Monthly Archives: March 2008

The five most viewed posts of March

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Another month gone. They just keep marching on… heh, heh, heh…

And so, with no more delay, the five most viewed posts of the month:

  • #4

Honorable Mention:

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Thanks for traveling with me!

Where will Walls Down Church meet?

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I just set up a meeting with the principle of Little Miami High School in Maineville, Ohio!
We will be meeting next Thursday @ 1 p.m. to discuss the possibility of Walls Down Church meeting in his High School.

Please pray for two things:

1) That God would give both of us a sense of whether or not this is the right place to meet.

2) That Walls Down Church would add so much value to wherever we meet that they would never want us to leave!

Work-Life balance

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Keeping in mind that Craig Groeschel writes that for pastors, “Living the balanced life will likely be impossible”, here are three “best practices”, from Jack Welch, for discovering and sustaining some form of work-life balance:

  • Keep your head in whatever game you’re at. In other words, compartmentalize.

Welch writes, “No one wins when you routinely run your family’s carpool logistics from your office phone or e-mail customers from the soccer field. Compartmentalizing isn’t easy, obviously. Sometimes you must call a customer from the gym or check on a sick child between meetings. But the more you blend your life, the more mixed up, distracted, and overwhelmed you feel.” He concludes this discussion by writing, “There will always be pressures on whatever rules you set, but the smaller and less frequent the interruptions are, the more balance you will actually feel.”

  • Have the mettle to say no to requests and demands outside your chosen work-life balance plan

This assumes that you have created a plan and then are disciplined in working the plan! He writes, “Usually… you don’t need to say no to something as large as a promotion to get the balance you want. You just need to say it to smaller stuff – a request that you join yet another non-profit board, a plea to coach yet another kid’s sports team, and the like.”

  • Make sure your work-life balance plan doesn’t leave you out.

Welch writes, “If you don’t fulfill your own joy with your plan, all the balance in the world is just duty. One day, you’ll wake up and find yourself in a special kind of hell, where everyone is happy but you. And that doesn’t do anyone any good.”

For more Jack Welchisms check out his book Winning.

Leadership evolution

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Evolving (i.e. growing) as a leader is critical for those of us who want to stay in the leadership “game” for the long haul!

We have to be continually growing, refining, stretching, and improving.

Leadership evolution can happen through a variety of means:

  • Books we read
  • Mentors we expose ourselves to
  • Circumstances
  • Prayer and reflection
  • Etc.

This morning as I was reading Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan, it occurred to me that I am going through a “leadership evolution” phase in my life.

CAVEAT: the following is a journal entry. If you’re not comfortable reading my journal then run… run very fast… run away! For the rest of you, read on.

Bossidy and Charan write,

Every great leader has had an instinct for execution. He has said in effect, “Unless I can make this plan happen, it’s not going to matter.” But the selection, training, and development of leaders does not focus on this reality. Judging from our observations, a high proportion of those who actually rise to the top of a business organization have made their mark – their personal “brand” – as high-level thinkers. They are the kind of people who get caught up in the intellectual excitement of each new big idea that comes out and adopt it with enthusiasm. They are articulate conceptualizers, very good at grasping strategies and explaining them. This, they know, is what it takes to get ahead. They aren’t interested in the “how” of getting things done; that’s for somebody else to think about.

It wasn’t to long ago that I believed the “how” was the responsibility of others. I didn’t worry so much about the details. I didn’t need too. I had an office manager, a director of operations, several pastors on staff, and a ton of great volunteers to execute the “how”.

Bossidy and Charan adequately describe my leadership style, a year ago, when they write, “They are the kind of people who get caught up in the intellectual excitement of each new big idea that comes out and adopt it with enthusiasm. They are articulate conceptualizers, very good at grasping strategies and explaining them.”

I always had a ton of good ideas! I would come to our meetings and drop them on the table and leave… only to come back to our next meeting with some more good ideas; which of course I would drop on the stack of good ideas from months gone by! This frustrated my team and unfortunately it frustrated me too! I was frustrated that the plans/ideas weren’t being executed and they were frustrated because I kept dropping “initiatives” on their plates and then walking away! I’m confident that they must have thought at every meeting, “What’s the new idea today?”

Over the past seven months two things have happened that have caused me to go through a leadership evolution:

  • I no longer have a staff of people waiting to “execute” (i.e. carry out) my big ideas! If I have an idea… I have to carry it out! I am now responsible for the execution of the ideas I generate and the plans I create! (You can check out a practical example of how I’m doing that here).
  • Shawn Lovejoy and David Putman, my church-planting mentors, keep saying, “No plan is perfect. You need to create the best plan you can and then work the plan!” “Work the plan!” (Of course if tweaking is needed along the way you do it, but for the most part you just work the plan!)

These last seven months have forced me into the details! I have created plans and worked those plans! From fundraising to developing systems for Walls Down Church, I am in the detail side of things more than ever. I have actually learned how to make the “how” happen!

I am becoming what Bossidy and Charan talk about, a “leader [who] has an instinct for execution. He has said in effect, “Unless I can make this plan happen, it’s not going to matter.”

