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Michael Todd: Are You Leading at the Right Pace?

By
Megan Briggs
-
communicating with the unchurched

“The pace of my leadership almost took me out,” Pastor Michael Todd told the audience of the 2020 Global Leadership Summit. Todd encouraged leaders to discover the “pace of grace”—a pace that will enable them to stay in leadership for the long-haul, in other words, a pace that is sustainable.

Todd encouraged the group to think about the leadership example of Jesus, who “fulfilled everything that was ever spoken about him, he did it in three years, and you never hear about him running to his next appointment.”

Michael Todd Knew What It Was to Hustle

The pastor of Transformation Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Todd knew what it was like to hustle. But he distinctly heard God tell him he needed to slow his pace down a few years ago. It was when Todd took this direction that things began to change for him and his church—in amazing and, some would say, miraculous ways. “I can’t tell you how many things happened because I did less, and I was in the place to be healthy enough to sustain the success and the blessings and the great things that were happening to our company and our organization,” Todd said.

Several things happened when Todd slowed down, such as a video of him preaching going viral on YouTube and his church being able to purchase the SpiritiBank Event Center, which seats 5,000 people, and pay it off in five months. Todd also released a book that stayed on top of the New York Times bestseller list for several weeks in a row. The changes happened so fast that Todd says his church’s budget went up over 1,000 percent over the last three years.

But the most important thing that happened when he slowed down, according to Todd, occurred in his family. In the middle of all this success, Todd’s son was diagnosed with autism. Had he not slowed his pace, Todd explained, he would have missed the opportunity to lead his family “through the greatest crisis his family has been through.” Instead, slowing down allowed him the margin to do things like take his son to therapy, be there emotionally for his wife, and go to counseling himself. In short, it made him mentally and emotionally available to lead and love his greatest assignment, which is his family (affectionately known as the Todd squad).

So many leaders don’t have opportunities like this, though, because they believe in order to lead they have to be running at an unsustainable pace. “Is everything in your leadership moving at the same pace?” Todd asked. He mentioned several areas of life—integrity, health, spirituality, family, character, peace, joy, fulfillment—and asked whether these things are “working together in harmony” or not.  

When you aren’t in the “pace of grace” as Todd calls it, you are in an unsustainable place. When you have poor pace you experience the following:

Missed moments – like things that bring you joy

Missed meaning – like the things that you’re supposed to learn

Missed miracles – we don’t see what God is doing

Todd said when he was outside of the pace of grace, he was very short with the people who were closest to him. He would give grace to people more removed, but the close relationships that matter the most. He no longer enjoyed things he used to enjoy, and he didn’t rest. It took his wife noticing these things to convince Todd something was wrong. 

If you are experiencing these same things, Todd said, he gave this advice: Changing the pace is better when it is initiated by you than when it is imposed on you.

“It doesn’t matter if your business is successful if you’re not successful. It doesn’t matter if you get another award if your children don’t like you. It doesn’t matter if everybody knows your name, but you can’t stand to hear it be called by one more person,” Todd emphasized.

What Is the Pace of Grace and How Do We Get There?

“The pace of grace is the sweet spot between great results and genuine rest,” Todd explained. He likened it to striding versus running. When you stride, you take long, decisive steps in a specific direction, and you can do this for a very long time. It’s sustainable. Running, on the other hand, is not. 

Plus, the pace of grace will give you health for your mind, will, and emotions. 

That’s all well and good, but how, in our crazy busy world, do we start to get into this pace of grace? Todd offered these points:

Get a vision of yourself being rested and whole – A vision is what you see when your eyes are closed.

Make it visual – write down a goal of what kind of a pace you want to be in by this time next month, by this time next year, etc.

Be verbal – tell your goal to someone like your boss, friend, or your spouse.

Don’t violate what you set 

“Pace directly affects peace, and peace is true prosperity.”

Todd emphasized the reason it’s so important to set a sustainable pace for yourself as a leader is because “We need you as a leader much longer than you are set up to last right now.”

Check out our other coverage on GLS 2020:

Nona Jones: The Conversation on Race You Haven’t Heard Yet

Craig Groeschel: How to Lead Through the Dip

Marcus Buckingham: How to Build Resilience (in Yourself and Your Team)

Vanessa Van Edwards: The Best Way to Communicate When You’re a Leader

Amy Edmondson: How to Tell If Your Workplace Is Psychologically Safe

Lysa Terkeurst: Failing to Forgive Will Stifle Your Innovation

The Top 100 Quotes From This Year’s Global Leadership Summit

Amy Edmondson: How to Tell If Your Workplace Is Psychologically Safe

By
Stephanie Martin
-
communicating with the unchurched

On day two of the 2020 Global Leadership Summit, Harvard professor Amy Edmondson, author of The Fearless Organization, challenged leaders to encourage innovation and to risk “intelligent failure.” When all voices and ideas are valued and dissent is considered healthy, she says, learning occurs and performance soars.

Although humans prefer and expect predictability and fairness, Edmondson says, the world is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. Accepting this fact helps leaders acknowledge that anyone’s voice can be what she calls “mission critical.” 

Signs of Psychological Safety 

A psychologically safe workplace, says Edmondson, features “a belief that the context is safe for interpersonal risk-taking—that speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes will be welcomed and valued.” It’s not merely niceness or a license to whine, she notes, adding that the approach is exciting but not easy.

In a psychologically safe workplace, teammates are willing to speak up when something goes wrong, when they disagree with what’s being said, when they have a half an idea, and when they need help. Unless an environment feels safe, many smart employees might feel stymied or fearful of one another. As an example, Edmondson describes investigating the 2003 Columbia tragedy. The re-entry explosion might have been prevented if an engineer who’d noticed a possible problem at liftoff 16 days earlier had felt comfortable speaking up to more people.

Taking that type of “interpersonal risk” is scary, says Edmondson, because no one wants to look ignorant or incompetent at work. Management, meanwhile, often doesn’t want to deal with questions or admit weaknesses. The outcome, while not always catastrophic, involves some type of loss, including decreased innovation.

Edmondson emphasizes that a psychologically safe workplace encourages the type of failure that can lead to discoveries and innovation. In so-called “intelligent failures,” teams explore significant opportunities, the outcome is informative, the cost and scope are relatively small, and key assumptions are articulated. Smart failures aren’t mistakes or accidents; instead, teammates are pursuing something meaningful and learning every day, much like scientists.

How Leaders Build Psychological Safety

To achieve psychological safety, says Edmondson, leaders must be humble, curious, and empathetic. Moving toward a safe workplace that encourages risk-taking and innovation requires a framework shift in which leaders:

View employees as well-intentioned and trustworthy rather than as self-interested and untrustworthy

Give all employees access to information and ideas rather than assuming that only top management knows best about issues of organizational importance.

Prize disagreement and dissent rather than unity, agreement, and consensus (which are actually signs of organizational weakness, not health).

The key to inviting engagement, Edmondson says, is asking good questions—which, by their nature, make silence awkward. To broaden and deepen discussions, leaders should ask questions such as:

What do others think?

What other options could we consider?

Who has a different perspective?

What leads you to think so?

Can you give us an example?

What do you think might happen if we did x?

After listening to answers, leaders need to respond productively by thanking people for input and pointing toward the future. Honest feedback should be a positive experience for employees, says Edmondson, who maintains that psychological safety is “more important now than ever.”

Check out our other coverage on GLS 2020:

Nona Jones: The Conversation on Race You Haven’t Heard Yet

Craig Groeschel: How to Lead Through the Dip

Marcus Buckingham: How to Build Resilience (in Yourself and Your Team)

Vanessa Van Edwards: The Best Way to Communicate When You’re a Leader

Michael Todd: Are You Leading at the Right Pace?

Lysa Terkeurst: Failing to Forgive Will Stifle Your Innovation

The Top 100 Quotes From This Year’s Global Leadership Summit

Push, Pull, and Job Transitions in the Middle of a Pandemic

By
Eric Geiger
-
communicating with the unchurched

I have friends in church ministry and friends in the marketplace who are in the midst of job transitions in the midst of a pandemic. I also have friends in church ministry and friends in the marketplace that have called me for prayer or counsel on possible transitions in the midst of a pandemic.

