Posts Tagged ‘ Jesus ’

Leadership Thought: Have the right balance


Each and every one of us has many things going on that we must juggle. We want to spend time with our families, we have jobs, we want to be able to relax, we want to plan our next home improvement project, and we also want to serve others. Often what happens is our lives get out of balance and we end up feeling drained, discouraged, and burnt out because we are always on the go, from thing to thing, looking to do the next project.

We have to realize as leaders that it’s important for us to maintain the proper balance. Even as a parent, this can become an issue. We need time to focus and recharge, or we end up being less and less effective in our jobs, our service, or our parenting.

Today, I want to share with you some ‘tidbits’ that we use in training our ‘Dream Teams’ which our the ministry leaders of our church. These are good things to go over in life, in work, and in ministry. I hope these things help you think through what’s happening in your life now and how you can keep yourself fresh and accomplishing what your purpose is!

 

Enjoy,

DK

HOW DO WE LIVE AND LEAD IN HEALTH?
Pray first. In whatever season of life you find yourself in, pray. Repent and

receive forgiveness for sins. Start afresh right now.

Talk with leadership. Have a meeting with your leader(s) and fully disclose your heart and health. Submit to God’s established authority and allow them to pastor you.

Determine the “big rocks.” Set top priorities and place them on the schedule first. (Time with God, family, work, the Church, etc.) Add “pebbles and sand” of less critical items. (Hobbies, etc.)

Establish a healthy rhythm of life. Life was designed to be full and varied, so include a variety of activities such as reading the Word, riding a bike, being with friends, developing leaders, participating in a recreational Small Group, working, taking the kids for an ice cream cone, star gazing and more.

Create and maintain margin. Avoid the temptation to fill every single minute of the week with a planned activity. Leave open spaces in your calendar, even if you write in “margin” as a scheduled activity. Creating margin allows unexpected events, such as spontaneous conversations, great revelations or simple pleasures to blossom.

Set aside times of refreshing. Whether it be an extended vacation, experimenting with a hobby or an intentional Sabbath, it is necessary to put energy and excitement into your life. What makes life fun for you? What gives you energy? Put it in your schedule!

Let God do His work. It is the Holy Spirit’s role to save souls, not ours. It is our role to display the love of God. Greeting at a door, witnessing
to unreached people, clothing the homeless or bringing Doritos to a Small Group — that is ministry. God works salvation. We serve.

 

2013
06/18
CATEGORY
Christian Life
ministry
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Honor pt 1- Where did the Honor Go?


This is the link to my most recent message. Its the start of a brand new series on Honor. enjoy!

DK

2013
06/14
CATEGORY
Christian Life
ministry
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Vision


Tomorrow this post will hit the blog of Lifehowell.com. But for those that ‘follow’ my and this ministry, I wanted to share it here first. I’m so overcome with desire and expectation to see God’s plan and purpose accomplished here in Howell. In terms of ministry, I’ve never been so excited, so sure, or so determined in my life. Building what God desires here is a process, and I don’t expect it to happen ‘tomorrow’, but I know it will happen.

I think about what a mentor of mine, Jim Wideman, once said at a conference I attended: “The vision God gave me took almost 15 years to happen, but every part of it was accomplished. All I had to do was follow Him.” I’ve never forgotten that statement, and I believe the truth behind it with all my heart. As Pastor Willie George has said “I don’t have a great vision, a great vision has me!”

 

Enjoy,
DK

Hey everyone,

This is Pastor Devin. I wanted to take a moment to share with you some things from this past weekend and our leadership meeting. I know it was a long day, having church and then our meeting, but I am so glad we did! Not only did we share some important information about the transition from Pastor Anton to myself as the campus pastor, introduce Kaytlynd Spangler as our new youth (and eventually worship) minister, but we also took some time to talk about our vision.

Vision is the ability to see something as done before others see it. Here at Life Christian, our vision consists of four (4) main components:

  • A Relevant Worship Service
  • Growth Track
  • Dream Teams
  • Small Groups

Relevant is a word that is often thrown around in the church world today, so let me define for you what it means here. To have a relevant worship service at Life Christian in Howell, we want to have a gathering in which every person who comes through the doors leaves having gotten something out of being here. It can happen different ways for different people. Maybe one day you really get something from the message that helps you and enables you to make changes in your life. That’s relevant. Maybe the message was nice, but during the worship you encountered the presence of God in a special way and are able to leave charged up and ready to face the week. That’s relevant. Maybe during the service someone has a word of knowledge or a word about healing that is for you. That is relevant. Maybe you just get to spend some time being encouraged by other people of faith and are reminded that you’re not alone in your endeavor to live for God, despite the challenges. That, too, is relevant.

The fact is, some services you may not feel moved by the worship, or particularly inspired by the message. That doesn’t mean that the service can’t have relevance in your life, when you’re open to hearing from God. Our desire is to present an opportunity for each person that comes through our doors to hear about God’s love for them and His wonderful plan for their life, and to connect with others as well. That is what makes a relevant worship service.

