What does it cost to be the biggest church in the world?  This is a question I asked myself recently.  After giving it some thought, I believe it’s one of the most penetrating questions a pastor can ask.

First of all, I believe a growing church is God’s way!  I’m shocked when church people seem offended by growth.  Are we offended by the book of Acts?  They not only grew, but were intent on counting the growth!  (See Acts 2:41)

Furthermore, I am encouraged by the fastest growing churches in America.  I have seen prominent public speakers snarl at fast growing churches.  While they frown, I believe God smiles at the life change and impact of these great churches.  Each explosive-growth pastor I have met were incredibly humble, driven, focused, and gracious.  In my experience, these pastors practice what they preach.  I am eager to discover what God wants me to learn from these men!

Yet, my question remains… What does it cost to be the biggest church in the world?

• Hard work?
• Tough decisions?
• Courageous staffing?
• Willingness to fail?
• Determination to break down growth lids?
• Being misunderstood by other christians?  Even leaders?

I believe I would pay any and all of these prices. (Easier said than done!  I’m sure there are many more costs associated with growth.)

But, what if the price was…

• Growing your church mainly by taking believers from other churches?
• Ignoring the first ministry of your home?
• A loss of biblical conviction?
• Playing politics with immature believers at the expense of the mission of the church?

These prices I do not believe I would not pay.

In order to grow, there is a price to be paid.  The question: What would you be prepared to pay?

Recently, someone made a fascinating comment about Keystone.  To her, her first impression led her to believe that Keystone was for the young generation only.  She came the weekend we did the song/rap ‘Used to do it too‘ by Lecrae (which was OFF THE CHAIN).

This guest couldn’t imagine falling in love with Keystone.

Since then:

• She finds herself repeating the message talking points with co-workers
• They are here almost every weekend
• They REMEMBER the message behind songs like ‘Used to do it too.’
• They are excited to be part of a movement that reaches their g-kids as well as them!

Her family is falling in love with Keystone, and I love it.

A couple of observations:

• YOU B YOU. God will connect the heart of those who he has called to join you.
• Don’t change to accommodate various niche groups. I’m so glad we stayed true to our vision.  God has used us to stretch many people past their preferences.
• Don’t compromise the CONTENT. At the end of the day, it’s the content of the gospel we are bringing that’s changing lives.  Style changes.  Fads fade.  In the end, THE WORD will stand!
• It’s ALL about life change. Once you begin catering to preference rather than serving the vision, you have begun your eventual decline.  We are vision-carriers.  Leaders.  World-changers.

Saturday night I began losing my voice.  BRUTAL.  It’s like a pitcher losing his arm.  I fought through the next three messages and then lost it completely.

• Losing your voice is painful.  It hurts!
• Losing your voice is frustrating.  You can’t communicate.
• Losing your voice is unfair.  You begin to lean on others to communicate for you.

Honestly, losing your voice is frightening.  It’s the major venue for my passion.  While I hated losing my voice physically, I’m more frightened of losing my voice spiritually.

Every ministry has a voice.  Every church has a tone.

Have you ever noticed how voices are like fingerprints?  It seems that no two are identical.  I am convinced that God raises up different voices for different ministries.  A voice is like a spiritual vision.  When reading the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) you learn that these four men are describing the same thing from four different vantage points.  They have different voices!

You must protect the voice of your ministry.  Otherwise, there WILL be pain.  There will be a loss of influence.  There will be a loss of opportunity and you will find yourself leaning on others to do God’s talking.

How might you lose your voice?

Are you currently breathing reality into a ‘God-vision’ for your life? If not, it’s likely you are descending into division.  I am convinced that God isn’t content to bless us as we idle in neutral regarding his purposes for our lives.

As I read the New Testament, it is filled with adventure.  Consider just the book of Acts.  It is loaded with bold declarations, miraculous rescues and awe-inspired moves of God.  Conversions abound. Everyone seems wet with baptism, both by the Spirit and from the nearest river.

Fast forward to 2011.  Church buildings are eroding and being sold.  The culture is outgrowing the church and the next generation is fleeing seemingly irrelevant ritual.

There are many reasons for this decomposition.  One clear suspect: DIVISION.  The church is so busy fighting each other they have no interest or energy fighting God’s battle to plunder hell and populate heaven.  We are so preoccupied with arguing over the establishment of the past we have no vision for ‘making ALL THINGS NEW.’

BORED CHRISTIANS GRUMBLE.  Distracted Christians are self-centered.

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17:20,21 esv)

Be so busy following God’s vision for your life that to create drama and discord among believers in the church would be a major distraction to you.  Be so filled with the Spirit that it would be unthinkable to slander, gossip, or divide others among the church.

Are you flowing in THE VISION… or DIVISION?

If I could boil Keystone down to ONE WORD, it is PASSION! [Disclaimer: this is within the understanding that JESUS is the biggest name at Keystone]. I firmly believe that every church has a unique voice… something that sets it apart.

What is the ONE THING that really RESONATES in your ministry? For us, it’s PASSION.

PASSION IS NOT:

• begging people to serve
• grumbling over secondary issues or preferences
• begging people to give
• swerving into ‘good’ side projects that distract from the MAIN THING

PASSION IS:

• Worshipping with an emotion that comes from life change
• Effortlessly sharing with others the thing you love
• Giving cheerfully, not out of guilt
• serving with enthusiasm & gratitude

Ultimately, PASSION IS something that POURS OUT of you rather than something that must be PULLED OUT.

For you, what does PASSION look like? (keep it clean!)

I pray our city will see the PASSION of Keystone Church!

At Keystone we have helped start 2 churches:

Wellspring Church with Trey & Dani Kelly (http://wellspringchurch.tv/)

The Edge Church with Ryan & Gena Heller (http://www.edgecommunity.net/)

I’ve loved seeing God use them to change hundreds of lives.

If I was talking to a brand new pastor, I would share some REAL DEAL DETAILS:

1. Prioritize your message preparation during your week… it’s biblical.
2. Raise up volunteers to carry the mission of the church to the people.
3. Clarify your VOICE.  Who are you?  What MUST you do?
4. Make it impossible for you to be intimate with someone other than your wife
5. Make it impossible for you to cut a check from your church
6. Cut lots of checks TO your church!  Be a GIVER, not a TAKER
7. Excellence matters – ensure excellence in the areas that matter most to you!
8. Work hard at evangelism – God didn’t send Jesus for you to teach only
9. Make baptisms important – every hear: ‘Making disciples, BAPTIZING THEM in the name…?’
10. Don’t let a stranger ‘hold you accountable’… it’s a trap to kill the church.  See Peter/Paul
11. Get good counsel from experts (legally, financially, and practically)

This is the REAL DEAL, and it makes all the difference!