Commitment

Dixie Chicks? Does that sound familiar? It does if you are a fan of country music. Just over a decade ago they were the darlings of the country music industry. The group consisted of three attractive, talented, country stars who produced hit after hit. They were riding high until their lead singer decided to make a political comment. Certainly she had the right and no one would deny her freedom of speech. She criticized the sitting president at the time, George W. Bush. Here is the problem…  Her audience was made up of country music fans who lean heavily conservative, patriotic, and republican. The career of the entire group went into a nosedive. They tried coming back with one more album but the damage had been done.

Whether you serve in a ministry or operate a business it is important to know who your customers and your potential customers are. Who is it that you are trying to serve? Who is it that you are trying to reach? You cannot serve an audience that you alienate. Perhaps you are like me. I have strong moral convictions, deep Biblical convictions, and clear political convictions. I believe that I am right on all points. But guess what? Not everyone agrees. You may have noticed that people can get real worked up over issues related to any of these areas. How do you express those convictions without un-necessarily alienating people? As a person who is called by God into the ministry I believe that I have a message to share. I want as many people as possible to be open to it and to hear it. As I have wrestled with how to balance being a person of conviction with the desire to keeping my message open to as many people as possible (by not alienating over half of them) I have applied the following:

1. I try to distinguish my political opinions from Biblical and moral convictions. The lines seem to be blurry to a lot of people. Though I have a strong opinion, I am not called to represent a political party but to represent the Lord. Therefore, I will discuss politics with anyone but do not take public stands on political issues, unless the issue is clearly rooted in a Biblical or moral concern. By the way… I follow politics closely and have strong opinions about which way we should go.
2. I generally try to utilize social media to be social rather than to make a point about anything, particularly political opinions.
3. When taking Biblical and moral stands, I always seek to do so with compassion. The aim of my stand is not to hurt anyone but ultimately to bring healing. The Bible calls this “speaking the truth in love.” Speaking the truth without love leads to alienation. Loving without speaking the truth leads injury.
4. Though I do not want to alienate anyone, I will stand for the Word of God on all points without apology.

Now the Dixie Chicks could still be rocking the country world today. But they chose to take a political stand by criticizing the character of a president supported by a majority of their audience. They would not have compromised their convictions by singing another song instead of making political commentary at a country music concert. The people were there for their music, not their political opinion. Take a stand, but take it at the right place, at the right time, over the right things. And when you do speak out….speak the truth in love.

Maximized Leadership: Are You Setting The Tone?

Be the person that you desire for your children to become.

Great advice for parents, don’t you think? You must model for your children the behaviors, attitudes, and values that you hold dear. What would you think of the parent that opted to write them on a list and post them on the refrigerator while behaving in a contrary manner? You can apply the same principle in a church. I have often been amused to see the lengthy church covenant posted on the church wall affirming the priority of taking the gospel to the lost just before preaching to an unenthusiastic congregation, that gives little to missions, and has no un-churched people present to hear the gospel. I assume that they can read but apparently the document has not made an impression. Likewise, I go to a different church the following week and see no church covenant posted. However, a passionate pastor has invited me to share with his congregation. The church is friendly, lively, worshipful, and loves good preaching (even mine). How could this be if the standards are not posted on the wall? Hang around the leaders for a while and you will discover why. They live with a committed and passionate attitude among their congregation week in and week out. It’s true that some things are better “caught than taught.”

Every family has a culture. Every church and every organization has a culture. Attitudes, values, and priorities vary and are as diverse as personalities possessed by individuals. Every church and every organization has a culture also. It is a corporate (or combined) mindset that guides attitudes and thinking. It is critical that a cultural tone is set that benefits the organization, the individuals in the organization, the customers of the organization, but most importantly that pleases the master of the organization. Yes, the master, the Lord Jesus Christ. Here is the question. Who bears responsibility for setting the cultural tone? I’ll say it begins with me because I am writing this post. However, for you to correctly answer the question, you must reply with; “It begins with  me.”  You may think that your role is not that influential and that you do not bear responsibility. However, you are the only person that you truly have control of. Don’t wait on someone else. Be the person that you desire for everyone in your organization to become. If everyone is determined to set the tone, the tone will indeed be appealing to members and the community alike.