The second point of our vision is our Growth Track Process. Growth Track is a four week ‘class’ that is designed to take people from the front door to being connected to the life of the church. In Growth Track we discuss who we are at Life and what we believe, we talk about our focus as a ministry, and we help people discover their gifts and abilities in an effort to connect them to others through service.

Why is that so important? Because when we understand that we all have a special part to play in God’s plan if gives us a sense of purpose. Growth Track helps us focus in on how we can best be used to accomplish that purpose in our lives, which will in turn give us a sense of fulfillment and joy that we don’t otherwise find. In Howell, because we are in the process of rebuilding some ministries, we aren’t doing Growth Track as regularly as we normally would (monthly). However, we believe this process is important and look forward to offering it again this fall for those who want to attend. Lunch is always provided for this meeting, which takes place directly after the Sunday Service.

The next point of our vision is our Dream Teams. Dream Teams are the names we give to our ministry service teams. While this may seem strange at first, the reason is actually quite compelling. In most churches you serve on a ministry team. There’s nothing wrong with that at all. But at leave, we don’t just want people to serve on A TEAM. We want them to serve on the RIGHT team. That means when you are serving you are using the gifts and talents and abilities you have to glorify God in your area of ministry.

This is a marked difference from many church cultures, where they work to ‘plug people in’ where needs are. Do we have needs? Sure we do. However we also understand that putting people in slots to work just because there is a need isn’t the answer. If what you’re doing isn’t something you’re interested in and passionate about, then you won’t be happy and feel fulfilled there. That in turn means you won’t last long, and in many cases that you won’t stay at the church, because you aren’t connected to God’s purpose for your life. Our desire is to help you discover what you’re passionate about and do that. We believe that if we do, not only will you be fulfilled, but you will end up helping us accomplish God’s plan and purpose for Life Christian much more effectively than if we simply ‘plug you in’ as needed. Oh yes, things happen and when they do we’re grateful for willing servants. But we strive for that to always be the exception.

The final point of our vision is Small Groups. We believe that relationships are best fostered within the context of small groups. These groups offer us the ability to get to know people more on a personal level and ‘live life’ together. They can be based on common interests or on different types of study (such as a study of a certain book or a certain Bible Concept). Each group meets outside of the church during different times of the week, depending on the schedule that works best for its members. So one small group may meet in a home on Thursday nights to study Psalms. Another group may meet at the track for a devotion and prayer before going for a run!

Small groups are the life-blood of our church, and something we are working very hard to establish. This is a transition for us, but one we are excited about. Currently, we are in the ‘training’ process on how to do small groups together. Each Wednesday I am leading a book study with those that attend. It is discussion based and is more of a traditional small group. Then, about every other Sunday (June 16 and 30 this month) I am hosting a cookout at my house for everyone be a part of. This cookout is relational and is aimed at building fellowship within our church.

Using these models, we will officially launch our first round of small groups in the fall. Until then, I invite you to come join us Wednesdays at 7 or on the 16th and 30th from 5-9 to participate in what we currently are doing. This will help connect you to others and give you a better feeling for what we are looking to accomplish come this fall.

I’d like to leave you with this: I mentioned our leadership meeting Sunday. At the end of our time together I gave all of our leaders a slip of paper that said “By Faith I See” and asked them to spend a few moments in prayer, asking God what He wants to do here in Howell. Then I collected those sheets and our Pastoral Staff shared some of the vision God has been giving us. After the meeting, I read the slips everyone turned in. My heart rejoiced as I read some of the things God is showing our leaders and speaking to you about, from teen to adult. Things like expanding our worship team, seeing people saved, believing for family members to come to church, and much more.

Pastor Anton, Kaytlynd, and I stand with you in agreement that God has big things ahead. I look forward to hearing and seeing how He accomplishes some of these things. For my part, I would like to share here 4 things I believe God has spoken to me about for this ministry, as an encouragement to you and as a way of saying ‘believe with me.’

My vision…By faith I see:

  1. 100+ adults in the service by the end of this year.
  2. To see 50+ salivations before the end of this year.
  3. To see us grow to 300+ and then ‘seed’ 50+ people into a new campus plant within 3 years
  4. The need for a separate youth facility by 2015

Vision…it’s one of the most powerful things available to us in life. The Bible says without it, people perish. Let’s decided to look forward together, and see what God does next!

blessings,

Pastor Devin

 

2013
06/12
CATEGORY
Christian Life
ministry
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For Church Leaders


Today’s post is a great reminder for me as a church leader that while the things I do are important, the things others do are important too! Sometimes, i admit, I forget that and get frustrated that everyone doesn’t think the way I do and feel like what’s important to me is really that important at all. I have to remind myself that my job is to minister to people and help empower them, not get them to minister to me or for me.

