Hey Friends,

Today is the 15th birthday of Faith Promise Church. Thank you, Lord! It is going to be a great weekend. Tonight we are going to have a celebration dinner with the members that were adults when the church first started. I am so grateful for these people. They have hung in there through so many changes and have given and served so faithfully. I believe God has been honored and I am grateful.

There is no way to have a great ministry without great people serving a Great God. We will also honor the person who, by faith, started the church -Terry duPont, and his wife, Arlene.

One of the things that I have learned after almost 30 years of ministry is that people leave! It seems to me that most people stay at a church on the average for about six years. The folks we honor tonight have been at Faith Promise for 15 years. Very impressive. I am sure that when they called me as the Pastor they had no idea what they were getting. These folks have been faithful even though today we look nothing like we did when the church began. At the core of the core, they care more deeply about souls than they do style. We would not be anywhere near where we are today if they had not been committed to the vision. Like everyone who is saved, we owe a debt to those who went before us.

It is my prayer that when February is over we will all give God the glory and we will be grateful for our legacy. It is also my prayer that we will all be excited about the next ten years as we encounter a decade of difference.

Yours to count on,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

Most of us want to leave a legacy. We want to be a part of building something that will make a difference and outlast us. One of the great things about leadership is being able to help others to develop their potential and thus outlast our lives. No matter who you lead or where you lead them, part of your job is to be a coach – a dream manager, if you will. You get paid to pour into others so they will be better, and it is not all about the bottom line. It is about changing lives and leaving a legacy.

Effective leadership is about taking people on a journey. It is about casting vision for their lives and for the organization you get to lead. So many dislike their job, and yet few see themselves as a coach for the people they lead. It is so easy to get caught up in the deadlines, the goals, the quotas, and the grind of  the task that we miss helping people to develop. You might be surprised how people would work and even be loyal if you took time to coach them.

In the last several years I have coached Josh Whitehead, our Executive Pastor. Wow, what growth! He eats personal growth daily. He is so easy to coach because he wants to improve his game. In the process we have developed a friendship few get to enjoy, especially at work! I have to tell you the payoff is more than I ever imagined.

You know what? If you begin to see yourself as a coach you will enjoy your job much more and your life will be so much more rewarding. It is just a thought.

Who are you coaching? Are you growing yourself? It is hard to help others grow if you are not growing yourself. Life is so much more than the bottom line. The bottom line is important, but lives are at the top of the priority list. Today, see who you can coach. Start with you, your kids, and then move out. Life is about to get better!

Yours to count on,

Pastor