Q+A - Episode 3

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What Happened at First

Heath Lambert

30 episodes

3 weeks ago

This is a story of the way that ministry is changing in a new and harsher world painfully different than the one known by our parents and grandparents. It's a story for pastors who face the daunting task of leading their church through necessary but excruciating seasons of transition so that they can move from surviving to thriving. This story is for people who are part of those churches and experiencing the profound loss, painful heartbreak, and intense frustration that always comes with change. This is the story of the revitalization of First Baptist Church—the rise, ruin, and restoration of one of America's great churches.

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Christianity

Religion & Spirituality

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Q+A - Episode 3

What Happened at First

34 minutes

2 years ago

Q+A - Episode 3

Here are the questions asked in this episode:

- One reality that overwhelmed me during this episode was the amount of things that needed to change at First Baptist. You list them in the episode. Financial. Facilities. Personnel. Programming. You paint the picture that everything felt like it was on fire. How did you choose what to focus on first?

- You talk in several episodes about the difference between principles that don’t change and practicals that do. One of the painful realities of change is that there is often disagreement about what is a principle and what is a practical. How do you navigate this? Is there a gray area between principles and practicals?

- One of the changes that is very personal to me at our church is the change that was made to multi-site ministry. At one time we had four campuses, now we only have two. Even the "way" we do multi-site ministry has changed. Could you tell us the story of that change?

- As you have chronicled all the changes that happened at First Baptist – which one do you think was the most difficult for our people to absorb? Which one was most difficult for you to absorb?

- You admit at the end of the leadership podcast this week that most pastors will advise moving to make slow changes in the church's life. You say that you “jerked the wheel” Why did you jerk the wheel? And how do you decide when that is necessary for leadership? Here is the video that is referencedhttp://whathappenedatfirstbaptist.com

- How do you determine what is “ineffective ministry” in a staff member? Don’t we have biblical examples of being faithful resulting in a shrinking ministry or fewer people listening to you or being part of the ministry?

- Before we end this episode – I want to hear from you on a question that I think people will be asking as they listen to the next few episodes as you chronicle many painful details about your time at First Baptist.

Why do we have to do this? This is very hard to listen to – the drama, the difficulty, the stories of lies and pain. Why can’t we focus on the future? Why not just focus on faithful ministry in our city? Why retell all this?

- If you have any questions or would like more information about what was discussed on this episode, please submit your questions to WhatHappened@fbcjax.com. We would love to hear from you!