King of the Google Page Ranking

Ok, I know how much effort many people put into being at the top of the Google Page Rankings. It's a science. It's an art.

But how many websites are not only #1 on Google for the searched item, but are actually in a class by themselves? Well, I don't know.

But I'm one of them.

Google either of the following: pod-blip or "pod blip" and you will see that I'm standing alone in my field.

I couldn't be more proud. Perhaps Apple will be adding a "blip" feature to itunes this time next year.

Blip on.

North Point /Compass Update...blip

Pod blip?
2 Major challenges for North Point Fellowship
2 Major opportunities for Compass Church
Want to serve with me?

On my way out of Doug's Office

Quick post on my way out of Doug Walker's office at one of our supporting churches, Fellowship of the Parks. Allow me to apologize in advance for my annoying high pitched laughter...

A little perspective looking back while going forward

The right gift set, talents & personality are worthless without calling, commitment & passion.

The “wrong” gift set(?), talents & personality are everything with calling, commitment & passion.

The Blip is Back

Well, for some reason, the audio from my "poor pastor's pod-blip" was missing for a day or so. This of course, may not have been a bad thing. It is a short post that I did completely with my tongue in my cheek, and we all know how difficult it is to talk that way...

Anyway, props to Terry for being a great sport and for the nice email. Will there be future "pod-blips?" Hmm, have to get back to you on that.

Well, it's back now, in case you missed it, in all of it's goofy glory. When you listen, think: I bet this guy washes his paper plates...

Thoughts on Restarts

Ok, back to business!

Recently I was asked a few questions by someone who is considering leading a church through a restart. These are great questions and things I'm working through a bit myself at the moment, so it was good timing. (If they give me permission, I'll update this post with their information and more background on their situation)
Update: He did. Check out Loren Hicks, a campus pastor at UCLA, and originator of the great questions!

I may look at a few of these in a more indepth way in future posts, but for now I'm just throwing them all out there at one time.

Now I know that there are some great church planters/pastors out there who occasionally drop by this blog who have a wealth of knowledge & experience. What would you guys add to my thoughts, here? I could use some fresh thoughts, also!

Here are the questions and my responses.

I think that even though this is a restart, that the best success will come from thinking like a church planter.

1. In a church plant/restart like this, what would you consider as the critical success factors?

Here are some things I would be shooting for:

• A clear and compelling vision that you can share passionately.
• Complete "buy in" to the vision of at least 90% of the original group. (It is very likely that you'll lose at least 10% of that group, anyway. Focus on who you will be trying to reach even more than who is already there.)
• Financial base raised/committed before "relaunching." (sounds like you're on the road there, already)
• Evangelistic/Outreach strategy that builds "pre-launch" momentum.
• Strong, unified leadership team and structure.
• Good, thorough understanding of the area, the people, and the culture. What are the felt needs?
• Critical mass at the official "relaunch." Shoot for over 100 people in attendance. This will completely change the old landscape and establish momentum and excitement about the new direction of the church.

2. What would you consider the initial steps in a restart to be? (some of these repeat/flesh out the above items)

• If you have never had a church planter's assessment done, it could be very helpful to discover your personal strengths and challenges you may need to work on before beginning.
• Answer the following questions in your own heart in a way that can be communicated with authority and passion:

Is there a need for a "new" church in this area at this time?

Is there anything distinctive about our church?

Are there people who will not be reached by anyone else unless we reach them?

• Completely "survey the land" - Know everything you can about the area.
• Develop a "prospectus" that includes a timeline, budget, and your vision & values.
• Gather/build the leadership team to realize the vision. (Get the wrong people off of the bus and the right people on the bus and in the right seats, ala the book, "Good to Great")
• Develop/enlist a prayer team.
• It may be a good idea to consider creating a whole new identity for the church. New name/logo/etc.
• Develop a marketing (think: "how to communicate the greatest news in the world and who we are as a church" to the community) plan. Include everything from newspaper articles to service projects to advertising.

3. Do you have any suggestions on looking for a leadership team? Would you look for a certain criteria?

• Start by considering people that you already know and have worked with in the past.
• Bill Hybels suggests looking for CIA: Chemistry, first, Integrity second and Ability third. I would also add that you should look for people who understand your vision, values & where you're going - and want to go with you.
• Consider enlisting a designer/visuals/media person, a volunteer coordinator and a community relations coordinator to the team.

