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Sparking change

April 6, 2011 / / 7 Comments

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

 

 

 

Don’t overlook the young guys

April 4, 2011 / / 5 Comments
This is a series of posts where small group experts share how group life has impacted them personally.  The entire series can be found HERE.
Steve Gladen is the Pastor of Small Group Community at Saddleback Church. He oversees the strategic launch and development of their 3,500 adult small groups. His new book, Small Groups with Purpose, comes out in June 2011.  You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

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Flashback with me to 1977. While most of the living population was born, probably the readers of this blog weren’t born (as painful as that is to say). I was a junior in high school. I was also a new follower of Christ. What was high school like for me? Was I an ESPN 150 Top Pick?

Not even close.

Getting ready to attend my first prom?

No again.

I was actually a late bloomer in many ways. A scholar?

Nope. I had to struggle just to get C’s and B’s. Luckily, gym class was always there to pull up my GPA!

But, surely, I was a sought-after young Christian leader, right?

Not even close.

When I think of what phrase might best describe me during this time, it is “in the background.” I was not a part of the in-crowd, the Who’s Who, the pretty people, or those who were invited to parties. And, worse yet, I had no ideas or the plans for the future. I was clueless. My dad was in business, so I had a vague notion that I would head down that path too. And that pretty much summed up my goals at the time. I enjoyed my life and basically just took it one day at a time.

The Story Begins

Enter a man named Ron Swiger. Ron was an adult in my church who took me under his wing without me ever realizing he was doing it. Our church didn’t have small groups, but they did have Sunday School and a Bus Ministry (Google it – it was a phenomenon in the 1970’s). That Sunday School functioned much like a small group. The Bus Ministry included serving and evangelism. Although the methodologies I use today are different, I realize, now, what a powerful role Ron played in my life.

Ron made sure I was involved and gave me a place to belong. He asked me to be an assistant in the Bus Ministry on his bus. He spent time with me. He did ministry in such a way that I wanted to be like him. He was also my Sunday School teacher. He was far ahead of his time and was a master at promoting growth in his students. He taught me to pray. He challenged me to give back to God. He taught the Bible in a relevant way.

Most importantly, he modeled what he taught. That Sunday School class was probably the best disguised small group of the day. We didn’t just learn biblical facts, we learned how to live life together. We had parties, interacted with the greater church, did outreach events together, and learned to challenge each other to deal with the dark areas of our heart.

Were we perfect?  No. Did I apply everything I learned to my life?  No. But did that class make an impact in my life? Yes!

A growing seed

When Ron stepped out of the role as my mentor, another man stepped in, Bill Brown.  God used him to build on the foundation Ron had started.  During those years of high school, despite my clueless nature, a seed was planted for ministry.  That seed would not bloom for almost 8 years, but it was still firmly planted.  And I owe a lot to those two men and others who had community with me.

What’s the moral of the story? When you look across the horizon of your church, you might not see the next young leader. You might just see a bunch of “clueless” people.

But don’t overlook them.

Because two guys were willing to pour into my life, I am where I am today. Community is where people are shaped for the future. Be willing to shape those God has put before you – not the ones you want to shape.

Has anyone invested in you?

Are you investing in the next generation?

 

 

The Sunday experience

April 4, 2011 / / 4 Comments

My wife and I ate at a nice, swanky restaurant recently.

We felt like we were eating food that could be served on the Food Network.  Which is a far stretch from what we normally eat.  I learned what amuse bouche is (I had a pan-seared sea scallop with a slice of grapefruit, in warm vanilla sauce).  I had rillette and risotto…both of which I had to Google to know what they were.  The food was unbelievably good.

And as impressed as we were with the food, we were equally impressed with the service.  5 things stood out:

  1. We made our reservations online.  We’d never made online reservations for a restaurant before, but this process was incredibly easy.  We felt served even before we arrived at the restaurant.
  2. Our waitress was cross-trained.  She served our food, and could also talk us through the complimentary flavors, the local farms where they purchase their meat, and the precise way that each of our dishes was prepared.
  3. Our waitress wasn’t our only server…when we needed something, any server walking by would attend to our needs.
  4. I got up to use the restroom, and when I returned, my napkin was refolded and placed back on top of the table.
  5. The chef was feeling generous, and gave us a free tasting of his newest soup.

