DON'T DO IT!

I had a great time at the Church Planters' Conference I attended in Georgia last month, but I must admit - and can do it freely several weeks down the road - that I really felt antequated hanging out with all those potential world shapers, most of whom were not even born when I started pastoring.

Today I got an email from a 54 year old pastor saying that after 32 years in ministry he was giving some serious thought to planting a new church and he wanted to run a few things by me as he had learned that I had started our church a little later in life than most get into this.

I wrote back to him Don't do it! Are you insane?

Then I quickly explained that I was just kidding - or was I?

Here's the deal -

If you can live with yourself doing something else, you should do that.

If you're looking for something easy, go drive a truck.

If you think a new church will be less problematical than an established one, get your brain checked.

If you want to plant because you know a lot of guys are having a blast doing it, check the facts. More plants die in the first twelve months than succeed.

If you need a guaranteed income, pension plan and benefits, get a job at the bank.

But even if you're over 50, if you can't get it out of your head, if your heart keeps coming back to reaching people who need Jesus, if you're willing to jump off the edge of a cliff with no parachute, then hang on - you're in for the ride of your life and it could be the best choice you ever made!