5 CRUCIAL ATTITUDE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CHURCHES THAT GROW AND CHURCHES THAT DON’T

A great post by Carey Neiuwhof....Challanging!

So…what’s the difference between a growing church and a declining church?

Well, there are many, but one of the biggest differences I see is the attitudeof the leaders.

The leaders of growing churches almost always share a common attitude.

So do the leaders of declining churches.

And the attitude has a huge influence over the results each church sees.

Attitude may or may not be everything, but it’s close.

Here are 5 attitude differences I see again and again in growing churches and declining churches.

1. WE CAN V. WE CAN’T

Perhaps the biggest differences I see between growing churches and declining churches is the attitude around what’s possible.

Growing churches believe they can.

Declining churches believe they can’t.

They’re both right.

One of my all-time favourite quotes is Henry Ford’s “Whether you believe you can or believe you can’t, you’re right.”  He’s correct.

Growing churches make a way when there’s no way, which seems to be what God specializes in if you read the Bible.

When you sit around your leadership table, do you come up with 20 ways to make it happen, or 20 reasons why it won’t work? That tells you far more about your church than you probably want it to.

Growing churches believe they can. It’s that simple. And even if they’re wrong, at least they tried. The mission is important enough to take significant risk.

2. THEM V. US

Declining churches focus on themselves.

Growing churches focus on the people they’re trying to reach.

If your leadership table conversations are all about the needs and wants of your members, it’s a sign that your church is insider focused.

The mission of the church is to reach the world. Growing churches not only know that; they live it.

Besides, who likes to hang out with selfish people?

And ironically, selfish people almost always end up in a very surprising place: alone. Because a life devoted to self ultimately leaves you alone. That’s also true for selfish churches.

If you’re becoming smaller and smaller, is it because you’re selfish

3. PRINCIPLES V. PREFERENCES

Declining churches focus on their member’s preferences.

Todd didn’t like the music. 

Allison thinks we’re not deep enough. 

Bill wants to start a new program.

And so the leaders respond, trying to please everybody.

In reality, declining churches bend to the preferences of its members.

Growing churches don’t.

Instead, they focus on the principles (even strategies) that will help them reach new people.

Is your leadership team principle-driven or preference-driven? There’s a world of difference between the two

4. PROACTIVE V. REACTIVE

This is a close cousin of points 2 and 3 above, but the difference is deadly or life-giving depending on where you land.

Growing churches are proactive. They choose their agenda and immediately get on issues that can impact their future.

Declining churches are reactive, letting members determine the agenda and reacting to problems as they arise.

In fact, most declining churches are so busy reacting to problems other people raise that they never get around to charting a course for the future.

If you never get around to charting a course for the future, you will have no future.

Growing churches have a strong bias for setting their own agendas, not in the selfish sense, but in a way that determined leaders see what the mission requires and decide to deal with it.

The leaders in a growing church simply refuse to yield to the agenda of others that would take them off mission.

And as a result, they are far more effective.

5. NOW V. EVENTUALLY

Growing churches act. And they act now.

Declining churches don’t.

Declining churches don’t actually say they won’t act, they’ll just say they’ll get to it ‘eventually’, or someday, or ‘when the time is right’—which means never.

By contrast, as I outlined here, great leaders and great teams banish the word ‘someday’ and other words from their vocabulary.

If you want to be effective, you act.

If you want to be ineffective, you don’t.

Talk without action has little value. And too many church leaders specialize in talk.

In addition, too many church teams meet for the sake of meeting.

If you can’t remember the last time you made a major decision that changed the course of your church, your leaders are wasting their time.

If you talk about the same issues meeting after meeting with no resolution, you’re not leading, you’re spinning your wheels.

Does that mean you have to act on everything? Well, yes and no.

If you’re not going to act, strike the item off the agenda and move on.

If you are going to act, act. Now.

Just make a decision and move on with it. Don’t get stuck in the no man’s land of believing the lie that talking about things solves things.

As my friend Casey Graham says, action produces traction. So act.

7 CHARACTERISTICS OF SHALLOW LEADERSHIP:

A challenging post by Ron Edmonston.  

Growing in our leadership abilities — including growing in the knowledge of leadership and the relational aspect of leadership– should be a goal for every leader.

