6 Things Learned from 2 Great Communicators

by: Dan Reiland

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All leaders communicate. Not all leaders communicate well.

Communication is a broader topic than just your Sunday morning or weekend messages. Much of a leader’s most important communication takes place in one to one conversations or in small group meetings. But in this article I’ll focus on public communication, leaning mostly into the context of the Sunday message. (But with just a little translation, the principles carry over to all communication.)

Moses was slow of speech and lacked confidence. The apostle Paul was eloquent and powerful. Most of us are somewhere between those two. My purpose in writing is to offer what I’ve learned from two of the best communicators I know, Kevin Myers and John Maxwell. I’ve had the privilege to work closely with both of these men for a long time, and I’m fortunate to have learned how to be a better communicator.

Here’s some of what I’ve learned.

• Connection is essential. 

Communication begins on the inside with a healthy self-awareness and a comfort level with who you are as a person. This enables you to be yourself as you communicate. This allows connection to take place and is the beginning of good communication. When you are yourself, people can connect with you. When they connect with you they can trust you and when they trust you they are willing to follow your teaching and leadership.

The opposite of connection is self-protection and it is rooted in fear and results in hiding. Your teaching becomes more powerful when you don’t attempt to hide. Remember though, you don’t tell your story so you feel better. You tell your story to set others free. Knowing that helps you determine what to say!

• Content won’t carry you. 

John and Kevin are naturally gifted communicators. It would be easy for both of them to lean into their talent and not work on their craft. But instead, both of them continually work to master their craft! Both are better today than ever! Content is very important but it won’t carry you or the moment. Delivery is king. You can have a brilliant biblical message, but if your delivery is dry and dull, you’ve wasted the content, and you’ll lose the people. They may love you and trust you but they will still drift when you talk if you don’t teach with increasing skill.

Study the best teachers and preachers you know. Don’t copy them but learn from them. And let me offer you this really good tip for now. If you aren’t a great communicator, talk shorter till you are better! Seriously! Don’t teach for 40 plus minutes unless you are really good. Stick with 25 minutes.

• It’s with the audience not at the audience. 

I’ve listened to many pastors and teachers over the years. There are a surprising number that seem to talk “at” the audience, not to them or seemingly “with” them as in a conversation. I’m not referring to the angry thundering preachers. Candidly, there aren’t that many left. That style simply doesn’t work. I’m referring more so to the pastors who are technical in their skills and practice. They have some good thoughts, they write them down, and then dispense them on Sunday. It almost wouldn’t matter if the people were in the room or not, the words are delivered the same.

The best communication feels more like something with the people. I know you are talking and they are listening, but it still needs to feel like a conversation. You can draw them in by asking a question where they can raise their hand for a yes or no. You can use humor. There are a number of ways involve your listeners!

• Confidence comes from preparation. 

We all know what it’s like to show up unprepared, or at least not prepared enough. It’s not good. You may be talented enough to get away with it for a while, but as a steady diet this bad habit of short changing your preparation will catch up with you. In time your communication skills will lessen and your confidence will decline.

In contrast, consistent and disciplined preparation not only breeds confidence, it cultivates enthusiasm within you. One of the ways I know I’m ready to teach is that I absolutely can’t wait to deliver the message!! My messages never start that way. The process starts with, “Dear Lord please help me!” (Really.) But every time, at some point in my preparation, something clicks and I get so excited I can hardly stand it. It’s then I know I’m ready.

• Read the room.

Pay attention to your surroundings. The environment matters. Even if you can’t change the elements, being aware can help you. Start with the physical elements. What is the temperature of the room? Is it comfortable? How is the lighting? Can they see? Dark isn’t always cool. Light brings energy to the room! Low lighting subdues the room. This may be good for worship, but it’s not good for communication. How about the seating? Too many chairs? What about the podium? Is it a huge fort like thing that hides the communicator, or is it something small and just enough to hold your notes? If you find yourself with one of those “hotel issue” kinds of giant podiums, grab a music stand. That works great.

There are two more elements to “read.” The people and the Holy Spirit. What do you sense from the people? What do they need? And most importantly, what is the Holy Spirit telling you?

