What I Learned About Church Planting From Rich DeVos

Henry Reyenga

Church Planting Is Essential

To these objections, Rich replies, "We need God, and we need to be part of a worshiping community. I don't think of church as a place I have to go. It's a place I love to go because I get to share my faith with a community of believers and join with them in worshiping God. Church, to me, is not a building. It's people, and I love to be with people.

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 2462-2464). Kindle Edition. 

Decision Making

Over the years of working for Rich DeVos in the Magic organization, I have seen him make many bold, risky, multimillion-dollar decisions. From watching him and talking to him in those moments of decision, I have identified eight principles Rich uses whenever he has a difficult decision to make. These eight principles have made him one of the most effective and successful decision makers of all time.

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 526-529). Kindle Edition. 

Decision Making

1. Prayer

Prayer is two-way communication, so talk to God and ask him for wisdom-then listen for his answer.

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 529-530). Kindle Edition. 

Decision Making

2. Define the decision that must be made.

Ask yourself: What am I trying to achieve with this decision? What is the problem that must be solved? What are my options? Avoid looking at the decision in either/or terms. There are often three or more options to any decision, so think creatively and expand your options.

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 530-531). Kindle Edition. 

Decision Making

3. Gather Information; get as much information as possible-but don't wait too long to decide. 

Avoid getting caught in "the paralysis of analysis." Usually a good decision can be made with considerably less than 100 percent of the available information; 50 to 75 percent is usually sufficient.

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 531-533). Kindle Edition. 

Decision Making

4. Make a list of pros and cons. 

This will help you to think clearly and logically about the decision you must make.

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 533-534). Kindle Edition. 

Decision Making

6. If still undecided, consider your worst-case scenario. 

What is the worst thing that can happen if you decide this way or that way? Considering your worst-case scenario will help you identify the uncertainty and anxiety that keep you from deciding-and it will bring clarity to your thinking.

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 535-536). Kindle Edition. 

Decision Making

8. Make a decision. 

Don't stall, don't procrastinate-decide. Then act on your decision and trust the guidance God gave you in answer to your prayer.

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 539-540). Kindle Edition. 

After The Decision, Boldly Go forward! 

If you want to be like Rich DeVos, then don't wait to strike when the iron is hot; make it hot by striking! Don't worry and fret about whether you're on the right track or not; just make your own track! Be bold, be decisive-and you'll become a little more like Rich.

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 543-545). Kindle Edition. 

After The Decision, Boldly Go forward! 

Theodore Roosevelt once observed, "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The next best thing is the wrong thing. And the worst thing you can do is nothing." The successful person looks at a problem that everyone else calls "impossible" and sees only a bold decision that needs to be made.

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 540-542). Kindle Edition. 

Problem Solving Thinking

1. Church planters are proactive.

Rich DeVos doesn't wait for problems to find him. He is proactive. He seeks problems out. He makes sure he catches problems while they are small, before they start to get out of hand. 

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 277-279). Kindle Edition. 

Problem Solving Thinking

2. Define the problem. 

Once a problem has been identified, you must define what that problem is in order to solve it. That means you must gather your facts and examine all the elements of the problem so that you have a clear picture of what the problem is.

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 289-290). Kindle Edition. 

Problem Solving Thinking

3. Complexity paralyzes thinking. 

Simplicity brings clarity. Once the clutter of complexity is cleared away, the simple solution to the problem often becomes clear. Bob Schierbeek, a business advisor to Rich DeVos, says, "On business matters, Rich is quick to grasp a concept, simplify it, repeat it back, make the decision that needs to be made and move on.”

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 293-295). Kindle Edition. 

Problem Solving Thinking

4. Take It step-by-step. 

Once you have identified a simple, practical solution, it is important to implement that solution in a careful, step-by-step fashion. "Dad's wisdom," says Rich's son, Dan, "is to stick to the basics, keep the process clear and uncomplicated, and do everything in the proper order. Start with A, then go to B, then proceed to C. Every big problem can be solved once it is broken down into simple, bite-sized chunks.”

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 299-301). Kindle Edition. 

Problem Solving Thinking

5. Take your time. 

It sounds trite, but it's absolutely true: Haste really does make waste. Rarely does a problem need to be solved in a panic-and panic-driven solutions usually make the problem worse, not better.

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 301-303). Kindle Edition. 

Problem Solving Thinking

6. Listen to your intuition. 

After you have defined the problem, simplified it to its bare-bones essentials and boiled the solution down to a series of practical steps, ask yourself, What does my intuition say? Is there a still, small voice inside of me, trying to get my attention and warn me? Or do my intuition and my intellect agree?

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 306-308). Kindle Edition. 

Problem Solving Thinking

7. Stay calm under pressure. 

One of the most important qualities a problem solver needs is the ability to remain cool in a crisis. Panic clouds the mind and paralyzes the will, making it impossible to solve problems. In my interviews with people who know Rich DeVos, I heard again and again that he has an amazing ability to remain calm and clear-headed in an emergency.

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 311-313). Kindle Edition. 

Church Planter Leadership Principles

Leadership principle no. 1: Vision 

Vision is the ability to imagine a bright and optimistic future. All great leaders have the ability to envision a better tomorrow, then energize and motivate people to turn that dream into a reality.

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 347-348). Kindle Edition. 

Church Planter Leadership Principles

Leadership principle no. 2: Communication Skills 

What good does it do to have a shining, optimistic vision of the future if you cannot communicate that vision to the people around you? A visionary leader must be able to articulate that vision promote that vision

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 395-397). Kindle Edition. 

