It might be helpful to think of every request you make of a volunteer as withdrawing money from the bank. If all you ever do is withdraw, withdraw, withdraw, the account will become, all too quickly, overdrawn. How do you prevent your account from being overdrawn? You have to be sure to make deposits! And the deposits have to be greater than the withdrawals. How do you make deposits in the volunteer bank? Call them to ask if there's anything you can be praying for. Invite them out … [Read more...]
What I’m Learning from a Capital Campaign
I never in a million years dreamed I would be leading New Day Church in a capital campaign. I grew up hearing the horror stories of capital campaigns (i.e. the senior pastor was hospitalized during the process due to the stress, the church ran out of money in the middle of the project so construction had to stop, the church became completely focused on begging people for money, etc. etc. etc.). As a result of these horror stories, I had no interest in moving within 1,000 miles of a capital … [Read more...]
Answering Objections to Faith in God
Have you ever tried sharing your faith in Jesus with a friend or co-worker and had them respond something like this: After doing independent research, I'm mostly leaning towards the fact that God is nonexistent. The bible is constantly contradicting itself on many issues. Honestly looking at it from an unemotional and completely logical perspective, the God in the bible is a terrible entity and not someone I want to worship any longer. He allows suffering and disease and murders people … [Read more...]
Church Discipline
What happens when a "sheep" (a believer) in our "flock" (our church) finds himself or herself ensnared by sin, whether unintentionally or through willful disobedience? It's going to happen from time to time for as 1 Timothy 4:1-2 says, "...in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits..." And the question begs: What do we do when it happens? Well, the Bible is very clear that when this happens it is the duty of every believer within the sinning person's sphere of … [Read more...]
Treating God Like My Doctor
I only make an appointment with my doctor when something is wrong. If I have an ear ache I make an appointment. If I grow a lump on my leg I make an appointment. If I'm sick and can't shake it I make an appointment. But if everything is good with my health, it never crosses my mind to speak with my doctor. I don't call to chat on the phone. I don't swing by the office with a coffee to catch up. I don't send texts or emails. Sometimes I have a tendency to interact with God as … [Read more...]
How to Delegate Effectively
Why is delegation an important topic to learn about? Because effective delegation increases job performance, relieves job burnout, decreases workloads, builds teamwork, alleviates stress and allows you to get more done. A while back I read a great little book called If You Want It Done Right, You Don't Have to Do It Yourself! by Donna M. Genett, Ph.D. Here's a summary of what I've learned. 1. Effective delegation requires advanced preparation. BEFORE you meet with someone to delegate … [Read more...]
Your Easter Sermon
Here are some habits I've gotten into that really help me with being prepared come Easter Sunday. Don't wait until the last minute to write the Easter sermon. The closer you get to Easter the more the pressure builds. Some people say they work best under pressure but whether you do or don't, you simply will not have the time to implement creative ideas the longer you wait to write your Easter sermon. Nor will you have the time to commit the message (by and large) to memory if you wait until … [Read more...]
God at the Box Office
One series I like to preach each summer is called God at the Box Office. During this series we uncover and then study the biblical themes within some of Hollywood's biggest summer blockbuster movies. This is a series where faith and film collide! I think we've done this series 6 out of the 8 years we've been in existence as a church (covering new movies each year of course). In this post I want to explain the benefits of doing this series as well as how to pull it off. THE BENEFITS It's … [Read more...]
Overcoming Leadership Insecurities Part 4
At the 2016 Annual Network Conference I had the privilege of teaching on the subject of overcoming leadership insecurities. Since I had a short window to share I didn't have time to cover some of the other ways we as leaders can overcome our insecurities. Here's what I would've included in my talk if I had had more time: Refuse to compare yourself with others. Much of our leadership insecurities come from comparing ourselves to others. This is something we must work hard to avoid doing. The … [Read more...]
Overcoming Leadership Insecurities Part 3
Leadership causes insecurities to rise to the surface. And if we're not careful we'll make decisions based on what's best for our ego vs what's best for the glory of God and the good of His kingdom. Here's the third way we can overcome insecurity... AUTHORIZE YOUR TEAM AND THE PEOPLE IN YOUR CHURCH TO DO MINISTRY An insecure leader has trouble raising up a team and giving ministry away because insecure leaders fear losing control. An insecure leader wants to be in the center and at the head … [Read more...]
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