the 14-year test...

It's amazing to me how similar the two parts of my professional life have been.

Making movies (or TV shows) and Planting Churches.

I spent a couple hours today talking about the Church Planting side.  My 'coffee date' (I had Perrier) is in-charge of Church Planting for a National Denomination.  He's been tasked with creating a Church Planting movement for his Denom.

He wanted to pick my brain.

It's like he's an executive at a Studio tasked with putting together a slate of pictures for the next six years.  Six pictures in six years.

Nearly impossible.

Even one movie every two years (and six to twelve per year for a full-fledged studio) is breakneck pace for your average filmmaker.  It's not uncommon for it to take two to five years to get a movie set up, then two years from the start of preproduction to release, then another seven years of working it through its likely earning cycle.

5+2+7=14

14 years.

It occurred to me after the meeting that I should blog this in case he sees it.

If it takes between 10-14 years to give life to a movie, is it wrong of us to think of planting a Church over a similar timeframe?

If you're a Church Planter or someone meeting with (or screening) Church Planters you should think on that number.  Are you (they) willing to commit 10-14 years of YOUR LIFE to bringing that Church to life?

How about your movie? 

Your business-idea?

Framed that way, any kind of entrepreneurial endeavor takes on some seriously added gravitas no?  Is the idea that's been keeping you up nights big enough to keep you getting up and out of bed every day for more than a decade?

Can your passion withstand the 14-year test?

You better be sure before you start 'cause that's probably what it's going to take.  

Lemme' tell you, I'm going to be holding my dreams up to that lens with exacting focus.

Given my age, I've got three cycles of 14 left before I'm too old to go at that kind of pace anymore.

Sobering AND encouraging 'cause if ever you were looking for a reason to START TODAY, well friend I do believe I done just went and gave it to you.

BOOM!

T