New Life Community Church is a succesful Church of Christ meeting in the Centreville area, which has grown to three campuses (meeting in high schools) and has plans to build a "New Life Town Center" in the next few years out near the Manassas battlefield. 
I read a lot about the church in books and magazine articles, so I thought I'd e-mail the pastor, Brett Andrews, for some advice about building a church in northern Virginia. Here's what he told me...
1) Pray. I have less control over results than I'd like to admit. God builds the church. As Blackabee would say, figure out how to get on board with what He's doing.
2) Learn lots from other churches. There are two kinds of ministers: Those who are constantly learning from other churches, and those who are so focused on week-to-week stuff that they can't raise their eyes above their own efforts.
3) Pray for great staff. We have consistently hired staff who are more qualified at what they do than I am.
4) Be the advocate for the newcomer and the lost.
5) Love your wife and family. It's not accident that Paul's qualifications for elders is a list of qualities mostly connected to family relationships. Ministry grows out of the life of integrity. I'm not claiming a perfect marriage or home. But, dealing with the messes with integrity, finding healing, repenting, being transformed, is how God prepares us for ministry every day. Plus, the church isn't your life. God is. Keeping the marriage and family in perspective sets us up for long-term effectiveness and ministry.
6) Be genuine. Isaiah 1. God hates surface shows. We are messed up people ministering to messed up people. When people experience that, they feel safe to ask their questions and to deal honestly with their messes. Many people associate "church" with people who act like they have it all together. Most of us don't like to be around people like that.
7) Know what you're about (values, vision, priorities). Know that this is not going to reach everybody, but it is going to reach the people God has called you to reach. (This, by the way, does not many us better than other churches -- just different. We need all kinds of Bible-believing churches that reach all kinds of people). Then, live it consistently.
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