struggled with feeling like it wasn't a "real church" because they didn't have a permanent location or do anything of the 'things' other churches do - like have a VBS, church sports leagues, etc. When they got to the point of growth where they were able to they quickly added these things to their plate of offerings. The results? Not what they expected. Those results changed how they view ministry... Check out the full post on Craig's blog: "Don't Do It All, Part Four" It's a short read, but very well done. He's a good communicator as it is & that comes across in his writing.
Read that last week & then listened to an old (aka a month ago) podcast from Catalyst where they interviewed Craig. The whole interview is good (the podcast is roughly 30 minutes long). One part, in particular, though, resonated with me again.
He was addressing a question in the interview where he was asked how he is able to manage a growing church, speaking opportunities, book writings, & a family with six children. He said this at the end of his answer...
I think both of these hit home right now for me. I'm in a place where I'm not overly swamped like I have been in recent past. I'm juggling two jobs and a young family. I'm serving in a church where we are trying to focus on the 'main things' that God is wanting us to do & not get caught-up in offering 'more' just because that is what everyone else is doing. I definitely need to check my "To Don't" list and see what more I can add there.
I ran into a blog entry on LifeChurch.tv written by Groeschel that just seemed to echo in my spirit. In it he was speaking to the idea that when LifeChurch first began that he struggled with feeling like it wasn't a "real church" because they didn't have a permanent location or do anything of the 'things' other churches do - like have a VBS, church sports leagues, etc. When they got to the point of growth where they were able to they quickly added these things to their plate of offerings. The results? Not what they expected. Those results changed how they view ministry... Check out the full post on Craig's blog: "Don't Do It All, Part Four" It's a short read, but very well done. He's a good communicator as it is & that comes across in his writing.
Read that last week & then listened to an old (aka a month ago) podcast from Catalyst where they interviewed Craig. The whole interview is good (the podcast is roughly 30 minutes long). One part, in particular, though, resonated with me again.
He was addressing a question in the interview where he was asked how he is able to manage a growing church, speaking opportunities, book writings, & a family with six children. He said this at the end of his answer...
"For pastors, one of the big things that we think is the more we do the better we are going to be, and the truth is really the less we do the better we are going to be. And so I try not to continue adding to my "To Do" list. Every year I try to add to my "To Don't" list. And I find that the fewer things that I do, the better I can be."You can listen to the entire podcast here: Catalyst Podcast, Episode 18 (iTunes Link)
I think both of these hit home right now for me. I'm in a place where I'm not overly swamped like I have been in recent past. I'm juggling two jobs and a young family. I'm serving in a church where we are trying to focus on the 'main things' that God is wanting us to do & not get caught-up in offering 'more' just because that is what everyone else is doing. I definitely need to check my "To Don't" list and see what more I can add there.
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