Free tools from Saddleback Church (and others) to help unlock the ministry of every member.

1. Give me a clear, compelling purpose
2. Involve me as much as possible
3. Celebrate moments by creating traditions
4. Don't waste my time
5. Stop the ball-hogging

The details can be found here. I longer version of Ted Harro's article can be found here.

Andy Stanley: Why I Decided to Cheat the Church

He talked about the best leadership decision he’s ever made. He made a deal with God. He explained it something like this:

God, I don’t have time to build a ministry and take care of my family. I’ll give you 45 hours per week as a church planter. If you can build a church on 45 hours, I’m your guy. I’ll let you build has big a church as you can with that 45 hours, and I’ll be satisfied with that. But I’m not going to cheat my family.

Andy decided to cheat the church before he cheated his family. With his wife, he decided to be at home by 4:30 every day. That meant he left work at 4:00.

Andy explained that God has never commanded him to love the Church. He was commanded to love his wife. He was never commanded to build the Church. Jesus said he would do that. Instead, we get it backwards. We try to go build the church, and we pray that God will take care of our family.

How did this decision impact Andy’s leadership?

1. It forced him to play exclusively to play to his strengths. Focus on the things you’re good at. The less you do, the more you accomplish. You’re not very good at very many things. Only do what only you can do.

2. It forced him to prioritize the success of the church over my personal success. He had to say no to lots of other opportunities. It forced him to focus on the main thing God has called him to do. North Point has his undivided attention.

3. The value has forced the organization to say no to many things and maintain a sustainable pace. That protects Andy’s time, but it also obviously also protects his staff’s time. We need to create a “to don’t” list. The value led to a decision to shut down the church the final weekend of every year to give all the volunteers and staff members a weekend to be with their families.

4. This value elicits incredible loyalty from the staff. Andy tells all new employees not to cheat their families.

This is a hard decision. People will be angry. We can’t fall into the “If I don’t, it won’t get done” trap. How many hours you work won’t make or break your career.

Andy wrote more about this topic in his book, Choosing to Cheat.

Here's what's available:

Workshops #1
Creative Communication: Connecting to a Visual Generation
The Community Center Revolution
Pillars of Influence in the Home, Church and MarketplaceUnlearning Urban Church Planting
Writing with Purpose and Passion
Missions #1 Asia
Missions #2 Europe
Leading Beyond Yourself
Rich Pastor, Poor Pastor
Raiders of the Lost Spark
On Any Given Sunday…the Ultimate Game of Preaching
Church and Culture: An Opportunity Like No Other in History
Harnessing Technology for Ministry

Workshops #2
Bi-Vocational? Get Connected!
Make the Most of What You’ve Got: Next Steps for Your Church
How to Apply for Ministry Funding
Mobilizing a Church Plant to Serve Your Community
Building Generational Bridges
Now Playing - The Preview of Your Future
Church Administration: Four Things Every Church Leader Should Know
How to Start and Develop a Ministry Institute
Re-Imagine: God’s Vision for Women in Ministry

At Crossroads, we pray what can seem like a strange prayer. We pray that God does not send Christians to our church. Before you yell "heresy" and push your delete key, keep reading. We have such a passion to reach the un-churched that we don't want to fill up the limited space we have with Christians who are looking for a new church to attend.

I have been asked: "How can you pray such a prayer?" "Do you turn away followers of Christ?" Of course we don't. We don't turn anyone away. We don't have our parking lot attendants "carding" people, asking if they are Christians and turning them away. It's easy to pray such a prayer when your heart is hot to reach people far from God.

We pray also for a second group. We pray for Christians to come who are nominal in their faith. We would love for the majority to be non-Christians, but particularly in the Southeast, that is not our reality; there are many who have some church background and consider themselves Christians even though their lives give no evidence. (Don't go theological on me, stay practical here.)

We pray for a third group to attend. We pray that the Christians that do come are leaders who are ready to serve. For these believers we are most grateful. We ask God to make this a small but powerful percentage of new people.