In short, it felt like the whole evening was about serving us, like we were truly honored guests.  And shouldn’t we be treated guests like that on Sunday morning in our churches?  Do we really offer that same level of service?  Because there are lessons to be learned here, whether your church is strong or weak when it comes to your Sunday morning experience.

Principles for serving on Sundays

  • Look for ways to surprise your guests with generosity. We paid a lot for our meal, but the fact that we felt served made us think less about the cost, and more about the experience.  And if “time is money,” then the people visiting your churches are “paying” a lot.  Make it worth their time.
  • Cross-train your volunteers and staff members. Our waitress cared about our entire experience, not just getting her tip.  And healthy team members know that, while their area of service may be primary for them, there’s a lot more that goes into a given person’s experience on Sundays than just their one area.
  • Serve relentlessly and creatively. The whole refolding-the-napkin-when-I-go-to-the-bathroom trick was awesome.  And it only took them 10 seconds.  But it took intentionality.  All of their servers had to keep an eye out for people who stood up to leave their table.  And that’s what it’s going to take to serve people on Sundays, too.
  • Prepared in advance to serve well. Serving with this level of class takes planning.  It doesn’t just happen naturally.  You, as staff and leaders, must plan ahead if you want your teams to serve well.  Brainstorming, dreaming, and mapping out action plans, is key if you want your guests to feel honored.
  • Know that Sundays aren’t the first, or last, impression. Our experience may have technically started when we arrived at the restaurant, but it certainly didn’t start, or end, there.  Taking this into account is important as you’re thinking through the message your church is conveying in your community and online.

Think, “What would this look and feel like for a first-time guest?”  Let that question propel you to creatively brainstorm with your team.

We’ve become raving fans of this restaurant.

Are you creating raving fans of your church?

What are you doing to creatively serve your guests?

 

Playmobil Apple Store

April 1, 2011 / / 1 Comment

I’m getting this for my son.  Today.

 

Do you have yours yet?

 

Aiming for 2nd place

March 31, 2011 / / 16 Comments

At a family dinner last week, I overheard one cousin ask another one this, about her recent dance competition:

Was it one of those competitions where you competed? Like for 1st or 2nd place?

The conversation then proceeded as normal.  She just wondered whether it was a competition with prizes or one where “everyone wins” or one where there are rankings when you’re done.  I get that.  But in the moment, I was struck by two words: 2nd place.

Nobody competes for 2nd place, do they?

If that’s your goal, any good coach would tell you you’ve sold yourself short.  Even if you’re not that good, you always start out competing for the grand prize.  No NFL team says, “We hope to lose the Super Bowl game this year.”  Coaches are honored and revered because they won the Super Bowl, not because they lost it.  Pitchers are remembered because they won the World Series.

Nobody dreams about ‘winning’ second place.

So why in our churches do we think it’s ok to aim for second place in areas like

  • leadership
  • church events
  • Sunday’s music
  • Sunday’s announcements
  • the resources we produce
  • the small groups we lead
  • the trainings we offer
  • the meetings we plan
  • the blogs we write
  • the conversations we have
  • our sermon series
  • our outreach initiatives
  • community impact

Does the Gospel make it ok for us to shoot for second? Because the message is so powerful, are we then given the freedom to not give our best effort to all areas of our life and ministry?  It’s tough to see how God is honored when we put forth half-hearted efforts.  Ever.

So let me be your coach today.  Don’t compete for 2nd place!  Give it all you’ve got!

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. – Philippians 3:14

 

A great blog resource

March 30, 2011 / / 4 Comments

I want to tell you (like I promised I would HERE) about a blog that I’m loving, and that you should check out.

It’s called “Turn the World Upside Down,” created by an online friend of mine, Jonathan Pearson.  Jonathan is the Communications Pastor at Cornerstone Community Church in Orangeburg, SC.

I know, I know…there are tons of new blog, with good content, vying for your attention.  So why should you read Jonathan’s?

