Privileged to have my friend Greg Surratt of Seacoast church come share with the OneHope staff in chapel. His message was on point for those of us working in ministry. -Rob
Vision is important. When I was a young church planter, it was all I had. I didn’t have a team, financial backing, or a building yet, but I had lots of vision! When people ask me what I would do differently as a church planter today, I tell them that culture—HOW we accomplish vision—is just as important as the dreams that drive you forward.
Culture is as important as the dreams that drive you forward -@GregSurratt
Shaping culture is our responsibility.
I want to share 4 simple ways we can be intentional in influencing whatever culture God has called you to be a part of:
1. LOVE GOD Many of us who work at a church or serve in ministry have turned into professional church workers. Sure we’re regular in our disciplines of Scripture reading and prayer, but sometimes we go through seasons of doing these things because we have to—not because we want to. We become immersed in the doing and lose our wonder and forget to just “be.” When you hit those seasons, rekindle your first love for Jesus with the 3 R’s:
- Remember how exciting it was when you first came to Christ
- Repent if you’ve lost your first love
- Redo your commitment and renew
2. INVEST IN PEOPLE Along the way, others have invested in you and believed in you at key points of your journey. Your life might have turned out very differently if not for those people. Take inventory and find out who it is that you should be pouring into. An easy way to do this is to take 3 minutes:
- Look up—who is the leader or mentor you should be honoring?
- Look around—who are your peers?
- Look behind—who is following you?
Make a list, then do some investigation to figure out what you know about these people. With social media, this is easier than ever! Figure out how you can connect with them quickly, easily, and intentionally. Then invest consistently—interrupt their day with a like, comment, or (gasp) even a phone call.
3. VALUE EXCELLENCE I call this “the hustle factor.” In the areas you control, give it your all, but don’t obsess about hitting the target. Results will differ for everyone. The only thing you can do is to give your best effort—own your hustle. And try to rid yourself of as much stress as possible.
Stress is taking responsibility in an area where you don’t have accountability
Make a commitment to personal excellence. Excellence is not a skill, it’s an attitude.
“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” ― Martin Luther King
4. HAVE A GREAT ATTITUDE There’s a difference between a thermostat and a thermometer—one takes the temperature; the other sets it. We need to be thermostats, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves—or others—in.
Paul set the example for us. Despite being in prison, he had a larger perspective—a Gospel perspective—realizing that God has a bigger purpose than our problems.
He remembered his mission (Philippians 1:22) and kept his focus on the right things (Philippians 1:18-19). If you’re struggling with a bad attitude, figure out where you are focusing. And consider borrowing your leader’s eyes. They often are able to see things that you can’t.
Remember, culture making is our responsibility – not the task of our organization or leadership. It starts with each one of us. And if we can do these 4 things, there is no way the world can stay the same!
For more wisdom from Rob and Greg, watch these “TED talk” type videos on the following:
Greg Surratt is the founding pastor of Seacoast Church, one of the first churches to pioneer the multi-site approach to the weekend experience. Greg is the president and co-founder of the Association of Related Churches (ARC), which is a global church-planting initiative that has established more than 400 churches worldwide over the last 12 years. He is also the author of the book IR-REV-REND, as well as a contributor for Outreach Magazine, Ministry Today Magazine, and Charisma Magazine. Greg is married to his childhood sweetheart, Debbie, and together they have 4 children and 14 grandchildren. He enjoys photography, fishing, golfing, and rooting for lost causes….specifically the Cubs, Broncos and Gamecocks.