Yes, you read the title correctly and you have every right to think I’m nuts.

Our world is full of chaos and distractions that continually pull us away from what we should be focused on. As individuals we can easily let the everyday chaos pull us away from our time with God, family, the church, and our friends. As a church or organization we can let chaos dictate our vision, principles, and goals when it raises its ugly head. By putting out one fire after another in our personal life and organizations we turn our focus away from the vision and calling God has placed upon us. We eventually become centered on man’s desire instead of God’s.

So how can chaos be a good thing?

1. At some point you and your organization will have enough! You will come to the realization that if you let chaos be in control there will be no control.
2. Chaos can reveal the desire for simplicity. We all desire less choices and boundaries… even if we complain about it. Organizations also thrive with a specific and simplistic message that followers can grasp, relate to, and repeat.
3. Chaos can force you to release leadership and delegate. The more you have on your plate the quicker you realize you are not the Lone Ranger and you begin to equip those around you. The more an organization has on its agenda the quicker its employees/members burnout which leads you back to #2.
4. Chaos can force you and your organization to define itself. Will you and/or your organization be known as the catch all, professional plate spinners, and fire brigade? Or will you begin the painful process of simplicity and learning to say no.
5. Chaos can reveal great leaders. If you survive the painful process of simplification you will find yourself confident in who and what God has called you to be. If your organization survives the simplification process you will lose “leaders” that are content with keeping the peace, mediocrity, and a desire to be needed. It will gain sacrificial and courageous leaders that equip those around them, and are laser focused on a simplistic vision for the organization.

I’m sure this list is not complete and would love to hear your thoughts and additions.

1. Let God grow you.

The cruel fact of church leadership is this. You can never lead others to a place you have not yet arrived.  So the challenge will always be, not to learn the newest trend or process, but to become more intimate with God. You don’t want a crowd of babies, but a brigade of warriors begging for a fight!

2. Let God grow others.

One of the hardest lessons I had to learn, as a young leader was that God is the only one that can change someone, I cant! I know it would be super cool to have that power…ZAP> Thou art now a sacrificial giver! Cool, yeah, gonna happen? Not! You do what God has called you to do, and don’t take it personally if people don’t respond the way you expect.

3. Let God grow others through you.

Now, as a leader, it is our calling to hear from & follow God, and challenge others to do the same. So one aspect is this… ALWAYS look for opportunities to replace yourself! You MUST develop leaders around you, if not your church will implode. Not matter how lofty your thoughts are about yourself, you are not the next Rick Warren, or a spiritual machine that can never break down. There will be no greater honor for you as leader, than to replace yourself… Several times over!

4. Let God grow the church.

I remember one point of being so discouraged. I didn’t know why some people weren’t coming, why we weren’t growing as fast as “I thought” we should. God slapped me with these 2 back hands… Jesus said “I will build my church” & “the Lord added to their number daily.” I was quickly reminded this WAS NOT my church. This is Jesus’ church, and He will grow it as He sees fit. My job is to hear and follow Him, like this… “He has told you old man what is required of you, to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with Me.”

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Over the past several months I have had the pleasure of getting to know Artie Davis. Artie is the Lead Pastor at Cornerstone Community Church in Orangeburg, SC. Under his leadership Cornerstone Community Church has exploded in the Orangeburg area revolutionizing the local church culture. He is also the founder of Pray2k, a passionate movement to plant Multi-Ethnic, culturally relevant churches in smaller communities & The Comb Network which equips Multi-Ethnic churches and leaders with tools and resources necessary to reach an ever changing culture.

Thanks Artie for sharing your insights on church growth with us! Make sure you follow him on Twitter for daily insights and to connect with Artie.

Cornerstone has experienced tremendous growth since its birth in 1995 with 35 people. Today the church baptizes between 30-40 people each month, and has an average worship attendance between 1500-1700 people.

Strong vision casting is absolutely essential for moving an organization toward the fulfillment of it’s mission.  That’s why leaders must be consistent in casting a convincing and compelling picture of the future. But sometimes when we actually open our mouths to cast vision we’re prone to some common mistakes.  Here are five to consider as you think about your next vision casting opportunity.

