As a former pastor I have had the joy of helping start new churches both within the United States and beyond. As the President of the North American Mission Board for 9 years we had the joy of facilitating over 14,350 new congregations. While living in Atlanta we had a brief period of being a part of a new church start where my wife Cheryl played keyboard in a very talented worship band. But I have never had the absolute joy of being intimately involved in a church leadership team and watch it take off up close and personal.

That has now happened. Last fall I was invited by a new church in Ft. Lauderdale to join my great friend Jay Strack and tag-team as teaching pastors to get a church up an running on its own feet. Last summer is the first time I visited it while it met in an abused women’s shelter. That Suday I counted 47 people. I returned and started working with the church and Jay in September and they were hitting about 65 or so. Since then we have seen the attendence surge to approximately 270, see over 80 kids attend VBS and watch 45 adult workers come out of the woodwork to be a part of touching lives. And, are you ready for this, 12 of the kids made a commitmen to accept Christ into their life!

But maybe the most amazing thing has been to watch the waters of baptism move again. North Star merged last fall with a church that was just about to fold. Their facilities in Wilton Manor were offered to North Star as a part of the merge and the members would become one church. The transition was smooth, the attitudes great, and people started being saved. In fact, we’re baptizing regularly…the first time the baptism waters have stirred in the former Wilton Manors facilities in about 35-40 years from what I am told from some long time members! The people are celebrating weekly about what God has done and is doing, and the atmosphere can only be described as celebrative. The music weekly regularly has people on their feet and they break out in applause as people are baptised. Throughout the Spring we have seen baptisms, and a couple of weeks ago we had 5 more baptizted and about 15 more are presently waiting. Giving is strong. Expectations are high. And thanksgiving is continuous. Especially since the baptism were repaired for the first time in decades and the baptismal waters are being stirred regularly.

Bob Reeder and an engaged group of lay leaders receive much of the accolades for the tenacity of paying the price to keep things moving forward. Regardless of the circumstances and challenges they have continued to move forward. And now this church is forging ahead in an area of Fort Lauderdale that is not growing…and not even normally acknowledged as one conducive to church life. But at North Star, the baptismal is repaired for the first time in years…the facilities are repaired…and we’re seeing the possibility of running out of room. All of this in a time when my denominations baptisms are in free fall. Which says A DENOMINATION CAN’T WIN PEOPLE TO CHRIST NOR INCREASE BAPTISMS–ONLY THE LOCAL CHURCH CAN DO THAT

Thank you Lord to be a part of a group of people who are broken, from radically diverse backgrounds, perseverant, committed, beleiving God can do anything, and will to pay the price to experience the JOY of being a church on the move. And thanks to all those who have afforded me a wonderful opportunity to work with friends and trusting Christ-followers to play a small part in what God is up to. What a ride!

Several days before the Southern Baptist Convention I wrote the following to a number of people I know…

Today, I am reflective of many years of my journey in ministry. During most of those years, I found myself during this season headed to the Southern Baptist Convention. Historically, most of those years there were no more than a couple of men running for President with only one having the support of the major leaders. Today, there are six men running for the role. And frankly, I believe that to be very healthy.

I am sure all six men are wonderful men. I have known Avery Willis, for over twenty-five years, and he babysat for my oldest daughter one night. Now, that requires a special guy. And I have loved and respected him ever since! No one knows international missions better than he does! Frank Cox has built a strong church in Atlanta and I have had the privilege of preaching there. I have been with Wiley Drake on numerous occasions and he has never lacked for passion and energy to be involved and contribute to Baptists and beyond. In addition, there are two men with whom I am not personally acquainted.

However, one man I know extremely well…Johnny Hunt. He is my pastor, a great friend and supporter, and a leader of leaders. I want to mention just a few of the many, many strengths I see in this man…

• Last year FBC Woodstock gave $3.8 million to total mission causes with $3.3 of it going to Southern Baptist causes exclusively. Frankly, for me, the percentage is not the issue. The impact and Kingdom advance is.
• From first hand knowledge, I have watched FBC Woodstock plant 78 churches over the last 15 years. Johnny supported early on the vision of Strategic Focus Cities which I implemented at the North American Mission Board, which resulted in Woodstock planting 4 healthy, large and growing churches in Las Vegas as well as works in New York and, soon, San Diego.
• FBC Woodstock has raised up 130 missionary families
• Right at 800 FBCW members were doing mission projects in 38 countries this last alone.
• Woodstock’s ministry to pastors-ministers and their wives called Timothy/Barnabas has seen 12,000 attend over the last 16 years and in now in 18 countries. In those countries where mostly men attend, and they have seen approximately 5000 in attendance. I supported and participated in Timothy/Barnabas while I was at NAMB because I saw first hand its impact in ministry marriages, impact, and convention participation…and I would do it again.
And in a day when we see ministry families coming apart at the seams, Johnny and Woodstock established The City of Refuge for hurting families going through trauma in ministry. Their goal has been restoration—first to Christ, then to family, and finally to meaningful contribution in whatever God directed their steps toward. The “what” has never been Johnny’s call (only Christ’s), but the “how” has been love, grace, accountability and restoration. And approximately 130 families have been on the receiving end of such grace.

