During the first 100 days on a new job, the way an individual manages time and establishes priorities communicates the things he considers most important. For a revitalization leader, a planter or replanter, those first 100 days may be even more critical. We not only are modeling what\u2019s important to others, but we also are disciplining ourselves to cultivate the practices we want to see in the life of our churches.<\/p>\n
I received a call today to become the Revitalization Pastor of Tusculum Hills Baptist Church, a historic congregation serving the needs of a South Nashville neighborhood. The church is led by Senior Pastor Paul Gunn and my role is to come alongside him to help rebuild the Sunday school, develop an outreach strategy and give leadership to the pastoral care ministries of the church.<\/p>\n
Tusculum Hills ran over 1,300 just 20 years ago in two worship services and one large, well-organized Sunday school. Today, just over 100 people were gathered for worship. Like any church planter, replanter or revitalizing leader, the needs are so numerous, it\u2019s hard to know what to do first.<\/p>\n
The disciplines I cultivated as a church planter nearly 35 years ago still make good sense to me as I map out my first 100 days. As I share them in various categories below, I\u2019m following the counsel of putting the most important things on the list first. That way, they aren\u2019t left out by the temptation to do good things, but not the best things.<\/p>\n
If you are already in your place of service, one or two of these items may still make good sense for you as you prepare to enter a new season of ministry this fall. If you are about to step into a new role, as I am, tweak this list to fit your context and gifts. We all have an incredibly demanding to-do list and a limited amount of time to accomplish those are most-important things. Here\u2019s what I plan to do in my first 100 days.<\/p>\n
Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n Ministry<\/strong><\/p>\n Bible study groups and outreach<\/strong><\/p>\n Staff care (if others are on the team with you)<\/strong><\/p>\n Getting to know the church Leaders<\/strong><\/p>\n Connecting denominationally<\/strong><\/p>\n Think relationally<\/strong><\/p>\n When I planted a church out West, I knocked on doors in the neighborhood and got nowhere meeting people. I remembered a few natural connecting points I had, based on experiences in past. I attended and later volunteered at a grief-recovery support group in our area. I volunteered as a hospital chaplain. I coached my son\u2019s Little League teams. I went to yard sales in the neighborhood I was trying to reach and bought anything for a dollar that would give me the chance to strike up a conversation with the homeowner.<\/p>\n As you settle into a new ministry setting or season, consider ways to make relational connections with those in the traffic patterns of your life. Get to know these people by asking about their day. Next time you see them, call them by name and ask them about the community. Each time you see them, make it a point to call them by name and be extra kind. One day you\u2019ll walk in, and they may open up and share their story with you.<\/p>\n\n
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