MISSIONAL LEADERS NEEDED

BY DR STEVE DUNN

Thirty years ago, a pastor named Frank Tillapaugh wrote a powerful and compelling book called Unleashing the Church. It was subtitled “Getting the People Out of the Fortress and Into Ministry.”  He was one of the first to address the issue of churches that had become more organizational than the organic Body of Christ.  Tillapaugh saw the church as seeking to live behind fortress-like walls that kept protected from the world and its problems, that attempted to give Christians a safe place to stay out of the battle.

 

Tillapaugh also recognized that the leaders of these “fortresses” were more concerned with maintenance than mission.  In fact, their “preservation” or “maintaining” mindset insured the church having an inward focus, by seeing that as the focus as something to be preserved and protected.  Their whole modus operandii was to preserve and protect by controlling as much as possible, eliminating any risk, resistng any change.

Yet when the Holy Spirit leads the church, He calls and sends.  The Spirit unleashes God’s power and sends the Church out into the world.  For the Holy Spirit empowers a mission that reflects the Great Commission.  “Go and make” were Jesus words.

This is why a church that seeks to impact our world and to help be transformed by working of God–must give up that old maintenance mentality that builds fortresses rather than launching  out to reach people who needs Jesus/

 A maintenance leader builds fortresses.

 A missional leader takes the church out to fulfill the Great Commssion.

In our world today the church MUST have missional leaders.

 © 2015 by Stephen L Dunn
Permission is given to reprint this post as long as it is not included in material that is for sale, that it is reproduced in its entirety including the copyright notice, and that a link is provided to this blog.

5 REASONS NOT TO LEAVE

One of the difficulties of becoming an outward-focused church is that you must both cast a new vision and create a new culture capable of living out that vision.  Many a church has been defeated in this process because the catalyzing leader leaves before his or her work is done.  Rick Howerton has an excellent article on this dynamic.-steve

FIVE REASONS NOT TO LEAVE--EVEN IF YOU WANT TO

BY RICK HOWERTON 

Many of us tend to get itchy for new ministry challenges.

If you’re like me you’re a catalytic leader. That is, you were made by God to start something, pass it on to someone else, then move on to start something else. While this is an important responsibility, sometimes, those of us, no matter what our leadership style, may have a tendency to jump ship before God’s done with us in a particular setting.

I think there are at least five reasons to consider staying at the church you’re serving.

1. It takes time to accomplish a God-size vision.

Too many church leaders are called to a location with a vision in mind and leave before that vision has become a reality.
The vision is what drove them to their new position and they believed with all that was in them that they were to accomplish that vision for that church.

The problem… they jump ship before the vision has docked and the church they serve finds herself starting over with a new leader long before God’s expectations were completed.

2. You haven't mentored someone to pick up where you left off.

Great leaders are mentoring someone to take their place when they exit.
This assures the church that the ministry can continue on becoming all God meant her to be.

3. The grass really isn't greener when you shepherd different sheep.

Many church leaders leave a church because of a few difficult people.
There are some churches that have problem people and they are always going to make a staff member’s job hard, even painful. But for the most part, people are people and there will always be some in every setting that are going to be problematic.

Rather than leaving, it may be much wiser to learn to work with, around, or in spite of the few difficult people at the church you’re serving. You may just move to a new location to find there are a few problem people who are more problematic than the ones you just left.

4. A move will affect your family.

Too many pastors forget that their families are deeply affected with each move.

If God isn’t vividly calling you to a new location, just for the betterment of your spouse and children, stay put. They deserve it.

5. It takes time to realize the obstacles that stand in your way.

There are obstacles in any ministry situation. Those obstacles can’t be overcome until a ministry leader becomes aware of them. Some of those obstacles won’t even be on a minister’s radar screen for two to three years.

Taking off to another church starts the process of realizing these and removing them all over again.

