Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 357

Notable Voices – February 28, 2013

10 Things I’m Learning Leading Church Change – Ron Edmondson

Over the past year, Ron transitioned from pastoring a church plant to pastoring an established church. In this post, he reflects on ten things he’s learned while leading an established church through change.

 

25 Ways Men Can Be Servant Leaders — Micah Carter

Micah provides 25 suggestions for men to be a servant-leader in their home.

 

6 Ways to Preach with Passion — Eric McKiddie

Eric shares some tips from Calvin Miller on preaching with passion. And, no, shouting is not one of them.

 

The Test of a Worship Leader — Philip Nation

Philip recently spent some time with Keith and Kristyn Getty at a luncheon. He shares Keith’s observations on what makes a good worship song and what the true test for the worship leader is.

 

7 Things Pastors Should Teach Those in the Marketplace — Lukas Naugle

Lukas provides some practical advice for pastors to convey to their listeners in relation to how Scripture informs their vocation and the impact they can make as they go about their daily job.

 

Getting Inside the Millennial Mind — Scarborough Research

It’s Time to Quit Your Job

The very title of this article sounds crazy on the surface. The unemployment rate is just under 8 percent and the underemployment number is close to 14 percent. In a time of such scarcity of jobs and the overwhelming number of people unemployed, who would even begin to suggest such a thought?

I would. I’m guilty.

Perhaps the pending retirement of Pope Benedict XVI got me thinking in this direction. Or perhaps it’s because I hear from many employed people who are miserable in their jobs. Is it really worth it?

No, I’m not suggesting you quit tomorrow and abandon the security of your paycheck. But I am suggesting you may need to begin moving in that direction. Below are some of the signs that may indicate it’s time for you to quit your job.

When your job no longer has meaning or purpose.
When your family is hurting as a result of your job.
When your job is making you physically or emotionally sick.
When you’ve outgrown your job, but your employer offers you no opportunity to move forward or advance.
When your values do not align with the values of your employer.
When you are hurting your organization rather than helping by attempting to hang on to your job.
When you can’t keep up with the demands of your job.
When you discover you are in the wrong seat on the bus (Jim Collins’ terminology for getting into a job that is an ill fit for you and your talents and gifts).
When it’s time to make room for younger and brighter talent.
When you can no longer work with your boss or your fellow employees.
When you are not paid fairly.
When you just know.

Perhaps you can take some less drastic measures than quitting your job. Maybe your employer is unaware of your issues, and much can be resolved with a healthy conversation. Maybe you’re looking at the glass half empty and fail to see the good qualities of your job. Maybe there are other places in your organization that would be a better fit for you, and you have a boss that is willing to allow you to try a new position.

Or maybe it’s time to quit.

Life is too short to spend thousands of waking hours in misery. Life is too short not to make the maximum contribution with the gifts and abilities God has given us. Life is too short to hold on to a job for the lone reason of a paycheck or retirement benefits.

The time may be right to start proactively looking for another job. Perhaps you can begin something small on the side that could ultimately become a great self-employed job. Maybe the time is right to take that new venture even though it has risks.

The miserable person at the end of her life says she lived a life with little meaning because she wouldn’t make a decision she knows she should have made. The miserable person at the end of his life has regrets because he lived in fear rather than stepping out in faith.

Maybe it’s time to quit your job. The risks may be real. But the rewards can be incalculable.

Seven Steps to Move Members into Ministry

by Chuck Lawless

Sam attends his church faithfully every Sunday, but he is not involved in doing ministry through his church. Others view Sam as a committed member simply because he is there every Sunday morning, and no one would dare question his faithfulness.

Yet, Sam is really doing nothing in his church.  How do you move members like him into ministry?  Here are some basic principles we learned in a study published in my book, Membership Matters.

1.  Pray for Laborers

Jesus gave us clear guidelines for securing workers: pray for God to provide them (Luke 10:2).  The fields, He said, are ready, but the workers are few.

