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3 things I’ve learned about preaching (pt.1)…

I have been preaching now in churches for close to 15 years. Preaching is a spiritual gift. I believe God gave me the gift of speaking. However,  it’s been a gift that I have needed to fan into flame over the years.  I’ve learned a TON about preaching and its place in my life and the church. Above all, I’ve learned three primary things about preaching:

1. Preaching is not the most important gift. 

We know this, don’t we? God tells us through His Word that all spiritual gifts are NOT equal. Some are more important than others (see 1, 2 Corinthians, among other letters). The apostle Paul actually said that LOVE was the most important gift. I was hanging out with a Pastor who pastors a church near a seminary in Kentucky, and he said.  to me: “The problem with so many of these seminary students is that they love to teach, but they do NOT love people.” WOW. What a tragedy. Someone’s gotten it backwards. I would love to say that my testimony would be that I love people BETTER than I preach. If that is said about me, I am getting it right! 

Pastors, I know of GREAT churches who have average communicators, and I know of non growing churches who have GREAT preachers. However, I do NOT know of any GREAT churches where the Pastor is not a gifted leader who loves people well, especially, his staff and leaders. Pastors, preaching is not the most important gift. Love is. If people know you love them, they will listen to you. If you just love to preach and are looking for a platform to preach, don’t become a Sr. Pastor. Pastors: as the chief overseers, our primary responsibility is to care the flock of God entrusted to us ( 1 Peter 5:2). Preaching IS one way we do that. It simply should NOT be the ONLY way!

I work HARD at preaching. Harder than just about anyone I know. Preaching is one of the most important things I do. But I’ve learned it’s not the MOST important.  Loving leadership is.

The primary role of a shepherd is to be out in front of the sheep leading them.  The sheep can not follow a shepherd if he is not out in front of them and close enough to hear his voice? For many of us, even if we are out front, many of us are too far out in front trying to change the world, that we leave our sheep behind! God forbid!

Pastors, are you out in front of the sheep? Are you leading?

Are you modeling the way? If so, have you gotten so far AHEAD of your sheep that they aren’t listening any more?

Are you loving the sheep? Caring for the flock? OTHER THAN preaching?

I’ll share about the  two other things I’ve learned about preaching next. Stay tuned.

Are you a cookie cutter church?

As churches, we don’t create the vision for our churches. We discover it. From God.  As church leaders, to discover  God’s vision, however, means we have to search and listen for God’s clear voice regarding His distinct vision for the church we lead.  This is why, by the way, I get a little concerned by some of the current trends I see among many new churches in ripping THEIR vision statements off other church’s websites or trendy pastors’ blog sites!

I have seen too many “cookie cutter” vision statements lately on new church plants’ websites and blogs.  You know what a cookie cutter does, right? A cookie cutter makes the next cookie look just like the last one. That works well for Christmas cookies, but not well for church planting! Church planter: Does your church look just like every other church plant? If so, why are you planting it?  Why not just join theirs? 

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against Pastors learning from one another and even rubbing off on one another.  My fear is simply that many of us are not willing to do the “hard  work” these days of being still and patient for long enough to receive God’s vision for our churches!  If we’re getting our vision for our church from another church, then we’re getting it from the wrong place! Visions come from God, not another church!

Many of us as Pastors could use this Holiday Season to get away from the busyness and the grind (and even our people) for a little while to GET WITH GOD and DISCOVER HIS UNIQUE VISION FOR OUR CHURCH!  While we cut cookies this year, let’s commit NOT to be a cookie cutter church this next year!

By the way, Will Mancini, author of Church Unique will be speaking at our  churchplanters.com conference  Feb 22-23: “Velocity”. He’ll be talking about HOW we as a church can discover, communicate, and implement the unique vision God wants us to have. Get registered now! 

Building and Leading A Team…

Today in our church planter’s coaching network, we’re going to be talking about Building and Leading Teams. Here are just a few snippets and thoughts we will discuss today:

• Leadership requires as much courage as it does ability.
• The #1 characteristic of a leader is her/her ability to build & lead a team.
• because teams are made up of humans, most teams are inherently dysfunctional.
• Most teams members are NOT honest with each other the way they should be.
• Building and Leading a Team is painfully difficult. It’s easier NOT to build a team.
• Most teams are afraid to REALLY hold each other accountable.
• Team members who are really close to one another will sometimes be afraid to rock the boat of friendship to be completely honest with each other.
• Learning to select the RIGHT team members is the starting point.
• Selecting the right team also mean deselecting the WRONG team members.
• Leading a team requires tons of courageous conversations and tough calls.
• We can not lead a team without clarity and buy- in.
• If we’re not reviewing our team, we’re being unfair to them.
• Every team member must be held accountable for results.
• Do you know what you’re looking for in your next hire? Not in terms of position, but in terms of character, chemistry, and core competencies?
• The opposite of a team? A Staff. How can we function as a team instead of a staff?
• Fun is a key component to every team.
• A good team requires GREAT communication.
• A good team requires GREAT chemistry.
• Most organizations are one “fire” and them one “hire” away from explosive growth.
• As the leader, do YOU have a job description for yourself?
• My job as the leader? :LEAD the Team!
• Here’s what a leader does: Shares the vision; Enables others; Encourages the Heart; Models the Way.

