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Good leaders practice making good decisions

Decisions.

How we make them is a hallmark between pastors who are naturally hardwired by God to lead declining churches to renewal (roughly 15 percent of those in ministry) and their ministry colleagues who aren’t similarly wired.

Contrary to what we expected, our research revealed that rapid fire decision makers are generally poorer at leading church turnarounds. In contrast, the most effective renewal leaders are those who are slow, thoughtful and collaborative decision makers.

Fortunately, pastors can learn to be more effective decision makers. We’ve developed a variety of techniques that we impart in our mentoring relationships. Here are two; one helps the “ready, fire, aim!” crowd work more deliberately, the other insures that impulsive decision makers bring others along with them.

Rule of 3

This simple exercise not only requires greater deliberation, it also boosts creativity by requiring you to think of multiple options before settling on a decision. It’s a simple exercise.

  • At the top of a blank sheet of paper, write down the decision that needs to be made. Include a few details highlighting the nature of the problem. Underneath that write out how you’ve solve this problem (or seen others solve it) in the past.
  • Draw a vertical line down the center of the page
  • In the left-hand column write out what you’re leaning toward for this decision.
  • In the right-hand column list at least three new options, all of which are outside your “tried and true” zone.
  • Pray over this for several days.
  • Consult with your mentor or coach to discuss the options.

Decision alignment

Impulsive pastors tend to make decisions without giving careful thought to who will be affected. It’s easy for a pastor, particularly the solo pastor of a small church, to turn someone else’s work upside down by making rapid decisions. (Could this be one reason why the snap decision makers tend to pastor stagnant churches?)

Fortunately, this is also easily fixed.

  • Look at what’s on your calendar for the next quarter.
  • List what decisions you need to make over that quarter.
  • Reverse engineer those decisions to see who will be affected by them. (Don’t stop with just one name; more often than not multiple people are touched by a given decision).
  • Set appointments in your calendar for when, where, and how you’ll discuss these decisions with each person who will be affected. Jot a few notes about what you plan to say about those decisions.
  • Confirm those appointments by phone or email. Drop a “reminder” so that you’ll be reminded a few days ahead of time so you can review your notes and be ready for a thoughtful discussion that brings each person into the process.

“Ready, fire, aim” isn’t just a bad idea. It’s ineffective leadership. By practicing the rule of 3 and decision alignment, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a thoughtful, innovative and collaborative decision maker. And those are the ones who lead churches in renewal.

 

Originally Posted Here

 

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10 Warning Signs a Servant Leader Has Become the ‘King’ of His Kingdom

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“Here are some signs that a leader has become the “king.”

As Christian leaders, we are called to serve others even as we’re completely reliant on God. Too often, though, a leader who was once a servant wrongly transitions into being the king of his own kingdom. Here are some signs that a leader has become the “king”:

1. Even if he invites discussion from church leaders, he does not change his mind. The “discussion” is in name only, as his decisions are already made.

2. He sees everyone else as expendable. If he’s worried about church members leaving, you’d never know it. In fact, he can usually hyper-spiritualize the reasons that others leave.

3. He is seldom, if ever, wrong. Kings somehow convince themselves that nobody can do things as well as they can. Everybody else still has something to learn.

4. Staff members tend to stay for only a short time. Kings are good at recruiting strong staff members, but not so good at keeping the best of them. Kings want dependents more than co-laborers.

5. He seldom allows others to preach. The pulpit becomes his platform, and he rarely gives up that position, even for a single Sunday. He’s most unwilling to share that space with gifted speakers he might perceive as more gifted than he.

6. He treats others as “subjects.” That is, people become a means to an end: tools to help him build his kingdom more than brothers and sisters in Christ.

7. He demands unquestioned loyalty. Even the slightest sign of disagreement is considered rebellion.

8. He expands his kingdom broadly, but not deeply. After all, deeply-developed kingdoms require serious discipleship—and genuine disciples would recognize the problem with a king’s leadership style.

9. Often, those who know him best question his spirituality. That’s not a surprise, though. Kings depend on themselves, not God.

10. He does not consider leadership succession. He might talk about retirement at some point, but it’s often just talk. Kings don’t give up their position easily.