If we must choose who we offend (though it is not our desire to offend anyone), we will offend Christians, not the un-churched. If we offend anyone, we are most likely to offend what I call "Professional Christians." Professional Christians are believers, but have no intention to roll up their sleeves and serve. They are looking, in contrast, for a church to feed them, meet their needs, serve their schedules, and offer many of the latest and coolest programs in town. If you felt a little heat there, it is intentional. The consumer mindset in the local church is killing us.

The following three thoughts are not purposed to be critical against any grouping of Christians, or a particular ministry. They are, in contrast, a challenge to church leaders to be bold, courageous, and sold out to the Great Commission, not trying to keep everyone happy.

Don't cater to Professional Christians

All church leaders are tempted to cater to Christians who come in with obvious local church experience. You want to grow your church. You need to increase revenue. You are under pressure to find good people to serve in the areas of high need. And who of us wouldn't want to be gracious and grateful for one of God's people who shows up and indicates abilities and a desire to jump in? Not so fast. Ask some questions, get to know them, and proceed slowly. (It is not always a new person, but often someone who has been part of your church for some time and begins to change in their desires and direction.)

First, find out if they are willing to surrender leadership to others and simply follow and serve. Make sure you know whether they are on the church's agenda or their own. And do your best to know their heart. Sometimes a Professional Christian is only misunderstood or lacks good leadership. By taking the time to know their heart, you may know how best to respond.

The single most important principle in dealing with Professional Christians is that you must never start programs in your church to make them happy, comply with their passion, or gain their resources. Run your ministries lean and fully designed by the Holy Spirit's guidance.

Challenge Professional Christians to think outbound, not inbound

Similar to the fact that non-Christians can become Christians, Professional Christians can become mature, serving, and sold out to the Great Commission. That is a challenge to your leadership, not a confrontation of their mind-set.

It is human nature to move from cutting edge, fearless, aggressive, and all about the un-churched to comfortable, cautious, over-programmed, and focused on discipleship only. In my travels to well over 100 churches I have not seen one that is not tempted to give in to this gravitational- like pull. I refer to this as "machine over mission."

I am not writing anything I don't believe or practice. I consistently challenge our leaders to think "outbound," not "inbound". Simply put, this means nearly all, if not all, new ministries are for and about those who are not connected to our church. Outbound efforts are often, but not excluded to evangelism and compassion. In March of this year we added a staff member, Norwood Davis, whose title is Director of Extension Ministries. 80% of his efforts and energies have little to do with Christians connected to the church. This energy often results in the un-churched becoming part of the church (a good thing), and once again we are tempted to build our repertoire of ministries to offer Christians. Hold steady leaders, and point even the new ones back out into "His harvest fields."

If Professional Christians leave your church, relax and let them go

This is tough for all of us. No one wants to see anyone leave the church. I personally hate to see people go. But I remind myself that when this person is a Professional Christian who came from another church in town because they were unhappy there, it is not unlikely that they will become disappointed again.

If they are upset because you won't offer all that they want when they want it, treat them kindly, but let them leave. I mean that with utter sincerity. Treat them with dignity and respect, but do not persuade them to stay, and by all means do not reshape any part of your ministry to align with their desires.

I know that I have written this article with the potential of being misunderstood. That is the risk of anyone who is willing to be bold for the sake of the good of the church, and puts it in print! I hope you have caught my heart and that my purpose was to challenge and encourage you as a leader. My desire is for your church to flourish, and at times that calls for bold and courageous leadership. May God bless you with both.

This article is used by permission from Dr. Dan Reiland's free monthly e-newsletter 'The Pastor's Coach' available at www.INJOY.com.

How to Write a Church Activity Headline that Really Gets Read
by Chris Forbes

Everyday in the United States people are bombarded with a communication avalanche. It has been estimated by communication experts that the average American experiences 1,500-3,500 attempts to get his/her attention per day.