Rick has one passion... To see “a biblical small group within walking distance of every person on the planet.” He is presently the Global Small Group Environmentalist at NavPress Publishing. Rick has authored or co-authored multiple books, studies, and leader training resources including Destination Community: Small Group Ministry Manual, The Gospel and the Truth: Living the Message of Jesus, Small Group Life Ministry Manual: A New Approach to Small Groups, Redeeming the Tears: a Journey Through Grief and Loss, Small Group Life: Kingdom, Small Group Kickoff Retreat: Experiential Training for Small Group Leaders, and Great Beginnings: Your First Small Group Study. Rick’s varied ministry experiences as a collegiate pastor, small group pastor, teaching pastor, full-time trainer and church consultant, as well as having been a successful church planter gives him a perspective of church life that is all-encompassing and multi-dimensional. Rick is a highly sought after communicator and trainer speaking at or leading training in forty settings annually. 

More from Rick Howerton or visit Rick at blogs.navpress.com/rickhowerton/

WILL MANCINI ON VISION VEHICLES

The Six Vehicles for Church Vision: How Many Are You Using?

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Every pastor wants to get people excited about God’s activity in the world through their local church. But not every pastor understands how to use the multiple vehicles at their disposal. 

The idea of vehicle is easy to understand. If a community is in desperate need of medical supplies, what vehicles are you going to use? A wheelbarrow or a 18-Wheeler or a C-130 cargo aircraft? And if you could, would you want five C-130’s or just one? You get the picture.

Keep in mind that the concepts we are covering are very powerful when implemented. The truth is that pastors have trucks in their fleet that have never seen drive time. The cost is high as the precious cargo of motivational kingdom fuel never dispenses to hearts and minds of their people. But get those rucks rollin and you will see things happen like you’ve never seen before!

This post is the second in a series on “Vehicles for Vision.” The first post dealt with a primary challenge on the subject- the default setting in the pastor’s mind that preaching is the primary vehicle for vision. It is the default mode because it is the easiest. After all, pastors are preparing messages every Sunday already and they don’t have to get other people involved in the delivery process. It’s simple and clean.
In that post we revealed that despite the important role of preaching, the primary vehicle is the church’s connecting environment. So let’s start there and continue our list:

Vehicle #1: The Connecting Environment. This is the primary vehicle because it is the most relationally intensive. Therefore most of the validation, understanding and appreciation takes place here. Don’t complicate this too much. If you have small groups or Sunday school or missional communities, I am suggesting that those leaders or facilitators and the environments that they create are crucial to the delivery of vision.

Vehicle #2: The Leadership Pipeline. If you understand the importance of vehicle one, you might be asking, “How does that actually work?” That’s a great question because it reveals an even more foundational vehicle. In fact, I consider it the prime mover. The leadership pipeline is the vehicle where vision is transferred from leaders to other leaders. It assumes a leadership development culture. It supposes there are time and places where only leaders meet to pray, dream, dialogue and train together. 

Vehicle #3: The Preaching Event. Now we get to everyone’s favorite. And this vehicle is important as it carries a special authority and motivational dynamic with the congregation at large. Preaching connects the vision to the Word of God, to the act of worship, and rallies the entire body of Christ together in a unique way.

Vehicle #4: The Structural Story. This is a meaningful piece that I look forward to unpacking with you. By structural story I mean everything from staff and volunteer position titles, to budget categories, to systems. It’s everything in the background; the supporting processes of the organization. And these  pieces will either make a random, static-like noise or work together to contribute to the story and the vision.

Vehicle #5: The Visual Brand. From screens and worship guides, to curriculum and websites, your church is creating visual palettes from which people are digesting information. It may be a church sign, or a e-mail from the pastor. Everything speaks. As we explore this often overlooked vehicle we will show how you can constantly reflect and reinforce your vision.

Vehicle #6 The Voice of Each One. The icing on the cake is always the word on the street. Vision transfers through people not paper. And the ultimate test is not how well vision was communicated leader to leader, but from a participant to participant. By that I mean, what does Joe attendee say to a co-workers after he’s visited your church for six months? There are important steps that you can take, to help the vision transfer on the front line. Do you know what they are?

As we continue the series we will explore each vehicle further. For now I would encourage you to evaluate your ministry. How many of these vehicles are you currently using?

A CHURCH LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT - PART I

"It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following

requirements ..."- Acts 15:28

Most are well aware of the Jerusalem Council described in Acts 15 and its critical role in unifying the fledgling church and confirming to the mission to the Gentiles.  We often focus on and learn from those agreed upon outcomes as outlined by James.  But I wonder how often we pay attention to the opening of that announcement, the words that Luke was careful to record.  "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us ..."  I wonder how often we take note of the word order - Holy Spirit, then us.

