Solving Problems not Symptoms

By Dwayne Deskins
Reaching People for Jesus: Building teams, building community, building His church! It’s what we do; it’s what we said YES to when we heard His voice calling! Do you remember when it became clear in you? When you stepped over the line, made the decision “I’ll preach the gospel for you Jesus.”? Then we began serving, ministering, leading...

One of the lessons I learned early on was that I needed to love people and that people fail. I also learned that building a loving, nurturing, trusting environment was what produced amazing disciples!

Booker T. Washington said, “Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him.”

Trust. It’s so absolutely essential to a healthy culture.

Patrick Lencioni, in his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, lists Mistrust as the first dysfunction. Mistrust causes a team to fight within, to one-eye each other and not see or believe the best in the other person.

Jesus saw the best, spoke to the best in people, and yet knew people could, and would, fail. Yet He trusted.

If we aren’t careful we can find ourselves solving symptoms and not problems. We can work and work trying to resolve relationship issues when the real issues are deeper and keep surfacing.

I have found that if I don’t get the root of a dandelion, it will come back every time. It’s not what I see in my yard that is the problem—it’s what’s lurking beneath the ground. Get the root, get the problem.

At one of our sessions in Dallas at our General Headquarters last month, I mentioned that one of the root problems in the PCG is MISTRUST. I felt like I was stepping out on a limb, unsure of how people would feel or respond. What amazed me was that my statement was met with a unanimous agreement. We have a culture that does not promote, nurture, nor affirm the best in people. We have an issue of mistrust.

How did it get into our culture? Was there a cause, an event, or...?

Several possible reasons come to mind:

1. It’s the culture of “normal” that we grew up in and, therefore, by default, are living in. If we don’t change, we will hand it off to the next generation.
   
   
2. We trusted people early on in ministry but then we were burned by one or two or maybe even three, and we have allowed it to taint our heart-view of all future relationships.
   
   
3. We ourselves have lived in such a way as to not deserve trust. Maybe we weren’t forthright in some dealings with people, or maybe we garnered support for a position or a job in a way that dishonored others, and now we are transposing our own issues onto others in a way that hinders the goal we have in mind for Jesus.

Whatever the reason, we have a cultural issue of “not trusting” that we must deal with so that we can finish well. We must first recognize it, then really want to change it, or all will remain as it was before.

Where do you think you are in trusting others 1-10 (10 being “I trust people automatically until they give me a reason not to trust them”)?

How do we make such a change individually if, in fact, we really want to?

How do we shape a different culture for the next generation?

Let me know your thoughts.

Leadership Discussion(s)

By Dwayne Deskins
Over the next couple of weeks we’re going to be starting a series of discussions on different aspects of leadership. We’ll be looking at what some of today’s great leaders have to say and then discussing how it applies to our lives.

Perry Noble – Ten Signs You Are Near A Burnout/Meltdown – September 14, 2011

My counselor shared a statistic with me two years ago that floored me: 90% of the people entering ministry DO NOT RETIRE from ministry, they either quit or have some sort of moral/ethical failure that disqualifies them.

I’m not a rocket scientist…but I honestly do not believe that is what Jesus called us to OR what He wants for our lives.

AND yet so many of us (church leaders) struggle/wrestle with this (usually inwardly because if we said out loud that we are dying inside we fear that people may perceive us as weak!)

Take a look at the rest of the article here and come back and let us know your thoughts…

Sometimes It's Heavy But It's Worth It!

From RussellHylton.blogspot.com
The load that many people carry in ministry can be very heavy. Ministry is tough on every level...period! I spoke with a pastor not long ago who was ready to quit. He was tired, weary and aggravated with the way things were going in his church.

Friends, the pain and burden that a pastor has to deal with is unlike any area I've ever experienced. I worked in the banking industry for eight years and was in their management training program...that pales in comparison to the burden, stress load and weight of serving as a pastor today.

I'm not complaining. I asked to be here. I enlisted. I signed up. I prayed this through. However, learning how to navigate through the rigors of personalities, problems, politics, people etc. can sometimes leave you asking, "Did I sign up for this?" (SMILE)

In any given week I may deal with: marriages on the verge of divorce; people who are struggling financially and are at their wits end; parents who are dealing with rebellious kids; infidelity; sickness; death; terminal diagnosis; suicide tendencies; addiction to prescription pills, alcohol; drugs; runaway children; home foreclosures; hunger/no food; homelessness; depression; etc.