• Know where you are going, and get there. 

My wife has often said to me in the past, “Hun, you need to learn how to land the plane! Pick a runway and land the plane!” Good advice. Far too many communicators appear as if they are circling the airport trying to pick a runway and just don’t know where to put the plane down! Not good.

Kevin works with two simple questions. What do you want the people to know? And what do you want the people to do? Be clear about those two things and you’ll know where and when to land the plane.

Remember that you are not only teaching, you are also leading. The people need you to inspire them. I don’t mean hype, but helping them believe what you are saying is actually possible with the help of God! If you believe God can and will help them, they will embrace that hope as you teach!

There is much more to great communication, but this is a good start. Add this to what you already know. Practice and you’ll see the difference.

This article is used by permission from Dr. Dan Reiland’s free monthly e-newsletter, “The Pastor’s Coach,” available at www.INJOY.com.

Tags: Attention, Awareness, Dan Reiland, John Maxwell, Kevin Myers

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2 Simple Questions that Will Align Your Teams for Missional Ministry

by: Will Mancini

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A helpful way to shepherd your people with relationship to the mission of Jesus is to ask two simple questions:

1) Is the person clear about the vision of your church?

2) Is the person wanting to make a contribution? 

Imagine that you could answer these questions with a yes or no. If so, you can locate everyone on the “key” below.

Can you picture people in your church who are…

• Crew
• Passengers 
• Stowaways
• Pirates

The are key questions that arise from this simple classification. Remember good shepherds know their sheep and know how to guide each one based on their unique needs.

I will address some of these questions in follow-up posts:

1) Do you really know your crew? I am surprised at how many churches don’t have a clear view of their team. I will share how Mac Lake and I help churches develop a clear “team portrait” during our leadership pipeline coaching intensives.

2) How do you invite stowaways to become passengers? Many pastors are far enough removed from the mindset of the insecure unchurched person that they can miss some basic steps and skills to help others see and appreciate the mission of the church.

3) How do you recruit passengers to be crew? There are six “recruiting windows” that a leader must look through int he process of developments. In this post I will unpack I tool that I have used for years but have never published.

4) How do you either convert pirates to crew of get them off the ship?  This question is a biggie, and requires a separate post to provide a few thoughts. But, there is a way to do this with the wisdom and grace of a master-shepherd.

As a preparation for the rest of the series, I would encourage you to write down a few people you know in each part of the grid. Also, if you had to make a stab at the overall percentages in your congregation, what would you say? Go ahead and draw a grid with actual percentages in it.

By the way, the visual above is taken from the Church Unique Visual Summary. Download it for free by clicking here.

Tags: Alignment, Church Unique Visual Summary, Will Mancini, missional ministry

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Perfecting Your Pitch by Finding Words that Work

by: Ron Shapiro

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Have you ever been faced with settling family financial squabbles, asking for a raise, offering tough but constructive criticism, rejecting a friend or relative’s request for a loan, selling and holding to a price, making budget denials and requests, dealing with customer objections, or negotiating a contract where you feared the other side had all the leverage?

And have you, said something to quickly solve the problem and in an instant thought to yourself: “Wow, why did I say that?” How often do we come out of an important discussion or a negotiation and ponder what we could’ve done or said differently to achieve a better result?

Ron Shapiro is an expert negotiator, sports agent, attorney, educator, civic leader, and best-selling author. Having negotiated the contracts of more Baseball Hall of Famers than any other agent, he knows a little about the art of negotiation.

To easily explain how to achieve better results yourself, Shapiro has developed a simple, systematic approach to empower people from all walks of life with the tools to perfect their pitch. Simply called the 3 Ds—Draft, Devil’s Advocate, and Deliver—it is the key process for success in challenging communications.

Now if you’re thinking that you don’t need the 3 Ds, remember the words of Harry Truman: “It’s what you learn after you know it all that really counts.”

Don’t make excuses. Try something new and see the difference it will make.

Put the 3 D’s in play and you will not only be a better negotiator or business leader, but also have a tool for leading a more effective and fulfilling life.

