Perry Noble is one of the most sought after Christian leaders on the planet.  He is bold and courageous and a man of God.  For the record, he is the real deal.  What I really like about Perry is his love and passion for the church.  Not just his church but the BIG CHURCH as well.   I will never forget the day on Sept. 13th when NewSpring baptized 906 people and saw 276 people receive Christ. That is ridiculous…that is God showing up!  I couldn’t imagine what his emotions and adrenaline must have been like.  That might not mean nothing to you but once you go from preaching all day, to seeing tons of people’s lives changed, to actually baptizing them, you are ready to crash.

The night before I texted Perry and told him that we were launching a new series called Awakening and we were praying for 100 people to be saved over the next three weeks.  He immediately responded and said let me know what happens.  Now, here is a man leading 12,000 people and he wants to be updated on what God is doing in Morehead, KY.  Right there shows you the kind of heart that Perry Noble has.  On Sunday night I texted him back and told him we saw 101 people saved in one day and he was so excited for us. During one of the greatest days in the history of NewSpring Church, Perry took a moment to rejoice with us.

Perry, thanks for believing in us.  Thanks for investing me and Crosspoint Church.  Thanks for modeling what the church should look like.  Thanks for being bold and courageous to head into uncharted waters.  Thanks for your love and passion for the church…It is contagious!  I truly appreciate you.  I’ve got your back!

Perry Noble is the senior pastor of NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC.

You hear of people moving to a place because of a job.  You hear of people moving to a place because of a school.  You even hear of people moving to a place because of a relationship.  But you hardly ever hear about a person moving to a place because of a church.  If I were not in full-time ministry there are only a few churches that I would relocate my whole family just to attend.  Obviously, Crosspoint is at the top of the list but one right behind it would be NewSpring.  NewSpring and their staff has played such an awesome role in helping us shape our church.  By participating in Perry Noble’s coaching network, to taking our team to Unleash, and to spending time on the phone with their staff.

At Unleash 08 I met Jason Wilson who is on staff at NewSpring.  Jason is this 6′5” bruit with arms bigger than me.  Prior to coming to the event we talked a couple of times on the phone and was planning on connecting at Unleash.  I was amazed at his willingness to make time to talk with me.  Right then, something about him stood out to me.  Then I had the privilege of being in Perry Noble’s coaching network and was able to meet a lot of the staff and reconnect with Jason.  Since then Jason has always made himself available to speak with me when I needed some guidance.

Jason, thanks for taking the time to speak into my life.  Thanks for encouraging me and stretching me.  Thanks for hanging out with me and buying me Starbucks coffee while you were on vacation!  Thanks for believing in us and your willingness to help Crosspoint.  I really appreciate you!

Jason Wilson is the Executive Pastor at NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC.

Back in the day (2002) when I was a Student Pastor, I had the privilege of meeting Clayton King.  In fact, I took our students on a short mission trip where he happened to be the guest preacher for the week.  I was amazed at his gift to communicate the Gospel so clearly and in an understandable way.  Not only did he connect with me but with everyone in the building.

As time past, I kept up with his ministry, Crossroads. Over the years we have remained in contact with each other and have become really great friends. Every time I hear an update on what God is doing through him I stand amaze at how God has appointed and anointed him to preach the Gospel.  Since last December, Clayton has seen over 8000 people come to repentance through his preaching!  That’s amazing!  For the record, I truly believe that Clayton has the integrity and the anointing to be the next Billy Graham.  I know those are big shoes to fill but I if God was looking for a replacement, I would personally nominate Clayton King.

Clayton, thank you for your friendship.  Thank you for your integrity.  Thank you for your humility.  Thank you for believing in the simplicity of the Gospel and preaching it!  Thank you for holding me accountable in crucial areas of my life. Thank you for taking the time to hang with me every time I come through NC. Thank you, because of you and your faithfulness, thousands upon thousands of people will spend eternity with Jesus!

Clayton King is the founder of Crossroad Ministries and is the teaching pastor at NewSpring Church.

*Clayton is also a pure country boy who loves to hunt, farm, and drink sweet tea!  He is the man!