Lest we judge the “king” leader too seriously, though, all of us are susceptible to moving in this unhealthy direction. Pride is always a temptation for Christian leaders.

Originally posted here

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10 Ways to Create More Margin in Your Time

8.1.CC.HOME_.WaysCreateMarginTime

“How do you fit more into an already busy schedule?”

How do you fit more into an already busy schedule?

Isn’t this a great question?

Because, aren’t you being asked to do so all the time? Isn’t your standard reply to the question “how are you?”—BUSY? Aren’t we all?

How do you create more margin in your schedule—to do the things you want to do and the things you need to do?

 

Here are a 10 tips to help create more time margin:

Start your day with God.

Of course a pastor would say this, but it is amazing if I start the day talking to God about my day how much better my day flows. If I ask God for margin in my time and to help me complete my “to do” list, He actually seems to listen and help me. (Try it!)

Prioritize your life.

It is important to have a life purpose. What do you value most? Without knowing this we find ourselves chasing after many things that have little value. Have you discovered why you are here and what God has most for you in life and in this season of life? If not, start here.

Make sure your priorities line up with your desires.

This sounds like a contradiction in terms, but it is not. Many times, we say our purpose is one thing, but what we actually do is something entirely different. This is often because people are going to do what people want to do. We may need to ask God to change our heart and plant in us His desires.

Stop unnecessary time-wasters.

If you “veg” out every night on three-plus hours of television or browsing Facebook, don’t be surprised you didn’t get to spend a lot of quality time with your children or friends. Most of us form bad habits or have unorganized methods of doing something that waste bulks of our time. Make a list of what you spend the most time doing and see if there are places you can cut. (I suspect there will be.)

Work smarter.

I can’t imagine being successful and leading a team without some system of calendaring your week or keeping a planner, yet I know so many pastors and other ministers who simply handle things as they come up rather than work with a plan. The benefit of organization is that you can do what you need to do more efficiently and faster and be more productive. Give a shoutout to the checklist people!

Schedule times to organize.

This is so important, but most people don’t do it. Spending an hour or two actually planning the week will make the whole week more productive. Usually for me this is the first part of my week. If I know where I’m headed and my work space is organized for efficiency, it’s much easier to get everything done and still handle distractions, which are sure to come.

Do the most necessary things first.

You may have tried the A/B/C list of scheduling priorities. It doesn’t matter what system you use, but the important thing is you have one and use it to help your rate of completion. (And, this may be rest, it might be family or it could be the project you have to complete today.)

Don’t say yes to everything.

Be picky with your time allotment based again on your end priorities and goals.

Schedule down time.

Especially when my boys were younger, I would write on my calendar time for them. This may sound mechanical, but it allows you to be there and keeps things and others from filling up your schedule. (I still schedule this time for Cheryl—and, it sounds counterproductive, but we get away even more frequently during busier seasons.)

Evaluate your schedule often.

Plans should not be implemented and then ignored. Develop your plan to create margin in your life, then periodically review the plan to see how you are doing and what needs to be changed.

For some people just reading this is laborsome. I especially encourage those of you geared this way to push through the difficult part of this and give it a try. You will be surprised what a positive difference it will have on your life.

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Eight Common Mistakes Rookie Pastors Make

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By Thom Rainer

I met one of the most stupid rookie pastors I’ve ever known.

The year was 1984. I saw him when I looked in the mirror.

It is excruciating for me to recall some of the dumb things I did. I am so grateful for church members who demonstrated love and grace. I am thankful I did not do something so stupid that it had a lasting impact on my ministry.

I love pastors. I love rookie pastors. As I have worked with hundreds of rookie pastors over the years, I see a pattern of mistakes many of them make. I pray my highlighting of these eight common mistakes will be helpful to some of you.

