Posts Tagged ‘leadership’

Jan
16
2013

What We Don’t Want to Hear: Leadership Is Hard

We live in an age when distrust of leaders is, perhaps, at an all-time high. I don’t have any statistics to verify that. However, if my Facebook and Twitter feeds are a reasonable sample, if the blogs and columns and books I read are an indication, people today just don’t like the people who lead them. For instance, Congress approval rating is at an all-time low. The latest negotiations over the Fiscal Cliff exposed the dysfunction in Washington between Republicans and Democrats. And so everybody, everywhere teed off on the politicians.

I think we’ve arrived here for two reasons. First, the last few generations have seen the stunning and tragic fall of leaders of all stripes, from Presidents to pastors. We’ve seen leaders abuse power, not only in Washington, but in the church, in the home, in the community, in business. Many wonder if there are any honest leaders left. Over the Christmas break and into our vacation, I read a few books on the American Presidents. I’m amazed at the decline in respect for this once-great office. Historians may disagree, but I feel that perhaps Watergate was a turning point, where the office of President became less regal. But it’s also the spirit of the age, I think, that we just don’t like or trust those who lead us. Some of this is deserved, but some of this a spirit of rebellion. And I think it makes leadership that much more difficult.

This leads to my second reason why I think we don’t like leaders. This reason points not to the leaders, but to us. You see, it’s much easier to be a critic of a leader than to actually lead. For instance, there is one President and 435 leaders. But there are a seemingly unlimited number of paid pundits, columnists, bloggers, radio talk show hosts, and other such members of the opinion media. Most of them get paid very handsomely to lob their criticisms at those in office. But, here’s the rub, they don’t actually have to lead. They are not in the arena. And so they can articulate purist ideological positions and hammer leaders who deviate, even in small ways. They can resist any kind of deal-making with the other party. They can live in a fantasy world where your side can get everything it wants all the time in every situation. Now, to be clear, I think the media and opinion-makers serve a valuable purpose in our democracy. They help shape the public discussion and influence those in power. After all, I’m a writer and blogger who sometimes gets paid for my opinion. However, looking at Washington from this perch is much easier than having to actually lead and get something done in a difficult environment with those who hold opposing views.

I think this view of leadership prevails in the Church as well. Church leaders should be open to criticism. One of the things that bothers me about some is that they dismiss all criticism with a sort of lazy “haters gonna hate” defense. The best leaders bend an ear to opposing views and admit mistakes and weaknesses. But, it is far easier to be a Christian blogger with an opinion than to be a high-profile pastor in the arena. It’s easier to criticize Rick Warren than to be Rick Warren. It’s easier to criticize John Piper than to be John Piper. It’s easier to criticize Beth Moore than to be Beth Moore.

I think all of us would do well to recognize that leadership is difficult and while we shouldn’t turn a blind eye to abuse and corruption, we should obey the Scriptures and hold our leaders with some esteem. We should recognize that the sideline gig is much easier than the one in the arena, that couch commentary comes easy, real leadership is hard.

Dec
05
2012

What You Don’t Like About Your Church (And why that’s good)

I have this conversation quite often with members of my church and with believers outside of my church. It is usually sparked by a discussion of something this person doesn’t like about our church or about the church they attend.

Now, let’s assume the disagreement is not related to doctrinal purity, moral integrity, authoritarian abuse (issues I believe are grounds for leaving a church). Let’s also assume this is a gospel-preaching, Word-saturated, bible-believing church. Let’s also assume the disagreement is not over a 2nd-tier issue that is not orthodoxy, but valid reason when choosing a church (mode of baptism, denomination, etc). So we’re dealing with issues of preference.

This is what I tell people who tell me there is something about our church they don’t like or about their church they don’t like: “Good.”

It’s good that you’re involved with a local body of believers with whom you have disagreements and varying preferences. Why? Because that is the whole idea of God calling out and gathering together His local body. We come together, not because we agree on everything and have the same preferences, but because, despite our disagreements, we are united in Christ.

