A New Blog

Over the past few months Compass Point has gone through many changes in our size and structure. As a result many of our folks have begun following my blog and Twitter to find out where God is taking me as a pastor…and Compass Point as a church. It has been with much prayer, counsel and discussion that I’ve arrived at the decision to stop really posting about the strategy, structure and ups & downs of Compass Point here…basically all of the stuff that was helpful to church planters and other church leaders. With that in mind, we have created another blog…Compass Point Pass…to still let church leaders that want to follow this experiment called Compass Point do so. Not only will you find all of our downloads, graphics and links to companies we use (for free)…it will be at Compass Point Pass that we’ll be blogging about the actual structure and strategy of how we carry out the God-given vision of Compass Point. Take a moment to head over there and check it out…and don’t forget to subscribe to the feed.

Monday Morning Ramblings

• Great day yesterday at Compass Point. The “One Prayer” messages are beginning to challenge some of our folks.  I can’t wait for next week!!!
• The band sounded really good yesterday…really tight…Jon did an excellent job of leading.
• Getting ready to launch another blog…more later this week about that.
• Heard a podcast on Friday with Perry Noble and Tony Morgan. Perry was talking about the fact that you can either lead “doers” or “leaders”…they both have their pros and cons…but leaders can take you to the next level.
• Compass Point has some amazing people that work hard…tremendous doers…but I’m praying for a few more folks that are willing to step up to the responsibilities and challenges of leadership.
• I am both excited…and apprehensive about the Fall…God is stirring…and the winds of change are blowing…whatever is coming…is going to be HUGE!!
• Gary Lamb’s meesage yesterday really struck a chord with a bunch of our folks…and offended some others. What he said…is where we’ve been…and where we’re going at Compass Point. Those offended…will probably get even more uncomfortable in the days to come.
• Getting ready to bring a new series next month…”Walk This Way”. I’m going to be doing some serious Steven Tyler stuff with my microphone stand.
• The implications of “One Prayer” and video have my head reeling. Pulpit supply when I’m gone may not be such a problem in the future.
• Back to being bored with today’s Christian music. Does everyone on Christian have to sound like Avalon or Natalie Grant? Been getting back into the old stuff that initially fired me up…Resurrection Band, Steve Taylor, Leslie Phillips, Servant, Rick Cua…
• Putting together some new forms to use on Sunday…should simplify some things and make for better organization.

Photos From The Tailgate Service

Me rocking the Buddy Guy Strat with the Compass Point Blues Band

The parking lot was PACKED!!!

Nice shot from the front row!!!

Summer Of Change: Video Venue

I must admit I have never been a huge fan of the video venue idea.  It’s nothing Scriptural or doctrinal…just a personal opinion I suppose.  I’m more of a shepherd type of guy…so personal touch is pretty important to me.  However, I’m also discovering that it is hard to replicate myself as we grow larger…harder to be in two or three places at the same time.  It is also getting harder for me to take a Sunday off.  With those thoughts in mind we wanted to experiment a little with the idea of using video preaching at Compass Point this summer.  The “One Prayer” campaign gave us a prime opportunity.

This past Sunday I was on vacation…and Perry Noble was in my pulpit..via video.  The results…AMAZING!!!  Now don’t get me wrong…it was Perry Noble.  His style and my style of preaching are similar…his church demographics and the demographics at Compass Point are pretty close.  Our people don’t really respond to the “sit-on-the-stool-communicator-teacher” types…they respond to loud, animated, in-your-face preachers…which Perry definitely qualifies!!!

Even though the video was of a preacher much like Compass Point is used to, there were still questions about whether people would listen to the whole thing, respond well to the humor and actively engage someone that was on a screen?  The answer is a resounding “yes“!!!  I have no clue what that means for Compass Point at this point.  It has implications that I can take a Sunday off and still be preaching on campus.  It has implications about having some other video venue pastors fill my pulpit when I’m out.  It has some implications about starting campuses in Dade City, Polk City or Mulberry.  Heck, it may even mean that Compass Point will call for my resignation and ask NewSpring to turn Compass Point into a video venue campus (just kidding Perry…I think).