  1. They handle personnel issues with difficulty. Most of these rookies have never had direct supervisory responsibility or led an organization. They often have difficulty confronting direct reports. They can make rash decisions without considering the unintended consequences.
  2. They amplify criticisms. Most of us don’t enjoy criticism. Rookie pastors often have never been criticized as a leader. The criticism stings, and the pastors can make more of the criticism than they should.
  3. They are not disciplined with their schedules. Not only are most rookie pastors in a leadership role for the first time, they are put in the unstructured role of a pastor. Many of them have no idea how to utilize their time effectively. They either become workaholics, lazy bums, absentee pastors, or inefficient users of time.
  4. They don’t often ask for help. Many of them desperately need help in business, finance, counseling, time management, conflict resolution, preaching, leadership, and many other areas.
  5. They demonstrate favoritism. When you spend most of your time with a select group of people in the secular world, it’s called “relationships.” When you spend most of your time with a select group of people in the church, it’s called “favoritism.”
  6. They don’t seek feedback or coaching. They either don’t want to hear it, or they don’t know how to get it.
  7. They don’t continue their education. Education should not end with seminary or Bible college. It should be ongoing, either formal or informal.
  8. They are influenced by the latest fad or group. One rookie pastor got most of his leadership insights from a group who had no idea about the context in which he ministered. He listened to them and made some grave mistakes.

One of the reasons I do what I do is to help pastors as much as possible, both rookies and veterans. I pray these words will prove beneficial to you who are just beginning a lifetime of ministry as a local church pastor.

 

Originally posted here

 

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8 Things highly effective people do

Be more productive

  1. They focus on hours even down to the minutes, not days. Most people default to hour and half-hour blocks on their calendar; highly successful people know that there are 1,440 minutes in every day and that there is nothing more valuable than time. Money can be lost and made again, but time spent can never be reclaimed.

They are Driven – always working, moving thinking.  They seldom waste time.

 

  1. They intently focus on only one thing in bursts of uninterrupted time.

They work in one to two hours periods, without interruptions.

What task will have the biggest impact on life, ministry and work?

What accomplishment will get the vision successfully operational?

That’s what you should dedicate your mornings to every day.

 

They minimize interruptions – process e-mails only a few times a day. Ultra-productive people don’t “check” their e-mail throughout the day. They don’t respond to each vibration or ding to see who has intruded into their inbox. Instead, like everything else, they schedule time to process their e-mails quickly and efficiently. For some, that’s only once a day; for others, it’s morning, noon, and night.

  1. They turn to-do lists into plans.

Automate – repetitive tasks (autoresponders, Social media schedulers, Online banking etc.)

 

Delegate – Ultra-productive people don’t ask, “How can I do this task?” Instead, they ask, “How can this task get done?” They take the I out of it as much as possible. Super-productive people don’t have control issues, and they are not micro-managers. In many cases, good enough is, well, good enough.

 

They follow the 80/20 rule. Known as the Pareto Principle, in most cases, 80% of results come from only 20% of activities. Ultra-productive people know which activities drive the greatest results. Focus on those and give minimal attention to the rest.

Train the people who show up and get involved – they will minister to the 80%

 

Procrastinate – It turns out that only 41% of items on to-do lists ever get done.

 

Reduce duplicated decisions; they process things and tasks only once. How many times have you opened a piece of regular mail—a bill perhaps—and then put it down, only to deal with it again later? How often do you read an e-mail and then close it and leave it in your inbox to deal with later? Highly successful people try to “touch it once.” If it takes less than five or ten minutes—whatever it is—they deal with it right then and there. It reduces stress, since it won’t be in the back of their minds, and it is more efficient, since they won’t have to re-read or re-evaluate the item again in the future.

To-Do-Lists usually rob us of priority.  We put things in our schedule by what can be accomplished in the time allotted. That is not the most effective method.  It should be done by what will add the most significance to life, work and play.

Now schedule priorities on your calendar. Highly productive people put everything on their calendar and then work and live by that calendar.

 

  1. They make it home for dinner. Yes they value work, but also value personal significance at home. They value family time, exercise, and giving back. They consciously allocate their 1,440 minutes a day to each area they value (i.e., they put them on their calendar), and then they stick to that schedule.

    5. They use a note pad or journal.     We often lose great ideas because mind clutter. Ultra-productive people free their minds by writing everything down as the thoughts come to them. A great way to avoid distraction during prayer is to have a notepad available to write down important things that come to mind to attend to after prayer time is complete.

    6. They limit meetings and stick to a tight agenda.     Meetings are notorious time killers. They start late, have the wrong people in them, meander around their topics, and run long. You should get out of meetings whenever you can and hold fewer of them yourself. If you do run a meeting, keep it short and to the point.