• MISTAKE #1  Too Much Information – While it’s important for you to know the details of the vision don’t feel like you have to share ALL the details with everyone.  When you share too much information you can actually dampen enthusiasm rather than inspire following.   Rule of thumb: The bigger the audience the fewer the details you need to share. You can let them know there is a strategic plan, just don’t feel like you have to share the step by step details with the large crowd.
• MISTAKE #2 Emotionless Presentation- There is nothing worse than casting vision in a monotone voice.  You may not have a charismatic personality but you can still find a way to enthusiastically express your vision through your personality.  You have to cast vision with passion or others wont be convinced that you’re convinced.
• MISTAKE #3 Credit Hog – it’s always tempting for a leader to take full credit for the vision.  But when we shine the light on ourselves we take the light off of the vision.  Rule of Thumb: When casting vision use the word “we” more than “I”. Show the listener(s) how they fit into the vision.
• MISTAKE #4  Trigger Happy – You may have a great vision but if you cast it at the wrong time you may do more damage than good.  For example if you’re new in the role remember this principle: People buy into the visionary before they buy into the vision.  Take the time to do the relational groundwork, build your credibility, demonstrate authenticity, give people time to know you as well as know your vision.  Take time to get key influencers behind and bought into the vision before casting it from a big platform.
• MISTAKE #5  Unbelievable – Sometimes leaders cast a vision that’s so big that the average person just can’t grasp it.  Rule of thumb: the more previous success you’ve had the bigger the vision you can cast. Our senior pastor Greg Surratt is one of the biggest visionaries I’ve known.  I always jokingly say he thinks with more zeros’ on the end than I do.  But his previous successes from years past allow him to cast a much bigger vision today.

What vision casting mistakes have you witnessed in the past?

Through twitter, conversations, a pizza, and a visit to Charleston I have had the pleasure of getting to know Mac Lake. I want to personally thank him for being a guest blogger and sharing his thoughts on casting a vision. For those who do not know Mac let me assure you he is the “Real Deal”! If you have any chance to connect with him I want to urge you to take advantage of it. Read more about my visit with Mac and Seacoast church here! You can also check out Mac at MacLakeOnline.com.

The Martin home is getting ready for the arrival of our 3rd daughter, Holland Hope. She is expected to arrive in early June and I’m so excited that I am excited. Yeah, I know that sounds weird, but with our first two daughters I was extremely nervous throughout the pregnancy and delivery. With Holland I am a lot more relaxed and more excited than nervous. I guess after having experienced the miracle of birth twice I have a reassured trust in Christ’s protection and will for our family.

I have also noticed that each time we have a baby my perspective of ministry changes. As a newlywed I was working countless hours and had huge aspirations of being the greatest within student ministry. After Sydney Grace was born I realized the overwhelming responsibility of being a Dad. I started cutting the overtime down and began prioritizing and setting boundaries between the Church and my family.

When London Faith was born, about 4yrs later, I began to internalize that it really doesn’t matter what I do for a career. At 18 months the saddest part of her day is when I say bye in the morning, and the happiest part of her day is when I walk through the door that evening. The girls running to give me a hug screaming “Daddy, Daddy!” with huge grins on their faces reminds me of the love Jesus has for me and my calling to demonstrate that love to them. The only thing that matters is how much my girls know that their Daddy loves them unconditionally, will protect them with every fiber of my soul, and how important it is for them to see Jesus living through me.

As Holland Hope begins to make her arrival “ministry” is beginning to gain so much clarity. Church ministry happens with or without my efforts. Jesus is in the life changing business and I am in awe to be a simple tool that He chooses to use from time to time. My calling, purpose, and ministry is centered on raising my girls to fall desperately in love with Jesus. If I can’t lead our home to fall in love with Jesus how could I expect a church to follow. A leader should be a living example and let Jesus take care of the details. Regardless of where the Holy Spirit has me or sends me to serve my awesome wife and precious daughters will be with me, therefore they are first! The most important thing my daughters can experience is a Christ centered home that believes in the power of the Holy Spirit, the unconditional love of Christ, and the Fatherhood of God.

For some people reading this post these perspectives may seem radical, warped, or a little over the top. You are completely free to have your own assumptions and opinions. (just as I a free to place mine on my blog) You are also completely entitled to be absolutely wrong! Jesus entrusts me (not the church) to lead my family to Him everyday, and if I can’t do that then He definitely will not trust me to lead the local church toward Him. It’s the fathers responsibility to show the Fathers love at home first!!! Let that last sentence sink in….

In children’s ministry, I have the incredible blessing of watching boys and girls experience life as kids.  Kids experience life through different eyes than adults.  Kids haven’t yet heard the “You can’t’s,” the “That’ll never work’s,” and the “We don’t do it that way’s.”  I watch week after week as kids celebrate their lives in Christ!  I watch as they run into church excited about what God is going to do.  I watch them raise their hands, jump, and celebrate their Creator!  I hear them as they seek wisdom for the problems in their lives.  I think that’s why I come back week after week … to see life in Christ as new, full, and complete … through a child’s eye!

In the living of their lives, kids have taught me much about leadership … not in what they say … in how they live!  If a kid could give leadership advice, here’s what I think they’d say:

• I’m not interested in what you think about me.  This is who I am.  This is what I believe.  I will follow what I believe regardless of who likes me, talks about me, or picks on me.
• If I believe in the leader and in his direction, I will gladly buy in and follow.
• You do not have to persuade me to follow you, I will follow because you allow me to take part in the direction.
• There will always be bullies.  Leave them behind.
• Always listen to those wiser than you.  You do not know everything.
• The people who think they know everything, really know the least.
• You lead me, not by telling me what to do but by showing me what to do.