My experience is that churches look for laborers, and they begin praying earnestly only after they’ve not been able to secure workers through their established processes. Is it possible we would have less difficulty enlisting workers if we started praying before recruiting?

I encourage churches to build praying for laborers into their DNA. The staff and church should pray not only for current workers, but also for potential workers. Prayer meetings should include a time of focused prayer for more workers, even when all the current positions are filled. God will provide the laborers if your church will follow His command to pray.

2.  State Expectations Up Front

Here’s the primary reason church members don’t get involved: churches expect very little.  One of the best ways to correct this problem is to state expectations in a membership class.  Our study shows that churches with effective membership classes stress five expectations of members:

Identifying with the church (e.g., through public baptism)
Attending worship services and small groups
Serving in the ministry of the church
Giving financially toward the church’s work
Promoting unity in the church

Stating these expectations is no guarantee there will be no members like Sam in your church, but not clarifying expectations almost assures you will.

3.  Have a Ministry Placement Process in Place

In the churches we studied, leaders had an intentional placement strategy.  Those strategies included the SHAPE concept (Rick Warren), the DESIGN program (Wayne Cordeiro), BodyLife (John Powers), and Network (Willow Creek). These processes are built upon the assumption that God works through our life experiences, desires, spiritual gifts, personalities, and abilities to prepare us to serve in His church.

4.  Recruit Face-to-Face 

We asked laypersons in our study why they chose to get involved in their church’s ministry.  Listen to the personal recruiting that their answers reflected:

“A minister spoke to me and challenged me to get active.”

“The Minister of Education sat me down and talked to me.”

“Two guys approached me and asked me [to serve].”                      

Leaders in the churches we studied did not recruit workers through bulletin board sign-ups, worship folder tear-offs, or pulpit announcements.  Rather, they sought workers by challenging members face-to-face—the way Jesus recruited disciples. In most cases, a personal challenge and invitation made the difference.

5.  Offer Entry-level Ministry Positions

Not every member is ready now to be a teacher, a deacon, or an elder.  All members might, however, be ready to take on the challenge of “entry level” positions that allow them to get involved in the church.

Entry-level positions include parking lot greeters, refreshment committees, class custodians, choir members, and any position that does not demand significant training.  The goal is to help everyone get involved at some level as quickly as possible so new members feel needed and wanted.  Moreover, entry-level positions help to evaluate potential leaders, as a person unwilling to serve in an entry position probably won’t make a good servant leader later.

6.  Recognize and Affirm Workers

Too often, we take for granted dependable church members who serve week after week. To be fair, most of these workers would not want any recognition, but their reticence to be recognized does not let us off the hook.  We honor God by affirming His work in the lives of those who give their best for His church.

One simple way to recognize workers is to sponsor an annual Workers Banquet.  Cater it, publicize it, and make it special.  Not only will the current workers be grateful, but potential workers will also see that their church will appreciate their service.

7.  Don’t Give Up Easily

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul taught that God puts His church together as He wishes (12:1-11). Our task is to help members find their role, challenge them to serve, equip them, and hold them accountable.  This work is not easy, though, and sometimes it’s tempting just to give up and overwork the current workers.  Rather than taking that wrong step, the answer is to return to principle #1 and start the process again.

What specific action does your church take to move members into ministry?

Chuck Lawless currently serves as Professor of Evangelism and Missions and Dean of Graduate Studies at Southeastern Seminary. You can connect with Dr. Lawless on both Twitter and Facebook.

 

Tornados, Tragedies, and Triumphs: Carson Tinker’s Story

One of the greatest disasters in the history of the United States took place from April 25 to 28, 2011. During those four days, 358 tornadoes were confirmed, and 348 people died as a result of the storms. During that time four EF5 tornadoes were confirmed, a highly unusual occurrence since typically no more than one of these powerful tornados will be confirmed in an entire year.

Carson at LifeWay.