Sadly, many leaders settle for status quo leadership rather than stretching themselves to continually improve. They remain oblivious to the real health of their leadership and the organizations they lead. They may get by — people may say things are “okay” — but it isn’t excellent.

I call it shallow leadership.

Perhaps you’ve seen this before in leadership. Maybe you’ve been guilty of providing shallow leadership. For a season, at least. I certainly have.

Still wondering what shallow leadership looks like?

1.  Thinking your idea will be everyone’s idea. You assume everyone is on the same page. You think everyone thinks like you. You stop asking questions of your team. You stop evaluating. 

2.  Believing that your way is the only way. You’re the leader — you must be right. You’ve had some success. It went to your head a little. So, you’ve become head strong. You’re controlling. You make every decision. You never delegate.

3.  Assuming you already know the answer. You think you’ve done it long enough to see it all. You quit learning. You stop reading. You never meet with other leaders anymore. 

4.  Pretending to care when really you don’t. You have grown cold in your passion. You may speak the vision but they’re just words to you now. You go through the motions. You’re drawing a paycheck. But, truth be known, you’d rather be anywhere than here right now.

5.  Giving the response that makes you most popular. You like to be liked. You never make the hard decisions. You refuse to challenge. You avoid conflict. You run from complainers. You ignore the real problems.

6.  Refusing to make a decision. You had a setback. Things didn’t go as planned. You’ve grown scared. You’re overwhelmed. You refuse to walk by faith. Your team won’t move forward because you won’t move forward.

7.  Ignoring the warning signs of poor health. Momentum may be suffering. Things may not be “awesome” anymore. You look the other way. Your soul is empty. You may be unhealthy. The team may be unhealthy. You refuse to see it.

We never achieve best with shallow leadership. The first step is to admit. 

7 ESSENTIAL QUALITIES THAT MAKE YOU A LEADER WORTH FOLLOWING

Carey Nieuwhof shares 7 essential qualities that make you a leader worth following. 

How do you know you’re a leader worth following?

By definition, that’s what a leader is: a person whom others follow. (If no one is following you, you’re probably not a leader, unless you’re pre-launch, but even then, look back at your life. Has anyone followed you… ever?)

Naturally, you can gain a following through a variety of means. Not all are great.

Dictators gain following. So do cult leaders. So do criminals.

Not all leadership is great leadership.

Which raises the question, how do you know you’re a leader worth following?

If you’re a Christian, I think this adds another dimension to your leadership.  You need to model leadership in a way that reflects the character and heart of Christ.

So what exactly does that look like?

I’ve met thousands of Christian leaders in my two decades of leadership, and when I think about the leaders I believe are worth following, seven qualities keep rising to the top.

1. HUMILITY

Of all the qualities and characteristics I see in great leaders, humility is one of the greatest. It’s also rarer than it should be, even amongst Christian leaders.

Christians don’t always do humility well. Sometimes we equate humility with groveling or low self-esteem. It is neither.

C.S. Lewis said it so well when he wrote that true humility is not thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less.

God gifted you for life and ministry. But the point is that God gifted and equipped you for ministry, you didn’t. The gift always says more about the giver than it does about the recipient.

Trying to take credit for your gifting makes you like a song that ignores its composer.  It doesn’t make the song less powerful; it just distorts what’s going on.

Any alternatives to humility lead straight to arrogance. And as even Jim Collins’ research has discovered, humility is the primary differentiator between good leadership and great leadership. He argues that ego-centric, celebrity-style leadership is the antithesis of great leadership.

Struggle with ego? Be a little less impressed with yourself and more impressed with your team. Better yet, be deeply impressed with God.

2. INTEGRITY

Most of us think integrity is a good thing, but what does the term mean?

On the one hand, it means that who you are on the inside matches what you appear to be on the outside. You are consistent to the core.

The concept of integrity springs from the original Latin root of the word, which means ‘intact.’  In other words, can you withstand the crisis intact? A house with integrity (a solid foundation that is what it says it is) will withstand a storm. A house with a flimsy foundation won’t.

‘Normal’ doesn’t test your integrity. A crisis does. If you want to see how deeply your integrity runs, just look at your last crisis.