I often say to people and have preached in messages before this statement, “I don’t like everything in our church. And this is good, because if everything here was geared to what I like, it would be great for me, but not-so-great for the other members.” And so it is with you.

Chances are there is something on Sunday mornings you’d like to see differently. Perhaps you like danishes instead of donuts. Or you’d rather sing hymns than songs written since 1990. Perhaps you’re more of an organ person than a guitar person. Or you really hate the color of the lobby walls.

Good! A resounding, spirit-filled good! You’re continued presence at this church indicates you’re willing to lay aside your preferences, sacrifices your pet peeves for the good of Christ’s body. And it proves that you’re not simply going to church to have all of your senses tickled, but to use your gifts to serve God’s people.

When leadership structures a church in such a way that it meets all the pastor’s preferences, it creates a personality-driven church. But when the pastor is willing to lay aside some of his preferences for the good of the people he serves, God is glorified and the people are blessed.

When the people who attend a church stomp their feet and demand certain things at church be their way, it sows division in the church, hurts the pastor, and ultimately undermines the gospel mission to the community. But when people come to church and get involved, even though there are very real things at church they don’t like, they are making a profound statement that God’s work and God’s people are more important than their preferences.

This must be an intentional attitude, because we live in a culture of American consumerism. We can pick and choose churches, not based on anything important but our own pet likes and dislikes. I’m not discounting the importance of church culture, family atmosphere, etc. But ultimately, our role as a Christian is to participate in the local body of believers, to serve with our gifts, and to glorify Christ corporately. When we make our church choices based on personal preferences, we idolize what is unimportant and marginalize gospel witness.

It strikes me that these choices would be irrelevant in many places around the world. I was in Eastern Europe this year where there are very few, gospel-preaching evangelical churches. So if you are a missionary or a Christian in that area, you’re choices are few and you suddenly aren’t as concerned about the coffee and the guitar and the color of the walls. You’re just happy to find people of faith nearby with whom you can fellowship and serve.

So, if there is something about your church you dislike, consider it an opportunity to sacrifice for the greater good of the body.

Oct
30
2012

5 Things Leaders Can Learn From the Presidential Debates

So the Presidential debates are about a week behind us. This election is heading toward it’s conclusion (Thankfully). Unlike previous election years, the debates have had a dramatic effect on the race. Personally, I have found them fascinating and interesting. And I wonder if Christian leaders can draw some lessons from these debates as we lead God’s people. Here are five things that were obvious to me:

1) Leadership invites incredible scrutiny. Regardless of your political persuasion, you have to give both President Obama and Governor Romney credit for stepping forward and offering to serve America in the highest office in the land. In this 21st-century, the scrutiny of public leadership is every so tight. You have journalists and bloggers paid to extract the most inane of details, down to what a candidate orders at Wendy’s and how that reflects upon what he’d do in the White House. Pastors don’t face near the scrutiny of a President, but are accountable to our people and to the Lord. And if you think the searchlight of our 24hr news cycle is penetrating, the searchlight of the Almighty is more thorough. But the good news about Christian leaders is that the Almighty knows all we do and are and still loves us. On a practical, leadership level, I think this means we should be transparent, real, and authentic in our approach to leadership.

2) Public Leadership is a Mix of Both Competence and Communication

Some of the debates got rather snippy, sharper than I’ve ever seen in a presidential debate. But candidates seemed to lose “points” in the public eye when they crossed the line and became overly aggressive or condescending. There is a really delicate balance, it seems, with projecting leadership without coming across as an arrogant know-it-all. In other words, you can have the right policies, but if your tone is off, if you’re demeanor and the way you carry yourself is off-putting, you will lose votes. In other words, the voters want to see a bit of humanity in their candidates, rather than seeing robots who spout focus-group-tested talking points.

