Category: Leadership (page 23 of 30)

Andy Stanley on appetites, tension, and leadership

October 7, 2010 / / 0 Comments

Opening Catalyst Conference, Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Community Church, discussed the internal tension that we all carry that’s associated with our appetite for more.

As leaders, certain appetites are heightened:

  • progress
  • greater responsibility
  • respect
  • desire to win
  • growth
  • fame
  • achievement
  • to be envied

There are 3 things that are universally true about our appetites:

  1. God created them, but sin destroyed them.
  2. Appetites are never fully and finally satisfied.  Though we think there’s some amount, or size, or goal that will fulfill our appetite…which leads to tension.
  3. Your appetite always wants what it wants now, never later.

How you deal with your appetites will determine the direction of your life.  If you are ruled and controlled by your appetites, the end will be embarrassing.

Genesis 25 centers around a birthright.  Esau was set to become instantly wealthier than all of his siblings, receive the highest status in his family, and receive the best of God’s blessing.  Who, honestly, would trade that for a bowl of stew?  Who would trade their future for something as temporary as that?

Scientists have shown that a your brain chemically changes when appetite happens:

  1. Impact bias – your brain takes a simple appetite and blows it out of proportion (ever experienced buyer’s remorse?).
  2. Focalism – your brain focuses your mind on one thing and blocks out everything else.

What we need is for someone to reframe our appetites.  Because whatever we want, we’ll find ourselves wanting more of that.

Don’t allow your appetite to dictate and control your leadership.

What’s your bowl of stew?  What’s hard to say “no” to now?  What are you trying to talk yourself into?

What are you contemplating that your spouse is uncomfortable with?

 

Michael Hyatt and growing your platform

October 6, 2010 / / 5 Comments

Michael Hyatt, at Catalyst 2010, offers three ways you can grow your platform:

How do you grow your platform?

1. Establish a command center. This is a homebase, that you own and control, whether a website or a blog.  The most important thing you can do is write compelling content on a consistent basis.

2. Set up embassies. These are places you don’t own or control, but have a regular presence.  The trouble with making these places (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) a command center is that they could go away.  Case in point…Myspace.

3. Develop an intelligence agency. Monitor what’s being said about you or your company, because stuff is being said!

What’s your platform?

 

Reggie Joiner and The Slow Fade

October 6, 2010 / / 3 Comments

I’m at Catalyst Conference this week, and I’ll be blogging through some of the sessions that I attend.

Reggie Joiner had this to say:

Here are some statistics taken from 20-29 year olds:

  • 95% say they attended church while in middle school
  • 55% say they also attended while in high school
  • 11% say they also attended while in college

Why are we as the church not doing anything to change this?

Of those age 23-30 who stayed in church from 18-22, a mere 6% don’t currently attend church.

The problem is that the church is programmed to draw a finish line at 12th grade.  At “graduate Sunday,” it’s like it’s all over.  So what if we moved the “finish line” from high school graduation to college graduation?

Myths about college ministries:

  1. That’s what campus ministries do…not local churches. But a campus ministry isn’t the same thing as a local church.  There’s a need for peer-to-peer interaction, but also a need for intergenerational relationships
  2. This isn’t a college town or community. Yet only 25% of 18-24 year olds attend college full-time.
  3. We tried doing it before and it didn’t work. Maybe you did a program, when what they needed was leaders.
  4. We don’t know how to appeal to college students. What they’re hungry for is authenticity.
  5. There’s not enough in the budget. Yes there is.  You make room for what you prioritize.
  6. We can’t hire another staff position. This isn’t something you can hire for.  This is changing the way people think about building relationships with college students.
  7. This isn’t a long-term investment. They’ll leave as soon as they graduate.  This isn’t about a long-term investment…it’s about protecting the investment you’ve made throughout middle and high school.
  8. It’s hard to see how this benefits our church. Maybe this is just one of those things that’s bigger than your church.
  9. These are the years they should solidify their faith on their own. But there’s a difference in owning your faith and doing your faith.

Questions for your church to ponder:

What is your church doing to invest in the lives of those who are college-aged?

What are you doing to invest in the life of someone who is college-aged?

 

We’re going multi-site

October 4, 2010 / / 1 Comment

Just this past Sunday, we at Grace Community Church announced that we will be a mult-site church in January, 2011.  The response was overwhelmingly positive, with so many people saying how eager they are to pray with us, and some already committing to being a part of the launch team.

We will be expanding to Kenwood High School, which is about 10 miles north of the high school where we currently meet.

If you’re currently worshipping in a permanent facility that you own, this move may make little sense to you.  You may wonder why we didn’t just move forward with building a permanent facility on the land that we own.  Why would we even consider starting another campus in a high school, knowing how difficult it will be to continue setting up and tearing down every week?

