Using This One Word Will Make You a Better Children’s Bible Teacher

June 14, 2018

Do you want to improve your skills as a Bible teacher? As a small group leader? As a parent?

There’s one word you can use that has been proven to make a big difference in communicating with children, helping them grasp what you’re teaching and seeing them think about the subject on a deeper level.

Before I share what the word is, let’s look at some of the research behind it.

A team of psychologists in California have been trying to find ways to help children learn more effectively. Their research has helped them uncover a simple, but powerful way to do just that.

The psychologists gave children a set of blocks with different features. Some of the blocks played music when put in place. The children were then asked why they thought some of the blocks caused music to play, while other blocks didn’t.

Here’s what they found. By simply following up the activity with the word “WHY,” the kids were able to learn more effectively. This one word caused the kids to think on a deeper level because they were asking them to elaborate on something they have observed or been told.

The word “why” also causes kids to focus on abstract information, like cause and effect. The result—kids learn more effectively.

If you want to improve as a teacher, small group leader or parent, start incorporating the word “why” into your lessons and conversations.

We know many kids are walking out of churches with a shallow faith that can’t stand the test of humanism and a secular world view. Perhaps a big reason is because we haven’t been using the word “why” enough.

Teachers. Look at the lesson you’re going to be teaching this weekend. Are there any “why’s” in it?

Small group leaders. Look at your discussion outline. Are there any “why’s” in it?

Parents. I know you hear the word “why” a lot. Especially if your children are younger. As you’re reading them a devotion, you’ll hear “Why this?” and “Why that?” Don’t look at those “why’s” as a bother, but rather as an opportunity to help your child build a strong faith foundation. In fact, don’t wait for them to ask why. Take the initiative and ask them first.

The truth is, if we’ll start lecturing less and start guiding kids through the “why’s,” we can see a lot more kids develop a faith that will last. I was very intentional about writing in a lot of “why’s” into the curriculum we developed. You can see samples and get it at this link.

Think about this. Jesus asked a lot of questions when He taught, communicated and interacted with people. And often when asked a question, He would respond with a question. The Master Teacher knew the power of “why” long before the psychologists in California did. Here are just a few examples of the Master Teacher using the word “why.”

Why are you anxious about clothes? (Matthew 6:28)
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye yet fail to perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? (Matthew 7:2)
Why did you doubt? (Matthew 14:31)
Why do you make trouble for the woman? (Matthew 26:10)
Why do you not judge for yourself what is right? (Luke 12:57)
Why do you not understand what I am saying? (John 8:43)

Our goal must move beyond just having kids parrot back Bible facts to us, but to also have them think about the “why’s” behind those facts. We should not be afraid of asking “why?”

Asking the “why’s” will lead kids to a deeper faith.

Asking “why?” opens the door to great conversation.

Asking “why?” causes kids to delve into apologetics.

Asking “why?” can help you transition from being an ineffective lecturer to being an effective facilitator.

Asking “why?” can be the tool that helps kids move beyond a surface faith.

Asking “why?” can turn an activity into a learning, thought provoking experience.

Asking “why? can make a review game more meaningful.

Let’s think about a practical example. You’re sharing the story of Noah. What are some why questions you could ask? Here are a few…

Why do you think God chose Noah to build the ark?

Why do you think Noah didn’t quit building when people laughed at him?

Why do you think God decided to send a flood and start over with Noah and his family?

Do you think it was hard for Noah to trust God? Why?

Do you think Noah’s family was afraid? Why?

The people laughed at Noah when he was building the ark. Why?

Do you think you would have been able to trust God if He had asked you to build a giant boat? Why?

How many “why’s” will you ask this weekend? Hopefully a lot. If you do, I promise you it will make you a better teacher, small group leader, parent and all around kid’s ministry Ninja extraordinaire.

Your turn. Do you use the word “why” in your lessons, discussions, etc.? What are some tips or insight you have for this? Share with everyone in the comment section below.

This article originally appeared here.

Your Church’s Prayer Room—Is It Pretty…or Powerful?

Kim Butts

June 14, 2018

After being in prayer ministry for over 25 years, I have been in hundreds of prayer rooms in churches of every stripe. There are three basic types or prayer rooms I would like to address today:

The Prayer/Storage Room – This is a “prayer room” that shares space and is not fully dedicated to the purpose of prayer. In many cases, it is used for sound equipment, stage props, Christmas decorations…well, you get the idea. This tells me that a church is definitely not “all in” about becoming a praying church. To be fair, many churches simply don’t have any discretionary space, as prayer rooms usually aren’t in the initial plans when churches build. Church leadership hasn’t yet recognized that prayer is the strategy for the life and mission of the church. People who want to pray in these spaces are often resentful about sharing with those who would use the space for storage and vice versa. Hurt feelings and disunity can be a result of this arrangement.
The Pretty Prayer Room – This room has been designated as the “place for prayer” in the church. A team of people have put in nice furniture, lovely artwork, etc. But…it isn’t used except on Sunday mornings before church or special and infrequent times of prayer. This room is often confiscated for meetings other than prayer because it is a nice, quiet setting and not utilized very much. Churches feel good because they “have” a prayer room. To this I have to say, “What good is a pretty prayer room that isn’t being used for prayer?” One or more people in the church have created a space for their community of believers to come and pray, but find that the congregation and sometimes even the leaders are enticed to other activities in the church building other than prayer. This can be very discouraging for those who have prepared the room as they are often the only ones who use it. Very few other than those who are already gifted in intercession place value in spending time here.

Both of these first two rooms are usually only accessible when the church building is open or during special times of emphasis on prayer. The life of God working mightily in the midst of His people here may be less than it could be because His people are not yet focused upon the critical necessity of seeking His presence both individually and corporately.

The Power Prayer Room – Kingdom activity happens in this prayer space! People are continually coming and going, creativity is being cultivated, all generations are engaged, and God is receiving much glory as He launches people into His purposes in homes, in the church, the community and around the world. This prayer space is open and available often…sometimes even around the clock for intentional worship and intercession. It can even be a room with an outside access available by keypad or some other arrangement so that people can seek God 24-7. I have seen small prayer rooms built on church property or some other designated location rather than located in the church building. It is in such spaces that God is pouring out blessing and answering prayer. His people are His hands and feet in their homes and community, and actively sharing the love of the gospel. These people are being transformed by Jesus because they are drawing near and pressing into His presence.

By the way, very rarely is the Power Prayer room “pretty” although it certainly can be! It may actually be a bit messy because people are doing the work of prayer. You might see prayer stations that engage the different senses, maps of the nations on the wall, people drawing or painting their prayers, places to kneel, people worshiping (worship IS prayer)…children are welcome in this space and there are age-appropriate prayer stations for them to seek God…and that just scratches the surface.

Is a prayer room an absolute necessity for a church to become a praying church? Absolutely not! But it is often an entry place for many people to learn to stretch and grow in prayer. There is something about coming to a designated place of prayer that invites people to draw apart from the world in order to meet with God. It is a place where individuals, families, small groups or prayer teams can gather to learn how to seek His face and where God is welcome to breathe into the lives of those who desire His presence: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8a); “…these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Isaiah 56:7).

A good way for the leadership of a church to allow people to grow in their life with God is to provide a space where they can learn how to intercede for more than personal needs and issues and be stretched towards God’s kingdom purposes through prayer.

For more information about creative prayer rooms and for ideas, check out my Pinterest pages:

Prayer Room Ideas

Creative Prayer Ideas

Prayer and Missions Ideas

Kids and Prayer Ideas

This article originally appeared here.

Why the Church Needs More Theologically Minded Worship Leaders

Tyler Greene

June 14, 2018

It’s no secret that modern-day worship leaders are largely perceived as theological lightweights. We aren’t exactly known for our rigorous study of Scripture or creedal precision. Are we hip? Probably. Talented? Maybe. But theologically astute? Unlikely.

Knowing About God vs. Knowing God

Growing up in church, I’ve encountered worship leaders from across the denominational spectrum, too few of whom know their Bibles well enough to articulate even the most basic doctrines of the Christian faith. More than once, I’ve actually heard worship leaders promulgate the cliché “I don’t want to know about God; I want to know Him.” That’s simply impossible. You can’t actually know a person in any meaningful way while remaining ignorant about that person. Therefore, worship leaders, as people desiring to know God, should strive for theological excellence. To know God—and to lead others to know Him—we must know about Him.