For a Christian leader, this is important. There are things about which we cannot compromise, such as the authority of the Word of God, spiritual and moral issues, and the centrality of the exclusive gospel message. And yet, it matters not only that we have the truth, but how we communicate it to our hearers. In other words, we may turn off people who are willing to listen to the message by simply carrying the message in a way that offends. Humility, charm, graciousness, self-discipline–these are important traits for a Christian leader. They allow the good news of the gospel to go forward without a human barrier. People may indeed stumble over the cross of Jesus, but let it not be me they stumble over.

3) Mature, Adult Leadership Still Matters. We live in an increasingly shallow culture, where we reward the young, the sexy, the beautiful. We pay big money to celebrities whose only accomplishment is being famous, on a reality-show or some kind of moment in the sun. But there is still a yearning for adult leadership. During the presidential debates, there was much talk of “who looked the most presidential.” In other words, people might even be willing to bypass their political preferences to vote for the man who most looked like he could occupy the White House, who looked most real behind that famous Rose Garden podium. And this is good, because the President is supposed to represent the best of America to the world.

I think Christian leaders, especially pastors, would be wise to discern this need in the culture. There are very few adults left, it seems. Very few folks willing to stand up, be faithful, act wisely, know when to shut up and when to speak, and know how to offer calm reassurance in a crisis. Pastors, of all people in the community, should be among those kinds of leaders. There has been so much emphasis in ministry circles about being relevant and cool and hip. We’ve got pastors putting beds on top of their church, pastors who work hard at looking adolescent, pastors who pat themselves on the back for their “coolness.” I think this is foolish on the part of my generation. In a crisis (and that’s when most people turn to the church), suffering people need a father figure, a grown-up, someone who can calmly bring God’s Word to bear on their situation.

4) Thinking on Your Feet is Really Hard

After every debate, there were the super annoying fact checkers on every station, at every news site. I found them annoying because even the fact-checkers seem biased and it was often hard to separate what someone labels a “lie” and what may be, if you looked at it a certain way, “true.” But I also thought we are pretty hard on our candidates. We expect them to stand up for an hour or more, with no notes, and perfectly recite figures and facts. And for every discrepancy, we say, “You lied.” Imagine if you or I had to go through the same exercise? We’d likely fail as badly as the candidates if not worse.

The lesson? We are all human and frail. And if you parsed every single word I every spoke or wrote, you’d undoubtedly find errors. So perhaps we should go easier on each other? I’m not saying churches shouldn’t hold their pastors accountable or that Christian leaders should get a pass if they are not truthful. But, to the bloggers who spend their entire day finding fault with Christian leaders, who parse sermons and grab clips simply to criticize them: stop it! Leaders are humans. Preaching, writing, speaking is a difficult excercise. Most who do it do it because they want to edify God’s people. And most, I’d imagine, have the humility to admit when they’ve been wrong. So, let’s give them grace.

5) Our Version of Reality is Skewed by Our Own Preferences

After every debate, surrogates for each candidate go to the “spin room” and try to tilt the post-debate media coverage in favor of their candidate. But in reality, Twitter and Facebook is one giant spin room. I’ve got friends on both sides of the aisle. It was funny to see who their political ideology shaped what they saw happen in a given debate. I suffer from the same malady. Regardless of what happened, after the debate I thought my guy won.

Life is this way as well. In a way, our realities are skewed by our desires. We see what we want to see. Paul said it best when he wrote to the Corinthians: “We see through a glass darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12). So not only do we live in a broken reality, we also view that broken reality with broken vision. This is where we need Christ to continually reshape our vision. Only the gospel can change the way we look at life.

As Christians leaders, we must be careful to not rely on our own fleshly vision. In other words, we must not trust what our eyes tells us they see. This is why prayer and godly counsel are so important in the life of a leader. Good books, conferences, blog posts–new spiritual content that stretches and shapes our thinking. Most of all, we must cultivate that inner life with Christ through prayer and Scripture so that the blinders begin to peel away from our eyes. In this way, we won’t be living in an alternate world of shape-shifting spin, but in the reality of God’s presence. This helps us lead well.

