Last week I had the opportunity to spend two days with John Brunette and the staff of Faith Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Missouri. While many Lutheran Churches are experiencing decline, Faith is experiencing steady growth. And once there it is easy for me to see why. Here are just a couple of take aways from my time with John:
- Never stop learning. I was so impressed with the hunger of this staff, they were attentive, inquisitive, and asked challenging questions. This is obviously a reflection of their leader. John makes a habit of bringing in people from the outside to challenge, teach and stir their thinking. This is a great discipline and benefits all the leaders on his team. QUESTION: Who are you inviting in to challenge and stretch your thinking?
- Continual Growth requires Continual Risk. The Lutheran Church is steeped in wonderful tradition. They have a rich heritiage that they value and honor. John has not abandoned the valued traditions of his faith but has challenged ones that need to be challenged. John has taken multiple risks in his 20 years of leadership that has helped the church remain progressive in their outreach. It was this innovative spirit that drove the leadership of Faith Church to move to a multi-site strategy. They have taken some heat for it, but it has allowed them to reach more people for Christ and expand Faith’s reach into the community. QUESTION: What risk is God prompting you to take?
In the following video Lead Pastor John Brunette shares about Faith’s Multi-site journey. You can learn more about Faith Lutheran at their website www.faithstl.org
