The Nines conference is an internet based Christian conference where a bunch of leaders share (recorded) 6 min videos. This year the theme was “game changers” – the things that change the way that we do ministry and view the calling of God on our life. Craig Groschel’s talk was especially good. Here’s a summary of what he said:
Less really is (or can be)more. It’s a hard thing to believe, but he shared 3 ways that he has seen this as a reality at his church (lifechurch.tv).
- Less often leads to a better result. There is often more creativity when there is less time. He said, “The 5 year strategic plan is dead and stupid!” instead we should be prepared to respond to what God is doing in our midst.
- Fewer resources leads to greater innovation. His example was that often times people want a bigger building, but for their church, it was an unreal blessing to not have a big building because they had to think of ways that God wanted them to grow without the building. They really put multi-site on the map.
- Less structure is often better. When things get over systematized, they lose effectiveness. Often times our many policies prevent ministry from happening. He said that most churches probably over staff. We need to equip the people to do the ministry and staff less.
I was challenged by his talk. You can find it online. Thought?