    7. They say “no” to more things than not.     When you are saying Yes to something you are saying no to an infinite amount of things you could or should be doing. Make sure it is significant to what God has called you to. 

  2. They practice a consistent routine for mind, body and spirit – The most productive people nurtured their bodies in the morning with water, a healthy breakfast, light exercise, and they nurtured their minds with meditation or prayer, inspirational reading, or journaling.

Energy is everything. You can’t make more minutes in the day, but you can increase your energy to increase your attention, focus, and productivity. Highly successful people don’t skip meals, sleep, or breaks in the pursuit of more, more, more. Instead, they view food as fuel, sleep as recovery, and breaks as opportunities to recharge in order to get even more done.

 

Adapted from original post found here

 

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The Good and Bad in Church Communication

3 Top Church Communication Mistakes and How to Fix Them

 

Have you ever had a conversation where you thought you were being totally clear? Only to realize later, that the person you were talking to understood the conversation differently.

You both were talking about the same thing, but what was communicated was very different.

Unfortunately, church communications can be this way too.

I’ve had pastors share things like…

“We spent a bunch of money trying {insert great idea} but it didn’t work.”

“I can tell you what doesn’t work, but I have no idea what does.”

We’ve got great ministry ideas, and we’re working hard to connect people, but something isn’t working. We assume the issue is the event  or a lack of interest by the congregation.

The interesting part is, the “great idea” is seldom the problem. Other churches are doing similar things and having good responses.

More often then not, the issue is actually a communication challenge. What we think we’re saying and what the listener is hearing are two different things.

Thankfully, there are simple fixes to these communication challenges.

Here are 3 Top Church Communication Mistakes and How to Fix Them:

1) We Say Too Much

Please understand me on this. I’m not talking about saying less about the gospel. I’m talking about the volume of information we throw at people each week.

Our congregation and guests have limited bandwidth. We spend all week thinking about our ministry plans, but they haven’t. When we throw everything at them at once nothing sticks. A typical listener can only take in so much information before they shut down and stop listening.

Solution: Be intentional about what we share.

Pick the top 3-4 things in the life of your church and share about them well. This is best done with a calendar so you aren’t caught off guard as events approach.

A good rule is… a ministry opportunity needs to relate to 50% of those in attendance for you to share about it. If it doesn’t, you should find ways to share with just the people who need to hear it.

Example: Women’s Retreat – relates to 50%+ of Sunday morning attenders = Share

Men’s Woodworking Class – doesn’t relate to 50%+ of Sunday morning attenders = Find other ways to share with interested people

 

2) We Only Talk to Insiders

I recently found a “secret menu” for In-N-Out Burger (a California based fast food chain).

The menus includes creative ways to take their basic ingredients (burger, fries and drinks) and switch them up.

I’ve been going to In-N-Out for 20+ years and had no idea these options existed. I can get grilled onions on my burger and my wife can have a Lemon-Up (combo lemonade and 7-Up).

Why didn’t we know?

Because they haven’t printed the information on the menu board. The menu is so simple, you have to know what to ask for or they will serve it like they always have.

Unfortunately, we treat our church guests much the same. Assuming they have context and understanding about our church that they don’t have.

We announce events in ways insiders understand but guests don’t…

Join us for Bible Study on Wednesday in the MPR.

Guests need to know more.

Solution: Answer the questions guests would be asking . . .

  • Who is this event for for?
  • What time is it occuring?
  • What is the full name of the location?
  • Where would I find this room on campus?
  • Can my kids come too?

 Example: Life can be confusing! Join our adult Bible study as we talk through practical ways to gain wisdom and understanding. Wednesdays, 7 pm, Main Office Lobby. Child-care is available by reservation.

3) We Share Details With No Heart

The power of the Gospel is it’s ability to connect people to God. Broken people with real troubles, challenges, hopes and dreams. People who want something more from the life they are living and don’t want to waste time on trivial things.

Our guests come to church each week and we fill them in on all the “exciting ways to get involved.” But they don’t connect.

Why?

Because they approach every opportunity, subconsciously or not, with a mental question…

“What’s in it for me?”

They want to know what makes this opportunity something worth considering, and boring announcements with event details aren’t enough. Our guests are hungry for the solutions God offers. It’s our responsibility to show them.

