Dustin Willis: http://DustinWillis.com
Pastor: Midtown Fellowship in Columbia, SC

Personal Notes: Dustin is the epitome of "missional" and "intentional"; he is a die-hard Clemson fan that shares Christ with a bunch of Gamecocks. I have had the opportunity to meet him in person and I can honestly say that his passion for the Gospel is contagious.

What advice would you give to a guy that has been called into church planting, but sometimes feels that he has no idea what he is doing?

Dustin's Answer:

Moses had Aaron. Nehemiah had Ezra. Peter had John. Paul had Timothy, Silas, and Barnabas. The disciples had each other. The trinity had the rest of the trinity. Jesus sent his boys out in Teams. In the garden, God said, “It is not good for man to be alone…” God embodies team and pushes team throughout the bible. What would make us think we can plant a church as The Lone Ranger? (By the way the Lone Ranger is dead…I am not really sure if that makes my point, but it sounded good) Every amazing story that we find in scripture involves a team. There are many more great stories to be told if we embrace what team is.

Team is…

• The strengths you need and do NOT have.
• The combined gifts that God will use to reach your community.
• The accountability you desperately need.
• The people who cry and laugh with you.
• The people who defend you.
• How church planting was intended to be done.
• God’s idea.

Whatever it takes: Postpone the launch. Buy 1,000 cups of coffee. Meet with people over and over again leaking vision. Boldly ask people. GET A TEAM!

How to get a team:

• Ask God to send you a team.
• Live the gospel… people want to follow people who follow Jesus.
• Display the vision of what could be and should be. People desire to be apart of something that is bigger than themselves.

What to look for in team members:

• Character – Are they living out the gospel no matter what it costs?
• Capacity – Can they actually get some crap done?
• Chemistry – Do you get along? If you do not have this from the get go… it is NOT something you work out in due time. I have tried that one, and it does NOT work. Eventually, you end up saying painful goodbyes.
• Commitment – Are they going to run at the first sign of trouble? You and your team will want to quit at least 47 times in the first 18 months. Jesus took 11 committed men and changed the world. I am sure when they were being crucified upside down and filleted like fish they thought about quitting, but they were committed to the mission.

So go get a TEAM. It’s not my idea. God is the one that said it is not good to do this thing alone.