>> Download Ron Shapiro’s “Perfecting the Pitch” here to help you achieve success when faced with a difficult communication challenge.

Tags: Communication Challenge, Ron Shapiro, negotiating

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4 Ways to Hit Your Rhythm This Fall

by: Steve Caton

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With the beginning of fall, ministry at most churches kicks into high gear. This is a common rhythm of church life. In fact, all of life is full of rhythm — but too often the competing needs of ministry, personal and family life can create a discordant tune. Finding the right rhythm can prevent burnout and lead to effective ministry.

A life out of rhythm leads to burnout. This is a full-blown epidemic in the church today. According to a study conducted by Dr. Richard J. Krejcir,² being a pastor is difficult work — as shown by the following statistics:

• 90% of pastors stated they are frequently fatigued and worn out on a weekly or even daily basis.
• 77% of the pastors surveyed felt they did not have a good marriage.
• 75% of the pastors surveyed felt they were unqualified and/or poorly trained by their seminaries to lead and manage the church or to counsel others. This left them disheartened in their ability to pastor.

(Find out more about the challenges of ministry here.)

Healthy rhythms lead to happy and effective people. Most people spend more waking hours at work than anywhere else. If you are not engaged and fulfilled in your role, then your whole life suffers. As a leader, you conduct the orchestra. Not only do you need to find your rhythm, you need to help those around you stay in sync with one another and the mission of the church. Creating a connection to the mission and clearing roadblocks for others can be your conductor’s baton that keep everyone’s timing in sync.

Getting in rhythm is important, but how do we find that rhythm? In full disclosure, I am the farthest thing from a musician; in fact, my kids won’t even let me sing in the car. Despite that, I believe there are four great lessons we can learn from music.

1. Find your tempo.  Tempo is a measurement of beats per minute. If you fail to pay attention to the tempo, your song falls apart. Knowing when to speed up and when to slow down is the key. Often the most difficult — but most important — word church leaders can utter is ‘no’. There are constant demands on your time, but ‘doing ministry’ isn’t more important than your personal journey with Christ, your marriage, your family, or your sanity. Happy, well-balanced church leaders are far more effective than stressed-out, disillusioned church leaders. Don’t think for a second that your work won’t suffer if your life outside of work takes a back seat. In ministry, your job is not to do it all, which is why Ephesians 4 tells us to equip others.

>> Question to consider: How can your equipping strategy help you set a healthy tempo?

2. The Power of Silence. The pace of life often leaves little space for contemplation and reflection, which are central to a healthy Christian walk. Without well-timed silence, music would just be buzzing. There are two types of ‘space’ that I try to build into my life. The first is the margin in my daily life to adjust, alter, or pause my plans as things develop. When the sales clerk unexpectedly shares with me her story of divorce, do I have time to engage, or can I only offer her the obligatory ‘I’m really sorry to hear that’? Or, if my son wants to play catch, can I say yes more often than I say no? Secondly, I try to intentionally build in time for reflection. I call this think/read/write/review time, and I put this on my schedule as a planned activity. In this time I hear from God, reflect on my priorities, and focus for the week.

>> Question to consider: How are you building silence into your life, and are you making the most of it?

3. Pitch perfect. We increasingly live in a world of shrill voices and fevered pitch.  Beautiful music has high notes, low notes, and everything in between. As a leader, people are often pulling on you to engage in the crisis of the day, but we know that not every battle is worth fighting and you cannot be the hero in every story. In contrast, as a leader, your voice is often the one that is needed to provide context and vision into matters. In what areas could you release control to others who are ready to get off the bench and into the game? God is not depending on you alone to get things done. Knowing when to speak and when to be silent can not only keep your blood pressure in a healthy place, but also prevent you from being distracted from the main focus of your ministry.

>> Question to consider: Is this issue you’re facing a distraction, or can you provide direction to the discussion that points back to Christ? 

4. Everything in its time. Music is all about timing. You can have the right notes and perfect pitch, but if the timing is off, the song is terrible. Ever heard a comedian with bad timing? Painful.  Ministry is no different. Implementing a good idea at the wrong time can have disastrous consequences. Making good decisions requires more than gut instincts; it requires good information. In order to strike while the iron is hot, you need good data to act upon. This will save you time and heartache.

