One of the things that makes our church unique from a church plant is its 31 years of history. Let's be honest "history" is the number one reason why a young Pastor will pass on a existing church. One of the most appealing aspects to church planting is that you create the history of your church. You get to set the standards, the core values, the vision, the mission, and the purpose. On the other hand an existing church has a history filled with high points and low points. Depending on the age of the church it's gone through several different vision, mission, and purpose statements. On top of all that then you have got to consider the list of Pastors that have lead the church. This is the factor that will either help a church move forward or stay stuck in a state of bitterness, frustration, and pessimism.
Starting a church from scratch is A LOT of hard work but one of the great things about planting a church is that you "start from scratch." There's no baggage, no skeletons in the closet, no holy and untouchable relics in the sanctuary, EVERYTHING IS AN EXPERIMENT! Honestly, taking on an existing church was a scary thought. There are so many "unspoken rules or traditions". The reality is when you take the lead of an existing church you are a guest for a while. That transition period can either be the most effective time for you or be a season of frustrations.
Realizing that I had one opportunity during this transition period to make the greatest first impression I decided to start our time at Dahlonega Assembly of God by recognizing and celebrating the history of the church. I'm the kind of person that really believes that if we learn, remember, and honor the past (history) we will have a more effective and strategic future. So I made it a point to meet with the founding Pastor of our church, which by the way still attends our church, and find out how it felt like when he had his first service in Dahlonega. It was awesome just to sit there and listen to the man who birthed our church. What I learned that day about ministry was priceless. One of the highlights of that meeting was when Pastor Abercrombie (founding Pastor) encouraged me and gave me his stamp of approval. I wish ya'll could have been there it was really a special and humbling moment for me.
Afterwards, I then made it a point to connect with the last Pastor that was serving at our church. Honestly this could have totally blown up in my face. At first I was a little hesitant to contact the last Pastor. It was weird I wanted to learn from him but at the same time I was intimidated by him...I didn't even know him. He had been gone for a while by still had a strong presence with the people. Thankfully our church has always had men of God who have served faithfully and have resigned in a honorable way. I realize that's not the case in every church but let me encourage you if you can't meet with any of the former Pastors met with people. I discovered that when the people realize that you care about the history of the church and all the hard work and sacrifice they have made, they are more open to what you want to do in the future. So use history has a platform to help catapult you and your church into your God ordained destiny.
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