I served on staff as a youth pastor for many years as well as a district youth director before becoming a senior pastor...and there isn't a class in the universe that can prepare you for what is coming your way...both good and bad.

It's sometimes difficult to get pastors to open up about their pain or struggle. Some refuse to for fear of being viewed as weak or unstable. The very thought of telling their congregation "this job is tough" is petrifying!

I've come to this understanding with myself. I don't care what other people think about me being transparent and open about my struggles, feelings or pain. Of course, I don't get up in the pulpit every week and tell all my business...but I do find people of good reputation, of whom I respect highly, to share my burdens with. I'm OK with being REAL.

Being real comes with a price tag. You will be complimented and criticized for your willingness to be vulnerable and honest especially amongst your peers. By the way, BFWC, this isn't necessarily a blog just for you...but it's for all those servants of Christ out there who may be hurting.

There are several areas we could easily address....

1. Loneliness - If you're a staff member at a church...I can identify with you. I have served other leaders for many years. If you're not careful, you'll find yourself thinking, "I do just as much as they do, and I don't think they deal with any more junk than I have to deal with." Friend...that is a WRONG ASSUMPTION based on arrogance. Trust me when I say that only a pastor can understand the pain of another pastor. (SPOUSES INCLUDED!)

Believe me - your family won't understand the weight of your calling either...especially those who've never been raised in a pastor's preacher's home. They may have an inkling of the burden you carry but they'll never understand the load, demand, weight or the burden you carry. You really can't expect them to. But whatever you do...DO NOT unload on them! They are not equipped to carry your calling...if so, they'd be carrying it to. If you make the mistake of unloading on them, you'll be planting a seed in their heart that can easily manifest as disgruntledness for the church, the pastor you serve or others in the ministry.

Ministry has been described as lonely. Pastor...you need another pastor to talk to, to vent with, to pour out your heart to...they can understand you better than anyone else...because they too, have experienced loneliness at your level.

2. Criticism - this just comes with the territory. Sometimes it's justified and other times it's not...but the thing most people don't realize is that IT ALWAYS HURTS. Especially when someone begins by saying, "Now don't take this personally, but..."

People will criticize you for the silliest things...the car you drive, the house you live in, the shoes you wear, how much you sweat, how you preach, your waist line...you name it. You seem to receive criticism better from the people who know and love you better than the people who feel called to the ministry of interference. Wounds from a friend can be trusted...but...

Why is it that people who don't even know you think they have some God called ministry to attack you via Facebook, anonymous emails, etc.? They haven't even had a conversation with you. By the way...I've said this before and I'll say it again...I HAVE ZERO RESPECT FOR SOMEONE WHO LEAVES A CHURCH VIA EMAIL. I don't even waste my time responding such immaturity. If you don't have the decency to look your pastor in the eye...the same pastor who has prayed and fasted for you, spent time shepherding you, counseling you, loving you...etc. - then that speaks volumes about where you are in your faith. JESUS teaches us better than that.

I've even had people take a portion of my sermon and twist it completely out of context and then have the nerve to misquote me all over town. LOL Sometimes all you can do is laugh.

Pastors, you will be misquoted and misrepresented by those who lack the courage to take the time to get to know you...or MAYBEeven hit their knees for you if they are so convinced that you are wrong.

Friends, someone who continually attacks you and /or your ministry just isn't normal. Who has time to go around trying to tear other people down? Not me! I refuse to waste my time on them. There are too many people that need me to stay focused on the vision. Those are the people I'm going to give my time to.

3. Unrealistic Expectations - No matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to get everything right. You'll forget people's names; forget they were in the hospital; you'll preach too deep for some and too shallow for others; you'll miss their calls taking other people's calls; your every move will be scrutinized. Honestly, some people will place expectations on you that they would never be willing to live up to themselves.

This can be the reason that many pastors families fall apart - they cave to the expectations placed on them by selfish, self-seeking church members who expect them to do everything - but never lift a finger to help...and forgetting something that most people never actually stop think about - pastors are human beings with real feelings and a real heart.

Truth is truth...and it doesn't really matter what anyone thinks. PERIOD. Church member, staff member, volunteer, etc...PRAY FOR YOUR PASTOR! Believe me, he/she goes through it.

