Mark Driscoll, Preaching Pastor at Mars Hill Church, recently wrote an article on turning an idea into reality. I've summaried his mental process in some areas and quoted him in others. Thanks, Mark!

1. Begin with Vision

What do we want to accomplish? What is our dream?

2. Develop a Plan

What are the practical steps to seeing the vision a reality? What is my role in the process? What do I need to delegate? What other key leaders will be required to see the plan implemented?

3. Implement the Plan

"The idea has been justified, planned, and approved; it now needs to be launched as a reality. The plan needs to be executed and at this phase, the hard work begins in an effort to build momentum and make the idea a reality." - Mark Driscoll

4. Manage the Plan

"At this phase, the idea has become a new reality but shortly thereafter the ministry will likely lose momentum as the work becomes routine, the systems that were planned need to be upgraded for efficiency, and faithful people need to ensure the ministry continues forward and that the devoted people serving do not grow weary or lose heart" - Mark Driscoll

5. Review

"At the six-month and one-year marks of each ministry (as well as other designated times), the leader of that ministry must ensure that accurate and meaningful reviews are conducted to answer the following questions and determine if the ministry should continue, be changed, or cease." - Mark Driscoll

1. Have you met your objectives?
2. Why or why not?
3. Should this ministry continue?
4. How can you improve?
5. What changes must be made?

In his book, On the Old Testament, Mark Driscoll provides a helpful corrective to preacher-types like myself who may be tempted to dare folks to be a Daniel. He says,

"Unless Jesus is the central message of the Old Testament, many errors abound. The most common is moralizing. Moralizing is reading the Old Testament not to learn about Jesus, but only to learn principles for how to live my life as a good person by following the good examples of some people and avoiding the bad examples of others." 

After all, on the road to Damascus, Jesus himself showed two travelers that the entire Old Testament was about him, whether through prophetic promises, Christophanies, types and shadows or titles. This is because the Old Testament teaches us that we need a Savior, not just better behavior.

In his book On Church Leadership, Mark Driscoll provides statistics on church sizes in the US. Check out some of these numbers:

• 25% of US churches have fewer than 45 attendees weekly
• 50% of US churches have fewer than 75 attendees weekly
• 75% of US churches have fewer than 150 attendees weekly
• 95% of US churches have fewer than 350 attendees weekly
• Less than 2% of US churches have more than 800 attendees each week, and the percentages go way, way down after that.

This means that in light of high profile mega, or uber-mega, churches (which in many cases have an incredibly authentic and helpful ministry, Perimeter Church for example), those of us who lead the vast majority of US churches no longer need to think of ourselves as part of a small church, but a rather normal sized church. And when we consider the fact that THE church is not merely local, but universal, well, you see what I mean. By the way, I find it interesting that we have no idea concerning the actual numeric size of any church in the New Testament. Yes, we read of staggering numbers being converted in unique contexts such as Pentecost, and that the church grew steadily. But actual church sizes or numbers? Nada.

Os Guinness warns us of the tendency to count people too closely. In his book, Dining with the Devil, he says, "Counting is... the chief pleasure of the miser and money is the most pleasureable counting of all. Thus people and things are annihilated in the process of counting. They lose their true purpose and joy and become mere status symbols" (p. 50).  He is saying that just as a miser counts his money and finds life in his possessions, so too a pastor can find his life in Sunday attendance. I'm guilty as charged and will be perpetually tempted to draw my life from numbers—especially in a church plant, where tragically, numbers often define success. I suppose it is not wrong to have a head count as long as there is also a heart count.  Nevertheless, I ask that you would pray that I would be given grace to see people as humans to love and serve, not as numbers to count and use. Thanks.