Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 399

Fifteen Characteristics of Great Leaders

I am fascinated by the literature of leadership. Not only is there an abundance of books and articles on the subject, there are many subgroup topics that are becoming genres themselves.

One of the areas of leadership where I have done my most recent literary research is that of high level leadership. What are the characteristics of the highest-performing leaders? How are they distinguished from other levels of leadership? Jim Collins, for example, has contributed greatly to the concept with his research on "Level 5 Leaders."

Over the past few weeks, I have accumulated the distinguishing characteristics of high-level leaders from a number of written sources. For the purpose of this article, I will list them without comment. I do hope to return to this topic in future aritcles to unpack some of the characteristics. For now, here are fifteen traits of great leaders:

1. Great leaders see possibilities rather than obstacles.
2. Great leaders do not blame others.
3. Great leaders do not have a victim mentality.
4. Great leaders give credit to others.
5. Great leaders seek what is best for the organization rather than for themselves.
6. Great leaders learn to respond to some critics and to ignore others.
7. Great leaders are able to see past the latest obstacle or challenge.
8. Great leaders are continuous learners.
9. Great leaders exhibit true humility.
10. Great leaders admit their mistakes.
11. Great leaders take calculated risks.
12. Great leaders are more likely to make quick decisions.
13. Great leaders have a love and a passion for what they do.
14. Great leaders are first great leaders in their families.
15. Great leaders mentor others to become great leaders.

What do you think about these characteristics? What would you add or delete?

Friday is for Freebies (October 28, 2011)

We are giving away five (5) copies of Moral Apologetics for Contemporary Christians by Mark Coppenger this week. Dr. Coppenger is one of the great evangelical writers on issues in Christian ethics. This book has just been released by B&H Academics.

To be one of the five winners, share with us a humorous story from a church. The possibilities are wide open. You can tell us about a bulletin blooper or a funny incident. We will pick the five best entries and send a book to each of the winners. Enter as often as you like.

We'll keep this blog and contest open through Saturday evening at 10:00 PM CDT. Keep it clean and funny!

Notable Voices (October 27, 2011)

Steve Jobs biography: the best excepts. A good one: "'Bill [Gates] is basically unimaginative and has never invented anything, which is why I think he's more comfortable now in philanthropy than technology. He just shamelessly ripped off other people's ideas,' Jobs said."

A discussion with David Platt about the Secret Church movement. The next event is set for Friday, November 4. Don't miss out on this important and excellent teaching from Dr. Platt.

The values proposition: do small things with great love. "Yes, success today is about price, features, quality — pure economic value of the sort that requires you to rethink your strategy and business models. But it is also, and perhaps more importantly, about passion, emotion, identity — sharing your values. And all that requires is a way of doing business, a strategy for connecting with customers, that communicates who you are and what you care about."

5 principles for living with less ... and liking it. The author is right: "Contentment isn't something we're born with. It's a character trait that's acquired." This article gives helpful insights into developing a life of contentment.

Consequence free. Any pastor has, undoubtedly, thought the same thing that Tim Challies has said in this post. Insightful and challenging.

Four Mistakes I Made as a Father

Anyone who knows me understands. Anyone who has heard me speak understands. And most who have read my books understand.

They all know how much I love my three sons and how proud I am of each of them.

Indeed, I often go overboard with the stories and sometimes sappy sentiment I express about Sam, Art, and Jess.

On more than one occasion, I have received accolades about my parenting. People have told me that I've done such a great job as a dad. I confess that I often swell with pride at the compliments.

The Reality of My Success as a Father

I am now a grandfather of three boys and a girl. And in this second half of life, I sometimes review those days when my boys were at home. I miss them greatly. And I do have regrets.

You see, I have made many mistakes as a father. I have failed more times than I am comfortable admitting. Allow me, with a great deal of discomfort, to share some of the mistakes I have made as a father.

Four Memorable Mistakes

Several years ago, I told my wife, Nellie Jo, that I was thinking about writing a book about mistakes I've made in ministry. She suggested to me that it would have to be a multi-volume series. The same would be true if I wrote a book about mistakes I made as a father.