Let me be VERY CLEAR - I am blessed to serve at BFWC! God has called me here and He has called me to pastor. But I'd say what has probably shaped Beverly and I the most is PAIN. Pain is not avoidable as a pastor - it's real. Anytime I fall into thinking that my life should somehow be easy all I have to do is read 2 Corinthians 11:22-29.

I love what I do! I love what God has called me to do! There is nothing I'd rather be doing! BUT...with the calling comes a cross to carry. BUT IT IS WORTH IT!

• It is worth it to be faithful.
• It is worth it when we see people come to Christ.
• It is worth it when we see marriages restored.
• It is worth it when we see the excluded included.
• It is worth it when we see people receive hope!
• It is worth it when we see addicts set free!
• It is SO WORTH IT!

Jesus didn't quit and neither should we! He has given us this assignment! Pain may be part of the process but it can shape us to be more effective for His glory!

Discuss: Teens Drop Out of Church; Santorum Blames Higher Education

It's no secret that teens seems to leave the church in droves—a google search for “teens leaving church” turns up over 28 million results—and it seems that everyone has their own opinion about why.

Last week, Rick Santorum, in an interview with Glenn Beck, blamed higher education:

You know the statistic that at least I was familiar with from a few years ago—I don't know if it still holds true but I suspect it may even be worse—that 62% of kids who enter college with some sort of faith commitment leave without it.

Web articles published recently (here, here, and here) indicate that Santorum may have missed it on the statistic, but the fact remains: teens are leaving.

Tim Kring, writing for CNN’s religion blog, offered his take on the real reason young people leave Christianity.

Please take a minute to read Kring’s article, and then come back here to discuss:

• Why do you think teens are leaving?
• Why do some teens remain faithful?
• What is our responsibility as pastors in the matter?
• What is our responsibility as PCG/NPN leaders?

Jack Hayford Quotables from the NPN Conference

Jack Hayford provided the NPN with some quotable thoughts.
Here are a few of them.

Dwayne Deskins tweeted:

God is not interested in you and me becoming a success — He's interested in us HELPING PEOPLE!

The need for self affirmation corrodes and erodes the soul.

Jon Jennings tweeted:

The church has not been called to wave a standard of justice in front of the world. We've been called to live one.

Comparison and competition are the greatest opponents of real success in our lives. They will turn us into critics or mimics.

The glory doesn't reside in our systems or structures, but in our simplicity of dependence on God.

Bishop Scott tweeted:

You were created from a distinct idea in the mind of God for a distinct purpose.

The standard should be that we are so open to the Holy Spirit, God never has to intrude.

The Greatest 2 Days of My Pastoral Life

From Jon-Jennings.com
I had an amazing privilege this week. The Pastor’s Network I am part of worked out an arrangement where a small group of 15 Pastors were able to spend 2 days of intimate time with Jack Hayford. I’ve been to numerous conferences over the years that have had thousands in attendance with all of the bells and whistles one can imagine, but I can honestly say that these past 2 days practically one on one with Pastor Hayford were the greatest 2 days of my Pastoral life.

If you are not familiar with Jack Hayford’s ministry, a short history lesson is in order. Jack and his wife Anna came to Van Nuys, CA in 1969 to assume the Pastorate of a small 25 member church. Over the next 31 years of his leadership, The Church on the Way grew to a constituency of over 10,000 and Pastor Jack’s influence on the Pentecostal/Charismatic community reached epic proportions. Jack has published 53 books and written over 600 songs in the span of his ministry, but by far his best known song is “Majesty” published in 1981. CCLI recently listed “Majesty” as #7 on the all time list of worship songs used by churches in the entire world. That’s quite a statement when one realizes that “Amazing Grace,” “Shout to the Lord” and “How Great is Our God” are also in the top 10.

Beyond that, Jack was a key leader in the Promise Keepers march on Washington in 1994 which saw 1.4 million Christian men converge on our Nation’s Capitol. He also spearheaded what became known as “The Memphis Miracle” when racial reconciliation among key century-old Pentecostal denominations came to fruition. For the last 14 years, Jack has focused almost exclusively on pouring his life into small groups of Pastors and leaders in settings like I was part of this week. I literally felt as though I was sitting at the feet of a true modern day Apostle of the faith.

In many ways, the last 2 days was confirmation of the direction God has been leading me to shepherd our congregation at Fountain of Life yet I was also able to see adjustments I need to make in my life and leadership. It will take me weeks to distill everything that was imparted, but I can’t say enough about the awesomeness of the experience.