Sep
27
2012

Les Lofquist on Leadership and Preaching

I especially loved this piece by Les Lofquist on how to respond to a criticism of preaching:

I think the only way is to be determined to be prayed up and studied up the next time you’re in the pulpit. Resolve to get up early each day the next week and pray as a man of God should. Then study seriously. Grapple with next Sunday’s text. Turn off the television. Stop surfing the web. Put away your fantasy team rosters. Dig into the Bible. Pull off from your shelves those theology books and commentaries of yours and pore over them. Review your old Bible College / seminary class lecture notes. Accept the challenge of that passage you’ll be preaching and wrestle with its meaning and outline and application.

Approach next Sunday with all the earnestness you can. After all, it’s God’s holy and written Word you are handling! Get serious about it once again, like you did when you first began preaching. Shake off the cobwebs and preach with fire in your soul, accepting the calling from God to be the spokesman to your people in your congregation for Him. Let them see His glory through you as you seriously handle His words. And don’t be afraid of being appropriately direct and bold, assuming nothing with respect to the spiritual condition of the individuals in your congregation. Preach with the authority of God, bearing God’s message, speaking God’s Word and forget about yourself and your own authority.

via Leadership … and Preaching | Fire In My Bones.

Aug
14
2012

What Is Your Thing?

As a pastor I meet a lot of interesting Christians. I have people who attend my church, people who call or stop by to promote their ministry in our church, and/or people who send me information via email or mail. The common theme is that every Christian seems to have a “thing.” That is to say the one theme of their life and their advocacy.

For instance, there are those whose specialty is defending Genesis. For others it’s Christian political activism. There are outreaches and emphases on Jewish ministry, men’s ministry, Christian education, eschatology, and a host of other specific niches. Pastors get hit with appeals for these on an almost weekly basis.

In one sense, I love this because it demonstrates how God has uniquely gifted and called individual Christians and ministries. Their laser-like focus helps educate and edify God’s people. For the busy pastor, who sees the whole church, having speakers or curriculum or small group studies can help sharpen the faith of this people.

And yet sometimes I see an unhealthy imbalance where your emphasis becomes your “thing.” Let me explain. I’ve had conversations with people passionate about science around Genesis. I find this compelling and I’m in agreement with the view that Genesis describes a literal six-day creation. I enjoy hearing from smart scientists who defend this view. But an emphasis or a calling to this field can easily become a “thing” that seems to drive everything about a person’s life. And rather than Jesus becoming their animating theme, defending against evolutionists is their animating theme. Every conversation, every concern in the church, every social ill must become a debate about origins. I think this is unhealthy.

I”m not just picking on creationists here. I’m just using this as an example. I see this in every other specialty. And this can happen with any particular focus of Christian ministry. Where what we are most passionate about becomes less the gospel and more our pet “thing.”

It’s unhealthy on a number of levels. First, what was a good interest and a worthy calling can become a source of conflict with other believers. When the gospel animates us, then we are humbled enough to work toward unity in our local body of believers and in the body worldwide. But when our pet “thing” animates us, we become argumentative, looking always for opportunities to prove how right we are. Secondly, I think the enemy is okay with us focusing on a “thing” rather than focusing on Jesus and using our gifts and talents, ultimately, to build God’s church through evangelism. Third, an unhealthy imbalance divides people into categories and suddenly we don’t see the unchurched as objects of God’s love in need of the gospel, but people on the wrong side of an issue. And we don’t see brothers and sisters who disagree with us people we should love, but people who we must win over to our view of things.