Maximized Leadership: The Key Element in Growing Groups

I trust we can agree that the more people studying the Word of God on a regular basis, the better. In addition, as more people are studying the Word together in your church, the more lives you will see changed, the more leaders you will see developed, and the more people you will be blessed to see come to faith in Jesus. Therefore, you need not apologize for wanting your groups to grow. Please understand that there is not “a key” to the growth of your Bible study groups. I wish it were that simple and that I could share “the key.” Unlocking growth is more like a combination lock where several things must align in order to see the groups grow and multiply. You need to also understand that it is not enough to simply “teach the Bible.” Certainly that is critical but if it was the “key” then all groups that study the Bible would be thriving. Don’t get me wrong here. Good Bible teaching is essential and the effort is wasted if people are not engaging and applying God’s Word.

 

I have been helping leaders grow groups for over thirty years. The work cannot result in disciple making without good Bible study but there are skills involved in growing the number of participants in the groups as well as the number of groups that meet. For example, effectively communicating the purpose of the groups, understanding how to enlist people into the groups, how to minister to people in the groups, how to organize groups, how to develop the leadership of group members, how to engage the group members in reaching out to the unchurched, and how to get the members to help create additional groups are just a few of the skills that are needed as the group studies God’s Word together in order to open the combination lock of group growth.

 

I want to share one key skill that is like the first domino that if tipped will in turn cause the other dominos to fall. That one key is the equipping plan for your leaders. What are you doing to systematically train your Bible study group leaders to give them the skills that I just described? Trust me….the application of these skills do not occur spontaneously. Most Bible study leaders focus on…..Bible study. You can do that week after week and fail to apply the skills needed to grow the groups. What is the result if you fail at this point? The fewer lives you will see changed, the fewer leaders you will see developed, and the fewer people you will be blessed to see come to faith in Jesus. Don’t apologize for wanting to grow your groups. And trust me, it rarely happens where the leaders are not equipped. I do have research to prove my point. But, to get the Biblical underpinning of my commentary, take time to study Ephesians 4:12-16. Paul made this point long ago. How are you applying it?

Maximized Leadership: These Meetings Are Killing Me!!!

Do you ever feel like you are a “P.M.A.?”  That would be a professional meeting attender. The fact is that any organization with more than just a hand full of members or employees has a lot of moving parts. Meetings are a necessity to enhance good communication, foster alignment, and to sharpen strategy. But, not all meetings are created equal. John G. Miller says that “outstanding organizations simply don’t waste people’s precious time with meaningless meetings. Someone once said that the worst of all murders is the killing of time.” While his second sentence is certainly exaggerated I hope you caught the key word in the first sentence….”meaningless.”

Perhaps you have responsibility for leading meetings on some occasions and granted, they are often necessary. If so, here are a few pointers to make the most of the time in your meetings:

1. Have a clear leader for the meeting. He/She should take charge, stay on point, and move toward accomplishing the goal of the gathering.
2. Have an agenda. What will you talk about, in what order will you talk about it, and can you stick with it?
3. Try to limit the list. Fewer items can actually allow for greater focus.
4. Focus on the right things. Spend time planning and problem solving. Do not waste energy discussing someone else’s job. The greatest expertise resides in knowing how someone else should do their job! Your meeting’s purpose is to discuss how to best do yours.
5. Choose the right time and place. Choose an environment as free of distractions as possible while attending to a degree of comfort. Try to schedule at a time when participants are not anxious to get out due to other responsibilities.
6. Invite the right people. One thing worse than a dull meeting is a dull meeting that is totally irrelevant to the person attending.
7. Prepare. If you are not prepared you are wasting people’s time. Get your ducks in a row in advance.
8. Be punctual. Start on time and finish on time or finish earlier. No one ever complains about finishing too early.
9. Herd the cats. If you are leading then you bear responsibility for keeping on task. Is it okay to chase a rabbit? Yes but keep him in the meadow.
10. If someone is done let them leave.

I have to lead a lot of meetings and try hard to model the best practices. But I am open to suggestions and I hope you would be likewise for those who often find themselves in your meetings. Outstanding organizations utilize meetings to energize their team members and bend over backwards not to drain team members with meetings. Let’s all take this principle to heart. I must run now… I have a meeting to attend.

 

*Adapted from Chapter Eight of John G. Miller’s Outstanding; 47 Ways To Make Your Organization Exceptional

Maximized Leadership: Tools Trump Slogans

“Attitude is everything!”

“Dare to Achieve!”

