10 Things I have learned in 3 years as lead pastor

This past Sunday marked my third year as pastor at RiverCity Church.The following is a list of the top 10 things I've learned as a Lead Pastor:

10 - Sunday mornings do not determine my self-worth.

An older pastor once said to me, "Andrew, remember this one thing. It will help you a lot. You are not as good as your best Sunday, and you are not as bad as your worst Sunday." As a pastor, it is easy to base your self-worth on Sunday performance. If you have a great Sunday, you feel like the most successful man. If you have a bad Sunday, you feel like the world's biggest failure. I have learned to defeat this emotional roller coaster by embracing #10.

9 - Always drink a cup of coffee, but never drink two.

On Sunday mornings, I always stop and get a small coffee from Panera Bread. One Sunday, I decided to skip coffee. I ended up preaching at half-speed the first service and almost fell asleep during the second service. The following Sunday, I drank too much coffee and preached a fast sermon with jitters. One Panera coffee is just enough to get you through two services. 

8 -Great preaching doesn't build great churches, but great leadership does.

Preaching is extremely important to pastoring, but there is more to it than that. I discovered that what I do Monday through Friday is just as important as what I do on Sunday. Leading my staff, inspiring my leaders, balancing the budget, communicating vision, and spending time with people are essential to building a quality church. 

7 - Keeping paced.

I carefully schedule my week to include study time, business, people, and rest. I want to pastor for 40 years, not four. I must include rest and recreation to meet my long-term goal.

6 - Have good friends.

I am blessed to be surrounded by strong friendships. These friendships did not just happen, but they were personal investments. Friends keep me balanced, grounded, and relaxed. 

5 - Involve my family.

My kids are a part of my ministry. I make it a point to involve them in what I do so they never feel like they have to compete for my attention. They love coming and being involved. 

4 - Listen to my wife.

There are times my wife has better insight than me. She was not raised in a pastor's home so she sometimes has a different perspective. She made me change the color of the church sign.  It would have been ugly if I did not consider her opinion. Good thing I listened.

3 - Take risk.

Nothing of value comes without risk. I cannot settle for comfort, but I need to know how to operate in faith and some discomfort. Everything from increasing staff members, purchasing a building, to adding a Sunday service involved taking a risk. 

2 - Not everyone is going to like me.

I cannot base my self-worth on whether or not people like me. Some people will not like my style, personality, decisions, messages, etc. My job is not to be liked, but to accomplish God's plan for my life. I am okay if people leave my church because they don't like me. I no longer take it personally. I only want the approval of ONE - God. 

1 - Be myself.

What you see is what you get. I would be miserable if I tried to be someone else. Who I am at the pulpit is the same as who I am on my day off. I think the church prefers someone who is genuine over someone fake or rehearsed. It's better to connect with real people than phonies.

I believe these 10 lessons I learned can apply to just about everyone, such as a business man or woman, government worker, construction worker, college student, or office assistant. I look forward to learning and sharing  more in the years to come.

Always Growing,      

Pastor Andrew Huson

Church Stuff

CHURCH STUFF

Over the next several months, I will write a series of blogs examining this organization we call "church."  Why does the church exist? Why and how often should I attend church?  Why and how much should I give to my church? How should I act at church?  How do I get involved with my church?  How do I build relationships at church?  How do I know when it is time to leave a church?  How do I properly leave a church?  It is my goal to tackle these topics in a Biblical, practical and thought-provoking manner.  My writing will be based on non-negotiable Biblical facts and my expectations of the church I serve.  These blogs will be an important tool for unity and progress as we journey together.

Why does the church exist?

Growing up, I attended church almost every day of the week.  My dad was a pastor so I attended every service, Sunday school, Royal Rangers, and a Christian school that was located at the church. During my four years at Bible College, I was a little burned out on church so attended occasionally until I was hired by a church my senior year. 

                I am a very driven and focused person.  I do not like to be a part of anything that wastes my time or has no purpose.  I expect the same out of church.  I did not attend during college because I could not find a church that driven with my same level of determination. 

                My grandpa was a focused and driven church planter whose passion was to see lives changed.  My grandpa gave me a painting of a Brazilian farmer that hangs in my office.  The farmer had no money, no power, and no influence.  The painting captures my grandfather’s passion and his purpose in church – people!  My grandpa was driven to reach the people like the farmer because he wanted them to know the life-changing power of God.  There was nothing in it for my grandpa.  He would not get rich off the farmer. He would not gain position as a mega church pastor off the farmer. 

                Today, we see too many pastors more concerned with what the church can do for them rather than what they can do for the church.  They want to make money, have influence, and get a high position.  As a pastor, this breaks my heart.  The purpose of the church is not to stroke a pastor’s ego, but to fulfill God's work. 

                I am going to skip the Biblical theology for the purpose of the church. You can refer to the 16 fundamental statements of truth of the Assemblies of God for that.*  I want to give you my opinion and our church’s philosophy on why we exist.

Life Change

The church’s purpose is to see lives change for the best.  The church is a conduit of God's power to people.  If someone comes to our church feeling lost, I want them found in Christ Jesus.  If they have an addiction, I want them freed.  If they feel hopeless, I want them filled with purpose.  If someone is new to the Bible, I want them to become grounded in the Word of God.  If their marriage is broken, I want to see it restored.  I believe that a church should be a place where change is evident.  Our success is not based on charts, financial reports, or building size.  Our success is measured by the number of lives changed.

Shape Culture

Society wants to stamp out the role of the church and claims that we are no longer necessary.  Wrong. Christians play a vital role in our culture in terms of morality.  Without the church, you will see a collapse of morality and goodness.  The church and those who are a part of it shape the attitude of our cities, state, nation and world.  The Word of God changes the hearts and minds of people. 

 

Send Out Disciples

As a pastor, I see myself as a coach to other ministers.  I am here to inspire, train, and send disciples to a lost world.  Our goal is not to increase the number in church attendance, but to ensure that people are making a difference in the world.  If the church does not send people to the mission field, it is dying.  The mission field can be the workplace, the streets to feed the homeless, the prisons to teach a Bible study, or to Africa to care for orphans. We must be a sending-church. 

 

These are just some reasons why our church exists. As your pastor, I want to share my views on the topic of church.  I love the church and believe in the church. We must not become a purposeless, stale, and dying church.  We must be purpose-filled, life-changing, and thriving Christians who fervently serve our church and community. 

 

 

*For the theological and scriptural bases of the church's existence you can check out this link.  (http://ag.org/top/Beliefs/Statement_of_Fundamental_Truths)