Quite often we make plans as the church.  We even are careful to arrive at a constructive consensus.  But how is that consensus arrived at?  And what is the role of the Holy Spirit in all of this?  Do we prayerfully together seek the mind of the Spirit and then try to discern what we agree He has told us?  Or do we decide together what we are going to do and then ask the Holy Spirit to bless what has actually been our decision?

It is no small question.

In my journey of the congregation I lead from a traditional and inward focus to a missional and outward focus, nothing has been more critical to our faithfulness and fruitfulness. We have agreed that the Holy Spirit is and must be the leader of the church. Not the pastor, or elders, or council, and certainly the majority of the people; but the Holy Spirit of God.  And we have agreed that this cannot be a statement to which we pay lip service, but a basic operating principle that we constantly work to make and stay a reality.

In practice, what does this mean?  When I first published my D. Min. Project on becoming a church led by the Spirit, I was asked by a fellow graduate in the commencement line, "In brief, what does it mean to be a church led by the Holy Spirit?" (The brief was referring to the monumental length of that publication.)  My response, "First, you have to believe in the Holy Spirit."

1. A church that is led by the Holy Spirit must give up its organizational thinking. It is not a human association of mutually agreed upon goals.  The church is a supernatural organism. It is the literal and continuing Body of Christ.  That means that as a body it will reflect the character of Christ. In action, we will live by the values of Christ. In vision, we will live by the mission of Christ.  And we will be open to let the Holy Spirit lead us into all truth about these matters. (More about this later.)

2. A church that is led by the Holy Spirit must possess a leadership  lifestyle that is wedded to the Word and embedded with prayer.  The human leadership of the church understands that its actions must at all times be consistent with what the Word teaches.  Its values must be the values of scripture. Its policies and decisions must have a clear scriptural foundation that is consistently communicated to the Body.  And those decisions, from beginning to end, must be bathed in prayer.

This post is to be continued ....

(C) 2011 by Stephen L Dunn

HOW TO AVOID PASTORAL BRAIN DRAIN

From Todd Hunter of Monday Morning Insights comes this excellent counsel from Reggie McNeal.

Ever feel totally brain-dead? Tired? Frustrated? Incapable of making a decision? In his book, "Practicing Greatness," Reggie McNeal describes three "brain killers" that deserve special attention for each and every pastor and church leader...

1) Negative people. Leaders need to be aware that when they allow themselves to be consumed by negative people (who seem so often inclined to seek them out), they allow precious mental, emotional, and spiritual energy to be drained off from other leadership pursuits. Obviously, leaders can’t totally avoid negative people, but they can deflect their negativity by creating a mental boundary. So acknowledge their destructive, energy-sapping perspective, but stay on your side of the wall. And adopt a strategy of surrounding yourself with positive people as a proactive strategy.

2) Disorganization. Disorganization is a major brain drain. Not only does it consume time ("It’s right here—somewhere") but it also raises anxiety ("What am I forgetting?"), which is another major cause of brain drain. Even leaders who don’t count administration as a strength can make sure they don’t sabotage their efforts through a lack of organization. They do this by recruiting someone to help them, by availing themselves of technology, and by deciding to expend enough personal effort to get sufficiently organized.

This discussion is not intended to make you feel guilty for finding organization to be a challenge—you just want to defend against having a level of disorganization that creates a brain drain. Of course, some disorganized people don’t even know this is a problem. Their way of life just feels normal to them. You can check this by asking your administrative assistant or a coworker who has exposure to your work habits to tell you if disorganization is something you should work on.

3) Tendency to second-guess decisions. Some spiritual leaders waste energy when they allow nagging doubts, compounded by self-blame, to dog them if things don’t go the way they anticipated when they made a decision. Depending on personality and cognitive style, leaders need differing amounts of information and lead times in order to make decisions. But once decisions are made, the best leaders practice little second-guessing. “Would I have made the same decision with the same information I had at the time?” is a good question for leaders to ask themselves when tempted to second-guess. If the answer is yes, then the leader can move on. If the answer is no, then the issues is to find a better way to make decisions (which McNeal talks about later in the book)…