Over the next few months we will continue experimenting with the video stuff.  To date, Lakeland has never had an official video venue campus…there was much concern whether it would fly in Polk County?!?!  I can’t say that one Sunday of us doing it answers that question totally…but I can say it was a step in a new direction that opens up many possibilities!!!

The Summer Of Change

So I have alluding to it for several weeks now…but Compass Point is going through some changes right now…some big…some subtle…but all necessary. The spring of 2008 was probably the most lucid and growing time I have ever had with God. He put people, experiences and other church leaders in my life that He used to really rock my world. Denise and my baby experience was the final piece in the puzzle…the moment when I realized that there are more important things in life than holding on to what I have. Success is fleeting…it is the climb to the next rung in the ladder that really counts…the desire to constantly be moving forward is the mark of a life fulfilled. A life played safe is anything but “life more abundantly”…a life in the safe zone equals boredom…and boredom really sucks!!!

In the context of Lakeland and our denomination…Compass Point is considered somewhat of a success. In the context of my mind and our calling…there are still new peaks to climb…still new “Petes” to reach…still people in this world far from God needing the ministry of the “loud, rude and obnoxious!” God is leading me…to lead Compass Point…into new valleys…and amazing mountain tops.

I have been listening…learning…and saying that we will move forward “tomorrow”. Then I realized last week…to quote myself…as of today…tomorrow has never come. What has been done is history…what lies ahead is all that matters for Compass Point. As of this past Monday…”tomorrow” finally arrived. “Tomorrow” means a summer of change…new structures…new strategies…new parameters…a new passion…for the same old direction that God initially called Compass Point to when we launched.

Stay tuned…it’s going to be fun…it’s going to be scary…it’s going to be amazing…it’s going to be difficult…it’s going to be outside the box…it’s going to be inside the box…it’s going to be beyond anything we’ve ever seen before. It’s going to be a lot of things…but it will not be boring!!!

In My Gut

What’s in my gut right now?  We’re getting the vessels ready…it’s not easy…in fact it’s a little painful…but it’s just a matter of moments before the oil begins to flow.  I can’t freakin’ wait!!!

To Slump Or Not To Slump, That Is The Question

I’ll be honest…I get a little tired of pastors whining about the “summer slump”. First off…unless you pastor in Central Florida…you really have no clue what a slump is. Churches around here are an hour’s drive from beaches on the Atlantic Ocean, beaches on the Gulf of Mexico, Disney World, Animal Kingdom, MGM Studios, Epcot, Universal Studios, Wet N’ WIld, Busch Garden, NASA Visitor’s Center, NASCAR Experience Museum, Islands of Adventure, Richard Petty Driving Experience, two zoos and a place where a butt load of alligators jump out of the water for food. When we talk about a summer slump around here…for most of us Central Florida pastors…it means that about 50% of our people are missing on any given Sunday.

Secondly, the only thing slumping is the Sunday attendance…that’s not the entire church. However, some of the pastors I know get all down and depressed because their egos can’t handle the fact that they are preaching to some empty chairs. They start complaining, lash out at the people that do show up and generally just make a complete ass of themselves. Good grief, get over it…there are more important things in life than whether the church is full on Sunday!!!

A slump in attendance doesn’t mean that the church as a whole has to be in a slump. As pastors it is our choice whether we let the church slump or not during the summer. At Compass Point we know our people are going to go off on some Sundays and play. We build that into our thinking and planning…and work within that box…instead of trying to fight it. The following are a few things we do in order to not let our church slump…while our summer attendance is.

