Before there was Waypoint Community Church, there was simply “the South Charlotte Church Plant”—or as I jokingly called it, The SCLTCP. Back then, I repurposed this website as our launch point, and I could (and still can) track every click.

What surprised me most was this: on the “About Wes” page, you had two choices—my résumé or my statement of faith. Ninety-three percent of visitors clicked on my résumé, almost no one on my faith statement.

At first I was surprised. But then again… maybe not. This was South Charlotte, where your resume matters. If you’re hiring an investment banker, you want to see their track record. If you’re choosing a lawyer, you care about where they went to school. In South Charlotte, pedigree matters.

But here’s the caution: an impressive résumé does not make a pastor.

I remember sitting in a senior seminar at seminary (you can look up which one 😉). A professor asked our class of 25, “Who here has read the Bible cover to cover?” Only three of us sheepishly raised our hands. By senior year, it was obvious who we were: those bible believing pastors.

Fast forward to 2012. I went to a men’s retreat where a country lawyer—an ordinary, untrained man—stood up and unpacked Luke 5. No theology degrees. No seminary polish. But within the first five minutes he delivered one of the most powerful gospel presentations I’d ever heard.

That moment became a turning point in the birth of Waypoint. I saw Acts 4:13 come alive:

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

What impressed the crowd about Peter and John wasn’t their training. It was the unmistakable fact that they had been with Jesus.

That is the kind of church we wanted to be. Ordinary people, living daily with Jesus, courageously sharing His love.

It’s also why Waypoint chose to align with ECO, a network of like-minded churches committed to moving from “clergy-centered” ministry to an unleashed laity. “Laity” is from the Greek word meaning ‘the people’ — the common, everyday believers of the church. In other words, the work of the Kingdom isn’t meant just for professional pastors, youth directors, or church staff—it belongs to every believer who goes out to be Christ to the watching world.

Too many pastors and laity obsess over credentials. But the Holy Spirit isn’t reviewing résumés—He’s looking at our faith. Do we believe Jesus is who He says He is? Do we trust that He will do what He promised? If so, then in this very moment you are already better trained than 88% of my seminary classmates to live with courageous faith and compassionate love.