MARK DRISCOLL ON YOUNG LEADERS

COLIN POWELL ON LEADERSHIP

Colin Powell is one of the most respected leaders in the last twenty years. He has provided quality leadership in a plethora of situations. The following video outlines his leadership rules/values. Although not specifically tied to spiritual matters, I believe most of these to be consistent with the values of leadership found in scripture. Use this as a reflective check-up on your leadership practices. - Steve

REACHING TODAY'S PROFESSIONAL WOMAN

Sharon Hodde Miller

I came across this blog through Ed Stetzer. It is called SHE WORSHIPS and is by a friend of his, Sharon Hodde Miller. She has some important thoughts on women and the church that I believe are worth examining. An outward-focused church thinks outside the current box in theologically sound ways and I believe Sharon has framed this discussion very well. I've added her to my personal blog list.  Here is an excerpt of her thoughts. Above is a link to it. - Steve

Sharon writes:

• 46.8% of the total U.S. Labor Force is composed of women. That equates to 59.2% of all women age 16 and over in the U.S., and the number is growing. (The U.S. Dept. of Labor)
• Women-owned firms employ more people than all the Fortune 500 companies combined. (The National Association of Women Business Owners)
• 70% of American families include a working mom. (npr.org)
• Since 1980 there has been a 40% increase in the number of women getting bachelor’s degrees, masters, and doctorates. (“The Changing Role of Women in the Workplace,” Sneha Kalyan, 2009)
• In 2006-2007, the number of women attaining bachelor’s and master’s degrees was greater than that of men, and the number of women attaining doctorates was equal to that of men. It is projected that in 2018, women will continue to outnumber men in the achievement of advanced degrees, including doctorates. (National Center for Education Statistics)

These statistics provide us with a glimpse of the future church and the future of women’s ministries, especially in educational and economic centers. The question is, how will the church reach these women? How will the church welcome these women? How will the church use the education and skills that these women have gained in the secular workforce to build up the Body of Christ? How will women’s ministries meet their needs?

As the majority of women move in a completely new direction, churches will have to think creatively about utilizing their gifts and offering a high quality of teaching for women. While respecting every church’s view of women in leadership, we must also work toward a robust understanding of the Body of Christ in which all gifts are not only valued but implemented for the edification of the church. Depending on your church context that will play out in any number of ways. Perhaps women’s ministries will need to offer more theologically engaging teaching, thereby creating even more opportunities for women with the gifts of teaching and leading; if you’re a woman like Jenni with business and managerial skills, you might consider offering your experience to the church.

The changing face of the American woman has some short-comings, to be sure, but we can’t miss out on the fact that women are being equipped to serve the church in ways that they never were before. Let’s not miss that opportunity. And let us not underestimate the grave and long-term consequences of failing to evangelize these women strategically. As women, we need to have a missional mindset towards this growing generation of professional and highly educated women. Otherwise, we might end up with an equal yet opposite dilemma to the last decade–instead of missing men in the pews, we might be missing women.

JORGE ACEVEDO ON TEAM LEADERSHIP

Too many churches fail at becoming outward focused because they remain centered on a single pastor. George Escevedo gives us some valuable insight on why we must change this.

CULTURAL ARCHITECT

Wayne Cordeiro and Robert Lewis. along with Warren Bird have written an excellent book called Culture Shift: Transforming Your Church from the Inside Out (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series). In it they speak of the pastor (or lead pastor) as the chief “cultural architect” of a church. The concept reminds me of several deep truths about the church, but particularly the church that seeks to be a “bridge to the Bridge (Jesus Christ).


1.Every church has a culture.

2. Our culture naturally shapes the way we live.

3. If we don’t shape our culture, our culture shapes us.

Most of the churches in existence today were born into a culture where the institutional church had a significant place at the table. There was a certain synchronicity between the values of the general American culture and the values of the church. The church had a fairly simple task to make disciples because the culture provided a certain amount of elemental support to the mission of the church.

Culture has a powerful shaping influence. Despite the presence of the church at the table, our culture has developed a strong consumer mindset rather than a servant one. A consumer mentality seeks first and foremost to meet the felt needs of the consumer.

Religious satisfaction (read, religion that meets my felt needs) was often the first order of business for most churches and most church people. That tended to give churches a strong inward focus, rather than an outward one because the incentive to meet the needs of the already persuaded often used up most of the resources, leaving little for persuading others to become reconciled to God. The prevailing culture (which was less and less influenced by the church) made most Christians at the end of the 20th century more consumers of religious services than servants of the mission of Christ.