After all, we bear the colossal responsibility of standing before our congregations every week, inviting them to revel in the glorious doctrines of biblical and historical Christianity, such as the Trinity, Christ’s Incarnation and penal substitutionary atonement. Our unique purpose as worship leaders is to help people speak (or sing) the truth in love in order to build up the church toward greater unity and maturity (cf. Eph. 4:13-16, 5:19). But how can we fulfill this purpose if our knowledge of that truth receives little priority?

Love With Knowledge and All Discernment

While theological aptitude isn’t everything, we don’t really have anything of substance without it. This is why, in the New Testament, the apostle Paul prays several times for the church to thrive in its knowledge of God. One such instance is found in Philippians 1:9-11, which says, “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent […] to the glory and praise of God.”

Here, Paul is connecting the dots between our capacity to love and our ability to understand and discern the things of God. Therefore, if we’re going to “approve what is excellent,” we must increase in our knowledge of the Excellent One. If we’re going to abound in love, we must rightly understand the God who is love (1 Jn. 4:8). If we want to see our congregations come alive to “the glory and praise of God,” our doctrinal accuracy matters a great deal, for God delights when His people worship Him in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:23). In other words, the church needs more worship leaders who can love people with a humble, discerning, theologically capable mind.

So, once and for all, let’s put the stereotype of the “theologically shallow worship leader” to death. The church’s rich theological heritage provides us with a wealth of resources to help us become more doctrinally minded. If you will create space in your schedule to shape your intellect with the truth of Scripture, God will consume your heart with the immensity of His glory. Personally, I’d recommend supplementing your Bible intake with J.I. Packer’s Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs. But wherever you decide to begin, realize that all theology is meant to lead us into deeper worship of God. And for worship leaders, is there anything more important and worthwhile than that? (You don’t need to be a theologian to answer that question correctly.)

This article originally appeared here.

I’m Not Dead and the Holy Spirit Is Not a “Force”

Daniel Henderson

June 14, 2018

“That’s not what I said!” “I didn’t do that!” “He doesn’t really know me!” “That never happened!” These are common expressions of someone who feels they have been misrepresented. Misrepresentation is one of the most frustrating dynamics in the human experience. To be misrepresented by a friend, a critic, a gossip or a public report is infuriating. Whatever the motive, the effect is troubling. All of us like to be portrayed to others as accurately as possible. We want to be known correctly and honestly.

If you were to search for me on Google, the top result would feature a picture of me and a brief description of my pastoral ministry. Then you would observe that, according to Google, I was born in 1880 and died in 1955! As you know, I am fully alive but I am also being dreadfully misrepresented. (Maybe one of these days Google will respond to our multiple requests and make this correction.)

Misrepresented Spirit?

I noted in a previous post that, according to a recent study by Lifeway Research, 56 percent of evangelical Christians say the Holy Spirit is a force rather than a person. In that same study, a quarter (28 percent) said the Spirit is a divine being but not equal to God the Father and Jesus. Half (51 percent) disagreed. Twenty-one percent were not sure.[i] Why do so many evangelicals have a warped understanding of the Holy Spirit? Could I suggest that, in large part, this is rooted in what we publicly say, sing, write and teach (or fail to teach) in our Christian circles.

I am convinced that even among those who intellectually and theologically affirm that the Holy Spirit is a person, many still speak of Him as a “force” that mysteriously arrives from some obscure location. They describe Him in obscure third person language as “The Presence” or a “power” in the atmosphere. I am deeply concerned that the Holy Spirit, even in contexts where His work is emphasized and His presence evoked, has become the “misrepresented God.”

Francis Chan agrees: “He is not an indistinct ‘power’ or ‘thing.’ I often hear people referring to the Spirit as an ‘it,’ as if the ‘Spirit’ is a ‘thing’ or ‘force’ that we can control or use. This distinction may seem subtle or trivial, but is actually a very serious misunderstanding of the Spirit and his role in our lives.”[ii]

This confusion ultimately detracts from the compelling New Testament teaching on the person of the Spirit dwelling within us. This can subtly diminish our conscious, moment-by-moment enjoyment and consistent empowerment by the indwelling Christ. Most troubling, a confused view of the Holy Spirit can distort the sufficiency of our promised new covenant experience based on the glorious person, sufficient work and clear promises of Jesus Christ.

Toward a New Covenant Vocabulary

Scottish New Testament scholar I.H. Marshall once noted, “Christians are adept at the loose use of language.”[iii] In Appendix Two of my book Transforming Presence, I offered what I believe are some essential correctives in how we speak about the work of the Holy Spirit. I hope these clarifications will be helpful to you—particularly if you believe that the gospel changes everything, the finished work of Christ is monumental, that the new covenant is important, and that words matter. Martin Sanders, CEO of YouthScape, once tweeted, “If worship is an act of total devotion, then it demands our minds as well as our hearts.”

While discussing this book project with a theologically astute president of a Midwestern Bible college, he was somewhat astounded by my thesis. He admitted that what I was proposing was correct but that he, and many of us, would need to be more careful about how we typically speak about the work of the Holy Spirit. He suggested the clarification of a better vocabulary. So, with the belief that such a recommendation is profitable, here it is:

INSTEAD OF:	HOW ABOUT:
“Lord, we welcome You.”	“Lord, we are grateful for Your indwelling presence,” or, “Thank You for welcoming us at the cross; now we give You praise for the glory of the gospel.”
“We just want to soak in the Holy Spirit.”	“Lord, enable us to honor and obey the indwelling Holy Spirit.”
“The Holy Spirit came.”	“The Holy Spirit worked powerfully in our lives.”
“We seek Your manifest presence.”	“We surrender completely to Your indwelling presence,” or even, “We ask You to use us in one another’s lives as we obey the Holy Spirit.”
“Release Your Spirit.”	“We pledge ourselves to obey Your Holy Spirit, that He might work powerfully in and through us.”
“Holy Spirit, fall.”	“Holy Spirit, fill, control and dominate our lives.”
“Pour out Your Spirit.”	“Spirit, take charge of our lives.”
“Fill this temple.”	“Indwelling Spirit, we give You control of our lives.”
“God showed up.”	“The Spirit worked powerfully in us and among us.”
“Welcome to the house of the Lord.”	“Welcome to this gathering of God’s people.”
“This (the building) is the house of the Lord.”	“You are the house of the Lord, indwelt by His Spirit.”
“Flood the atmosphere.”	“Take control of our hearts.”
“The atmosphere is changing.”	“The Holy Spirit is working in us to change us.”
“Let Your glory fall.”	“Jesus, You are our glory. We seek Your will and word.”
“Thank You that we can come into Your presence.”	“Thank You that Your presence has come into us.”
“Rain down on us.”	“Take control of our hearts by Your indwelling Spirit.”
“We enthrone You.”	“You are enthroned in glory. Rule in the temple of our hearts now.”
“Holy Spirit, move.”	“Holy Spirit, we surrender to and obey You.”
“We want to feel Your presence.”	“Thank You for the sure promise and power of Your indwelling presence.”
“When You come into the room…”	“When we surrender to Your indwelling presence…”
“The Holy Spirit was thick.”	“Our surrender and obedience to the power of the Holy Spirit was evident.”
“Spirit, flood this place.”	“Indwelling Spirit, we surrender our lives to You. Take complete control of our entire being.”
“Reign in this place.”	“Have full control of our hearts.”
“Lord, we want to attract Your presence.”	“Jesus, thank You for attracting us through the cross, because now Your very person and presence lives gloriously in us.”

(NOTE: If you have questions about any of these, please read the book for an extensive biblical background and clarification).

This article originally appeared here.

This Is What Made Pence’s Speech at the SBC So Controversial

Megan Briggs

June 14, 2018

The Southern Baptist Convention wrapped up its 2018 Annual Meeting yesterday in Dallas, Texas. Messengers and leaders of America’s largest protestant denomination have a lot to stew on as they head home. This year’s meeting did not lack for controversial topics, one of the most divisive being Vice President Mike Pence’s speech.

As is customary, messengers see the agenda for the two-day meeting before the convention starts. The first order of business is to vote to approve said agenda. When the messengers saw the agenda for the first time, Pence’s name was not on it. An unexpected offer from the White House to have Pence speak at this year’s meeting left the messengers with little time to decide about the last-minute addition. Some, like Garrett Kell of Alexandria, Virginia, did not think the idea a good one. He cited the potential for division, a concern for the safety of missionaries abroad, and the need to clarify the centrality of the Gospel at the meeting as his reasoning.

