Chip and Dan Heath, in their book Switch, referred to the idea of “scripting the step” as you’re walking yourself, or anybody, through the difficult process of change.

We (at Grace Community Church) made some strategic, but very practical, changes to help people “script the step,” and more easily move towards authentic, Gospel-centered community  in small groups. I wrote about some changes we made, and they’re over on Mark Howell’s blog today.

Head on over and check it out HERE.

And while you’re at it, track along with Mark on Twitter and Facebook.

 

image via BioJob Blog

Innovation asks, “What’s next?”

Innovation doesn’t stop with the latest success

or slow down with the last failure;

it trudges on amidst a flurry of opposition,

enduring through the “No!”

“Better” is its carrot.

“Enough” doesn’t compute.

“Finished” isn’t an option.

“Change” is its motto.

“Creation” its creed.

Innovation asks, “What’s next?”

 

Excellence doesn’t have to be expensive.

image via TypeInspire

A common misconception is that excellence is expensive. That you’re going to have to expand your budget, buy new “toys,” and constantly be on the cutting edge to have a service that is accomplished with excellence.

Thinking that excellence is tied with money is crippling. If you have the money, you’ll begin to rely on the money to do the work of excellence for you…that’s called laziness. If you don’t have the money, you’ll begin using the excuse, “We can’t do it as well as _____ because we just don’t have the resources.” Bologna. That’s a lack of utilization and equipping.

In the church world, where I spend my time and energy, I’ve seen plenty of leaders let excellence slide because they don’t have financial resources to pour into gadgets, lights, sound equipment, video equipment, new mics, and flashy “stuff.” And while that “stuff” looks nice, it doesn’t, in any way, guarantee excellence.

Want to pursue excellence as a local church? Here’s how you do it.

5 Easy Ways to Pursue Excellence

Execute your order of worship relentlessly.

I was recently a part of a service that was not planned well.  The worship leader didn’t know the lyrics well, and there were lots of gaps between songs, announcements, and the sermon.  Planning the order in advance so that everyone involved can see all of the details is crucial.  Running a rehearsal, including announcements, any videos, and any other elements are seen by everybody involved (before the live service) helps ensure major mistakes don’t happen.

Simplify.

The more programs you offer, the more diluted each becomes. And the less “excellent” each is, because each takes significant amounts of resources (time, energy, volunteers, money) to do well.  The simpler, more focused your church is, the more excellent you will be in each area.

Take pride in what you do.

Look around you. Take note of the little things. It’s often the small, seemingly insignificant gestures that go miles in promoting excellence. Here are a few things we do at Grace:

• pick up stray trash
• staff every door on Sundays with a welcoming person
• keep printed material up-to-date
• keep volunteers in the loop on information that new-comers will ask about
• offer good coffee
• set up an area on Sundays for moms with crying babies to still hear the service and not disturb others
• keep your website updated
• respond to emails promptly

Evaluate and improve constantly.

If an aspect of your church isn’t working, it’s time to change things up. Allowing a program to hang around because “we’ve always done it…” pushes excellence right out the window.  Evaluating, improving, and constantly being willing to change things that are broken encourages excellence across the board.

Celebrate.

If you feed something, it lives.  If you don’t, it dies.  Feed those actions, those habits, those strategical and forward-thinking moves that staff members and volunteers take.  When you feed those actions, they (and those they lead) will notice what your church values.  Thank them publicly.  Send them a note.  Throw them a party.  Celebrate steps in the right direction.

Pursuing excellence isn’t about money. It’s about the details. If what you’re offering (the Gospel) is valuable to your congregation, then casting it in the best light is vital.  Pursuing excellence does just that.

Are you serving in a church that pursues excellence?  What steps have you taken to get there?

 

It’s ok to do things differently.

Create.  Move.  Stir.  Inspire.  Experiment.

Continually.

But when you’re making the changes, don’t spark change by slamming other systems.

Slamming other churches and leaders isn’t

• professional
• Kingdom-oriented
• God-honoring
• ethical
• long-term beneficial
• good leadership

In the long run, what you’ll find is that stirring people to change through dissension will create leaders that are divisive, unruly, and un-leadable.  When they have an idea for change, instead of working through it and wrestling through the details, they’ll begin ripping other systems…maybe even the one they helped you create.

It’s hard to see how God is honored when our systems and churches flourish at the expense of others.

Unity is a difficult concept to maintain.  But it’s worth the effort, for your organization and your community.

