Growth

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. . .

                                       Proverbs 23:7

The way that we think is important because it is our thinking that affects our actions.  The way in which we think comprises our attitude.  Good attitudes lead to better decisions and healthier decisions.  Churches also have attitudes that we often refer to as a “church culture.”  Like individuals, congregations as a group have corporate attitudes. What is the attitude of your church?  How does your congregation think?

Some years ago, one of my peers in a neighboring state studied the thinking of churches in his region. For the purpose of this study effective churches were defined as those who were experiencing growth in membership.  He found eleven distinctive attitudes that were clearly opposite from the corporate attitudes in churches that were plateaued or declining.

You should note that the congregations had much in common.  They were Baptist Churches, with small group ministries that generally met prior to worship, and provided the typical ministries and programs you would associate with a Southern Baptist congregation. While the programming and ministries were similar, some were growing while others were not.  What was the difference?  It was not the style or the programming.  It was the mentality of the congregation.

I took one other step in examining these attitudes.  I connected the scriptural basis for the attitudes.  How does your church think?  Here are the first six distinctions:

(E= Corporate attitude in effective churches  &  I= Corporate attitude in ineffective churches)

Prayer

Acts 4:31

E- There was a consistent mention of prayer and its role in personal and church growth.

Prayer was strategic.

I- Prayer was not mentioned.  Note that prayer occurred in the life of these churches during worship, offertories, Wednesday nights, times of crisis, etc.  However, it was not intentional or strategic like in effective

Friendliness and Inclusion

Acts 2:42-47

E- Members had a consciousness that newcomers need help in order to break into a new group.

I- Their level of friendliness was strong and intentional to one another, but passive to outsiders.

View of Evangelism

Matthew 28:18-20

E- Evangelism was seen as the responsibility of each member and was expected to be taken seriously.  Evangelism was described in relational terms.

I- The responsibility for evangelism was assigned exclusively to staff and pastors.

Evangelism was described primarily in institutional and programming terms.

View of their Community

Matthew 9:37-38

E- The perception was that there were many in the community to be reached and members were equipped in personal evangelism.

I- The perception was that the community was made of people already churched and/or people who had already made up their minds.

Time Orientation

Philippians 3:13

E- a) The best days for the church are yet to come.

1. b) All problems are solvable.
2. c) Optimism dominated.

I-Our best days were in the past (“Do you remember when. . . “)

 

More next week…

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. . .

                                                Proverbs 23:7

Last week I shared the following:

 

The way that we think is important because it is our thinking that affects our actions.  The way in which we think comprises our attitude.  Good attitudes lead to better decisions and healthier decisions.  Churches also have attitudes that we often refer to as a “church culture.”  Like individuals, congregations as a group have corporate attitudes. What is the attitude of your church?  How does your congregation think?

 

Some years ago, one of my peers in a neighboring state studied the thinking of churches in his region. For the purpose of this study effective churches were defined as those who were experiencing growth in membership.  He found eleven distinctive attitudes that were clearly opposite from the corporate attitudes in churches that were plateaued or declining.

 

You should note that the congregations had much in common.  They were Baptist Churches, with small group ministries that generally met prior to worship, and provided the typical ministries and programs you would associate with a Southern Baptist congregation. While the programming and ministries were similar, some were growing while others were not.  What was the difference?  It was not the style or the programming.  It was the mentality of the congregation.

 

I took one other step in examining these attitudes.  I connected the scriptural basis for the attitudes.  How does your church think?

 

I shared the first five last week. Here are the others:

(E= Corporate attitude in effective churches & I= Corporate attitude in ineffective churches)

Energy Level

Acts 2:46-47

E- Church is fun and possesses a high level of enthusiasm.

I- Church is viewed as a duty and/or obligation.  Somber spirit pervaded.  Energy poured into maintenance rather than touching the community.

Music

Psalm 150

E- There was admitted tension in this area in the effective churches. However, there was an acknowledgement that the greatest growth possibilities tended to be among the younger population. Therefore, adjustments were made where needed to aid in the appeal to young families. The churches were slowly making changes in this area.

I-Music was viewed as a sensitive subject and there was a reluctance to discuss it or make any adjustments.

*Please note that the style of music according to other studies is not as relevant as the “life and quality” of the music.  The only style that was not found in growing churches was “high church” style. 

Expectations of Pastor

Ephesians 4:11-12

E- a) The pastor was viewed as an equipper.

1. b) There was a “teach me to minister” attitude.

I- a) The pastor was called to preach, visit, and counsel.

1. b) There was a “minister to me” attitude.

Willingness to Change

Matthew 15:1-9

E- a) There was an understanding that growth demands change.

