Who’s in your circle?

This is Jason Hatley, Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey Church, and I’m not really talking about your Google+ account. This question cuts a little deeper than that 🙂

I’m talking about the 5 or so people that are the most influential people in your life. They are the people that are currently speaking into your life (good or bad) and are, in many ways, helping to shape who you are today.

Why does this matter?

Well let me rewind quickly to lay the foundation. . .

Last week we kicked off a 3-part series on the importance of your growth and leadership in the church. Remember the story of David’s annointing in 1 Samuel 16:13? As the oil was poured on to David’s head it ran down all over him signfying that “as goes the King, so goes the Kingdom.”

The same can be said for Worship Leaders and worship ministries. And so we started down this path of discovering THREE ACTIONS of Growing Worship Leaders.

The first action (and what we talked about last week) is that growing Worship Leaders have a written plan for their Growth. They think about what areas of their life (spiritual, ministry, family, finances, health, etc.) they need to grow in and they make a plan for how they will do it.

A written plan is central to your growth as a Worship Leader. After all – Growing Worship Ministries are led by Growing Worship Leaders.

However, a written plan isn’t the only action of growing worship leaders.

The second action is just as important and it is this:

ACTION #2: Surround yourself with people who help you grow.

Jim Rohn has said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

That is – you and I are who we are today because of the influence we allow other people to have on us. Whether it’s a family member, friend, or co-worker we are greatly shaped by those who are closest to us.

This can be both good and bad.

After all, if you are surrounded by Godly men and women who are encouraging you to become all that God has called you to be, you will be challenged by them and more readily pursue that in your life.

However, if you surround yourself with people who speak negatively, don’t have God-sized dreams, aren’t learning / growing / reading, or aren’t sharpening you (Proverbs 27:17), well . . . you will most likely take on some of their traits and follow suit there as well.

This is a hard teaching, but important for us to understand. Becoming all that God has called you to be requires sacrifice. And sometimes the sacrifice we need to make is that of a relationship that is keeping us from growing. After all, “Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Cor. 15:33)

The key is to maximize the time you spend with those who challenge you to grow. And, according to Proverbs 13:20, here’s what will happen . . .

“Whoever walks with the wise will become wise; whoever walks with fools will suffer harm.”

If you invest time with Godly leaders, you can become a Godly leader

So here are TWO IMPORTANT QUESTIONS for you:

#1 – Who are the people in your life that are helping you grow as a pastor / worship leader / spouse / parent / child of God? How can you maximize your time with those people?

#2 – Who are the people in your life whom you find are keeping you from becoming all that God has called you to be? How can you minimize the time you invest in those relationships? What other relationships could you reallocate that time to?

BONUS QUESTION:

What if you had a group of Worship Leaders around you who were just as passionate about leading their worship ministries and personal lives with excellence as you are? What kind of positive impact would that have on your life and your ministry?

That’s exactly the type of enviornment that I work to create in the Worship Leader Tele-Coaching network. Fellow worship leaders who pray for you, whom you can build relationships with, and learn from. Keep reading below to learn more about to get involved, or visit www.worshipleaderinsights.com/coaching to learn more.

Charlie “Tremendous” Jones said, “Five years from now you’ll be the same person you are today except for the books you read and the people you meet.”

Decide today to invest in the most important and life-giving relationships in your life.

Your partner in ministry,

PS – Are you ready to join with other Worship Leaders and GROW YOURSELF AND YOUR MINISTRY this year?

I want to invite you to be a part of my NEW Tele-Coaching network for Worship Leaders beginning on March 16. And when you apply by February 15 and are accepted into the network, you will receive over $733.00 in savings and bonuses.

Learn more at www.WorshipLeaderInsights.com/Coaching

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.