By the way, I’ll be leading a breakout on this subject at our churchplanters.com 2010 Conference “Velocity”: Feb 22-23, 2010. Just one of many practical breakouts offered by practitioners at our conference! Get registered now! $99 thru the rest of this month!

Thoughts from my time in San Diego…

For the last 2 years,  I’ve been connecting with a group of “Next Generation” (that’s what they called us) Pastors from around the country. The groups was sponsored by Leadership Network, and if you’re a Pastor, you need to figure out how to get connected to these guys in some way! Our group has met twice a year to learn together, from each other, and sharpen each other. Every time I get away like this with other pastors, God used it to make my church better for it! Needless to say, it’s been one of the coolest things I’ve ever done! Below, I’ve just decided to post some quips and quotes that God used in my life from this past meeting:

• “Leaders are the purveyors of hope.” –Warren Bennis
• “God spoke to and used Solomon in spite of the fact that He still had some idols in his life.” (see 1 Kings 3). That’s encouraging!
• Every Pastor MUST have a strong wingman.
• How can we engage retirees with meaningful volunteer opportunities? They can be FREE staff people, if we give them challenging opportunities to serve!
• Level 5 Leaders combine personal humility & professional will.
• “Real leaders ask hard questions and knock people out of their comfort zones.” (Harvard Business Review)
• Followers want comfort, stability, and solutions from their leaders. 
• Most people don’t care about the theological arguments pastors have.
• Technology can completely rob us of solitude.
• Is my sermon a flat coke or does it have fizz? If so, WHERE IS THE FIZZ?
• In Acts 6, the leaders of the church didn’t enable others until they faced overload. Lord, don’t let that be me!
• “Stuff” is what overloads me. “Stuff” is not bad. “Stuff” is actually the debris of success.
• Jesus’ movement was launched in a high demand/low resource world.
• As the church grows, I must manage less, and lead more.
• Managers focus on doing things right. Leaders focus on doing the right things.
• My time must be allotted to focus on three different things: Rest time, Response time, and Results time. I don’t need to be trying to do TWO of them at the same time.
• The question I need to be able to answer is: “How can I chase my dreams during the day and still sleep well at night?”
• Thanks to the guys at Leadership Network for making my time with you all AWESOME! I appreciate you! God is using you! You’re making a difference! Hang in there!

Becoming a Creative Leader…

I laughed out loud today when I noticed that someone had added me to a Twitter list they had created called “Creative Leaders.”  The fact that any human being considered me for that category still astounds me! However, to be honest, I DO consider myself to be a highly creative person!  It hasn’t always been this way.

When I started Mountain Lake Church almost ten years ago, I would’ve told you that I didn’t have a creative muscle in my body! OK, maybe one.   However, hundreds of hours of creative and brainstorming meetings later,  I’m proud to say that God has helped me become a highly creative leader! EVERY week, God uses me  these days to bring fresh, creative  ideas to our church, our Ministry Team, and our Worship Services.  I’m still not the most creative leader in the world, but my growth in this area gives me confidence about what God can do in this area of my life in the future!

So the other day I asked myself the question: “How? How have I become a more creative leader over time?  Here are a few things I put down that  that have fueled my passion and growth in this area:

• Creative muscle is just like any muscle: It doesn’t grow unless its stretched!
• Creativity is hard work for just about anyone! that’s why most people aren’t creative!
• Creativity often requires time alone.
• Creativity often simply requires staying in the room long enough.
• Change of place + Change of pace = Change.
• Creativity is strengthened by a team. 
• Creativity is  a spiritual pursuit. Creativity is expressing part of the image and personality of God in and through my life! God is a creative God!
• Creativity breeds creativity. If you want to be creative, get around other creative people as often as possible.
• The creative PROCESS can be draining. The product is always better because of it.
• For tenured leaders, creativity is the fuel that keeps the passion for the mission alive!

How are you growing as a creative leader?

By the way, my friend Ed Young, Jr. will be speaking on “Creative Velocity” at our upcoming churchplanters.com conference , Feb 22-23, at our church!  Ed understands the important of a creative, redemptive imagination when it comes to the weekend, but also the weekday! Get registered now!