There are many, many reasons that we considered as we sought God’s plan, and we’re convinced that this is what He’s calling us as a church to do…and not build right now.

In the book The MultiSite Church Revolution: Being One Church in Many Locations by Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon, and Warren Bird, they take a look at Community Christian Church in Chicago.  Pastor Dave Ferguson lists eight advantages, each of which solves a problem in its own way:

  • Grow larger and grow smaller
  • Brand-new and trusted brand
  • Staff with generalists and specialists
  • Less cost and greater impact
  • New-church vibe and big-church punch
  • Move there and stay here
  • More need and more support
  • More outreach and more maturity

I love the reasons given there for going multi-site.  Though not all of the reasons are specific for us, they do make great sense for us in our context.

Are you doing multi-site in your church?  Help us learn from you!

What have you learned?  What worked?  What didn’t?

If you were in our shoes right now, what would you be reading?  Doing?  Who would you be talking with?

    Tomorrow, I’ll tell you why I feel like multi-site makes great sense from a small groups perspective.  In the meantime, though, I’d love to hear from you and your story with multi-sites!

     

    Decision paralysis

    September 30, 2010 / / 6 Comments

    Last night, my wife and I tried out a new restaurant in town.  We love trying new places, and sushi is one of our favorites.  So when we found out about a Japanese fusion restaurant (I’m still not exactly sure what that means, even after eating there), we were stoked.

    When we sat down, we began to look at the menu (which, mind you, was in English). I flipped past the first page. Then on to page 2…then 3…and on to the 4th, 5th, and 6th pages. Then back to 1.  Then to 2…and so on.  I did this 4 times…I’m not kidding.  Our waiter approached the table and asked, “Are you ready to order?”  And you know what my decision was?  “Sorry, I’m not quite ready yet.”  When the waiter returned a couple minutes later, I had the same reply. And I was no closer to ordering than when I walked into the restaurant. Why?

    I had decision paralysis.

    There were so many choices that I just couldn’t decide what I wanted.  My guess is that there were over 100 menu items, each with a sentence or two description.  I was overwhelmed.  Hence, I couldn’t make a decision.

    It had nothing to do with the fact that I was torn between a couple of different items, with one good and another bad.  In fact, I have no doubt (based on how good our food was) that all of their food is superb.  I just couldn’t decide what I wanted.

    Think I’m weird?  The other 5 people at the table had the same problem when they were ordering.  There were just too many choices.

    And I think we fall into that same trap in our churches.  It seems like a good idea, right?  Offering a program that fits each person’s given wants seems intuitive.  Going the simple route is counter-intuitive.

    But if you try to be all things to all people, you’ll leave people confused. Paralyzed. Unable to move.  Not sure which direction to take.

    Take a look at your current discipleship structure.  Work your strategy so that you help your church grow healthy disciples, but don’t leave them so overwhelmed by choices that they end up making no choice.  By simplifying your structure, you leave room for people to invest in their families and community.   It also allows you (church leadership) to devote all of your energy towards that one discipleship plan, and execute it with excellence.

    I’m all about simplifying.  Maybe it’s time that your church or organization let dead programs go ahead and die.  Or start doing away with programs that aren’t accomplishing your strategy anymore.

    By offering less, you can actually offer more.

    But maybe I’m off base.  What do you think?

    Ever been a part of a church or organization that offered too many options?

     

    Bears, Bulls, and small groups

    September 27, 2010 / / 2 Comments

    This is going to be a great resource when it’s released, but until then, you’ll have to simply enjoy a new clip.  It will be released in January 2011 by Lifeway Christian Resources, and will be called Building Biblical Community.

    Here,  Steve Gladen and Bill Donahue give an example of how to not listen well.  Then give a brief example and explanation of how we should listen well.

    Enjoy!

     

    Renting Creativity

    September 27, 2010 / / 0 Comments

    I rent creativity from Starbucks.  And it costs me $2.30 (the exact price, coincidentally, as a Venti Bold coffee, black, filled to the rim).

    I need time away from my office, away from my desk and the normal demands of my job.  I can get so sucked into the day-to-day that I forget to lift my head up and move beyond the task list in front of me.  And if you’re a leader, you need that time, too.

    For the role it plays,  $2.30 is pretty cheap to rent a little creative space.

    Where do you go for creativity?  Is there something you listen to?  Read?

    How do you remove distractions so that you can lift your head up?

     

    Great products sell themselves

    September 21, 2010 / / 0 Comments

    I have an STM bag.  In fact, here’s a pic of my specific bag:

    Every day, I advertise for STM.  Do they pay me?  No…though I wish they did.