 Solution: Highlight the benefit of attending and participating.

Go beyond the details and present examples of life change in your ministry. Look at: previous attenders, congregation members, your community. Share the way God has used the ministry in the past and the difference it can make for those in similar situations.

If your church is struggling with these church communication mistakes don’t worry. There is hope.

You can reverse the trend by doing one thing…

Solution: Say Less + With Greater Clarity + In Ways That Connect With People
Do it consistently and you will see growth in your congregation.

Neglect it and you will struggle to connect and retain new people.

Originally posted here

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Systems and Processes in Ministry

How systems support ministry

How systems support ministry

“The systems you inherit, adopt or create will eventually impact what staff and volunteers do.” — Andy Stanley

Systems are simply a set of procedures or processes established for achieving a specific result. An easy example is the system you develop for processing invoices or adding new members to the church database. You likely have a standard set of tasks someone on the team repeats week after week to result in bills paid or members added.

For church administrators, systems are part of your weekly routine. For other members of the church staff, the systems may be in place, but they may not call them such or want to embrace the concept. Systems may seem restrictive or too business-like for ministry environments.

However, systems actually support ministry.

Systems drive results

We all want certain results or outcomes from our ministry efforts, right?

  • We want our church to grow
  • We want to see people come to Christ
  • We want marriages restored
  • We want children growing up in loving homes honoring and respecting God
  • We want strong families and friendships to grow from their involvement with their church family

Those are great results to desire, but they don’t happen on accident.

For example: How do you get the result of seeing people come to Christ?

First, you need to create a culture where your congregation invites unchurched friends. Then, you need a system to ensure your sermons are relatable to people who haven’t yet decided to follow Christ. You also need a system to guide them to the next step (attending a small group where they can ask questions about Christianity, etc.).

When you’re not achieving the results you want, take a close look at your systems. Are they intentional steps you’ve put into place or a series of tasks your team just adopted over time?

Examine your systems and adjust as needed to get the results you want.

Systems help you grow the team

It’s much easier to train new team members or volunteers when you have a system.

New volunteer needs to learn how to check in children on Sunday morning? Simple. We have a standard process for that, and it’s even documented in a simple checklist.

Want to train a back up to handle accounts payable while you’re on vacation? No problem. Here’s the list of steps for processing and paying invoices.

The key here is to document these systems and make the documentation easy to use. Anyone should be able to follow the steps in your documentation and, without any help from you, complete the process.

Creating the documentation is simple:

  • Perform the process and document each task (including every mouse click and menu option)
  • Ask someone on staff who’s never performed that task before to follow the documentation with you present
  • Take notes of any questions he/she asks or directions that aren’t completely clear
  • Update the documentation accordingly

Use the documentation for training new team members or volunteers. Create simple checklists you can post in volunteer areas to remind people of the steps.

But don’t get complacent

While systems are great for supporting ministry, stale systems can start to inhibit your efforts.

The key to making sure this doesn’t happen is evaluating and updating systems regularly. This goes back to the desired results of your church leadership and whether the systems are producing those results.

If you’re getting feedback from volunteers who are not sure what you’re asking them to do or that a certain process feels too cumbersome, review the system. Make some adjustments to find what works.

Remember: What worked five years ago may not work at all now. Don’t get so committed to your systems that you’re not willing to change based on new conditions (larger congregation, changes in your community, new technology options and more).

Developing, maintaining and improving these systems takes intentional effort. While it can be a lot of work, you’re much more likely to achieve the results you desire if you invest time in quality systems that support ministry.

Originally posted here

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More Church Planting—Not Less—Is Needed

Now is the Time

Here are 5 realities for more effective church planting efforts. |
Ed Stetzer

Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with and speak to the SoCal Network Assemblies of God about church planting. Pastor Rich Guerra has been doing a tremendous job at SoCal Network. He has a vision of seeing 200 churches planted by 2020 to reach the 16 million people in their target audience. To encourage them in this vision, I was asked to share how to increase their church planting capacity. Here are the five realities applicable to SoCal, and any other denomination or church planting network. This outline is basically what I presented.

After this article, I’ve excerpted a just published article I wrote about Southern Baptist Convention church planting. You can see it here.

