The last day of Hydrate Conference came with a focus on the heart of a leader. Every speaker shared personal growth experiences that were transformational to their leadership. Here are the main points from sessions with Brian Hunter, Kevin Lloyd, and Shawn Lovejoy.
Brian Hunter (Mountain Lake Church & ChurchPlanters.com)
- Be a quitter.
- Many of us go into ministry trying to heal other people when we are really in need of healing ourselves.
- God could care less about your ministry. He just wants your heart.
- Too often, we try to substitute the Gospel with the work of ministry.
- Some of us need to quit something or else we will not be able to keep going.
- The Jesus who called you to ministry is the same Jesus who loves you now. He will protect you as you let go of the things that you need to.
- If your fear outweighs your obedience, you do not trust God.
- Feeling like you cannot quit anything stems from the feeling that you have to be important.
- “Above all else, guard your heart” (Prov. 4:23). Stop guarding your reputation and start guarding your heart.
- We tend to imagine that everything will become perfect once we become successful. That perception is not real.
Kevin Lloyd (Stevens Creek Church)
- There is great value in learning to lead from the second chair.
- Kevin’s 6th grade band director: “You may not be playing the main part. But if your note is off, it will be the only note that anyone hears.”
- God did not put you in the second chair just to prepare you to be a point leader later. He will use you just as much from the second chair if you allow Him to.
- One of the greatest struggles of our generation is a sense of entitlement.
- When pride and entitlement creep into your heart, your department in the organization becomes YOUR department. Say “ours”, not “mine.”
- Because second chair leaders do not have the burden of the entire organization, they often expect change faster than the point leader is able to make.
- Sometimes are combative under the banner of “passion”.
- Any time you walk away from a conversation with your leader and you feel like you “won”, you lost. You are pursuing change with the wrong motives.
- Spiritual maturity is not about being right. It involves executing things that we would do differently.
- Talent may give you a voice but consistency and faithfulness will earn you a platform.
- Some of us need to go to our lead pastors to ask for forgiveness and give them our full support.
Shawn Lovejoy (Mountain Lake Church & ChurchPlanters.com)
- Most pastors quit because they are running from something, not to something.
- The one question we all have to answer: “Why do I do this?”
- It is easy to disguise our personal dreams as God’s dreams. Asking “Why?” exposes our motives.
- Remembering why you do what you do protects you from becoming a people pleaser.
- “Above all else, guard you heart. It is the wellspring of life” (Prov. 4:23). Everything we do that is truly life-giving begins with a healthy heart.
- When you do not guard your heart, you lose your passion.
- Jesus did not preach from new Scripture. He spoke with new passion. (Matt. 7:29)
- Answering, “Why do I do this?” reignites our passion.
- Do you remember when you had a passion for ministry? When you were excited to share the gospel with any individual?
- When did you first forget why you do what you do? When did you start focusing on the number of empty chairs rather than sharing the Gospel with each individual?
- If you lost passion, your church already sees that it is gone. Why not go ahead and repent and take your church back?
- Ultimately, the answer to “Why?” is Jesus. He is the ultimate source of our passion.
Which of these most caught your attention? If you were at Hydrate, what else stood out to you?
One Comment
Thanks for sharing these notes, Ryan. Would love to have been there! Sounds great!