mgpcpastor's blog

J.D. Greear provides thirty-six ‘plumblines’, values he’s picked up over ten years of pastoring which he wishes he’d had from the beginning.
Including the now ubiquitous nod to ‘the city’ there’s a lot of well phrased wisdom here.
Yes, I know there are only thirty-five. Weird, huh? (I think 35 was meant to be 35 and 36.)

People ask me what I wish I’d known when I started pastoring. Here are 36 of them. At our church we call them plumblines. Plumblines are guides to our decision-making. These are the values we pursue as we follow Jesus.

1. The Gospel is not the diving board; it is the pool.
2. People are the mission.
3. Jesus commanded us to make disciples, not converts.
4. Discipleship happens in community.
5. God’s strategy for completing the Great Commission is planting churches in strategic cities.
6. The church is God’s demonstration community.
7. The church is God’s plan A.
8. Belief unlocks the power for the mission of God.
9. The Church is not an audience; it is an army.
10. The week is more important than the weekend.
11. The best ministry ideas are in the congregation.
12. The Great Commission is completed through multiplication, not addition.
13. Churches should be evaluated by sending capacity, not just seating capacity.
14. Stay where you are; serve where you live; let’s be the church in that community.
15. We multiply congregations, not preaching points.
16. Each small group functions like a small congregation.
17. People come because of quality and options; they stay because of personalization.
18. Those who serve are just as important as those you serve.
19. Live sufficiently, give extravagantly.
20. Generosity is contagious, and so is stinginess.
21. The sermon starts in the parking lot.
22. In light of global lostness, excellence must be balanced by “good enough”.
23. Word of mouth is the best advertisement.
24. Just because “we can” doesn’t mean “we should”.
25. Humility is shown by openness to the ideas of others.
26. Believe the best about others.
27. Move with the movers.
28. Nod to fashion; don’t embrace.
29. Preach the announcements.
30. Love is the most essential element of leadership.
31. Pushing out leaders creates more leaders.
32. You replicate what you celebrate.
33. One out of three: Make people feel like we are talking to them personally.
34. One size does not fit all.
35. When I’m sick of saying it, the staff has just heard it. [36] When they’re sick of hearing it, the church has just become aware of it.