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You’re Not Done…Empowering the Next Generation

April 30, 2013 in Africa, Changing Lives, Follow the GLS, Leadership, Local Church with 0 Comments

Nothing so dates a man as to decry the younger generation. -Adlai E. Stevenson

Young people…they have more and expect more than any previous generation. It’s easy to dismiss them as entitled or just plain immature. But let’s not forget they’re the future of the church and hold an incredible capacity for changing the world. As the current generation of leaders, it’s our job to empower and inspire this generation to make a difference.

Our Leadership Summit in Zimbabwe gave us a glimpse into the power of this inter-generational exchange of leadership.  Craig Groeschel, Geoffrey Canada and Mark Kielburger spoke powerfully on the importance of building into this generation. These talks were so impactful, one of the Zimbabwean business leaders in attendance immediately gathered a group of 150 young adults aged 18-30 and challenged them to get involved in community programs. This gathering took place just two days after the Summit and was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister who personally addressed the young adults using materials from the Summit. The response was so positive, local leaders plan to make this a regular component of their local Summit experience.

Craig Groeschel gives this advice to the leaders of tomorrow:

  • Honor those who have come before you
  • Don’t be afraid to lead up
  • Learn to be under authority with integrity
  • Serve those over you faithfully
  • Create ongoing feedback loops
  • Seek out mentoring from those you respect

As a leader in your church or community, you need to respond to young leaders following this advice. You need to support them, mentor them and provide an example of integrity and faithfulness worth following. As you think about your own leadership legacy, consider the following:

  • Who will you hand the baton to?
  • What opportunities have you created for upcoming leaders?
  • Is a young leader in your community inspired by your long-term vision, or are they more likely to try something new?

Identify 4-5 leaders in your community. Build into them. Encourage them. Equip them for impact. The future of the church depends on it.

The Silent Organizational Killer

April 29, 2013 in Leadership with 0 Comments

Re-Post by Scott Williams

It’s never easy and never fun to watch a business, team or organization die. It’s even harder when they die a slow, painful and what appears to be silent death.

The reality is businesses never die a silent death, there are always signs, symptoms and indicators of trouble. The Silent Organization Killer is actually the silence of the individuals within the organization that see the problems but are unwilling or unable to voice their concerns.

Organizations may have drastic turnover and the organizational leader’s response is to simply write the turnover off with comments such as, “We are a fast-paced culture… they couldn’t hang.” People within the organization actually see the real problems and the root of the problems; however their unwillingness to voice those concerns upwards contributes to the death of the organization.

On the flip side, when employees share their concerns, observations and thoughts about issues, organizational leaders must listen. If those concerns fall on deaf ears now you have two silent organizational killers: 1.) The employees that are unwilling to share and 2.) The employer that is unwilling to listen.

Practical Closing Tip: Share concerns, be sensitive to what’s being shared, look in the mirror and make tough decisions.

View Scott’s original post here.

Author, speaker, ideapreneur, international consultant and former LifeChurch.tv Pastor Scott Williams currently serves as the Chief Solutions Officer for Nxt Level Solutions; a strategy firm which helps some of the largest churches, non-profits, and Fortune 100 companies with internal and external growth.

MOVE.

April 23, 2013 in Leadership, Local Church, Resources with 2 Comments

Move. A word that captures the discipleship passion all pastors share: to help move their people’s hearts and lives to a deeper love of God and others. Now MOVE For Church Planters provides a powerful, condensed summary of how any church and, in particular, newly established churches can be more effective at discipleship. This concisely written eBook is based on the top findings for church planters to emerge from REVEAL, an unprecedented survey launched by Willow Creek Community Church in 2004 that now represents the input of close to half a million people in 1,500 churches. And it includes a never-before-available bonus: an interview with Willow Creek’s senior pastor, Bill Hybels, who’s based on nearly four decades of ministry experience shares what he would do, the same and differently, if he were starting a church today. Bill’s counsel, plus the insights provided by churches of every size, denomination, and geographic area, make MOVE For Church Planters a must-read for those dreaming about the promise of the new churches they are in the process of planning, launching or growing to their greatest potential.

Download Move by Cally Parkinson and Greg Hawkins

Download the FREE E-book here.

 

 

Be Patient & Don’t Elope: When Hiring Goes from Good to Ghastly

April 23, 2013 in Leadership, Local Church with 0 Comments

Re-post by Jenni Catron, Executive Director of Cross Point Church in Nashville

Hiring is one of the most complicated yet possibly the most critical parts of our job as leaders.

But time and time again I see leaders make hasty decisions when it comes to hiring.  Most of the time, their haste has good reason.  An employee just left leaving a gaping hole of responsibilities… budget was finally approved for the role that you’ve desperately needed for months, perhaps years… you’re so overwhelmed you’ll do anything to get some help.

We’ve all felt one or more of those pains when it comes to staffing.

But oftentimes these stressors that are driving us cause us to overlook the significance of our decision.

Hiring is like a marriage.

You are making a long-term commitment to that individual and they to you.  You are creating an expectation of security, longevity and belonging.  This gets even more complicated for those of you in ministry roles.  The people you hire and their families are intricately woven into your church community.  Their family, friends and community revolve around their job.  They potentially lose significant anchors of belonging if their job comes to an end.

This is why how you hire is critical.

Too many hiring managers elope after the first date.  They have a great interview with a great candidate and they rush to make an offer.

Unfortunately these hasty hiring decisions are often the ones that become extraordinarily painful down the road.

You must have a good, thorough, consistent hiring process for your organization.  And you must teach and train all of your staff to engage and support that system.  In my 15+ years of being a hiring manager I have never regretted a slow hire but I have unfortunately felt the pains of a quick elopement.

If you don’t have a formalized hiring process, here are some steps to consider:

  • Interview some great organizations to learn how their hiring process works.
  • Use some resources and tools that give you objective information from which to interview and evaluate the candidate.  We use the Leading from Your Strengths Assessment and Position Profile tools from Ministry Insights.
  • Consider what has worked well in hiring in the past and what has not worked so well.  Write out the steps that you believe are essential moving forward.
  • Gather a few of your key staff to discuss what you feel is essential for your hiring process.
  • Build a plan and then try it out on your next hire.

Be patient and don’t elope.

I promise you’ll thank me!

About Jenni Catron: Executive Director of Cross Point Church in Nashville. Founder of Cultivate Her. Loves great books, the perfect cup of tea, playing a game of tennis with her husband and hanging with her dog Mick.

Leadership is a Craft

April 22, 2013 in Events, Leadership, Local Church with 0 Comments

Leadership is a craft. And gaining mastery over our leadership skills requires intentionality. No one drifts their way into becoming a better leaders. We hone our leadership gifts by placing ourselves in intentional growth environments. If you want to be a better leader you need to go where leadership is taught. And the pay off is huge.

Your’e a leader. Its your job to keep your passion hot. Do whatever you have to do. Go where ever you have to go to stay fired up as a leader.

Will you be at the Summit this year?

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