Hills to Die On

Do you know what hills are worth dying on?

Not every hill is worth dying on. That statement is a chapter heading in Dr. Ronnie Floyd’s new book entitled, “10 Things Every Minister Needs to Know.” Ronnie Floyd has been the pastor of one of America’s leading churches for twenty years, The First Baptist Church of Springdale and its newest location The Church at Pinnacle Hills, Arkansas. The author of eighteen books this book is a must read for all pastors and Christian ministers. It’s short in length but packed full of practical advice and help from a man who has accomplished much in his years of ministry. You need this book on your shelf. In fact The Charis Group is offering this book free to the first twenty five email responses to the email address listed at the end of the article.

You will find that each of the ten chapters is filled with great advice. Much of what he discusses has direct implications to stewardship. In fact Dr. Floyd is winding down a $25 million dollar capital stewardship campaign. In particular the chapter entitled, “Not Every Hill Is Worth Dying On,” is of value as you think about the possibility of raising funds. Dr. Floyd talks about knowing the importance of what hills are worth dying for. He then has a section entitled, “When you go to the hill.” This section has some great advice that has direct parallels to stewardship.

Hills Worth Dying On.

Dr. Floyd identifies three hills worth dying upon. The first is truth. “I must be willing to die on the hill of God’s truth found in Scripture,” he says. Secondly, he gives morality as a hill to die upon. “We must be the moral conscience of our regions, nation and world,” he states. The final hill that he lists is the Great Commission. “For a church to advance toward the future in health and growth, the church needs to be emblazoned by the Great Commission,” he says.

We at The Charis Group would add that a hill worth dying upon is your God inspired project that will help fulfill the vision that He has given to you with regards to your ministry. Too often we have seen Christian leaders be talked out of what they knew to be God’s plan by a committee, a layperson or simply the magnitude of the task at hand. If God is in it then it is a hill worth dying upon. Knowing how to take that hill is crucial. You can be right but go about defending your hill the wrong way. Dr. Floyd gives great counsel when he talks about, “How To Go To The Hill,”

When you go to the hill.

Dr. Floyd says, “Good leadership determines not only to die on the right hills, but chooses the timing of when to ascend the hills for battle.” He then lists three strategic experiences a leader should go through before they ascend the hill.

Leadership has been clear. “There are many voices in today’s world competing with your voice as a minister and leader. What appears clear to you may not be clear to your people,” Floyd says. “We cannot assume anything. We must be clear,” states Floyd. We continually tell Christian leaders that the vision must be clear, concise and most of all compelling. Too often in our communication we leave too many questions unanswered. Especially when it involves wanting me to make a financial contribution over and above my regular gifts you can be assured that I will have questions. Questions left unanswered in the minds of donors will cause them to commit and give less than what they are capable of. It might take you more time to communicate the vision clearly but in the long run it will pay off for you.
Processes have been thorough. Dr. Floyd asks, “Have you gone through the various networks of decision-making bodies on the issue at hand? Have you done your homework? Have you connected with the right players about the matter at hand to answer their questions or address their concerns?” Too often as we work with churches we see this principle violated time and again. Even if you have a church where you make all the decisions you can be assured that there is someone that has huge influence on others. Not taking the time to know the issues and how to connect that person to the vision will affect your campaign. If your church has layers of committees, though you might see it as a hassle, unless you properly go through the process you will not have the support you need when it really counts. Too many pastors have died in vain on their hill because when they said, “Charge!” no one else was with them! Don’t let that happen to you.
God’s timing. “Before you ascend the hill, you need to check the timing. The decision to ascend the hill cannot be made because of pressure from a special interest group in the church or because you would just like to get the matter behind you. It has to God’s timing,” Floyd says. Once you determine that the timing is right you need to rally the troops and charge the hill. When you wait for God’s timing you can be assured that you are not alone as you fight for the hill. We often ask Christian leaders that we work with if this vision is burning in their hearts. We ask them if they know that God has given the green light on proceeding. The last thing any of us want to do is to die in vain on some uninspired hill. Wait for God’s timing!

Ronnie Floyd ends this section of his chapter by saying, “Wisdom is exercised when you have been clear and know it, the processes have been thorough, and you have waited upon God’s timing to ascend the hill. A wise man will always do things in God’s timing in God’s way by God’s Word. If you have worked through these issues and you stand in confidence, you have no other choice other than to ascend to the hill.”

Again, we commend this book to you. It should be a must read for all Christian ministers. We at The Charis Group are proud to be partnering with Dr. Floyd’s church in helping them successfully close out their “Special Treasures” campaign that saw $25 million in commitments. Having known Dr. Floyd as a personal friend and colleague for twenty years now we can say that he indeed practices what he preaches!

Mark Brooks

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