1. b) Evangelism was such a priority that it forced the churches to try new things.

I- a) Keeping traditions was a “critical value.”

1. b) Change was seen as too great a price to pay.

 

Role of Laity

I Corinthians 12:7

E- Attendance was desired, but most important value was involvement in ministry.

I- Involvement was characterized in terms of attending and giving.

 

Spiritual Growth

II Corinthians 5:16-17

E- Measured and described in relation to changed lives.

I- Measured and described in relation to Bible knowledge.

 

“Is it really Monday already?”

“The weekend can’t get here quick enough!”

“Do I really have to get up and go to work today?”

John G. Millers says that “some people hate their jobs, feel trapped, feel under appreciated, and are miserable about what they do each day.” Their dissatisfaction with their work turns them into “clock watchers.” Each day begins by counting down the hours until quitting time or until the weekend. The days are long, the work is tedious, and any passion for the job is absent. I worked with someone just like this during my first year out of college. I taught at Pepperell Middle School in Lindale, Georgia and I loved going to work every day. I was located in a classroom right next to a more experienced teacher who apparently had the gift of whining. As a 21 year old young man, my thought was, “Why do you work here? If this is so horrible, why don’t you go do something else?”

I was too respectful to say it out loud to an elder to whom I was newly acquainted. Sadly this teacher was cheating. She (in this particular case a female, but I have encountered as many men with the same issue) was cheating herself and she was cheating the students. I do not know about you, but I want someone teaching my child who is passionate and excited about the opportunity to serve my child. I determined at 21 years of age that I would always do my work with passion and that if I could not that I would step aside so that someone who had passion for the position could give the role what it deserves. I still hold to that today.

Most of the leaders that I work with are blessed to serve in some vocational ministry. Their job is a ministry and their ministry is a job. However, the ministry dynamic does not immunize those who serve in ministry from potential dissatisfaction. Let me say that there is nothing wrong with looking forward to the weekend or to some much needed time off. However, if you lose your passion for what you do, for what the organization is all about, and you live for the weekend instead of for the opportunity to serve….then you must take honest account of yourself. I have served in my current ministry for almost 18 years. I can’t believe it. The time has flown by. I am more of a “calendar watcher” than a “clock watcher.” I have seen the years fly by doing what I love…serving the Lord through a series of ministry assignments at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.

I heard Dr. Johnny Hunt say recently that you should always look forward to going to work and always look forward to going home. When both are true you will not simply be balanced, but be content and much more effective wherever you are. Be true to yourself and more importantly be true to the Lord. Be sure that the person serving in your role does so with passion. Hopefully, it is you!

Perhaps you have known someone who was smart but lacked common sense. Or someone who always dressed very professionally but came across as rude and critical. Or someone who had a great personality but never seemed to get anything accomplished. Having intelligence, a good education, a professional demeanor, attractive appearance,  a great looking resume, an impressive title, and/or the ability to impress peers or employees with people you know or have connected with can be an advantage. However, many people who possess these qualities are quickly viewed by those they work for or work alongside as incompetent if any of the following eight issues begin surface in your work or leadership. Here are the first four:

1. When you are perceived as lazy. I have taught my three daughters this principle and it has served them well. One is a senior in college with a 3.96 G.P.A.. A second is an elementary school teacher and by her second year was being tapped to orient new teachers on how to excel in managing their classroom. A third leveraged her work ethic into a $4.50 per hour raise last year. I shared with them how sadly easy it is to out-perform the average person by simply working a little harder (which is not that hard). Arrive a little earlier, stay a little later, be known as someone who gets the job done, don’t be a complainer, volunteer to do extra, and when you have an idea, own it and work to make it happen. But, whatever you do, never, never, never let it be said of you that you are lazy. If so, you will be viewed as incompetent no matter what your qualifications may be.
2. When you are not purposefully punctual. This issue is cultural and you ignore it at your own leadership peril. Being on time, finishing on time, completing work on time, following agreed upon timelines, and timely responses to all forms of communications are examples of how punctuality needs to be applied. Everyone is subject to getting stuck in traffic, having a family emergency, or occasionally getting snowed under by the workload resulting in falling behind or being late. It is understandable. However, failure on this point should be the exception rather than the rule. Otherwise, you may have the highest academic degree in the room, but people are viewing you as lacking in competence.
3. When you cannot get organized. This is a tough one for those who do not have administrative skills or gifts. The higher you go in an organization, the more you can get by with disorganization if you have the prerogative to compensate by bringing people around you who can organize for you. However, at any level of leadership or service, the inability to organize comes across as lack of competence even if you have the higher I.Q.  If it is not your gift, you must make it a discipline or surround yourself with others who do it for you.
4. When you are unwilling to adopt new technologies. In order to be viewed as a competent leader, you need not be tech savvy nor do you need to possess the latest technological device. However, you must be tech aware at a minimum. I know some people who have titles, degrees, experience, and intelligence, but refuse to use email, to text, to engage in social networking, or to change day to day practices or communications. In spite of their resume, people view them as incompetent, especially followers who are younger. You need to know what the current communication preferences are, know the lingo of social networking even if you do not plug into every source, and continuously have a willingness to adopt new forms of technology and communication. Here is why…every day of your life, the number of people younger than you is dramatically growing. They are suspicious to start with and you only enhance their skepticism of your leadership when you are not at least “tech aware.” Unfortunately, your actions, or lack thereof, lead them to interpret you as incompetent. Don’t allow that to happen.