>> Question to consider: How are you making your ministry decisions — on intuition or on data?

Few people have had better rhythm than John Coltrane. He said, “My music is the spiritual expression of what I am — my faith, my knowledge, my being.” Finding your rhythm requires setting the appropriate tempo, leaving space between the notes, hitting the right pitch, and good timing. Finding your rhythm helps you live a song worth playing.

In what ways are you modeling a healthy rhythm in your life?

Read more from Steve here.

Tags: Leadership Development, Ministry Rhythm, Steve Caton

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Churches Need to Offer What Their Community Needs

by: Jody Forehand

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I hope you are ready to jump into some controversy with me today because I’m going to talk about things that many Christians (and many “church architects”) take personally and seriously…what a church “should” look like. But, I may surprise you with the analysis if you think you know where I’m heading because at Visioneering Studios, we are challenging the way people think about the purpose and design of church facilities from the ground up.

I guess the best place to start is at the beginning. Let’s start with the definition of “church”. Webster’s defines “church” as, “1) a group of Christians; any group professing Christian doctrine or belief; 2) a place for public (especially Christian) worship.” Is this definition in alignment with the Biblical definition of “church”? The Greek word for church is “ekklesia”, which means “that which is called out,” and that is the only word for Church in the whole Bible (and it is only used in the New Testament). Obviously this is talking about the people who have been “called out” and become followers of Jesus. Jesus even said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

Wherever followers of Christ gather together there is the church. So, how did we get so confused and hung up on the form and structure of a building that we refer to as the “church” and that to most people, especially non-Christians, is seen as THE church? Jesus’ first “church” services took place on hillsides or beside lakes while he spoke from a boat. The disciples first “church” service (the day of Pentecost) took place in the temple court. First century churches met in houses and wherever there was room for people to gather.

Clockwise from top left – St. Peters, God’s Creation, Traditional Church, Metal Box

Somewhere along the way “churches” started to become buildings, and they became “sacred” spaces that required design of a certain type. I can stand amazed in front of St. Peter’s in Rome or any number of other cathedrals throughout the world and feel staggeringly overwhelmed at the intricacy and details involved in those structures, but I can also stand awestruck in a forest or on a beach and wonder about the miracle of God’s creation. I can sit in a “traditional” church complete with stained glass, steeple, and pews and be lifted up before God’s throne in worship, but I can also sit in a pre-engineered metal warehouse with a small group of believers who have scraped together all they had to build their first building and be touched to my soul by a stirring message delivered from a down-to-earth preacher.

What we all have to realize is that “traditional” or “contemporary” are just man-made concepts that are totally unrelated to salvation. It may seem patently obvious to state it this way, but Jesus didn’t sit in a pew or a theater seat. He didn’t sing from a hymnal while a pipe organ played or sing with words on a screen while a band rocked out. He didn’t wear a suit and tie or a t-shirt and shorts. He didn’t preach in a church with stained glass windows and a steeple, or in a church with a coffee shop and a video venue.

The message of the Bible is timeless, but the presentation of the message is cultural. Jesus reached people where they were in that day and time in a method and in a location that they could be comfortable and relate to (see John 4:4-26 about the Samaritan woman at the well). I strongly believe that if Jesus was walking around in America today He would be using technology, music, buildings, and everything else at His disposal as tools to reach people where they are.

Northside Christian Church – Spring, TX. Design by Visioneering Studios. Photo by G. Lyon Photography.

I’m not saying there is anything wrong with traditional buildings, or pipe organs, or hymnals, but I would ask you to look in your heart and ask yourself if your church is being as effective as they could be in reaching your community and the unchurched in today’s culture using methods and facility prototypes created hundreds of years ago. Would you like your doctor to use leeches and other medical “technology” of a few hundred years ago to treat you today? I wouldn’t, which is why I think it is important to examine the methods we use to “treat” those in need of the ultimate healing. What type of places and buildings do people choose to go to spend their free time? What type of music do people choose to listen to on their iPods? Churches need to be offering their community what their community needs. The church facility can be a 7-day-a-week Christ-centered community instead of a 2-hour-a-week Christian insider’s club.

