Helping Churches Make Vision Real

5 Characteristics of Generous Churches

Monday, March 3, 2014

Generosity stands in direct opposition to our sin nature. After all most of us don’t wake up thinking about someone else’s day. But what we have to get done today sure has a tendency to consume our thoughts. Fortunately for us we have a generous God. After all “For God so loved the world that he GAVE His only Son,” Jesus gave His life, as a ransom for many, and it is the Holy Spirit who gives spiritual gifts. And God expects his church to reflect his personality and characteristics through becoming generous. To that end, here are 5 characteristics that all generous churches have in common:

Trusted Leadership

People don’t just give to churches that they believe in, they give to churches that they trust. Unfortunately trust is easy for church leaders to break. The 3 most common culprits are ingratitude, the appearance of waste, and duplicity (follow this link to learn more about these).

Teach a Proper Concept

Churches that are generous are consistently taught a proper biblical perspective of generosity. It’s not just mentioned in the occasional sermon or teaching series but it is consistently dripped in week after week.

A Compelling Story

If the story of your church doesn’t compel you and those closest to the core to be generous, it’s not going to compel anyone else to be generous either.

An Engaged Audience

Generous churches meet people where they are and lead people to join in, take personal ownership, and ask the question “What’s my role.”

A Spirit of Faith Not Fear

A spirit of faith drives generous churches. What are you trusting God for that you haven’t trusted Him for before?

Want to know more about building a culture of generosity in your church? Check out this 2-part blog post on “Engaging the Givers in Your Church.”

Posted in Leadership

How to Convice Your Sr. Pastor to Join a Small Group

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

One of the most common points of frustration I hear from church leaders around the country is, “My Senior Pastor wants Small Groups to be a big deal at our church, but they won’t be in a Small Group themselves.” And the natural follow up question that’s asked right after that statement, “How do I get my Senior Pastor to be in a Small Group?” In an attempt to answer that question, here are a couple of steps you can take to help convince your Sr. Pastor that they need to be in a Small Group.

#1 Have a Plan

Don’t pester or nag your Sr. Pastor, this won’t get you anywhere. Come up with a clear plan, presentation, or pitch. Get on their calendar (schedule an appointment) and walk into that meeting with a plan. Don’t take more than 30 minutes. If you can’t cover it in 30 minutes, you’re not ready to cover it at all.

#2 Moral Authority

“Join Me” is always a better motivator than “You Should.” Help your Sr. Pastor understand that people in the church will more readily follow their example than their prescription. If the Sr. Pastor wants to have a church of Small Groups then they need to be in one. The church will always end up taking on the personality of the Sr. Leader.

#3 Let them Hand Pick the Group

Many Sr. Pastors are truly fearful of being vulnerable, and many of them are fearful for good reason. At the first sign of a crack in the armor or that they’re actually human many churchgoers call foul. So let them hand pick their group that they’re going to be in so they feel safe.

#4 Try Before You Buy

Challenge them to try it for one semester (the start of the school year to Christmas break or January to the end of the school year). At the end of that semester if they still think it’s a waste of time, no worries. At least they’ll have first-hand experience to be able to speak about it in a personal manner.

#5 Give them Good Reasons to Join a Group

There is a whole list of good reasons your Sr. Pastor should be in a Small Group. Make a list and talk to them about it. Here are a few examples:

They’ll grow in their relationship with Jesus (life change happens best in circles not rows)
They’ll make new friends that will care and encourage them (What Sr. Pastor couldn’t use more of that?)
It gives them moral authority (see point #2 above) and hence leadership credits with the church as a whole – it makes them a better leader
It’s something they can do with their spouse (score more brownie points)
Tell them they don’t have to lead it…just participate in it (you’re not adding more work for them to do)
It provides a personal accountability structure (it’s easier to stand for Jesus when you’re standing with friends)
Heck, Jesus was in a “Small Group” right? (Think the 12 Disciples)
You can probably think of more…but this should get you started

Posted in Leadership, Spiritual Formation, Staffing

How 2nd Chair Leaders Lead Up

Sunday, February 23, 2014

In working with leaders around the country one of the most frequently asked questions that I hear is, “How do I lead up?” In other words, second chair leaders are asking, “How do I support my leader while influencing them at the same time?” Below are six methods that the best second chair leaders I’ve met utilize to “lead up.”

No Surprises

Withholding information from your leader is a sure fire way to break trust, and trust is the foundation for all great relationships both personal and working. There should be a clear commitment to no surprises between a first and second chair leader.

Define Reality

For your leader to get where God has called them to go they need to have an accurate picture of where they are leading “from.” The first step in getting “there” is helping people become uncomfortable with “here,” even your leader. Your ability to accurately define reality for your leader, will help drive the pace of the organization and help everyone understand when you’re winning.

Understand the Values of your Leader

One of the fastest ways to build trust with your first chair leader is to demonstrate that you understand the vision and values (both organizational and personal) of your leader by proactively leading people and the organization in a direction and manner that reflects the vales and vision of your leader. Great second chair leaders see themselves as an extension of their leader.

Provide Opportunities

Great second chair leaders provide opportunities for their leader to experience success with the staff team and the organization at large. They prop their leader up and provide strength to their areas of weakness rather than exposing them.

Bringing Problems is a Problem

Your first chair leader deals with problems every day. They don’t need new ones, and they certainly don’t need to come from you. The best second chair leaders are solution oriented. They bring creative solutions and options to be implemented, not problems to be solved.

Lead with Questions not Statements

Invite the input and advice of your leader…early and often. Lead with questions that open up dialogue rather than making statements or demands of your leader, which is no way to get where you or they want to go.

Posted in Leadership

Apply for a Leadership Coaching Network Before the End of February

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

The deadline for the next round of my leadership coaching network is right around the corner. The network launches in April and the deadline for applications is next Friday, February the 28th.

You can read my original post sharing the reasons why you should consider joining these leadership coaching gatherings. Or you can check out all the nitty-gritty details.

I hope you’ll join the other leaders who have already committed to this next season of mentoring, training and networking. Have questions? Contact me here!

Posted in Leadership

A Large Multisite Church in Phoenix is Hiring a High School Pastor

Sunday, February 16, 2014

I’m pleased to announce a new Staff Search. Sun Valley Community Church, is beginning a search for a High School Pastor to serve on our Tempe Campus. Sun Valley began as a church plant in 1990 in Chandler, Arizona. Over the years Sun Valley has grown into a large mult-site church in the Phoenix metro area. Currently there are three campuses located in Gilbert, Tempe and Casa Grande with a total weekend attendance of over 5,000 people. Sun Valley was recently named by Outreach Magazine as one of the top 10 fastest growing churches in America. The Tempe Campus is the result of a merger in October of 2011 with Bethany Community Church. In the merger Sun Valley acquired a 16-acre, 8 building campus with over 100,000 sq. ft. under roof. Since the merger the campus has doubled in attendance and at present attendance is over 1,000. When fully utilized the campus capacity will accommodate 7,000 people. Sun Valley was recently featured in a new book by Leadership Network about church mergers: Better Together: Making Church Mergers Work. To learn more about that story click here Part-1 and Part-2.

Interested in learning more? Continue reading below…

Posted in Staffing