Among the best ways for us to reach people with the gospel is personal evangelism and church planting. Even with all the changes in culture this remains our best option for reaching unbelievers.

Church planting efforts need focus. A scattershot approach will not be the most effective.

Here are five things we are going to need to increase church planting capacity.

1. We’re going to need more engagement from more churches.

Let’s face it, most churches are cul-de-sacs on the Great Commission highway. But if we are going to increase church planting efforts, we need more churches hopping onto the highway.

In order to merely break even in membership growth, we need a church plant growth rate of about a 3 percent per year. To put it into perspective, at 100 churches, there needs to be three new churches per year. While 3 percent is the minimum, I encouraged the SoCal Network to aim for a 10 percent church planting rate, which is the best denominational statistic we have out there for a movement.

It’s doable right now.

I know that it is easier said than done, but when the Vineyard, Calvary Chapel, and Hope Chapel movements were launched out of Southern California a few decades ago, they often planted at a 50 percent rate.

So in our lifetime we’ve actually seen a rate far beyond 10 percent!

But the key is having more churches engaging in church planting.

2. We’re going to need more planters.

If we are going to have more churches engaging in church planting—especially to keep up with the population increase—we will need more planters. It’s that simple.

My prayer is that more men and women will say, “Yes” to Jesus, or “Here am I Lord, send me,” and be a part of church planting teams.

I also pray that as more planters answer the call to go and plant, the leaders in our churches, networks, and denominations will show great grace to them. I’ve seen it over and over again, where a church planting network or denomination looks for a self-starter, a go-getter, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a maverick, but becomes easily agitated, offended, and upset when the church planter doesn’t always listen to their advice or fit within the system they are trying to create.

In increasing our capacity for church planting, think running lanes not boxes. Boxes stifle and hinder creativity and flexibility. Running lanes provide boundaries with freedom.

Thus, church planting networks and denominations must create running lanes for church planters to run passionately forward for the glory of God and the good of the city or community in which they are planting.

3. We’re going to need more sacrifice.

Answering the call to “go” requires sacrifice. It will require sacrifice for all parties—individuals, churches, networks, and denominations. Individuals may have to sacrifice the comfort and stability of an established church. They may have to sacrifice the comfort of a suburb and move into the urban core.

Churches may have to sacrifice their best leaders—along with some of their best members—to plant. J.D. Greear, in his book Gaining By Losing, talks about both the pain and joy of sending their best to plant churches. Sacrificing a church’s best for the sake of God’s mission is scary and painful; yet it is an investment that potentially leads to great dividends for both the kingdom of God and the sending church.

Networks and denominations may have to sacrifice good things for main things. I like what I heard Rick Warren say once, “too many irons in the fire can put out the fire.” When it comes to being committed to church planting, networks and denominations may have to say “no” to some things in order to stay committed to the task of church planting. Trying to do a lot of good things may hinder doing some great things well—especially church planting.

I truly believe that a non-sacrificing version of church planting and mission will not reach the world for Jesus. If sacrifice was required for Jesus to save the world, sacrifice will be required for us to reach the world.

4. We’re going to need more models.

There needs to be openness to more new and different models. Some church planters aren’t going to plant churches like we’ve seen planted, or that we would plant. That’s a good thing.

Reaching a changing and diverse culture will require the implementation of new church planting models. [I have actually written an entire blog series on church planting models.]

There will be the need to plant simple organic house churches in areas that are disenfranchised with the institutional church, missional incarnational churches that meet in local cafés they may own and operate, launch big churches that use public and private schools for their gatherings, or satellite campuses that saturate a region in desperate need of the gospel.

Regardless of the model, the common element present (or that should be present) in each model is the gospel.

Although the models or manifestations of church may be different, the gospel is the same. We shouldn’t be bothered by the various models in existence now or in the future. I have said before, and I will say again, we need to hold our models loosely and our Jesus firmly.

5. We’re going to need more power.

This, by far, is the most important need. Acts 1:8 states, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses.” In addition, after Jesus told His disciples, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you,” He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:21, 22).

Jesus knew His followers needed a power far greater than what they humanly possessed if they were to fulfill the mission to which they were called.

If we are going to see an increased capacity of church planting, we must be empowered and equipped by the Spirit.

To a degree, we can manufacture church planting, but we cannot manufacture a church planting movement. In order for a church planting movement to occur—one that advances the gospel, makes much of Jesus, and transforms communities—the Spirit of God must be powerfully working in us so that He can powerfully work through us.

I don’t know the future of church planting among the SoCal Network, nor of the many other North American church planting networks and denominations. But I am optimistic as long as we have the power of the Spirit filling us with and leading us to show and share the love of Jesus. I believe when this happens more churches will jump on the Great Commission highway and engage in church planting as opposed to being stuck in the safe cul-de-sac.

Originally posted here

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20 Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Pastor

Difficult but true

By
Let’s cut the fluff and get real for a moment. Being a pastor is incredibly difficult.

The church is often guilty of only painting a picture of the wonderful blessings of being called to ministry—like it only gets better day after day.

things I wish I knew before becoming a pastor

We somehow forget to talk about the suffering involved. Did we forget, or are afraid people won’t go into ministry if they know the truth?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there are some things we are failing to prepare new pastors for.

Here are some things I wish someone would have sat down and told 20-year-old me. I have spent the last decade learning these the hard way:

Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Pastor

1. It will be the hardest thing you ever do.

No seriously, it is really, really, really hard! Imagine the most difficult thing you have done and multiply it by a hundred. That may be close to how hard ministry is. If you want to be a pastor because it sounds fun or easy, do something else.

2. Integrity and a love for Christ will not be enough; you have to be able to lead people.

Your character and love for Christ are the requirements for entry. These are crucial and more important than anything. However, no matter how godly you are, if you cannot lead people, you will struggle.

3. People will avoid you, and act weird simply because you are a pastor.

People will act one way when you are around, and another when you aren’t. Others will avoid you because you represent God, and they feel guilty. This is why many pastors dread the inevitable question when meeting someone new: “So, what do you do for a living?”

4. People will expect you to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You will get midnight phone calls and texts. Some will be urgent; others can wait. You will have to set boundaries in your schedule because a pastor’s job is never finished.

5. Workaholism will be rewarded, but it will destroy your family.

Pastors who work too much get praises and raises… until their family falls apart. Then we pity them. You will have to choose often between doing ministry and being around for your family.

6. When people stop attending your church, it will hurt.

No matter how awesome you are, some people will leave. It is inevitable. It may have nothing to do with you, but it always feels personal.

7. You will have to fight the urge to compare your ministry to other churches.

You always lose in the comparison game. If you compare to a smaller church, you will feel pride. If you compare yourself to a larger church, you will feel envy. Both are sinful.

8. Attacks from inside your church will be worse than from the outside.

You will expect some attack from the enemy outside of the church. It’s the enemy’s attacks from within, like Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, that hurt the most.

9. You will not be discipled unless you seek it out yourself.

The people who you want to mentor you are busy. Nobody has ever seen my “great young potential” and gone out of their way to disciple me. Every mentor I ever had in my life I had to pursue myself.

10. You will have to fight pessimism, bitterness, and even depression.

You will have seasons of doubt in God’s  provision, resentment towards people in your church, and even depression. One of the darkest years of my life was the result of a bad ministry experience.

11. Your success in the eyes of others will be measured by how many people you can get in a room.

I wish this weren’t true, but it is. If your ministry grows, people will praise you. If it shrinks, they will blame you. Like it or not, that’s how people think.

12. You will never be good enough.

No matter what you do, some people won’t like you. You will never be good enough to please everyone. You will also often feel inadequate and unprepared in your own eyes. You have to let this drive you to a greater dependence on Jesus. You are not the savior everyone needs; he is.

13. Your family will be profoundly affected either good or bad.

Like it or not, your ministry will profoundly impact your family. Some families grow closer to the Lord together in ministry; others grow further apart. Ministry will either make your family better or bitter. Fight bitterness.

14. Without a seminary degree, you will be considered less qualified.

I wish I would have pursued seminary earlier in my ministry. Not just because of perception, but also because the education has been invaluable to me. You can argue about whether you need it or not, but you will be judged if you don’t. And not getting proper education might hold you back.

15. Money will be a problem.

You will struggle financially—especially early on. Most pastors are not compensated enough. You have to be ready for this going in. Will you be OK if you can’t buy new clothes, a nice house, or get your wife and kids the things you wish you could?