    I’m a walking billboard for the company, though, because I love my bag and take it with me everywhere.  It serves my needs well, protects my computer, and (I think) looks pretty awesome, too.

    If you put out a good product, it will do its own advertising.

    If you put out a bad product, it will do its own advertising.

    Whether it’s a product, a service, an experience, or life change, your organization is selling something.  Otherwise, you wouldn’t be doing what you’re doing.

    What kind of product is your organization putting out?

     

    5 Women leaders you should follow

    September 17, 2010 / / 2 Comments

    Continuing in my “Follow Friday” series (you can catch up HERE), I’d like to recommend 5 more people I think you should follow.

    This time, they all happen to be women.  And they’re all incredibly strong leaders.

    Jenni Catron – Executive Director at Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN, I first met Jenni as she led our staff in thinking critically about recruiting and maintaining volunteers.  Jenni is an incredible thinker and leader.  Read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.

    Lindsey Nobles – Director of Corporate Communications at Thomas Nelson Publishers, Lindsey is also a Compassion International Blogger, and just returned from Guatemala.  She’s a great writer.  You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.

    Rachel Evans – Author of Monkey Town, Rachel offers a refreshing look at faith and theology, and offers readers the freedom to doubt, question, and wrestle through major issues.  You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.

    Anne Jackson – Anne is an author and speaker, and her book Mad Church Disease (Amazon link) is an incredible read (I’m sure her newest, Permission to Speak Freely, is good, too…I just haven’t read it yet).  But the coolest thing about her is that she rode her bike across the entire country in order to raise money to build wells in Africa (via the Ride:Well Tour).  You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.

    Heather Zempel – Heather is the Discipleship Pastor at National Community Church in Washington, DC, and author of the small group study, Sacred Roads.  When I first came on staff at Grace, I began trying to connect with small group pastors around the country, and came across National Community Church.  I connected with Heather, and her blog was invaluable as I began to shape my views on small groups.  You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.

    Who would you have included in this list?

     

    4 Things Growing Churches Do

    September 14, 2010 / / 0 Comments

    I never joined a fraternity.

    I wasn’t a recluse at all…I had my circles of relationships.  I just didn’t ever join a fraternity.  And part of my reason for not joining was that I thought the whole thing was just weird.

    They wore different colors.  They were always busy with fraternity activities.  They had their own house.  Their own chants.  Their own jokes.  Their own handshakes.  Their own sections at the games.  Their own language.

    While fraternities had many positive things to offer (community, sense of belonging, lifelong friends, etc.) here are some negatives I noticed.

    Where Fraternities missed the mark, they:

    1. Were exclusivistic. If you weren’t one of them, you were treated like you were an outsider.

    2. Seemed to lose the individual to the collective whole. After a person joined a fraternity, their identity became wrapped up with that fraternity.

    3. Sent candidates through a long initiation process that, to those on the outside, was silly and pointless.

    4. Dominated people’s time, and kept them from integrating with the rest of the student body.

    I think this is what unhealthy churches do, too.  I know, I know…we should be developing healthy communities of people that love and care for each other.  But shouldn’t we want to grow?  Our goal as the Church isn’t to add just a certain type of the incoming class of freshmen…because our Savior died for people from every race and every tribe! If you want to add people to your local church (evangelism), you have to start thinking about how they will perceive what you do.

    So how do we do that?  Take a cue from what fraternities do.

    Growing churches…

    1. Aren’t exclusivistic. *Before you comment, please read below* Rather, these churches take an inclusive stance to those outside of the faith, positioning and presenting their local church in a way that doesn’t offend, but invites, outsiders to come and see.  These churches consistently think, “How will a first-time guest perceive, and understand, what we do here?”

    2. Give people the space to process, and the freedom to be themselves. If you’re producing drones that simply parrot back the “right” answer, never thinking and processing for themselves, then you’re doing a disservice to the individual God has created.  God has created us unique, and our uniqueness as individuals makes for a beautiful Church.

    3. Don’t make the integration process difficult. If someone is seeking and curious, give them the chance to explore.  Immediately!  Don’t make them go through a 12-week membership process before they can serve, join a small group, or feel like they’re a part of your church family.  Strike while that iron’s hot.

    4. Don’t dominate people’s time. Intuition says that more programs = more spiritual growth.  But if you have church activities every night of the week, how do you expect your church to truly be a vital part of the community?  How do you expect individuals to invest in their family?  How do you expect staff members to have any time of their own?  Advocating a simple model in your local church shows that you value investing in your community and in your families.

    What other things do growing churches do?

    *I’m not meaning theological exclusivity, as in the exclusivity of the Gospel (John 14:6).  My defense of that can come in another post.

     
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