Influences, Part 1

So, here we are... I promised you a WEEK of posts where you'll get to meet, or be re-introduced to, some awesome guys who have influenced me in ministry. Now, obviously there are SO MANY PEOPLE who've influenced me over the years, that I couldn't POSSIBLY mention all of them here... so, I'll only mention one or two per post. I've chosen these topics: Preaching, Worship, Leadership, Church Planting, and Following Christ. Enjoy!

First up: Preaching.

It is very fitting that the first person up in the "batting order" is KEITH BATTLE, probably the best least-known preacher in America (although very well-known in the DC area)... he's a very gifted and anointed communicator, and I considered him to be a "preaching mentor" for me when I first started preaching. The first time I heard him speak was in 1989 (he was in his early 20's, a little older than me), at a small church in Capital Heights, MD where he was preaching a revival. It was the first time I'd ever seen a person preach without any notes! I was captivated... and Keith's preaching left an indelible mark on my life. Over the next several years, we would become friends... it's been a wonderful blessing to see what God is doing in his life and ministry.

Life lesson from Keith: Be yourself in preaching! The night before I preached my first sermon 11 years ago, Keith told me, "The people you preach to will be better served by Darren Plummer showing up than they will by Charles Stanley or T.D. Jakes... because you're God's man for that hour for those people." I've never forgotten those words. They have helped me tremendously in these early days of Mosaic.

Keith started Zion Church seven years ago, and they have grown to almost 2,000 in weekly attendance (which not many churches have done in this area) on multiple campuses.

Next up is WAYNE CORDEIRO, who... over this last year... has become my pastor from afar. I've never met him personally, although I hope to do so one day in the near future. I'd been reading his books for a few years, but had never heard him speak until last year's Willowcreek Leadership Summit. Since then, I've tried to devour as much of his teaching as possible. One of the things I like best about Wayne is his passion for Scripture and his passion for leaders.

Life lesson from Wayne: Don't be slack about your daily time of meeting God in His Word! Sometimes the pressures of life and ministry can make you so hurried and hassled that you can easily... and unintentionally... give everybody else time except God. But you have to vigilantly and viciously guard against allowng ANYTHING or ANYBODY to become a substitute for that time.

Wayne pastors the New Hope Christian Fellowship in Oahu, HI, and has recently released a new book, The Divine Mentor.