While I am surely not a prophet, nor the son of one…and while I am not qualified to know all of the issues, I would say these are awfully strong qualifications for leadership that demonstrates a passionate evangelistic and missions heart to lead the SBC denomination through strategic change at this very critical time. So, as we stand on the verge of Southern Baptists gathering in Indianapolis, I invite you to join me in prayer that God will direct the steps of those making important decisions…after all, the future course depends on it. And may God bless each man running and their ministry.

Today, I would commend every man that threw his hat in the ring, feeling a leadership to offer his service in leadership of Southern Baptists. To Johnny Hunt I would say CONGRATULATIONS. Southern Baptists need your strength and passion for change in this critical time.

I just returned from a church I had the privilege of pastoring several years ago—Bell Shoals Baptist Church in the Tampa area. They dedicated a beautiful new worship center seating approximately 3400. The soothing colors are at once restful and inviting. The jumbo screens are high def and the sound is quality. Move to the music suite and rehersal room and you will love the airy feel, the live sound and screens that can show you what is happening in the worship center while practicing in the rehearsal area.

But I don’t think the real dedication occured this weekend. Rather, it was launched through both triumph and tragedy…in combination. On April 20, due to the extremely gracious invitiation of Dr. Forrest Pollock, I had the privilege of preaching the last messages in the former worship center built in the early 1980s. Seven days later Forrest led them triumphantly into their beautiful new house of worship. On that day it was truly “dedicated” as he preached on how anyone could know for certain they are in relationship with Jesu Christ and why being a part of a church was important. And as a result well over 100 people responded to the invitation time that Sunday. That was the Triumph.

God blessed his days of new journey into the long awaited celebration of new opportunities. Things could not have brighter until the day of May 12, when Forrest and his outstanding 13 year old son, Preston, were lost in a tragic plane crash in North Carolina. They would find them May 13. The church would gather to pray on Wednesday night the 14 when over 3200 from the church and community gathered in sorrow and people and the memorial service would be May 17. Between the prayer gathering, the Memorial service on Saturday and services on Sunday the 18th well over another 100 people made decisions for Christ. And so, through the terrible tragedy many lives were radically transformed.

So, as I was honored to attend the “official” dedication…the dedication of transformed lives was what truly committed the facility to God’s glory. And out of tragedy…and triumph …a legacy lives on.

I know Forrest would be thankful for how God is being glorified…even through his and Preston’s tragic death. How fitting that the building program emphasis was focused on giving God the greater glory. And in the midst of such a devastating loss I salute Forrest’s incredible wife Dawn, and his remianing 5 children as they move forward with life amidst the loss of an incredile husband and father! And may Bell Shoals Baptist move forward to such heights as it has never known.

For the last three weeks I have been priviledged to speak in and exremely vibrant church in Charlotte, Noth Carolina–Central Church of God. Loran Livingston is the pastor there and I have been fortunate to know him for a lot of years and watch the impact of his minisry. A great team works with him in people like Reggie Coleman and Debbie and Paul Sebring, and so many others.

We have been doing the MADE TO COUNT JOURNEY based on a book the I had the joy of writing with my great friend, Randy Singer. It calls every Christ follower to step up to the plate and answer the call of God to impact their world—right where they are—starting now! The response has been wonderful. The crowds have grown weekly with great people wanting to better understand how to be On Mission right where God has planted them.

It really is amazing to see that Paul refers to himself as CALLED of God to be an apostle when he writes to the church of Rome. And who would argue with that? No question…that was a man, called of God. But just a few verses later Paul uses the same word to refer to all Christ followers in Rome, sprinkled in and embedded throughout the culture of Rome at every level–CALLED. They too, were CALLED to a realtionship with Christ, and a mission alongside Christ…to impact their world.

As my friend Henry Blackaby says, it is not that some are called and some are not…ALL are called. The thing that varies is the nature of the assignment. While the Reformation put the Scripture in the hands of the everyday, common person…it fell short. Now we need to get the mission and ministry of the church there. Not just that which happens inside the walls, but expecially that which happens outside of them, Monday through Saturday. That’s the work of the church…and that’s where calling is ultimately fleshed out.

And the hunger for such a move has been evident for the lst 3 weeks running. And I’m having a blast hearing the stories of the people who are putting the principles into practice.