The absolute best counsel I have received on transitioning from one role to another comes from Brad Waggoner. Brad was one of my professors in seminary, and later I reported to him as he was Chief Operating Officer at LifeWay. Through those seasons, he was a mentor who I respected a great deal. I still do. According to Brad, whenever you consider a job transition, it is wise to consider “the push” and “the pull.” “The push” are reasons you possibly want out of your current role. It could be you feel stagnant and don’t see opportunities for growth, you want to be in a different industry, or you don’t like the direction of the organization. “The pull” are reasons you are compelled by the new opportunity. Perhaps you have a burden for those people or are very passionate about the mission of the new opportunity. Both “the push” and “the pull” are very real, and often the Lord uses both as you consider a new season. But here is what I have learned from watching friends and colleagues make moves over the last few decades of leading.

  1. Unless there are issues of integrity or ethical concerns, do not leave your job if “the push” is the driving force. You will likely be trading one set of problems and disappointments for another.

2. The “push” from your former role will not sustain you in your new role. You need a strong “pull” to the new role or the newness of the new role will quickly fade. Preachers have often said, God is not only calling you from something, but He is also calling you to something. It is a good word.

Leading and working in the midst of a pandemic has not muted or even muffled the “push” and the “pull” for those considering transitions. Transitions have not stopped. In fact, both the “push” and the “pull” can be stronger in this season. Based on conversations with friends, here is why:

  1. The “push” from current roles is stronger for many because of the frustration surfaced through COVID. Some industries are less stable. Some organizations are poorly led. Some managers are absentee in their leadership. This was the case before the pandemic, will be the case after the pandemic, but is more exaggerated in the midst of it. We are seeing this in many places in the midst of a pandemic: frustration that exists beneath the surface in calm times is often amplified in challenging times.

2. The “pull” to new roles can be stronger too. Some leaders are leading with compelling vision, and some organizations are poised to take advantage of new opportunities. Those opportunities can be a “pull” for potential leaders.

So, what I am suggesting to friends who have asked me for prayer or counsel in this time? Pretty much the same regurgitated counsel from Brad. Be sure you have a “strong pull.” Lots of people are struggling through “pushes” in this crazy time. Be sure you have a “pull!”

This article about job transitions originally appeared here.

Why Are People Ghosting Online Small Groups?

By
Allen White
-
communicating with the unchurched

People are ghosting online small groups in an alarming rate. Typically, when people sign up for a small group, we expect a gcertain number to not show up. That’s just how things are in small group world. At the church my family attends, people just choose a group from the website. The problem is what happens next.

I asked one of the Small Group Pastors how well that system worked. He said the previous week that 53 people had signed up to join a group. Then, I asked how many of those people were contacted by the leader. He pulled out his phone and said that 27 were contacted. Now, the sign up number was effectively cut in half. Then, I asked how many of those new people actually made it to a group. His reply was, “I don’t know.” He’s not the only one who’s had that experience. But, the problem is that the sign up to show up rate for online small groups is even worse.

Here’s the reason why people are ghosting online small groups.

Online Groups Present Too Many Unfamiliar Things

Wouldn’t you think it would be easier to get people to an online group than to somebody’s house? It seems that turning on a computer and logging into the meeting is much easier than walking into somebody’s house. But, it isn’t.

When you ask your in-person and online congregations to join online small groups, think about what you’re asking them to do. First, you are asking them to join a small group, which might be a new experience for them. Second, you are asking them to join a small group with strangers. Third, you’re asking them to join a small group of strangers online. One, two, three strikes and you’re out!

What do you do? People need conversation and community. There’s a lot going on in the world – a global pandemic, racial injustice, economic uncertainty, and political upheaval – they need a place not just to process all of this, but a group who will point them back to the truth of God’s Word, the Bible, amidst all of the uncertainty. But, how do you get them to a group with so many roadblocks?

Make Part of the Equation Familiar

If online small groups present three unfamiliar dimensions: small group meeting, strangers, and online, how can you make part of this more familiar to them? I’ve said for a long time that “groups of friends tend to last longer than groups of strangers” (Exponential Groups). The friend factor is the answer to getting people into unfamiliar online small groups. But, you have to change your approach.

You must abandon passive recruiting methods in forming groups. Passive methods include things like sign up cards, websites, and small group directories. While these methods seem efficient, they are simply not get effective in getting new people into groups in any season, especially now in forming online groups. There’s just not enough motivation and connection to get people to groups. Think about the amount of time you’ve wasted trying to move heaven and earth to get people into the right group only to see them not even show up. You need to get out of that business.

Instead, turn to active recruiting methods like asking people to start their own groups. If they start the group, then they’re in! If you give your people permission and opportunity to start a group on their terms with your curriculum and coaching, they will take you up on the offer. They will use whatever platform they are familiar with to start an online group: video, audio only, or asynchronous.

Another active recruiting method is personal invitation. New leaders, established leaders, and “gatherers of friends” simply make a list of the people they already know and invite them to the group. Who do they know who would enjoy or benefit from the online small group? They can list friends, neighbors, co-workers, church members, and others. Since these are online groups there are no geographical boundaries. They could invite their Facebook friends and other social media connections. They could invite high school friends and college buddies. One pastor from my coaching group started a group with three college friends. They’re in Washington state, California, and New York!

I know what you’re thinking: What about the people who don’t get invited? Well, as Brett Eastman told me once, “Let the exceptions be the exceptions.” You can start a lot of new online small groups doing what I just mentioned, but there is one more active recruiting method you should try: personal introduction.

Typically, personal introduction is conducted as a small group fair, group link, or connection event. This is an in-person meeting where potential group members have a chance to meet the leaders and sign up to join a specific group. Right now, an in-person group might not be an option, or even if it is, people may not show up. You can offer an online version of a connection event. You could invite everyone to a big chaotic Zoom meeting, then let the online group leaders introduce themselves via video. (Zoom webinar might work better for this). Another option is to ask each group leader to make a short, personal video to introduce themselves: who they are, a little about their family, what kind of work they do, and what they’re group is about. Then, prospective members can sign up for the group they feel the most connection to.

Now You Just Have to Get Them There

Every online group that I lead gets a flurry of reminders. When someone signs up, send them a welcome email and the group information. A day before the group meeting, send them another reminder. An hour before the group starts, send them another reminder. This may seem like overkill, but people are busy and distracted. If they have to dig through their inboxes for the login link, they may not get there.

If someone misses the group meeting, then someone should call and check on them. This is not to be heavy-handed, but to get them to the group they need. You could say something like, “I’m not calling you like a truant officer. I’m just calling because I care.” Maybe they had to work late. Maybe someone in their family is sick. Maybe they had trouble logging into the meeting. If they need help, then the group could help them. If they need prayer, then the group can pray. Even if they never show up, keep calling, caring, and serving them.

Now, this may seem like a lot for a new online small group leader to take on. You should encourage these leaders to recruit a couple of people in the group to help. Someone could send the reminders. Someone could manage the tech. Someone could make follow-up calls. The more people who are involved, the more ownership they will have in the group.

Concluding Thoughts

Online small groups are a new thing to a lot of people right now. While online groups have been around for a while (Remember my online group on CompuServe in 1994?), they are unfamiliar to a lot of people. The more that we can eliminate barriers to online small groups and encourage people to start with what they are familiar with, the better chance they have of joining and enjoying their group. If meeting with strangers is an obstacle, then encourage them to invite their friends. If meeting on Zoom is a problem, then encourage them to meet on a platform they’re familiar with.

During the Coronavirus pandemic, one church that I’m coaching has increased their small groups by 50%. Another church started 163 new online small groups in the month of July! This is a season of frustration, confusion, and limitation in a lot of ways, but this disruption has also produced a season of opportunity. By using these strategies, you can help your people to stop ghosting their online small groups.

This article about ghosting online small groups originally appeared here.

How To Avoid Digital DIY – 5 Great Resources

By
Owen Scott
-
communicating with the unchurched

I was sitting across from a young leader in the communications department of my denomination and we were brainstorming ideas for how to better resource our churches in the area of communication instead of relying on digital DIY. In a hushed tone, he excitedly told me about his idea that he was sure would take our churches to the next level in communications.

“A Facebook group where we do after effects tutorials.” He waited for effect and for awe to settle into my soul. Unfortunately, my internal reaction was likely similar to yours. A combination of an eye roll that could rival Starfox’s barrel roll and uninhibited anxiety.

