When a pastor’s devastating moral lapse nearly closed Hill Country Bible Church, the congregation’s elders kept the church afloat – and now, nearly 30 years later, thousands of people are glad they did.
Rebuilding trust was the first job the 20-something year old pastor Tim Hawks did – and the congregation responded, growing from 180 to 5,000 on a Sunday morning.
Since then, Tim has seen a hunger for the intersection of the Bible and real life, which is what has fueled their growth ever since. Hear the words of this faithful pastor.
Watch the Full Program.
Rather Listen? Click here to download the Mp3 to your mobile device.
Click here to visit wildgoosefestival.org
Synopsis
The amazing growth Tim Hawks and Hill Country Bible Church have seen has educated Tim in leadership, hiring, spirituality, and church planting. Here are my notes from the interview:
Intentional Accountability
Tim has a couple of regular meetings with elders and mentors with whom he bounces off sermons and plans. He says it’s integral to staying healthy and grounded as his church has taken off.
Get Out of the Office
Preaching and teaching to ‘regular people’ means being in touch with them. Tim is adamant about the importance of forming relationships with those outside the congregation, not so much to convert them as to be converted by them.
Regular Prayer and Planning
Once a month Tim takes a day off to do just that. With his Bible and day planner, he makes intentional time for prayer and connection – and when he misses this crucial time of foundation-stone laying, he says his whole month can get off track.
About Tim Hawks
Tim Hawks is Sr. Pastor at Hill Country Bible Church Northwest in Austin, TX. Tim planted and pastored a church in Ruston, LA, before coming to Hill Country in 1989. Tim’s passion for church planting grew as he saw the need for more spiritually vibrant, missionally-minded churches in the Austin area. Tim leads a thriving church community of over 5,200 with the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child in Greater Austin with the life-changing reality of Jesus Christ. Tim is dedicated to partnering with like-minded churches to saturate the city with the gospel of Jesus Christ. By meeting monthly with area pastors and building relationships with other organizations that have a heart for the people of Austin, Tim has been instrumental in shaping a unified strategy for reaching the city. Hill Country Bible Church NW is also committed to the spread of the gospel throughout the world, and has supported church planting movements in East Asia, Central Asia and Mexico.
Books Tim Recommends
Why Leaders Can’t Lead - Warren Bennis
Integrity - Henry Cloud
Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be – Cornelius Plantinga
Sponsors I Mentioned
Are you headed to the Wild Goose festival? Thousands of campers are headed to the beautiful hills of North Carolina June 21-24. Wild Goose is a festival at the intersection of justice, spirituality, and art. Some of this year’s guests are Jim Wallis, Brian McLaren, and Shane Claiborne. ChurchNext is a proud sponsor – find out more at wildgoosefestival.org
Sorry Tim, but it goes way beyond what you have talked about. The way everything is presented, at least in me, has changed my entire outlook on church and pretty much all of life. After my wife convinced me to attend HCBC it was a relatively short period of time before it went from “it’s Sunday, we have to go to church” to “It’s finally Sunday, we get to go to church”. I am one of the lay-people you spoke of. I never dreamed I would ever work with children teaching the Gospel yet this is going to be my 10th year in Children’s Ministry with the last 5 being in leadership. I am a teacher in the Special Needs Ministry and work whit the middle schoolers. I am not the only one that has been impacted in this way. I see it every year when we get ready for Promotion Sunday. The changes in the new volunteers is awe-inspiring! These type of changes are a direct result or you and the elder board. All I can really say I guess is Thanks!