Unhealthy imbalance can also create a culture, in the home or the church, where the gospel is actually not the main thing we’re concerned with passing to the next generation. Teens sniff this out right away. They quickly get what we are most passionate about. If this is not the gospel, the “faith” once delivered to all saints” (Jude 1:3), they may reject our faith. Because our faith in Jesus is the only thing contagious enough to be “caught” by the next generation.

I guess what I’m saying is this: everyone has a “thing”, a special calling or emphasis they feel is important to ministry. But this must always be surrendered to the larger “thing” which is the call to live and share the gospel with those who are far from Jesus.

At the end of my life, I don’t want it said that what drove me most was that I believed in a six-day creation or that was a dispensationalist or that I was a political conservative. I want it said that I loved Jesus, that I faithfully taught His Word, and that I loved those God has called me to love. That’s what I want most to drive me.

Aug
01
2012

5 Ways We Lie in Advancing the Truth

Christians are supposed be about the truth. We are to proclaim the truth, live the truth, and love the truth. But sometimes, in advancing the truth, we tell ourselves lies.  In other words, there is a way to actually hold a biblical position on an issue and sin in the way we make the argument. Here are five common ways:

1) We conflate principled activism with vitriolic words.

How often have you prolonged an argument with your wife, knowing you are right in substance? How has that worked out for you? Likely you did serious damage to your relationship. This plays out in every kind of relationship, whether it’s family, business, and in the culture. Most often I see this in the political arena. Simply having  the right, biblical views doesn’t excuse us from Christ-exalting speech. Paul reminds us that the weapons of our warfare are not “carnal” (2 Corinthians 10:4). For followers of Christ, it’s not enough to be on the right side of an issue. We must also honor God with the way we make our arguments. Colossians 4:6 says we should let our speech be always with grace. Even on Facebook. Even when talking about someone with whom we disagree.

2) We assume we’re the only “true” believers 

When you’re passionate about a particular issue, whether it’s a cultural and moral issue or a theological issue, it can seem like you’re standing alone. Sometimes you may be the only one, but usually that’s a deceptive lie of the enemy. I think of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. He was convinced he was the only one in Israel who cared about the wickedness and idolatry of the monarch. But he wasn’t. God reminded him that there were 7,000 other true believers. This lie, that we’re the only ones, can be especially destructive. It can lead us to distrust anyone and everyone. It can destroy friendships because we see enemies even in friends who may not completely agree with our methodology. I’ve seen this in churches, in civic activities, in politics. But all this does is create a Messiah complex, burns bridges with would-be allies, and hurts the cause we are championing.

3) We justify treating others around us poorly. 

Being on the right side of an issue, adhering to a proper theological position, and a heartbeat for evangelism is often used as a cover for poor and ungodly leadership styles. But as much as the New Testament affirms proper doctrine, it informs loving treatment of our fellow man. In fact, our understanding of the gospel should make us more inclined to treat others well, not less. “Getting results” is not the goal of leadership, according to Jesus. Servanthood is (Matthew 20:25). And in every single list for spiritual leadership, you will see words like “gentleness” “not a brawler”, “kind.” (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9). Look at the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (Galatians 5:22-23). Sadly, even many Christian leadership models would consider these as weaknesses. Leaders have to remind themselves that the work they are doing God doesn’t exempt them from becoming a spirit-filled man of God. Nobody is so valuable to the Kingdom that He is justified in being a tyrant.

4) We think it’s okay to ignore our families.

This one hits home to me. It’s easy to get so caught up in the work of God, that we ignore our families. Finding the balance isn’t that easy, but we must never forget that our families are our first ministry. The family was the first institution God ordained, thousands of years before He began the Church. I’m amazed, though, how easy it is for us to justify cheating the family to serve God, as if the family and the church are in competition. They are not. Churches need healthy cultures where key leaders feel okay to tend to their families without being made to feel like they are abandoning God’s mission.