Among the devastation and death, one of the many stories that emerged was that of Carson Tinker, a football player for the University of Alabama. As the tornado roared through Tuscaloosa, Carson and his girlfriend, Ashley Harrison, huddled together. They both were tossed significant distances by the tornado. Carson was seriously injured and Ashley died.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Carson Tinker. His story is far more than the tragedy of the tornado. Indeed the greater story is his victory over adversity, and the life lessons he learned from an incredible year.

We at B&H Publishing, a division of LifeWay, are excited that Carson will soon be telling that full story in an upcoming book to be published in March 2014, with pre-release purchases available this coming fall. Here are some excerpts from my interview with Carson.

Carson, the book you are writing begins with the tornado on April 27, 2011, and concludes with Bama’s BCS national championship on January 9, 2012. Give us a quick overview of that year.

Carson: More than anything else, I came away from that year with an incredible life lesson. You are not defined by your circumstances or adversity. You are defined by how you respond to them. I don’t want to be defined by the tornado. I want to be defined by how I responded to the challenges. You can live in circumstances or you can live in vision. I choose to live in vision. Coach Saban always teaches us that we are defined less by the problems we encounter than how we respond to them. In 2011 we lost a tough regular season game to LSU. Immediately after the game, Coach Saban told us that we could be defined by the loss or by how we respond to the loss. He said we still had the opportunity to be something special. We were fortunate that a couple of other teams would eventually lose. Because we responded well to the loss, we had the chance to play for the national championship on January 9, 2012 against LSU. In the rematch we won the title.

Since your upcoming book looks at the entire 2011 season, does it focus on a few games like the two LSU games?

Carson: No, the book is about every game and how we move forward from adversity to victory. In fact, the opening game on September 3 was very special to me. After all the injuries and challenges I had, I was back on the field ready to play football. Coach Saban said that the city of Tuscaloosa and all the Alabama fans were ready to return to some sense of normalcy after the devastation of the tornado. We began asking ourselves as a team what was normal for us. We won 36 games the previous three years, a college football record. So our normal had to be winning all of our games and the national championship, but we took each game one at a time. It was part of the process that Coach Saban describes. We learned greater perseverance. We learned greater teamwork. We learned to overcome.

Your faith is an integral part of your life. Describe how your faith sustained you that year.

Carson: I grew up in church, and I was saved as a Christian at eight years old. I read the Bible regularly. But I saw my faith become real after the tornado. I understood that, in the midst of great adversity, God will strengthen you. In 1 Samuel 30, David and his men return from battle to discover that Amalekites had taken all of the women and children. David’s soldiers wanted to stone him. But David strengthened himself in the Lord. When I was struggling and down, I strengthened myself in the Lord. And I really began to see that some of the principles of being a great believer are played out on the football field: courage, perseverance, faith, and others.

Talk about the life of a long snapper. You started as a walk-on player, and you earned a scholarship and won three national championships.

Carson: I love it. I have the responsibilities of snapping and blocking. I played on the offensive line in high school, but I knew I wasn’t big enough to play on the line in big football programs. So I honed my long snapping skills. I was redshirted my freshman year and learned a lot from other players. I was starting by my sophomore redshirt year.

I saw every game you played, and I don’t recall your making one bad snap. Did you?

Carson: No sir. I took a lot of ownership and pride at what I did. Coach Saban calls it “mastering your craft.” I also tried to take a leadership role. The regular starters typically play 60 to 70 plays, but I only played 12 to 15 plays a game. So I saw my role to be an encourager to the other players as they were getting tired. I was passionate about it. And in the offseason, I worked just as hard as the other players. I think that lifted them up as well.

In summary, Carson, what do you want readers to know about your upcoming book?

