Where Does It Come From?
A question I frequently get asked is “Where do we get our ideas for message series?” The answer is from a lot of sources: other churches, other speakers, books, our own insights from Scripture, what we hear people talking about, etc.Â
Let me share specifics regarding our worship and message planning and how we draw from other speakers, churches, organizations, and the Holy Spirit to develop our worship services and messages.
Other Speakers
Vince Dooley said it the other day: “I am part of all I have met.” For me it could say, “I am part of all I have listened to.” To be honest I have taken notes during every sermon I have every heard since around high school … and I still have those notes!! Since I did not go to seminary, I basically had to learn to communicate and preach by reading books, listening to other speakers, and just by doing it (and I am still learning). Here are a few of the speakers who have shaped me and influenced me:
- Rick Warren, Saddleback Church
- Andy Stanley, North Point Church
- Charles Stanley, First Baptist Church Atlanta
- Perry Noble, NewSpring Church
- My wife, Beth (She has taken preaching classes. She gives good feedback, encouragement, and asks great ?’s)
Partnerships
This is one of the newest and neatest things going on in the church world today, especially among new churches. We partcipate in or are members of several organizations/ministries that provide resources for worship services.  We use other churches’ materials and other churches use our material as we partner together for the cause of Christ. This is done free of charge (in most cases) and with permission. In a few cases, we might pay for the right to use a graphic, song arrangement, sermon content, drama, video, etc. As part of partnering with these churches and ministries, permission is given to use the material for the cause of Christ.
There is an incredible movement of cooperation and collaboration going on in the church world as we share ideas, wisdom, and insights in an effort to reach more people for Christ. This occurs through blogs, conferences, roundtables, email, and online services. {Click here for a list of churches/ministries doing this sort of thing formally through their web sites.} Churches are even sharing organizational charts, policy manuals, budgets, small group structures, etc. Just since January 2007 our staff has made trips to Mountainlake Church in Cumming, GA; NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC; Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC; and WestRidge Church in Paulding County.
I am so thankful for churches like these and their leaders!!Â
Let me give some specific examples of where ideas come from in a few of our recent series and give credit to several churches and organizations that have and will continue to help us.
SERIES: OFF ROAD {Feb. 2007}… the series logo was designed by Ken Wilson of NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC. The message concepts came primarily from a book by Bill Hybels called Just Walk Across the Room.Â
SERIES: MY SECRETS {May 2007}… the logo & title came from www.lifechurch.tv which makes all of their resources available online for FREE. The message concepts were derived mainly from Andy Stanley’s book, It Came From Within, made available via North Point Resources.
SERIES:Â GOD & YOUR BOD {July 2007} … Series title came from North Point.
Other Churches & Ministries We Use:
- NewSpring Ministries (free and unrestricted access to sermons, order of services, video & graphics). You can view their stated goal here.
- Seacoast Resources (free access)
- North Point Resources (some material is free; whole section for church leaders)
- Creative Pastors (pay for the right to use and access to materials)
- Willow Creek Association resources (pay for the right to use)
- www.pastors.com (Rick Warren’s resource area for pastors and church leaders)
- www.lifechurch.tv (the pioneer of free and unrestricted use of materials)
The Holy Spirit
Everything good that has every occurred in a Rock Bridge service has been from God. We rely on the Holy Spirit to prepare us, and then prepare the service or message. I get ideas from my Quiet Time, from just thinking, from meditation, and from impressions God gives me or our team.  Our team prays, prepares, and works through each service and each message. I take all the ideas, content, illustrations, points, etc. wherever they came from and organize them in a way that fits who I am as a communicator, in a way that I believe will connect the best with our people, and in the way I sense God leading me.Â
The bottom line is we have a process for each series and each worship service. The process includes prayer, internal teamwork, external cooperative and collaboration, and most importantly, the Holy Spirit’s direction.