What If?: My Story of Believing God for More . . . Always More is Pastor Tommy Barnett’s 2019 autobiography ($8.49 for the Kindle edition on Amazon). Tommy inspires and encourages me. He always has. I have attended his seminars. He has been a guest speaker at my church. Plus, I’ve had brief but memorable one-on-one conversations with Tommy. I have heard him describe himself as “ordinary” telling listeners if God can use him, God can use anyone. However, it is obvious Tommy Barnett is not ordinary. He is generously gifted. In my opinion, he has the gifts of evangelism, encouragement, and faith. His ministry track record is impressive. However, while we must avoid copying or imitating any individual, there is much we can learn from Tommy’s inspiring, faith-filled, and energetic example. In the paragraphs that follow, I’ll highlight some of the key principles and practices that have characterized his ministry. Consider whether any of these speak to your heart, whether they resonate with your spirit, and whether any of them could be a word from the Lord for you.
Find A Need And Fill It. Find A Hurt And Heal It.
This philosophy is foundational to Barnett’s approach to evangelism. He insists, “In many cases receiving tangible expressions of love is the only way they (the unsaved) will open their hearts to the message of Jesus.” Therefore, his approach to community service and outreach has always been creative and extravagant. Currently Dream City Church (formerly Phoenix First Assembly) has a total of 256 different community service and soul-winning ministries and a weekend attendance of over 22,000 people.
Go After The People Nobody Else Wants.
Tommy credits his father, Pastor Hershel Barnett, as an important influence and mentor. Hershel was a pioneer in church bus ministry running a fleet of ten buses in the very early years of church bus ministry. Tommy writes, “He loved people who are hurting – the people nobody else wanted in their churches.” Tommy says “I got my passion for lost people from my dad.” Tommy goes on to explain,
Too often, we put limits on love: we want to help only “the deserving poor” who are victims of disasters, violence, and illness. The truth is that none of us deserved God’s grace, yet He has lavished it on us! . . . look for ways to find a need and fill it, find a hurt and heal it. It’s what Jesus did, and it’s what His followers still do.
Let Everyone Know Where You’re Going And Start Leading People To Christ.
Barnett’s philosophy about leading change stands in stark contrast to what most church growth and leadership authors recommend. Many authors suggest the new pastor attempt only gradual change while building relationships and earning the trust of the existing congregation. However, Tommy prefers an honest, straightforward, and proactive approach built on a foundation of aggressive soul winning and evangelism:
Go in and shoot all your big guns, let everyone know exactly where you’re going, and most importantly, start leading people to Christ. You’re probably going to lose some people who don’t want anything to change, but that’s fine. You’ll replace them with people eager to join you in your mission. Old wineskins can’t hold new wine. I hate to say this, but a lot of church people don’t really want new people coming in. They feel threatened (or at least uncomfortable) around people they don’t know, especially if those people don’t look like them.
What To Do When The Call Of God Is Delayed
Tommy recalls that as a young evangelist the Lord impressed him that one day he would be the pastor of Angelus Temple (built by Evangelist Aimee Semple Mcpherson) in Los Angeles. He immediately dismissed the idea thinking, “That will never happen!” However, Tommy’s book shares a number of interesting and miraculous details about how the Los Angeles Dream Center and the Dream Center Angelus Temple church came into being. Tommy writes:
A lot of people have asked me what you do when the call of God is delayed and looks like it’s denied. You do exactly what I did forty years earlier: you listen and acknowledge it, but if it doesn’t come to fruition right away, you continue doing your best in your current role. If it’s God’s will, He’ll bring it back to you. I don’t believe you can miss the will of God, because if you miss it, He’ll bring it back around.
Money Follows Ministry.
When Matthew Barnett (one of Tommy’s sons) brought up the idea of purchasing the enormous Queen of Angels hospital and converting it into the Dream Center, it seemed impossible. The building has 15 floors and 1,400 rooms and was once the largest hospital in Los Angeles. They had no money. However, when the realtor jumped on their “ridiculously low” offer of 3.9 million for the entire property, Tommy was not worried in spite of their lack of cash.
Over the years I’ve learned that money follows ministry. You don’t get the money and then do the ministry. You do the ministry, and God sends the funds. If God was in this, He would find a way for us to pay for it. As I like to say, “There’s provision for the vision.”
You Can Learn From Both Good And Bad Examples.
As a young person, Tommy was personally exposed to many of the leading evangelists in the great healing revival of the 1950’s. He was embarrassed by those who exaggerated, were prideful, and who took excessive time demanding ever larger offerings. However, he was especially inspired by William Branham, Gordon Lindsay, and Jack Coe. He considered these men “noble and godly.” However he concludes:
It’s very easy to put people with such powerful gifts on a pedestal and forget they’re really human. These were the best of men, but still, they were men at best. Actually, it wasn’t their greatness that inspired me but their weakness. If God could use flawed people like them, maybe, just maybe, He could use me, too.
Barnett’s Regrets
Ironically, although Tommy Barnett is currently the chancellor of Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida, one of his regrets is the fact he failed to finish college.
Over the years I’ve regretted this hole in my training because I wonder if it has limited my ministry. It’s made me uncomfortable, especially when I meet with brilliant professors who astound me with their intellect . . . When young people feel the call of God to ministry, we need to encourage them to get a good, solid, biblically based education.
Tommy has always dreamed big. Therefore, it seems even more ironic that his number one regret is:
I would dream bigger dreams and take bigger risks. . . . God wants to do great things with our meager resources. We only need to be willing to set our sights higher than we think is humanly possible and trust God to do what only He can do.
Tommy’s Closing Challenge
In the closing pages of the book Tommy issues this final challenge in keeping with the book’s theme of believing God for more:
I leave you with this challenge. What are you doing? What dream do you have that’s so big it will fail unless you trust in the power of God to fulfill it? . . . If you say “yes” to the dream God has placed on your heart, He’ll give you everything you need to see it come true, and in the process, He’ll make your life an adventure you never thought was possible. Are you ready to dream big?
A Highly Recommended Read
What If?: My Story of Believing God for More . . . Always More is an easy but inspiring read. I highly recommend it. The book has a gracious, encouraging, and inspiring tone – much like the man who wrote it. It will challenge you to dream bigger and believe God for more in your own life and ministry.