For the sake of brevity, and perhaps because I do not enjoy self-inflicted pain, I'll limit the list of mistakes to four. My recollection of these times was painful in itself.

Mistake #1: I stopped studying the Bible with my sons when they became teenagers. I was consistent with prayer and Bible time with the three boys while they were young. I really don't have a good reason to explain my dereliction of Bible study with them after they reached their teen years. I missed some of the most formative years of their lives by abandoning that opportunity and responsibility.

Mistake #2: I sometimes disciplined my sons when I lost my temper. I therefore punished them as a result of my anger rather than correcting them in a godly manner.

Mistake #3: I often majored on minors. Too often I was more concerned about the boys taking time to clean their rooms rather than spending time with me or doing something of greater value. I was fastidious about their bed times when I should have had flexibility if they just wanted to talk to their dad.

Mistake #4: I didn't always give my boys focused time. I remember the time I was working on a book while Art was playing baseball. I was physically present in the stands at the ballpark, but my mind was on other matters. My wife told me that Art was at bat, but I continued to write. I missed his triple that drove in the two winning runs. I will never forget the disappointment on his face when he asked if I saw his triple. I couldn't lie to him. I hurt my son greatly that day.

The Reason for Writing about These Mistakes

I am not having a pity party nor do I enjoy recalling my failures as a father. And I am not writing out a sense of false modesty.

My purpose in sharing a few of the many mistakes I made as a dad is to, by the grace of God, reach out to parents today. I want you who still have your children at home to cherish those days as an incredible gift. I pray that you will make the most of every moment with them. And though it's cliché to say, the time is really going so very fast.

I was so very far from being a perfect father.

May God take my mistakes and use them for good in others' lives.

Five Warning Signs of Declining Church Health

December 17, 2004, should have been a day of celebration.

Nellie Jo and I had been married 27 years on that date. We were in Naples, Florida, enjoying the sunshine and each other.

Then the phone call came.

We had been given a great deal of confidence that the biopsy would likely prove negative. Proceed with our anniversary celebration, we were told. In the unlikely event that the report was not good, they would let us know.

The report was not good. Nellie Jo had cancer. The next two years would prove to be some of the most challenging years of our lives and marriage.

When an Unhealthy Body Looks Healthy

Looking back, it is amazing to recall how healthy Nellie Jo looked. She showed no signs of fatigue or sickness. Had she not seen a couple of warning signs, she might have found out too late about her cancer. She might not be alive today.

I've seen it countless times. My team would go into a church for a consultation, and we would begin interviewing church members. We would hear from many of the congregants that their church was healthy and thriving. Then we would see the warning signs. And we would begin to fear that the apparently healthy body was not really healthy at all.

The church was sick. Some of the churches were really sick.

Five Warning Signs

What were some of the warning signs my team saw? Though the list is not exhaustive, these five issues were common. Some of the churches had one or two on the list; some had all five.

1. The church has few outwardly focused ministries. Most of the budget dollars in the church are spent on the desires and comforts of church members. The ministry staff spends most of its time taking care of members, with little time to reach out and minister to the community the church is supposed to serve.

2. The dropout rate is increasing. Members are leaving for other churches in the community, or they are leaving the local church completely. A common exit interview theme we heard was a lack of deep biblical teaching and preaching in the church.

3. The church is experiencing conflict over issues of budgets and building. When the focus of church members becomes how the facilities and money can meet their preferences, church health is clearly on the wane.

4. Corporate prayer is minimized. If the church makes prayer a low priority, it makes God a low priority.

5. The pastor has become a chaplain. The church members view the pastor as their personal chaplain, expecting him to be on call for their needs and preferences. When he doesn't make a visit at the expected time, or when he doesn't show up for the Bible class fellowship, he receives criticism. In not a few cases, the pastor has lost his job at that church because he was not omnipresent for the church members.

Where Do We Go from Here?

The bad news is that few churches recover if the patterns above become normative. The church is a church in name only. It is self-gratifying rather than missional. It is more concerned about great comfort than the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.

The good news is that a few churches have moved from sickness to health. The path was not easy. It first required that the congregants be brutally honest with themselves and God. It does no good to speak glowingly of a church that is unhealthy and getting worse.

