Matt Alexander

The Life of a Church Planter

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I’m a family man who has a wonderful wife of 32 years and 5 children! I began the Church Planting Journey in 2011 and I’m having the time of my life through the difficulties and Big Wins of church planting.

  • Words of Wisdom

    As a pastor, I am constantly asking myself this question: Is my life and ministry making a difference in the lives of others?  I assume this is a question that most pastors ask themselves regularly.  I know I do…

    Each week as I minister, serve, invest and preach God’s Word, I get so busy in the work that I rarely slow down and evaluate the life change in people’s lives.  To be completely honest, very few people share with their pastor how God is working in their life because of their investment into them.  So, this morning as I was celebrating the inward and outward change that I can see in our church family, I began to think about those men in my life that have poured TRUTH into my life and ministry through the years.

    I would like to share briefly some wonderful “Words of Wisdom” from some of these men:

    1.  Bryan Alexander-  when I was wrestling with God about answering the call to ministry, I ask my brother a question…  I said, “Bryan, when God called you into ministry how did you know where to start?”  He said, “Matt, I just started digging where Daddy Dug.” (Genesis 26:18) You see, our Dad was a pastor and he dug some wonderful wells for us to go and reopen.  He set a great example for us and Bryan was challenging me to just follow in Daddy’s footsteps.

    2.  Wilburn Hill- he mentored be without even trying for over 24 years.  I grew up under his ministry and I watched every step he took and listened to every word he spoke.  I ended up serving on staff with him for a few years before he retired in 2010.  He always told and modeled for me this phrase… “Matt, love the people.  They will put up with a lot if they know you love them.”  Boy, those words have never been more true.

    3.  Johnny Hunt-  Even though he does not know me, he has ministered to me in a major way since 2000.  One of the main things I use to hear him say over and over and over to men at conferences and pastors in meetings and from his pulpit was this simple prayer… “Lord, keep me close and clean.”  This is my pray as I strive to lead a body of believers and my family.

    4.  Stan Jordan- I think I shared this in an earlier post but it’s worth repeating.  I was sitting in class at NOBTS one evening and Stan was our professor.  Stan was always early to class and on this particular evening, he was not on time.  I was experiencing a heavy weight in my life and was stretched out and time was flying so fast that I could not get everything done…  Stan walks into class and he sets his bags down and collects himself and begins by opening class in pray like he always did.  Stan began to pray and he confesses that he had a busy day and then he said these words… “Lord, thank you that in scripture, we never see Jesus in a hurry.”  Those words are a constant source of help to this busy pastor.

    5.  Danny Singleton- this man has poured into me like very few people.  Danny lives a transparent life and he has given me so many “words of wisdom” through the years.  Here are a few… “Guys, we are just 1/2″ away from STUPID at any moment.”  “Hey, you would not like me if you really knew me.”  “God has called us to BE DIFFERENT ON PURPOSE.”  These truths have marked me and I’m thankful.

    6.  Neal Hughes-  I’m not sure any man has marked me in such a short period of time like my friend, Neal Hughes.  Neal is the most caring, genuine, loving, compassionate, and intentional man I know.  Neal always has time for everyone and when he says that he loves you, he means it.  At the end of every service at CBC when he was our interim pastor, he gave us these words of comfort… “Have I told you today that I love you?”  It’s feels so good to be loved and I’m thankful for the love of Neal Hughes and the love of my Savior Jesus Christ!

    I pray that my ministry and life mark people like these men!  I pray that God will give me “Words of Wisdom” for people in my circle of influence!  It will take intentionality!

    I’m Committed,

    Matt

  • Being Key Keeper

    Over the past 2 years, our family has been privileged to serve along side some wonderful people each week in our ministry setting. Each Sunday, our family gets up and everyone has their assigned tasks and we get busy.

    Usually my wife and 3 younger children get ready for church and head to town to pick up our supplies for our “Hope Cafe”! You know, muffins, donuts, napkins, coffee cups, sugar, creamer, etc, etc… They also go by the “Golden Arches” and pick biscuits for our set up team. This is a big blessing to all the folks that come out early to set up.

    For 2 years now, I have gotten up early to spend time with my Lord and go over my message before the busyness of the day begins. It’s wild that on this Sunday morning as I sit here contemplating my usual Sunday morning, I am missing my routine. You see today will be different. Usually by now on Sunday mornings I have already had a time of “Unhindered Worship” in my garage apartment, just me and Jesus.

    After that time in my garage, the busyness begins! My 2 oldest sons and I hit the road! We head by our mother church to pick up our weekly worship guides and then we make a bee line to the High School to set up for our worship services. As the Planter/Pastor, I have been the “Key Keeper”. That means, since I have the keys, I go to set up every week. The only people in our church that attends set up every week is the Worship Pastor and our family. We are paid staff so we have to attend, right? Well, that’s what I’ve always thought. I have bought into the lie that if I do not go, who will take care of the details? You know, making sure the trash is picked up inside and out. Setting the projectors where they are straight on our screens and adjusting the lights where they are set just perfect…

    As I sit here and think about how silly that sounds, I realize that each Sunday my worship has been hindered because I’ve been too concerned about the things that someone else can be concerned about. In fact, each week during the service, I’m micro managing my son who serves as our audio /visual guy during the service from the front row with my cell phone. Like I said, my worship has been hindered.

