Nelson Searcy Quotes

Seven minutes is all you get to make a positive first impression. In the first seven minutes of contact with your church, your first-time guests will know whether or not they are coming back. That's before a single worship song is sung and before a single word of the message is uttered.

Never treat your launch team like a core group. It's not. Your launch team is a time-limited, purpose-driven team. It ends with the debriefing session following your launch. At that meeting, release the launch team members to join a ministry team of their choice. Your launch team will not stay with you over the long haul. Many church planters make the mistake of thinking that the people from their launch team (whom they have grown to love) will be the same people who will grow the church with them in the long term. That is seldom, if ever, the case.

While it's sad to see people go, it's part of God's process in growing your church. So, expect it, be prepared for it, and be thankful that you have the opportunity to serve with so many different people at different points along the journey.

Preparing a launch team to maximize your first service is first and foremost a spiritual enterprise. Pray and fast - a lot.

Don't be fooled into thinking that being a solid leader undermines the spirit of teamwork. You can lead a team, hold people accountable and ensure that things get done in a way that fosters teamwork and gives glory to God. So get ready.

show people your heart before you ask for their hand. People want to know that you care, and they want to be part of something bigger than themselves. If you can articulate your vision in a way that excites people, they'll want to be on your team.

The launch team is not a democracy. D

Again, mercy is literally love in action.

Keeping a new church outwardly focused from the beginning is much easier than trying to refocus an inwardly concerned church.

In order to plant a successful church, you have to know that you know that you are undeniably called by God.

The call to start a new church plant is not the same as the call to serve in an existing church or work in a ministry-related organization. You may be the greatest preacher this side of Billy Graham but still not be called to start a church.

If you think you may have allowed an improper reason, voice or emotion to lead you to the idea of starting a new church, back away now. Spend some more time with God. You don't want to move forward on a hunch or because you feel "pretty sure" that you should be planting a church. You have to be completely certain.

"You're afraid? So what. Everybody's afraid. Fear is the common ground of humanity. The question you must wrestle to the ground is, 'Will I allow my fear to bind me to mediocrity?'"

When you think of a people group that you might be called to reach, does your heart break for them? If so, you may want to consider whether God is specifically calling you to reach that group for His kingdom.

Is your calling clear? Has your calling been confirmed by others? Are you humbled by the call? Have you acted on your call?

Do you know for certain that God has called you to start a new church? Nail it down. When exactly were you called?