The reality for me was that I was a pastor in a small town church who was passionate about communications, but barely had time to maintain the website, much less maintain all the other duties of my role. And the reality is that the majority of pastors are in a more difficult spot than I was.

The time demands on a pastor, and all church leaders, are enormous and the realities of the modern church do not help. We’re expected to design like Joe Cavazos, manage our social media like Brady Shearer, all while preaching better than Carey Nieuwhoff. Oh, and if you could also sit at Great Aunt Greta’s bed and read her favorite Psalms until she nods off that would be great.

There’s no budget to hire more staff so pastors tend to become masters of digital DIY. We shoot and edit a video until 1am before getting up to preach the next morning.

The problem of digital DIY is we spend hours watching tutorials on web development only to realize we’ve ruined our entire website with that one accidental line of code. We(I) waste an entire day learning to animate a simple lower thirds clip in After Effects while putting off a meeting with a volunteer.

The pressure to perform is enormous and we leaders tend to want to rise to the occasion. But there is too much to DIY this. The truth is there are things that we do that no one else can. No one else can sit with that grieving family after a tragic loss and be Jesus for them. No one else can encourage that teen that’s struggling with depression and help them connect to a healthy community. There are things that only you can do.

There are experts out there who can enable you to do what you were called to do, but you have to be willing to leverage them. Here are a few that I think will help you look amazing, while still being able to do what only you can do.

  1. Visual Media Church
    (Motion backgrounds, Countdowns, Stock Video)
    James Adams, the creator of VMC, has an amazing heart for the church. And membership to VMC will provide you with beautiful motion backgrounds, stock videos, and social media content that will blow you away!
  2. Sunday Social
    (Social Media)
    Social media can steal countless hours out of your week. Sunday Social gives it back with ready-to-use social media content. They work months in advance and have some of the best designers and content creators in the game. They also include pre-service slides, Instagram stories, and sermon series designs. All for a super low cost.
  3. Pixel Preacher
    (Sermon design, Bumpers, Animation)
    The creators of Pixel Preacher are a couple of the most talented designers/animators in the game. Pixel Preacher provides high-quality sermon series designs with full media packages. You can even get editable versions if you feel like flexing your Adobe skills a bit.
  4. Church Media Squad
    (Graphic Design)
    Want to hire a graphic designer, but don’t have the budget? Church Media Squad is the answer. They hire top designers from around the world and create unlimited designs for you. Seriously. Unlimited. From the bulletin to your sermon series, to your Great Aunt Greta’s 90th birthday celebration. They’ll design it for you. If you’re a planter on a budget contact them and they’ll help you out.
  5. The Church Co.
    (Website)
    Paul Cox created The Church Co. to provide churches with top of the line websites at a minimal cost. The cost is on par with DIY builders like Squarespace and Wix, but Paul and his team will set up your site for you. And on top of that, they provide premium features that you can’t get without knowing code.

There are some things that only you can do. Like being there for Great Aunt Greta during her crisis of faith. And there are a lot of things that need to get done, but that you can hand off to other people. So let the need to digital DIY go and let an expert handle it. Then go do what you were called to do.

 

This article on digital DIY originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Vanessa Van Edwards: The Best Way to Communicate When You’re a Leader

By
Stephanie Martin
-
communicating with the unchurched

Behavioral researcher and self-described “recovering awkward person” Vanessa Van Edwards assured Global Leadership Summit attendees that leaders can be made, not just born. One way that happens is through priming, or using your words to shape behaviors, expectations, and thoughts—other people’s as well as your own.

Van Edwards, author of Captivate, began her talk Thursday by describing a scale on which leaders are judged. “Warmth” is at one end, signifying trust and respect, and “Competence” is at the other, signifying collaboration. In the middle is a sweet spot to which leaders should aspire, and priming is a key way to get there. 

Be Intentional and Positive

Before every communication task, Van Edwards recommends that leaders first ask: “How do I want someone to think, feel, and act before, during, and after the interaction?” By intentionally balancing warmth and competence, leaders can actually change people’s brain patterns.

Most video meetings, for example, tend to begin with negative talk, about topics such as bad weather, stress, or busyness. But “priming” a meeting (or even an email about a meeting) through positive words can make other people think positively.

Hand gestures are another source of priming—one that people’s brains pay much more attention to than words. Used frequently and expressively, gestures convey trust and demonstrate our concepts.

Even calendar terms provide priming, Van Edwards notes. Calling a block of time a “creative session” or a “goals session” is likely to build excitement and positive energy.

When leaders use priming and expect the best in others, people are set up for success and usually rise to the occasion. Just a few changes in word choice can go a long way in inspiring people to do good, says Van Edwards.

Tips for Communicating During a Pandemic

For pastors, word choice and speaking style are always important, but that’s never been more true than during this year’s move to online church. Van Edwards tells speakers not to turn statements into questions by raising your voice at the end of a sentence. She also recommends using the lowest natural end of your voice tone and avoiding tension, which causes “vocal fry.”

Other best practices include speaking on an “out breath,” making the most of appropriate pauses, and matching the pace of your speech to how your audience tends to talk. Regarding the best way to deliver bad news, Van Edwards suggests using a warm, compassionate tone rather than trying to remain neutral and ambivalent.

To convey warmth online, Van Edwards recommends using a profile picture that shows your hands as well as a smile, adding positive words to your email signature, and “auditing” some recent communications to see whether your words balance projections of warmth and competence.

Face masks, says Van Edwards, don’t inhibit people’s ability to interpret the seven universal microexpressions, which are expressed and recognizable in the top half of a human face. A genuine smile, for example, comes from upper facial muscles, and expressions such as anger and disgust also are obvious even when someone’s lower face is covered by a mask.

Check out our other coverage on GLS 2020:

Nona Jones: The Conversation on Race You Haven’t Heard Yet

Craig Groeschel: How to Lead Through the Dip

Marcus Buckingham: How to Build Resilience (in Yourself and Your Team)

Lysa Terkeurst: Failing to Forgive Will Stifle Your Innovation

Amy Edmondson: How to Tell If Your Workplace Is Psychologically Safe

Michael Todd: Are You Leading at the Right Pace?

The Top 100 Quotes From This Year’s Global Leadership Summit

Nona Jones: The Conversation on Race You Haven’t Heard Yet

By
Megan Briggs
-
communicating with the unchurched

When Nona Jones started speaking about racial injustice at the 2020 Global Leadership Summit, she said she knew some people may tune her out. But, she promised to take the conversation somewhere we likely haven’t been over these last several weeks of tension. True to her word, Jones skillfully delivered a very timely and helpful message on how leaders can approach this moment in our culture with courage—even if they don’t have all the answers. 

Jones, the Head of Faith-Based Partnerships at Facebook, said when she heard about the death of George Floyd and saw the conversations his death sparked on social media, she was hopeful that our culture would finally have “the necessary, difficult conversation about racism in America.” 

The Uncomfortable Conversation Is Uncomfortable for a Reason

However, as she witnessed leaders with platforms and influence reach out to their African American friends for discussion, her hope began to fade. She realized that these conversations weren’t doing much because they were speaking abstractly and hypothetically. These uncomfortable conversations were taking place inside the comfort of friendship. Oftentimes, the African American was trying not to make the other person, their friend, feel unsafe or uncomfortable. Jones knew these conversations wouldn’t create lasting impact. “You cannot make an impact while you are comfortable,” she explained.

Jones emphasized these conversations on racial injustice are uncomfortable for both the victim of the injustice and also the one who benefits from the injustice. Without accusation, Jones said one of the roadblocks she believes is keeping us from moving forward on the issue of racial injustice is that many who benefit from the injustice didn’t have anything to do with designing the injustice and therefore don’t want to confront it. “We can be not racist while still benefiting from racism,” she explained.

As difficult as this cultural moment is, though, Jones says leaders must resist the temptation to stay in a safe space. “Safe is insufficient” right now, Jones said. If leaders “see difficulty ahead, but we retreat back to the places that make us feel safe, we risk abandoning the very challenge that is necessary for our next level of leadership.”

Psychological Safe Zones

When the conversations about race started happening this year, Jones says she saw leaders retreat into one of two “psychological safe zones”: fear and inadequacy.

