Launch and Lead Practical resources for launching new churches and leading them well

Backstage with Jeff Kapusta @ Lifepoint

Here’s the third backstage tour.  This time, Jeff Kapusta shows us around Lifepoint Church.

Previous Videos:
Oak Leaf Church
Pine Ridge Church

If you film one of these, send me the vimeo link and I’ll post it.

Behind the Scenes Tour

A while ago, we filed a behind the scenes tour on a Sunday morning as we were setting up.  Tadd Grandstaff and Pine Ridge Church have filmed a video for me as well.  Take a look at a behind the scenes tour at Pine Ridge Church.

And if you missed our first video, here is is.

Why Oak Leaf is Growing, Part 2

Here’s a few more reasons why I believe Oak Leaf Church is growing.

6.  I take my job very seriously. I work hard, and I expect those around me to work hard.  Church planting is not a part time job, a side thing or a hobby.  I meet with other pastors, go to conferences and stretch myself as a leader.  I understand that this church will never grow beyond my leadership lid.

7.  Volunteers, volunteers, volunteers. We have incredible volunteers, and watching them in action inspires me.  I think about half of our adult attenders volunteer somewhere every single weekend.  We’ve created a culture of volunteers.  We empower them, appreciate them, and realize that we couldn’t do what we do without them.  They are awesome.

8.  We are different.  This goes back to #2, but we aren’t like every other church in town.  Now we may not be all that different when you look at the innovative church lists, but we’re different for our area.  We do things differently and say things differently.

9.  We are bold in our advertising and marketing. We put out signs that say “Chuck Norris Loves Oak Leaf Church.”  Our graphics and postcards look good.  Random people in the community often tell me, “hey…your stuff always looks so good.”

10.  We learn from our mistakes. We are not perfect…far from it.  And we have a long way to go.  We’re still reaching less than 5% of our community, and that’s not good enough.  But when we mess something up, we ask hard questions and keep moving forward.

Why 1,000 People Are Attending Oak Leaf Church

Oak Leaf Church is a little less than three years old, and we’ve seen God do some incredible things.  One of those things is the numbers of people that are coming to Oak Leaf Church on a regular basis.  Cartersville has a population of 18,000 people, and there are about 90,000 people in the entire county.

We didn’t spend a lot of money ($55,000 from January to our launch in August).  We didn’t have a social networking strategy.  We didn’t have a big launch team (we had about 10 families)  Anyway, here’s some reasons why I believe so many people are connected right now.

1.  God is blessing.  I don’t mean this in the super-spiritual, gotta give God lip-service kind of way.  I really mean it.  It’s possible to do all the right things, and if God doesn’t bless it, then it’s no good.  I have no idea why God doesn’t bless everyone the same, but I’m thankful that He has blessed our church.

2.  We came to the right place at the right time. I really didn’t want to plant in Cartersville, because I’m more of a city-person.  In fact, even when we moved to Cartersville, I kept driving down into the city to find a better place.  But in the end, God wanted us here.  Turns out we were able to be a big fish in a small pond, rather than a small fish in a big pond.  Cartersville didn’t have a church like Oak Leaf Church.  There are several other church plants that have just started or are starting now.

3.  We are intentional about growth. We plan for it, pray for it, and expect it.  I think a lot of churches don’t grow because they really don’t expect it, and consequently, they never plan for it.  I’m always asking “what’s next?”

4.  We aren’t afraid to lose people. This is important…I’ve seen big givers walk, but I have never been tempted to change the vision to accommodate people.  Oak Leaf Church isn’t for everyone, and I’m okay with that.  If you try to please everyone, you’ll end up pleasing no one.  When I watch people leave, it’s always sad, but sometimes, it’s the best.

5.  We are not afraid of change. In fact, we seek it out.  Sometimes, we’ve been guilty of changing too much.  But if you want to grow, you’ve got to be willing to change.  And it’s a gut check, because we often change things that I started or that I thought was a good idea.

Look for five more reasons tomorrow.

Church Planting Do's and Dont's

• Don’t think that there is only one way to do church.
• Do decide your way and be true to yourself and your calling.
• Don’t hire people just to have a team.  Having the wrong people on the team is worse than not having a team.
• Do hire people that you want to hang around.  You’re going to be with these people a lot!
• Don’t be apologetic about who you are or who you are reaching.
• Don’t offend Christians in the name of reaching the unchurched.
• Do talk about vision, purpose, and money more often than you think you need to.
• Don’t try to do it all.
• Do play to your strengths and do some things really well.
• Don’t try to meet every need.  Just because it’s a need or someone requests a ministry doesn’t mean you should meet it or start a program.
• Don’t worry so much about writing bylaws and installing elders early on.
• Do become a marketing expert in your area.
• Don’t define yourself by what you are against.
• Do teach your people that their number one task is to find more people.
• Don’t freak out when the offering is bad.
• Do read a lot of books, and not just books on church planting.
• Don’t be afraid to lose people.
• Don’t build a church around your preferences.