Will you pull with me?

I heard Vince Antonucci share a stat the other day that's kind of depressing. He said that 8 out of 10 new churches shut down before their third birthday. I'm not sure where he got the stat, but from folks I know I believe it. It's kind of depressing.

He likens starting a church to trying to pull a stationary truck up a hill. It's tough to get it rolling and then when you get it rolling, if you stop pulling, even for a second, it'll roll back down the hill. I like his description. Starting a church is hard.

He goes on to say that one of the ways to keep that statistic from becoming a reality is to get more people pulling the bus. I'd say it this way: There's got to be people, other than the pastor, who are carrying the load of the new church. If it's all on the pastor's shoulders then it's almost a lost cause.

Carrying the load can mean a number of things. It involves taking ownership. It's means sacrifice. It means taking responsibility. It cannot happen without deepening relationships.

I'm so thankful for the Hub City family that is helping me carry the load. You know who you are. Thank you! I'm honored to be working along side you. You encourage me more than you know.

But I also know we have a way to go. We have such potential. With that being said let's get to work pulling the truck.