4 Down, 8 to Go!

I thought I was doing pretty well this year with my book reading until I found out Jimmy Britt, my pastor, reads a book every week! Holy smokes! I like reading, but not that much. Too many good shows on TV! Actually, it is because I am a slow reader. I have to even type this slowly because I can’t type and keep up with reading at the same time.

The fourth book I’ve read this year is, “It: How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It” by Craig Groeschel. Craig is the lead pastor at Lifechurch.tv, He started the church in a garage and it is now a multi-site church. I was first turned on to Groeschel when I attended the Leadership Summit this past September. I had never heard of him before, so I was curious as to what he had to say and after hearing him speak I went and bought his book.

The book talks about many churches, churches that have “IT” and that don’t have “IT.” The churches that have IT, how did they get IT? And the churches that lost IT, how did they lose IT? There was a lot I took from this book. It challenged, encouraged, pushed and refreshed me. I felt the book was a candid conversation with one incredible leader who wants churches across America to get IT.

I tell you - there are so many factors to having “IT”: staff relationships, creative thinking and being able to fail but still move on. When you boil IT down to the simple truth: IT is about loving God and loving people. Too many churches, pastors and staff only have half of IT right. They try all the surfacy stuff; they try the “bring your friend Sundays” thing; they try free BBQ lunches. But, if you are not loving God and if you are not loving people, you can’t have IT.