Don’t ever compromise the message. Don’t ever change the story of salvation. But, maybe it’s time to look at the method and environment where that message is shared. Is it more important to keep things they way they’ve always been because the people who are already “saved” and are already inside the walls of the church like it that way? Or is it better to find out what will reach those outside of the walls and make them comfortable stepping foot inside the doors of your church even if it makes the “insiders” uncomfortable? Are you willing to sacrifice your comfort to reach out to others? Isn’t that why the church exists? All I’m asking is for you to think about it.

Be intentional.

Tags: Culture, Jody Forehand, Visioneering Studios

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A Church Plant Moves Out of Storage

by: Mike Gammill

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(Mike Gammill is one of our Lead Navigators at Auxano. He recently completed a campaign with San Marcos Community Church in San Marcos, TX. The Vision Clarity impact and unique Campaign story will inspire you.)

In the summer of 2013, San Marcos Community Church was in the church plant doldrums. As a twelve-year-old plant they really weren’t a “plant” anymore, but their base of mission and worship was still a leased facility. They did own land a couple of streets over. They owned a building too, but it was a metal prefab building and was, literally, in storage. Their dreams of permanent place were in storage too.

Twelve years in, the church had hit a plateau and energy was on the decline. “Trying to put on Saul’s armor” were the words the Senior Pastor used when we talked about most of the solutions available to him. He resonated with our Vision Clarity process, because we started with understanding their unique God-given ministry DNA, and then, from there, navigated them through growth obstacles with vision instead of hype, busyness…or a building project.

We started their seven-month vision clarity process in September of that year. The Senior Pastor quickly made a tough decision that paid dividends in spades: he consolidated all weekly ministry programs into a weekly prayer gathering. This prayer gathering became the central nervous system to a revival that broke out shortly after. Church attendance began to increase and a second service was added. Giving began to increase and the Holy Spirit challenged leadership to step up their commitment to – literally – lay the foundation for their permanent facility.

Then, in November, the call came from their landlord that could have disrupted everything. They had 90 days to find a new place to worship (the state of Texas was turning the building into a highway). Rather than seeing this as an obstacle, church leadership saw this as leading from the Holy Spirit. In addition to finding a new place to live, the time had clearly come to launch a capital campaign in the next three months. They needed to raise capital to construct and occupy a permanent church in San Marcos, Texas, a city where it’s easier to open a bar than a church.

The Holy Spirit inspired urgency, along with an increasingly healthy centralized prayer gathering that helped them to overcome a too-short time frame. On Palm Sunday 2014, the congregation made commitments that totaled over 2.5x their 2013 budget. General giving also increased over 30%. In the end, they blew past their goals and greatly increased the generosity level of the church. All this, and their mortgage in 2015 may be less than their lease was in 2014.

Meanwhile, God demonstrated his faithfulness when he led the church to relocate to a nearby dance hall and bar that had closed its doors. When God builds his church, nothing can stand in the way.

>> Meet Mike

Tags: Generosity, Mike Gammill, Resourcing, Vision Clarity, Vision Pathway Process

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6 Critical Reasons for Developing the “Middle” of Your Teams

by: Bill Donahue

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Look at leadership development and you see the focus of most conferences and materials is on leaders at the top, or leaders on the front line. This is great – I love to work with senior-level teams and leaders, and have spent decades training volunteer group and team leaders for churches and businesses.

But many groups – especially Non-profits – really need to develop the middle, and the opportunities are endless!

So what about development for the MIDDLE? People have skills and experience beyond entry-level leadership and yet do not desire, are not ready for, or not gifted for – top-level posts. Where are the development strategies for these emerging leaders?

My “Leaders at Every Level” process is designed to develop and support leaders at every level of your church, non-profit or small business.

Here is why it is so important to DEVELOP THE MIDDLE layer of your organization:

1)     This is the pool from which you will draw many of your inner circle leaders in the next 4-5 years.

