I attended the Whiteboard Sessions 2010 conference in VA Beach on Friday, May 21. These are my notes from the various speakers.
Perry is the lead pastor of NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC.
Big Idea:To Grow Your Church You Need to Embrace Seasons of Pain
Doing ministry can often feel like you are being tossed up into a ceiling fan each day, being caught and then tossed back up into again.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – before they got to see Jesus in a way they never did, the furnace had to get 7 times hotter.
A couple things that ministry leaders need to learn how to deal with if they are going to effective in the long term:
Criticism
Number 1 question pastors always ask him are how to deal with critics. They are not necessarily a bad thing. They may not be the majority but they are often the loudest. Listen to those who love Jesus and love you but love Jesus more than they love you and will therefore speak truth into your life.
If you focus on trying to please everyone you will loose everything. You must remember that God is bigger than any critic. All-star athletes listen to their coaches, not the fat guy in stand. You need to surround yourself with coaches who love Jesus and not kiss your butt.
Depression
The Bible calls those who do not work, lazy. But he calls those who don’t rest, disobedient.
- Fun – What do you do for fun? The best ideas usually come when we disconnect.
- Family – If your church can’t survive without you, something is wrong. They might not treat you like a rock star, but
- Focus – Be still and know that He is God. You have to have time alone with God, without distractions.