If you want to improve your integrity, take the steps you need to ensure your private walk matches your public talk.

3. A PASSIONATE FAITH

These points are in no particular order, but still, you might wonder why a passionate faith isn’t #1.

First, people would expect it to be #1… so to sound fresh and make sure you don’t skip it; it’s #3.

A passionate faith is the ultimate hallmark of Christian leadership.

But the part that lags in many leaders is the passion part. Leadership can make you weary. Like paint, passion fades over time.

It’s so important to make sure your passion stays fresh. (Here are 5 signs your passion is white hot.)

Your team will only ever be as passionate about the mission

4. EMOTIONAL HEALTH

There are a lot of emotionally unhealthy leaders in leadership, but if you want to be a leader worth following, get healthy.

Your health as a leader impacts your entire church regardless of the size.

I am part of a church that’s home to over 2000 people. I don’t know many of them by name. But I do know this: the health of a leader impacts everyone in the organization. Everyone.

If you’re healthy at the top, you’ll be healthy at the bottom. If you’re unhealthy at the top, you’ll be unhealthy at the bottom.

Emotionally healthy people recognize, understand and manage their own emotions and reactions. They also know, understand and can (appropriately) influence the emotions of others.

Think about it. Isn’t that what the majority of church conflict is about?  Exactly.

Your church or team will only be as healthy as you are. Why?

Because eventually, healthy people won’t serve under an unhealthy leader. And unhealthy people won’t stay for long under a healthy leader unless they want to get well.

5. TRUSTWORTHINESS

Trust is confidence, and in leadership, it operates at two levels.

First, there’s personal trust. Personal trust is about:

Telling the truth.

Character.

Integrity.

We’ve already talked about that.

But there’s another element to trust, and that relates to your performance.

There are more than a few leaders who personally have solid character  but are untrustworthy as leaders because they don’t deliver.

The key to instilling confidence in your team as a trustworthy leader is simple: do what you said you were going to do when you said you were going to do it.

If you’re sloppy, undisciplined and miss deadlines, your team will never fully trust you. And they’re right not to.

6. TEACHABILITY

You may be the leader, but you also need to continue to be a learner.

Being an effective leader is not as much about being the teacher as it is about being teachable.

If you’re not learning, you’re not growing.

The truly exceptional leaders allow their teams and followers to teach them too. This isn’t just about peer learning, or learning from mentors, conferences or books.

It’s about a posture of openness.

The more teachable you are, the more people will love being led by you.

7. CLARITY

One of the most challenging aspects of leadership is establishing clarity.

Think about it. Leadership is complex with many variables. Your head spins from the uncertainty involved. I get that.

Leaders worth following, though, do the hard work of creating clarity.

You can’t always be certain. But you always have to be clear.

The alternative is ambiguity. No one can follow or get excited about ambiguity. And ambiguity doesn’t change the world.

Ways to Relax When You’re Overworked

A helpful blog originally posted by Rick Warren.

It seems that many leaders readily confess that they are overwhelmed, overcommitted and overworked; maybe more than many. So what’s a leader to do? Rick Warren shares ways to relax when you’re overwhelmed.

5 Ways to Relax When You’re Overworked.  As ministry leaders, we approach each day with passion because we’re working for God, and our mission is literally to see the world saved. But the fact is, there will always be more work to do in ministry, and that’s why we must deliberately take time away from work.

God did it, resting one day after working six, so why should we think the world will fall apart if we aren’t on the job 24/7?

Here are five steps you can take toward recovery from ministry workaholism.

R – Readjust Your Values

The costs of workaholism are enormous: divorce, alcohol abuse, heart attacks and other illnesses, fragmented and fractured relationships, unhappiness, and loneliness.

Ask yourself these questions:

Why am I working so hard? Do a motive check. What drives you to do this? Are you trying to prove something?

Is the payoff worth it? Why do you keep fighting to get to the next level? What can you realistically expect? Is it worth sacrificing your life for it?

Your life is too important to waste on second-class causes. Readjust your values.

Ecclesiastes 5:15 says, “In spite of all our work there is nothing we can take with us” (GNT). God doesn’t expect you to save the world single-handedly, and believe me, your kids need you, too.

