Rusty George didn’t plant Real Life Church, but he saw it grow from a small gathering in a movie theater to a multisite church of over 5000 attenders. Rusty talks openly and honestly about the highs and lows of growth, staffing, change and raising money to fund a vision to reach unchurched people.
Welcome to Episode 95 of the Podcast.
Guest Links: Rusty George
Links Mentioned
Leadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth by Samuel Chand
Choosing to Cheat: Who Wins When Family and Work Collide by Andy Stanley
3 Things You Can Do Right Away
Rusty started in a California movie theater that held back-to-back services with strict time limitations. Because of the price of land and the high turnover rate of churches in the area, Rusty faces several challenges when establishing Real Life Church. Here’s how he handled it:
- Establish and maintain partnerships. The city says no to churches because land expensive, and they often saw churches come and go fast. A church couldn’t just come in and take over the local Kmart that recently closed. They build rapport with the city staff and became known as the church to give back, not the church whose mission was focused on taking. By having those relationships with the city, they positioned themselves so that they were an establishment the city would want to keep around because they were known for serving.
- Allow people to decrease their commitments. Rusty said that his demographic is generally skittish about churches and fundraising. (Who isn’t?) They asked for a three-year commitment and allowed them to increase or decrease commitment based on their financial circumstances from year-to-year. Because of this flexibility, the church attracted new donors.
- Build a team you can trust. Rusty embraced the 3 Cs developed by Bill Hybels and primarily focused on good team chemistry. “It was a huge piece. We’ve hired competent people, and six months later, it doesn’t work out because chemistry isn’t right.”
Quotes from this Episode
CNLP 095: The Challenges of Scaling a Church – An Interview with Rusty George Click To Tweet
CNLP 095: The Challenges of Scaling a Church – An Interview with Rusty George Click To Tweet
CNLP 095: The Challenges of Scaling a Church – An Interview with Rusty George Click To Tweet
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Next Episode: Larry Osborne
Few people have been in leadership as long or effectively as Sticky Church author and North Coast Senior Pastor Larry Obsorne. In a wide-ranging conversation, Larry talks about why it took so long for North Coast to grow to a large church, how to close the back door at your church and how to truly align a team.
