Ligon Group Next

Today when we open the doors to the church, we are missing a lot of the people. Of special note is the volunteer crew … the faithful that rocked babies, hung out the teens and served on a connection team. Perhaps you are feeling that pain.  Most all the churches that I talk to each week are feeling it at some level and are experiencing the reality that it has on their capacity to execute the mission. 

I led from a posture of innovation even before I really understood what it meant.

This was driven by the requirement to do so in the campus ministry start-up that I led in the nineties. When you are given the keys to your office (aka a former broom closet) and well wishes from the university chaplain and … well that was it … you figure it out … you innovate. Did I mention that one of the things that I was not given as I started was any students? Church planters at least typically start with a few couples in their living room, So what is one to do? You get scrappy. You figure out where the students hang out. You invite yourself into the university’s freshman orientation process. You become friends with the folks who make the decisions about meeting spaces so that you can identify and secure a better place for “home base. In short – you innovate.

A couple of weeks ago, I hosted Larry Osborne for our Leadwell Accelerator.  I asked Larry to talk some about what he thought the next wave of multisite was going to look like. In a power-packed 20 minutes, he shared the importance of defining what you mean by multisite and understanding your motivation for launching campuses. You can listen in on these thoughts at the link to the full conversation below, but I want to recap a few of Larry’s observations for you in this post.

One of my favorite authors is marketing guru Seth Godin.  I have been known to say to folks that during my early morning quiet times I read the scriptures, pray, journal … and check out the latest Godin post.  Sounds a little sacrilegious perhaps; but his way of seeing things from a slightly different, kind of quirky perspective is often instructive for me.  

We have all heard in a variety of contexts the encouragement to never question the power of one. Perhaps you’ve heard it from a mentor or a good friend or colleague who affirmed a unique aspect of your giftedness. Maybe you’ve been the encourager or the truth-teller or the idea generator with a member of your team or as a parent with one of your kids. I know I have been on both ends of that equation as a recipient and as the one providing encouragement.  History is full of stories of movements that were ignited by the actions of one person who passionately believed in something and connected that belief to action.

I don’t know about you, but I am always curious about what’s next?  It probably drives the teams I have led through the years, not to mention my family, a little crazy.  I’ve heard more than once, “Can’t we just focus on what we’re doing without looking...