Already in its second printing, a newly released book by one of the country's most innovative pastors is fast-becoming a must-read for church leaders who really want to have it.
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(Photo: Willow Creek Association)Craig Groeschel, founder of LifeChurch.tv, speaks at the 2008 Leadership Summit at Willow Creek Community Church on Aug. 8, 2008.
After seeing his church grow from a two-car garage worship experience to now services at 13 different campuses in six states, Craig Groeschel, founder of LifeChurch.tv, talks about a transformational agent he calls "it" in his new book It: How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It .
"We didn't have a nice building. We didn't have our own office. We didn't have a church phone number ... What did we have? We had a few people ... We had enough Bibles to go around. And we had it," Groeschel writes, describing his church start in 1996, in the first chapter of the book.
You can name today the churches that have it, churches that had it but lost it, and some that don't have it, the LifeChurch pastor said at a recent leadership summit.
So what is it?
"The answer is 'don't know,'" Groeschel said as he addressed thousands of leaders at Willow Creek Community Church. "Honestly, I'm not totally sure."
It has a lot to do with the Holy Spirit, Groeschel believes, but that's not everything.
What he does know is that organizations that do have it possess seven qualities. They have a "laser focus," see opportunity where others see obstacles, have a willingness to fail, are led by people who have it, and have unmistakable camaraderie, among others.
Moreover, it is not a system or model, nor is it something that can be created, copied or manufactured, he says. God makes it happen.
And when churches have it, they see transformed lives but at the same time, those churches with it attract critics, many of whom misunderstand.
When LifeChurch was expanding to multiple different locations and incorporating satellite video teaching into the services, the church drew its share of critics, some of whom felt video sites created distance between the churchgoer and pastor or that video venues directed all the attention to one pastor (on screen).
Still, while LifeChurch was growing, not every campus had it.
"All of our campuses were under the same leadership. The buildings were similar. The worship pastors were unique but had consistent styles. The kids’ curriculum never varied from campus to campus. All were experiencing exactly the same weekend teaching. But some campuses had it. And some didn’t," Groeschel, who says it is still a growing idea, states in his book.
He illustrates this by showing that there was phenomenal growth at every LifeChurch campus except the one where Groeschel taught at live, in person.
He realized, "If you don't have it, you can get it. If you have it, you can lose it."
During the biggest periods of growth at LifeChurch, Groeschel had lost it, he says.
"When you do start growing, it really is easy to lose it," he says. "It's so easy ... to start focusing on numbers and start looking at the big picture rather than focusing on some of the individual stories and neglecting your individual relationship with God."
"Make sure you don't fall so in love with success [that] you fall out of love with Jesus," Groeschel warns church leaders.
Today, he says he has it.
But it wasn't a "one-point process" to get it back. Over a period of a year, he stopped listening to other pastors' messages and books and sought out God's Word; and he saw starvation in another country and death, he explained.
"Some of you, it’s time to let God break your heart again," Groeschel told leaders. "I pray you don’t sleep until you get it and fall in love with Jesus again."
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I so agree with all those who have a problem with the term "it" that Groeschel spoke of. It almost sounds "new age" or as if "something other than God or the Holy Spirit" is at work. (Reflecting, I pose this question. . . . are Christian churches becoming more like God teaches in His Word or more like the world? My experience is that the mega churches in particular that are growing by leaps and bounds are compromising the truth to please worshippers and becoming more like the world. If that is the "it" - we do not want "it"! Just because masses of people attend a church does not mean they are on the right track. Always check whatever is being taught with the truth of the Scriptures! And I do believe we are walking a very fine line when it comes to creating idol pastors. Check out and see what some of those mega churches do with the people's offerings to God. Our Lord and Savior should be at the forefront always - He is the only true Holy one, without sin and with wisdom beyond man's comprehension. He is the one who sent His son Jesus Christ to provide forgiveness for our sins and make us acceptable for heaven. All praise to Him alone! Keep your eyes on Jesus.
The Scriptures say that He puts us into the Body as He wills. We must learn to accept where God puts our church, and to not talk bad about other churches. I love eating the meat of the Word. I love the deep challenging stuff. People like Joel Osteen just don't do it for me. He's too simple and bland. But I love him, because he reaches a people that needing the milk of the Word. But....we, as Christians, should not remain in the milk, but should move on in maturity to the deeper things of God.
