The call to ministry is the call to prepare. Whether you have 40 years of ministry in front of you, or perhaps only 40 months, or even 4 years, whatever that might be.  Make the decision to say, “I’m going to be a life long leader.”

As long as you’re leading, as long as you have another hill to take, another challenge to overcome, another Godly decision to make, another sermon to preach, you have to keep on leading. In ministry there really are no bad leaders, there’s just bad readers.

If you look at the largest churches in your denomination, or the largest churches in America, or outside the US, wherever you might be from, you will find this pattern. Growing churches are led by growing leaders.

Everything else might be very different about that pastor, but I guarantee you, you will find a bias for growth, a desire to be a lifelong learner. Because without a desire to learn, the church isn’t growing.

In fact, I’ve noticed that when a pastor isn’t growing, three things happen:

• The church stops growing
• The sermons are stale
• The passion for ministry wanes

Fulfilling your call to pastor your church is also fulfilling your call to be a life long learner and becoming a better reader.

I want you to make a decision to become a lifelong learner.  Let me give you some practical steps you can take to becoming a life-long reader.

1. Ask yourself what are 25 reasons of why you should read more?
2. Write down those 25 reasons.  Pray about them.  How will you grow as leader as a result?  How will your people be impacted as a result.
3. And then ask why do you want to read more?

The more powerful the WHY the more committed you are to the WHAT!

Together, let’s make a commitment to be a life-long learner and reader!

Nelson

P.S. I want to help you too! In my brand new resource “How to Read More Seminar,” I give you twelve simple steps to help learn how to develop and hone your reading skills so that you can grow as a leader more quickly and increase your capacity to read and comprehend more!

Click here to get your copy of this BRAND NEW Seminar at HALF OFF (save $100.00) PLUS, you will receive over $448.00 in bonus resources.

This opportunity ends August 9th!

© 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.