Fear – “When fear knocks on our door, there is something hanging in the balance that we could potentially lose.” Jones said that some leaders shared with her why they didn’t speak out forcefully about racial injustice. Many of them said “I just have too much to lose…if I say the wrong thing.” Jones said the real fear that underlies this thought is: If we lose our customers or followers, what would that make us? But a leader’s job is not to ignore or deny fear. “Fear is real. Our job is to explore what fear is trying to teach us,” Jones said. She compared fear to a thermometer that tells us that there is something that we value that we risk losing. When you see yourself retreating into fear, Jones instructed, see the fear as an invitation to preparation. This advice can apply to any difficulty you face as a leader, not just racial injustice.

Inadequacy – Sometimes when challenges come our way, leaders feel we are incapable of fixing the problem. Inadequacy stems from believing “If I don’t have all power, I have no power.” A major problem that arises from inadequacy is that “it causes you to believe the lie that someone else is better equipped to do what you were assigned to do.” The antidote is to determine what you can change and change it. So often people feel like they can’t change the world, so what’s the use of trying?  Jones says, we are called to change the part of the world that our influence touches. Whatever degree of power we have, that’s the degree we need to contribute. “You don’t have to have all power; you just have to recognize the power that you have and apply it to that situation to increase the probability that you will make an impact.”

Jones concluded her message by talking about the power of a “pack” of people who can spur you on to your greatest potential. In Genesis 2:18, God tells us “It is not good for man to be alone.” Jones, who is also an ordained minister, explained that the word “good” in this passage actually means best. What God was trying to say here has implications for leadership. We can’t be at our best if we’re alone. 

When circumstances are difficult, challenges seem insurmountable, we’ll often retreat into isolation. We will hide. But, as Jones said, we are created to be in community with other people. This is why Jones advised building a pack of people who can walk through life with you. “You have to build your pack in order to build your power,” she said. She challenged the audience to identify three names that they can invite to be in their pack to encourage them when things get difficult. Choosing these people should be a careful, thoughtful process: You don’t need someone to speak to the lowest common denominator of your potential; you need someone to speak to the highest possible potential for you.

Check out our other GLS 2020 coverage:

Craig Groeschel: How to Lead Through the Dip

Marcus Buckingham: How to Build Resilience (in Yourself and Your Team)

Vanessa Van Edwards: The Best Way to Communicate When You’re a Leader

The Top 100 Quotes From This Year’s Global Leadership Summit

Amy Edmondson: How to Tell If Your Workplace Is Psychologically Safe

Michael Todd: Are You Leading at the Right Pace?

Lysa Terkeurst: Failing to Forgive Will Stifle Your Innovation

Marcus Buckingham: How to Build Resilience (in Yourself and Your Team)

By
Stephanie Martin
-
communicating with the unchurched

Speaking at the 2020 Global Leadership Summit on Thursday, researcher and best-selling author Marcus Buckingham revealed new insights about resilience in employees and leadership.

Buckingham, who popularized the “strengths movement” 20 years ago, shared a study of 25,000 workers in 25 countries. It points to 10 items for measuring resilience—the ability to withstand challenges and to bounce back when they knock you down:

    1. I have all the freedom I need to decide how to get my work done.
    2. No matter what else is going on around me, I can stay focused on getting my work done.
    3. In the last week, I have felt excited to work every day.
    4. I always believe that things are going to work out for the best.
    5. My team leader tells me what I need to know before I need to know it.
    6. I trust my team leader.
    7. I am encouraged to take risks.
    8. Senior leaders are one step ahead of events.
    9. Senior leaders always do what they say they are going to do.
    10. I completely trust my company’s senior leaders.

Skills Each Person Needs to Build Resilience

In the 10-point list above, the first four address each individual employee. Buckingham says all people need the following skills to build resilience in the workplace:

Agency—This involves which parts of their world people can control. Every work schedule and every life has rhythms and routines, and it’s important to identify what you have power to establish for yourself.

Compartmentalization—Each life has different “lanes,” Buckingham notes, and some lanes might be experiencing challenges while others are seeing success and progress.

Strengths in work—People draw joys from different situations and tasks, and identifying your sources of invigoration helps you thrive. In fact, a Mayo Clinic study found that if just 20 percent of someone’s work life is fulfilling, then burnout goes way down and resilience goes way up. To discover your own work strengths, visit Buckingham’s website to take the “StandOut” assessment for free.

Skills That Team Leaders Need

Points five through seven on the 10-point list require these skills from leaders of teams and work groups:

Anticipatory communication—Team leaders should check in with each employee once a week for about 15 minutes, Buckingham says. During each “touch base” session, discuss the employee’s upcoming week’s priorities and how you can assist. 

Psychological safety—This involves a willingness to let employees experiment and take risks. That’s especially key during times of challenge and change, Buckingham says, because that’s when organizations need to discover new ways of collaborating, communicating, and serving.

Skills That Senior Leaders Need

People atop an institution’s organizational charts are the focus of points eight through 10. Senior leaders must develop these two vital skills, according to Buckingham:

Vivid foresight—Because people fear the unknown, top leaders must paint a picture of what’s around the corner, including who you’ll serve and which organizational strengths will help you persevere.

Visible follow-through—Unless senior leaders follow through on promises and back up their words with actions, “resilience bleeds away,” Buckingham says. So if you have a top role, spotlight what you’re doing and provide evidence along the way.

Check out our other GLS 2020 coverage:

Nona Jones: The Conversation on Race You Haven’t Heard Yet

Craig Groeschel: How to Lead Through the Dip

Vanessa Van Edwards: The Best Way to Communicate When You’re a Leader

Amy Edmondson: How to Tell If Your Workplace Is Psychologically Safe

Michael Todd: Are You Leading at the Right Pace?

Lysa Terkeurst: Failing to Forgive Will Stifle Your Innovation

The Top 100 Quotes From This Year’s Global Leadership Summit

91 People Get COVID-19 in Connection with OH Church Service

By
Jessica Lea
-
communicating with the unchurched

At a press conference Tuesday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine shared a graphic demonstrating how a 56-year-old man who attended a church service in Tuscarawas County spread COVID-19 to 91 people. One surprising aspect of the chart was how few of the people who contracted the virus were in what we have understood to be the high-risk age group.

“It spread like wildfire. Very, very scary,” said DeWine. He noted, “We’ve been very careful throughout this pandemic to exempt religious services from any regulations. The only exception to that is that we’re now asking people who attend church to wear a mask. But it’s vital that to control the spread of the virus that any time—any time—people get together, including for religious services, that everyone wear masks, practice social distancing, wash their hands and also while indoors, make sure there’s good ventilation and air flow.”

The governor said he would be sending a letter to Ohio’s faith-based communities providing the latest health information and sharing measures by which faith leaders could protect worshipers. “We know that our faith-based leaders want nothing more than to protect those who come to worship,” said DeWine. “We want to provide our faith communities with all the information we can from doctors and health experts to arm them with the tools to conduct services safely. Our religious faiths are at the core of our great state and our great country. We thank our faith-based leaders for all they do to serve God and God’s people.”

Tuscarawas County Church Site of COVID-19 Outbreak

The graphic, which was created by the Tuscarawas County Health Department (TCHD) in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Health, shows the ages and genders of every person infected by the virus through the man who was the initial case. The chart also shows the relationships between the “primary cases” (the first group the man spread it to) and the secondary and third-level cases. 

Tuscarawas County

Very few of the people who contracted COVID-19 in this outbreak were in the typical high-risk age group. The majority of them were in their twenties, thirties, or forties, and several were teenagers or children, one as young as one year old. A 64-year-old man, a 66-year-old man, and a 67-year-old woman were the oldest people infected and were the only people out of the 91 who were in their 60s. While the CDC specifies that older people are at a greater risk of an increased severity in their symptoms, some have taken “high-risk” to mean that because they are younger, they are less likely to catch the virus at all. And there have been reports that COVID-19 can result in severe symptoms among younger people.

The infected man attended the church service on June 14, and by July 4, the virus had spread to 91 people in five counties. Fifty-three of those people were at the original church service. Tuscarawas County Health Commissioner Katie Seward would not release the name of the church, although she confirmed it was in Tuscarawas County. Seward also clarified that it was not Dennison Foursquare Church, where it is known that someone who was asymptomatic attended at least two services. 

The Tuscarawas County Health Department provided more information about the outbreak in response to questions on Facebook. According to TCHD, the church members did not share a communion cup and did practice social distancing. However, said the department, “We believe that the fact that the church service lasted 1.5-2 hours and it was a closed room that poor ventilation contributed to the spread.” TCHD also said that some people were wearing masks and some were not. Quite a few comments were critical of the chart, questioning how the health department could know for certain that the outbreak originated at the church. Several people also wanted to know why there were no case studies of outbreaks originating at Walmart or at a protest. 