5 Reasons you should read Turn the World Upside Down

1. He’s consistently producing high-quality content. No fluff here.  You’re getting stellar posts every time.

2. He consistently posts. You’re going to see fresh content from Jonathan almost every day of the week.

3. It’s going to challenge you in your relationship with God. Jonathan is a solid thinker, and his mind for theology is on point.  His eye for applying the Scriptures is fresh and challenging, and will encourage you to take steps of faith.

4. As a young pastor, Jonathan will stretch how you think. We young guys like to shake things up a bit…Jonathan thinks outside of the box from the way ministry “has” to operate, and for that, I appreciate his work.

5. 8s on the 8s. Just click the link to see why.

So hop on over to Jonathan’s blog HERE, and subscribe to get his blog automatically delivered HERE.  While you’re at it, give him a follow on Twitter HERE.

Have you connected with Jonathan yet?

I’d love to add your blog to my blogroll!  Just leave a comment HERE with your info, then add me to your blogroll…I’ll return the favor!

 

The frustrations of blogging

March 29, 2011 / / 30 Comments

I love blogging.  I really do.  I believe that the impact it can create is quicker than in any other media.  And the potential for a message to spread worldwide is present more in blogging than elsewhere in leadership and communication.

But there are things about blogging that frustrate me regularly.  And if they frustrate me, I am going to guess that they frustrate you, too.

Blogging frustrations

  • I’m the only one creating content for it. Nobody else is going to write for me.  Which, incidentally, is the most difficult part of blogging:  writing and creating content.  There are so many reasons you can find to not write.  And those times when you choose to not write…nobody else does that work for you.  In fact, “guest posts” end up being more work than writing my own!  (I’m compiling a series of guest posts from small group experts. You can read it HERE).
  • I’m the only one thinking about the design. And since nobody is volunteering to take on that role, it’ll stay with me.
  • SEO. If you don’t know what that is, just Google it.  Too lazy to Google it?  Click HERE.  Most days, I just want to write.  I don’t want to have to think about the back-end stuff.  But alas, I do.
  • Marketing. I don’t like pubbing my own stuff.  It feels self-serving, and that’s definitely not why I write.  Not in the least.
  • Short shelf life. A post is typically is dead after ~12-18 hours.  It’ll never be seen again.  And though someone could do a search for it, likely it’s going to sit in the archives and gather digital dust.

But these frustrations also push me to make the best content possible.  To make the greatest, short-term impact as I can, using this medium.

The impact that any given post can create is exponentially decreasing once you hit “publish.”

Create the best content that you can.  Stretch your mind.  Share your heart.  Make us think.

Are you ever frustrated by blogging?

Have you ever thought about starting one?

 

It happened one Thursday night

March 29, 2011 / / 3 Comments
This is a series of posts where small group experts share how group life has impacted them personally.  The entire series can be found HERE.
This is a guest post from Mark Howell, founder of SmallGroupResources.net, and Community Life Pastor at Parkview Christian Church. You should read Mark’s blog HERE, and follow him on twitter and Facebook.

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Ever read the Gospels and find yourself thinking, “Would have loved to be a fly on that wall!  What an amazing conversation! Wish I could’ve been there!”

One of those stories actually came to life for me not long ago.  We were studying the 10 commandments using The Ten by Liquid.  We were working our way through the session on “You shall not murder (Exodus 20:13).”  The way the study works is that it doesn’t stop with a look at the commandment itself.  It flows right into what Jesus had to say about the commandment in Matthew 5:21-22 and then what John had to say in 1 John 3:11-24.

In order to fully get the scene, you need to know a couple things about my group.

  1. My wife and I agreed to help some friends of ours get a group started to do 40 Days of Purpose.  But the thing is, they live about 35 minutes away.  We really weren’t in it for the long haul.  Just to help them get it started.
  2. As our group members went around and introduced themselves on that first night…we were amazed to find out that something like 9 of the 12 who were there had religious backgrounds where they really knew very little about the Bible.

Two things have been going on since we started in October.

  1. I dread that drive every week.  Just sayin’.
  2. Some amazing things happen almost every week.

Now back to the night we were talking about “you shall not murder.”  We were  wrestling with phrases like “anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment (Matthew 5:22)” and “anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him (1 John 3:15).

It was already quite a discussion.  And then…without warning three different group members blurted out the equivalent of “if that’s really the way it is then am I going to hell?”

Oh.  My.