1. Encourage “spying”. Every year I know it’s coming…the dreaded “summer slump” in attendance. It starts around the middle of May and runs through the first week of August. I also know our people work hard to reach people far from God all school year…and they need a break. It’s not personal…it’s not because of me…or my preaching…or their lack of Bible knowledge. It’s that families need some time…to be families. We don’t get pissed or hurt about it. We encourage our folks to visit a church in the area where they are vacationing…rip off a few ideas for Compass Point…take some digital pictures (with tiny James Bond-like cameras) and shoot us an email telling us what they liked about the other church.

2. Dial down the special events. Most church pastors I know try to use costly special events to keep attendance up. You are just trying to push the snowball uphill with that…a lot of work with very little results. Push the snowball down hill and stop fighting it…embrace it. Use it as a time to give some ministries or programs a break. Let your leaders take a few weeks off to recharge their spiritual and physical batteries. Us pastors need a break every now and then…so do our volunteer leaders and staff.

3. Regroup, restrategy and restructure. This is the main thing we do in the summer at Compass Point. If we are going to make sweeping changes in structure, staffing or strategy…we try our best to wait until summer. Right now we are making BIG changes in the way we do small groups, our preaching focus for the Fall and staffing/leadership structure. Some we have shared with the church…most will be shared a little at a time over the next few months.

4. Focus on the vision. At Compass Point we know we see less guests during the summer than any other time of the year…it’s mainly home folks or new active folks we picked up throughout the year. Due to that fact I always use June and July to preach about our vision in relation to the folks that call Compass Point home. Sometimes it’s subtle…other times it’s in-your-face…but there is always something specifically focused on during the summer sermons about reaching people far from God. It doesn’t mean we don’t talk about the vision other times of the year (we get it in some way every Sunday)…but summer is a time to be a little more detailed and cast definitive goals.

5. Do something for someone else. So many times we get so caught up in the excitement and growth during the school year that we get pretty insulated as leaders. Summer is a great time to get out from behind the desk…close the office for a day…and have the staff go out to set the example for the church by serving somebody else. We have several thousand water bottles just waiting for us to pass out around Lakeland this summer. I love doing it…it’s hot…it’s muggy…it’s a lot of work…but it gets our people pumped up…and helps show Lakeland that someone cares…with no strings attached.

I’m sure there are other cool things to do around church to avoid letting the “summer slump” set it. Feel free to drop a comment or two and share your ideas. Oh yeah…take heart…the summer doesn’t last forever.

Risking It All

We’ve decided to risk it all at Compass Point. We’ve decided to throw the unwritten rule book out the window…to ignore practical wisdom…and follow our heart. We know what God is calling us to do this summer…color outside the lines…experiment…see how far the envelope can be stretched.

That will mean changes…and sheep don’t like changes. They like the same grass in the same field next to the same brook with the same shepherd leading them. The problem is…that leads to complacency…and complacency leads to laziness…and laziness leads to death. The other problem…taking risks can lead to death also. We’d rather go down fighting…than take a dive. We’d rather go out with a loud bang than a quiet whimper. We’d rather go down doing what God called us to do…redefining what success looks like…than to sit in the safety of the sidelines and wonder would could have been.

I had one of my young volunteer leaders ask me, “What happens if everyone gets upset and doesn’t come back to church?” I told him that Denise and I would still be showing up on Sunday and he should go read Matthew 18:20. Besides…we launched this thing once already…and lived to tell about it…we can certainly launch it again.

Some Sundays Are Better Than Others

Most of the times pastors write about how pumped up they are about Sunday and how this week’s service was the best ever. While Compass Point has been having some really great services recently and every week there is a new attendance records…this week was not one of them. We dealt with a BUNCH of technical problems today (mainly sound…which is always a problem in a gymnasium) and attendance was pretty ugly. To top it off I wasn’t really “on” today…the sermon was pretty weak in my opinion. In essence it wasn’t one of our better Sundays at Compass Point.