TCHD responded that it was clear the outbreak originated at a church because of contact tracing and noted the department always asks people what activities they have been involved in (including whether or not they participated in a riot or a protest). Said TCHD, “We will be more than happy to provide examples from [a riot or protest] when we have one. At this point places of employment, social gatherings and churchs [sic] have been points of spread in Tuscarawas County.” 

Craig Groeschel: How to Lead Through the Dip

By
Megan Briggs
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communicating with the unchurched

Craig Groeschel kicked off the 2020 Global Leadership Summit (GLS 2020) this morning with a message about how to “lead through a dip.” By dip Groeschel was referring to the extraordinary circumstances this year has surprised us with. As dire as circumstances may be, though, Groeschel encouraged the audience to look to the example of Jesus, who “knows how to lead through the dip.”

“This is the most difficult year of leadership I’ve been through,” Groeschel admitted to the audience. In fact, Groeschel also offered that he’s battled with depression as his church, Life.Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma had to close its doors earlier this year due to the pandemic. He has felt like a failure—like a shepherd that can’t help his sheep—as his church has been practicing social distancing. The best thing we can do, says Groeschel, is adapt to the dip and try to limit the amount of time we are down there. 

How to Lead Well Through the Dip

Groeschel outlined how a leader can lead through the dip in his quintessential multi-point format.

The first thing leaders need to do is change how we think about change. People don’t hate change; they hate the way we try to change them, Groeschel explained. He shared a story about a lady he called “Fran” (not her real name) who attended his church. Fran sat in the same seat every week at church, but one week she showed up and a young visitor, who wasn’t familiar with Fran’s seat, was in her spot. Fran wasn’t very friendly and the visitor left clearly feeling unwelcome. When Groeschel spoke to Fran about this incident, he asked her if there was a young person in her life that she cares about. Fran shared about her grandson, who was lost and making poor choices. After praying for the grandson, Groeschel asked Fran to think about him whenever she saw a visitor come to the church. He asked her how she would feel if someone made her grandson feel uncomfortable in church. This thought changed Fran’s behavior, so much so that she started praying for the young people at the church. Groeschel shared this story to illustrate that people aren’t necessarily adverse to change; rather, they don’t always like the way leaders try to change them. Still, Groeschel explains, it’s a leader’s responsibility to lead change that needs to happen.

When change needs to happen, great leaders never cast blame; they take responsibility. Sometimes we blame the devil, we blame Millennials, right now we could blame COVID, etc. for the fact that change needs to happen. “You can make excuses, or you can make progress, but you can’t do both,” Groeschel said. He also issued a warning: “Your desire to hold the fort may lead you to lose the war. Don’t fight to guard the old way” when you can fight to find a new way.

Have the Courage to Unmake Promises

If you’ve ever heard yourself say something along the lines of “We will never end this program” or  “We will never have soda in the sanctuary,” a time of uncertainty may cause you to unmake some of your promises. Now, this concept is different than breaking a promise, Groeschel explained. Unmaking a promise is confronting the stubborn nature we have to guarding our old ways. “If you are not careful, your boldest declarations could become your greatest limitations,” Groeschel said. Groeschel gave the example of when Life.Church started a church online platform in 2006. They were criticized heavily and several church leaders made declarations that they would never have a church online platform. This didn’t discourage Life.Church. Instead, they gave away the platform to other churches that were interested in doing something similar. In early 2020, there were about 3,000 churches using the free platform. That number grew to 27,000 churches after COVID hit and churches quickly needed an online platform to reach their congregants.

Another example is the way National Geographic Magazine was able to reinvent itself. The company was stable practically doing the same thing they had always done for a century. But when they started to struggle in the 1990s, they pivoted. They didn’t stick to their old model, but they did stick to their mission: to explore and protect the planet. During this time of transition, revenue dropped, but they innovated by doing things like pursuing film and engaging in social media. 

“Have you made any personal promises limiting your leadership potential?” Groeschel asked the audience. “The world has changed. Tell yourself the truth,” Groeschel said.

Obsess Over the Why

People either change out of desperation or inspiration, Groeschel said. As leaders, we want to inspire our teams to change before they have to. 

There are typically three reactions to change. Leaders will run into critics, bystanders, and advocates. Critics will always be the loudest, but that doesn’t mean they’re the most. Don’t just listen to the loud folks, Groeschel instructed. What you do want to do—no matter how people respond—is to explain why you’re doing what you’re doing. Explain the process that brought you to the conclusion that change needs to happen and why you believe this change will be present the best solution. People can tolerate the pain as long as there is a purpose, Groeschel said. And, remember things may have to get worse in order for them to get better.

Lead With Confident Uncertainty

You are most vulnerable when you are most confident, Groeschel explained. He admitted looking to and planning for the future is really hard right now. There are very few things that are certain in our current circumstance. Even still, you can be confident when you don’t know what’s coming. Great leaders will find a way to lead. Groeschel suggested that leaders admit to their teams that they’re not going to get it completely right. The big goal right now, in our current global crisis, is to limit the “depth of the dip.” When things aren’t going the right way, organizations need to fail quickly and then adapt, Groeschel explained. 

Leaders specifically need to “feel the fear and lead anyway.” In fact, “the pathway to your greatest potential is often straight through your greatest fear.” 

Groeschel then asked leaders the following questions to help them apply the points of his message to their own circumstances:

What is no longer working and needs to change?

What’s one promise you need to un-make?

What’s one risk you need to take even if you feel afraid?

Check out our other coverage on GLS 2020:

Marcus Buckingham: How to Build Resilience (in Yourself and Your Team)

Nona Jones: The Conversation on Race You Haven’t Heard Yet

Vanessa Van Edwards: The Best Way to Communicate When You’re a Leader

Amy Edmondson: How to Tell If Your Workplace Is Psychologically Safe

Michael Todd: Are You Leading at the Right Pace?

Lysa Terkeurst: Failing to Forgive Will Stifle Your Innovation

The Top 100 Quotes From This Year’s Global Leadership Summit

The Apostle Paul’s Response to Our Cancel Culture

By
J.D. Greear
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communicating with the unchurched

Recently, I typed in “how to be happy” on our collective consciousness, Google, and one of the first articles was “Three Ways to Be Happy Always.”

Quite a claim.

This article had some legitimately good advice, but it was sprinkled in among some proverbs that were less-than-helpful. For instance, this priceless pearl of wisdom: “Compliment yourself often.” A fun practice—”J.D., you handsome devil, you”—but not one I’d recommend for long-term health.

One suggestion, though, stuck out more than the others: “Seek out positive relationships with happy, optimistic, and cheerful people. If you’re struggling with your current relationships, seek out new ones.” In other words, the moment people get difficult, try deleting and replacing them. This is enthroned advice in our society.

Now, there’s an element of truth here, and it’s one that (in many circles) is too often missed. There are times when it’s wise to regulate your relationships. Hear me: If you are being abused or taken advantage of, it is both wise and loving to establish relational boundaries. After all, true love desires the spiritual health of the other person; it desires them to be rid of evil. Allowing someone else to abuse you isn’t helping them overcome their sin. It’s enabling it.

Sadly, however, this kind of relational regulation gets warped when it’s applied to other conflicts. The recent rise of the cancel culture, for instance, is an extreme version of this impulse: For many people, the way to deal with difficult relationships is not to fix them, but simply to end them.

Got a friend causing problems in your life? Cut them out. Someone in your small group says insensitive things? Leave that small group and find a new one. Someone at work doesn’t understand or respect your faith? Avoid them. Tired of being made fun of in the public square? Withdraw into your Christian bubble. Parents in your kid’s class not raising their kids the way you like? (Corona-aside: Remember classes?) Surround yourself with people who make you feel safe and comfortable.

That’s what some people do—they cut off those who offend them.

The Apostle Paul says in Romans 12:18, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (CSB). The surrounding passage is about pursuing relationship and overcoming evil in someone who’s wronged you with acts of good.

When you think about it, denying someone your presence is like the ultimate punishment. Isn’t that God’s final judgment, after all? That’s what hell is: the total absence of God’s presence.