    A few weeks ago, my wife and I were in Houston Texas attending the SBC and NAMB provided a worship time for church planters and NAMB staff. We didn’t have to unlock the doors, set the lights, pick up trash, adjust projectors or screens. We simply showed up and worshipped! We realized that day that we were in need of “Unhindered Corporate” worship. We are thankful today to have the opportunity that our church has afforded us to ride to church together and just worship.

    Today, we are headed out to a church in Athens to hear from Heaven as we worship our Lord. I miss being at Hope Church already but I’m confident God will use this time to refresh our family and minister to our people. I do feel a little weird not being the “Key Keeper” but I believe that if I can give up the keys, God will give me everything I need to have “Unhindered Worship”!

    I’m Committed!

    Matt

  • Waiting On My Soul To Catch Up…

    Believe it or not, Pastors/Planters are busy people. My Dad was a pastor and I remember him always having somewhere to be or meeting w/ someone or studying, or at the hospital, or giving someone counsel, or… You get the idea right? He was a busy man! But he passed away when I was 12 years old so I kinda forgot how busy he really was over the years. For the past 2 years, I have been stretched out. I’m not complaining, I’ve had a wonderful time obeying God and experiencing His mighty power! We have witnessed extraordinary things on this Church Planting Journey but it has been very taxing. Somewhere along the this journey and I’m not sure where I began to get off track.

    Yesterday, as I was reading and seeking the Lord through His Word and other sources I ran across a short story that caused me to examine my busyness…

    “Psalm 46:10 advises, “Be still and know that I am God.” We cannot know God on the run. Solitude lets our souls catch up. In the jungles of Africa, a tourist who was taking a safari hired natives from a tribe to carry all of the necessary supplies. On the first day, they walked rapidly and went far. The tourist was excited because he wanted to get there quickly. On the second morning, the tourist woke early, ready to go, but the natives refused to move. They just sat and rested. When the tourist questioned them, he was told that they had gone too fast the first day. Now they were waiting for their souls to catch up.”

    I have come to realize that stress, hurry, and intense activity can cause me to lose my perspective, to disconnect from my true purpose in life. The busier I am, the more I need regular solitude. I love the Greek motto that says: “You will break the bow if you keep it always bent.” I broke! One of the main reasons that I find myself broken & weak is that solitude has really never been a part of my life. To be honest– I’ve been too busy “doing” stuff and too busy being “spiritual”. Let me take this just a step further, even though one of my main motivations in life is the please my Lord, I’ve been too busy trying to earn people’s approval. I have been too busy trying to be good enough! What does good enough even look like?

    Even though I am on a month long sabbatical, I fielded emails, text messages and phone calls yesterday. I ran from trying to be still to trying to please man all day. It was July 4th and I was Running, Running, Running as fast I a could. Last night I was broken.

    Here is my real issue- As I try to unplug and get away each day of my life and during this sabbatical, I wrestle with it because it seems to me that I am giving up my identity. It feels like I’m giving up my whole identity because so much of who I am has been built upon what I did. I feel like people in our church will not understand and they will become frustrated if I don’t respond and try to meet their needs immediately. I really do want to be there for them but in my current condition, I am depleted myself.

    So as I struggle with this guilt of not “doing” during this sabbatical and the rest of my life, I must remember the counsel that I have given to people for several years–“God is more concerned with who I am than what I do!” If I can be who God created me to be, energized by His Power, led by His Spirit, everything will be A-O-K! In fact, I was given some great counsel when I was ordained into the Gospel ministry. My friend Terry Richardson said, “Matt, you don’t have time to do everything, everyone wants you to do, but you do have plenty of time to do what God wants you to do!”

    My mentor and friend Stan Jordan led our Seminary Class in prayer one night after a busy day, he said, “Lord, help us learn from your example in scripture that we never see you in a hurry!”

    Waiting on my soul to catch up,

    Matt

  • What Do I Need?

    As I contemplate my situation and the true need in my life, I have to ask myself this question- “What Do I Need?”

    Please allow my cluttered mind to unload as I consider this question.

    I need to be rescued and delivered from my enemy where I can find REST! Yesterday it seemed that everywhere I turned I saw this word rest. In fact, in my prayers, I have been asking God for a verse that would allow me to dial in to my need and claim during this season of my life. Well, yesterday morning- out of the blue, a true friend of mine sent me an email with a verse in it that really ministered to my heart. I know, I need to unplug?….. Well, I had not unplugged yet.

    Here is the verse- Isaiah 30:15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength…”

    In reading this verse, my heart sank. First of all, I began to understand that “The Sovereign Lord” was involved in this situation. In fact, He has allowed it to take place and He has ordained this struggle in my life and obviously He has a plan for it. This was a major break through!