Two years ago Adam and I headed to North Carolina to experience the revolution taking place in Charlotte (Elevation Church).  After arriving at the Providence High School at 5:30AM, we noticed that volunteers were all over the place.  One of the first persons we met was Larry Brey.  Right from the beginning I realized that this guy means business.  He was for real.  He had such a passion for what Elevation was trying to accomplish and an impeccable loyalty and honor for his pastor.  Larry plays a vital role at Elevation by helping people understand their operational culture and getting people connected to the right spots. That experience radically fueled my passion on what we were hoping to accomplish here in Morehead, KY.  After we left Elevation I kept in touch with Larry and every time I talked to him he was encouraging me but also stretching me.  I admire his boldness and willingness to stretch my thinking and outlook on different situations I was facing.  So I immediately thought, “I need this guy speaking into my life on a regular basis.”  So I asked Larry to be one of my overseers and to my amazement he agreed to partner with me and my team.  I will go on the record and say every pastor needs a Larry Brey on staff…Period!

Larry, just wanted to say thanks for all your help and I appreciate you.  Thank you for encouraging me.  Thank you for stretching me.  Thank you calling me out.  Thank you for your loyalty to Christ and to your Pastor.  Thank you for modeling to all the world what God can do through someone who is totally yielded to Him.  Love you, bro!

Larry Brey is the Connections Pastor at Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC.

Last year I had the privilege of being part of Perry Noble’s coaching network.  The first day I arrived at NewSpring, Perry looked at me and said, “Dude, I thought you were Greg…you guys look just alike!”.  Since I didn’t know who Greg was I didn’t know whether to take it as a compliment or not.  For the record, I am secure enough in my masculinity to tell you that when I saw Pastor Greg, I thought, he is a good looking dude…LOL.    Anyway, I found out later that out of all the pastors in the network, he pastored the largest church (2000 people).  But you would have never known he was a mega church pastor.  Immediately I was attracted to his wisdom and humility.  Over the course of 6 months I got to know him quite well and asked him if he would be part of my overseer team.  And he said yes!  Thanks Pastor Greg!

Since he has been on my overseer team he has really helped me become a better leader.  He has been exactly where I have been in leading a fast growing church.  He planted a church 10 years ago in rural area called Seneca, SC.  (Seneca is very similar to Morehead.)  He has led his church from being portable for 5 years to two major building projects.  From 20 people in attendance to over 2000 people in attendance.  So needless to say, he has been there and done that.  Every time I pick up the phone and talk to him about a situation he knows exactly what to say.  The dude is very wise and very sharp.  I am so thankful that God has placed him in my life.  Because of Pastor Greg I will be able to avoid some of the major pitfalls that trip up young churches and young pastors.

Pastor Greg, thanks for believing in me and investing in me.  Thank you for modeling humility in the mist of God’s movement in and through your church.  Thank you for allowing me to come and preach to your people this summer.  That really helped me get a feel for when our church will be running over 1500 people someday. Thank you for leading me and instructing me when I cannot see whats coming ahead.  And more importantly, thank you for listening and being a great friend.  Love ya bro!

Pastor Greg Oraham is the pastor of Foothills Community Church in Seneca, SC.

During the whole month of October I am going to be blogging about pastors who have really impacted my life.  I want to tell them and you how much I appreciate their leadership and friendship.  I will begin with my pastor first…

Pastor Donnie Patrick

I had the privilege of serving with Pastor Donnie for 3 years in Paintsville, KY.  One of the reasons why I appreciate Pastor Donnie so much is because he was the first one to take a chance on me.  When I applied to be their student pastor I found out that I was the youngest, with no seminary, with no experience, and the only local person who applied for the position.  I also found out that the only reason they interviewed me was to practice their questions before they brought in all the “real” candidates.  However, during the interview God spoke clearly to them that I was the person they were looking for.

Another reason I appreciate Pastor Donnie so much is because he was the first one to believe in me when God called me to plant a church. He also was the first person to tell me before we launched that someday Crosspoint will be running over 1000 people in attendance. (Bro, we are going to break a 1000 in the near future.)  Because of his strong discernment that God was all over this church plant, he led his previous church to sponsor us and support us monthly for three years.

Thanks bro for believing in me.  Thanks for encouraging me.  Thanks for supporting me.  Thanks for being there for me.  Thanks for modeling the urgency to personally share Christ wherever you go and the importance of a vibrant prayer life.  I am so glad that God put you in my life and I really appreciate you!

Pastor Donnie serves as one of my overseers and is the pastor of Crestwood Baptist Church, in Crestwood, KY.