Carson: First, this book is not just about football. I want anyone to be able to pick it up and be encouraged, challenged, and inspired. Though I’m still relatively young, I’ve had some experiences in life that I think can be an encouragement to others. Both of my parents had cancer when I was young. I’ve been through the tornado and the rehab. And I’ve seen what victory looks like on the other side. In Exodus 17, Moses is leading the Israelites to fight the Amalekites. As long as Moses keeps his staff raised, the Israelites are winning. But when he got tired and the staff began to drop, the battle turned for the worse. So Aaron and Hur held his arms and lifted the staff up, and the battle was won. One of my goals on the football team was to lift up the leaders on the team. That is my goal in life. And that is my goal through this book.

My Interview with Carson.

Pray for Englewood Baptist Church

Location: Jackson, Tennessee

Pastor: Pastor Ben Mandrell

Worship Times: 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 AM (CST)

Fast Facts: Please pray for this church to develop a new vision for expansion. Pray both for continued growth and the wisdom to know how best to facilitate it. Also pray that God will bless the many events and ministries being hosted by Englewood in the next few weeks including a mission trip to South Phoenix, Arizona on March 9th-16th, the community Easter celebration on March 17th, and a men’s Bootcamp retreat on April 11th – 14th.

Website: www.ebcjackson.org

“Pray for . . .” is the Sunday blog series at ThomRainer.com. We encourage you to pray for these churches noted every Sunday. Please feel free to comment that you are praying as well. If you would like your church to be featured in “Pray for . . .” contact Steve Drake, director of pastoral relations, at Steve.Drake@LifeWay.com.

 

Five Love Languages of Pastors

With apologies to Gary Chapman for playing on his well-known “Five Love Languages” theme, I asked 24 pastors how a church member might speak to each pastor in his own love language. And though 24 persons do not constitute a massive survey, I was amazed at the consistency of the responses.

To fit the theme of five, I determined at the onset that I would only report the top five responses. To my surprise, there was an obvious break between the fifth and sixth most frequent responses. The five love languages thus were a natural fit.

So how can you speak a love language to your pastor? Here are the pastors’ top five responses in order of frequency. I offer a representative response from one of the pastors for each of the five.

Books. “I have a limited family budget, so I can’t just go out and buy a bunch of books. But I sure do love books. One year a deacon gave me a $200 gift card to a Christian bookstore. I was ecstatic! Now the church gives me a $300 book allowance each year. I know it’s not much for the type of books I get, but I sure am grateful.”
Encouraging notes. “I treasure every word of affirmation I get. It helps to soothe the pain of the criticisms. I keep all of my notes of encouragement in a box, and I sometimes read many of them at one time just to remind myself how blessed I am. I particularly appreciate handwritten notes. I know the church member took some time to write that to me.”
Time guardians. “My most encouraging church members are those that try to help me protect my time. They do everything they can to make sure I have enough time to prepare sermons and to spend time with my family. They are able to speak to other members about my time constraints in a way that I’m not able to.”
Compliments about children. “There are times that I really feel sorry for my three kids. They are really good kids, but they aren’t perfect. They live in a glass house, and any wrong move they make usually gets the attention of a church member. But I have a few church members who go out of their way to tell me the good about my children. One sincere compliment about one of my three kids will make my day.”
Defenders. “You know, I deal with critics, and I realize that in any leadership position, you will have critics. My greatest hurt takes place when my supporters remain silent in the face of intense criticism toward me. They are more afraid of rocking the boat than speaking the truth. But I have one guy in the church who will always speak a defending word for me unless he thinks I’m wrong. Then he speaks to me privately. I could use a dozen church members like that.”

Pastors, are these five your love languages as well? What would you add to the list? Church members, do you speak love languages to your pastor? Tell us your stories.

Pastor to Pastor is the Saturday blog series at ThomRainer.com. Pastors and staff, if we can help in any way, contact Steve Drake, our director of pastoral relations, at  Steve.Drake@LifeWay.com . We also welcome contacts from laypersons in churches asking questions about pastors, churches, or the pastor search process.

Friday Is for Freebies: Evil & Essential Christian Beliefs and the Apologetics Study Bible

My giveaway this Friday is a pair of apologetics resources.