Church Planter Leadership Principles

Leadership principle no. 3: People Skills

A leader with great people skills is always respected and admired by the people who serve under him. You can hear the respect and admiration in the voices of those who serve under Rich DeVos. "Rich always has a positive attitude toward everything in his life, and that rubs off on others," observes Marvin Van Dellen,

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 416-419). Kindle Edition. 

Church Planter Leadership Principles

Leadership principle no. 4: People Skills

"From that experience, Dad figured out that everybody enjoys talking about themselves, and he also realized that he enjoys listening and learning about people. That's why he asks people, `Tell me about you.' It's his way of getting the conversation going. Dad says, `It's not hard to get people to talk about themselves. You just have to ask them. I'd much rather hear new stories from people I've just met than to tell my old stories again and again."’

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 935-938). Kindle Edition. 

Church Planter Leadership Principles

Leadership principle no. 5: People Skills

Is the ability to relate to people a talent, something you're born with? Or is it a skill, an ability that you can learn, practice and improve? In Rich's case, it was probably a bit of both. As his sons pointed out, the ability to talk to people and get to know them was a skill he consciously worked on. He taught himself to become aware of people, to seek them out and greet them, to ask them about themselves. It started as a learned skill, and with practice Rich raised it to an art form.

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 968-971). Kindle Edition. 

Church Planter Leadership Principles

Leadership principle no. 6: Good Character 

A leader must have good character in order to inspire other people with his vision for the future. As leadership guru John Maxwell observed, "People buy into the leader before they buy into the leader's vision.”

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 427-429). Kindle Edition. 

Church Planter Leadership Principles

Leadership principle no. 7: No Favoritism  

“I resent anyone who says about a nonprofessional worker, He is just a mechanic' or just a salesman' or just' anything-he is a warm, giving, highly complex human being, cast in the image of God himself. He is the backbone of this country. I practically burst with pride in his achievement and respect for what he is. ”  RICH DEVOS

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 437-439). Kindle Edition. 

Church Planter Leadership Principles

Leadership principle no. 8: Boldness 

If a leader isn't bold, he isn't a leader. A bold leader takes risks and encourages risk taking throughout the organization.

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 457-458). Kindle Edition. 

Church Planter Leadership Principles

Leadership principle no. 9: Servant Leadership

"Whatever it takes," Rich said, "I want them taken care of. Relocate them in the organization if you can. If not, make sure they get severance packages and help in finding new jobs. Just make sure they are taken care of.”

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 466-467). Kindle Edition. . 

Develop A Great Work Ethic! 

Church planting is hard work and responsibility.

Those experiences and lessons from my paper route and household chores were the foundation for becoming, at a young age, a diligent worker with a sense of responsibility, an eye toward detail, and an appreciation for pleasing customers.

DeVos, Rich (2014-04-01). Simply Rich: Life and Lessons from the Cofounder of Amway: A Memoir (pp. 17-18). Howard Books. Kindle Edition. 

Be A Mentor

Helen DeVos explained to me Rich's motivation for mentoring others. "It comes from his faith," she said. "Jesus mentored the disciples. He taught them, spent time with them and laid down his life for them. Rich looks at the life of Jesus and says, `That's my example. That's the pattern for my life.' So being a mentor to others just flows from who Rich is and what he believes.

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 1295-1298). Kindle Edition. 

Take Risks In Planting A Church

When you take a risk, you have to accept the very real possibility of failure. In fact, if we live as risk takers, we will certainly fail from time to time-but failure is never final unless we fail to learn from it. Proverbs 24:16 (NIV) tells us, "Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again." That is the Rich DeVos story in a nutshell. 

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 579-581). Kindle Edition. 

Have An Eye For Communicating Hope

The church planter brings the hope of the gospel into the lives of those he reaches.

“Dad uses his speaking skills to improve the lives of others. When he speaks, he transfers hope to people. " DOUG DEVOS, RICH'S YOUNGEST SON

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 626-627). Kindle Edition. 

Help People Get What They Want

"Here's the centerpiece of Rich's wisdom: We flourish only by helping others to flourish. Rich's entire life has been spent helping other people to achieve great things. " REV. NEAL PLANTINGA, PRESIDENT, CALVIN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 1157-1158). Kindle Edition. 

Help People! 

"Rich DeVos has a mission in life, and his mission is to help people help themselves. Rich has focused his entire life on helping other people, and that is why he always puts other people first. He has impacted millions of lives over the years by his approach to life.”

Pat Williams. How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life (Kindle Locations 1112-1113). Kindle Edition. 

Be A Doer 

“Henry, you are always a doer. I like that!” 

James 1:23  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a mirror; 

Hospitality Is Huge

Rich welcomed people into his home.

1 Peter 4:9  Be hospitable one to another without grumbling. 

 

Fail Forward

“I just decided I was going to fail forward.”

Philippians  3:14  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 

Take An Occasional “Cold Call”

Rich took a call from an unknown pastor and that started my mentoring relationship with him and indirectly was used by God to bring CLI into being.

Make A “Cold Call”

“Sometimes you just have to make a cold call. It is better than doing nothing.”

Take Your Dream As Far As It Will Go

“Many people quit, but, Henry, you don’t quit.“

Romans 15:20  Yes, making it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, that I might not build on another’s foundation. 

Last modified: Friday, August 10, 2018, 1:57 PM