5) We fight with the wrong weapons

Lot of the lies we tell ourselves in advancing the truth come from bad theology. We assume that God has put on this earth to do all His work, by ourselves and without His power. But that’s impossible. We tell ourselves that we are the only ones, we have to resort to worldly tactics, we have to abandon our families–because the mission of God is so important. A sense of holy, gospel urgency is important, but God never leads us to do something contrary to His Word. And in His Word we are told that we are engaged in spiritual warfare, that without God’s power, we’ll be able to do “nothing.” Oh, we’ll make a lot of noise, but we’ll do nothing of value to the Kingdom. Our most potent weapons are not mailing lists or technological advancements or cutting edge strategies. Our  greatest weapon is the Holy Spirit, God in us. We’re most powerful when we are on our knees in prayer, storming the gates of Heaven for God’s divine blessing and mercy. The enemy minds little if we’re advancing truth, as long as we believe his lie that we can do this ourselves.

 

 

Jun
19
2012

Killing the Jerk Gene in Leadership

In a defense of polarizing NBA superstar, Lebron James, sportswriter, Rick Reilly wrote this:

You think of the great athletes of our generation — Jordan, Woods, Lance Armstrong. They all had a bit of the jerk gene in them. James is missing it. He is loved by his teammates, not feared. So sue.

I’m not a big fan of Lebron James or the Miami Heat (if you’ve read my Twitter feed, you’ll most certainly know this). I’m a Bulls fan that who feels it is a moral imperative for the Miami Heat to continually lose. That heavy bias aside, Reilly’s piece was spot-on. Lebron is hated by sports fans, in many ways, because he’s not a jerk like Michael or Woods or others. He’s not cutthroat.

The question is this: must you have a “jerk gene” to be a great leader? I’ve heard this conversation, not simply about athletes, but leaders of all stripes, including pastors. I’ve heard it said that this trait is indispensable for a successful coach or CEO or pastor.

But I beg to differ. Not only do I think a “jerk gene” is unnecessary. I think it’s unhealthy, and as I read more of what Jesus and Paul and James and Peter say about leadership, unbiblical. Sadly, there are certain circles in Christian leadership that highly prize the jerk gene. Of course it’s not phrased this way. We speak of “toughness” or “willingness to take a stand.” Often what we mean, however, is an authoritarian, “my way or the highway” style of leadership. I’ve been in pastoral gatherings where pastors traded war stories of the people they “told off, ” one-upping each other on the various ways they used the Bible to deliver a creative and sarcastic comeback to some ignorant parishioner. Thankfully none of these men were my models.

To be sure, there is a place in Christian leadership for strength, for rebuke, for confrontation, for resolve. To lead well takes courage. But if you read every passage about Christian leadership in the Bible, you will inevitably find words like “gentleness, servanthood, kindness.” You will find warnings against things like, “brawling, contention, division.” You will hear Jesus say that the world prizes authoritarian leadership, but the Kingdom model is something different (Matthew 20:25-28).

I have heard pastors or their fans excuse their out of control behavior by saying things like, “Well, all great leaders act this way.” And to an extent they are right. But again, are we not supposed to be different? The world says that the “jerk gene” is necessary for greatness. Jesus says that servanthood is the way to greatness. How can we spiritually lead our people if we use worldly leadership models? The truth is that we can’t, at least effectively. We may browbeat people into submission and create a culture of fear. It may “work” but it may not be what God intended for His church.

There is a place in leadership for firmness, for being resolute, even times when controlled anger is necessary. But the point of our courage shouldn’t be to defend ourselves or our authority, but in service of the body. In other words, our leadership should not simply be about us and who we are, but about what we are doing to build up Christ’s body.

I dare say that every human has a “jerk gene” in them, innate selfishness brought about by the Fall. It is this fleshly nature Jesus came to kill and so we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit in putting our ego to death and replacing it with servanthood.