How sad that someone possessing a sufficient degree of talent, experience, intelligence, or skill would be viewed by those who serve alongside or others as incompetent. It can happen. You may have the credentials and yet be viewed as incompetent if any of the eight issues we are discussing are true for you. Take heed and make sure these are not part of your leadership makeup. Here are the first four that were discussed in last week’s post.

1. When you are perceived as lazy.
2. When you are not purposefully punctual.
3. When you cannot get organized.
4. When you are unwilling to adopt new technologies.

Now on to the other four:

5. When you are often low on energy. Those following politics can observe this principle with one or more talented candidates who are vying for a presidential nomination at this time. They have great ideas but are not connecting with potential voters. Failure to exhibit passion for what you do, the gifts you possess, the people you serve, or the organization you lead is interpreted by followers as incompetence. Perhaps you are introverted, introspective, or very task driven. Keep in mind that perception is reality to the person that has the perception. You must exude some degree of enthusiasm or all of your credentials will go to waste.

6. When you exercise poor judgement. While everyone makes mistakes, not all mistakes are created equal. Being a few minutes late a couple of times is not the equivalent of making an inappropriate comment in mixed company. Losing a receipt is not the equivalent of double billing for expenses. While everyone is subject to making errors, the blatant choice to do something that is unethical, immoral, illegal, or to take some action that compromises the safety or reputation of those you serve or serve alongside is not only egregious but also an indication of actual incompetence.

7. When you do not produce for your organization. What is the purpose of the organization that you work for? That is a critical question for you to know and understand. Once you know the purpose, your activity should always be directed toward helping achieve that purpose. Anyone can fill a position, occupy a desk, or fill in the hours required. But when you are not viewed as one who is making a difference in the organization fulfilling its purpose, you are viewed as incompetent.

8. When you fail to communicate. Communication takes several forms in an organization ranging from giving as much advance notice as possible if you will be absent, representing your organization well to the public, actively participating in staff meetings, to building relationships with co-workers just to name a few. Be proactive in all forms of communication. Be timely, friendly, gracious, diligent, and sufficiently detailed. Failure to communicate well is viewed as incompetence and therefore, should not be underestimated.

“I’ll give you a call by then end of the week.”

“I’m going to take you lunch soon.”

“I’ll get that info to you by the end of the day.”

“I’ll sit down with you and we can talk it through.”

Have you ever let someone down? I know that I have and I’m not proud of it. But I will tell you straight up that it is always my intent to follow up on what I say I am going to do. I’ll take it a step further. I would personally want to know if I have neglected anything I told you that I would do and would appreciate a reminder. That does not bother me because I want to follow through on what I said I would do. When I led the Evangelism team at the Georgia Baptist Convention, I would meet with the staff each month. One part of the agenda was labeled “What about” This item was where I made myself accountable back to my team for anything that ever came out of my mouth. I have likewise done this with all teams I have led through the years. I was always willing (and still am) to give an explanation, status update, or apology if needed for anything I said I would do that may have been left undone. You can ask those who have served closest to me about this. I want to keep my promises.

I imagine you know someone who makes statements like the four in the introduction and you know good and well you are not going to hear back from them. They make proclamations and don’t understand that their credibility erodes further with each failure to follow through on what proceeded from their own mouth. I am not talking about making a mistake here. I am referring to not following through on what you say you will do. Sadly, when this occurs with customers they don’t simply interpret it as “Mack does not keep his promises,” but as “the whole organization does not follow up on their promises.” Ouch! It is not only your personal reputation at stake. John G. Miller says, “Whether its boss to employee, peer to peer, or corporate to field and vice versa, no one should be surprised when anyone keeps a promise. Whatever we say that we’ll do, we do. When people treat one another like this, your leadership is maximized.”