With all that competition, what hope do we who want to communicate to church members and unchurched people about our church events and ministry opportunities have of getting people to hear us? How do we keep the message we know is so important from getting drowned by the information tsunami?

The answer? Learn to broadcast! No, not by buying a radio station! But by learning to speak to people in a way that makes them naturally tune-in. Communication experts tell us, people are like radio receivers tuned into a single radio station. It seems all people are tuned in to “WII FM”. That stands for “What’s In It for Me?” Want to attract attention of the people you’re trying to reach? Tell them “what’s-in-it-for-me.” Tell them what the ministry event can do for them, or why they should be interested in it through the headline. In other words, give them more than facts, give them benefits.

The fact is, people’s needs drive what people pay attention to. People usually only notice what will benefit them in some way. So it never hurts to give them more than just the mere facts in your headlines, event announcements and sermon titles. Learn to think more strategically when writing brochures, newsletters and advertisements.

Read more

Americans are more socially isolated than they were 20 years ago, separated by work, commuting and the single life, researchers reported on Friday.

Nearly a quarter of people surveyed said they had "zero" close friends with whom to discuss personal matters. More than 50 percent named two or fewer confidants, most often immediate family members, the researchers said.

"This is a big social change, and it indicates something that's not good for our society," said Duke University Professor Lynn Smith-Lovin, lead author on the study to be published in the American Sociological Review.

Thanks to Pastor Don for the article.

First, spend an hour one-on-one with a person in your church or community.

Second, spend 15 minutes writing brief notes to three people.

Third, spend 15 minutes making brief phone calls to three people.

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Wouldn't you love to be able to grasp what the entire Bible contains in just a few minutes? This compilation of the themes of the Bible will allow you to do just that. The following is a summary of what each book of the Bible contains. Keep it handy to refer to as you study and read.

Here's a sample of one book of the Bible:

2 Chronicles

• God supplies wisdom to those who want it (1)
• God values worship (3-5)
• God hears sincere prayers (6-7)
• God honors those who stand for what is right (14-17)
• God has his confronters (18)
• Some lives are a patchwork of obedience and disobedience (24)
• God is honored when leaders seek purification and reform (29-31, 34-35)
• Otherwise godly people can end life in a less than godly manner (32:24-33)
• Ungodly leaders wreak havoc on a nation (33)

Many professions, like medicine, law, and teaching, recognize the importance of skills by requiring updates through an annual certification process. According to Reggie McNeal, ministry skills are not immune to becoming outdated and ineffective over time:

Many men and women who entered the ministry with a clear sense of call to make a difference feel overwhelmed, bewildered, defeated, and generally underprepared for the challenges they face. Having packed their bags for the journey of the church age, they now have no idea what should be in their leadership backpack for the current excursion. The portfolio of skills that once gave them standing in the community of faith no longer distinguishes them, ensures their effectiveness, or guarantees their continued leadership position. (The Present Future, pp. 7-8)

Do your ministry skills need updating? Are your ministry skills out of balance? Does your calling require you to focus your development in certain areas? Below is a list of skills helpful for ministry in the 21st century. You can use the list as a personal assessment tool or as a development guide for those you mentor.

Get the list of ministry skills here

1. Most of the unchurched prefer to attend church on Sunday morning if they attend.
2. Most of the unchurched feel guilty about not attending church.
3. Ninety-six percent of the unchurched are at least somewhat likely to attend church if they are invited.
4. Very few of the unchurched had someone share with them how to become a Christian. And Christians have not been particularly influential in their lives.
5. Most of the unchurched have a positive view of pastors, ministers and the church.
6. Many of the unchurched have a church background.
7. Showing up at someone's home without an invitation was one of the biggest turnoffs articulated by the unchurched.
8. The unchurched would like to develop a real and sincere relationship with a Christian.
9. The attitudes of the unchurched are not correlated to where they live, their ethnic or racial background, or their gender.
10. Many of the unchurched are far more concerned about the spiritual well-being of their children than themselves.

Read more