First is Evil & Essential Christian Beliefs. It offers a comprehensive examination of its topic from both technical and ministerial perspectives. Author and acclaimed philosophy professor Jeremy A. Evans treats the history of the problem with fairness, looking at it through contemporary philosophical literature and offering responses to the most substantive arguments from evil. His purpose is to provide holistic responses to the problem of evil that are philosophically and theologically maintainable.

The second is the black, bonded leather version of The Apologetics Study Bible. This Bible will help today’s Christians better understand, defend, and proclaim their Christian beliefs in this age of increasing moral and spiritual relativism. More than one-hundred key questions and articles placed throughout the volume about faith and science prompt a rewarding study experience at every reading.

To be eligible to win, tell us which book other than Bible you read most often.

The deadline to enter is midnight Central Time this Saturday.  We will draw one winner from the entries on Monday morning.

By entering, you acknowledge and accept the terms of the promotion.

Notable Voices – February 21, 2013

7 Common Energy and Time Wasters for Leaders — Ron Edmondson

Staying on task is critical to being a good leader. So how do successful leaders do that? They avoid these seven time and energy wasters.

 

10 Sure Signs We’ve Lost Our Minds — Trevin Wax

Trevin documents the bizarre beliefs and inconsistencies that surface in contemporary discourse.

 

More Time Doesn’t Mean More Creative — Barnabas Piper

Creativity is by default a fluid characteristic of our personality. What makes for a creative environment for one person, may be a total distraction for another. In this post, Barnabas examines the misguided link between having more time and being more creative.

 

9 Things You Should Know About George Washington — Joe Carter

In honor of this week’s holiday, here are nine interesting facts about our first president.

 

The 6 Essential Social Media Skills of Leaders — Rachel Blom

Social media literacy is becoming more of a requirement for leaders. Without it, you can become disconnected and out of touch with those whom you lead.

 

From Radical Lesbian to Redeemed Christian — Tony Reinke

Tony shares the redemptive story and faith journey of a former lesbian. It’s a powerful reminder that we can not outrun the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

Five Ways to Prepare for the Employee to Independent Transition

Though much has been written on the free agent transition in our nation, I am not sure many of us appreciate the degree to which the shift has taken place. Whitney Johnson notes that some 43 million persons today do some level of independent work. But that number is projected to reach as high as 70 million within the decade.

That number is staggering. The old model of a lifetime company providing pay, pension, and benefits to the grave is all but obsolete. Young adults today will move from company to company without a second thought. And those companies will no longer retain employees out of a sense of loyalty and obligation. It is truly a free agent nation from the perspective of both the employer and the employee.

So how does a worker prepare himself or herself for this new reality? Allow me to share five suggestions I give those who have approached me with similar questions.

Approach your current employment as if you are a free agent. Think like an independent even if you are on the company payroll. Realize that everyday you work you are selling yourself and your value to the company. You have no guarantee of employment tomorrow unless you clearly demonstrate your value. Don’t do merely what you are asked to do. Take the initiative to go above and beyond.
Update your skill set. Learn what companies are seeking in workers. Find out where you can update your current skills to be a more relevant worker for the future. Do not look at additional education and training as expenses, but as investments in your future. Just make certain you are investing in the right and most relevant areas.
If your employer allows, develop independent work on the side. While caution and wisdom are necessary here, many employers welcome their employees taking the initiative to do independent work on the side. Just be careful your side work in no way interferes with your primary work. I’ve known many employees who developed independent work that later became their new livelihood or retirement vocation.
Read voraciously. Learn continuously. Stretch yourself to read in areas where you have not delved before. Listen to wise and informative speakers. Ask what you need to know for your future and begin to read about that potential future. The multiple e-readers on the market are a gift for those of us who select our books and periodicals for disciplined reading.
Improve your written and spoken communication skills. Someone recently told me they had listened to an hour-long presentation by a great leader. I asked the person what they learned. He responded, “Nothing, I hardly understood a word he said. He seemed to speak a foreign language.” I assured him that the speaker was not a great leader if he could not be understood. The successful free agents of the future will spend considerable time improving their written and verbal skills. Communication, plain and simple, is vitally important for a leader.