The highlight of the experience came last night as our group gathered at Pastor Jack’s home for dinner. The dinner was amazing, but after dinner we all gathered in the living room and listened for an hour and a half as Pastor Jack and Anna just talked about their marriage, family life and shared stories of how God had blessed them during the course of their ministry. At the very end, we asked if we could do something. Pastor Jack said yes, and we broke out in unison singing “Majesty”. I watched Pastor Jack raise his hands in worship with us and lift his voice to the King, still recognizing the awe and wonder of the one we serve with a song God gave him to touch the nations. Time stood still for those 3 minutes as I realized that I had just been part of perhaps a once in a lifetime experience.

I would trade all of my other conferences – Catalyst, Willow Creek and the host of others for two more great days like this. Unspeakable impartation.

You Represent Someone

By Russell Hylton
John the Baptist was considered the "forerunner" of Jesus. He led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River, challenged sinful rulers, called for repentance and promised God's justice.

John pointed to the "Messiah" who was greater than himself. In essence, he represented Jesus and became a modern day "Public Relations" ambassador.

A true PR person will take on the DNA of the one they represent. Their words and actions will reveal their heart. They will embrace the vision of their leader and cast the vision to others. They will see their leader's mission as their own and will make it the center of their efforts.

When you are called to represent someone else (believe me...we are called to represent Christ, but to also represent a leader(s), group, organization, team, etc. during our lifetime) you must avoid speaking negatively. Negativity will never produce positive results.

Even if you experience the negative, you will only communicate the positive.

• Think back to Samson when he passed through the vineyards of Timnath and defeated a lion with his hands. He didn't tell his father and mother about what he had done. After a time, he returned through the same vineyard and found the carcase of the lion and in it was a swarm of bees and honey. Samson ate of it and received enlightenment and then shared the honey with his parents. But notice, he only shared the "honey" not the "lion."

As we represent our leaders, we must do so with positive communication. Even if you don't understand your leader's decisions or actions at the time, you must represent your leader with truth and loyalty.

Each of us will be faced with this test. Whether or not you pass this test will depend entirely upon your ability to remain a pure representation of your leader even in the face of negative circumstances.

I've saved myself from many embarrassing moments and painful failures by simply thinking about a person in whom I greatly admire and saying..."would ___________ do this or say this?" Doing this has kept my feet from wrath and my actions loyal.

The blessing is found in "loyalty" and "right" representation.

Five Rules for Representation

1. Representatives must always represent the truth. - Ephesians 4:15
2. Representatives must always speak words that edify. (Build up) - 1 Corinthians 14:26
3. Representatives must never let their actions betray their words. - Matthew 7:3-5
4. Representatives must know what to say, how much to say, and when to say it. - 1 Corinthians 3:2
5. Representatives do not rehearse the failures of the past. They restate the goals of the future. - Philippians 3:13-14

Open Door Gathering

Leadership meetings are vital in your church. However, those meetings, in order to be fruitful, must be purposeful. An organized effort of planning, strategy, evaluation and "where do we go from here" must be ironed out before the meeting comes to a close.

I systematically have entire leadership meetings and selective leadership meetings throughout the year - or as often as I can. "communicate, communicate, communicate & over communicate"

Recently, I tried a fresh approach to connecting with my leaders. Here's a sample email I sent them.

Greetings BFWC Leaders,

I will be hosting an open door gathering this eveing from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm for Ministry Coordinators in my office.

You are welcome to come by to say hello, ask a question, receive training or assistance for your ministry or just have a cup of coffee.

Sincerely,

Pastor Hylton

I was delighted to have several leaders stop during those two hours. Some received training and some just wanted to share with me what was happening in their life.

Hey Pastor....Sunday's coming!!

I know it is not my week to post but I read this challenge on a blog by Perry Noble, Pastor of Newspring Church and it challenged me. Hopefully it will challenge you as well.

