As I mentioned the other day, Mark, Kem and I spent a few days at NewSpring Church in Anderson, South Carolina. In addition to surviving two of the three showers I took, we spent quite a bit of time with Perry Noble and his leadership team. It was an incredible experience. God is doing amazing things through this church. In fact, the NewSpring story really blows five big myths out of the water:

Myth #1: You have to be in a big community to have a big church. NewSpring had almost 7,800 people in attendance this weekend. The church is located in a town of 25,000 people. There are only 175,000 in the entire county. They’re reaching about 1 out of every 22 people that live in their county. That’s a staggering percentage.

Myth #2: You have to water down God’s Word to reach a lot of people. Perry doesn’t water down anything. He’s probably the most "in your face" communicator I’ve ever heard. In the message I heard on Sunday, Perry hit tough issues like sex before marriage, cohabitation and pornography. And, on the flip side, he taught about sanctification. In all of this, he was jumping all over Scriptures to back up every point of his message. Perry doesn’t back away from the Truth.

Myth #3: It has to be boring to be church. There’s never a dull moment at NewSpring. The team uses lots of humor to help people connect with the message and each other. In one moment the teaching stretches your understanding of God. In the next moment the humor grabs your attention and prepares your heart to hear more truth.

Myth #4: Big churches are all about a big personality. NewSpring reminded me that growth usually happens when a team of people commits to fulfilling a mission from God. NewSpring has a great team. Their staff is incredibly talented and committed to helping people take their next steps toward Christ. And, there are 1,400 people who aren’t paid by NewSpring that are volunteering their time and gifts to reach people for Jesus. God isn’t working through one person at NewSpring–he’s working through about 1,500 people.

Myth #5: Growth is incremental. Many times that may be the case in ministry. But, there are some instances, when the Holy Spirit moves through a congregation and revival happens in a community. When God moves and the church cooperates with God’s agenda, amazing things can happen. Eight months ago, NewSpring was "only" averaging 4,000 people. Today, they’re almost twice that size. Yes, it’s a God thing. But it’s much more than that. And, if you’re interested in leading a growing ministry, you would be wise to study what’s happening at NewSpring.

Thanks, Perry, for inviting us to join you. We had a great time. You and your team stretched our vision for the impact the local church can have on a community.

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