Ep 032: Back to Basics - An Interview with David Ashcraft

Welcome to Episode 32 of the Joshua Gagnon Leadership Podcast!In today’s episode, Pastor Josh sits down with David Ashcraft, the senior pastor of LCBC (Lives Changed By Christ), a multi-site church in Pennsylvania with 8 locations and over 15,000 people in attendance each weekend. David is a graduate of Texas Tech University with a degree in Business Administration, holds a Master’s Degree in Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, as well as a Doctoral degree in Ministry from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, in Chicago, Illinois. Because of its work around the world, in 2008 David and LCBC received “The Courageous Leadership” award from the Willow Creek Association and World Vision. David and his wife Ruth live in Lititz, Pennsylvania and have two grown children, Justin, a graduate of Lancaster Bible College living in Pittsburgh with his wife Laura, and Ashleigh, who currently attends Lancaster Bible College.Learn more about David:LCBC Church - http://www.lcbcchurch.com/ LCBC on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/lcbcchurch LCBC on Twitter - https://twitter.com/lcbcchurch Email LCBC - mailto:info@lcbcchurch.com 3 Takeaways for Leaders:1. Be intentional and timely with your new hires. Don’t necessarily hire people because you need to fill a need, hire people who can help the church to grow and move forward. Additionally, take the appropriate amount of time to ensure the hire is a good fit instead of rushing through the hiring process.2. The multi-site approach to ministry is great, but it’s not for everyone. Look at your model and decide whether or not it’s worth replicating across multiple locations. 3. Instead of focusing on growth, focus on doing the basics well. If you have systems in place that lets your guests know that they are cared for and valued, growth will happen naturally. Quotes From This Episode:“Get to the point where you’re not hiring generalists, you’re hiring experts.” - David Ashcraft“Hiring experts brings growth, but hiring generalists relieves pain.” - David Ashcraft“It’s about doing the basics well, then the growth will come.” - David Ashcraft“Find the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’.” - Josh Gagnon“Make sure early on you find some very strong structures, systems, and vision that’s worth of believing in 25 years later.” - Josh Gagnon“Be true to who you are.” - David Ashcraft