Hey pastor…

Sunday’s coming…
It will be here in less than 48 hours!!!
Are you ready?
This week will be someone’s first week in your church!
Your church is a powder keg WAITING to explode!!!
God wants to do things in your church that would absolutely blow you away if He were to download it all on you at once.
Sunday’s coming…
People will be in your church that are one heartbeat away from hell…
Will you share the GOSPEL?
Will you call for commitment?
Sunday’s coming…
You have been called, equipped and empowered by God to do what you do!
He knows where you are!
He knows what you are going through!
He has NOT forgotten you!!!
Have you BEGGED God to do something unexplainable and undeniable?
Have you allowed something to distract you this week?
Have you become obsessed with anything or anyone other than Jesus and the vision He has poured into you?
Sunday’s coming…
The next Billy Graham, Bill Hybels or Rick Warren COULD be sitting in your church this Sunday…heck, they MIGHT not even be saved yet…
There is UNLIMITED potential within the people in your church who know Christ.
People want hope!
People want to change!
People want to LIVE!
They need to hear YOU tell them about CHRIST!
Sunday’s coming…
Let’s put on our game faces…
This could be the last message that you ever get to preach…EVER!!!
SO…SAY IT, bring the HEAT!!!
Sunday is NOT a burden…it’s a gift…GO FOR IT!!!

Help us plan the 2011 General Convention

By Bishop Charles Scott
We would love your feedback on the following:

1. Would you favor a conference forum with breakout sessions?
   
   
2. What type of sessions would interest you?
   
   
3. Would you prefer outside speakers for the main services?
   
   
4. Would you prefer department led services per history?
   
   
5. What are the most important areas for you in relation to general convention, i.e. what do you expect from the meeting?
   
   
6. What would you most desire from general convention?
   
   
7. What would you like to say about general convention?

Making Vision Stick

When you begin to think about the upcoming year, are you challenged with a renewed Vision from God??

Does it even matter to you as a leader??

Have you been seeking God to show you His direction for your ministry in 2010??

Do you have a plan to communicate that Vision to those that God has entrusted into your care??

Andy Stanley's book Making Vision Stickhas been a powerful resource for me over the past 3 years. I read it a couple of times a year and always find some things that I need to do better to make Vision Stick at Christian Life Center. The following is a summary of the first chapter of this book that makes Vision a reality.

Vision must have clarity, simplicity and must be catchy. This will make it easy to communicate effectively. If it’s clear from the beginning, it can simply answer people’s questions. Make it memorable/unforgettable and people will embrace it! Better to be incomplete and memorable than complete and forgettable. Don’t pass by the limited opportunities to share your vision to the “drive-by” audience. Remember the audience you have every Sunday do not sit around thinking about the Vision as we do on a daily basis, so make it simple.

Be willing to evaluate your vision so it always tells what is distinctive about your church/ministry. Then watch as your clear vision causes people to redirect their focus and resources.

I challenge you to pick up this resource for yourself and your team.
"Making Vision Stick" by Andy Stanley

Fasting...

Recently a number of challenges have caused me to do some real honest evaluations in my life and seeking the Lord in a number of different ways. In the last few months the Lord has brought me to a place of doing something that I have not really done often nor was I ever really taught about in church and that is in the area of fasting.

I read jentzen Franklin's book on the subject and was challenged greatly. Recently I challenged my staff to set aside one day a week to fast and seek God concerning the many challenges our church is facing.

I am learning to grow in this area but am discovering already how awesome it can be.

I am curious......

Do you fast?
How Often?
What type of fasting have you done and how long?

WHAT HAS GOD REVEALED THROUGH YOUR TIMES OF FASTING?

Gathering The Fragments

Years ago I was flipping channels when I came accross Jeses Duplantis. I was not real familiar with his ministry at the time but I remember like yesterday what he said. Speaking of Jesus feeding the 5 thousand Jesse focused on the "Gathering of the fragments". He shared how God told him that there were fragments wasted in his ministry that could help him do more with what he already had. He told his office to turn off lights whenever leaving a room among other things. In 1 month they lowered their bill by $5000 dollars. During these tough financial times it should cause us to look closely at areas we can be better concerning God's money. I have made changes to my health care without putting my family in jeapordy, shaved some things that were pleasing to me but did not accomplish the mission, took advantage of some other opportunities and basically by December will save us $2000 a month and with things being what they are, that is huge for us. Where are the fragments in your ministry?

Money Matters

Over the last year our church and I am sure many others have experienced some major changes concerning financial contributions. Many families in my church have experienced 30%+ in income loss and some much more! Recently I have had to prayerfully make changes in my personal finances as well as the church while making sure that the ministry that matters does not stop. I am grateful for what God has shown me during this process.

I am curious: Have you experienced substantial decline in finances?

What changes did you make and how?

What things did you refuse to change because it was too important?

