Everything is Backwards

To what extent is the calling of a church planter connected to personality? I recently attended an Acts 29 boot camp that also included an assessing process. This process included two personality profile tests, several questionnaires regarding doctrine and personal history, and 3 references. After the boot camp, Laura and I spent two hours in a dimly lit room in an abandoned warehouse filled with Gestapo types who asked us about our personal lives, ministry experience and whether or not we knew a certain “Morpheus.” Most importantly, they were interested in discerning a definite sense of calling.

What I found quite interesting in all of this was the notion that certain personality types make better church planters. The bar-fighting hothead who was a cheerleader dating running back in high school seems to be a good fit for church planting because these guys score high on qualities of entrepreneurship. This was the main point of emphasis in the personality profiles. When I told the assessor that I am more of an introvert, he said, “that’s rough.”

Now the question: to what extent is personality bound up in calling? Continue reading ‘Cocky, Obnoxious Jerks Make Great Church Planters’

The Acts 29 Boot Camp in Raleigh concluded this afternoon with a great Q and A session from Stetzer and Driscoll. They were off the cuff and unscripted, and clearly these guys have a Bert and Ernie love for each other. Stetzer would be a great guy to have your back in a church plant or a bar fight. This guy is a beast. Though they don’t agree on everything, there is clearly a love and mutual respect.

Thankfully, they answered the question I submitted regarding planting churches as a team. Although A29 is committed to the leadership of elders in a church as opposed to the senior pastor as CEO model, they also recommend a single church planting “lead pastor” rather than a team of several lead pastors. Continue reading ‘Driscoll and Stetzer on Church Planting Partners’