Archive for category General
7 reasons your church plant won’t make it
Posted by tomelmore in Everything Else, Family, General, Leadership, Philosophy, Thoughts from the Week, Thrive, Wrapup on October 27, 2010
Just came across this blog and thought you would enjoy it. By the way – all the reasons are 100% true….
Tom
Here are seven reasons your church plant won’t make it.
1. You imported your vision, mission and strategy from another church because you really don’t have a vision, mission or strategy.
2. You’re drunk with vision but haven’t developed healthy systems.
3. You sacrifice your family in the name of ministry.
4. You don’t talk about money.
5. You’re a cheap church planter who won’t spend money on leadership development for you or your staff.
6. You download all your sermons from the Internet because you don’t study, pray or read your Bible.
7. You started a church because, deep down, you have a problem with authority and don’t want a boss.
Michael Lukaszewski is the lead planter of Oak Leaf Church in Cartersville, Georgia.
Why Men Hate Going To Church
Posted by tomelmore in General, Thoughts from the Week, Thrive on October 15, 2010
We just had our first Tuesday night growth group a couple days ago. It is made up of a bunch of guys trying to figure out life and faith…and I loved every second of it.
I must say our group this week came out of the gate strong. As we sat around and smoked cigars and drank IBC cream sodas (the best soda ever made) we also shared our family background and talked about how we ended up at Thrive. We made a commitment to explore a book called “Why men hate going to church” by David Murrow. Growing up in too many churches the only man that actually practices his faith is the pastor. Lately this has really bothered me because the circle I sat in last week was filled with men ready to conquer something – ready to live out their purpose and asking God ”how can you use me”? It was stinking amazing!
As I dig through our book and reflect on last Tuesday night …Here are a few thoughts
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Speaking to some crazy kids in Mississippi
Posted by tomelmore in General, Leadership on August 26, 2010
Last night I had the pleasure of speaking in Picayune, MS at Resurrection Life church for some great friends of mine. Check it out.
I love hanging out with emerging leaders and getting to speak to kids!
Tom
GROW Part 2
Posted by tomelmore in General, Leadership, Thrive on May 21, 2010
I love learning from great leaders. If you look behind the scenes of great churches you will almost always find GROWING LEADERS….. The last few weeks I have had the opportunity of being around some of the country’s best leaders, pastors and church planters. I thought I would share with you a few nuggets that made me stop and think.
* The biggest “sin” of senior pastors is lying. If they are open with their struggles..Their people will be too.
* Mega Ministry’s come out of Mega Marriages
* Too often pastors are trying to “answer questions” no one is really asking
* Serving without connection to Vision = Division
* Your ceiling will eventually become the floor you stand on (I Love this one!)
* Always choose TRUST over TALENT
* Fear of success is just as bad as fear of failure
* Best phrase ever -”Wow, I’ve never seen that done in church before!”
* If Billy Graham were 22 yrs old – what would he do to reach lost people?
* Would the people closest to you “feel honored” if you became successful?
* Tighten up your church systems and allow your people to have a break during the summer
* A “good” pace means you are done growing…….
* The best way to save time is to be coached by someone who has what you want.
Let’s keep growing Thrive Church!
tom
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GROW
Posted by tomelmore in General, Leadership, Thrive on May 7, 2010
Over the next few weeks I want to share some of the things I learned at the “All Access 2010 Conference” by the ARC in Baton Rouge as well as my Church Planting Coaching Network that met this week in Wisconsin. 
Here are some highlights from Chris Hodges. He is the Lead Pastor of Church of the Highlands in Alabama. They have grown to over 16,000 people weekly. Great Thoughts on “Growth”
Chris Hodges / All Access 2010
1. WE Grow OUR-self FIRST
- The Church began in Acts 1:4 with an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. That was God’s way of growing the church’s initial leadership.
- Too many leaders want to see results without first developing themselves. All healthy church growth happens through the Pastor’s personal growth.
2. WE Grow for the RIGHT Reasons
- We need to remember to keep our hearts pure first – then realize that God has given us a JOB to GROW THE CHURCH!
- It’s is not for our ego, pride or to find our personal value (which should already be found as a son or daughter of Jesus Christ)
- Luke 17:8 (A powerful prayer from this passage) – Tells us to keep our hearts pure. We need to realize our motives will determine the value of our fruit.
- Growth is about GOD not your personal insecurity or identity crisis
3. JUST GROW
- I Cor 3:7-8 = we will be rewarded according to our labor – we are God’s workers – He needs us (the church) to get it together so the Kingdom of God Grows
- We have lost sight of our assignment – heaven and hell are realities that too many churches are ignoring by refusing to engage culture with God’s timeless truth.
HOW DO WE GROW?