Now, there will come a day when I’ll turn over much of the detail side of ministry to someone better equipped to handle it, but never again will I completely abdicate the “how” side of leadership.

A final quote from Bossidy and Charan and I’m done,

Many people regard execution as detail work that’s beneath the dignity of a business leader. That’s wrong. To the contrary, it’s a leader’s most important job.

A timeline for starting Walls Down Church

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The following is our plan for starting Walls Down Church:

July-September

We will be moving to Cincinnati in July. Our church planting residency with Mountain Lake Church & Churchplanters.com will have come to an end. For what it’s worth, this residency has been worth the investment of a year!

During these first couple of months we will be busy! We will be:

  • Getting settled into a new area (moving in, meeting neighbors, finding doctors, etc.)
  • Getting “The Ladies” settled into their schools
  • Securing a meeting place for Walls Down Church
  • Continuing to raise funds for Walls Down Church
  • Continuing to recruit and develop the Walls Down ministry team (i.e. staff)
  • Refining and finalizing the “Walls Down Way” (our church systems – you can see the progress here)
  • Continuing to develop the “Core Group” -the group of people that will soon be Walls Down Church!

October

During our first few months on the ground we are going to be making as many connections as possible! Building relationships, making friends, being in the community, etc. are all a part of what we will be doing from our first day on the ground.

In October we will have two informational meetings. At this point we are planning on having these meetings on the 12th and the 26th.

In these meetings we will be sharing the Walls Down mission: to help people discover the life Jesus promised. We will be sharing what Walls Down is going to be and do and inviting people to join us.

(For a summary of what that looks like check out Walls Down On a Page).

During this month we will be putting the final touches on our church systems because next month we start working them!

November

In November we will start meeting every weekend with our Core Group!

During these times together we will continue to teach the vision and mission of Walls Down and begin recruiting volunteers!

The great thing about working on our systems ahead of time is that we know exactly what is needed in terms of volunteers: children’s workers, parking team, first impressions team, creative arts team, etc. During November we will be recruiting for these roles and doing some basic training with our volunteers.

During this whole time we will still be building relationships in the community, raising funds, developing our ministry leaders, and caring for our families!

On November 23rd we will be hosting a “First Brick Down Dinner” for our partners who have partnered with us financially. During this celebration we will be showing our financial partners what their giving has enabled us to do! Included in this dinner will be representatives from other churches, business owners,individual donors, and people from our own Core Group who have invested money into Walls Down Church!

December

In December we will continue meeting weekly with our Core Group! Only now we will be actually “doing” church! I am calling these “practice” services because they will enable us to practice setting up and tearing down. They will allow us to fine tune our sound systems, work the kinks out of our children’s check-in process, figure out the best way to create a “familiar” environment, etc. all before we start publicly!

On December 4-7, we will be hosting a missions team from Mountain Lake Church! This team will help us in several ways:

  • Community service project(s)
  • Marketing (e.g. door hangers, etc.)
  • Encouragement for our Core Group
  • Fine tuning our set-up processes

During the month of December we will be promoting heavily our Christmas Eve Service! We are going to make a HUGE push to the community to join us on Christmas Eve… a preview of things to come and a celebration of many good things! At this service we will invite them to come back for our “Start” on January 4.

On Sunday, December 28th we are going to “take a break” and just celebrate what God is doing in and through our Core Group. It will be a day of rest, fun, celebration, and preparation for the next Sunday… January 4!

January

On January 4, God willing, Walls Down Church will go public!

Thanks to each of you who are traveling this journey with us!

Keep praying, giving, and watching as we get closer to January 4!

Some waddup

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It’s been a while since I’ve posted some “waddup”, so here’s a bit of what’s happening these days:

  • Yesterday I met with a lawyer to begin working on the articles of incorporation for Walls Down Church and securing our 501(c)3 status as a church. There’s a lot of detail that goes into starting a new church… good grief!
  • I just recorded a CD with Casey Graham.  This CD is a short teaching on “How to Get Out of Debt” and will be a free gift to every first time giver at Walls Down Church. This CD will include several downloadable forms that they can print out and immediately begin using! This is a part of our Stewardship system.
  • This weekend we are going to Fusion Church to observe their set-up and tear-down process! I’m looking forward to hearing Tony McCollum preach and learning more about how to be a portable church!
  • We are headed up to Cincinnati on April 7th and will stay up there for a week scouting for houses, having meetings, making connections, and eating as much Goldstar Chili as possible!
  • Last night one of “The Ladies” said to me, “Jesus doesn’t have a dress like mine.” Of course, I agreed. Then she said, “He hangs His dress on the door.” Gosh, at least He’s not throwing it on the floor! ;-) Where do kids come up with this stuff?

Seasons of ministry

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One of the 19 blogs that I read regularly is the Swerve blog from the guys at LIFECHURCH.TV.

They have been doing a series of posts discussing the seasons of ministry! This is great reading for everyone but for pastors in particular.

