For the first six years or so of the church I would always walk up on stage with about 10 typed pages of notes. As I preached I would turn the stack of pages up there on the pulpit with me. I was quite tied to my notes. But about two years ago we started image magnification and the feedback I got from those producing the service was that all those pages on the pulpit didn't look good on the screen. So I decided to get rid of them. I committed to walking up on stage with just my Bible, like many … [Read more...]
Investment Not an Expense
It's scary to spend money in ministry. The fear is that if we spend what little we might have, there won't be enough for later. But this is the wrong way to think of spending money. As a church, ultimately, everything we spend money on is to make disciples. And in this sense, whatever we're spending money on isn't an expense, rather an investment in people's eternity. And here's how it works: The return on investment is always greater than the initial investment. A church is about destinies, … [Read more...]
RWMC
RWMC stands for Right, Wrong, Missing Confusing. Every Sunday I have a "note" on my iPhone that has these four words listed. My phone is always in my back pocket and as I notice things, I write them down. Right: worship team killed it, new video went over really well, we had 5 salvations, we had 3 new volunteers sign up for setup Wrong: the mic wasn't on when I started talking, the service went past 65 minutes, I asked a man if the woman with him was his mom and it turned out she was his … [Read more...]
Need or Opportunity?
When recruiting volunteers I feel its very important to present opportunities vs needs. Here's why: When you present a need you come across as a losing team (i.e. We aren't winning and people don't want to be a part of what we're doing. Can you please bail us out?). When you present a need you are asking for something for you, not for them. When you present an opportunity, it's all about them, not you (i.e. This is a next step you can take to grow closer to Jesus and follow in his footsteps. … [Read more...]
An Old Fielder
I'm reading a book right now called John Adams by David McCullough. After John Adams became the second president of the United States many news articles were written about him. One writer praised Adams for his many admirable qualities, going on and on about what a great man he was, giving special attention to his uncompromising integrity. Another writer simply referred to Adam's as "an old fielder." An old fielder was a very dependable horse who produced a ton of work, was very low maintenance … [Read more...]
Tension to Manage or Problem to Solve
I was recently asked by a church planter "How do you prevent volunteers from being unfaithful - not showing up when they should, not doing what they said, etc?" I replied that this is a tension to manage, not a problem to solve. While you can't eliminate volunteers canceling (or canceling without notice) there are things you can do to minimize these occurrences: Clearly communicate expectations on the front end. Have in writing what you expect (i.e. that they are faithful in their commitment … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- …
- 30
- Next Page »