Reggie Joiner's Blog, page 48
January 29, 2019
How to Determine if Risk is Worth It
There is one sure way to never fail. That is to never take any risks in the first place. Taking risks is a part of life but it is also a part of ministry. Taking risks is the part of ministry that is a requirement for forward movement. We take risks when we realize a system that previously worked has now become dated. We take risks when we institute a new program that we think will help us connect with our community. We take risks every Sunday when we put kids and students in small groups tha...
January 28, 2019
Following Up With Guests Using Surprising Intentionality
Have you ever seen an ad appear—about something you mentioned in passing—while you’re browsing the Internet? It can be surprising. How did they even know that?! Sometimes we don’t even remember saying the words. We thought it was just the tiniest thought in our minds. Yet, boom! There is a specific ad for what we’d talked about or thought about. How? A simple swipe, slight tap, usual click or scroll and the very things we had on our minds show up in our various feeds. We don’t know whether to...
January 25, 2019
Creating a System for Leadership Success
It’s a brand New Year and you know what that means, we all want to be a better leader in 2019 than we were in 2018. I’m not talking about making resolutions—that’s not with this article is all about. I’m talking about real change that causes you to operate at a whole new level of effectiveness. Here are the things I’ve done so far this new year to make sure I structure my year for more balance, growth and margin in the area’s of time, energy, and resource management.
I always start looking fo...
January 24, 2019
Three Keys That Matter When Casting Vision About Your Ministry
Over the years I’ve had a lot of leadership positions. When I was 10, we moved to Houston. The youth group at the church we attended ended up being my lifeline since I was starting a brand new school in sixth grade without knowing a soul. The youth minister there was such an amazing individual. He constantly empowered us to take ownership with the ideas that we had. On one occasion when I complained that the sermon was too boring and we wanted a class during the service since we were too old...
January 23, 2019
Who Needs a Church Blog?
Blogging is so 2000. Does anybody ever read blogs anymore? What could you possibly say on a blog? Especially a church blog.
These are all reasons commonly used by people who think that churches do not need to have a blog. While some of these may seem to be accurate, it doesn’t tell the whole story of why a blog can be really important to your church and ministry. The reality is while video content and podcasts are great ways to communicate for your church today, blogging is still beneficial f...
January 22, 2019
Aligning Leaders: Drawing a Straight Line
Have you ever heard a basketball coach talking to their team during a time out? Everyone is huddled around each other listening for what to do next. They are not listening for the vision. The vision is clear. We want to score more points than the other team so that we can win. However, during the time out, while the coach is not casting vision, they are taking a few seconds to clarify strategy. They are taking those crucial moments in the game to align the leaders on the floor around the meth...
January 18, 2019
How Self-Control Affects the Whole
One of my favorite fruits is the pomegranate. It is complicatedly beautiful. If you’ve ever cut one open, it is made up of several little seeds, held together by cream-colored borders, protected by a hard-red shell. Once you cut a pomegranate open though you will quickly notice that if you expose one part of the fruit to the elements the other parts of the fruit will start to dry out and won’t taste as good. I promise that God had the pomegranate in mind when His Spirit inspired Paul to write...
January 17, 2019
Setting Goals for Community Outreach This Year
Wow! What a fiercely passionate holiday extravaganza! Maybe by now we have caught our breath. For a moment there, we were hands on knees vigorously mouth-breathing. In ministry, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s make for an exhilarating ride. Every holiday season, we can expect changes in weather, parking lot and traffic congestion, and more families visiting our churches. The holidays have a way of bringing so many people together. We know this. But we also know that the rest of the yea...
January 16, 2019
Helping Your Community Through Social Media Education
Parents care very much for their kids. This seems like a no-brainer statement but the reality is parents want to make sure their children, no matter what age they are, are safe. This is particularly important when their children are exposed to something that parents are not 100 percent informed about.
Enter social media. Social media has taken the world by storm and is such a HUGE part of peoples’ lives today, especially older children and teens. Whether it is Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Y...
January 15, 2019
Orange Conference Breakouts: How do I Decide Which to Attend?
The Orange Conference is just a few months away, and we’ve posted the breakouts that will be available for registration soon. You can start looking forward to planning what breakouts you are going to attend at OC19. Keeping with this year’s theme, It’s Personal, we are going to make sure every aspect is personal for you.
With it being a new year, we plan new resolutions, and reflect on the last year. Do you find yourself starting questions with: How Do I . . .?” Many of us do. What is excitin...