“Just do it!”

Statements like these can serve as great rallying points for an organization.  John G. Miller states that “slogans may sound great, but in order to take the organization to higher levels, people don’t need platitudes – they need tools.” Allow me to illustrate this premise with the job of a lumberjack. Suppose you want your lumberjacks to produce more. Therefore you develop a slogan to inspire them to chop faster.

“Swinging our axes like there’s no tomorrow!”

“The Sahara was a forest before lumberjacks moved in!”

“Lumberjacks for Jesus – Chopping until the Kingdom comes!”

The lumberjacks get inspired and begin to swing harder. They drive their trucks to and from their work with fresh bumper stickers crafted to inspire. But there is a problem. The axes are growing dull. They are swinging harder and actually producing less. These lumberjacks do not need a slogan, they need a tool to sharpen their axe. An even better resolution would be to purchase chainsaws. Mind you that the slogans are not wrong and it is not wrong to have a slogan. But, in the most effective organizations tools always trump slogans.

The easiest way to do one’s work is the way that one has always done it. But that may not be the most effective approach. It is human nature to cling to the status quo and what is familiar when a crisis is not at hand. However, failure to change, adopt, or adapt will ultimately lead to a crisis as the business or organization begins to falter and at that point the needed tools may be out of reach, unaffordable due to eroding resources, or of lesser value because the proverbial hole is too deep to dig out of.

I do not consider myself to be “tech savvy.” I have noticed that some leaders even take pride in ignoring emerging tools and technological developments. That is tragic because leadership and (personal) growth go hand in hand. I am very “tech aware” and continue to try new technologies in an effort to strengthen my leadership. What is new with you? Are you seeking new tools for your work, your leadership, your organization, your ministry? While slogans can motivate, it is the tools that allow you to do your work more effectively. Focus on getting your team the best tools possible. Or else you may go the way of the organization with this slogan: “Our buggy whips can’t be whipped!” Really?

*Adapted from Chapter 7 of John G. Miller’s  Outstanding: 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional

Maximized Leadership: Does God Want Some Churches To Die?

“If God wants our church to live, it will live, and if He wants it to die, it will die!” A church leader in a dying congregation made that statement to a friend of mine. His sentiment was in essence; “we are not changing anything even if we have to close the doors.” Of course, he spiritualized the issue in an effort to forfeit his personal responsibility. Churches do close their doors sometimes but it does not have to be. There are alternatives. The problem is that the alternatives require sacrifice, require the relinquishing of power, and result in changes. Some people would actually rather the doors close than sacrifice, release power, or change. The irony is that after the doors close, change has taken place, the facilities have been sacrificed, and power has been relinquished. However, since the doors have closed, no ministry takes place, no disciples are being made, and the gospel is not being shared from that location.

I appreciate that there are several layers to this issue including the fact that the church is not a building but rather resides in people. But, a local church is a gathering point where people network and serve together to worship, serve, and touch lives. It is always sad when any of these local gathering points disappear. Fewer of these gathering points results in fewer opportunities to accomplish the aforementioned. That is why we plant churches, in order to establish more of these gathering points or perhaps mission points or service points might better make the point. What are the alternatives for the dying congregation?

• They could merge with another congregation.
• They could allow a strong, healthy church to adopt them and give the sponsoring church full authority to make changes needed to survive.
• They could turn the church over to a church planter and be absorbed by the new congregation.
• They could invite a healthy church to send several families as missionaries for a year to give a leadership boost.
• They could move services to 8:30am and give the 11:00 hour to a church plant to share their facilities.

 

None of these options is intended to eliminate the best possibility of all and that is for God to lead the congregation in a miraculous turn around. But, how often does that happen when the congregation falls well below twenty and into the single digits? The answer is “rarely.” Do not read too much into the numbers here because there is no wrong size church. But why let a congregation totally shut down when there are alternatives? If God wants a church to die, as the gentlemen suggested, that is not much of a compliment to that congregation or to its leaders. This is what I know; if the Lord tarries, I want my church serving and sharing Christ 100 years from now and beyond, even if I am no longer in control. If I am, that will be another miracle as I celebrate my 156^th birthday. Can’t wait!

Maximized Leadership: Off to College…Out of Church?