Bridgebuilding requires first a culture that values bridgebuilding. That means a church must intentionally be structured around a mission to reach and reconcile lost people to God. It must be a culture that sees itself as missionary in nature and to intentionally imbed the values needed to be on a mission from God.

That begins with the pastor–the person responsible for equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry. That also means that the pastor must be committed to the missionary nature of the church. That, of course, means that the pastor must be intentional about helping shaping the lives under his care with the values of Christ.

Those values come the Word, from scripture. Part of the reason the church has been so often been shaped by the culture is that the values of the church were more religiously cultural than biblical. The cultural architect must first start with the blueprint of his Architect (the real Chief Cultural Architect) lest he try to design the unique expression that is his congregation that is disconnected from the power and blessing of God.

And the cultural arhitect must be sure that he is being shaped by his Arhitect. That means that the cultural architect (pastor) must himself first be led by the Spirit so he can do his part in shaping a culture (a church) that is led by the Spirit.

This article originally appeared on the blogsite BRIDGEBUILDERS

WHY A LEAD PASTOR?

Recently at the Church of God of Landisville we changed my title from Senior Pastor to Lead Pastor. We made this change because we believe God has given us a new vision as a congregation which required us to do ministry in a new way. That meant my role was changing and to clearly communicate that I now have a new position title. The name, however, Lead Pastor was chosen because it matched our emerging philosophy of ministry. This is what we have shared with the congregation. - Steve

A Senior Pastor is a whole lot like the guy in this cartoon. He’s kind of the head of everything or the hub of ministry. He’s the “ranking officer of the church.” (That’s actually the job description in our church constitution.) In practice he becomes the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Operating Office combined into one office. In that context He is the one who speaks for God and he’s the “one” responsible for the church’s success. The Senior Pastor has primary authority and that authority is positional, i.e., it’s tied to his office. Even if the Senior Pastor believes the Holy Spirit is the leader of the church, the congregation tends to think that job is the Senior Pastor’s. Thus everyone believes the Senior Pastor needs to be a part of what they do or else it’s not as important (or they measure the importance of what is done by whether or not the Senior Pastor blesses it and gives his time to it.)

It’s a killer job description; but it also promotes an inappropriate understanding of church leadership and the nature of the church in the 2st century. It is a model that suited well the hierarchical values of the Church in another era. It is a model that could easily be translated by people working in human organizations and the business world.

So why are we shifting from this concept to that of a Lead Pastor? Here are just a few reasons:

1. Effective leadership in the church comes more from relational authority than positional. People best follow a person who they trust not a person who has the power of position.

2. The church is a spiritual organism and the Holy Spirit is the Leader. The Holy Spirit works through the gifts of the Body and persons provide leadership to the rest of us when they faithfully exercise their gifts. That means that there are areas of a church’s ministry that are outside the pastor’s giftedness and when those areas must be at the forefront, people with those gifts must lead.

3. A church has many leaders all of whom are responsible for the faithfulness and fruitfulness of the church.

4. The pastor (i.e, the Senior Pastor) is chiefly responsible for vision-casting and equipping (see Ephesians 4). He is responsible to lead not manage. Management is often concerned with day-to-day effectiveness and maintaining the organization. Leadership is about the big picture and helping the church grow to the full potential of its calling from God. When the two are combined, the managing side wins because a whole lot of time is consumed being sure the group is operating efficiently and little time (or energy) is left for the Big Picture (Vision) and paying attention to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

5. The pastor is the chief spiritual officer of the church which means he must have time in the Word, in prayer, and focusing on helping the church understand and live from its core values as the Body of Christ. That is his work. It is the work of the church to do the work of the church.

6. Younger adults and unchurched people see Senior Pastor as a business or institutional concept with all of its baggage, not a spiritual one. They trust someone who leads, not orders. They relate to the heart of a pastor to commit themselves to his leadership and they want that heart to be connected to God’s heart.

7. A Lead Pastor has come to be synonymous with servanthood not rank. It is associated with humility not power. (If you don’t grasp that, read John 13).

These are the reasons why the Elders and the Church Council have approved a new title for their former “Senior” Pastor.