Life is short. Today matters…

I read three different things today that all basically said the same thing (sometimes God is loud, I like to say):

“Teach us to realize the brevity of  life, so that we may grow in wisdom.”                          --Psalm 90:12

“This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”                               --Psalm 118:24

I’ve also been reading and taking our Pastors through a book entitled Today Matters by John Maxwell. Probably his best book.  The book just reinforces  and helps apply what Scripture already teaches: Today is crucially important!.Tomorrow will be determined by the choices I make today. What I do TODAY matters! What I do today will shape my future! ! What I do today will determine the level of my success tomorrow! How I invest today into my relationship with God will determine my GROWTH in my relationship with God tomorrow!  How I invest into my family, will determine the health of my relationships there TOMORROW. How HARD I work today will determine my level of success  tomorrow. What I choose to think about today will determine how I feel about tomorrow.  Are you getting the picture? TODAY MATTERS!

This is the day the LORD has made. Are you rejoicing and glad for it? Are you seizing the day? Here’s the deal: you’ve got one shot at today. You won’t another today. Today is the only today you will get. You will never be able to live  THIS DAY again. One shot! WOW! What are you going to do with it? What are you willing to invest into it? Are you willing to give your all to it? Are you willing to bring your BEST To the table TODAY? Your future depends on your answer to these questions!

Mountain Lake’s short-term multi-campus strategy…

P90X One year Review…

Should I have Tech Thursday?

OK…Anyone that knows me well,  knows I’m somewhat of a geek. I love technology and utilize it extensively in my life and ministry. I am NOT the most cutting edge guy in the world, don’t get me wrong. However, I’m ALWAYS looking for ways to become more productive and efficient in the ministry God has given me and our team here at Mountain Lake.

So I was thinking (that’s usually dangerous)  about doing a weekly post called Tech Thursday, highlighting the technology, both that I use, and I’m familiar with. I might even share some ideas  I have about future technology! I was thinking and hoping that I might be able to help Pastors, their ministry teams, their churches, and even business people become more productive and efficient by leveraging basic technologies that are out there you may not even be aware of. SO give me your feedback. What do you think? Will you tune in? Could this help?

The way a Pastor falls into sin…

Pastors have a HUGE spiritual bulls-eye on our backsides! We are targets of the enemy. Strike the shepherd. Scatter the sheep.  That’s the enemy’s strategy.

That’s why, more than ever before, I’m convinced that to protect ourselves as Pastors, we must NUTURE VITALITY. It’s the #1 Best Practice we talk about in  our churchplanters.com ministry and coaching network. To NURTURE, means to care for; pay attention to; attend to; feed…our VITALITY: our spiritual, emotional, spiritual, and relational strength! 

Below is just a simple list of practical ways to keep ourselves from being picked off by the enemy as Pastors. These are simple. But easier to KNOW and PREACH; than DO.  Here are a few (OK, more than a few):

• Read your Bible daily, and read portions of Scripture that have NOTHING to do with this week’s message.
• Take your off day Religiously. Burnout leads to spiritual failure and dropout.
• If you don’t rest, you will burn out. Period. You are not exempt.
• Tell you congregation you will NOT be out more than 2-3 nights a week.
• Keep office hours. Go home at 5 or 5:30 PM. People have to see their doctor, their dentist, their lawyer, and their counselor from 8-5. Spiritual counsel should be no different. You MUST have a life at night with your family.
• Don’t open your laptop after you get home.
• Don’t answer your cell phone after you get home.
• When you walk in the house after work, don’t be on the cell phone.
• Spend less time on Twitter and facebook.  Spend more time communicating with your family.
• Get secure in your own skin. The desire for attention or pleasing people is a flag that will get you in trouble.
• Confess your temptations or addictions to a trusted friend NOT in your church.
• Schedule a date night with you spouse ATLEAST once a month. If you don’t have the money, ask the church to pay for it. (my church doesn’t, BTW) Your church will, though,  if you ask them.
• Tell your congregation that the best gift you have to offer them is NOT a close relationship with every one of  them, but a close relationship with God and a close relationship with your spouse.
• Don’t just talk about ministry with your spouse. Start a hobby TOGETHER!
• Exercise! Flabby body=flabby mind=flabby spirit.
• Take walks with God early in the morning when you can talk out loud to Him and share your hurts, pains, struggles, and dreams.
• Get your spouse out of that ministry they feel tied to because no one else will do it. You’re burning them out.
• Have a family night regularly where you allow your kids to set the agenda.
• Have a hobby you enjoy by yourself.
• Tell your spouse you love them EVERY DAY!
• Speak positively of your spouse from the stage.
• Listen to friends that raise flags about your behavior.
• Don’t ever be in the car, or your office, or ANY PLACE alone with opposite sex with the door shut.  NEVER. NEVER. NEVER.
• Make the above policy for every Pastor on your Team.
• Don’t flirt, including online, or in emails! If you’re flirted with (and you will be), don’t respond, and immediately tell your spouse.
• Think about the consequences of your sin if carried out and found out. Who and how many will get hurt?
• Remember, pride goes before a fall, and you can not stand too close to a fire and not get burned.
• Make Nurturing Vitality the most important part of your job description.