 

Jun
15
2012

Friday Five: Darryl Dash

I’m privileged to chat today with my good friend, Darryl Dash. I first met Darryl after finding his excellent blog. Then we had some email correspondence. Finally, we had the chance to meet face to face when I visited Toronto for a media appearance last year. As a young pastor, I was grateful to learn from his experience.
Darryl is a pastor and blogger and, most recently, a church planter at the newly formed,  Liberty Grace Church in Liberty Village, Toronto. He previously served as pastor of Richview Baptist Church and Park Lawn Baptist Church, both in west Toronto. Darryl is married to Charlene and has two children, Christina and Josiah.
When did you first discern the call to pastoral ministry?
I think I was only 6 or 7 years old. I would force my sister, age 4, to sit down and listen to my sermons. There’s one surviving cassette tape of my preaching from this era, but I don’t hate anyone enough to force them to listen to it.
As a young adult, I really wanted to dismiss this call as a childish thing, but I couldn’t shake it. My church affirmed the call to pastoral ministry, and I began the process of studying and getting some practical ministry experience.
You were successfully pastoring a growing church in Toronto. What would prompt you to leave this “safe” ministry and plant a church in an unchurched community in Toronto?
Twenty years ago I never heard much about church planting, so I didn’t even consider it. That began to change in the past ten or so years, but I figured that planting is for twenty-year-olds and not me. I remember reading Tim Keller’s article “Why Plant Churches?” and wishing that I could plant a church. I also remember sitting around a table with other pastors. Four were church planters; two of us weren’t. The four who planted had growing and thriving ministries, and the two of us who weren’t felt like we weren’t getting the traction we needed.
When I began to sense that it was time to make a transition, I looked at a few options. I could have gone to another established church, and I could have taught at a seminary, or I could church plant. I took a church planter assessment and was accepted. The more we talked to church planters, the more we sensed that this is what God is calling us to do. I thought of taking a safer option, but knew that it would be for all the wrong reasons.
I have to be honest: I’m not the typical church planter. I’m in my 40s. I probably don’t fit all the personality profiles. I’m not a rock star. But we have an inescapable sense of call that’s been confirmed by others. I’m learning to trust God in new ways.

Is there something that makes ministry in Canada, specifically Toronto, unique as opposed to other areas of North America?
In some ways, Toronto is like everywhere else. I like what Lloyd-Jones wrote: you don’t have to become a miner to know what miners need. We’re all the same in the end. People in Toronto have all the same needs as people who live anywhere else.
On the other hand, Toronto is a tough place. I know of someone who lived in New York and then moved to Toronto for a year. He would often invite people to come to church with him. In New York, ten people a year accepted his invitation and attended church. In Toronto, he couldn’t find one person to accept his invitation. Someone’s said that Toronto makes Seattle look like the Bible belt.
Frankly, I like it. People don’t pretend to be Christian. The only exception to this would be recent immigrants, who are more receptive to the gospel. The need here is real, but Toronto is not fertile ground. Apart from the Spirit, we’d be sunk.

What has been the most surprising aspect of church planting in your short experience? 
I’ve been surprised by the level of spiritual attack. I should have expected it, but I didn’t. I’ve had more spiritual attack in six months of church planting than in ten years of pastoring an established church. That surprised me.
I remember Justin Buzzard saying that God seems to break church planters the year before they plant a church, or the year after. It turns out that seems to be right.

You’re also a frequent blogger. How does blogging intersect with your ministry and vice-versa?
Blogging helps me think about the issues of life and ministry in light of the gospel. It’s also a discipline in my life, like working out and reading. When I stop blogging, it’s usually a sign that I’m not being as disciplined as I need to be.
The best part about blogging is that it builds relationships. I’ve met people through the blog that have become friends, and they’ve enriched my life greatly. That is, by far, the best part about blogging. Just this morning, a pastor-friend reflected on reading my blog for the past five or six years. He commented on the trajectory of my life and ministry, and encouraged me. It’s hard to beat that.