The last couple of weeks has been a hard one for me, and a number of my friends. We have lost a very special friend and colleague…Dr. Forrest Pollock. Forrest was tragically killed with his 13 year old son Preston in a plane crash in North Carolina. He leaves a wonderful wife, Dawn, and 5 great kids. In addition he leaves a wonderful church family, Bell Shoals Baptsit in Brandon, Florida–a church I had the great honor of pastoring several years ago.

I had just had the joy of being with Forrest and the church for a men’s conference and Sunday services a couple of weeks before the tragedy. It was an amazing weekend…just one week before they would move into a beautiful new worship center that would seat approximately 3400. Forrest was so excited…so supportive of the conference…so encouraging to me and Cheryl…and so in love with life!

My world shook on its axis when I got the word that he was missing. Prayers went up from so many corners of the nation that Forrest and Preston would be found safe, even if injured…but it was not to be. Our hearts fell through the floor when on that fateful Tuesday we got word they had found the plane and the bodies.

I have been in regular contact with many folks since then…and have heard many glowing tributes regarding my dear friend. But interestingly, very few of them focused on the size of the new worship center, or the growth of the church, the size of the staff, or the numbers of the budget/attendence/baptisms during his 6 years of leadership.

Instead they focused on his touch with people First, how it was always so obvious how much he loved Dawn and his kids. In fact, in his last sermon on Mother’s Day, he focused in on the impact of his mother, the incredible job Dawn did as a mother and wife, and the joy of his kids! What a great focus for a sermon he had no idea would be his last. But family was a BIG DEAL to Forrest…not just in talk, but in action and priority.

Others talk about the bright light of encouragement he was continually. To know Forrest was to know a “smile personified.” He entered the room smile first…and then sought for a way to be an encouragement to whomever he was talking with. I know, because I was on the receiving end of that effort often. During one of my toughest times in my journey he flew to Atlanta just to be and encouragement to me and to say, “I’m with you…whatever you need!”

Still others, mentioned the continual stream of notes he sent to people telling them he was praying for them, what he appreciated and valued about them, and what he wanted to encourage them in. Several have mentioned having one or more they have kept. I am among that group, as the last note I got from Forrest lays on my study desk. Now I hope more of us who are left, take up that mantle to encourage and build up other.

As I reflect on the leadership of Forrest Pollock I am reminded why John D. Rockefeller Sr. once said, “I will pay more for a leader with the ability with people than for any other skill.” I for one, want to become increasingly effective Afat positively impacting people. How about
you? After all, that’s the really important focus on true leadership.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s plummeting fall from one of the “Golden Haired Boys” of politics shook the nation recently. The son of Jewish Eastern-European parents, Spitzer had grown up in Riverdale, NY and then attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School.

Serving two terms as the New York Attorney General earned him the title of “the Sheriff of Wall Street.” He had cleaned up brokerage houses and insurance industry abuses and taken on the $187.5 million dollar compensation package of former NYSE chairman Richard Grasso, calling it excessive and out of line, and had won. Ironically, he had even overseen the busting of a prostitution ring in 2004 that brought 18 people down on prostitution and related charges.

Now, he has fallen himself. Revealed as “Client 9″ in investigative reports, Spitzer had met with a high-priced call girl from the Emperors Club VIP at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC the night before Valentine’s Day. And, investigations would show this was not the first time.

How sad it was to watch his shattered wife standing next to him, in humiliation, as he told the citizens of New York, “I have disappointed and failed to live up to the standard I expected of myself. I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family.” That will be a long, hard road.

But leaders litter the landscape with broken laws, broken marriages, broken lives and broken organizations….Tyco, Worldcom, and Enron just to name a few. And it has happened, and continues to happen, in every arena of life. Why?

Well, I am not the psychological expert who could best address the underlying struggles. However, I do believe that it has a lot to do with a statement I made in a book I wrote several years ago titled BENEATH THE SURFACE. That was that we are all ONE STEP FROM STUPID at any given moment!

Given that reality, it becomes even more important that we put into practice Proverbs 4:23 where we are counseled to ABOVE ALL, GUARD OUR HEARTS. And guards don’t just “happen” to be in place. They have to be posted. So, how are you doing in posting guards at your heart? After all, everything else will come out of that!

I was recently on a speaking engagment and working late at night in my hotel, and believe it or not, my channel surfing took me to C-SPAN. I know, you’re thinking, “Were you in a coma?! Bored out of your mind? Or, was it the only station working?!?!?!?”

Actually, I was caught by an unexpected event. Leaders of some of the nation’s largest lenders, and the Chairmen of the Compensation Committees of those institutions were being put under the gun. They were being grilled in an accusatory fashion regarding the sub-prime debacle. “Why,” they were being interrogated, “were the CEO’s paid large salaries and bonuses when lending practices exercised under their leadership caused a lot of problems to so many?” The tone was one of attack from many of the congressional sub-committee and there was no doubt left that many wanted to “barbeque” those who sat in front of them.