The kids in my ministry haven’t written books on leadership.  They’ve never taught a class or written a blog.  Their names have never appeared on the marquee of a church leadership conference.  But … they know leaders.  They know fakes.  They know people.  They are so much wiser than me.  That’s why I love them!  They may eat a little Play Dough and bring me weeds in a vase … but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

David Pearson, Minister to Children

“I have had the pleasure of getting to know David over the last 4 years while serving in Greer, SC. He is a great leader, friend, and minister. Thanks so much for being the first guest blogger on LanceMartin.net.”  Lance

To see what David is up to you can check out his ministry blog and follow him on Twitter.

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of spending the day in beautiful Charleston, SC at Seacoast Church with Mac Lake. Mac is the Development Pastor at Seacoast which currently has 13 campuses stretching across SC, NC, and GA. Mac and I began chatting on twitter so I wasn’t sure what I had gotten into, and it kinda felt like a blind date. I had heard that Mac was the “real deal” and was passionate about investing in the next generation. After a day of laughs and learning Seacoast Church and Mac Lake are the “real deal” they are laser focused on seeing lives transformed for Jesus. Here are a few takeaways from the trip:

• Seacoast is huge on placing/moving people into positions based on strengths.
• Seacoast has a ton of leaders under 35. That’s awesome!!
• Mac really believes in the next generation and spends the majority of his days coaching.
• Those that Mac leads have a high level of admiration and respect towards him.
• The Greenhouse Project (in it’s infancy) has been developed so that each staffer has a mentor which also includes a plan of personal, spiritual, and professional development. I believe The Greenhouse will revolutionize Seacoast!
• Mac and Seacoast are not blinded by success. They constantly tweak concepts that work, and they are quick to eliminate anything that does not produce results.
• Mac is huge on respecting time and releasing the staff. I sat in on a meeting where he discussed how to eliminate and shorten other meetings that were sucking time away from the staff.
• They believe that failure is a learning tool.
• They value spirit filled worship. I listened as one upper level staffer spoke of personal tears and a filling of the Holy Spirit during the previous night of worship.
• Staffers were quick to share how the church was close to their heart and how it was changing their lives.
• They love pastor Greg Surratt and deeply respect the fact that he loves the people of Seacoast. I listened as a group of 8 young leaders spoke of Greg’s accessibility and how he loves to mingle with the church family.

I’m sure this list is not complete, and I really appreciate the time I was able to spend with Mac and some of the Seacoast leadership. Thanks again for a great day!…….. Ummm, this post would not be complete unless I included some of the funny things that I learned from the trip.

• Ernest Smith LOVES long meetings and has either an evil twin or split personality named Carey. I might create a twitter profile for Carey.
• Jason Surratt stole my chair before the meeting but I was afraid to say anything because, well…. did you see his last name?
• Brandon Hair is a ticking time bomb! He just bottles it up!!
• Brandon Lake respectfully disagrees on the amount of times he has seen his father angry!
• Scott Kinney is a 25 yr. old trapped in a 26 yr. olds body! I would enjoy getting into trouble with Scott. He is a trip!!
• Here is the map of Sugartit, SC! It’s not much guys!!
• THE BEST for last!!!!! Josh Walters owes me a bio and I will never forget his face when I told him I was there to evaluate new hires within their first year! Priceless!!!

OK! Lets get one thing straight… I stink at brackets! Every year I fill out a March Madness bracket and every year it seems to only get worse because I’m a sucker for the underdogs. That’s also why I love watching the first round of the tournament. I love the fact that if a team works hard, no matter the school size, they get a chance at the dance. I also love seeing new players emerge as leaders on the court.

Here are a few leadership truths we can learn from basketball:

• A leader wants the ball during the tough times. Great leaders believe they can lead the team to victory even when there is absolutely no chance of it.
• A leader is a game changer. Everyone knows when he’s on the court the game will go the way he has already mapped it out in his head. Or he will die trying!
• A leader does not hide from confrontation. If there is a problem on the team he courageously gets to the bottom of it and provides a solution. He knows that disunity = failure.
• A leader knows each players gifts and talents. He knows when to throw the ball to each specific player. He knows this because he has invested genuine time and an open relationship with his team.
• A leader bleeds the school colors. He has bought into the vision of the school/organization and sees himself investing quality time to see progress.
• A leader listens to his teammates. He has learned that victory takes more than just one person and there is no “i” in team, but there is in WIN.

• He believes in the best for the team and his team mates. He sees the potential in the school/organization and in each player. He can envision a bright future for both.

