Lessons From a Church Launch: Lesson Three

Strive For Excellence In Everything That Is Done

The third lesson learned from Vertical Community Church's Launch is to strive for excellence in everything is that is done, from child care to how to treat first time guests. Before we can dig into how to be excellent I must decipher the difference between doing something in excellence as opposed to perfection. Perfection means that it must be perfect and nothing is o.k if it is not perfect. Achieving something in excellence is knowing its not going to be perfect, but you're going to strive for perfection and not be perfect is okay. Ministry is not about being perfect, because no one is perfect so why expect a service or church to be perfect.

Vertical Community Church showed excellence in everything they did from setting up to interacting with each other. They set up the facility in a way that anyone would know where to go. When you enter you are shown where to sit and where the children attend either children's church or nursery. Everyone that gave the guests tours were people-friendly, not introverted non-people people. They were full of energy and ready to serve the Kingdom of God. They made sure that their sound was ready and media was functional before service began so when it came time to use it in service it was ready. They made sure the words were on the screen for worship, mics were turned to an appropriate volume. They made sure the service from beginning to end flowed and God was glorified, and did it with excellence.

I will took away notes, knowledge, and wisdom from this visit I paid to Vertical a few weeks ago. One thing that I walked away with and want to share with you is what Pastor Shane did before service. Pastor Shane did a walk-through of the facility about an hour from service time. He walked through every area that was used making sure it was ready for the move of God that would happen. This tactic is one of the many that I've adapted and desire all you reading this to put into practice. To make sure we are operating in excellence begins with the different areas of ministry that occur each service. To conduct an entire service in excellence means that every part of the service is done in excellence.

I learned many lessons besides the three here, but this lesson on excellence is one of most importance. If your guests feel that you don't care about your service/church, they will not care either. Care about your people by caring about how you minister to them, minister in excellence.

Lessons From a Church Launch: Lesson Two

Accept Anyone and Everyone Who Arrive

The second lesson I learned from the launch of Vertical Church is that they accepted everyone no matter what. I've seen in many churches that have a regular attendance after a while they seem to be picky about who comes into the Church for service. I do understand that every church launch just want people to come to their services. This should be the same mentality of every Christian Church in the world. To get everyone in to the service so they can experience Jesus Christ and be forever changed.

I believe the established Churches get complacent and to comfortable, and the moment someone new enters they get agitated. Why? Because this means that they have to get out of their comfort zones and meet someone new, love someone new, plug someone new in, etc. It means that they actually have to get up and be the Church God created them to be. The moment a Church congregation turns away new visitors is the day the Church, in my opinion, begins to decline.

We must rise up away from our compromises and comfort zones the pews and chairs have put us in, and remember what it's like to just want people to come in and experience Christ and not judge them for who we think they are but Love them because Christ loves them. Let's act every Sunday like a Church Launch and everyone and anyone walking through the doors and let God take care of the rest.

Lessons From a Church Launch: Lesson One

Launch Team Needs To Be A Family

To have a successful launch as a church and a functional group of leaders to minister with you must be like that of a functional family. I say functional specifically, because honestly growing up my family was not completely functional. A functional family is one that loves one another through the great times and the tough times. Nothing holds their love back from one another. Also when an onlooker sees "the family" they say to themselves, "that's something I would want to be apart of."

Attending Vertical Community Churches launch this past Sunday, that's what I saw. I witnessed a group of men and women of God working together to accomplish the Will of God, but doing so with love and acceptance. I didn't know anyone there very well, but they accepted me as one of their own throughout the morning.

Those you work with in ministry must not be looked at as just employees or ministry leaders, but people you love and care about. People you are willing to spend time with outside the walls of the church and are pouring into. Your leaders are just as important as those who attend your services, because if they are not built up and empowered, those who they lead will not be either.

We must be the family that people are looking for. Marriage statistics are terrible and people are looking for a group of people they can look to for guidance and encouragement to be who God created them to be. This will never take place, however, if the team you are apart of or lead are not the family, the Body of Christ.

Lessons From a Church Launch

This past Sunday I had the privilege of attending Vertical Community Church. It was great to see one's God-given vision become a reality. As I attend I was able to be there during the set up process and help during the service a little. It was great getting a chance to be apart of their launch and to all there at Vertical, thank you. Thank you for letting me be apart of what God is doing and for not laughing at me when I got in the way or did something incorrectly.

I learned three things watching this amazing groups of leaders prepare for the power of God and also how they reacted to God moving in the service. Over this week we are going to bust out three lesson I believe every person on the face of the earth needs to learn from a Church Launch.