According to Johnson, 40% of Millennials desire to be free agents some day. But 58% of Boomers and 68% of Gen Xers have that same desire. It is indeed a massive sociological trend. Wherever you work, whatever you do, take note. The free agent nation has arrived. Are you prepared for this new reality?

From Bad to Good

By Sam S. Rainer III

Leadership literature is chock-full of ways in which an average leader can become great. We all believe we’re good. Greatness is just a book, a conference, or a degree away. Indeed, I believe run-of-the-mill leaders can become better with training. A desire to learn, self-awareness, and a solid work ethic go a long way.

Some leaders, however, are just bad. They don’t lead well. Poor decisions are normative.

I believe most pastors want to lead their congregations in a way honoring to God. I believe most pastors care about their flocks. And God uses different types of leaders in different contexts. A rural setting, for example, requires a different type of leader than an urban setting. One is not superior over the other simply because of contextual expertise. But not all leaders—or shepherds for that matter—are great. And some pastors are poor examples of leadership, even if they really do care.

Years of practice entrench bad habits.

At some point, enough imbedded weaknesses transform an otherwise mediocre leader into a bad leader. Sometimes bad leadership is caused by context or position. The church leader is a poor match for the church, ministry focus, or setting. What makes a good senior pastor does not make a good middle school pastor. What makes a good worship pastor does not make a good children’s pastor. While environment and position influence bad leadership, not every case of poor leadership can be blamed on a mismatch. Some leaders are just outliers on the wrong side of the bell curve.

There are two types of bad leaders: the inept and the unethical.

Prominent malicious leaders tend to make the news. Unfortunately, scandals and scoundrels abound. But another category of bad leaders involves those who do not intentionally lead people astray. They are not malicious, just incapable. I’ve written previously on what makes a pastor a bad boss. These leaders desire to make ethical decisions, but they are oblivious as to how their decisions affect others. They shoot from the hip and trigger collateral damage.

The focus of this post is improving the ineffective rather than redeeming the unethical. What are some ways in which bad leaders can become better? A recent study sheds light on behaviors helping a leader transition from bad to good.

They shared their knowledge. One of the main drivers of poor leadership is poor interpersonal skills. Many people get promoted because of their expertise in a specific area, but leadership is more than technical knowledge. Bad leaders are stingy with knowledge. Bad pastors can guard theological and methodological black boxes. Good leaders use their knowledge to develop others.
They raised the bar of expectations. Expecting little of your church or staff is usually a reflection of low personal expectations. Raise the bar of personal expectations and improvements are bound to occur in the people around you.
They shifted from a discouraging posture to an encouraging posture. Bad church leaders become better when they stop focusing on why something can’t be done and rather focus on how something can be done.
They worked at becoming proactive change agents instead of reactive change agents. If all you do is put out fires, then you’re not seeing the forest for the trees. Little flare-ups always exist. Bad leaders reactively move from one to the next. Good leaders proactively discern the dangerous fires with the potential to affect everyone.
They began to encourage cooperation rather than competition. Bad leaders divide people, creating opposing camps. Bad pastors use theological nuances as a wedge. Bad church leaders pit style preferences of one group against another. Good church leaders are bridge builders, demonstrating how different people can cooperate rather than compete.

Bad church leaders fail in many areas, but average leaders have weaknesses in specific areas.

Good, bad, or ugly—we can all improve our leadership. And the best pastors recognize continual improvement is the only option for leadership. While only a work of God can redeem unethical pastors, I believe every incompetent pastor can become a good leader. Bad leaders are not locked into poor decisions. Greatness is a noble goal, but good is an achievable step.

Sam S. Rainer is the senior pastor of Stevens Street Baptist Church in Cookeville, TN, and president of Rainer Research. He blogs regularly at SamRainer.wordpress.com