In John Dickerson’s book The Great Evangelical Recession, you will find a sobering statistic about the students who grew up in your church and graduated in May. If they fit the typical profile of today’s college age young adults, two of the three will be leaving the church. I am writing this article in mid-summer because now is the time for your church to take action. As Tom Crites and I conducted research for our forthcoming book, Why They Stay which addresses how to help parents and church leaders make investments that keep children and teens connected to the church for a lifetime, we learned a valuable lesson that you should know about. The next 120 days are critical to the faith journey of those youth group members who just graduated.

Our research unveiled the importance of making the transition from “home church” to “a new church” in college for those who moved away from home. Almost 70% of High School graduates will enroll in college and what happens in the fall semester has a huge influence over whether they will still be attending church a decade later and beyond. Our research revealed that a student who moved off to college and immediately connected with a new congregation during the transition was 138% more likely to still be in church a decade later than one who moved and did not make the connection. I said that to say this. When students graduate from High School and are members of your congregation, the discipleship responsibility of the church has not concluded. I fear too many churches wash their hands at the conclusion of the High School career of their youth group members as if the “job is done.” It is not and the four to six months following graduation are critical. What is the strategy of your church to help those who graduated to connect with a new church in the place where they will be moving?

I don’t think the answer is complex but it does require some initiative. Here are a couple of quick thoughts:

1. Someone has to take responsibility. Who in your church will take the lead in following up and ministering to the grads who move away in the next few months. It could be the pastor, a staff member, a Bible Study leader, or a volunteer. The key is that someone must take responsibility.
2. Plan several forms of personal contact with the student who moves away in the summer and fall months. The object is not to “hound them” but to maintain a connection. They are more likely to get involved with another church if they are receiving ministry and encouragement from the home base.
3. Send (or communicate) to those who move away recommended churches to visit. Many, if not most, have never had to look for a church before. Their parents have always taken care of that aspect of their lives. Orient them, prepare them, and take one step out by providing good recommendations in advance.
4. Make occasional personal contacts and ask the question(s) straight out: What churches have you visited? Are you connected with a church yet? Even if the answer is “no,” you are keeping the subject on their spiritual radar and they are more likely to be in church next Sunday than if no one posed the question.
5. Send “care packages” and remind them of the value and blessing of a faith community. They will have distractions but a taste of the past can serve a glue to keep them bonded.

Parents can apply these same principles. Look for the book, Why They Stay, coming in October. To learn more now, view a sermon I recently preached on this subject at Why Thy Stay Sermon or listen to this podcast which provides an in depth discussion and interview at Why They Stay Podcast.

Why Some Leaders Get a Pass When They Make Mistakes

I once thought that I made a mistake but it turned out that I was wrong. I could not resist that opening line. Though I am not a comedian, I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. I hate to make mistakes and I make them all too often.  The good news is that you don’t have to be “mistake free” in order to be effective. You certainly don’t want to make the same mistakes over and over. Outstanding leaders seek to minimize their mistakes and any diligent organization should do likewise. The person who never admits that they have made mistakes commits perhaps an even more egregious error than committing a mistake in the first place.

Russ Gasdia was once ask what he considered to be the three characteristics of an effective leader. He replied, “humility, humility, humility. Effective leaders know they make mistakes, accept feedback from others to learn, admit that they don’t always know what’s right, and recognize that it is ‘not all about them.’ When they succeed they are humble. When they fail, they are humble. And lastly, they never think they are more important than their customer.”

Confidence is commendable but I believe we can all agree that arrogance is contemptible. Always do your best and seek to minimize your mistakes. However, you may have noticed that some leaders get “a pass” when they make mistakes and perhaps you can too. Those who get through the errors and continue to thrive have these qualities in common:

1. They have established a pattern of excellence and effectiveness while big mistakes are the exception rather than the rule.
2. They have focused on building relationships and therefore people know their motives are pure even if the outcome sometimes falls short.
3. They tend to make long-term commitments and don’t quickly move from place to place.
4. They tend to exercise grace themselves when others make mistakes.
5. They are always purposefully progressing in their skills and leadership abilities.

Do not misunderstand the intent of this message. Egregious errors and moral failures, while they can be forgiven, will result in the forfeit of leadership opportunities. But effective leaders find a way to be strengthened by mistakes rather than crippled by them. Examine yourself in light of these five qualities and apply them to strengthen your leadership even amidst occasional mistakes.

*Paragraph 2 taken from chapter 2 of John G. Millers’ Outstanding!