2)      An investment here has a huge trickle-down effect, as these leaders become better at passing along the DNA of your organization.

3)      You can see whether these leaders can reproduce the investment you have made in them. Can they, and will they, shape the people below them the way you are investing in them?

4)     It is a testing ground for greater responsibility. You can takes risks here and let leaders fail without causing too much pain in them or the organization. Yet they have time to learn and recover from failure before advancement to higher levels.

5)     Turnover drops dramatically and is directly proportional to the investment you make in people. After a few years people wonder if they are stuck, so they either level off (and just hang on to a job) or move on to better opportunities for growth. If you want turnover, ignore the middle. Here is some great info from The Wharton School that validates this point in business…but I think it is even MORE essential for churches and Non-profits.

6)     When top leaders move on or die or retire, there is no “crisis” because you have a built-in succession plan!

So what is your strategy? Share your ideas for development in the middle and I will forward them along. This is a great challenge!

Read more from Bill here.

Tags: Bill Donahue, Healthy Staff, Staff, Staff Development, Staff Transitions

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8 Bad Habits that Keep Your Church Communications Stuck in a Rut

by: Rich Birch

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We can get stuck in a rut when it comes to our leadership and church communications. Even in the most “progressive” churches we can just do things the way that they have always been done. Here are a few areas that I think we can suffer from our past habits sneaking up on us …

• Too Much Reliance on the Bulletin // The church bulletin is still a staple communications tool in church’s today. But if you think that getting your “ad” in the program will move people to action in your church you may be delusional.  Try this … put an ad in this weekend’s bulletin offering $10 for the first 10 people that contact you via email … you’ll be surprised how few people contact you. If it’s important to communicate to your church than you need to use many channels to get the message out!
• Using the Senior Pastor as the Magic Bullet // We all know that if the lead pastor at your church gets up and communicates whatever the need is your people will be moved to action. But the more that person leverages their influence in this way the less effective it is. Choose wisely how you manage the finite amount of trust your senior leaders have with people … don’t waste it on secondary issues at your church.
• Too Many Messages // How many things are you “asking” your people to be involved with? Cut it in half … and then next year cut it in half again. Narrow the focus on what you communicate about to get traction in your church. The more you talk about the less likely any of it will make an impact.
• Way Too Much Asking … Not Enough Celebrating // We suffer from talking too much about the future in our churches … asking people to come to events, join small groups, volunteer for upcoming outreaches. We need to spend more time celebrating what has happened in the life our churches! Thank donors. Take time out to declare isn’t it great to be a part of us?!
• Complex Response Systems // We want to make it easier for “us” so we make our people jump through more hoops than is necessary to sign up for stuff. We should be finding ways to reduce friction for our people … simplify, simplify simplify! Typically that means it’s going to be more work for “us” … but that’s ok … that’s what being in leadership is all about!
• Lousy Visuals // We live in a post-literate society. Your people need you to communicate with them in a visual manner. Your messages need compelling images (and video?) to move people to action. Most church leaders think in words and concepts while the people we lead are visual learners … we need to close that gap!
• Acronyms // This is a serious pet peeve of mine … acronyms are total “insider language”. They aren’t friendly to the people we are trying to lead. They are used by the “in” people to have a “code language” that can’t be understood by outsiders … acronyms make us feel great but make new people feel left out. (Similar … “cool” program names that aren’t self evident. It’s cool that your kids program is called Nirmātā Land … but the fact that you need to constantly explain that it means Creator Land in Nepalese is sideways energy and confuses outsiders.)
• You’re Passionate … They’re Not // We’re called to shepherd and lead the people that we serve. By definition the shepherd is more passionate and knowledgeable than the sheep. Stop assuming that your people care about what is happening at your church. Don’t whine that people aren’t joining your ministry approach … it’s our job to raise our programs up in their priorities. They don’t come to it passionate … our role is to lead them there … to shepherd them.

Each one of those I’ve suffered from in my leadership in church communications! What am I missing from this list?

>> Read more from Rich here.