How that will be put into practice is the subject of our next blog posting.

Note to readers of OUTWARD FOCUSED CHURCH. You can read this post in its original and related posts at HOLY SPIRIT INCUBATOR.

LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM DANCING GUY

Leadership Lessons learned from Dancing Guy. Read transcript at http://sivers.org/ff Original video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA8z7f7a2Pk

This is a little off the wall, but my good friend Rich Thornton from Friendship Community Church (CGGC) in Dover PA recommends it as a great discussion starter for people who need to start thinking outside the box.

RETOOLING AND REFRAMING OUR MINISTRY

I have been in the ministry formally since 1971 when I started as a youth pastor. It's a little humbling but that means I have been serving in leadership as pastor or church staff member 39 years. During that time I have served a denominational staff position, and served as pastor or ministry staff in seven different churches. Two of the last three have been longer term - one for 14 years in a large midwestern city and most recently for nine years here at Landisville.

Besides leading different churches, a lot has changed in my professional life. The picture on the right was how I looked as I occupied that pulpit in the Midwest (when I was in my 30s and early 40s). The picture on the right is how I am dressed most Sundays now (as I start my 60th year of life.)

In last decades of the 20th century, pastors with multiple staffs were called Senior Pastors (modeled from corporate cultures and top-down authority structures.) Increasingly we are finding that younger adults are not impressed by those power titles and a bit turned off the emphasis on hierarchy. Now, in order to connect with emerging generations, I am called the Lead Pastor

When I started in ministry the pastor functioned more as a priest or chaplain to the people. In many ways he was the hireling who did the work of the church on behalf of the church. Then pastoring evolved into an emphasis on administration and management, with many pastors being seen as CEOs. Their focus was on building a structure to do ministry that coordinated mission statements, organizational structures and programs to make sure the church was carrying out its ministry. Increasingly pastors are encouraged to step away from such day to day supervision and control, to focus on casting the vision of the church and working with the Spirit to create a culture that embodies the DNA of Christ. Equipping people for ministry by teaching them core values, keeping their focus on what God is doing, and helping them discover and use their gifts in a way that serves God.

One of the deep and enduring challenges of pastoral leadership is for the pastor to be open to be a new kind of pastor as the needs of the ministry change, and helping churches understand that fruitfulness requires such change.

THE LEADERSHIP HUB AND SPIRITUAL INCUBATORS

A while back I posted an article "The Executive Team." It was an attempt to put into language that some of your church leadership for whom "business think" is their default mode to begin to see how leadership in a spiritual organism functions. In discussing this with those in leadership who see a possible danger in using such terms, we reframed his somewhat differently.

In most churches the Lead Pastor is the ranking officer or as we sometimes say, "First among equals." This does not mean the Lead Pastor is the only leader that counts. It means because of the office he has been given and the gifts he has been given, he serves as the point man on the church's mission and in communicating its God-given vision. It is an "office" that carries with it a natural positional authority that is enhanced by relationship authority.

In my own church, however, there are three other officers who have a similar positional authority that is enhanced by relational authority. They are the Council President (i.e., the church lay leader of the church), the Chairperson of the Elders (who leads those persons particularly responsible for the spiritual health and faithfulness of the congregation), and the Chairperson of the Strategic Advisory Team (the group that helps us formulate a unified mission and ministry plan that keeps us true to our vision, and to help all groups evaluate their effectiveness.)

They are a form of "top" leadership which means they are the first to model Servant Leadership.
From their position, they have many groups or leaders answerable to them. From their relationships, they model both the servanthood and Spirit-guided team work necessary to be faithful and fruitful as a church.

We are now treating them as a LEADERSHIP HUB into which ideas, issues, concerns, dreams, problems and opportunities are channeled. Then in their regular dialogue they seek what part of the church structure is best suited to respond to this concern. It is a way for people throughout the church to know where first to take their thoughts and the ones that people can know will be accountable to see that these concerns are addressed or these dreams are fostered.

We are calling the places they are assigned to as THE SPIRITUAL INCUBATORS. In our next post we will attempt to describe that in a helpful way.

It's a new concept that is evolving with us as a church in our desire to be effective stewards of the Great Vision our Great God has given a Great Church. We'll keep you posted.