What determines Success in Ministry

Every pastor wants to have a successful ministry. Sadly, many compare themselves to the highly visible leaders of large ministries and feel like a failure in comparison.
The size of your ministry does not determine the level of your success.
• Too many pastors have led large ministries while tragically failing personally and morally.
• Too many have sacrificed their families all in the name of “church growth.”
• Too many have lost their personal passion for Jesus while leading His church.

The most successful pastors may not be the ones that others read about, but the ones who faithfully love Jesus and serve people.

Do the Small Things Daily
When working with pastors, many are often looking for a “big win.” They want to have a big community event, a big servants’ banquet, or a big series that runs attendance higher. While all these can be effective, I encourage consistency in the small things daily.

I’ll compare it to football. Most championship teams win games on many four-yard, six-yard, and eleven-yard gains. They might win one game a season on a last second hail-Mary pass, but most games consistently succeeding at the basics.

The same is true in ministry. Successful ministries are built on Christ by leaders who do the small things daily:
• They return calls and emails promptly.
• They show up on time.
• They pray for God’s guidance.
• They love and serve people.
• They study hard and preach passionately.
• They have a consistent and strong work ethic.
• They follow through on commitments.

You could hope for the perfect mailer, plan the killer youth event, or pray for a news story to build your church…or you could move the ball forward one play at a time doing the small things with integrity daily.

Successful When No One Knows
You can be successful today when few people know anything about your ministry. You are successful when you:
• Live daily with integrity.
• Pursue Christ with all your heart.
• Preach your best sermon to a very small crowd.
• Visit the sick in the hospital.
• Cry with the parents who just lost a child.
• Forgive the church member who wronged you.
• Give privately to someone in need.
If your ministry ever becomes “well known” and people call you an overnight success, you can thank God privately that they couldn’t be further from the truth. Deep down, you’ll know you’ve been seeking God for years and serving Him faithfully when few people were watching.

The Private Cost of Visible Success
If you are quietly faithful for years, God may expand your ministry. One day, many will want a ministry like you have. But not everyone is willing to do what you did to have what you have. You and those closest to you will know:
• The sacrifices you’ve made.
• The pain you’ve endured.
• The hard decisions you’ve faced.
• The loneliness you’ve felt.
• The fear you’ve overcome.
• The weight you carry.
Every private painful memory you carry will draw you closer to the One who suffered and died for you. Your “public success” won’t mean nearly as much to you as your private devotion to Christ.

"What IF"

• WHAT IF the early church had been full of people who drove their “luxury camels” to church…but became angry when someone mentioned giving?
• WHAT IF the early church had decided to simply study what Jesus said but not apply it?
• WHAT IF the early church had the attitude of, “we love a small crowd…so don’t tell anyone about Jesus coming back to life. I know He commanded us to tell…but let’s keep it a secret because we don’t want to get too many people?”
• WHAT IF the early church had been more passionate about their comfort than conforming to who Christ called them to be?
• WHAT IF the early church had decided their primary responsibility was to be political, thus organizing protests against the Roman government for occupying their land?
• WHAT IF the early church had required only “religious professionals” to be in ministry?
• WHAT IF the early church had decided to yell and scream at the Romans for acting like Romans?
• WHAT IF the early church had decided their primary call was to save the environment rather than the ones living in it?
• WHAT IF the early church had substituted their personal preferences in place of the words of Jesus?
• WHAT IF the early church had been more obsessed with Robert’s Rules of Order rather than the Scriptures?
• WHAT IF the early church had been focused on the cross on the wall rather than the cross Jesus called them to carry?
• WHAT IF the early church had instructed the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 that He was a little out of hand…and that his movement hadn’t been voted on by the church board.
• WHAT IF the early church had been full of people but weren’t actually willing to do anything to reach people far from God?

WHAT IF…WOW…so glad the early church listened to Jesus and did what HE said…or else we would have been in a lot of trouble!

Perry Noble
newspringchurch.cc

Five Commitments to developing Trust in your church leadership

As I shared yesterday, these are thoughts from Catalyst Conference that I attended a few weeks back. Hope you enjoy

Occasionally they are gaps between what we expect people to do and what they actually do.

I expected ______ but you gave me _______.
we choose what to put in this gap.

We either assume the worst or believe the best.
What we see determines what we believe.
Who I am determines how I respond to others.

A culture characterized by trust produces people that are trustworthy!

If you are unwilling to trust you will never know who you can't trust until you trust them. The longer you refuse to trust the longer untrustworthy people can hide in your organization

Trusting is risky. Refusing to trust is riskier.

