Audio By Carbonatix

Eight years ago, I wrote a blog titled “25 Years of Leadership Lessons.” It was tied to the 25th anniversary of Mecklenburg Community Church, the church I had the honor of planting and then leading over the (then) entire quarter-century run. The premise of the blog was simple.

Not many people get to plant a church. Not many get to lead a church for that many years. Which got me thinking… if I could go back in time, what would I tell that young church planter in 1992? What things didn’t I know then, and what things did I commit to then that I’ve found were well worth the commitment? In other words, what would I go back and offer myself from 25 years of leadership lessons?

Okay, that’s a book, not a blog. And I kind of already wrote it. (It’s titled What They Didn’t Teach You in Seminary.) But in that blog, in no particular order, were 25 things I know I would want to make sure to pass on. And so, in honor of Meck’s 33rd anniversary, I thought that they would be worth sharing again.

1. Don’t overestimate what you can do in one year, but don’t underestimate what you can do in 10, much less 25.
2. Prioritize family over ministry. You’ll find it to be the Best. Decision. Ever.
3. Fads and styles, models and trendsetters, will come and go. Stay focused on one thing: the mission.
4. You’ll grow bigger and faster if you focus on transfer growth. Don’t. Reaching the unchurched is what it’s all about.
5. People will leave. It will hurt. It will be next to impossible not to take it personally. But remember that, most of the time, it’s not about you—it’s about them and God. And if God is in it, it’s a win-win.
6. You’ll never regret a prayed-over, missionally minded, God-prompted bungee jump.
7. On any and every issue, go to the Bible and then go with the Bible.
8. Prize character over talent, and loyalty over just about anything.
9. Whom you start out with may not be whom you finish with, but prize above all others those who come in those early years and run the distance with you the rest of the way.
10. Pastoring 101: Weep with those who weep, and celebrate with those who celebrate.
11. Resolve to prioritize children’s ministry. Once again, you’ll find it to be the Best. Decision. Ever.
12. Raise your kids in such a way that they love Jesus, love the church, and love ministry. (And take heart—all four will.)
13. Hire from within. Repeat after me: hire from within.
14. Whom your platform is, whom (by and large) you will attract.
15. The key question to ask isn’t how to grow the church; the key question to ask is what is keeping the church from growing.
16. While you’re starting off with the best possible methodology, you know, remember it won’t be the best for long. No methodology ever will.
17. You don’t possess every spiritual gift. Don’t operate as if you do or let others expect it of you.
18. You will be tempted to do ministry from memory. Work at doing it from imagination.
19. Capital. Campaigns. Matter. Few things move the ball farther down the field in such dramatic fashion.
20. Your competition isn’t, and never will be, another church. You’re after the person who doesn’t give a rip about churches.
21. Matthew 18:15. Matthew 18:15. Matthew 18:15.
22. Your core values are the hills you should die on.
23. Left to itself, the natural flow of the church is to turn inward, grow older, and become outdated. Leadership must intentionally combat all three.
24. Vision leaks. Never stop casting it.
25. God loves you more than you believe and is more faithful than you deserve. Read that again.
    
    

That was a good list of 25 things. But now that we’ve hit our 33rd anniversary and I am at the ripe old age of 63, here are five more:

1. Be intentional about finishing well.
2. Celebrate the milestones.
3. It’s not your church, but God’s. It always was, and it always will be.
4. Be thinking about your successor.
5. Lost people matter to God, and they should always, always, always, always, always, always … matter to you.
   
   

James Emery White

Sources
James Emery White, What They Didn’t Teach You in Seminary (Baker), order from Amazon.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Viktoriya Dikareva

James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.

Audio By Carbonatix

Eight years ago, I wrote a blog titled “25 Years of Leadership Lessons.” It was tied to the 25th anniversary of Mecklenburg Community Church, the church I had the honor of planting and then leading over the (then) entire quarter-century run. The premise of the blog was simple.

Not many people get to plant a church. Not many get to lead a church for that many years. Which got me thinking… if I could go back in time, what would I tell that young church planter in 1992? What things didn’t I know then, and what things did I commit to then that I’ve found were well worth the commitment? In other words, what would I go back and offer myself from 25 years of leadership lessons?

Okay, that’s a book, not a blog. And I kind of already wrote it. (It’s titled What They Didn’t Teach You in Seminary.) But in that blog, in no particular order, were 25 things I know I would want to make sure to pass on. And so, in honor of Meck’s 33rd anniversary, I thought that they would be worth sharing again.

1. Don’t overestimate what you can do in one year, but don’t underestimate what you can do in 10, much less 25.
2. Prioritize family over ministry. You’ll find it to be the Best. Decision. Ever.
3. Fads and styles, models and trendsetters, will come and go. Stay focused on one thing: the mission.
4. You’ll grow bigger and faster if you focus on transfer growth. Don’t. Reaching the unchurched is what it’s all about.
5. People will leave. It will hurt. It will be next to impossible not to take it personally. But remember that, most of the time, it’s not about you—it’s about them and God. And if God is in it, it’s a win-win.
6. You’ll never regret a prayed-over, missionally minded, God-prompted bungee jump.
7. On any and every issue, go to the Bible and then go with the Bible.
8. Prize character over talent, and loyalty over just about anything.
9. Whom you start out with may not be whom you finish with, but prize above all others those who come in those early years and run the distance with you the rest of the way.
10. Pastoring 101: Weep with those who weep, and celebrate with those who celebrate.
11. Resolve to prioritize children’s ministry. Once again, you’ll find it to be the Best. Decision. Ever.
12. Raise your kids in such a way that they love Jesus, love the church, and love ministry. (And take heart—all four will.)
13. Hire from within. Repeat after me: hire from within.
14. Whom your platform is, whom (by and large) you will attract.
15. The key question to ask isn’t how to grow the church; the key question to ask is what is keeping the church from growing.
16. While you’re starting off with the best possible methodology, you know, remember it won’t be the best for long. No methodology ever will.
17. You don’t possess every spiritual gift. Don’t operate as if you do or let others expect it of you.
18. You will be tempted to do ministry from memory. Work at doing it from imagination.
19. Capital. Campaigns. Matter. Few things move the ball farther down the field in such dramatic fashion.
20. Your competition isn’t, and never will be, another church. You’re after the person who doesn’t give a rip about churches.
21. Matthew 18:15. Matthew 18:15. Matthew 18:15.
22. Your core values are the hills you should die on.
23. Left to itself, the natural flow of the church is to turn inward, grow older, and become outdated. Leadership must intentionally combat all three.
24. Vision leaks. Never stop casting it.
25. God loves you more than you believe and is more faithful than you deserve. Read that again.
    
    

That was a good list of 25 things. But now that we’ve hit our 33rd anniversary and I am at the ripe old age of 63, here are five more:

1. Be intentional about finishing well.
2. Celebrate the milestones.
3. It’s not your church, but God’s. It always was, and it always will be.
4. Be thinking about your successor.
5. Lost people matter to God, and they should always, always, always, always, always, always … matter to you.
   
   

James Emery White

Sources
James Emery White, What They Didn’t Teach You in Seminary (Baker), order from Amazon.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Viktoriya Dikareva

James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.