Instead of the wanted change communicated through the lens of disunity and pride, try something different.  Cast vision for change because you’re confident about what God wants.  Because He has stirred your soul.  Because your community needs the Gospel.  Because your local church needs you.  Because He’s calling you to lead.

But don’t throw other churches and leaders under the bus in the process.

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. – Ephesians 4:3-6

 

This is a guest post by Jeremy Chandler, social media director at Souls 4 Souls, a charity that collects shoes and distributes them around the world.  Jeremy is all over Twitter and Facebook.

__________________________________________________________

Let’s go back a few years to when you first started noticing the potential social media could have (circa 2006). Back to the days when the idea of creating a community of friends in a digital world excited you.  Remember the days you actually had to ask someone if they were on Facebook?

Social Media not only connected us with friends from high school and new acquaintances, but people around the world who shared our same interests. It was a new and easy way for us to bond together for something greater than ourselves. With social media, we had the power of a new collaborative technology to impact the world in a way we never had before. People were joining together on sites like Facebook Causes to partner together to make a greater impact in the world. And it was awesome.

Since then, there’s been a shift of sorts in the fundamental thinking about social media. As more and more people are getting into it, the less “social” it is becoming. Over time, the chance to become a social media rock star has captivated our focus & intentions. It’s become more about the “me” than about the “we”.

The problem is that we’ve forgotten what made these elements so intriguing in the first place.

Think about it this way, when someone gives you a compliment in front of their friends in person, you don’t repeat what they just said about you or pull them off to the side & whisper thanks in their ear. Yet, in social media, we are quick to retweet nice words someone has said about us or send them a direct message saying thanks. I’m just as guilty as the next guy.

When we stop being social, we lose what this new media is all about. We’ve forfeited an opportunity to make a real difference in the world.

There is still hope. Jon Acuff has worked hard to develop his platform, but decided to use it to make a tangible difference in the lives of kids in India & Africa. TwitChange is an organization that is leveraging the fame celebrity twitter accounts have accrued to help nonprofits increase their impact.

So what does this mean for us? As social media continues to develop, no matter if its Facebook or Twitter or Quora, may we never forget the reason social media became so popular in the first place, and carefully guard against forfeiting something bigger than ourselves to make our name big.

What advice do you have about guarding yourself from social “ME”dia?

Have you seen how social media has become all about “Me”?

 

Every church has ‘movers and shakers.’  You know who I’m talking about.

They’re restless.  Never content with the status quo.  Always have a good idea.  Ready to move, grow, and change.  They want things shaken up.

They tend to frustrate people…at least the people who are comfortable and content with the way things are.  They’ve been called unruly and out of line.  Disrespectful and clueless.  They’re the ones who ‘just can’t be content with anything.’  They challenge the effectiveness of programs, methods, and the well-worn path.

Church leaders have to do something with these folks.  Because they don’t just slowly and quietly disappear if you ignore them.

What to do with Movers and Shakers

1. Ignore them. This will end up going badly for everybody.  Church leaders will be frustrated because these folks just keep stirring the pot.  The movers will be frustrated because nobody is moving with them.  Nobody will be happy.  Trust me.

2. Shut them down. This way, you maintain the status quo, get fewer feathers ruffled, and squeeze out the mover.  You stifle change, and avoid risk.

3. Listen to their ideas. Give them a voice, and hear how God is stirring their hearts.  Work to see how their thoughts fit within the culture of your people.  And be willing to adapt your methods if these ideas can help further the Kingdom.

I’m convinced that God stirs discontentment in people’s hearts for a reason.  It’s no accident.  And if you believe that God is sovereign, you’ve got to affirm the same.

God loves His Church and wants to see her prosper.  And, yes, God doesn’t change.  But He’s perfect…we’re not.  We should be continually evaluating our systems and methods to help more and more people come to a saving faith in Christ. Because if what we’re doing isn’t increasingly leading those who are far from Christ to take steps of faith towards him…then let’s change some things and reverse that trend.  And if the ideas that are brought to the table by the movers and shakers doesn’t seem to fit who you are and what God’s calling you as a local church to do and be…then consider sending them out as church planters to do what God’s calling them to do.  Not sending them out as heretics…but as people on mission.

Continue to tweak.  Improve.  Move and shake.

Have you ever been a part of a church that pushes ‘movers and shakers’ away?

Are you a ‘mover and shaker’?  How has the Church served you well?

 

I love Christmas music.  It gets me in the mood to celebrate Christmas.