E – Enjoy Your Rewards

Ecclesiastes 3:13 says, “All of us should eat and drink and enjoy what we’ve worked for. It is God’s gift”(GNT).

Most of us never slow down long enough to enjoy what we’ve got, but it’s a mistake to postpone enjoyment. “One of these days I’m really going to start enjoying life. Just after I finish this next project . . . ”

Listen: It’s not true. If you don’t enjoy life right now, then when you do have free time on your hands, you’re not going to know how to enjoy it.

Learn to enjoy life right now, in the moment, because you’re not guaranteed tomorrow.

L – Limit Your Labor

Figure out, realistically, how many hours you should work and then hold yourself to that schedule. Don’t wear yourself out in your work.

Exodus 20:9-10 says, “You have six days in which to do your work, but the seventh day is to be a day of rest dedicated to me” (GNT). Every seventh day you take a day off. Pastor, this is not a suggestion; this is a commandment!

God didn’t create you so you could constantly work. Your best requires rest.

Limit your labor by scheduling three things in your life:

• Rest
• Recreation
• Relationships

If you’re married, there’s a fourth one: romance.

These are part of God’s plan for your life. If you don’t schedule these, you’ll never find time for them.

A – Anticipate God’s Care

Matthew 6:31-32 says, “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them” (NIV).

A lot of our workaholism is rooted in worry. You have to put your security in something that can’t be taken from you. Trust that God knows your needs and can provide for you.

A Christian man, after struggling for years, finally said, “God, I’m going to give you my business. You’re the CEO now. You’re in charge of my career—the profits, payoffs, promotions. It’s your business now and you run it.”

The next day his business warehouse burned to the ground. He was seen standing outside the warehouse with a giant smile on his face. He said, “Last night I gave my business to God. If he wants to burn it down, it’s his business.”

He had a new perspective: God will handle it! As quickly as he burned the thing down, he can raise it up again. That’s called trust.

X – Exchange Your Pressure for God’s Peace

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, 30, “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest . . . the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light” (GNT).

Jesus came to give you a lifestyle that is easy and light. If you’re carrying a load that is heavy and overbearing, then it’s not from God.

Perhaps you have been in this lifestyle so long, you don’t know any other way. You’re dead tired, but you can’t seem to stop. God has a word for you: “Trust me. I’ll take care of you. Exchange your pressure for my peace.”

What do you want written on your tombstone? What are you living for? If you’re living for your work, you’re selling yourself short. Work is an important part of God’s plan for your life. But your work will never satisfy the deepest needs in your life. It wasn’t meant to—only Jesus Christ can do that.

Running with the ultimate pace-setter: Jesus What can marathon training teach us about running a life-long race with the Lord of all?

An inspiring post by Richard Powney

I love running. Growing up as a kid, if you wanted to get me to go somewhere you simply had to challenge me to a race and I’d be there in a flash. I’ve found that people’s reaction to running is quite similar to reactions to Marmite – people either love it or hate it.

With the London Marathon taking place in April, this time of year is when many people are embarking on marathon training; two members of my family got a place in the ballot and started their training at the start of January. This means embracing early morning runs in the dark (a good head torch is an essential piece of kit), setting aside a good chunk of time for your long run on a Sunday, and making sure you eat enough of the right sort of food and keep hydrated. All in all, running a marathon takes a lot of planning, commitment and hard work.

I’m not surprised that the apostle Paul uses running to help draw out elements of Christians’ life of faith. In 1 Corinthians 9:24 – 25 Paul encourages us to ​“run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

I’ve found that running has been very helpful in teaching me about the importance of discipline, perseverance and hard work in my walk with Christ. The longer I remain as a disciple of Jesus, the more aware I become of my clear need to join in with the tax collector’s prayer: ​“God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” My only hope is in the grace and mercy of the God and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ. And yet, this does not mean that I don’t need to put any effort into my life of faith. As Dallas Willard writes: ​“Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action.

Leaders keep developing.

A great article from Tony Morgan Live! 

“Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”  Philippians 4:9 . Here Paul addresses how to learn to lead, and how to prepare others to lead.

Here’s an important thing I know from this verse about growing leaders: We all need teaching, modeling and coaching to develop into the leaders God has called us to be.

