Thought I’d kick off the week with a top ten list. Here are ten tips for church planters.

1) Do something different–don’t try to be someone else! Be yourself. We need lots of different kinds of churches because there are lots of different kinds of people. Differentiate! If you’re going to do what someone else is already doing don’t even bother!

2) Pick the right place–you’ve heard of word association. There is something I call place association. You want to meet someplace that conjurs up good feelings! That’s one reason we meet in movie theaters. Most people have good memories from good movies. And meet somewhere that has high visibility and high accessibility. 25 million people pass through Union Station every year! And it’s got a metro stop, bus stop, train stop, and parking garage. It’s in the middle of the marketplace.

3) Make mistakes–You’ve got to make mistakes early on. It creates a culture of experimentation. Don’t keep making the same mistakes! But keep making mistakes. Mistakes are painful now, but you’ll laugh about them later. Trust me!

4) Take the Long View–whenever I get discouraged it’s usually because I’ve zoomed in on some situation that is frustrating. Zoom out. Take the long view. You overestimate what you can accomplish in two years. You underestimate what you can accomplish in ten years.

5) Enjoy the Journey–be the best pastor you can be at every stage. Have fun with it. There is a developmental process. If you’re church is five years old you should know the alphabet song and be able to tie your shoes. That’s about it. You haven’t hit puberty yet! And don’t take yourself too seriously. The holiest and happiest people in the world laugh at themselves the most. Take two things seriously: God and fun.

6) Think like a guest–you’ve got to put yourself in the shoes of the average visitor. How are they experiencing everything? You have one chance to make a first impression. Make sure you greeters are nice! Make sure your welcome packet packs a punch! And give them a virtual tour of your church via your website.

7) Do Reconaissance–always have your antenna up and radar on. Don’t copy other churches. But be a student of other churches. Never become a closed-system. Never stop learning! There are ways of doing church no one has thought of yet!

Do ministry out of imagination–don’t do ministry out of memory. Don’t do it the way it’s always been done. That’s boring and predictable! Creativity is hard work, but it’s the thing that will set you apart. Dare to be different! Normality is overrated. God ideas usually start out as crazy ideas!

9) Content is King. If you don’t preach a powerful message it’s all for naught. Don’t water-down or dumb-down the gospel. Find new ways to communicate ancient truths! Use every means at your disposal to get the message across. Blog every day. And if it’s worth preaching it’s worth podcasting!

10) Hang in There–the key to church planting is emotional fortitude. It is an emotional roller coaster full of highs and lows. There are high levels of excitement and discouragement. If you’re called to be where you are and do what you do then don’t give up! View everything as a learning opportunity!