Where was this book four and a half years ago? I could have certainly used it and saved myself from tons of mistakes. I finished it on the plane on the way to Orlando. I loved this book. It is a gem for anyone looking to plant a church. We are four and a half years into this journey called Cornerstone Church and I still picked up some very valuable nuggets of wisdom. This is literally an instruction manual for the process that someone goes through in launching a new church. I didn't say it's the only manual; or that their suggestions are the only way; it's simply a great manual with some great, proven insights on launching a new church with great momentum.
As I'm starting to read more and more of Searcy, two things have become apparent: 1. He missed his calling as a stand-up comedian (some very funny stuff in this book) and 2. he's very transparent. (has no problem talking about where they've dropped the ball). That is refreshing and very helpful. It's hard enough when you're planting to feel like everyone else is doing it right and never experiences anything wrong but you. This gives an inside look to a very real, gut-wrenching process.
As Cornerstone has thrived and is living out it's vision, God has allowed me the privilege to meet with potential church planters, and connect with & mentor church planters that are on the front-lines. One of my personal core values is that LEADERS ARE READERS and I always recommend certain books to church planters. Among them, Visioneering by Andy Stanley, Go Big by Bil Cornelius, and Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels. Well, LAUNCH will be added to that list and will be "required reading" for church planters that God allows me to connect with.
As I always do, here's a small selection of some of my favorite quotes:
"God's dream for your church is bigger than your dream."
"The majority of church starts fail within the first year... In order to plant a successful church, you have to know that you know that you are undeniably called by God."
"You're afraid? So what. Everybody's afraid. Fear is the common ground of humanity. The question you must wrestle to the ground is, 'Will I allow my fear to bind me to mediocrity?' "
"At every turn, God will be teaching you and taking you into deeper dependence on Him. Here's the key: As your dependence on God grows, so will your church."
"Every big accomplishment is achieved through a series of little accomplishments."
"The Passion--His and ours for His--is what drives the church planter who has been truly called by the Lord."
Thanks for the shout out for Launch! I'm glad you found it helpful.
Nelson
P.S. I'm not blogging too - I'm at
www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/blog - since you've been doing this a lot longer than me - I would welcome any tips.
Posted by: Nelson Searcy | April 24, 2008 at 10:20 PM