The messengers voted on whether or not they would like Pence to speak to the group. The vote was about a third against Pence speaking and two-thirds in favor. The meeting moved on…

Why was Pence’s speech so controversial?

The nature and content of Pence’s speech didn’t include anything novel. He stuck closely to messages he’s given at other largely Christian events such as the March for Life and the National Day of Prayer. He brought greetings from “a good friend of mine,” one who is committed to “protect faith and restore freedom across this country.” Of course, he was speaking of President Trump. Pence then proceeded to spend the better part of 37 minutes using current political events to illustrate why Trump is a friend and ally of the SBC. Really, nothing new. So why did so many people feel the need to take to Twitter to voice concern over the speech—including the SBC’s new president, J.D. Greear?

Essentially the speech was a campaign speech. To the point that one attendee lamented, “So apparently I’ve now attended my first political rally ever, sadly it’s at the SBC Annual Meeting. Grieved at the division this will cause. Please know many in the room did not want this. I respect Pence, but the convention is not the place for politicking.”

So apparently I’ve now attended my first political rally ever, sadly it’s at the SBC Annual Meeting. Grieved at the division this will cause. Please know many in the room did not want this. I respect Pence, but the convention is not the place for politicking. #SBC18 #SBCAM18

— Nathan Montgomery (@montynem) June 13, 2018

In an increasingly escalating voice, Pence said there was only one way to sum up Trump’s administration: It’s been “500 days of action; 500 days of accomplishment; 500 days of promises made and promises kept!” At this the convention hall seemed to swell with cheers. Apparently, though, not everyone was cheering. Another attendee reported, “Twenty minutes ago this room was united around the gospel, worshipping with hands in the air. Now, half the room is clapping/standing while the rest sits on their hands. Unnecessary fracturing regarding non-gospel issues only hurts our mission. This is sad.”

20 minutes ago this room was united around the gospel, worshipping with hands in the air. Now, half the room is clapping/standing while the rest sits on their hands.

Unnecessary fracturing regarding non-gospel issues only hurts our mission. This is sad. #SBCAM18 #sbc18

— rob collingsworth (@rcollingsworth) June 13, 2018

So what, exactly did Pence say?

Among the topics Pence addressed, the great majority had to do with the actions the Trump administration has taken thus far to “make America great again.” Briefly, Pence covered the following foreign and domestic causes:

Rebuilding the military – including working to secure the border and removing dangerous gang members and criminals.

The North Korea Summit – Pence attributed the success of the summit to Trump’s leadership and the courage of the late Otto Warmbier’s family. Pence asked for continued prayers for peace as the two nations continue to work things out.

The fight against terrorism – Pence assured the crowd that ISIS is on the run and applauded the President’s decision to withdraw from the “disastrous” Iran Nuclear Deal.

The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem – To much applause, Pence said, “Unlike his predecessors, this president kept his word to the American people and to our most cherished ally when…we opened the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.”

How I Format My Sermon Outline

Josh Weidmann

June 14, 2018

For over a decade I have tried to find the best way to format my sermon notes. I’ve asked some of the greatest living known preachers how they do it and if I could see theirs. I research and read about others’ notes (of which Josh Harris has one of the best blogs on this topic). Although I have been swayed a time or two to try something new, for the most part I have used the same format all these years.

I am well aware of the fact that a preacher’s notes are very personal to him and they may never be of any help to anyone else…mine included. However, as I’ve collected other people’s sermon notes like baseball cards and glean even the smallest bit of help from all of them, I thought it was time to share mine (if for no other reason than to convince other preachers that their system was much cleaner and better). I’ve now posted a Sermon Notes section to this site where all my sermon notes will be posted after I preach them. This section will grow with time.

The structure of my “Outline” (the thing I take in the pulpit) is as follows:

The title of the series and the sermon is always on top. This allows me to keep it filed correctly by series.
Under the title are the following five fields: Date, Place Preached, Passage, Main Point, Length. Here is the blank template that I use for each sermon: Sermon Outline Template
Then I have my main point and my “Sub-mains” in ALL CAPS. These are usually the phrases that I will emphasis the most. These statements are nearly always imperative and most likely are printed in the bulletin for the people to follow along.
All other supporting points are in Small caps and bolded. This ensures that I don’t miss them, but they are not as important as the main and sub-mains, so if I don’t get to them it is not the end of the world.
I use bullet point to represent thoughts. I may have several bullet points under a main or sub-main, all of which represent a thought that supports that point. Sometimes there are sub-bullet points underneath main bullet points; this simply means it is a deeper thought or further clarification the previous thought.
All other lists are usually numbered – 1), 2), 3), – in a different style then how I number my mains and subs (I don’t always number mains and subs).

Once the outline is done, I will spend time coloring it with four different colors (I will describe this color system in a future post).

A few things to note about my format:

I use 10-point font for all the text.
The space between points/paragraphs is 5-pt font.
The header of the sermons notes is 8-point font.
The margins are all 0.5 inches.
I number the pages at the bottom and put the file path in the footer.
I try to keep my sermon outline one page (8 ½ by 11) only if it is a 35-40 minute sermon.
The first few words of each “Thought” are usually bold.
All my notes are typed and I add handwritten stuff in later, as needed.
Abbreviations are often needed and I’ve come up with a few that I always use (i.e., Jesus is always “JC”; Illustration is always “Ill”; Example is always “ex”; passage is always “psg”; etc.).

So as I said, this is what works best for me—but it may not be for everyone. However, it is nice to now have a large file drawer filled with sermons that have proven this system over the years. I can grab any of these sermons at anytime and be ready to preach as needed.

This article originally appeared here.

5 Signs You’re Not the Leader You Think You Are

Josh Blankenship

June 13, 2018

Leadership is a funny thing. Some are thrust into positions we never thought we could handle. Some are natural leaders who rise to the top. Many small business owners, pastors and entrepreneurs assume the title of ‘leader’ without ever actually taking time to think about what that means. I’m not the most experienced person in the world, but I have seen lots of bad leaders in action. From the military to ministry and business, I’ve seen ineffective leaders try to force their titles down other people’s throats or worse.

I think the biggest issue with leadership in today’s world is that most people simply lack self-awareness. Being self-aware is the single biggest key to leadership. Argue if you want, but you would be wrong. Without self-awareness, you cannot make good decisions. Without self-awareness, you cannot see your weaknesses. Without self-awareness, you cannot accurately find or fix problems in your organization. No leader can be perfect. Every leader has weaknesses. If you are not aware of yours, if you can’t find people to complement those weaknesses, then you are in for a long, rough ride as a so-called leader.

The following are a few warning signs that you might be over your head as a leader. If you’re taking the time to read this, I strongly encourage you to be honest. Ask yourself if you are exhibiting any of these signs and if there is anything you can do to change.

1 – Repeatedly Failing to Reach Your Goals

Every leader will fail. That is a given. No leader, no matter how great, will reach their goals every time. Leaders who consistently fail are not leaders, no matter how badly you want them to be. If you’re a pastor or church leader who sets attendance or participation goals and year after year you fail to reach them, you need to look in the mirror and ask yourself some tough questions. If you lead a team of salesmen and your team consistently cannot meet sales goals, you might want to re-evaluate. If you and your teams are setting the same goals year after year, you are simply in charge of a stagnant organization and are most likely not the leader you think you are.

2 – Your Team Is Constantly Changing

This one is hard to explain. Business and life are not always about talent. Most of the time it’s about the team you surround yourself with. I understand that in high-level leadership people will come and go. People can be offended and butt-hurt over the smallest things. From what I see, the best leaders typically have one to three people who are with them for a really long time. This is true in sports (i.e., Brady and Belichick) in the church world (i.e., Craig Groeshell and Bobby Gruenewald) and in business (i.e., Steve Jobs and John Ives). I believe that true leadership inspires. The best leaders are able to rally teams around them and move the ball forward. If you look back over the years at your leadership and you’re the only one left, there is something wrong. There is nothing wrong with bringing in new people, but if your organization is a revolving door, you might not be the leader you think you are.

3 – You’re Not Focused on Action

I’ve written before about how vision is overrated. If you think leadership is about vision then your leadership is only about 10 percent complete. If you’re so focused on looking to the future that you forget about the action steps it takes to get there, your leadership skills are lacking. The best leaders are able to execute and makes things happen. If you have great ideas but can’t seem to turn them into reality, you might not be the leader you think you are.