Tags: Attention, Awareness, Rich Birch, church communications

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Why Having the Right People is Better Than Simply Having More People

by: Carey Nieuwhof

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You spend a lot of your time trying to grow your ministry.

When it comes to the mission of the church, it seems almost unthinkable to reach fewer people. Eternity hangs in the balance. And every person represents a potentially transformed life.

The desire to grow is also part of human nature…isn’t it?

In any organization, none of us really want to reach fewer people or have less impact. And yet sometimes, one of the best things you can do to become even more effective at accomplishing your mission is to invite people to leave.

It might kill you to entertain the thought of people leaving (it still kills a part of me).

But hang on.

I believe you’ll be a better leader and your organization will be more effective if you can embrace this truth.

But I realize it’s completely counterintuitive.

That Feeling in the Pit of Your Stomach…

Like you, it bothers me every time someone leaves.

When I first started in ministry, it hurt so much every time someone left. I felt like I had let them down, like I left the church down, like I had failed. I also felt as though if I had been a better leader, I would have been able to keep them.

For a season it hurt so much I pretended I didn’t care any more. But I did. I do. I realize some of this is irrational and much of it might be unhealthy, but it hurts when someone goes. However, if you let it fester, you’ll begin to live in fear all the time. In fact, you can end up with people-pleasing as your main goal. You will lead in a way that you hope is going to prevent the greatest number of people from leaving.

That’s a terrible strategy.

The moment you begin to focus more on who you want to keep rather than who you want to reach, you put the mission in danger.

7 Reasons You Should Invite (Some) People to Leave Your Church

I think the lessons I’ve learned from my little blog experiment and 19 years of leadership have taught me some things about allowing people to leave your church or your organization. None of this (I hope) is motivated by ego or a closed leadership style. It’s just that too many people in the church—and in many organizations—are afraid to lead. And it costs everybody.

So here are 7 reasons you should invite some people to leave your church:

1. Unaligned people cost you something.

People who don’t care about your church or organization cost you something. Energy. Time. Frustration. Malaise. A lack of momentum. People who are not aligned with your mission and vision always cost something. Why pay? Why not make room for more people who are aligned?

2. Having the right people is better than simply having people

Having more people is not better than having the right people. As this Inc. article shows, the financial costs of hiring the wrong person can be astounding. Before you have more people, you need the right people. The right people are people capable of taking on leadership, who are aligned around a common mission, vision, strategy and values, and who have the character to withstand the tests of leadership. Get these people in place, and amazing things happen.

3. Some people will find a better fit elsewhere.

Releasing people doesn’t have to be a sea of nastiness. In fact if it is, you’re doing it wrong. Think of it this way: if someone isn’t passionate about your organization’s purpose, they will actually be better off somewhere else. I tell people that all the time. We are not a church for everybody. THE church is for everyone. But your church isn’t. You’re one part of a much bigger body. You alone will not reach your entire city. We need each other as church leaders. You’ll be serving people by letting them find a better fit, and finding like minded people will help you accomplish your mission more effectively. Seriously, some people will honestly thrive in a different environment than yours. Why not celebrate that? Let them go. You don’t own the Kingdom.

If you struggle with this idea that the church isn’t for everyone, I wrote this post for you. 

4. Disengaged people can be disengaged elsewhere.

 Here’s the reality. Not everyone is ready to engage. If you’ve got disengaged people, let them be disengaged elsewhere. They can not serve, not give, and not invite friends at some other church. They don’t have to take up space in yours. Particularly in a growing church where space is at a premium (as it often is at our church), we can’t really afford to long term people who are not going to engage in the mission. I have all the time in the world for new people who are taking the time to explore faith. I have less time for ‘mature’ Christians who won’t roll up their sleeves and engage the mission (while we’re at it, we should rethink our definition of maturity).

5. A Few Aligned People Can Change the World.

I used to say we could do more with 300 aligned people than with 3000 unaligned people. Then one year, in a tough season for us as a church plant, we shrank down to almost 300 adults – far smaller than what we were two years earlier. We became so focused on our mission and particular strategy—and pursued it in a portable setting without all the trappings of other churches—that many people left. It was a tough tough season. But as I outlined in this post, those who stayed got aligned. Our mission became focused. Now, a few years later, we’re bigger than at any time in our history and most of our growth is coming from previously unchurched people. People are passionate about our mission. When you’re tempted to simply do whatever it takes to keep people, remember that a few aligned people can change the world. Jesus did it with 12.

