[This post is part of a collection of "rough" notes from sessions I attended at Create Conference]
I’m at Create this week and will be blogging some notes on the sessions I attend.
Here are my “rough” notes from this morning’s main session with Craig Groeschel who joined us via video:
*Disclaimer: if I misinterpreted what was said, please forgive me and correct me 
Enjoy…
- Some have “it”, some don’t have “it”!
- They have something that I don’t have, that i want. They get it, and i want it!
- The local church is the hope of the world
- In 1996 I started a church
- all staff is hired in the same process… similar staff, same teaching,etc…, but results are profoundly different.
- same elements but different results (something intangible was missing).
- Something more than just the “spirit”.
- New York campus had 145% growth in 1yr // my own campus, where my family attends is the only one in 13 campuses that declined. 3% smaller than the year before
- Some of the other campuses obviously have “it”. Then you can walk into other teams [on other campuses] and say, they don’t have “it”.
- Have it >> had it, but lost it >> don’t have it today
- But God want’s to give it to you.
- God makes it happen
- It is from Him, by Him, for His glory
- We can’t create it, reproduce it or manufacture it.
- It’s rare that one person will bring it, but it’s common that one person kills it.
- It‘s not taught, it‘s caught.
- It has an up side – transformed lives
- It has a downside – attracts critics
- If you have it, you could lose it
- GOOD NEWS: if you don’t have it, God can give it to you.
- The early church had it. Acts 2:42-47
- I want it, I want more of it, give it to me
4 Qualities That Seem to be There When It is Present
1. LASER FOCUS.
- What are you doing that you need to stop doing?
- Make better ministries better, not more ministries better!
- What can you be the very best at in your ministry
- In order to reach people that no one is reaching, you’ll have to do things that no one is doing!
- We asked what we could best do to make radical followers of christ? 5 areas of laser focus:
- weekend worship experience
- small groups -
- kids ministry – important to influence them before they are 18
- student min – most on fire group
- Missions – we do it well
- We stopped VBS/concerts/conferences
- mens ministries, singles, etc…, all are reached through small groups
- What are you doing that you need to stop doing? You have everything you need to accomplish what God wants you to
2. THEY SEE OPPORTUNITIES WHERE OTHERS SEE OBSTACLES.
- God often guides with what he doesn’t provide (i.e. obstacles)
- What is God trying to show you through your greatest limitations?
3. THEY’RE WILLING TO FAIL.
- Organizations that have it are willing to fail. (failure not an option, it’s a necessity)
- One area of failure leads to a working method (i.e. satellite churches)
- You might find 3 steps of failure before you finally get it right! (illustration: the mule who fell in the deel hole shook off the dust and put it under him until he finally got out.)
- What has God called you to do and when are you going to do it!
4. YOU NEED TO HAVE IT FOR YOUR MINISTRY TO GET IT
- Ministry can kill it
- Soon it becomes about building the church rather than building the Kingdom
- Soon it becomes about preaching messages that will bring people in, rather than bringing glory to God.
- There was a time in my life when I became a full-time pastor and a part-time follower of Christ…and I lost it
Craig closed the video session with this franciscan blessing:
May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain in to joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.
————–
WorshipRises writer Greg Sykes opened and closed the main session with some rocking worship!