That’s what you do when you give someone the silent treatment. You are saying to them, “You are not worth a relationship with me.”

The gospel, by contrast, sends us into the world to love people as we have been loved, to love people who will sometimes offend us. That means before we resort to ending relationships, we walk the messy road of confrontation.

Will this always work? Of course not. Restoration always takes two. But let’s not give up before we’ve even started. As much as it lies in our power, let’s be agents of reconciliation among those who have hurt us.

This article about cancel culture originally appeared here.

The Last Sermon of Slain Pastor John Powell

By
Jordan Standridge
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communicating with the unchurched

Death is so hard. It is especially hard when it is a young father like John Powell who passes away. And with such a lack of godly courageous men in pulpits around the world, it is even more tragic to hear about the death of a faithful Gospel preaching pastor.

That’s why it’s so sad to hear of the death of John Powell. He died, after being hit by a truck, while attempting to rescue people stranded in the middle of a highway. He left behind his wife and four young children.

He was on his way to pick up an old truck that he was going to fix up with his boys as a project, when he saw a car, in clear difficulty, that had stopped in the middle of the highway. As he stopped to help and try to pull people out of danger, a truck came by and stuck him and killed him on the spot.

It is so hard to know the mind of God in the midst of situations like these. John Powell was church planting. He was zealous to make disciples. He was well thought of by people I know, and he was a man who, by all accounts, loved his family and loved the lost.

Why would God take him?

While we can’t know the mind of God and all He is doing in situations like these, we can know how to respond to difficulties in life.

Life is hard, and we’re all going to die. Because life is hard and because death looms on all of us, our flesh at times reacts with discouragement and depression.

It is this belief that led John Powell to preach a sermon on Psalm 77.

I find it incredible that, in the sovereignty of God, He would lead John Powell to preach a sermon that would turn out to be an instrument in helping people to deal with John’s very death less than six days later. Even in this fact God is so kind.

I found the sermon extremely helpful and I thought I would share some of the insights here on the blog.

He starts off the sermon by encouraging folks who are in the midst of depression. He doesn’t minimize the struggle, nor does he offer quick fixes, but I think he toes the line really well and gives people great hope.

“God opens the Bible to show you that you are not alone. If there is anything I want you to hear in this, I want you to hear that you are not alone! Not just because someone has walked through this before, but because God walks through it with them.”

He wanted those struggling with depression to know that the Bible isn’t silent about depression. The Bible wants to help those suffering. God doesn’t want you to stay depressed. But at the same time, he wanted the skeptics, or those who never suffered of it to not minimize. “It is real!” he says. John quotes Spurgeon, who suffered from depression, as saying, ‘trying to cure my depression was like trying to wrestle with the wind.’

He goes on to describe that Asaf, himself, the writer of Psalm 77, clearly struggles with depression. Though he was a monumental figure in Israel, he pens a fascinating Psalm filled with grief.

John goes on to describe two characteristics of Asaf’s depression.

The first characteristic is his focus on HIMSELF:  Psalm 77:1-6.

“Did you notice where his focus is? Look at the first person pronouns!”

After retelling a story of an English teacher who encouraged him to learn first person pronouns, John retells the moment he realized that most worship songs we sing today in the church are about me, rather than God. He goes on to say,

“I see the same thing in these verses. Asaf is focused on himself. In just verse 6 alone he uses 6 different first-person personal pronouns. I said, let ME, remember MY song in the night, let ME meditate on MY heart then MY spirit made a diligent search.

“One characteristic of his depression is that when he thinks about the past, he thinks about himself as the center of it.

“Can you analyze this in your own life? And friend, you don’t have to be caught in the clutches of depression to realize this about yourself. We all think about ourselves a lot. Even our thoughts about others revolve around their attitudes towards us, their thoughts about us.

“If we will meditate on it, our self-centeredness is astounding. And that’s why it’s so incredible that Christ laid down his life for us and spent his life serving others.”

“Much of the time our depression springs from a heart hyper focused on self.”

The second characteristic is that he speaks in HYPERBOLE:  Psalm 77:7-9.

John says,

“Do you know what another word for hyperbole is? A Lie! It’s rounding the corners to make a point but if you’re rounding corners you don’t have straight lines on your hands, and when you’re speaking hyperbole, you’re not speaking the truth.”

“As he thinks about his life, he is thinking about himself in hyperbole. This leads his to despair and despondency. It leads him to presenting a one-sided view of God, a side that isn’t true.”

In verse 10, Asaf changes. He stops looking to himself and instead ‘starts dealing with truth, not some tainted twisted view of it.’ He stops speaking in hyperbole. John goes on to say,

“When you begin to notice the characteristic of your depression the best thing to do is to speak truth to yourself, declare it to yourself! proclaim it to yourself! The weapon that you have to fight your depression is this:  Truth!”

20 Tweets to Great Leadership

By
Ron Edmondson
-

Someone emailed me recently and asked me for my “top 20 leadership tips”. They were doing a presentation on leadership and were asked to share 20 aspects of great leadership. The added catch. They needed something short they could expand upon, so they suggested I share them in “Twitter length.”

Didn’t they know I’m the guy who only has “7″ points in most posts?

I’m always up for a challenge though, so I wrote down the question and pondered it for a couple weeks. I added a few at a time. Then I sat down to compile the list.

Here are my top 20 leadership tips in Twitter length:

Build people – People are your greatest asset as a leader.

Grow personally – You can’t take people where you aren’t going.

Direction matters – You’ll likely end up where you pointed yourself.

Surrender methodology – Care more about accomplishing a worthy vision than how you do.

Empower people – Give people real responsibility and real authority.

Keep learning – When you stop learning…you stop.

Renew your passion often – Keep reminding yourself why you do what you do.

Learn to rest – So you can always do your best.

Value the word “No” – You can only do what you can do. Trying to do more lowers efficiency.

Prioritize each day – Make every moment count.

Let failure build you – It’s the best way to gain experience.

Be honest with yourself and others – What you hide will often trip you fastest.

Know your weaknesses – Everyone else already does.

Listen more than you speak – You’ll learn more and make others feel valued.

Serving others brings joy – Giving back is the greatest vehicle to fulfillment in life.

Humility is attractive – People love realness and want to be around people who are.

Be intentional – Nothing really great happens without it.

Reject apathy – You’ll be tempted to settle for mediocrity. Don’t do it.

Protect character – More than you try to protect your reputation. Do this one and you’ll gain the other.

Applaud others – Louder than you “toot your own horn”.

Feel free to Tweet one or two of them…they’re Twitter length.

Raising Gospel-Centered Kids in a Gospel-Hating World

By
Sam Luce
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communicating with the unchurched

Avoid fear – There are times when I feel like a captive in my home. afraid to let my kids leave the sanctuary of the home because the reality of the very real devil is much greater to me than the understanding that we have a magnificent savior.

Jeremiah 29:4-7? “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

I love this Scripture in Jeremiah; it tells the captives not to hide but live out their lives in such a way that people are drawn to you, because your fulfillment is in a promise, not in a program.

Exemplify the gospel to your kids – For us to parent our kids in an offensive way and not a defensive way requires us having a firm grasp of the gospel. How do we do that?

1. Understand that the gospel is offensive.

Luke 6:26: 26 “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

Our goal is not popularity but in knowing and conveying a beautifully offensive truth lived out by a God who loves you and me in a stunning unending fashion.

– The gospel offends the part of us that feels we have to do something to be loved
– The gospel offends the part of us that says living how we want is worshiping yourself
– We all worship something; very often the idols in our lives are good things we make ultimate things. That’s offensive to Christians and non-Christians alike.

2. Teach your kids doctrine in a practical and intentional way.

Deut 6:4-13 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[b] 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.10 “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full,12 then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.

The reason why we teach our kids is so they have a proper view of God as their father. Everything we have is because of him.

We have a limited amount of time that we will be able to influence our kids; we must leverage that time to teach our kids to honor to fear and to love God because he first loved us.

Explosions Devastate Beirut: ‘Please Pray for Mercy’

By
Jessica Lea
-
Beirut
Aid team at the port after the explosion on August 4, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. According to the Lebanese Red Cross, at the moment over 100 people died in the explosion and over 4,000 were injured in explosion at Beirut Port. Officials said a waterfront warehouse storing explosive materials, reportedly 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate, was the cause of the blast.(Photo by Fadel Itani/NurPhoto via AP)

Two explosions at the Port of Beirut Tuesday have devastated a nation already suffering from a failing economy, political tensions, and a surge in cases of COVID-19. The blasts leveled everything within a two-mile radius, killing over 100 people, injuring at least 4,000, and displacing an estimated 300,000. Christians in the country are requesting aid and prayer as they process their shock and grief. 