6. Those who stay will feel honored and relieved.

 You’ve got great people at your church. You really do. When you clarify your focus and lead, great people generally follow. I’m assuming here that you have a God-given vision that’s affirmed by some capable and wise people around you. But many people will thank you for cutting through the ambiguity and double-mindedness and leading. When you cut unaligned people loose, the aligned will always thank you.

7. You’ll be blown away by how enthusiastic some of your people really are.

Over time, if your vision and direction are solid, you will see enthusiasm grow. People will get passionate about your mission. You will be amazed at how much synergy there is a group of people moving forward together. When the voices of the critics go silent (because they leave), you will finally hear the voice of enthusiasm. I realize few people talk about this in the church. And I realize it’s controversial.

What are you learning?

What keeps you from releasing people?

>> Read more from Carey.

Tags: Carey Nieuwhof, Leadership Engine, When people leave

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Do Your Homework: 9 Questions to Ask BEFORE Leading a Church Revitalization Effort

by: Thom Rainer

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I am excited about the increased interest in church revitalization. I am heartened to hear from a number of Millennials who are sensing God’s call in this direction. As this emphasis grows alongside the great interest in church planting, I have more reasons to remain an obnoxious optimist about our congregations.

But let me state the obvious. Leading a church revitalization is difficult. Indeed, it can’t be done outside of God’s power. While I wish to discourage no one from moving forward in this direction, we must do so with our eyes wide open.

With that in mind I offer a checklist to consider. Here are nine questions you should ask before leading a church revitalization.

1. Will I pray daily for my church and my leadership? I know. The question seems so obvious. But many leaders get so busy doing the work, they fail to take time to pray for God’s strength and wisdom to do the work.
2. Will I see this opportunity as a mission field? In the recent past, leading an established church was typically leading a culture that aligned well with the leader. No more. Many churches in need of revitalization are acting like they live in the culture of 1985. Moving them to present realities is a culture shock to many of the congregants. Thus both the church and the community are mission fields. We need to approach these opportunities much like an international missionary in his or her new culture.
3. Will I make a commitment for the long haul? While we can’t presume upon God’s timing in our lives, we do not need to enter the leadership of church revitalization as a stepping stone assignment. Change is often painfully slow, three steps forward and two steps backward. Some of the fruit of change often does not manifest until after the leader has been on the field for five years or more.
4. Will I love my critics? Genuine leaders of churches in need of revitalization will have their critics. Let me say it again: you will be criticized. But how will you respond to those critics? Will you respond with the love of Christ? Will you pray for your critics?
5. Will I be persistent? Leading a church to revitalization is difficult work. Sometimes, the only thing you know to do is to get out of bed and go to work each day. Because progress is not always noticeable on a day-by-day basis, it is easy to get discouraged. Stay with it. Stay the course. Be faithful.
6. Will I be an incarnational example in my community? Will I be present and involved in the community where the church is located? Will I show my love to those in the community? Will I demonstrate Christ in deed and words in my community? Will I be an example for the church members to follow?
7. Will I be a continuous learner about church revitalization? I am so encouraged about the new information coming forth about church revitalization every month. It reminds me of earlier years when we were getting good data and case studies of new church plants. You now have an opportunity to be a continuous learner in this field. Though I am certainly not the only source of information, I am committed to providing you ongoing information on church revitalization at this site.
8. Will I be content? The Apostle Paul learned to be content in all situations, including shipwrecks and prisons. Will you be content in the Lord to move forward with church revitalization?
9. Will I be a positive example and encourager for my family? If you are taking a family with you on this journey, they will need your support and encouragement too. Will you be there for them?

We may be entering a new era of church revitalization. Some of the signs are certainly positive.

>> Read more from Thom Rainer.

Tags: Church Revitalization, Recasting Vision, Thom Rainer, Visionary Leadership

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