4 – You Fall Back on Your Title and Position

As leaders, motivation is key. If you can’t motivate your teams to work hard and get things done, your organization will struggle to move forward. When you start saying things like “I do what I want because I’m the leader” or “I pay you to do what I say,” you’ve already lost the leadership game. That mentality might work for a short time and you might see short-term results, but in the long run, you will fail to bring in the best people and no one will want to work with you. If you’re using your title to influence others, you might not be the leader you think you are.

5 – You Only Hire ‘Yes’ People

My all-time favorite quote comes from Andy Stanley. He says, “Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded with people who have nothing to say.” Wow…what a powerful sentence. If you are constantly hiring people who look, think and act like you, chances are you won’t ever accomplish anything great. Many leaders don’t even know they are doing this, but when the rubber meets the road they just don’t want to be challenged. If your leadership style is “I’m in charge and what I say goes,” very few talented people will stay for the long haul. The best leaders are secure enough to hear opposing views. The best leaders can have intense conversations about the direction of the organization. If you’re afraid of other points of view, you might not be the leader you think you are.

This article originally appeared here.

Here’s the Biggest Obstacle to Personal Growth

Hud McWilliams

June 13, 2018

Having counseled hundreds of people over four decades, I can’t escape the fact that people seldom genuinely want to grow.

I can’t tell you how many clients and parishioners have had the solution to their pain within reach, but instead chose to prevent the healing that was readily available.

When I began counseling people, I mistakenly assumed they would want to grow toward wholeness and maturity, but I have seen people repeatedly choose divorce over healing. I have seen them reject redemptive change in favor of a superficial alteration that will do nothing to deepen their growth into wholeness. They remain stuck.

Most people just want to get by.

They settle for a short-term, stop-gap solution that avoids healing and fails to address the deep hurt and losses of life. No matter what our natural response might be, I am convinced that we are created to grow even though much in our lives works against our growth.

Why is this fundamental aspect of life so often thwarted? Why are so few of us willing to do the necessary work to push through the barriers that impede the way to maturity?

The process of growing into wholeness is messy and brings its own discomfort.

Deep in the psyche of the first-world perspective, it seems that our built-in urge to grow is stalled by the more immediate desire to be comfortable, to be safe, to be sure and certain. In other words, we want to be in control no matter what it costs us. And as we will see, it costs us dearly.

When the pursuit of comfort determines how we live, a move to grow toward wholeness will merely be tolerated and endured (perhaps in the wake of crisis). But it will not be sought out. And even when we experience a moment of genuine growth toward maturity due to loss, grief, betrayal, or some other setback, we hope the process of growth will soon be over.

We want more than ever to return to the seeming ease of being in control of our life. We want to complete the process of suffering so we can put it behind us and return to the patterns and routines that pass for safety and comfort.

We are driven to resolve issues, and usually, it’s a good thing to want closure. When you sign up to take a class, you want to complete it. When you enter a race, you want to cross the finish line. However, this mindset overlooks the fact that we are alive. As long as we are alive, things can’t be finished. There is no endpoint. There is no graduation ceremony that certifies we have arrived.

Living things are always growing. If they are not growing, they are dead.

Growth is a reality, while quick resolution remains a tantalizing fiction. We create our own confusion when we overlay the idea of completion on organic growth. It will never work, but that doesn’t stop us from trying.

The reality of life is that you can’t force any outcome to conform to your will. My dog serves as a simple example. She will never stop barking at squirrels, no matter how much it annoys me. Working with a living being calls for an entirely different set of interactions and large amounts of acceptance.

This article is an excerpt from Discipline of Disturbance: Stop Waiting for Life to be Easy by Hud McWilliams

6 Reasons People Pleasing Hurts Your Leadership

Dan Reiland

June 13, 2018

People pleasing is common among leaders in the local church.

People pleasing is when you lead in such a way that you attempt to keep everyone happy. You receive affirmation and therefore feel good.

The congregation is happy, so they feel good; seems harmless enough.

But the ill-gained affirmation you receive will hurt you and your leadership over the long-haul. And of course, you can’t keep everyone happy even if that was a good idea.

You will end up exhausted, and some of the followers that are happy with you at the moment will turn against you the first time you attempt to make a tough decision that doesn’t go to their liking.

It’s not always that dramatic, but the day-to-day idea still functions in the same manner.

It’s not unhealthy for you to enjoy knowing that the people you serve are happy. It’s natural to want people to enjoy working with you. And it’s normal for you to want people to like you.

The healthy place that comes from is a desire to serve and help people grow.

It becomes dangerous when you want people to approve of you more than you genuinely want to help people grow and mature in their faith.

People pleasing usually comes from insecurity and often results in a performance trap.

The performance trap is a condition where you work very hard to please others and gain their approval. The trap is that you can never do enough, and again, you can never make everyone happy all the time.

The trap includes feeling good about yourself when others approve of you, rather than finding your security in Christ.

6 practical reasons people pleasing hurts your leadership:

1) You may pull back on lighten up on the truth in Scripture.

It’s not uncommon for a people-pleasing leader to pull back on communicating the truth in God’s word, so they don’t ruffle anyone’s feathers. Their desire to be liked overtakes their passion for teaching the truth.

One common example is the reluctance to teach on tithing or challenge someone in their giving because that might make them uncomfortable or convict them spiritually. The thought of that resulting in conflict shuts down the right leadership behavior.

2) You may hide your real self.

People pleasers often have to pretend. They pretend they are happy with everything going on and they rarely are.

Secretly they often feel like they’re being taken advantage of, and like they work harder than everyone else. (They may be working harder, but it’s their choice.)

When this happens, you lose connection with people because you’re not presenting your real self.

3) You may avoid a tough decision.

Or worse, you may knowingly make the wrong decision just to keep people happy.

One of the more common stories here is when a leader keeps someone on staff who clearly should not remain on staff. They will tolerate poor performance or even a bad attitude because of the potential backlash that would come from letting that employee go.

4) You may overwork in order to gain approval.

Overworking is not always a pattern of people pleasing leaders, but often is. A strong work ethic is a good thing, overworking is not.

The result is usually exhaustion and regret. You end up hurt, and everyone wonders what happened.

5) You may delay or avoid an essential confrontation.

If you sidestep tough conversations to keep everything peaceful, and in your favor, your leadership will eventually suffer. It may be anything from confronting sin to restoring a broken relationship.

Your willingness to speak the truth in love, even when it’s uncomfortable or perhaps very difficult, is essential. Your willingness and ability to successfully have tough conversations will gain trust and respect in the long run.

6) You may inadvertently lower trust.

When your leadership fails to deliver courage and strength in the right moments, over time those who follow you may lose trust in you. Perhaps not in you personally, but in your leadership.

Your friends and followers may still trust your character but will lose trust in your leadership decision-making and execution.

People pleasing is not a new problem.

The apostle Paul talks about it in Galatians 1:10.

¹⁰Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Your story, or my story may not be the same as Paul’s, but the big picture is the same.

The previous six points will help you know if people pleasing is a struggle or temptation for you.

If it is, the first stage of the way out is to begin to re-establish your identity and security in Christ.

As a servant of Christ:

Know you are loved by Him. Your sins are forgiven. God is your heavenly Father.
Find your security in Him, not in anything or anyone. God is your peace.
Trust that He can and will meet your deepest needs. God is your provider.
Know you are called by Him. He has chosen and gifted you. God is your power.

Breaking free isn’t always easy, or fast, but there is freedom in Christ for all who desire it.

The second stage is to begin to practice leadership in a new way:

Lead in order to set an example for spiritual growth, not gain someone’s approval.
Lead in order to serve people for their best interest, not to please them.
Lead in order to fulfill God’s purpose, not perform for anyone’s admiration.

This article originally appeared here.

Why Do Kids Stray?

Ric Callahan

June 13, 2018

Recently I’ve been doing my own personal survey to find out why so many kids who grow up in the church choose to disregard church after their high school years. I’ve been in student and kids ministry for over 30 years. During the years I’ve worked really hard to help the churches that I’ve served provide comprehensive ministries for young people in the areas of all spiritual disciplines. I have trained leaders and parents in how to equip kids in and through Bible Studies, Discipleship Classes, weekly church services, camps, trips, retreats, service projects, mission trips and other events. I’ve organized opportunities to cover lessons throughout the Bible using large groups, small groups and one-on-one instruction. I’ve given parents resources to follow-up with their kids at home as well.