THE EXECUTIVE TEAM

Good planning and timely decision-making are essential to a church seeking to be faithful to God's leading. Sometimes mission drift occurs because it gets bogged down in the inertia of church governance. Who is responsible for what? How do you get action on an idea that has implications for multiple ministry teams? How do you be certain that your mission is working out of your vision from God and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit?

Last weekend I was privileged to be a part of Houston 2010, a conference sponsored by Global Media Outreach. GMO is a division of Campus Crusade and specializes in internet evangelism (more on this in a later post). The conference was put together in 40 days to respond to an immediate and critical need in their ministry. They succeeded incredibly, in part because they had an executive team that used its best skills and clear lines of responsibility to respond to a leading of the Holy Spirit to conduct this event. Watching them at work, God gave me a sense of how an executive team might truly help a church produce God-class ministry.

The Executive Team would be composed of four persons:

THE CEO (or to use a popular term, Chief Cultural Architect) This is the Lead Pastor whose job is to be the vision-caster of the church and the chief teacher of its core values and identity as the Body of Christ.

THE COO or your council chairperson. This is the one who sees that a church board and its ministry teams are working in a coordinated manner. He or she also sees that the proper decision-making occurs in a timely manner that keeps the church "legal" constitutionally or structurally and with the denominational body and the state.

THE CPO or chief planning officer. This person heads a Strategic Advisory Team that works with Commissions and your church board to help evaluate ongoing ministry and develop a unified ministry that plan that keeps your church faithful and fruitful to its mission statement. Both this office and this team would have to be created in most churches.

THE CPI or Chief Prayer Igniter. In most churches this would be the chairperson of your elders. In my church the elders have the responsibility for spiritual oversight of the Body and to keep the church in tune with God as a spiritual organism in all of its efforts. Since prayer is the most critical element of any spiritual enterprise, this person sees that the church is at prayer for its decisions and its operations.

Together these persons work to see that ministry ideas and needs are assigned to the proper are to become the incubators out of which action is derived.

Next post: SPIRITUAL INCUBATORS

THE FIRST QUALIFICATION OF LEADERSHIP

I have been doing a lot of prayerful reflection on leadership in the church--and the lessons I have learned. Sometimes those lessons have been learned through mistakes. Sometimes they have been learned through the insights of others accompanied by the Lord saying "Think outside your box and pay attention." Here is something that has become a firm conviction for me and was recently reinforced in reading the work of Robert Lewis and Wayne Cordeiro in their book Culture Shift: Transforming Your Church From the Inside Out.

The first qualification is a spiritual one. Lewis and Cordeiro write: "... the cultural epicenter of a church is not a static code or rules, but life-on-life equipping that ultimately allows a person or a team you trust to apply biblical principles your your specific context." (SPECIFIC CONTEXT=THE PEOPLE GOD HAS GATHERED TOGETHER IN 2010 TO DO MINISTRY AS THE CHURCH OF GOD OF LANDISVILLE."

When we design a church's mission and ministry, we really cannot step away from a reality that impacts our ultimate frutifulness. The church is not an organization--it is a spiritual organism. It is the continuing body of Christ. Our DNA is Christ's DNA and our character should reflect Jesus Christ's values and our behavior should quite literally be defined as what Jesus would do as the Church of God of Landisville.

Being the people of a great God requires us, to use Lewis and Cordiero's words is to "incarnate not duplicate." We are not trying to reproduce successful programs that others have used in their specific settings. We are trying to incarnate (give life to) the mission God has called us uniquely to carry out as a congregation on the mission field that is Landsville in 2010.

This is what the first qualification of leadership is a spiritual one. In Acts, David is described in such a way that defines this qualification: "He’s a man whose heart beats to my heart, a man who will do what I tell him." The Message translation.

If this is not true of a church leader, then that leaders ideas, plans, and actions will not result in a church that truly honors God or that God blesses.

A NEW WEBSITE - CHOOSE TODAY

A new web site has been set up by a colleague, Dan Masshardt. He first hit me with a comment by Dave Kraft of "Seven Habits of Ineffective Leaders." One of the important decisions a church must make is to cooperate with a pastoral leader to allow him to develop a leadership effectiveness that enhances their fruitfulness as a church in mission. Check out this site and see how you fare on those habits.

http://choosetoday.wordpress.com