It was seriously amazing.  I said, “That is a great question, you guys!  Let’s take a minute to clear up something right now.  If you have your Bible, turn over to 1 John 1:9 and let’s get something in concrete right now.”  And we spent the next few minutes making sure my new friends got the idea that we’re all human, that all of us have fallen short, and that God’s forgiveness is always only a moment away.  And not only that, but that our relationship with God is always secure.

What a night!  Easily one of the top 10 spiritual experiences of my life.  My friends left the group that night knowing a very big thing.  Their faith was strengthened.  And you know what?  So was mine!  I’ll never look at that commandment the same way again.  And neither will my friends.

Have you ever had a small group discussion that really clarified some part of the Christian life for you?

Have you ever had a “spiritual experience” in a small group?

 

Software tools I’m using right now

March 28, 2011 / / 10 Comments

You probably already know about Hootsuite as a Twitter client…and hopefully you use it.  I do. See why HERE.

You also probably already have an RSS reader (see my explanation of what RSS is HERE). No?  Then check out NetNewsWire (and my review HERE). I love how it syncs with my iPhone, and I can stay within the application to leave comments, ReTweet, and subscribe to new feeds.

But I want to tell you about a couple of software tools I’m using right now that are helping me to be more productive.

Productivity apps

Evernote – I use Evernote primarily for idea capture.  When I have an idea I want to remember, I record it in Evernote.  I used to use a Moleskine notebook to write things down…or whatever paper I found closest to me.  But what kept happening is that I would lose the paper, or didn’t have my notebook with me when I needed it.  Evernote is with me wherever I go…as long as I have my phone or computer with me…and it syncs up between my devices.

In addition to capturing ideas, I also use it when there’s a website or blog I need to go back and check later.  I just click the Evernote icon that I have installed as a plugin for Google Chrome (details on how to do that HERE), the web browser I use.

Wunderlist – I use Wunderlist for ongoing task management.  Whenever I have a task, I just add it to Wunderlist.  If I need a reminder, Wunderlist can send push notifications to my phone.

I have my lists divided up into the various areas that I am responsible for at work.  Each area has its own list.  So over the course of time, whether leading up to meetings or for projects I’m working on, I just add them to the list and don’t have to worry about forgetting to talk about it in the next meeting.

I can also share my lists, and have others collaborate on them, by clicking the icon and sending collaborators an email.  And when we make a change, it’s reflected on everybody’s lists.

The great news is that both of these applications are free cross-platform.  Meaning that they’re free as a desktop client or a mobile application.

Which means that you have no good excuse to not give these a shot.

Are there tools you’re using right now that are helping you be more productive?

 

Don’t be “too good” for me

March 27, 2011 / / 7 Comments

I am a learner.  And as such, I actually enjoy learning.

And when I started out as small groups pastor at Grace Community Church, I had no idea what I was doing.  Some days, I still feel like that.

So I started looking for a tribe.  I read books.  Blogs.  Twitter accounts.  I went to conferences.  Sent emails.  Made phone calls.  I just knew there had to be a tribe out there.

And I grew a ton through this process.  But I got a myriad of no-responses.  Or responses that went something like,

Well, I will be at this conference, and we can talk there…if you’re able to get to Dallas…tomorrow by 6 am.

I was just trying to build some relationships and learn from guys who had been blazing the path I was peering down.

The problem was that these guys were ‘too big’ for me. They were a bit too important to talk with a rookie in Tennessee. (although rock stars Heather Zempel, Alan Danielson, Mark Howell, and Rick Howerton (just to name a few) actually did take time to answer emails and phone calls…thanks guys!).

I never want to get so important that I can’t schedule time to talk with another person who wants to learn from my mistakes.  I never want to be the big shot that can’t walk someone else through principles that have helped me grow as a young pastor.

If I ever get that ‘important’ I have done something wrong.  The day that happens, please unfollow me on Twitter, block me on Facebook, and unsubscribe to my blog.  I’m not worth following at that point.*

Pride goes before destruction,
and haughtiness before a fall.

Better to live humbly with the poor
than to share plunder with the proud. – Proverbs 16:18-19

Will you give up the plunder with me?

*Note to future self: you’re not as awesome as you think you are.

 
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