Developing a culture of trust begins with the Leader. Trust and suspicion is telegraphed from our actions & ideas about our trust. Quit sitting on mistrust. Don't give a barrel of response to a spoon full of mistakes.

Are you beleiving the best or assuming the worse in those on your team?

Five commitments to developing a culture of Trust

1. When there is a gap between what I expected and what I experienced, I choose to believe the best.

2. When other people assume the worse in you I will come to your defense.

3. If what I experience begins to erode my trust I will come directly to you about it.

4. When I am convinced that I will not be able to fulfill my commitment I will come to you ahead of time.

5. When you confront me about the gaps I've created I will tell you the truth.

Andy Stanley
www.northpoint.org

10 Things I have learned in 50 years of Leadership

I recently attended "Catalyst" conference for Next Generation Leaders. This week i will be sharing some of my experiences from this event. Each year they give the Catalyst Lifetime Achievement Award to a very distinct leader. This year they gave it to Chuck Swindoll. At Catalyst Chuck Swindoll spoke a powerful word on Leadership:

10 Things I have learned from 50 Years of Leadership:

1. It is lonely to Lead
2. It is dangerous to Succeed
3. It is hardest to lead at home
4. It is essential to be Real
5. It is painful to Obey
6. Brokeness and Failure are necessary
7. Attitude overshadows Actions
8. Integrity eclipses Image
9. God's way is always better than mine
10. Christ-likeness begins and ends with Humility

To hear a man who has led for 50 years was quiet breath and his words of wisdom given to 12,000 Next Gen leaders with most of them being between the ages of 20-30. I love the fact that there are leaders with many years of wisdom who are willing to share with Next Gen leaders even when they do not understand or agree with how Next Gen leaders sometimes lead.

There's a Rebel in the House!

I was spending time with one of my pastor friends from Ghana, West Africa (he ministered for us on "International Sunday"). As is the case so often, the subject of rebellion came up.

There is not a pastor, manager, parent, or leader anywhere in time past or present who has not had to deal with rebellion.

I have learned that you can't counsel rebellion; and, in my ignorance, I have even attempted to pastor it. It cannot be pastored, loved, corrected, swept under the carpet or pampered. It must be stopped. It must be cut off. It's influence must be minimized, because innocent people always get trapped in the web of rebellion.

How did God deal with it? Like a lightening strike, He dealt with it swiftly. Even in the perfect environment of Heaven, rebellion found company. Rebellion will always play the part of the victim and find others to take the fall with it.

Absolom gives us a tremendous picture of rebellion. When David returned to his palace after the death of his son Absolom, he would not sleep with his wives (they had slept with his son Absolom). Why? For many reasons, I'm sure. For one, if one of them became pregnant, he would not know who the real father was. We must be careful to deal quickly with rebellion in the church, because when we fail to do so and our people become pregnant with doctrine, philosphy, or vision....we will not know if they are impregnated with rebellion.

Pastors, are you dealing with rebellion swiftly? What are your experiences? What are your thoughts?

Double Portion Anointing!

As one of my spiritual sons was team preaching with me last weekend in Europe (we ministered at two pastor's conferences...one in Hungary and one in Romania), God was giving him incredible revelation while preaching. (For the record, I have never experienced anything like what we experienced as a father & son preaching on the subject of "Spiritual Fathers & Sons"). He said, "Elisha picked up the mantel. The son's mantel is not to out-perform his father. His mantel is not to preach twice as good, or perform twice the miracles. The son is not in competition with his father. No! My spiritual Papa always says, 'God raises sons & daughters in the House to preserve the vision of the House!' God will never honor the proud, arrogant, or competetive son. The mantel is to continue what the father starts. The mantel is to run with his vision, his dream, and his anointing. When the son runs with the father's mantel, he positions himself for incredible fruitfulness, effectiveness, and results. If it's twice, three times, or more, the son doesn't care. His only desire is to run with his fathers dream!" I thought that was good enough to share with you today! God, give our sons & daughters our vision! Give them our dream! Let them run with it when we're gone! Give them humble hearts! Give them honoring hearts! Position them for DOUBLE PORTION ANOINTING!

Who are your spiritual sons & daughters? How much time do you spend with them daily, weekly, monthly, and annually? What are some of your experiences with them that would encourage pastors to invest in their spiritual offspring?