As I do what I am called to do, there is certainly an element of reciprocation that occurs, to be sure. I’ve seen it in every church I’ve served at, where people feel valued, loved and supported they jump in and help. So, today’s post from Jay Mitchell is a great reminder to constantly refocus myself on what is important…people. God didn’t send His Son to die for ministries, He came to die for people.

Cheers,

DK

(Original post from: http://www.vanderbloemen.com/insights/3-things-church-leaders-should-know-about-the-person-in-the-pew?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=176978

3 Things Church Leaders Should Know about the Person in the Pew

By Jay Mitchell

I have served on the staffs of several large churches throughout my ministry career, but some of the most valuable things I learned about pastoring happened after I left full-time ministry and was just another person sitting in the pew.

Here are a few things that I wished I had recognized when I was a pastor about the people attending my church each week:

1. The people in the pew are really busy and have lots other really healthy priorities in their lives beyond what we are tying to accomplish as a church.

I recall conversations among staff members complaining about how hard it was to recruit volunteers and how some families only attended worship a few times a month. In those conversations, we were subtly conveying the message that attending church or serving as a volunteer was a measure of spiritual commitment, though we’d never say that out loud.

After leaving staff and starting work in a succession of start-ups where the very real demands of my daily life of work (including a lot of travel), family, and managing my daily life, I realized that while ministry was a busy 7-day-a-week-job, when I was a pastor, I actually had much more free or flexible time than most of the people in my congregation. I could leave work early to pick up my kids or watch a game or go exercise. Going out to lunch or even a golf outing with a church member was “ministry time.” I remember one pastor talking about taking a week of spiritual retreat or going on “study leave” and thinking that if I tried to do that at my start-up, I’d end up in the unemployment line. I know I wasn’t alone.

The truth I wished I had fully grasped is that the folks who don’t come every week or aren’t able to commit to regular volunteer opportunities is this: They aren’t lazy. They aren’t uncommitted. They are just tired and very, very busy. We may work sixty hours a week in ministry, but they are working fifty-sixty hours at work, and we are asking them to commit time above and beyond that to serve.

2. Most of the people in my church were more experienced and smarter about leadership and growing healthy organizations than I was. 

It’s true that many of us in pastoral ministry have advanced degrees and we often have an intuitive grasp of the unique complexities of leading and serving in a church, but in my congregation, I had some of the world’s most impressive leaders in business, education, technology, government, and social science. I rarely took advantage of that incredible resource. I could have taken some of them to lunch or coffee and gleaned from their extensive experience. For the most part, they would have been more than willing to share their time with me. I know that I was thrilled when the pastor of the church plant I had been attending in Richmond, VA asked to meet with me just to run ideas by me and get my thoughts. It wasn’t a burden. It was a gift. It was an honor to be asked, and it was often the best part of my week.

3. Most of the people in the pew had a better understanding of their need for grace than I ever knew.

I was going through some really rough days when I first left staff at my church. While I was excited about my new career opportunity, I was also struggling in my personal life and feeling very much like a failure and very far from God. I hungered for grace in ways I had never hungered for it before. I remember sitting in church and hearing a message about God’s grace. The words were all true. I had preached the same message myself many times before, but it was clear to me that the person preaching really hadn’t experienced my same level of felt need for grace. They just sounded like words to me. Sadly, I realized that I had done the same thing. I had preached that message having no idea that there were people in the pews who felt so far from God that mere words would never cut through the pain and hurt – people like me in that moment who understood in their souls that they needed a love that only the God of the universe could give and needed to hear about it from someone who really understood the depth of their spiritual loneliness.

Working in a church and among Christians can shelter us from the very real brokenness of our world and the people we serve. It’s far more lost than we realize – so broken that it took the death of the Son of God to repair. I wish I had understood that while I was in full-time ministry.

So with all that in mind, here are a few suggestions of how we might connect more deeply with the people in the pew.

1. In addition to your regular ministry role, volunteer in a ministry for which you have no direct responsibility. We may work fifty-sixty hours a week, but so do the people we serve. We expect them to volunteer. Serve in the children’s ministry or lead a small group for your student ministry. Go on a mission trip and instead of calling it ministry, use a week of your vacation and pay for it yourself. It’s what we ask of the person in the pew.

2. Be intentional about learning from the people in your church. Invite a few business leaders to lunch and ask them about leadership or the challenges of growing a business. Meet with teachers and learn how to teach more effectively. Ask them about their marriages or how they stay spiritually sharp amidst the challenges they face each week. You’ll be surprised and enriched by what you learn.

3. Connect with your own brokenness, and be vulnerable about it when you teach. Broken people can read us from a mile away when we try to cover it up and pretend we’ve got it all together. Be real with the person in the pew so that they can feel grace from you as well as hear about it.

4. Connect with people who hurt and feel far from God. Don’t go with the agenda to “share Jesus” with them or fix them. Just listen. Hear their stories. Let them be real with you. Let your heart connect with theirs. It will change the way you preach, teach and lead.

2013
06/03
CATEGORY
Christian Life
ministry
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