Many of the turnaround churches we consulted then moved to a time of corporate confession and repentance. They confessed to God their lack of obedience and their selfish desire for their own comfort.

And still other churches made an intentional effort to shift the ministries and the money of the church to a greater outward focus. This step can be particularly painful since a number of church members often protest with vigor that their needs are no longer being met.

To Become a Healthy Church

Indeed we could focus on the reality that the great majority of sick churches do not recover. But that focus provides little value.

We should look at the admittedly few churches that have moved from sickness to health. We should learn how they turned from an inward focus to an outward focus. We should follow their examples of moving from selfish desires to radical obedience to God.

In His power the unhealthy church can become healthy.

Heed the warning signs.

It could be the difference between life and death.

Friday is for Freebies (October 21, 2011)

Every Friday, I will be featuring a great book or resource that I will give away to someone. The process is simple this week. In the blog comments name one to three books (include author) that have had a positive impact on your life or ministry. We will assume that the Bible is the first choice of most of you, so don't include it in your choices. You may comment more than one.

This week's giveaway book is an exciting new release: Gospel by J.D. Greear with a foreword by Tim Keller.

We will do a random drawing of all comments today at 10:00 PM CDT and announce the winner later that evening.

What are some important books in your life?

Notable Voices (October 20, 2011)

20 points on leading millennials. Good collection of insights here from the folks at Catalyst.

How I wish the homosexuality debate would go. A hearty amen to Trevin Wax for this provocative post.

Which city has the most Twitter users? I'm sure you could get the right answer in only a few guesses, but let me help you get started. It's not Nashville.

Are evangelicals dangerous? Albert Mohler asks this important question on CNN's religion blog. As of today, there are more than 5,000 comments.

The mentor recruiter. A good word from Ron Edmondson: "I've learned, however, that if a person has experience at any level, they have plenty to share with those who haven't walked where they walk."

Church Versus State

About two decades ago, Lyle Schaller predicted that one of the great challenges for local congregations would be restrictions placed on the churches by governmental authorities, particularly local municipalities. My reaction at the time was that Schaller was overreacting to a few isolated examples, and that such a development was unlikely.

I was wrong. I see the reality of church versus state taking place on a regular basis.

My Awakening to Reality

I began serving as a consultant to local congregations in 1988. My assignments for the first few years were not out of the ordinary. Should we build a new facility? Is it time for our congregation to relocate? How do we have a better assimilation ministry? What type of staff should we add? How do we break out of the 200-attendance plateau?

But in the late 1990s, I began receiving calls of a different nature. Local congregations were being challenged or prohibited from moving forward by governmental authorities on a number of fronts. With increasing frequency, I was called to be an expert witness, to sit for a deposition, and to testify in court when churches and municipalities were challenging each other.

The Issues

Many of the cases in which I was involved dealt with the issue of a local congregation being denied permission to add or remodel physical facilities. One church in the Chicago area was prohibited from expanding its worship center. Another church in the South was denied permission to expand its parking on its own land. In a recent case in which I was not involved, a congregation was not given permission to replace its aging and breaking stain glass windows. Fortunately, that church did finally get the needed permission on appeal.

We must be fair about many of the decisions. Some local governments are reticent to grant such approval because they are concerned about traffic and safety issues. Others rightly listen to local residents who express concern about the changing shape of their neighborhood when churches expand. The governmental agency is not always the evil empire.

But on too many occasions, I have seen governmental agencies and zoning commissions deny churches needed permission to expand for no apparent reason. I wonder if they are fearful of their tax-paying base being eroded by a non-taxable entity acquiring additional property. I sometimes wonder if some of the leaders simply have an anti-Christian bias that manifests itself in these unfortunate situations.

There are other issues beyond those related to physical facilities. And too many times, I am left figuratively speechless with the adversarial attitudes I see against Christians and local congregations.

Moving Forward

I do not see any sign that the church versus state challenge in America will get better in the near future. I do, however, have some suggestions for leaders in churches to deal with this reality.

