Quotes from Andy Stanley

But I'm not sitting around praying for revival either. I grew up in the "pray for revival" culture.

Whenever pastors assume people in their congregation know certain things, they miss opportunities to teach. If a pastor makes assumptions year after year, then a whole generation has never heard [that truth] for the first time. If we assume too much, we communicate too little.

As followers of Jesus, we should be known as people who like people who are nothing like us.

A sixty-hour workweek will not compensate for a poorly delivered sermon. People don't show up on Sunday morning because I am a good pastor (leader, shepherd, counselor). Ironically, my pastoring skills have almost nothing to do with my success as a pastor! In my world, it is my communication skills that make the difference. So that is where I focus my time.

I will not trust in riches but in him who richly provides.

The leader is the one who has the courage to act on what he sees.

A leader is someone who has the courage to say publicly what everybody else is whispering privately.

Practical teaching that moves people to action is one of the primary things God uses to grow our faith.

To grow our congregants' faith, we must preach and teach for life change.

Once you've confessed to him that your root problem is that you're not getting your way and once you've completely thoroughly dumped your desires and anxiety on him you'll find it much easier to deal with the people in your life, regardless of whether they ever give you the recognition, love or credit you deserve, you'll find peace because you're no longer looking at these people to meet a need that only God can meet.

Christians start talking about forgiveness as if somehow forgiveness serves as an escape hatch from the outcome of bad decisions.

In 1522, William Tyndale began translating the Greek New Testament into English. Tyndale had the audacity to actually translate the term ekklesia rather than superimpose the widely accepted German term kirche. Instead of church, he used the term congregation. If that wasn't offensive enough, the Greek text led him to use elder instead of priest and repent instead of do penance.