Pause for a few minutes today to think on the questions below. Where is your biggest gap in leadership development today

I 

should also note: As a leader you will need to revisit these questions throughout your life, as your environments change and as you lead at new levels. You may see yourself cycle through this model in various capacities over time. 

Leaders keep developing.

SIX THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN ADDING PEOPLE TO YOUR TEAM

A gReat post from Dave Kraft

Nothing can either be of greater harm or of greater help than making good choices as to whom you ask to be part of what God is calling you and your team/church/organization to do. 

In Acts 1:24 the first disciples were trying to decide who should take Judas’ place.

“And they prayed and said, ‘You Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen.’” (ESV)

They prayed, asking for wisdom and we need to do the same thing, because we can’t predict the future nor look into the hearts of people.

If you are in Christian leadership and it falls to your lot to make decisions to add people to your team/staff--whether they be paid staff or volunteers--here are six things to consider.

1. Christ

How is their relationship with Jesus Christ?  Do they personally know him…been born again by the Spirit of God. Do they have their identity in Jesus or in their work? Are they growing from identity in Jesus to intimacy with Jesus? Do you see the signs of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives--born out of a serious consistent walk with the Savior?

2. Calling

It’s interesting to me that when I first joined The Navigators in 1968 and Mars Hill Church in 2005, the first question that was asked of me was did I have a sense of calling. I was asked to share my calling to be a part of both of these organizations. Paul alludes to his calling in two verses:

“Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power.” Ephesians 3:7 (ESV)

“Paul an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead.” Galatians 1:1 (ESV)

Paul wasn’t persuaded or arm-twisted into service by people. God clearly called him.

One of the reasons so many leave their roles and responsibilities in ministry today is because they have not responded out of a sense of calling, but out of a sense of duty, obligation, a great job opportunity, or an attempt to keep people happy. I believe there needs to be a strong sense of calling to step up and step into leadership responsibility.

Scripture is clear that all Christians are called to serve and use their gifts. Due to the extra pressure, expectations and attacks of the enemy on leaders, they especially need to believe they are called. The subject is hardly mentioned today. I believe that it is so important that I devoted an entire chapter to it in “Leaders Who Last.”

3. Character

In most churches and Christian enterprises, character is under-rated and competence is over-rated. More leaders fall over the character than competence issue. In I Tim. 3, Titus 1 and I Peter 5 most of the qualifications fall in the area of character, which are lived out in the context of relationships. We are, unfortunately, prone to sacrifice character for results.  He is so gifted…what about his character? She has such a great personality…what about her character? He has such a great work ethic and gets so much done…what about his character.

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his outward appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance (physical appearance/gifting/charisma), but the Lord looks on the heart (inward character)’ ” I Samuel 17:6 (ESV)

4. Chemistry

 The older I get (and the time and experience I have working with leaders and with numerous churches), the more I realize how important team and organization alignment is. Before you bring a person on, ask yourself if they will fit into the current DNA of the team and align with the purpose, vision and values of where you are headed. Are they team players or independent operators? Do they know how to sacrifice their personal agenda and preferences for the good of the whole, or will it be their way or the highway? Do other team members like the idea of working with them…would enjoy having them around?

5. Competence

It’s not that competence is unimportant, but there are others things that are equally as important--if not more important--such as Christ, Calling and Character. But we do, obviously, want people who are capable of doing what they are being asked to do, with excellence. 

Do they have the gifts, work ethic, experience and attitude to do good work? It says of Jesus in Mark 7:37, “And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’” Everything that Jesus did He did it with excellence. When he turned the water into wine it was the best wine! Work for the Savior should be the best we are capable of--no room for laziness, sloppiness, or mediocrity.

6. Capacity

When someone is added, they need to be added with the future in mind--not just the present. Do they have the capacity and learning mind-set so as to be able to keep up and continue to fit in as the church/organization grows? Are they adaptable, flexible and able to change when it is called for, or will significant growth outstrip them.

It’s not easy to get a handle on all six of these. That’s why we need to:

• Trust the Lord and look to him as we make selections (James 1:5)
• Ask lots of good questions
• Take our time and not be in a hurry or in crises mode when deciding
• Have multiple interviews with different team members
• Hire from within as much as possible so we know who we’re getting