Here’s my frustration. With all that we are attempting to make happen through the church, a large number of students stray from the church when they graduate from high school.When I individually asked a large number of good, churched young adults why this happens, they all gave me similar answers. As a parent trying to raise good godly kids, I’m sure you are interested in their answers, right?

So what are they saying? Here goes… Most kids, even Christian kids will, in most cases, follow the examples learned in their home more so than the church. The influence that you have as a parent is unbelievable! Never underestimate the power and authority that God has given you with your kids. Now that we are reminded of this, what do we do?

Well, for starters, you need to know that the way you lead your family matters. Second, you need to realize that the church, though it plays a part, is not totally responsible for the spiritual growth of your kids, you are. Kids who stray after high school have shared many interesting findings about the homes they grew up in.

·      They went to church regularly, often on both Sundays and Wednesdays.
·      They went to camps, retreats and even mission trips.
·      They loved and respected God and had an appreciation for the church staff.
But…
·      They would leave church on Sunday and never talk about church or what they heard at church after they left the church campus.
·      They would schedule their week based on worldly priorities not godly ones.
·      They would hear unwholesome talk and see inconsistencies in the way their parents lived.
·      Bible reading would not take place in the home by either parents nor kids.
·      Although positive communication took place within the home, very seldom was there a conversation of any spiritual nature.

Bottom-line: Kids are watching and learning from what they experience at home. Let’s be spiritually consistent parents and allow God to lead us during the week as well as on Sundays.

This article originally appeared here.

How to Handle Vulnerable Sharing

Laura Copeland

June 13, 2018

How to Handle Vulnerable Sharing

[Originally written for the Small Group Network, and can be found here]

If we want to talk about community, we have to talk about authenticity and vulnerability. If we want to talk about authenticity and vulnerability, we have to talk about shame.

Shame is the greatest barrier to community. If we can’t learn how to address shame properly, our churches and our small groups will struggle to grow into authentic and transparent communities that experience transformation at anything deeper than a surface level.

New York Times bestselling author Brene Brown has researched shame and its effects on relationships for more than a decade. According to Brown, guilt says I did something bad, while shame says I am bad.

She further describes shame as “the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging—something we’ve experienced, done or failed to do makes us unworthy of connection.”[i]

Guilt correlates to our actions as bad. Shame correlates to our worth and identity as bad.

To put this in a biblical perspective, we know that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1), our value, worth and identity are all secured by the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19), and our sin, selfishness and stupidity are completely forgiven and we are in right standing before God (2 Cor. 6:21).

If shame is “the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging,” then it has no part in the life of the believer, and no part in our small groups or our churches.

What, then, are we to do in response to the weight of shame that is crushing many in our churches, and that hinders our small groups from experiencing transparency?

Refuse to use shame as a weapon.

Leveraging shame can be a powerful motivator, and has been wrongly used by religious authorities to coerce behavior for centuries. It’s tempting to use because it’s effective in the short term, but in the long run it destroys community.
Leverage empathy as the antidote to shame.

The power of shame lies in darkness and the fear of what will happen when hidden things are brought to the light. Empathy is the skill of connecting with someone in their hurt, pain and brokenness in a way that says, “I’ve been there too, and you’re not alone.”

When people share something vulnerable, especially something that potentially has some shame attached to it, here’s what we need to communicate:

Thanks for trusting us enough to share that.
We love you, and this doesn’t change how we see you.
God loves you, and this doesn’t change how He sees you.
It sounds like this is something really painful in your life, and we want you to know that you’re not alone.

Real community is messy, and real transformation is hard. Shame is the greatest barrier to authentic community, but the body of Christ can provide an incarnational expression of the gospel of grace as we learn to respond with empathy and love to the struggles of others.

If you want to learn more, start with this TED talk by Brene Brown on the power of vulnerability: https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability?language=en

[i] http://brenebrown.com/2013/01/14/2013114shame-v-guilt-html/

This article originally appeared here.

5 Rather Surprising Findings About Growing and Declining Churches

Tony Morgan

June 13, 2018

Carey Nieuwhof recently shared five attitude differences he sees in the leaders of growing vs. declining churches.

He hit the nail on the head.

My team at The Unstuck Group and I are on the ground serving in hundreds of churches of all different sizes each year, and I can confirm his observations.

The difference between growing and declining churches is something we’re particularly attuned to. We serve churches in both of those situations: Some enlist our help because they’re in decline, and others engage our team to take steps to guard against getting stuck in the future, even as they are in growth mode today.

We’ve been tracking some data along these lines for a while now.

Each quarter we share a short report on our findings—The Unstuck Church Report. (You can subscribe by email to get it for free each quarter.)

When I was analyzing the data for the Q2 2018 report, some things really surprised me.

Just to be clear—this isn’t a comparison of big churches versus smaller churches. This is data that’s comparing growing churches to declining churches. Both sets of data include churches of fewer than 100 people and megachurches with more than 2,000 people.

Here are five of the findings that stood out to me:

1. Volunteer Engagement Is Higher in Declining Churches

Initially, this was the biggest surprise for me in all of these findings. Growing churches are still connecting 40 percent of their adults and students in regular serving opportunities, but the engagement in declining churches is even higher.

Let me dig a little deeper on that last bullet. Reflecting back on my engagements with both growing and declining churches, my experiences point to a couple of key reasons why volunteer engagement is higher in declining churches.

First, growing churches tend to reach more new people, and our data confirms they’re reaching more people who don’t yet have a relationship with Jesus.

Like with giving, there’s usually a lag in the time it takes for people to cross the line of faith and then mature in their faith before they give their money and their time. Actually, we’re hearing from the churches we serve that the “volunteer lag” may be longer than the “giving lag” when new people connect to the church.

Secondly, declining churches tend to be mature churches with a lot more ministry programming. Though it’s not unusual to hear leaders in declining churches complain about not having enough volunteers for critical ministry areas, they typically still have high volunteer engagement. It’s just spread across many more ministry programs. The more ministry programs you offer, the more staff and volunteers are required.

2. Growing Churches Are Attracting a Higher Percentage of Kids, but Declining Churches Are Attracting a Higher Percentage of Students

This may be because growing churches tend to do a better job of reaching younger families.

Declining churches tend to have older congregants so they are, therefore, more likely to have students in middle or high school.

3. Participation in Smaller Gatherings, Either Home Groups, Sunday School or Other Alternatives, Is Higher in Growing Churches.

There can be a perception that growing churches aren’t as focused on discipleship.

But we’re seeing growing churches are doing a better job of encouraging people to take the next step into community beyond the worship services.

And, they are primarily inviting people to take that step at a time other than Sunday morning.

4. Growing Churches Have Fewer Paid Staff Members Than Declining Churches.

Actually, it’s quite a bit fewer. Growing churches hire one staff person for every 71 people in attendance.

Declining churches hire one staff person for every 50 people in attendance.

In other words, a declining church with 1,000 people in attendance would have six more paid staff members than a growing church with the same attendance.

Here are a couple of my observations regarding staffing:

Declining churches tend to have many more ministry programs.

The more programs and events that a church offers, the more staff are required to support these efforts. Then when staff are hired, they tend to create additional programming and events to justify their positions. It’s a vicious cycle that’s difficult to break.

Secondly, declining churches don’t tend to right-size their staffing.

One of the churches we served had attendance decline for several years to the point the church was half the size it was about five years ago. In that same time, though, no staffing adjustments were made to reduce the number of employees.

Finally, when churches maintain a lean staff, they tend to hire stronger leaders.

In other words, they’ve learned they can accomplish more through fewer leaders who know how to develop and empower lay leaders and volunteer teams.

5. Growing Churches Develop and Empower More Leaders.

The churches that are growing have one leader for every 11 people in attendance. Declining churches only have one leader for every 19 people in attendance.

In all the data I analyzed, this appears to be the most significant difference between growing and healthy churches. In other words, the span of care (for leading, mentoring, discipling, etc.) is far healthier in growing churches.

Those are just a few of the insights that jumped out at me in the Q2 2018 report. You can read more of them in a recent blog series I wrote on tonymorganlive.com, and in the report itself:

Click here to download The Unstuck Church Report

The original article appeared here.

Presbyterian Church of Ireland Says ‘No’ to Gay Membership

Bob Ditmer

June 13, 2018

The Presbyterian Church in Ireland says it must stand with scripture and not allow gays to have membership in the church.

