"I'm learning to ask, 'Who from our team should lead here?' I used to ask, 'What do I need to start doing?'"
Dean Fulks Lead Pastor
LifePoint Church Lewis Center, Ohio
A 2013 Outreach 100 Church
TURNING POINTS
I have two. As weird as this sounds, a huge turning point for me was going to seminary. I didn’t have any pastors in my family at that time, so one of my biggest prayers was, God, if you want me to do this, I need help! I met the lady who would become my wife at seminary orientation. Between her dad and grandfather, they had more than 70 years of ministry experience. I also met a man, Clyde Cranford, while I was in seminary. Clyde spent two hours a week with me for two years, which is really the foundation for how I look at spiritual formation.
The second is seeing the lostness of our cities. I am part of an initiative to plant more churches in Columbus, Ohio, called SEND North America. The fact that fewer than 10 percent of the people in my city attend an evangelical church on a given Sunday should make me pray and give me purpose.
MEASURING SUCCESS
Like most churches, we count the things we can see. At the same time, we say success is more about the health than growth. Health is harder to measure but just as important. There’s a vibe aspect to measuring health. What are the stories that are organically surfacing? Another health indicator for us surrounds group life. Are more people multiplying themselves as leaders? And are we discipling more people through group life during the week or are we just facilitating more attendees on Sundays? Both are important, but the weekend is much easier to measure.
GETTING DOWN TO WORK
Team, team, team. We have been blessed with an incredible staff. Because most of our staff has been around for awhile, they have relational equity to lead. Ephesians 4 teaches that God equips people for ministry. I’m a control freak by nature, so it’s been a growth process for me to get out of the way at times. When we recognize God’s activity, I’m learning to ask, “Who from our team should lead here?” I used to ask, “What do I need to start doing?”
LIFEPOINT CHURCH Lewis Center, Ohio
Website: LifePointColumbus.com
Twitter: @DeanFulks
Founded: 2004
Affiliation: Southern Baptist
Locations: 2
Attendance: 1,196
Growth in 2012: +319 (36%)
Fastest-Growing: 59