Adapted from Chapter Fifteen of John G. Miller’s book, Outstanding; 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional.

I love college age students and enjoy occasional opportunities to speak at events on college campuses and churches for that life stage. My youngest daughter is in college and I have always had affection for this group. Those who know me also recognize that three years of my ministry were spent as a pastor to college age students. My concern for the post high school grads has ramped up even higher in light of the research Tom Crites and I recently conducted on young adults who grew up in church and “stayed” active instead of dropping out. Of the fifteen greatest influences, three directly related to what a young person experiences between ages 18-22 and one other had an indirect, though profound effect. Ministry to college age young adults is not just important to the future of the church but critical. Please allow me to take a few moments to dispel some common myths about ministry to this age group.

1. College age students do not care to attend church. That is not true. Many churches have a very healthy attendance of 18-22 year olds while many others have absolutely none. If they did not care to go to church, then there would be no churches with thriving college age ministries. In my leadership of Sunday School over many years I often stated that the number one reason that people do not want to go to Sunday School is because they have been. Ouch! Sadly, some churches are not connecting with young adults and the experience leaves some questioning the value of church attendance. I would argue that a mature believer would be devoted no matter what their prior experience. But, remember that these are 18-22 year olds meaning they are in the phase of “maturing” rather than “maturity.” 

2. There is no point in having a college ministry in your church if you are not in a college town. That is not correct. As a matter of fact, when I was a college pastor, we were 30 miles from the nearest college and averaged well over 100 in this age group on Sunday morning as well as for a weekday Bible study. I do not suggest that the typical church can draw that many students on a weekly basis. But, here is the key. Every community has 18-22 year olds residing there whether there is a college nearby or not and not every young adult goes to college. Many churches think it not necessary to have a college ministry because they have no college students. However, you will not likely reach college students if you do not have a college age ministry with some leaders focusing on this life stage.

3. College age students don’t have much to give to the church. That is not true. Perhaps if you are thinking totally in regard to finances you could make the argument. However, it is during this life stage that many young adults are called to ministry, experience missions, commit to serve as missionaries, and are at a place of strong influence over high school and middle school students. Though you may or may not reap immediate benefits, the church at large reaps the results for decades to come when the lives of college age students are touched by your ministry.  

4. Most churches do not have the resources to have a ministry for college age young adults. That is not true because it does not require a dime. Only one thing is needed. It begins with an adult who is willing to invest time, build a team, minister throughout the week (not just on Sundays), and patiently invest in the lives of post high school grads and young adults.

I want to challenge you to pray, enlist, and initiate a ministry to college age young adults in your church. This ministry is very tough but greatly rewarding. I hope you will check out chapters 17-20 of my new book Why They Stay to learn more about some key discoveries related to the college age experience and the impact on the likelihood that they will still be in church at age 30. Go to www.whytheystay.com to learn more.

I love to compete. I don’t’ know that you can tell from my 56 year old body but I actually possess a pretty good sense of balance and coordination. Although I never excelled enough in athletics enough to play on the college level, I have always been able to pick up any game or sport and to become competitive pretty quickly.  I played baseball, basketball, and football growing up and in my adult life have golfed, bowled, played tennis, played softball, and some basketball just to name a few. We can play horseshoes, ping pong, corn hole, or about any other game and I won’t suggest that I will beat you but I will give you a run for your money. [“He who puts on his armor should not boast like he who takes it off” as the Bible says.] I like to compete. As a child my closet was filled with games. My neighborhood was the junior version of the NBA-NFL-MLB and I was the commissioner organizing games, leagues, and tournaments on weekends and throughout the summer beginning at about age six.

 

Competing can be an attribute or a detriment depending on your attitude. I like to win but I don’t consider myself a sore loser. There is always another opportunity to compete and I now possess the added advantage of complaining about some ailing body part that impeded my ability. A competitive spirit can help you excel in your work if it drives you to do your best and to maximize your potential. However, it can be a detriment if you find yourself competing against your fellow team members. I am not referring to a healthy competitive spirit where you seek to be your best. I am referring to an unhealthy competitive spirit that would lead you to “talk down other staff members” in order to make you look better (they lose and you win), or you choose not to support an idea that you did not create (they lose and you can claim it’s not your fault), or you choose not to communicate with another ministry area (you look good and they look bad). It is okay to be competitive, but beware of competing against your own team.

 

John G. Miller concludes chapter fourteen of his book, Outstanding: 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional with this thought: “Its stated in the Bible: ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand.’ Nor can the leadership be maximized.”

 

*Adapted from chapter fourteen of John G. Miller’s book, Outstanding: 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional