Archives for December 18, 2009
Earlier this year, right before Easter, we shared a couple of Easter-themed videos from St. Helen's Bishopgate in London. That same church has produced a good evangelistic film about Christmas, which you might want to consider embedding on your own church's website or blog. (Admit it, the accents gives the speakers all the more credibility.) Watch it below:
That's Christmas (Short Film) HD from St Helen’s Church on Vimeo.
share this
Archives for December 15, 2009
What unique strengths and challenges does each of you bring to your relationship?
Scotty Smith: One thing Mike brings to our relationship is brutal honesty. He doesn't fake things well. Scott brings the passion. He is a radical, passionate encourager, and God has given him a unique gift that translates not so much into answers, but into presence.
Scott Roley: Scotty brings devotional strength. In fact, one of the glues in our relationship is the gospel that Scotty introduced me to: that it's in our brokenness, weakness, and repentance that we will grow.
Concerning challenges, Mike's a doer, and he can be a loner. He is gifted in a lot of different things and can hide in them. As for Scotty, I've never met anyone who makes as quick a decision—and is right most of the time—as Scotty. The gift makes him a great pastor, teacher, and counselor, but it can also rob him of the need for others.
Continue reading "Accountability in Friendships"...
Archives for December 8, 2009
Consultant Kurt Andre's "Top 5 Books on Leadership"
Among the crowded field of books on leadership, some stand out.
Recently I talked with a senior partner of TAG Consulting, Kurt Andre. Among his many talents, Kurt is a certified Executive Leadership Coach. So I asked him which books on leadership he finds the most helpful. Here are his top 5:
1. Leadership Without Easy Answers by Ronald A. Heifetz
Seminary equipped me to do many things, but not to tackle the complex challenges in leading the church. Heifetz distinguishes between problems that can be solved through expertise (technical problems) and problems that require innovative approaches, including preserving a church's unique identity or code and the consideration of the church's values (adaptive problems). For the church, an adaptive problem could include engaging a community whose demographic no longer reflects the church, buildings whose structure no longer meet the needs of today's ministry, or navigating the tension between discipleship and outreach. Heifetz identifies four major strategies of leadership: (1) approach problems as adaptive challenges, and diagnose the situation in light of the values involved; (2) regulate the "heat in the kitchen" caused by confronting issues that increase people's anxiety, by pacing the congregation through change; (3) focus on what is important versus what others say is important to them, and (4) shift the ownership for problems from the leadership (the pastor or elders/deacons or council) to all those affected by the necessary change.
2. Leadership on the Line, by Marty Linsky and Ronald A. Heifetz
Linsky joins Heifetz and gives practical application, case studies and concrete skills necessary for any leader. Through experimentation and constant adjustment leaders can successfully navigate change by using "adaptive leadership skills": "Getting on the balcony" (meaning gaining perspective on the situation), engaging all the stakeholders, orchestrating conflict, giving back the work, holding steady, managing one's own hungers, and staying anchored. An adaptive leader can answer the question of why anyone would choose to lead, and lead from the heart. This is a must-read for any church leader hoping to engage his or her congregation on the journey of transformation.
Read this piece in its entirety at BuildingforMinistry.com.
Archives for December 1, 2009
In light of this week's new download, Developing Your Volunteers, we're posting an excerpt from an interview with Bruce Bugbee, president of Network Ministries International and coauthor of Network: The Right People in the Right Places for the Right Reasons (Zondervan). Bugbee talks about the challenge of putting volunteers where they will best serve.
Every church has certain essential ministries, such as nursery and Sunday school. What do you do when you can't get enough people for those?
There's a difference between a "unique contribution" and a "community contribution." While each of us has a unique contribution to make that reflects our passions, gifts, and style, all of us are able to make what I call a community contribution. I can usher; I can work in the nursery; I can push a vacuum. That is about servanthood. A person may not be gifted to work in the nursery every week for a year, but he or she can step into the nursery once a quarter.
If you consistently don't have enough people, maybe God wants you to do the ministry differently. A church says, "We don't have enough teachers." That's true when they're looking for one teacher for every seven kids. But maybe they could have one teacher for every 26 kids, as long as they also had two adult shepherds and encouragers in the room.
Continue reading "The Right People in the Right Places"...
