Brian Hughes Begins Study Break

• June 9, 2008
  
  I begin today an annual tradition for me. It is something I’ve done every year since PCC began. I take some time, step back and look at our church from a distance. Every summer, I take three weeks and visit other churches, meet with other church leaders and pastors, and do a lot of reading. The churches I try to explore are usually churches which are larger than PCC, because understanding their journey helps me lead us on our own. When I visit with the leaders and pastors, I ask them to take me through their experiences when they were where we now are. What I’ll be asking them this week are questions like:
  
• When your church went from 1000 to 1500 to 2000 in attendance, what were some of the surprises you faced?
• What were some of the decisions you made along the way that proved to be beneficial?
• Talk about one or two of your mistakes.
• When you moved into your first facility, what happened to attendance? What were you not ready for?
• How is your church structured in terms of staff and leadership?
• What advice do you have for a church like PCC based on our current situation?
• What advice do you have for me, as a Senior Pastor?
  
  This year, I’ll spend the first 8 days of my Study Break in Arizona and California. There, I’ll visit Christ’s Church of the Valley, Community Church of Joy, Central Christian Church of the East Valley and Saddleback Community Church in California. I will have the rare privilege of a private lunch with Tim Wright, who is a gifted author, pastor, and church planter.
  
  For the remaining two weeks of my study, I’ll visit with some local church leaders and travel to churches within a few hours drive of Powhatan.
  
  I also have an aggressive reading list for the next 3 weeks. Books on my list include:
  
  The Passionate Church by Walt Kalestad
  Ministry Marathon by Tim Wright
  Gospel According to Starbucks by Leonard Sweet
  Reconciliation by Michael Moore
  The Five Temptations of a CEO: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
  Silos, Politics and Turf Wars: A Leadership Fable About Destroying the Barriers That Turn Colleagues Into Competitors by Patrick Lencioni
  The Three Signs of a Miserable Job: A Fable for Managers (And Their
  Employees) by Patrick Lencioni
  Simply Strategic Volunteers: Empowering People For Ministry by Tony Morgan
  First Impressions: Creating Wow Experiences In Your Church
  unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity... and Why It Matters
  I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt: Replacing Souvenir Religion with Authentic Spiritual Passion
  Beyond the First Visit: The Complete Guide to Connecting Guests to Your Church
  Pop Goes the Church: Should the Church Engage Pop Culture? By Tim Stevens
  What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful
  The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything by Steven Covey
  
  Some folks may not understand why the Senior Pastor should take a study break. Rather than try to convince you of the need, I will simply say that there are significant benefits directly to the church. Taking a step back gives me a chance to see things I would not otherwise see, and I always return with a renewed sense of direction and understanding about what God is doing. I also gain a renewed appreciation for what God can do if we are obedient.
  
  So, I’m asking you to please pray for me while I’m away. We have a competent staff of highly capable people and they are more than able to handling things in my absence. And the speakers we have lined up for the next few Sundays are very good.
  
  I look forward to updating you regularly. Thanks for praying for me and for PCC.
  
  Brian