The Church’s doctrine committee concluded: “In light of our understanding of scripture and the Church’s understanding of a credible profession of faith, it is clear that same-sex couples are not eligible for communicant membership nor are they qualified to receive baptism for their children.

“We believe that their outward conduct and lifestyle is at variance with a life of obedience to Christ.”

It said the New Testament “unambiguously regards homosexual activity as contrary to nature, understood as God’s created order, and that it sets forth a permanent principle of creation, not a culturally limited perception.”

The Presbyterian Church said it “has a clear position on marriage and human relationships based on the teaching of the Bible” and taught that “homosexual activity is not consistent with Christian discipleship since it does not accord with the will of God expressed in his moral law.”

However, a church spokesman insisted that same-sex couples will not be prevented from attending worship, coming into church, receiving communion or having access to pastoral care.

The topic generated lengthy debate at the annual meeting in Belfast of the decision-making General Assembly. The debate lasted more than an hour as more than 20 people spoke.

One of those opposed to the policy was Alliance Party leader and Presbyterian Naomi Long.

“As a Presbyterian this grieves me greatly: My heart is broken today,” she wrote on Twitter. “I can only imagine the hurt this has caused to those from the LGBT community. It does not reflect the views of so many of us who love, respect and value you as family, friends and members of our community.”

The news was met with the departure to two high profile church members. But the Very Rev Dr Stafford Carson, convener of the church’s Doctrine Committee, said there will be no backing down from the new policy that means anyone in a same-sex relationship cannot be a full member.

He instead insisted, “We should set aside our own choices and preferences willingly, to live in a way that pleases Him who loves us beyond measure.”

The doctrinal statement drives a wedge between the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and the mother Church of Scotland. The Church of Scotland, founded by John Knox and grown by Robert Murray McCheyne, is taking steps toward approving same-sex marriage.

As part of the loosening of ties, the general assembly has decided to no longer accept invitations to attend general assemblies of the Church of Scotland and the United Reformed Church, and to no longer issue invitations to those churches to attend its general assembly.

Rev Trevor Gribben, Presbyterian general assembly clerk, said this “demonstrated that a majority of assembly members felt that both denominations have drifted far from biblical truth in relation to marriage, and were in fact ignoring the authority of scripture.”

The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has more than 220,000 members. The Irish Times reports that the number of Presbyterians in Ireland has dropped by almost 40 percent in the past 40 years.

Do You Think God Looks Like You?

Bob Ditmer

June 13, 2018

What does God look like?

It’s a question that’s been asked since the dawn of time. Old and New Testament writers who saw God, describe him differently.

In Revelation 1:14, John gave us a specific picture of the Almighty. “The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire,”

But later in Revelation 4:3, John’s view was more figurative. “And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.”

Daniel’s picture of God was similar to John’s first description. “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.” (Daniel 7:9)

In other parts of scripture God is described as a “burning bush”, “pillar of cloud” and “pillar of fire.

J. I. Packer describes these visions as not truly God but theophanies or appearances of God. “No one, though, other than Jesus Christ (John 1:18), has seen God in all of His glory. Even the seraphim in heaven cover their eyes as they worship God (Isaiah 6:1–4).”

When asking, “What does God look like?, consider that the Bible refers to the invisible God.

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God…For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ” (Colossians 1:15, 19).

Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.” (Exodus 33:18-23)

“No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son.” (John 1:18)

The biblical admonition that we can’t know what God looks like doesn’t keep us from imagining. Not surprisingly, many envision God to look like them.

Psychologists ask, ‘What does God look like?’

Psychologists asked more than 500 U.S. Christians “What does God look like?” using a new technique.

Vince Miller: Mentoring Will Bring Men Back to the Church

Jason Daye

June 13, 2018

Vince Miller founded the men’s discipleship and leadership ministry Resolute. He produces podcasts, videos, and small group content exclusively for men, and is the author of The Generous Life. He lives with his wife, Christina, and their three children in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Key Questions for Vince Miller

– What is mentoring men so challenging for many churches?
– Are mentoring, leadership development and discipleship the same thing?

[SUBSCRIBE] For more ChurchLeaders podcasts click here!

Key Quotes from Vince Miller:

“Men are abdicating the church today. They are less and less engaged in the church community.”

“(the problem is) Male pattern apathy where men are struggling to engage in the church and get connected to other guys.

“Men respond to a very specific call. They don’t like to be entertained, they are plenty busy enough.”

“We over-complicate discipleship. It’s just taking the time and passing on a skill to other people.”

“Pastors need to take a step into the world and life of the common man and see things from their perspective.”

“If we stepped into the common man’s world more often we would discover lessons about life.”

“Over twenty years I asked two to five men a year to mentor me and no one did.”

“I found there were a lot of guys out there were just like me. They wanted someone mentoring them.”

“God has called me to a prophet to men and equip them with real tools so they can take the next step in their faith.”

Links Mentioned by Vince Miller in the Show:

https://beresolute.org/

Thirty Virtues That Build a Man: A Conversational Guide for Mentoring Any Man

To Grow a Healthy Church, Become a Healthier Leader

Rick Warren

June 13, 2018

When you become a pastor, you become a leader.

I’m often asked specifics about my administrative style, but I think leadership style is just as important. Understanding basic, universal leadership concepts is essential to your success.

Here are six non-negotiable facts about leadership…

1. Nothing happens until someone provides leadership for it.
This is a law of life. For instance, the Civil Rights Movement made little progress until a man came along named Martin Luther King Jr., who said, “I have a dream.” The NASA space program was quite limited until John F. Kennedy said, “We’re going to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.”

Saddleback Church started because God said, “Rick, I want you to be a leader and get the thing off the ground.” When problems arise in your own family, nothing happens until somebody assumes leadership and says, “We’re going to do something about it.”

Everything rises or falls on leadership, and many problems can be traced to a lack of competent leadership.

I believe one of the greatest problems today is a leadership shortage within our churches.

2. Leadership is influence.
If I had to summarize leadership in one word, it would be influence—for good or for bad.

Have you ever watched a playground at school? Within about five minutes you can usually determine who the leaders are—and whether they’re good leaders or bad ones.

Every time you influence somebody, you’re assuming leadership. (Tweet this!)

In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul told Timothy, “And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity” (The Message).

Age has nothing to do with leadership. You can be an influence at any age, and you’re a role model whether you like it or not.

3. The test of leadership is, is anybody following?
If you want to know whether you’re a leader or not, simply look over your shoulder.

My friend John Maxwell says, “He who thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following him is only taking a walk.”

If you have to remind people that you’re a leader, then you’re not one. The Sunday I stand up at Saddleback and say, “Folks, we’re going to do it my way because I am the leader”—that’s the Sunday I’ve ceased to be a leader.

4. The foundation of leadership is character, not charisma.
You may have enough charisma to be a televangelist, but if you have no character, you fail. The foundation of leadership is character, not charisma.

In fact, you don’t have to have charisma to be a leader, but you do have to have character. This kind of credibility is essential because without it, no one will follow you.

5. Leadership can be learned.
Everyone can be a great leader. Philippians 4:9 says, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put into practice” (NIV).

Contrary to conventional wisdom, leaders are made, not born. There is no such thing as a born leader. Leaders are made by the way they respond to circumstances.

The priority of training leaders can be seen in the ministry of Jesus. Mark 3:14 says, “He appointed 12—designating them apostles—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach” (NIV).

Jesus had a public ministry and a private ministry. His public ministry involved preaching, teaching and healing. His private ministry involved training the disciples.

Even within the Twelve, he had an inner circle—Peter, James, John—who got to go to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Mount of Transfiguration. They got extra attention.

In Galatians 2, Paul said Peter, James and John were the pillars of the church. Jesus invested the maximum time with those who would bear the maximum responsibility. He fed the masses, but he spent most of his time training leadership, and that’s one reason why I believe leadership can be learned.

6. The moment you stop learning, you stop leading.
All leaders must be learners. The moment you stop learning is the moment you stop leading.

I believe that the moment I as a pastor stop growing, Saddleback Church will stop growing, too. You must always be developing and growing and becoming what God wants you to be.

Learning to be a leader takes a lifetime.

This article originally appeared here.