16. You will likely move many times.

The average stay of a pastor at a church varies depending on their role. However, most pastors I know, including myself, have lived in multiple cities working for multiple churches over their life. The pastor who works in only one church their entire life is admirable and rare.

17. When you have to leave a church, you will leave many friends too.

Whether you choose to leave, or the choice is made for you, you will lose more than a job; you lose a church family. There is always a painful sense of loss when leaving a ministry. Your wife and kids will also feel it.

18. Spiritual warfare is real, and the enemy will attack you and your family in ways you never imagined.

Every pastor can tell you stories of crazy things that happen at the worst times. If Satan cannot derail you, he will go after your family. My family always gets attacked before God does something great. Pray often, and ask others to pray for your family too.

19. You will be discouraged, and think about quitting often.

Most pastors call these days Monday. Even if things go well on Sunday, the enemy will use that one negative comment to bring you down if he can.

20. It will all be worth it!

There is nothing greater than the reward of a life submitted faithfully to Christ. You will suffer. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. Accepting God’s call to ministry is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

You will have a front-row seat to see lives changed, marriages healed, and prodigal sons return. The impact you leave will outlive your life. Generations of families will change because you were faithful and did not give up.

If this article sounds too negative, there are also many reasons I am thankful that to be a pastor. If this article makes you upset, it should. Unfortunately, this is the reality most pastors face every day.

Originally published Here

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5 signs of a healthy church staff environment

Simple but Reasonable

5 signs of a healthy church staff environment

Serving on a church staff is a different kind of job. It not only involves your time, talent, and work ethic, it also involves your faith and seeing people at their best – and worst. While we’d like to think all churches are a great place to work, some can be quite toxic.

Instead of focusing on the negative, I’d like to share the following signs of a healthy environment:

Sign No. 1: Leaders make sure their team members take vacation

Wise leaders know they and their team members need time off to relax. They know you’ll be more productive and less stressed when you’ve had time away to recharge.

As a result, they don’t let you leave unused vacation days on the table.

They hold you accountable to documenting your weekly tasks and training someone to handle those in your absence.

They check in to make sure you’ve scheduled a vacation and enforce a culture that respects time off. In other words, everyone knows to not call or email you while you’re out unless it’s a dire emergency. Plus, you’re not expected to check email at that time.

Sign No. 2: Underperforming isn’t tolerated

In a healthy culture, each team member knows what’s expected of him or her. If the employee doesn’t meet expectations, he or she can expect a discussion with his supervisor. This isn’t about berating someone; it’s about determining what went wrong and what the staff member will do to fix it next time.

Those who consistently underperform are eventually invited to leave the staff. It’s bad for morale to let someone stay on the team and not doing his or her job while other team members regularly have to pick up the slack.

Sign No. 3: Leaders genuinely want your input

“What do you think of this event idea?”

“How would you change that program to make it better?”

Secure, servant-hearted leaders seek out the input of their team. They value the talents God gave each team member and want to leverage those skills to better serve others. They appreciate encouragement and carefully consider constructive criticism. Staff members aren’t afraid to disagree in private and remain faithfully supportive in public. (Bonus tip: Always offer possible solutions when you raise issues…that tends to make a critique sting a bit less.)

Sign No. 4: Leaders care about their team members

“What have you learned lately from your time in the Word?”

“How’s Johnny liking his new school?”

“How’s your family doing?”

When your pastor or direct supervisor asks how you’re doing personally, it communicates they care about you and not just what you do for the church.

Sign No. 5: Everyone pitches in — whether it’s their responsibility or not

When you’re leading a new event or have a big project underway, it’s hard to plan for every scenario. If you find yourself running behind schedule and needing extra help, it’s wonderful to be on a team where you know others will pitch in. They know you’d do the same for them (probably because you have) and they want the project to be a roaring success.

They’ve also seen you working hard and know you’re doing your best to get the job done. A “we’re all in this together” team atmosphere makes everyone better and best serves the congregation.

While no working environment is perfect, I hope you’re serving on a team where these signs are evident. If you’re in a position of leadership, talk with your team about this list. If you’re not happy with how they’re currently performing, this discussion could help strengthen your team and open up healthy dialogue.

Originally posted Here

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