8:30am: poured my coffee, opened my laptop, and for 9-hours was blown away by a one-day event called, “The Nines.”

The Leadership Network (@LeadNet) has made possible an online one-day event to capture some of the best voices in church growth and leadership. The response was so overwhelming that this year almost 100 speakers submitted personal videos and had 6 minutes to share on the topic of “Game changers in your life or ministry.”

As I scrambled to take notes on their six-minute-sermons, it occurred to me that there were a few common themes in their speech. Here’s a summary of their Game Changers…

1) Be true to yourself and your purpose: God uniquely gifted and designed you with a specific purpose. It is not productive to compare and copy. Although, it is important to learn and model what we see, the measure of success is in our obedience to God, not the approval of man. I think Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church said it best, “Mediocrity is mass produced, but destiny is uniquely designed.”

2) Seize opportunities: In times of crisis or confidence, there’s an opportunity to expand the Kingdom with the Gospel. Create and seize those opportunities to bring Jesus to your family, your church, your community and your world. As Michael Hyatt of Thomas Nelson said, “Don’t ask ‘Why me?’, ask “What does this make possible?'”

3) Simplify: One theme that frequently came up was the, “less is more” concept. From church plants to mega-churches, leaders are learning to do more with less – less money, less people, less stress. Doing more can take away from your core value and mission as a church, focusing on what you are uniquely called to do. Pastor Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv made it clear by saying, “Fewer resources lead to greater innovation.”

What has been a game-changer that has shaped your life or ministry? When was that time when you dared to dream, took a risk and stepped out directly into a failure or success? Game changers don’t always have to be a success, we can learn a lot by failing forward. The success is in the ability to move and change as God leads. Share your story here, leave a comment, and encourage someone else.