    Secondly, he settled my heart in knowing that the only way I would be rescued and find rest would be to return to Him and find my rest in Him! “Matt, you’re a Pastor! Matt, you’re a Preacher! Matt, you’re supposed to know that and lead by example!” I know…. But for the past year, I have become so busy “Doing” ministry that I have neglected to draw near to God.

    James 4:8 NKJV
    8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

    Finally, it was as if God shook me again to say “in quietness and confidence is your strength…” “Quietness?” This past Sunday as I shared my heart with our church family, I was preaching from Genesis 12:1-9 where God told Abram to leave it all behind and go to Canaan. I shared that when Abram arrived, it was not what he expected. The land was already occupied. I saw in this text that Abram didn’t whine, complain, moan, pitch a fit, get angry, crack under the pressure, get depressed, shake his fist at God, go back home or turn his back on God. In fact, vs. 7 says, Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.” In the midst of Abrams difficult situation God gave him a promise and Abram got quiet, built an altar and worshipped The Lord!

    So, I RESOLVE:

    *To except that my Lord has led me to this place.

    *To return to The Lord.

    *To be quiet.

    *To find my rest in The Lord.

    *Draw Near to Him.

    *To Be Still and Worship Him! Here is a song my friend Donnie reminded me of last week!
    http://youtu.be/KNfAHz6ORTg

    I’m Committed,

    Matt

  • The Sabbatical Journey Begins

    Our family began down a path in September of 2010 that has been an incredible journey! Planting Hope Church of Madison has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life but it has also been extremely taxing. We have attended countless hours of training, attended conferences, read books, sought The Lord for wisdom and had attended hundreds of meetings. Our family has been running this race – wide open, for almost 3 years now and we have found ourselves depleted in almost every area of our lives.

    This depletion has occurred for several reasons:

    1. I love ministry and God has given me the desire to be an impact player in His Kingdom work. I have had a hard time saying “No”.

    2. Lack of experience- Hope Church is my first Pastorate and I have neglected to heed the advice of my peers to protect my family and personal time and there have been very little division of “Ministry” and “Family/Home” life.

    3. My communication lines are always open and on and I have neglected to unplug. Even on vacation, I have answered the phone, returned email and given counsel to members in our congregation.

    4. Operating a church, planning our church calendar, and doing the busy-work of events has taken priority over my “unhurried time” w/ the Lord. I am exhausted, frazzled, frustrated, and overwhelmed.

    5. I have done a pour job of investing in leaders and delegating responsibilities and task. This has caused me to be pulled away from my primary responsibility as your pastor- “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelist, & some pastors & teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the saints.” Eph. 4:11-12

    About 3 weeks ago, I began to see exhaustion and frustration in my children from the load of our ministry and this caused me to begin to evaluate where I was too. Last week I “hit the wall” and realized that I needed to unplug and refresh for the road ahead. Never in my life have i experience such agony and fatigue. Each evening when I would return home, I would lay on my bed and stare at the ceiling and weep from the load that I refused to relinquish. I wept before God and knew I had to share my load w/ our leadership team.

    Last Thursday I had a “Divine Appointment” w/ one of our men who serves on our leadership team at Hope Church. Before I knew it, I unloaded EVERYTHING on him…. He took it in stride and was determined to help our family. He called a meeting w/ the entire team and they developed a plan.

    Sunday morning, after our service, our leadership team requested that our family take a “Sabbatical” for the month of July. –Wanting to really utilize this time, I searched our convention’s definition of a “Sabbatical” and here is what it is and I quote—

    “A sabbatical is a specific period of time-off granted to the minister for in-depth focus on professional and spiritual renewal and calling. It is a gift the congregation can give to her pastor/staff in recognition of faithful ministry over an extended period of time. It is not a vacation or personal leave. Rather it is a time for creative and intentional meditation, reflection, study and “going deeper with God.” An important result of sabbatical (Spiritual renewal) leave is that the pastor/staff returns to the church field with renewed focus and energy to fulfill God’s calling.”

    So, as of today my family and I will be spending this month seeking our Lord for Spiritual Renewal. Our leadership team has requested that I totally unplug during this season of my life. They have ask that my phone, email and communication be turned off. This is a HUGE Challenge!

    I have already began the process of unplugging and retooling. I have several books that I will be reading this month that focus on Spiritual Renewal and growth. One of them is entitled “The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth” by John Maxwell. The first 2 chapters has revealed a flaw in my life and I will strive to fix that flaw! I have set some goals for this time and look forward to hearing from Heaven and coming back energized and full of vision!

    I look forward to seeing how God grows us during this time and I plan to log my progress in this blog in order for everyone to read how God is renewing my spirit. I intend on being transparent and truthful so this can be a source of help for me in the future and for anyone who might experience a similar situation.

    I’m Committed!

  • Alexander Family

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    The Lord blessed me with a wonderful family!