4 Reasons You Should Preach Through Genesis

Erik Raymond

June 12, 2018

When you’re thinking about which book of the Bible you should preach next, Genesis may not be near the top of your list. I understand why. It’s a long book with a number of dodgy characters and difficult chapters. But it’s reasons like these, and a few others, that compel me to encourage pastors to preach through this book—yes, the whole entire thing, chapter by chapter and verse by verse. Genesis has been one of the most refreshing studies for our congregation and for me as a pastor.

In this article, I’ll give you four reasons your church would benefit from an expositional series through Genesis. But before we get to those reasons, I want to distill all 50 chapters into an espresso cup, summarizing the whole book into a single main idea. And here it is: Genesis tells the story of a God who creates everything out of nothing in order to bless his people and glorify himself.

1. Genesis is foundational for understanding the rest of the Bible.

Genesis serves as the foundation for the rest of the Bible. In its opening verses, the writer (Moses) invites us to peek over the fence to a time when nothing existed except God in all his happy, Trinitarian glory (John 17). There, in this moment, the all-sufficient God speaks the universe into existence. Everything that is only is because of this sovereign act of our independent, creating God.

Genesis also introduces us to the biblical idea of covenants. God makes specific oaths with specific obligations to Adam, Noah and Abraham. From Genesis onward, these covenants serve as the undergirding rebar for the life of the faithful. They remind us of God’s unchanging promises amid the shocking and weighty disappointments of our fallen world.

We see these seeds of promise begin to bud in the lives of the patriarchs. They spread throughout the history of Israel, and finally blossom into breathtaking foliage through the Lord Jesus Christ. Take, for example, the promise that the seed of the woman would wage war against and ultimately defeat the seed of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). While preaching through Genesis, you’ll be able to introduce your church members to foundational spiritual battle between serpent and seed, better equipping them to see how it intensifies throughout history. It’s not until the New Testament that we find ourselves marveling at the true seed (Gal. 3:16) and our privilege to be blessed by faith, just like our forerunner Abraham (Gal. 3:9, 14, 29).

Furthermore, Genesis provides foundational history. As the book of beginnings, so much of what we read in the rest of the Bible develops from Genesis. After preaching through it, I’ve found connections that have deepened my own personal Bible reading. I’ve heard the same for our church family.

Finally, Genesis is foundational for explaining foundational theological terms such as the federal headship of Adam, total depravity, justification by faith and the providence of God. Week after week, the stories of Genesis illustrate doctrine.

Simply put, the foundational value of Genesis cannot be overstated.

2. Genesis consistently wades into what I call “front-page issues.”

When discussing preaching with fellow pastors, they often lament the difficulty of finding connections from the text to our contemporary life. Preaching through Genesis won’t have this problem. It seemed to me that every sermon had an obvious contemporary parallel. Consider the following list and tell me if I’m talking about the newspaper or Genesis: origin of the universe, creation vs. evolution, human dignity, gender, marriage, sin, deception, greed, murder, abuse, war, immorality and oppression.

Each Sunday, I felt as though I actually had to trim out contemporary or historical connections. By wisely wading into these front-page issues, preachers have the privilege of shaping the congregation’s worldview. Instead of just going after the issues disconnected from the biblical narrative, Genesis helped me and my church to see the root issues that transcend era and geography. We also see the true human condition and the only divine answer. It’s the great privilege of the preacher to frame doctrine and hang it on the walls of our people’s minds. Genesis provides plenty of frames, nails and prints. As preachers, we just need to bring the hammer.

3. Genesis is a beautifully written narrative.

I didn’t grow up with a love for reading or movies. But since becoming a pastor, I’ve learned to better appreciate them. One reason for this is simple: The people I preach to love stories. Narratives pull our people in as they captivate the imagination and engage the senses.

Genesis is a masterfully told story. It uses conflict to accelerate the plot, reveal weakness and bring surprising resolutions. Think for just a moment about deception in the life of Jacob. When his sons deceive him, the deceiver becomes the deceived.

Or what about the divine pen strokes in the life of Joseph? His brothers rage in jealousy so they plot to sell him into slavery. But surprisingly, it’s precisely their sinful plotting and scheming that brings about them actually bowing down before him after all. Readers of Genesis are invited to see the drama of his brothers getting blindly tested by Joseph. Holding our breath, we exhale with Joseph’s announcement, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt” (45:4).

There wasn’t a week that went by when I didn’t stop and say to myself, “Wow, this is beautiful.” Preach Genesis because your people love stories—and there are few stories better written than this one.

4. Genesis relativizes our lives without emptying them of significance.

It’s easy to believe the lie that we’re living in the most important and unique time in history. Thankfully, Genesis protects us from myopia, and helps to show us the big picture. We see that life is short, and we’re mere specks of human history. As we read the genealogies and examine the lives of the patriarchs, we see people come and go, come and go, come and go. As we study these ancient stories that take literal centuries to unfold, suddenly our lives seem relatively puny in light of the eternal, unchanging and infinite God.

At the same time, our lives aren’t emptied of significance. The same God who has created, elected and made promises to us has given us irrevocable significance by creating us in his divine image. Furthermore, he has welcomed us into covenant with him whereby we partake of his blessings.

Simply put, the book of Genesis shows us the importance of God’s promises in the lives of God’s people as they journey on to God’s place, the Promised Land.

Doesn’t this sound remarkably similar to the life of the church? As God’s covenant people, we gather together as those marked off by our common profession of faith and our public identification as his people. Clinging to God’s promises kept, we mirror those in Genesis who clung to God’s promises made.

Should You Develop Disposable Small Groups?

Allen White

June 12, 2018

Some things in life are just as effective and more efficient in their disposable form. Think about diapers. Our family has cloth diapers and disposable diapers. Both serve the same purpose. Yet the cloth diapers require a great deal of maintenance and care. The disposables serve their purpose, then find their way to the landfill. The added bonus to disposable diapers is the dad in our family will actually change those. Cloth diapers? Well forget it.

What if we offered small groups in a disposable form? Before the relationships get messy, before the leader needs training, before you need to assign a coach, just reboot the group. Dispose of the group before any of the usual group tensions take place. Think about it. Rather than enduring through the conflict and struggle of the small group lifecycle, we could just enjoy the first six weeks of the honeymoon phase, then cast the other problems aside.

Let’s face it. Maintaining groups for the long haul is exhausting.

1. Disposable Groups Don’t Require Coaching.

Most small group pastors feel overwhelmed by the thought of a coaching structure. Even if you can actually fill out the org chart, most coaches don’t even really know what to do. They like the title. They carry a certain amount of guilt from not coaching. For most churches, even if there is some sort of coaching structure in place, the small group leaders are basically on their own anyway. With disposable small groups, there is no need for coaching. If the group is really that bad off in the first six weeks, then you probably just need to dispose of it sooner rather than later.

2. Disposable Groups Don’t Need Training.

People hate meetings. Pastors feel their calling in life is to hold meetings. But, most small group pastors are frustrated by the low attendance and general apathy toward their meetings. Disposable groups don’t need training. Seriously, how much could they possibly mess up in only six weeks? And, if they do, then see the last sentence in Point #1.

After a long day’s work, people don’t have time to drive home, eat dinner, drive to the church, attend a meeting, then drive home and collapse into bed so they can do the same thing all over again in a few hours. Some small group pastors expect their leaders to give up part of their Saturday. Chances are slim to none leaders will show up then.

3. Why Deal with an EGR, If You Can Just Leave Them Behind?

John Ortberg’s book says it all, “Everybody’s Normal Until You Get to Know Them.” If that’s the case, then disposable groups will keep the group relationships as normal as possible—You don’t really get to know people. You do a six week Bible study. There’s plenty of value in that. But, before people feel comfortable enough to share their idiosyncrasies, you’re outta there.

What’s better is if you end up with an Extra Grace Required person, a.k.a. “weirdo,” you can cut them (and yourself)loose in only six weeks. After all, this group came together for only one series, and now you’re done! Whew! Dodged that bullet.

4. There Are Always More Groups in the Sea.

While there may be some practical aspects of sustaining groups for the long term and not reinventing the wheel during church-wide campaigns, the beauty of disposable groups is an endless supply of potential group leaders/hosts/gatherers in your congregation. If you could have the same number of groups (or more) next Fall as you have this Spring, then why do all of the hard work of helping them survive the Summer, manage group dynamics or select follow up Bible studies? After all, if you can say you have 50 groups now, and then you can post 65 groups in the Fall, why does it matter who’s actually leading the group? Numbers don’t lie. Whether your 65 groups in the Fall are made up of 50 Spring groups + 15 Fall groups or 65 brand new groups, you’ve still grown your small group ministry.