On Thanksgiving Day this year, we drove to my in-law’s house, about an hour away.  The whole way there and back, we listened to Christmas music.  Singing…smiling…talking about the upcoming holiday season.  I even set up a station on Pandora so I could listen to Christmas music when I was working in the house.  Wherever I turned, it was Christmas music.  I couldn’t get enough of it.

But the day after Christmas, I was done with that stuff.  It was almost repulsive.  I deleted the station off of Pandora.  Took the music off of my iPod.

And in the process, I learned a few things that we can apply to our churches and organizations.

What we can learn from Christmas music

1. Sometimes less is more. The fact that Christmas music only comes around once/year, and only for a month at that, makes it that much more exciting and meaningful.  People can get tired of a good thing.  Case-in-point: Christmas music.  Good ideas have short shelf lives.  Christmas music is a great idea around the holidays…but don’t think that that same idea will work in May.  Move on to another genre.

2. Change for change sake is good. I was so ready for a change on December 26th.  The music that had, the weeks prior, gotten me in the mood to celebrate Christmas now felt old.  Those Christmas carols needed to go.

3. Sometimes any change is a good change. Feel stuck?  Change something.  It’ll feel good, and keep the ball rolling forward.  Change feels like progress (whether it actually is or not).  Putting away the Christmas decorations and turning off the Christmas music feels good.  Like I’m taking a step forward.

4. When you do the same thing the same way, people will get bored. Christmas music works because, in January, you’re going to stop hearing it.  We’d all get bored if we heard the same music all year.  And when we get bored, we tune out…and stuff loses its meaning and significance.

5. Be willing to do away with your model. Andy Stanley says, “Marry your values, but date your model.”  As organizational leaders, we must know what our core values are.  Those are un-compromisable.  But our model should be constantly changing as it, over time, begins to shift us away from our core values.

Christmas music sounds awful right now. Because I’ve worn out the holiday stuff. Put up the tree. Boxed up the ornaments. Unplugged the lights.  And moved on.

And it feels so good.

Do you need to shake some things up in your church?

What things need to change?

Does “change for change sake” need to happen?

 

Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.

If they watch every cloud, they never harvest. (Ecclesiastes 11:4)

Change is difficult, no matter who or what you’re trying to change.  We humans quickly habitualize (yep, I just made that word up), meaning that even changing things that aren’t “old and stuffy” is a big task.

Don’t find yourself noticing what needs to change, but paralyzed while you’re waiting for the “perfect” climate.  Or the “perfect” new small group leader.  Or having just the right amount of time.  Or having enough resources.  Or…well…the “perfect” anything.

And the moment you find the “perfect” situation, be ready…a storm is likely on its heels.

If you’re waiting for everything to line up perfectly, change will never happen.

Where things don’t line up “perfectly,” creativity, collaboration, and hard work more than make up the difference.

Leaders know what changes need to happen.  And they go ahead and “plant.”  Because if you never plant, you’ll never harvest.

What changes need to happen in your church?  In your small group?  In your life?

 

Our culture works hard to prevent change. We have long had systems and organizations and standards designed to dissuade people from challenging the status quo. We enforce our systems and call whoever is crazy enough to challenge them a heretic. And society enforces the standards at the stake, either literally or figuratively. – Tribes, Seth Godin, p. 73

Are you a part of an organization that embraces change?  That encourages people who challenge the system?

If not, then be ready to welcome irrelevance and ineffectiveness.

 

Whether you’re a church leader, a business leader, a small group leader, or the leader of a local gang, you should constantly evaluate your system.

We just had a small groups launch yesterday at Grace Community Church.  10 new small groups launched, with over 150 people committing to joining new groups.  Amazing, right?!?

There’s room for improvement.

There was room for improvement last time we had Connect.

There was room for improvement this time.

• We had more people indicate they wanted to attend the event than actually showed up.  That’s a problem.
• We had people attend the event, but not actually sign up for a group.  That’s a problem.
• We had people who needed to be in a small group, but neither showed interest nor showed up for the event.  That’s a problem.
• We had people who showed up to the event, signed up for a group, but have already sent me an email and have dropped out.  That’s a problem.

I’m not a prophet, but I’m going to make a statement that will inevitably come true: There will be room for improvement next time.

We don’t allow these problems to cripple us, but rather we learn and grow from them.  Some we can’t help.  But others we can.

I’m willing to change the system, if that’s what’s needed, in order to more effectively carry out our vision.

As the old saying goes, “Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater.”  But what’s often not said:

“Go ahead and throw out that bathwater.”