“I have learned that a spiritual leader is truly a spiritual leader when she or he is vulnerable, understands their weakness, and lives authentically in relationship with Jesus and others,” says Rev. Jacob Armstrong, lead pastor at Providence Church in Nashville, Tennessee.

Armstrong is one of the five keynote presenters who will lead teaching sessions at REACH!, a first-of-its-kind Dakotas-Minnesota Area gathering taking place in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, October 5-6. The event is exclusively devoted to helping congregations find new passion to reach new people. Learn more about REACH! and register here.

Pastor Jacob has been on a journey at Providence Church for ten years, a church he planted. Here are some key things he shares about starting a new place to reach new people.  Hear more about these and other ideas on Saturday, October 6 at REACH!.

1. Stay connected to Jesus! Nothing is more important in the beginning or ten years in. There is a unique pressure to starting something new that I have found is alleviated only when I remember that God’s church is dependent on the Spirit. So, stay in step with the Spirit and stay connected to Jesus!

2. You have to continually listen to and learn from your community. Planters make a mistake when they think they know what to do without doing the hard, necessary work of exegeting their community. 

3. It takes time. We want to see Rome built in a day, but most days, if you are lucky, you laid one brick on the foundation of what you are building. So, remember to breathe deep, be present in the moment, and take the next right step. 

4. Build the vision and tie it to the mission. “I like to say that the vision must fit the mission field,” Armstrong says. “The vision, the dream that is burning in your heart right now, will never change.  But, the vision must fit where you have been planted.  That’s why you have to do the time consuming and relational work of connecting with people.”  You learn their stories and a burden for the mission field grows. It is in that work that the vision begins to connect with the mission. You figure out what to do based on the dream God has given you and the unique people in your context. 

5. Being a spiritual leader is hard! It pushes you deeper in need of God and that’s a good thing. Paul said he would “most gladly boast in his infirmities” so that the power of Christ might rest upon him. God’s strength is actually made perfect in our weakness. I have found I am at my best as a spiritual leader not when I am forging ahead and acting on my own power, but when I understand the depth of my weakness and how the power of Christ is magnified in that.