Now, disposable small groups aren’t for everyone. Some prefer the cloth diaper approach, and that’s OK. Go ahead and spend the time avoiding sticks from safety pins and sloshing number two’s in the toilet. You’ll have continuity for sure. But, for the rest of us, we’ll just show up with a big case of Pampers in the Fall, and then we’ll see who has the most groups.

Identifying, Shaping, & Meeting Team IT Needs

Nick Nicholaou

June 12, 2018

A church IT forum discussion came up recently that is worth thinking through. The original post asked for input on how to keep team members from connecting their personal devices to the password-protected staff WiFi. The discussion that followed was a little like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride! Lots of ideas being tossed around, most of which uncomfortably avoided the most important questions.

Underlying Risk
The vast majority tried to help by explaining various ways the team could be controlled or prohibited from attaching their personal devices to the staff WiFi. There were a couple of voices of reason that participated, suggesting positive ways forward.

Those not in IT may not understand the underlying risk. Why shouldn’t team members connect their personal devices to the staff WiFi? There are legitimate dangers associated with letting personal devices attach to the staff WiFi.

The staff WiFi, usually password protected, is typically configured to give devices full access to the organization’s network as though they were connected and logged in via an Ethernet cable. That is in contrast to the public guest WiFi, which is typically configured to give devices access only to the internet, and hopefully, access that is filtered.
The organization’s data needs to be protected. Churches and ministries maintain a lot of sensitive data that could hurt congregants and team members if not adequately protected. Data like contributions records, HR records, social security numbers of staff and some vendors, church member disciplinary notes, board minutes, and more. That data needs to be kept private, but it also needs to be kept available for team members to use in the operations of the organization. Malware like ransomware exists because hooligans understand the value associated with appropriate data access, and endeavors to block access to the data unless a ransom is paid.
The organization’s systems need to be protected. There are some who would like to disrupt the flow of church and ministry operations by crashing the system or participating in activities that could cause authorities to remove all computers and servers for forensic investigation and, possibly, evidence in a prosecution.

When team members use the staff WiFi on their personal devices, the organization’s data and systems are put at risk.

The Next Question
So, does that mean team members should not use the staff WiFi for their personal devices? Maybe; it depends on why they need it.

One of the forum participants, Jason Powell at Granger Community Church, contributed “Figure out what needs they’re trying to solve. It took a while for our staff to be coached that there is no speed difference between our staff and public WiFi. After asking why they wanted a personal device on the staff WiFi, in almost every case, it was because they assumed it gave them something that the public WiFi didn’t. A simple conversation assured them that the public WiFi would do everything they were asking for.”

What if the need is legitimate, though? Jason continued, ‘For legit needs like interns, volunteers, etc needing a personal device to have more access, build a simple BYOD network.” A BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) network is not difficult or costly to do. The cost factors involved are more to create systems that can enforce protections and recover from breaches in case they occur.

Who Decides What IT Needs are Legitimate?
This is the part often overlooked. IT is not responsible for determining what access needs are legitimate or not; that is leadership’s responsibility. IT should communicate the benefits, risks, and any mitigation costs to leadership and ask for direction. Only leadership is responsible for determining who should and who should not have access to systems and data. IT’s role is to engineer and configure, train, monitor, and enforce the decisions made by leadership.

Effects of IT Setting Policy
When IT makes decisions without leadership’s direction, those decisions usually take the form of policies and system settings that frustrate team members. In organizations where that is the case, IT often becomes the “No” people. Some church and ministry teams get dysfunctional in the wake of those policies. Team members — who feel called by God to fulfill their ministry call — often take the posture of doing whatever it takes to fulfill their call even if it means going around IT’s policies and system settings.

Effects of Leadership Setting Policy
Policies set by leadership are ultimately enforced or modified by leadership. IT has the potential of having a ministry-facilitating impact by letting leadership set policy. And leadership should fully fund whatever is required by the policy decisions it makes, which means that IT doesn’t have to try to string together inadequate strategies. If leadership doesn’t fund IT with what is needed, IT should let leadership know and ask for either a change in policy or a change in the budget.

Why Same-Sex Acts Got the Death Penalty in OT, but Not Today

Tim Keller

June 12, 2018

I find it frustrating when I read or hear columnists, pundits or journalists dismiss Christians as inconsistent because “they pick and choose which of the rules in the Bible to obey.” When people say this, they are mainly thinking of the laws that were part of the Old Covenant.

What I hear most often is, “Christians ignore lots of Old Testament texts—about not eating raw meat or pork or shellfish, not executing people for breaking the Sabbath, not wearing garments woven with two kinds of material and so on. Then they condemn homosexuality. Aren’t they just picking and choosing what they want to believe from the Bible?”

It is not that I expect everyone to have the capability of understanding that the whole Bible is about Jesus and God’s plan to redeem his people, but I vainly hope that one day someone will access their common sense (or at least talk to an informed theological advisor) before leveling the charge of inconsistency between the Old Covenant and the New.

The Old Covenant

First of all, let’s be clear that it’s not only the Old Testament that has proscriptions about homosexuality.

The New Testament has plenty to say about it as well. Even Jesus says, in his discussion of divorce in Matthew 19:3-12, that the original design of God was for one man and one woman to be united as one flesh, and failing that (v. 12), persons should abstain from marriage and from sex.

However, let’s get back to considering the larger issue of inconsistency regarding things mentioned in the OT that are no longer practiced by the New Testament people of God. Most Christians don’t know what to say when confronted about this.

Here’s a short course on the relationship of the Old Testament to the New Testament:

The Old Testament devotes a good amount of space to describing the various sacrifices that were to be offered in the tabernacle (and later temple) to atone for sin so that worshippers could approach a holy God.

As part of that sacrificial system, there was also a complex set of rules for ceremonial purity and cleanness. You could only approach God in worship if you ate certain foods and not others, wore certain forms of dress, refrained from touching a variety of objects, and so on. This vividly conveyed, over and over, that human beings are spiritually unclean and can’t go into God’s presence without purification.

But even in the Old Testament, many writers hinted that the sacrifices and the temple worship regulations pointed forward to something beyond them (cf. 1 Samuel 15:21-22; Psalm 50:12-15; 51:17; Hosea 6:6). When Christ appeared, he declared all foods ‘clean’ (Mark 7:19) and he ignored the Old Testament clean laws in other ways, touching lepers and dead bodies.

But the reason is made clear.

When he died on the cross, the veil in the temple was ripped through, showing that the need for the entire sacrificial system with all its clean laws had been done away with. Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice for sin, and now Jesus makes us “clean.”

Knowing About God vs. Knowing God

Love With Knowledge and All Discernment

The structure of my “Outline” (the thing I take in the pulpit) is as follows:

1 – Repeatedly Failing to Reach Your Goals

2 – Your Team Is Constantly Changing

3 – You’re Not Focused on Action

4 – You Fall Back on Your Title and Position

5 – You Only Hire ‘Yes’ People

Most people just want to get by.

The process of growing into wholeness is messy and brings its own discomfort.

Living things are always growing. If they are not growing, they are dead.

6 practical reasons people pleasing hurts your leadership:

1) You may pull back on lighten up on the truth in Scripture.

2) You may hide your real self.

3) You may avoid a tough decision.

4) You may overwork in order to gain approval.

5) You may delay or avoid an essential confrontation.

6) You may inadvertently lower trust.

People pleasing is not a new problem.

How to Handle Vulnerable Sharing

Refuse to use shame as a weapon.

Leverage empathy as the antidote to shame.

Thanks for trusting us enough to share that.

We love you, and this doesn’t change how we see you.

God loves you, and this doesn’t change how He sees you.

It sounds like this is something really painful in your life, and we want you to know that you’re not alone.

1. Volunteer Engagement Is Higher in Declining Churches

2. Growing Churches Are Attracting a Higher Percentage of Kids, but Declining Churches Are Attracting a Higher Percentage of Students

3. Participation in Smaller Gatherings, Either Home Groups, Sunday School or Other Alternatives, Is Higher in Growing Churches.

5. Growing Churches Develop and Empower More Leaders.

Psychologists ask, ‘What does God look like?’

Key Quotes from Vince Miller:

Links Mentioned by Vince Miller in the Show:

Here are six non-negotiable facts about leadership…

The Old Covenant

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