Now, I personally don’t claim to understand all of the nuances of the sub-prime lending issues. Nor do I hold a naive belief that everything that was done was perfect or even the best decisions. But as I watched I was reminded that leadership today has become a place where leaders are often presumed guilty until proven innocent. And, that it is hard to argue–or even hold your own– with those who print attacking reports by the score things were flying high and going great. No one was asking accusatory questions then, that I am aware of. These leaders were seen a great men allowing many to acquire properties they otherwise would have been unable to get. Whether it was the best approach and methodologand by ink by the barrel.

It interested me that I didn’t hear a lot of criticism about these leaders wheny is not the focus of this entry.

What is, is how fast people are ready to accuse, demean, berate and criticize those in leadership when there is a hiccup. And the arrows start flying…with one significant target–leaders who take risk. And after all, these leaders–while well compensated–also were in the role of large risk. Whether it was the exact right risk is not for me to say, that is the arena of financial experts.

But I was reminded that when you lead, and take the risk of trying new or different things, you had better be ready for the arrows that are likely to start flying! I know, I’ve been on the receiving end of some of these type of experiences. How about you?

Recently, a friend sent me some interesting information on sending Valentines. For us, it’s a nice tradition. For Valentine, it really was a heart-felt passion! Valentine, the priest who Valentine’s Day is named after, was martyred for the godly institution of marriage.

The emperor of Rome, Claudius, passed a law banning marriages. His reason was simple: men would not volunteer to join his Roman army with wives and fiancées to leave behind. Valentine knew that God instituted the family and His will included marriages. So, he kept on performing marriage ceremonies - but in secret. He would whisper the words of the ceremony, while listening for soldiers on the steps outside.

One night, he did hear footsteps. The couple he was marrying escaped, but he was caught. He was thrown into prison and sentenced to death.

Valentine remained cheerful while he was in prison and many people came to the prison to visit him. He even continued to perform marriage ceremonies while he was in prison! The jailer’s daughter would often visit Valentine in his cell and they sat and talked for hours. She believed he did the right thing ignoring the Emperor and performing marriage ceremonies.

On the day Valentine was to die he left this girl a note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. He signed it, “Love from your Valentine”. That note, written on the day Valentine died – February 14th, 269 AD – started the custom of exchanging love notes on St Valentine’s Day.
Valentine was truly a man of courage.

I like what the theologian Karl Barth wrote: “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.” Let’s be as courageous as Valentine himself and bring about change to a world that’s hurting. Simply by serving as channels of God’s healing love we can inspire more change in people than we might ever imagine.

Recently, a friend sent me some interesting information on sending Valentines. For us, it’s a nice tradition. For Valentine, it really was a heart-felt passion!
Valentine, the priest who Valentine’s Day is named after, was martyred for the godly institution of marriage.
The emperor of Rome, Claudius, passed a law banning marriages. His reason was simple: men would not volunteer to join his Roman army with wives and fiancées to leave behind. Valentine knew that God instituted the family and His will included marriages. So, he kept on performing marriage ceremonies - but in secret. He would whisper the words of the ceremony, while listening for soldiers on the steps outside.
One night, he did hear footsteps. The couple he was marrying escaped, but he was caught. He was thrown into prison and sentenced to death.

Valentine remained cheerful while he was in prison and many people came to the prison to visit him. He even continued to perform marriage ceremonies while he was in prison! The jailer’s daughter would often visit Valentine in his cell and they sat and talked for hours. She believed he did the right thing ignoring the Emperor and performing marriage ceremonies.
On the day Valentine was to die he left this girl a note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. He signed it, “Love from your Valentine”. That note, written on the day Valentine died – February 14th, 269 AD – started the custom of exchanging love notes on St Valentine’s Day.
Valentine was truly a man of courage. I like what the theologian Karl Barth wrote: “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.” Let’s be as courageous as Valentine himself and bring about change to a world that’s hurting. Simply by serving as channels of God’s healing love we can inspire more change in people than we might ever imagine.

One of the passions of my life is to work with Christ follower’s in the workplace to help them discover and live out a calling, rather than merely settle for a career. After all, a career is something we choose, but a calling chooses us through the providence of God! And that makes all the difference.

I was fortunate recently to speak to buisness leaders in 4 very significant cities through a wonderful ministry called Lifework Leadership. I asked them some survey questions and the results were interesting.

63% said if they were around church as a teen or college student they recall at the
most one message dealing with God’s calling and placing His people to be On Mission
in the workplace.

24% said they were not sure they had sensed any call by God to the particular
vocation they were currently pursuing (almost one in four)

Yet the good news was that 73% felt as though their pastor was improving in understanding the stresses and pressures, as well as the opprotunities, of the work place. That is important if Billy Graham’s prediction in correct. He believes that the next great movement of God may well come through the Christ followers in the work place.

What do you think?