Not too long ago a day like today would have Denise hiding the sharp objects around the house. These days I don’t sweat it too much when we have less than great days…because days like today are not all that common any more. Most Sundays are good…some great…a few fair…rarely are they bad…today was fair. It’s not that it doesn’t still bother me…it does…it just doesn’t drive me insane like it use to.  I’ve come to realize some things going into my fourth year of this thing called church planting:

1. I know my church and my town. Compass Point and Lakeland is not like anywhere else in the world. I was reading some other pastor’s blog this week and they were excited because Mother’s Day is a big day for them…not Compass Point. Traditionally Mother’s Day has been a low attendance Sunday…mainly because people in Lakeland head out-of-town for Mother’s Day. Attendance will be back up next week…I can say that because I know the community, the church…and we keep pretty good records.

2. It’s a marathon not a sprint. Church planting is not a sprint…quick out of the gate and quick to the finish line. It’s a marathon where you have to pace yourself and take in every separate stage of the race. This week didn’t go so hot…last week did…next week is coming…and it will be better.  When a bad service occurs…sleep on it…meet about it…rattle somebody’s cage when needed…compliment when needed…be realistic with your assessment…and try to do better next week.

3. It’s never as bad as you think it is. I learned back in my comedy days that my perception…is not what other people necessarily see. There have been some pretty bad days at Compass Point…and pretty bad sermons…and folks will still send emails saying how great the service was. I guess what I’m saying is that I’m my own worst critic…while I know where we dropped the ball…and want to make we don’t drop it again…the folks sitting in the seats don’t always pick up on it.

4. We don’t need to hit a home run each time at bat. There are a BUNCH of perfect churches with perfect “Ken and Barbie” pastors here in Lakeland. One of the things that actually draws people to Compass Point…is the imperfection. Other church pastors I know would freak out over the imperfections we let slide. We know our people…we know Lakeland…we know what disconnected people in this community are drawn to. It’s not perfection…high tech…or excellence.  While it is never an excuse for mediocrity…some days our “dropped balls” reach more people for Christ…than the days when everything goes according to plan.

5. Safety only comes in never taking risks. Some of what we dropped the ball on today was experimental stuff. We experimented with our projector and speaker placement…it didn’t really go over well. We also used a lot of video today…something we don’t normally do…it went over pretty good. I tried to color outside the lines a little with my sermon…it felt unprepared and too off-the-cuff. However, we learned a TON today…and it is helping us take the next steps in our journey. Basically some of what happened today was because we took some risks. The day we stop dropping the ball on Sunday is the day we stop taking risks. The day we stop taking risks is the day…I quit and sell insurance.

In conclusion…if you had a bad day at church today…go home…take a nap…enjoy your family…and let it go.  Fix what you can fix…ignore what you can’t…and take comfort in knowing next week you get another shot at it!!!

The “Revival” In Lakeland

For several days I have been wrestling with the idea of blogging my concerns in reference to the “revival” taking place in Lakeland.  I foolishly mentioned it a couple of days ago before I had completely thought things through.  I learned my lesson last year when I wrote this post…that some things are meant for the world to see…and some things are only meant for Compass Point to see.  Under normal circumstances I would never comment on what is going on at another church…much less providing commentary as to the validity of it.  However, the fact that these “healing” services are taking place in our own backyard…and that quite a few of our folks at Compass Point are being “pressured” by friends and family to attend…we (the Elders and I) feel a need to address this issue…with our people.  I have watched many hours of the “revival” online through the streaming webcast…and have now attended a service in person.  I finally feel that I’m in a place to Scripturally discern what is…and isn’t…real about what is taking place…and to share that with the flock I shepherd.

I would encourage those outside of Lakeland to watch what they see on the webcast…and then search the Bible for Scriptural backing for what is taking place.  I would also encourage you not to make the trip down here for “healing” before you’ve consulted your own pastor about it.  I am not your pastor…it is not my place to tell you what to believe…or attempt to shepherd you through a blog.

Sorry to those that were waiting for my report.  Please don’t email me privately…I won’t be answering.