Today I posted a question for Craig (the lead pastor at LifeChurch):

Craig,

I am preparing to start a new church in the Cincinnati, Ohio area.

My bride and I have four little girls (5, 4, 2, and nine months).

Before this venture I was the senior pastor of an 800+ church. I have a sense of what the seasons look like in that environment.

What I’m not certain of is what the seasons will look like in a new church.

I am doing what I have been called to do and I will do it with all of my might. What I don’t want to do is look back at the early days of this new church with regrets regarding my family (”The Ladies”).

Any pointers?

Thanks!

Paul

He responded with counsel that I want to share with you and keep forever, so I’m putting it on my blog:

Paul, Here are some thoughts:

Try to design your church leadership schedule around your family’s time and values. If you don’t like evening meetings, do a bunch of breakfasts and lunches.

Don’t try to start things you won’t want to be doing five years from now. Once your kids are a bit older, you will be much busier with their activities.

Take time off! Most guys think they can’t be away from their new churches. Your church will be better if you are rested and your family is strong.

Take good care of your wife. Get her whatever she needs and don’t shut yourself off emotionally because of the church. Continue to nurture your marriage.

Blessings to you!

Here’s a huge “Thank you” to the guys over at Swerve.

You model generosity and even though you lead a huge ministry you still have time to interact with people. Thank you.

Walls Down Church On a Page

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  • Mission: To lead people into the life Jesus promised (John 10:10)
  • Vision: To develop disciples, leaders, groups, and churches in order to help people discover the life Jesus promised. We will do this locally, regionally, nationally, and globally.
    • Locally through a multi-site strategy.
    • Regionally and nationally through a church planting emphasis and the creation of church planting training centers.
    • Globally through strategic partnerships and church planting initiatives.
  • Strategy: To move people from community to crowd to congregation to committed to core through prayerful, innovative leadership; strategically focused effort; and efficient systems.
  • Our vision for the weekend is to create a worship experience that has a unique FEEL:
    • Familiar
    • Exciting
    • Encouraging
    • Life-Changing
  • Our expected outcome for every believer is LIFE. We expect to raise up believers who:
    • Love God and others
    • Invest time and money through the local church for maximum Kingdom impact
    • Focus on a handful of Biblical priorities and live them out every day
    • Expand their influence both locally and globally by investing in people and inviting them to know Christ.

Spiritual development: nurture your new nature

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When I surrendered my life to Jesus a lot of things changed:

  • Pre-Christ I had such low self-esteem I could not make eye contact when talking with people.
  • Post-Christ I am a leader and draw energy from speaking not just to one, but hundreds of people at the same time.
  • Pre-Christ I tried to kill myself.
  • Post-Christ I’m working hard to be healthy so I can live longer.
  • Pre-Christ I wanted to hurt people.
  • Post-Christ I want to heal people.

And the list goes on and on…

While much has changed, there are some things that haven’t changed, or at least they haven’t changed as fast as I would like them too.

For instance, anger is something that I pray about a lot and seem to continually struggle against.

My struggle against anger (or any other sin for that matter) usually looks like this:

ANGER EXPLOSION — Paul tries harder not to get angry — Paul fails — Paul feels bad — Paul tries harder — another ANGER EXPLOSION — Paul tries even harder —

A couple of mornings ago I had a meeting with St. Paul, while I was reading the Bible, and he said these things:

…now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds. In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. (Colossians 3:9-11)

Basically he said, “Nurture your new nature!”

When we give our lives to Jesus, He gives us a new nature:

…those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun! All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. (2 Corinthians 5:17-18)

So how do I nurture this new nature and how will it resolve the anger issue (or whatever the sin happens to be)?

A few ideas from St. Paul (taken from Colossians 3):

  • Think about God more and the “anger points” around me less
    • Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God’s right hand in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. (Colossians 3:1-2)
  • Walk away from things that will tempt me (or if necessary… run!)
    • …put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. Don’t be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry. God’s terrible anger will come upon those who do such things. You used to do them when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds. (Colossians 3:5-9)
  • Every day, as often as necessary, make the decision to love and forgive other people
    • Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful. (Colossians 3:12-15)
  • Saturate my mind and heart with Scripture and share it with others
    • Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father. (Colossians 3:16-17)

So there it is… nurture your new nature. That’s what I’m going to be doing over these next few weeks and we’ll see how God works on that anger thing!

How about you? What are you doing to address the sin in your life?

Great websites

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Churchrelevance.com just released their “Top 80 Church Websites” list.

This list is national in it’s scope and in alphabetical order.

#59 on the list is Mountain Lake Church! Way to go guys!

And #60 on the list is Northgate Free Methodist Church! Way to go Justin!

In case you’re not aware of the significance of this, MLC is where I am currently in a church planting residency and Northgate is where I served as senior pastor prior to coming to MLC.

Disclaimer: I did not have ANYTHING to do with the fact that either of these places have great websites!

Another Disclaimer: I won’t post any more pictures of Justin after this! ;-) I’m just real proud to have served together with you man! OK, back to business…