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Tim Guptill on Core Philosphy at Crosspoint ...

Pastor Tim Guptill is doing a terrific job of leading Crosspoint (a Wesleyan church in Marysville, New Brunswick) to new levels of Great Commission effectiveness. I appreciated his recent blog posting and wanted to pass it along. Tim writes:

"I’ve done a few interviews recently with students from Bethany Bible College for their courses. One student this week asked me for a few of my ‘core philosophies of ministry’. Here is the list I gave him.

-The mission of every church is the same. Check Jesus’ words from Matthew 28. Go into all the world, make disciples, baptize them, etc.

-The vision is the unique calling and design of a church. It’s the way that God wants to use that church to reach its full redemptive potential.

-Most churches are doing far too much. The best thing they could do would be to refocus and stop trying to please everyone. Instead of doing a few things well, they do a lot of things average.

-Worship is about creating environments where people can experience the life-changing presence and message of Jesus.

-Worship (the entire service) done with excellence creates a culture of anticipation and expectation. Repeat that week after week and you won’t have to beg people to invite others, they just will.

-Never apologize for giving an invitation to accept Jesus.

-Spiritually mature people are more interested in lost souls than having their own personal preferences met.

-400 people can’t have everything their way. We all have to put the vision ahead of personal agendas.

-There is a fine line between faith and foolishness. I’ll take risk over regret every time."

Classic Quote from Elton Trueblood

"All of the early Christians were missionaries. They did not leave the evangelistic task either to professional evangelists or to pastors to whom they paid salaries, for these did not exist... The early Church did not have a missionary arm; it was a missionary movement."

Elton Trueblood (1900-1994), The Incendiary Fellowship, New York: Harper, 1967, p. 11