Some churches have a great outreach to the community, while others focus more on equipping the saints for the work of God. We all have our place. Each of our "it" is something that we need to ask God about. It is different for every church. We have people who have left our church becaue "it" is not being done right. But yet, we have people who start attending our church because "it" is what they have been looking for.
As soon as we learn to submit to God's will, He will move mightly in whatever "it" may be.
As a minister in several churches I completely understand what "IT" is. The concept is simple "it" doesnt have to do with being a bad or good or better Christian. I have seen churches full of God fearing people great Saints but there is a stagnation in the church. The worship isn't meaningful the focus isnt there "IT" is missing. I think what he means is "IT" is a combination of many things that results in a church being absolutely on fire.
Remember when the Assemblies of God were the
"fastest growing" denomination? Not long after that
the Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker's scandals broke.
"Christ in you" is what is important. If crowds
mattered, Mick Jagger and Wayne Newton would be the
winners.
Perhaps he would have been better off saying some churches get it and some don't with what it takes to effectively reach our world for Christ. But what he and his church have learned is as old as the Book of Acts.
a church has 'it' - how do we know? - according to him - the church grows. - so wat is 'it'? - 'It has a lot to do with the Holy Spirit, Groeschel believes, but that's not everything' - something other than the Holy Spirit? - now i know that the bible says it is the Holy Spirit that saves and grows a church. to say that it is something else is unbiblical.
didnt Christ say that he is with us forever? doesnt matter we are in a church that has 'it' or doesnt.
i dont like 'IT'.
He says: 'If you don't have it, you can get it. If you have it, you can lose it' - 'it' isnt God or Christ. You dont loose 'it' or get 'it' if 'it' is Christ. as far as i understand it, 'it' is something related to church growth using human wisdom.
Considering the sad state of the evangelical church today (see: lack of discernment, biblical ignorance, doctrinal ignorance, etc...) I'm thinking "IT" may be entirely unbiblical. The church is to preach about Jesus Christ, not focus on programs and entertainment to the exclusion of biblical teaching.
So what they've got is a group of believers who love the Lord, allow the love of the Lord to flow through them both individually and corporately, and they allow the Holy Spirit to equip them and empower them to be used of God in fulfilling the Great Commission by being wholeheartedly surrendered to the Great Commandment.
There is one thing and one thing only that "It" could be - It is what makes churches grow and Christians become all they can be. It is what creates revivals where they didn't exist before. It is what turns hard hearts into clay. It is what turns rath into mercy. It is where all of grace comes from. It is why Christ came and died. It is why God created the entire universe. It can only be one thing: it is LOVE
Strange article. I thought I would hate it, but it ended up pretty sound. But the concept of "it" seems unbiblical to me. God doesn't measure success as man does. One of the churches in Revelation was warned/exhorted to be faithful unto death; that goes against our natural thinking.
So, what's necessary beyond obedient faithfulness? Let God break our hearts, yes. But I fail to see this "it" I should be striving for.
Why is that these innovative "pastors" have to talk in such strange terms. What is IT? I guess from what I see in the Bible, IT is a person, Jesus. And we are a kingdom of priests. Why do these pastors have to beam themselves all over the place? Have we become so much pastor idolaters that we can not trust the Holy Spirit that resides in all those that follow Jesus? I am glad that Craig went back to the Word and stop listening to what the other guys were preaching. That is a start. Now if he can only set those that he feels God has put under his care to minister and be that kingdom of priests. That would be a fulfillment of the gifts Christ has given the church in Ephesians.
There was a campain in the 70s. If memory serves it was called 'I got it' or something like that. It's just one of the many ways to get the attention of the post modern culture.
I don't have much of a problem with "it" as Groeschel explains it, but why not just call it "God"? Thus, Groeschel could explain that the church needs God, not an elusive "it." He pretty much says this, but I suppose he wants to say that God cannot be codified and held onto by any ecclesial forms. In that regard, I agree, but we need to, at the same time, emphasize that God has given us his Son, the witness to his Son in the Scriptures, and the work of the Holy Spirit in preaching and sacraments.
Ugggghhhh, it is not an it - "it" is a person, that is Christ.