Creative Leadership is the Key to Church Growth
Interview: Ed Young of the Fellowship Church
According to researchers, there may be up to 1,500 mega-churches in the nation. However, only a dozen or wield considerable influence on churches outside their own.
The Rev. Ed Young, of the Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, is among the dozen leaders often cited by researchers and pollsters as the most influential, and is known for his energetic and creative approach to the ministry.
Since 1990, Young has grown his flock of 150 members to nearly 20,000, and added three satellite church “campuses” nearby to accommodate the explosive growth. The church, which has campuses in Grapevine, Plano, Uptown Dallas and Alliance, is one of the 10 biggest churches in the nation.
In addition to preaching at Fellowship Church, Young hosts a weekly television program shown throughout the U.S. and Europe and a weekday radio broadcasts aired in major U.S. Cities. He is also a prolific writer. His newest book is titled, You! The Journey to the Center of Your Worth.
The following are excerpts from an interview with Young:
To what do you attribute the growth of your church?
Well obviously, it’s the power of God, and then after that I would say leadership. God has assembled fantastic leaders here. And not only do we have strong leaders but we also have men and women of commitment. The bottom line is you have to have loyalty, trust, and compassion for your vision. I think those are the things that make great godly leaders in both small and big churches.
How many of these men and women of commitment serve The Fellowship Church?
We have a pretty small staff for a church our size. We have about 16,000 to 19,000 weekend attendants but only a 196-member staff. We believe in hiring leaders who are aggressive, self-starting, and can lead leaders. These men and women must have discernment and wisdom to pick the right leaders from the church.
What is so unique about your church that so many would be attracted to it?
Our church, like every church, is unique. In our case, 64 percent of our members are from Generation-X - the baby busters. The rest would be older or younger. Also, about 48 percent are single adults, but that’s not really unique because that reflects the demographics of the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
If 2/3 of your attendants are from the X-Generation, how do you keep all of your churches afloat?
Through tithe and offerings of course. We have a great giving church, and we talk about tithing all the time. People say we shouldn’t talk about money, but I think that’s a bunch of thump. The reason is that people aren’t idiots. What are they smoking? We are talkinga bout money in the context of money management, and God has given us stuff to own. We need to bring tithe to the church and the rest to live on. So when we talk about it that way, people give, and we’re upfront about it. Now, I don’t know if they give 10 percent of what they have, but [our members] have been very generous. A lot of Generation-X believers are very solid givers.
Are you known as a post-modern church?
Our church is not known as a post modern church, but I guess we are. But as far as stylistically, the biggest operative word here is creativity. Christians should be the most creative people in the universe. One of the biggest challenges in the emergent church is allowing God to unleash the creativity in our lives. We are all creative, but there are many times barriers that keep us from unleashing that creativity. Change and creativity go hand in hand, and we are constantly changing stuff in our churches.
Why is that?
Well, if you look at the teaching methods of Christ, he is always changing. Also, another issue is that evangelism is the key to reaching people, but we have to ask who we are reaching. Are we really reaching people who don’t know Christ? I believe 1/3 of the church should be “mature believers, 1/3 should be “baby believers,” and 1/3 should be “hell-bound believers.” If mature believers are doing what they’re supposed to be doing, there will be a spiritual ecosystem in the church between the three. We try to keep that system.
One of the things I love about the emergent church is the artistic stuff, suprising people, story telling, throwing a question out and not answering it until the end. I think one of the biggest weaknesses of the emergent church is that it doesn’t really reach people who don’t know Christ. Rather, I think they are reaching themselves. I don’t see the evangelism there. Secondly, I’m all for asking questions and leaving it in the open, but you’ve got to answer some questions because people are still searching for the truth. This is my only warning for them. Are they ticked-off church kids or do they really have a passion for evangelism. Are you doing something to be a rebel, or do you really feel led.
In what way does your church evangelize?
We have a lot of creative evangelism methods. And one of the things we did this weekend was about rescue. We had all these different videos about dramatic rescues, and we decorated our stage like a ship to talk about the tendency of the church to be like a cruise ship where we work-up our spiritual tan. We had this stuff on-stage, but people were drowning around us with the price of eternity. So we talked about throwing a life-saver tube out to them. We asked them who God placed in their life that are drowning, and we gave everybody a pack of lifesaver candy and told them not to eat it until they’ve brought that person to Christ.
Some critics say large churches attract their members by teaching only ‘feel-good’ messages. How often do you talk about message on sin, or the end-of-days, or of judgment?
I talk about sin all the time. I just did a whole series on that. We can’t teach about the gospel without speaking about the death, burial and resurrection, and about the repentance and the blood. Without this gospel, we’re toast, like having no octane to live on.
You hear people talking about positive stuff on television. Don’t get me wrong, gospel is good news. But before we can hear the good news, we have to hear the real news that I’m fallen and I need the good news. Without this, we’re just talking about humanism.
Another criticism of mega-churches is that they merely “shift” Christians from one church to another. Do you think this is a fair criticism?
People are people, and they’re always going to come and go. I wish it weren’t true, but obviously, you’re going to have people moving to churches that are effective. In other words, effective churches will keep more people than the losers.
I like going to a growing or thriving church, because it gives you a wider relationship base of people you can meet, which makes it more of a true reflection of heaven. Also, there is a larger talent base for worship leaders, drummers speakers, and so forth. You can do bigger things, higher quality things if there are a lot of people, and it gives you a good place to hide if you just want to visit.
Tell us a little more about your book, “You. The Journey to the Center of your Heart.”
I’m very excited about this book, because it’s on self esteem. It’s all about you, but there is no way you can understand the way you are until you understand you have God’s self esteem. If I see myself the way others see me, that means I have whack self-esteem. I have good self-esteem if I see myself the way God sees me. A lot of pastors are utilizing this book because it talks about struggling to find meaning and value. It’s seeing ourselves the way He sees us, and how we can get carried away.
Why is building self-esteem important to understanding God?
That’s because we are made in the image of God, and we are unique, one of a kind. When we see ourselves the way God sees us, light enters us. When we get to heaven, God’s not going to ask why you are like so-and-so, but he will ask why you weren’t like you. The best you can be is the way God sees you.
So this is more than a book about loving yourself. It’s about a true look at God’s view of you. If you go to a house of mirrors where all the mirrors are distorted, sometimes you can look like you’re 900 pounds. But in the eyes of Jesus, we are lovable, forgivable, capable and unbelievable.
Some tips for aspiring mega-church pastors?
I don’t think you should aspire to be a mega-church pastor. Instead, I would say submit your life to God each and every day, and allow him to release the creativity in you. Those things are great. We need to dream big dreams and serve a big God. I would tell them to just follow the Lord, and also try to find a mentor. Ask the right people the right questions and you’ll get the right answers.
Any other comments?
The Kingdom of God advance one life at a time. You can look at hundreds of thousands and all those big numbers, but its about one life at a time. Keep it in perspective. That’s what I would say.
