We have been so blessed over the past few years at FPC. In 2005, the church was less than 1,600 people each weekend in worship. In 2009, the church is averaging 3,100 in weekend worship. We’ve doubled our staff and made strategic changes to give us even greater opportunities to impact more people for Christ and help each person that enters our campus grow in their relationship with Him.
Today, we begin another one of those strategic changes. Our structure has expanded and we needed someone to oversee all of our staff from birth through high school. So, this morning, Chuck Carringer begins as our Pastor of Family Ministries. Chuck was in the Oak Ridge School District for 19 years, serving as the Principal of Oak Ridge High School for the last four years. He is a phenomenal leader, a guy of incredible integrity and an awesome friend. His leadership will increase our ministries potential exponentially. Chuck’s primary roles will be to manage our entire Family Ministry team and implement a comprehensive plan to impact the entire family for Christ – parents and children.
As your ministry develops, your structure has to change. If your not evaluating where you are and where you are going, your ministry is about to come to a screeching halt! We have been blessed with a structure that allows us to make strategic changes quickly. If your structure does not allow for that, you need to spend more time planning for the upcoming changes so that you will have the necessary time to make them.
Where does your structure need to change – today?
“Evaluating where you’re going” is huge. Planning/leading like you’re twice your size is one of Tony Morgan’s top ten growth strategies and something we are trying to do at The Ridge in our early stages. This is especially important for a church plant that has the potential to literally double in size at any moment. Constantly evaluating the path ahead also keeps our orginal vision/focus aligned as we make changes periodically.
That’s a great thought. For a young church (and every church), I also think it’s critical to plan strategically what you will begin. Once you do it, people expect it and it becomes part of the DNA. Praying for you guys!