“After the economic collapse and the COVID crisis, now a disaster happened due to the explosion at Beirut Port,” said Lina Sawan Raad, according to the Baptist Standard. Sawan Raad is a vice president with the Baptist World Alliance and an instructor at Lebanese International University. “Destruction all over Beirut. Please pray for mercy from above from our Lord. We believe that faithful prayer is very powerful.”

Beirut Explosions Ravage Already Hurting Country

The exact causes of the explosions are as yet unclear. The New York Times reports that the first explosion in Lebanon’s capital might have occurred at a fireworks warehouse. While gray smoke was still billowing up from that blast, a second, larger and more devastating one occurred. People heard it in Cyprus, about 100 miles away.

It is believed that the latter explosion occurred due to the combustion of a stockpile of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a chemical compound used in bombs and fertilizer. Initial reports indicate that the stockpile, which was allowed to sit at the port for six years, exploded accidentally due to negligence on the part of Lebanese authorities.

According to Reuters, Lebanon’s cabinet has placed the officials who were responsible for the stockpile under house arrest and have declared a two-week state of emergency for Beirut. Lebanon’s president Michel Aoun has promised to “investigate and expose what happened as soon as possible, to hold the responsible and the negligent accountable.”

The blasts devastated Beirut’s downtown and waterfront, as well as the surrounding neighborhoods, which are poorer, primarily Christian areas. One witness told Reuters, “I saw a fireball and smoke billowing over Beirut. People were screaming and running, bleeding. Balconies were blown off buildings. Glass in high-rise buildings shattered and fell to the street.” The death toll and the number of injured are expected to rise, but electricity is out through most of the city, making it difficult for people to search for their missing loved ones at night.

Beirut’s hospitals were already strained with COVID-19 patients. When the explosions occurred, some hospital buildings were so badly damaged they could not receive the injured and instead treated them in parking lots. At Bikhazi Medical Group hospital, the ceiling fell on some patients while they were waiting to be treated. Many of the wounded had to walk to hospitals themselves because ambulances could not make it through the streets.

Beirut-based sports journalist Rayane Moussallem commuted home from work after the explosions and tweeted, “I have no words to describe what I have seen on my way! Non-stop sirenes passing by, people crying in their cars which many had the glass shattered, I was driving on broken glasses of destroyed stores and buildings not asphalt!” She added, “Unfortunately in this country we have been through many explosions throughout the years. In 2005, it was our weekly life but I have never seen something like that! Never!!”

Joseph Kassab, president of the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon, told Christianity Today that the devastation reminded him of Lebanon’s civil war (which he lived through). He knows of several churches that have been damaged, including Jesus Light of the World, All Saints Anglican church, and the historic National Evangelical Church. “But everyone is affected,” he said. “Catholics, Orthodox, and as you move a little further away you see the damage in Muslim neighborhoods also.”

Kassab was far enough out of the way of the explosion that his home only suffered broken windows, but his niece had cupboards fall on her in her home while she bent over to protect her two-year-old. She and her family have come to stay with Kassab because of the destruction to her apartment.

The explosions impacted other Christians and Christian buildings throughout the city. Moussallem posted a video showing one of the blasts occurring while a priest was performing a mass, which was streaming online because of COVID-19. The priest is reportedly uninjured.

Christian Nationalists Least Likely to Take Coronavirus Precautions Study Finds

By
Megan Briggs
-
communicating with the unchurched

Many are asking why the United States is having such a hard time curtailing the coronavirus within its borders. An equally perplexing point of discussion is why adherence to things like social distancing measures, designed to slow the spread of the virus, have become  politicized in the U.S. According to a new study, Christian nationalism may give us some insight into both of these questions. The study, published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, proposes that Christian nationalists are the ones most likely to eschew precautionary measures and engage in “incautious” activity, thus “potentially worsening the pandemic.”

“We find Christian nationalism was the leading predictor that Americans engaged in incautious behavior like eating in restaurants, visiting family/friends, or gathering with 10+ persons (though not attending church), and was the second strongest predictor that Americans took fewer precautions like wearing a mask or sanitizing/washing one’s hands,” the authors of the study write. In other words, Christian nationalists are less likely to do the things that scientists and government officials have proposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus and are more likely to engage in activities that spread it.

Furthermore, the study proposes that what prompts this incautious response is Christian nationalists’ beliefs. Namely, “belief in divine protection, distrust of scientists and the news media, and devotion to Trump.”

The study, titled “Culture Wars and COVID-19 Conduct: Christian Nationalism, Religiosity, and Americans’ Behavior During the Coronavirus Pandemic,” was authored by Samuel Perry, Andrew Whitehead, and Joshua Grubbs and published on July 26, 2020. (It is important to note that this study has not yet been peer-reviewed.)

Who Is Considered a Christian Nationalist?

To determine who falls into the category of Christian nationalists, the authors constructed a scale from measures other surveys, like the Baylor Religion Surveys and the Chapman University Survey of American Fears, have asked. Participants of these surveys are asked how strongly they agree or disagree with the following statements:

“The federal government should declare the United States a Christian nation,” 

“The federal government should advocate Christian values,” 

“The federal government should enforce strict separation of church and state (reverse coded),”

“The federal government should allow prayer in public schools,” 

“The federal government should allow religious symbols in public spaces,” and 

“The success of the United States is part of God’s plan.”

Respondents are then placed on a scale from 0-24 based on their responses, to give an indication of the level to which they agree with Christian nationalism. 

According to the authors of the study, what sets Christian nationalists apart from other devout Americans is “an ideology that connects disregard for scientific expertise; a conception of Americans as God’s chosen and protected people; distrust for news media; and allegiance to Trump.” Christian nationalists are even distinguished from theologically conservative Christians in the study. However, the authors are coming from the understanding that there is some overlap between Christian nationalists and white evangelicals, for instance. In a separate article, two of the study’s authors make a case that 70-75 percent of white evangelicals are “friendly” to Christian nationalist views.

Christian Nationalists Are Less Likely to Practice Precaution

The study defines incautious behavior as doing things like eating in restaurants, visiting family or friends, and gathering with ten or more people. Cautious behavior (or taking precaution), on the other hand, is defined as avoiding large gatherings of people, avoiding non-essential shopping, washing or sanitizing hands more often, wearing a mask, and avoiding touching one’s face.

According to study results, Christian nationalists were less likely to do each of the precautionary things, with the exception of using more hand sanitizer than normal. They were also associated with engaging in five points of incautious behavior more often than others. Namely, eating at restaurants, attending gatherings of ten or more people, visiting family and friends, going shopping for nonessential items, and going to the grocery or drug store.

Conversely, religious people who don’t ascribe to Christian nationalists beliefs, on the other hand, were associated with being more observant of the precautionary measures. This group was associated with every precautionary measure and didn’t engage in incautious behavior more than the average respondent. “Once we account for Christian nationalism, devout Americans are more likely to alter their behavior and wash hands or sanitize more often, wear a mask, and avoid touching their face,” the study reads.

The study was conducted using surveys given in three segments starting in August 2019, then February 2020, and finally May 2020. The conclusion the authors came to was based on 1,255 respondents.

Study co-author Perry, who is a Sociology professor at the University of Oklahoma, spoke to the Christian Post to unpack some of the findings. Perry pointed to Christian Nationalist’s allegiance to Trump and explained that because the president “wasn’t really encouraging a lot of precautions regarding coronavirus early on,” it should come as no surprise that this group has also neglected these behaviors. Additionally, because of their distinct beliefs, Perry says Christian nationalists believe “the solution to coronavirus is not necessarily to wash your hands more or use hand sanitizer, or wear masks or social distance.” Rather, they believe the solution is to “repent … of our … immorality publicly.”

Spirituality for Youth Leaders

By
Rachel Blom
-
communicating with the unchurched

Do you feel overrun by your demanding schedule, yet miss the time to pray? Does it seem like you read the Bible as a psychological 101 on teenagers and their problems, yet you long for a deeper sense of faith from the Word of Life? Feeling like you share and give the life of Christ to youths, yet you hunger for more of your own personal intimacy with Christ? Maybe it is time to step back and reflect on your own personal spirituality in combination with your work as a youth leader.

