Let’s pick up where we left off with yesterday’s post.
If you didn’t read it, scroll down, catch up, and come right back.

The #2 factor in making it as a church planter:

2. The G.T.H.O. Factor

The Get The Heck Out factor. It’s all about whether or not you have the guts to tell divisive, problematic, selfish people to get the heck out before they ruin the church.
Now let me clear something up. If you feel like I’m telling you that a church planter/pastor has to have a bit of an attitude… I am.
If this statement isn’t full of attitude, I don’t know what is!

I got a lot of advice when we started. A LOT. And out of all that advice, I can totally identify what the single best piece of advice was:
Be more concerned about who you’re trying to reach
Than who you’re trying to keep.

Amen. Life’s too short and hell is too real for me to chase around supposed Christians who have been born again for 25 years and are still running around in spiritual diapers begging for their spiritual pacifiers and demanding to be spiritually bottle fed day in and day out.

It takes courage to plant a church.

You’ve got to have a laser sharp vision and refuse to deviate.
When someone shows up with an agenda other than the agenda of God, if you can’t look them in the eye (or hit reply and send) and tell them “Sorry-we’re not the church for you. God bless you in your journey… ” then you can’t wear the big boy pants and be a pastor.

No matter how much they tithe.
No matter how sincere they seem.
No matter how many connections they have.
No matter what the fallout will be.
No matter how much you like them.

Does this mean that a pastor should be over protective?

Yes. It sure does. He should be over protective of the mission of the church as defined by Scripture. To the extreme. And sometimes that means watching gifted people who often love Jesus (sometimes that’s questionable) walk out of the door.

(There are friendlier ways to say it than “Get the heck out,” admittedly. But when it comes down to it, you gotta be willing to do it. You like that flow?)

Factor #3 coming your way soon…