Finally, and the most important, the team trusts and believes in the guy that wants the ball. They all know from previous experience that he can lead them to victory. The team has seen him on court, off court, and outside the game prove countless times that he’s ALL IN! He makes it easy for them to follow and believe.

Michael Jordan once said, “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” So, do you want the ball?

More quotes from the greatest BB player of all time… Michael Jordan!

“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”

“I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot… when you think about the consequences you always think of a negative result.”

“My body could stand the crutches but my mind couldn’t stand the sideline.”

5 reasons chasing a rainbow can kill you

• You will never find the pot of gold! Searching for a man made gimmick will lead you and those whom follow you down countless dead ends. The Holy Spirit and desperation for the lost is what sparks a revival.

• Everyone else knows the gold isn’t there! Each pursuit will leave wounded along the journey. Soon word gets around that it’s just another wild goose chase. You’ll look over your shoulder to see less and less people following you.

• You start retaining baggage! Each time you return from a holy quest you bring back more for your camp to maintain. Each pursuit reveals programs, events, habits, and traditions that produced mediocre results. All of the additional items become a burden for someone else to bear. The more those you lead have to maintain the more frustrated, lethargic, and reluctant they become.

• You develop gold fever! Each adventure will also produce glimpses of progress and a false hope in man. But, something is better than nothing right? You become an addict of the chase and begin to depend on the next chase to bring you validation and a right to lead.

• You become blind! Finally, you realize that you are so accustom to chasing rainbows that you really don’t need a rainbow to begin the chase. If fact, your identity and self-worth no longer resides in Christ because it is consumed by results.  You have forgotten that at one time you were just like those you lead who simply admired the miracle and mystery of the Rainbow itself. It didn’t have to be explained just experienced.

As leaders we must realize that God gives us a specific vision when we are where He can use us, and we are spiritually hungry for it. Sometimes not having a clear vision for a leader can be detrimental. You have to come desperate and broken to God willing to do whatever He asks. No fear – No Questions – Just Obedience!

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This could be the craziest post I have ever written! Rainbows and pots of gold! Where’s the leprechaun?

If you are reading this then you should be scared! Why? You could be starting a dangerous journey away from God’s will down a path of desperation, fear, and/or selfish gain. I bet you saw the title of this post and expected it to reveal the next church growth fad that is going to create an unstoppable revival within your community. Let me be the first to tell you, STOP IT!! There is absolutely nothing man made that can create a revival. A revival happens only when God decides that YOU and the church are ready for an outpouring of His Holy Spirit.

Hey, don’t feel bad. We have all been in your shoes at some point. Maybe you’re frustrated because everything YOU have tried “just doesn’t work”, or maybe you’re desperate because leaders within your church are sneaking out the back door? Shopping around for gimmicks will never solve your problems, create a revival, or reveal a vision from God. The only way for your church to grow is for you as a leader to grow. Get real with Jesus! Release your burdens, sins, fear, and selfish ambitions. Become desperate for Him and what He would have you do, instead of what YOU think He wants you to do. Carve out time to be alone with the Holy Spirit. Invite Him in and ask Him to reveal His vision for you and your community. Get down in the trenches with those you lead by investing in their personal lives and sharing yours. Being 100% submissive to the Holy Spirit and 100% transparent with your followers will produce an authenticity that desires Kingdom growth.

Chasing rainbows, gimmicks, and fads is a scary and dangerous path for all leaders and those around them. Let me encourage you to stick to the basics. The greatest gift the local church can give to its community is a high quality, spirit filled, salvation oriented, Christ focused worship that is relevant and consistent. So, maybe it’s time to “do” less and become great at the first thing your community is looking for… a place to find Jesus, experience the Holy Spirit, and see lives changed!

Have you ever seen that guy before a basketball game do the quick stretches? You know, the ones that make him “look cool” but really doesn’t help. I use to think, “I’m here to play not stretch! Let’s go!” I quickly learned that if I don’t stretch today, then I can’t move tomorrow.

We stretch to improve our flexibility. Increasing our flexibility allows us to increase the range of motion without causing damage.

As a leader in any organization you must consistently stretch yourself. Stretching yourself creates flexibility and demonstrates to God, and those around you, of your willingness to change for His greater vision. Being flexible says that you’re a team player and willing to get uncomfortable for the team to win. No organization can survive if its leaders, and those it hires, are not flexible to the vision God has placed in the heart of its primary leader. God’s plans are always challenging, scary, exciting, full of risks, and require you to be flexible. Inflexibility assumes your plans, vision, model, leadership style, and personal perception of ministry is 100% accurate, which is dangerous! It also produces a self-absorbed individual that is irrelevant to his/her culture, its needs, and the moving of the Holy Spirit. However, continually stretching yourself and being flexible increases your sensitivity toward the Holy Spirit, creates more ministry opportunities, and produces authentic followers of Christ that live to glorify God.