Among leaders in the church there is a tendency towards activism and youth leaders are no exception. Doing programs, organising meetings, fixing problems, it seems like sometimes the work never ends. If only you could make a clone of yourself in order to do more! In the process we lose track of something that we feel is important, but our schedule asks for commitment to other issues.

Pastoral triangle

This nagging feeling that we are missing something important is reminding us of nothing more than some basic activities of the Christian life: prayer, reading scripture, and spiritual guidance. These three subjects are described by Eugene Peterson as the Pastoral Triangle. In his helpful book Working the Angles Peterson describes prayer, reading scripture and spiritual direction as the fundamental angles that make up the triangle, which forms the basis of pastoral work (1).

These activities form the basis of our relationship with God and are important sustenance for our own personal faith. But it’s these activities that suffer when we are called upon for help and our other activities ask for attention. This needs not to be so.

This four part series on Spirituality for youth leaders is a short introduction to the work of Eugene Peterson, who saw the need for spirituality in our work as (youth) pastors. Hopefully it will be a helpful guide to lead you away from the temptation of activism and help you work on the angles of your pastoral triangle. In the next three instalments we will look into these basic activities of the triangle, but before we do I’d like to make something else clear.

Invest in personal spirituality

We need to make a conscious choice, a deliberate choice to invest serious time in prayer, scripture and spiritual direction, even if it seems that these activities will not help in directly reaching the teens or students you’re responsible for. Let me give you some arguments why you should consider this seriously:

  • First of all, it is God who reaches youths and who build the church for that matter. It is not up to us. What young people need is someone who prays for them and places their lives before God and puts them in His hands. Because someone who has his or hers personal intimacy with God, who is attentive and listens to Gods voice, can intercede on their behalf.
  • We are called into community with God through Christ, to be transformed into His likeness by the Spirit. This process needs time and attention, through prayer and scripture, so that we can be fully conformed to the mind of Christ. It is not our own activities that we seek, but Gods plans and work for us.
  • We need Gods comfort and strength to cope with all the successes and all the failures we make. To express our emotions before His Face and find healing for our souls. We are not perfect and feelings like pride and selfishness, anger and hatred can ruin our ministry. They need to be dealt with and brought in to the Light.
  • We need to teach our youths to live a spiritual life of their own. To guide them on their spiritual journey in such a way that they find intimacy with Christ. To be an authentic example of someone who knows what it means to live with Christ.

For these reasons it is imperative that you guard your time, and make sure you plan to work on prayer, scripture and spiritual direction. In the next part of these series I will discuss prayer, to help you develop your own prayer time.

Do you recognize this? Does your personal spirituality suffer from your busyness and activities?

This guest post was written by Nathánaël Brandsma, a young Dutch pastor who has just finished his Bachelor Degree in Theology. Nathánaël is a former student of mine in my youth ministry and he’s a a wonderful guy with a deep passion for God and His church. He’s engaged to be married to his Moldavian bride-to-be Marina.

(1) Peterson, Eugene H.; Working the Angles, the shape of pastoral integrity; (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company); 1993; p. 192

Grieving Miscarriages, Celebrating Life and Planned Parenthood

By
Esther Laurie
-
communicating with the unchurched

There has been yet another disturbing Planned Parenthood video released this week.  We grieve the loss of these little lives.  Instead of writing on the video and issue again, we want to share another point of view.  It’s a story of a couple fighting for life.

Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan recently announced on Facebook they are expecting a baby girl.  Over a million people offered their support and congratulations.  The couple also took a moment to share their struggle over the past few years of trying to have a baby, but having multiple miscarriages.

Zuckerberg describes the heartbreaking loss:

“You feel so hopeful when you learn you’re going to have a child. You start imagining who they’ll become and dreaming of hopes for their future. You start making plans, and then they’re gone.”

People are beginning to talk more openly about miscarriage.  However, I can’t imagine bearing that grief while listening to news updates of Planned Parenthood selling ‘fetal tissue.’

Speak kindness over each other.  You never know the depths of joy or heartache the person next to you carries.

“Let whoever is in charge keep this simple question in her head (not, how can I always do this right thing myself, but) how can I provide for this right thing to be always done?” ― Florence Nightingale

Joel McGill: The Great Commission Could Be Fulfilled in Your Lifetime

By
Jason Daye
-
communicating with the unchurched

Joel McGill is the Senior Coordinator of All.America and also serves on the leadership team at Impact World. He provides strategies and tools to pastors and ministry leaders seeking to make a larger kingdom impact as they fulfill the Great Commission. Joel is married to Naomi, and they have three children.

Key Questions for Joel McGill

-What are the “five finish lines” all churches should be pursuing?

-How did you shift to a focus on collaborating to finish God’s mission?

-Could you share stories of how ministries leaders have come together to embrace your “five finish line” framework?

-What would you recommend to kingdom-minded pastors wanting to reach their cities?

Key Quotes from Joel McGill

“This idea of finish lines really came out of the idea that we can finish it, that in our lifetime we could finish this call that this gospel will be preached to the ends of the earth to every nation.”

“I think the idea of coming together around a common purpose, a common outcome…that’s more dynamic unity than trying to get everyone to like one another.”

“When we’re fighting a war for the souls of people that we’re trying to reach, there’s tremendous relationship and depth of friendship that is found in that context, and I think that is something that we’ve experienced, where we’ve seen leaders come together that theologically are never going to come together.”

“You’re never going to do anything great for God without prayer.”

“We want to make sure everybody’s shown God’s love in a practical way.”

“What we saw was just an exponential engagement of these unreached, unengaged people groups.”

“Unreached people groups are now being reached at an unprecedented rate. Probably in the last 2,000 years, there are more being reached, year upon year, than ever before.”

“In our lifetime, we could say that this gospel has been preached to every ethnos.”

Jenna Ellis, All-Star Legal Team Join MacArthur’s Fight With the State

By
Jesse T. Jackson
-
communicating with the unchurched

After refusing to close its doors for indoor worship, Grace Community Church has been issued a cease and desist letter that threatens both John MacArthur and the church with daily fines of $1,000 or possible arrest. The Thomas Moore Society announced Wednesday that Jenna Ellis and Charles LiMandri will serve as special counsel for John MacArthur and Grace Community Church.

Nationally renowned constitutional law attorney Jenna Ellis, who is a Senior Fellow at the Falkirk Center for Faith & Liberty, said that “Pastor MacArthur and Grace Community church are not disobeying the Constitution; it is California’s Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Eric Garcetti that are defying their constitutional obligation to protect religious freedom and church assembly.”

“This is not about health and safety, it is about targeting churches.”

In the Thomas Moore Society’s announcement, Ellis explained:

Our American system of government specifically recognizes that our individual, fundamental right to free exercise of religion and freedom of assembly is a pre-political, God-given, inalienable right. That right is not given by the government or the Constitution, but rather, government is mandated by the Constitution to preserve and protect it for the church. Grace Community Church has every right to assemble without impossible and unreasonable infringement from the state, and the state has absolutely no power to impose the restrictions it is demanding. Church is essential, and the government has no power to arbitrate whether religious organizations are essential. This is not about health and safety, it is about targeting churches.

Attorney Ellis also serves as an allied attorney with the Alliance Defending Freedom, and served on President Trump’s legal team for the 2020 impeachment trial. She is currently the senior legal advisor to the Trump 2020 campaign, as well as private counsel for President Trump.

Constitutional law attorney and freedom expert Charles LiMandri said, “It is unconstitutional for Governor Newsom and the State of California to discriminate against churches by treating them less favorably than other organizations and activities that are not protected by the First Amendment.” He stated that California’s government “has given free rein to protesters,” and isn’t restricting marijuana dispensaries, or abortion providers in the same way they are Grace Community Church. He emphasized, “The government orders are also unconstitutional because there is no compelling need for the onerous restrictions on the churches at this time.”

“Churches are providing an ‘essential’ service to the people.”

LiMandri said, “It is time for Governor Newsom and Mayor Garcetti to recognize what President Trump has already proclaimed: Churches are providing an essential service to the people. Therefore, they must be allowed to serve the people in the manner in which God has called them.”

Attorney LiMandri serves as special counsel for the Thomas Moore Society.

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