4. Are there any resources you would point us towards?

You may be familiar with all of these, but here's a start:

• The Purpose driven Church planter's conference
  
• Percept Demographics
  
• Church Planting Village (This is a site for church plants of the North American Mission Board, SBC, but has good stuff for any denom.)
• The book, Visioneering by Andy Stanley
• The book, Starting High Definition Churches by Ron Sylvia
• The book, Simply Strategic Stuff by Tim Stevens and Tony Morgan
  
• The Church Planter's Toolkit by Robert E. Logan & Steven L. Ogne (a bit dated, but still a good resource)
• The Church planting forum on Pastors.com
• A lot of blogs, but here's a good start: Gary Lamb
  

Well, there are certainly more things to consider, (and many, many more resources) but I hope these are helpful. Please let me know how things go, and I pray God's best for you, your family, and the church God has put on your heart!

Grace & Peace,

Johnny

A time to laugh...

"A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance." Ecclesiastes 3:4 - NLT

"God blesses you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied. God blesses you who weep now, for the time will come when you will laugh with joy." Luke 6:21 - NLT

"2 We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, "What amazing things the LORD has done for them." 3 Yes, the LORD has done amazing things for us! What joy!" Psalm 126:2-3 - NLT

Poor Pastor's Pod - Blip...

Like a podcast....but not really.

Inspired by Terry Storch, but please don't blame him.

Hey, sometimes you just need to kick back, blow off some steam, and get a little silly...

Leckies Unplugged & Looking Ahead

One of the first stops on our mini-vacation was the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo. It is definitely one of the weirdest sights that we always stop for when we're going this way. 10 cadillacs buried halfway in the ground at the angle of the great pyramids - What more can I say?

They don't look quite as lovely, today. But then again, neither do I.

Man, how did my kids get so big? The last time we were here they were all at least a foot shorter. Or maybe it just seems that way to me. Time rocks on.

Look for this image to show up in the banner on the top of this page before long.


The destination was Red River, New Mexico, and camping at the "June Bug" Campground. Here I am, as usual, defying death at every turn.

...Actually, the water was only ankle deep. I wonder if that's more of a real description of my life than I care to admit. Hmm....






This last picture pretty much says it all. The attitude, the spirit, the sense of adventure...

And it also reflects the journey my family has been on for the past two years. We have a few scratches and a loss or two, but my, how we've grown! There's a lot of trail behind us, but the path ahead is where the real action is.

And that brings me to this:

North Point Fellowship is also at a turn in the path, and we are changing our name to Compass Church for the next stage of the journey. You heard it here first. (Well, most of you, anyway)

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)

A compass provides direction without details. And on an adventure you can get lost without one when the path fades into wilderness all around. I need a compass. How about you? More about this will be coming soon.

The attitude, the spirit, the sense of adventure...a wonderful family and an exciting young church with an incredible future...

God has blessed me more than I can say.

Sermons That Are Too Long

Quick definition:
"Sermon That is Too Long" - One that is not working.

Sermons that are meeting needs, biblically accurate, passionate, engaging and well delivered are never too long.* But even really short sermons that don't do those things are always too long.

This is my summary definition from a variety of conversations I've had over the past few months, and my own observation of preachers and sermons. Especially me and mine. It's from the perspective of the people listening, or not listening, as the case may be.

Don't get all righteous on me. You know it's true... Leave Jeremiah out of this. :)

By the way, Tony Morgan has an interesting take on sermons here.

* This is a general observation not to be taken to the extreme. Yes, even a good sermon can be too long - but then again, it isn't really meeting needs if people are thinking about the fact that they've been sitting for too long, or they need to go to the bathroom. If you're preaching for over an hour in the United States in the 21st century, it had better be pretty flippin' incredible stuff, Napoleon!

Live from where the buffalo roam...

Out of Town For A Few Days...

Forgot to mention that I'm heading out of town for most of this week with my family for a mini-vacation. We'll be camping for a couple of days - no laptop - no wi-fi. If I'm at a hotel that has a computer and internet connection, I may post something. Otherwise, I may just do an audio post or two along the way.

This morning we're in Ardmore, Oklahoma of all places, and stayed at the La Quinta Inn. Quick quote from this morning at breakfast:

"No, no, no...There'll be no coffee today...no, no, no. The machine is broken; he's coming to fix it..."

Surely there's a Starbucks around here, somewhere...

Active Ingredients

Medicine is everywhere. Prescriptions and OTC's (OTC = Over the counter. Why aren't they called OTS's? Off The Shelf?) from a variety of sources and for a variety of problems. Brand names and generics.

When you have a need for medicine, you often have a number of choices. But it's a glance at the label that is most important. The reason that generics generally work as well as brand name medicines is because of the active ingredient. Even with OTC's, the differences between products is not so much differences with the active ingredient as it is with the inactive ingredients. One goes down smoother, has a delicious flavor, or is a pill rather than a syrup, and the other one isn't. But the active ingredient is what really matters.

It's the active ingredient that gets to the root of the problem. It's the active ingredient that brings healing. It's the active ingredient that is really accomplishing anything. Without the active ingredient, some medicines would just be lame candy.