First, lead the church to love the community. Find ways to be a positive presence in the area. Do good deeds for the local schools and merchants. Find ways to partner with the city to help children, the elderly, and the mentally challenged. Become a volunteer force to keep an area of the town clean. Provide free medical and dental services on occasion. Help needy children to buy school supplies. In an adaptation of President Kennedy's famous words: Ask not what your community can do for you; ask what you can do for your community.

Second, pray for your community and its leaders. Leadership is never easy; leading a governmental body is a special challenge.

Third, be involved in local community and governmental functions. Show that you care about your town with your presence, voice, and action.

Church versus state is a sad reality in many places today. But it is possible that you can lead your church to change that reality. Your church can be Christ's presence in ministry to the state.

What church versus state realities has your church encountered? How is your church moving forward to be a positive presence in your community?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Crisis at County Seat First Church

The emails come to me in greater frequency. They are from search committees or similar groups at established churches around the United States. The church has been without a pastor for a long period, and there are few realistic candidates for consideration. The church has been in a modest decline for several years, but the period without a pastor has exacerbated the erosion. A crisis is imminent.

The Dilemma

Sometimes they are called traditional churches, but I prefer the nomenclature "established churches," because of the confusion often associated with "traditional." Simply stated, an established church has been around for at least ten years, sometimes well over 100 years. It has become established in the way it "does church," and is often resistant to change.

I know that such a definition is nebulous. Sometimes I refer to these churches as "County Seat First Churches" because it communicates the stereotype of established churches. The church may not literally be in the county seat, but it was once the hub of the community, and now it is declining. Newer churches are perceived by many to be more relevant. The established church is also seen as change resistant with old ministries and programs. Committees or similar groups wield the power in the church, and are fiercely determined to keep control.

Now I realize that there are hundreds of exceptions to my stereotyping. Still, I estimate that there are as many as 250,000 churches in America that come close to fitting the description above.

The Pervasive Stereotype

I hear more and more pastors and seminary students say that they don't want to go to a church like County Seat First Church. They have heard about the difficulties others have experienced at these churches. They have heard the condescending comments like: "It is easier to birth a baby than to resurrect the dead."

Of course, the comment refers to the preference of church planting over leading an established church. And thank God for church planters. We need more of them. A new church is more likely to reach people than an established church. In no way am I suggesting that we have too much emphasis on church planting.

But I am not ready to give up on established churches.

The Problem with Giving Up

If church leaders across America decide in large numbers to give up on established churches, we simply will not replace them fast enough with new churches. The most optimistic church planting projections fall well short of replacing more than one-half of the churches in America.

Another problem with giving up is that many of the established churches do have great potential with the right kind of leadership. While many will resist change to the point of death, many are ready to move forward.

Finally, the new churches will soon be established churches. Most churches begin to demonstrate resistance to needed change within ten years of their founding. We will always have the challenge of County Seat First Church, regardless of location, denominational affiliation, or demographics.

A Call for Incarnational Leaders

Let us continue to train and send as many church planters as God provides. Let us continue to start new churches in an abundance of locations.

But please don't give up on the established church.

We need leaders who will have a long-term perspective, who realize that, while change may be slow, it is possible. We need leaders who will love the existing congregants and lead them at a pace that will not divide the church. We need leaders who will love and live among the church members. We need leaders who will live and love in the community.

Jesus had an incarnational ministry. He lived and loved people where He was in His time on earth.

We need a missional mindset for the established church.

There is a crisis at County Seat First Church. But in the power of Him who sends, it is truly possible to see the crisis become the miraculous.

May God raise up a new generation of church planters and a generation of those who can love County Seat First Church.

We need both types of leaders. The need is urgent and the time is now.

HindSight (October 14, 2011)

Time to go pro. WORLD magazine reviews the new movie Courageous, arguing that the Kendrick brothers are ready for Hollywood.

Stop procrastinating ... now. "Procrastination is not inevitable. Figuring out why you postpone work and then taking concrete steps to prevent it will help you get more done and feel good about yourself."

8 responsibilities of church members to their leaders. Helpful, biblical insights here.

Notes from LifeWay's 2011 Kids Ministry Conference. Thanks to Tony Kummer for collecting and providing these resources!

Most customers who tweet complaints don't get answers. "A survey shows 71% of people don't hear back when they gripe. But brands that answer can reap benefits."