1. Refocus on the GREAT COMMISSION
- We have an assignment from our king
- There is a lot of distraction / feel good / social justice flow / we are feeding bellies that are still going to hell….
- Social Justice is a TOOL to communicate the message of Christ not the end itself.
2. KEEP SCORE
- If people matter – we need to be willing to measure it
- Your team needs to know what matters – they need to know what is a “WIN”
- The numbers need to tell us if we are doing our job or not
3. If it’s not working - CHANGE IT
- Take responsibility for not being effective and make changes
- Remove programs
- Change styles
- Be willing to kill the SACRED COWS so people will WIN SPIRITUALLY
Tom
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My A/C is Broke!
Today part of my job is to make sure that we figure out a plan to get the A/C back on in our home. One of the necessities in TX is not a snow shovel or snow plow (like it was in MI and IL) it’s cool air. I know the smoking hot TX days are just around the corner and I believe an air conditioned family is a happy family.
Now I realize that over 70% of the world does not even HAVE A/C so I’m not whining here (ok a little) but in TX it’s kind of a big deal – and getting bigger with each warmer day. So….seeing if I can get the A/C guy out here today and perhaps crawl around with him in my attic. If I’m lucky the bill will be low and the cool air will arrive soon.
Times like this are just “life happens” moments ….the Bible even speaks to those as well…..here’s a great verse
“We can rejoice too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are GOOD for us – they help us learn to endure. And endurance builds strength of character” -Romans 5:3-4
This is only a TEST!
Tom
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5 Reasons the Devil Hates Easter
Posted by tomelmore in General, Next Right Step, Thrive on April 3, 2010
1. People “Go To Church” that normally never do…..the result? People think about God’s love, the gift of forgiveness and rediscover how church can be relevant and helpful to their life.
2. It confuses small children that think Easter is all about colored eggs and a fluffy Bunny. Kids actually hear about Jesus….not as a cute story or fable – but as truth that can change their life!
3. Churches around the Country are Praying HARDER THAN EVER! Prayer moves the hands of the one that holds the world. God sees His church actually “GO FOR IT” and ask Him for BIG THINGS!
4. Families Spend Time Together! They spend time growing closer to God and eating together…..two things that actually HELP families get STRONGER.
5. People give their LIFE to Christ! People all across the country come face to face with the truth that GOD has something GREAT for their LIFE. They realize that it’s not about religion but about a RELATIONSHIP with the God of the Universe…and it’s more about LOVE than Judgment!
Remember – INVITE and PRAY…it’s going to be AWESOME
Tom
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What I am Learning as a Leader: Part 2
Posted by tomelmore in General, Leadership, Thrive on March 11, 2010
Here is part two of some of the principles I am learning/applying as a leader….hope this stuff inspires you as much as it has me….
The kingdom of God needs leaders that are Growing, Risking and are Inspired…..let’s bring it!!!
* Great Reminder – people do what they get rewarded for….who needs to be rewarded right now?
* The people that are serious about GROWING want good feedback…good husbands/wives ask for feedback from their spouse!
* Great Churches require GREAT MARRIAGES……time to get on it guys…
* You don’t know if your staff is loyal until you disappoint them….
* As a leader you don’t always need more $$$ – you need more focus ….how true it is…
* Uncommon Dreams require a clutter free mind – remove distractions from your life and schedule…
* Uncommon Dreams need to be fed – what are you listening to that is feeding your dreams?
“The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top and not at the bottom.” Deut. 23:18 NIV
tom
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BIG Announcement!
Here is a picture of Jackie and I announcing our record
attendance on Sunday.
Can’t wait to see what big plans God has for Thrive next!
Tom
Exciting Happenings @ THRIVE Church
1. Life never slows down!!!
2. This Sunday, I’ll be taking 5 minutes at the end of our gathering to share with you the next steps for Thrive (and no, it’s not buying a building), but some pretty exciting stuff is right around the corner.
3. If you haven’t signed up for a Growth Group yet, better do it soon! They’re filling up fast. (I’m not exaggerating)
4. On Sunday, we’ll be talking about how to understand HIS needs and HER needs. This could have saved Brad Pitt a lot of headaches (sorry, that was a bad attempt at humor)!
On another note, here are just a few comments we received back from guests. Pretty motivating stuff!
“Put it this way, I’m actually looking forward to attending this Sunday!!!”
“Great programs for kids! It allowed my husband and I to enjoy the service. Thank you.”
“My impression was a great one. It was what I was looking for, but I didn’t know it until I was there.”
“My husband said right away that he would come back again!”
“We loved it. The music and message were both uplifting. I felt the pastor was sincere and very upfront, honest and being who he truly was. We really did enjoy it a great deal”
“I love the atmosphere of the church and people”
See you Sunday,
Tom