I think sometimes in our churches we get distracted by the inactive ingredients. Lots of activity, programs, events (or even services), and the active ingredient becomes just another ingredient. Ironically, some of our activities can become inactivities. As a result, our efforts become just lame candy.

Yesterday, we had a baptism celebration at North Point. It reminded me of why we've hung in there through many obstacles. It reminded me that our active ingredient is all about changed lives through new life in Jesus Christ. It reminded me that some of the things we have tried along the way do not support the active ingredient.

It reminded me that all of the "brand name" elements should intentionally enhance, make more accessable and remove barriers to the real medicine, not replace it. Certain brand name medicines are popular for a reason. It's because they do those things well, not because they have forgotten about the active ingredient in favor of the flavor.

Does this make sense? If it doesn't, take two aspirin and call me in the morning...

New Banner & Subtitle

Took a fun break this afternoon, and played around with a little html. Too bad I really don't know what I'm doing....I might could come up with something really cool.

I'm planning to rotate images on the right of the banner. But what about this one? Not enough color? Maybe the name should change to "the next cup?"

What do you think?

Phone Follies

Phone Follies

Yesterday morning I was called by a telemarketer. I was pretty sure it was a telemarketer by the way it was listed on the caller ID, and so I didn't answer it the first 4 times they called. Finally, I just gave in and answered.

As the lady on the line began her canned presentation, I was courteous and patient through the first bit. Part of the presentation informed me that the conversation may be recorded for quality control. At the first pause in the sales pitch I told her that I really wasn't interested, "but thanks anyway," and began to hang up. But she just kept talking. I interrupted, but she just kept talking. Finally I said something like, "Ma'am, please, if you would just listen to what I'm saying - I mean especially if this is being recorded..." So finally she got the message and was mildly courteous as she wrapped up the call.

Kind of annoying, but no big deal. Typical Telemarketing call.

About an hour later, they called again. I didn't answer this time.

Fast forward to this morning. I had to take my son, Matthew to a strength and conditioning camp by 7:00 a.m. [D'oh! - As I'm typing this, they just called again!] As I was groggily making my way to the door at about 6:40 a.m., the phone started ringing.

"Man!" I thought. "These guys have no shame! A telemarketing call at 6:40 a.m.?" When I got to the phone I glanced at the caller ID and realized that the number that was calling our home was my cell phone.

"Oh, no," I thought, "I must have left my phone somewhere, and someone's calling to let me know." That's when I noticed that my cell phone was in my pocket and the "keyguard" was not on.

So it wasn't a telemarketer calling me at an annoying time of the morning.

It was my pants.

I'm guessing they were calling to encourage me not to run by the seat of them today like I did yesterday...

This Weekend :: 6.26.05

This Weekend, 6/26 @ the Roanoke Outdoor Pavillion and Community Center

Bumbling Along...

Well, I've certainly gotten a bit of feedback about "The Church That Bumbled." In the process I realized that I bumbled in the telling. Even though I didn't name names, it's still a pretty public place to talk about another church. I guess it's called, "The World Wide Web" for a reason.

So first, let me offer a quick apology. I really should have spoken to the Pastor of the "Church That Bumbled" before blogging about it. I'm sorry I didn't do that, because if I had made that step first, it might have changed how the post came across. I'm afraid I may have left the impression with some of the readers of my blog that I'm angry or bitter about the situation, which really isn't the case, at all. In fact, before that particular weekend, I had not been thinking about it much at all. ...Really!

I have spoken with the pastor of that church since, and he was very quick to want to deal with the situation. There was no "conspiracy," and after re-reading the post, I see that it looks like that was what I was saying. Good grief.

I know I would want to know if our members were going down that path, and I really should have extended that courtesy to him before now. I also know that there have been times when people have done things "in my name" that I had never commissioned or would never have approved.

I love this church planter and the church they are planting. I want them to do well.

I hope this post helps, and no, you still can't know who it is. Let's dust off, now and get back on the trail. No bumbles.

Armed Robber Gets Extreme Makeover in Shreveport...

Don't Mess With Shreveport Beauty Shop Ladies...

I'm from Shreveport, and this story just cracked me up. Read it here.
("H-E-double hockey sticks" word alert)

Kim's Blog

Kim Wells has been with us since the earliest days of our church plant, and is an incredibly gifted worship leader. Incidently, her husband, Ricky, has also become an excellent lead guitarist. I am very grateful and honored to have them both on the team!

I thought it would be great to introduce you to Kim by directing you to her new blog.

Kim is one of the few people in the world who can follow up a quote from Oswald Chambers with, "Dude!" and then go on to really share some great insight! I've enjoyed reading her blog. I think you will too.

North Point This Weekend : 6.19.05

This Weekend (6/19/05) @ North Point