By Carey Nieuwhof: Rick Warren opens up about the personal tragedy he’s experienced with the loss of his son, Matthew, the loss our culture has experienced and what he predicts will be a coming tsunami of grief as a result of everything people have been through.

Rick also explains how and why 2020 and 2021 have been the biggest and best years Saddleback has ever had and the opportunity the current moment presents to the church.

Note: Some of the details in this episode surrounding the death of Rick Warren’s son are deeply personal and listener discretion is advised with young audiences.

Welcome to Episode 409 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.

Plus, in this episode’s What I’m Thinking About segment, Carey talks about how you know when it’s time to leave.

Guest Links

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Website

Episode Links

Pro Media Fire

Are you looking to grow your online campus?

You have two choices in 2021 when it comes to digital:

You or a team member can work day and night to keep up with social media strategy that constantly changes.
You can hire Pro Media Fire, and get an entire team of experts that keep up with the trends to help you grow online.

The choice is yours—bury yourself in social media work, or hire an entire team to help your online campus thrive.

With Pro Media Fire, you save time and grow online, while your digital team does all the work.

Complete social media management and digital growth is just a few clicks away.

As a listener of our podcast, you receive 10% off at promediafire.com/carey.

Barna Cities – with Barna Group and Gloo

I know many church leaders, like you, are navigating massive shifts in culture and technology. It’s exhausting, but there’s hope.

Our friends at Barna and Gloo have been working hard to support pastors and church leaders like you.

Last year, Barna and Gloo launched an effort to equip the Church through the “State of the Church” research and toolkits. Over 25,000 churches benefited.

This year, Barna and Gloo are launching Barna Cities. It’s a year-long journey, and it’s uniquely local. With Barna Cities, you will have access to new local research from Barna, monthly forums and the City Toolkit which includes a full membership to Barna Access Plus with on-demand reports, insights and tools.

And, you’ll get GlooConnect—cooperative, always on ads that run across your city and make it easier for more people to discover your church and programs.

Barna and Gloo want you to know and move every person you serve—to connect people with your church and program that provides help and transformation.

Learn more at BarnaCities.com.

Conversation Links

Books by Rick Warren

The ChurchPulse Weekly Podcast

A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis

Choose Joy by Kay Warren

Pastors.com

7 Signs It’s Time to Leave by Carey Nieuwhof

Carey’s Daily Email

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Insights From Rick

1. In America, Christians no longer get their primary identity from either Jesus or the church but, rather, through politics

The politicization of American Christians is a terrible problem. Rick points out, “If you know anything about church history, you know that every time the church has gotten in bed with government, it got pregnant. And it was a bad situation.”

Rick cautions pastors and churches against taking a partisan stance as a church. Just don’t do it.

2. If you’re afraid to talk about race in your church, start building trust with your congregation first

So many pastors have avoided the conversation about racism in America out of fear of the backlash that they will receive from the members of their church. It’s understandable, but Rick recommends you start by building trust with your people. Everything in leadership is built on trust, and if you have enough trust with those people, they will follow you into difficult spaces, even where they might initially disagree.

Once you build that trust, Rick recommends you start asking minorities to regularly share their stories of racism with your people.

3. Grief will be a huge door to evangelism over the next few years

Rick is convinced that we’re going to go through a tsunami of grief over the next couple of years.

Many people have lost many things—loved ones, the prom, their graduation, the birth of their first grandchild and many even missed important funerals. There’s so many things that people have lost that, when it finally catches up and they realize what they’ve lost, there will be a lot of grief.

This grief is going to be a front door for evangelism in the next few years, because so many people are dealing with this. As a pastor, you need to find a way to prepare your church to reach the grieving people around them.

Quotes from Episode 409

There is no success without growth. There is no growth without change. There is no change without loss. And there is no loss without pain. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

Every time the church has gotten in bed with government, it got pregnant. And it was a bad situation. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

Racism is a discipleship issue. Financial overspending is a discipleship issue. Political stereotyping bias is a discipleship issue. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

In God’s garden of grace, even broken trees bear fruit. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

Sometimes getting up and putting one foot in front of the other is a successful day for a pastor. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

Ministry is received not achieved. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

Before you can give people the truth, you’ve got to show them that you love them. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

All leadership is built on trust. If people don’t trust you, they’re not going to follow you. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

You don’t change people by laws. There’s no law that’s going to turn a bigot, a racist into a lover. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

Many Christians started putting their faith in government to change society rather than the church. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

You refill your cup by connecting with people you love. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

You need to start treating yourself the way God does. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

Routine develops resilience, and predictability creates stability. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

The church has survived every dictator, every war, every pandemic. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

We have to really remember that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that we are to be peacemakers. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

A passionless leader is an ineffective leader.Click To Tweet

Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 409

Looking for a key quote? More of a reader?

Read or download a free PDF transcript of this episode here.

Watch Back Episodes of The Podcast on YouTube

Select episodes of this podcast are now on YouTube. Our YouTube Channel gives you a chance to watch some episodes, not just listen.

DIDN’T SEE IT COMING WILL HELP YOU SOLVE THE PROBLEMS MOST LEADERS MISS

If you want practical help overcoming some of the biggest challenges leaders face, my book Didn’t See It Coming: Overcoming the 7 Greatest Challenges That Nobody Expects and Everyone Experiences tackles the seven core issues that take people out: cynicism, compromise, disconnectedness, irrelevance, pride, burnout, and the emptiness of success and provides strategies on how to combat each.

I wrote the book because no 18 year old sets out to be cynical, jaded and disconnected by age 35. Yet it happens all the time.

The good news is, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here’s what top leaders are saying about Didn’t See It Coming:

“Seriously, this may be the most important book you read this year.” Jud Wilhite, Lead Pastor, Central Church

“Powerful, personal, and highly readable. ” Brian Houston, Global Senior Pastor, Hillsong

“Whatever challenge you’re facing, whatever obstacle you’re hoping to overcome, whatever future you dream or imagine, there is something powerful for you here.” Andy Stanley, Founder, North Point Ministries

“Uncommonly perceptive and generous…You have to read this book.” Ann Voskamp, NYT bestselling author

“Masterful.” Reggie Joiner, CEO Orange

“Deep biblical insight, straightforward truth, and practical wisdom to help you grow.” Craig Groeschel, Pastor and NYT bestselling author

“This book is sure to help you.” Daniel H. Pink, NYT bestselling author

Over the years, one of the things I’ve enjoyed most about being a public speaker is having opportunities to hang out with Carey…It’s not a matter of if you’ll run into these challenges; it’s a matter of when. Be prepared by spending a little time with a leader who has already been there.” Jon Acuff, NYT best-selling author

“Nieuwhof’s book provides expert guidance…with an accuracy that pierces the heart.” Nancy Duarte, CEO Duarte Inc.

“A refreshingly transparent guide for all leaders in a wide variety of industries.” Bryan Miles, Co-Founder and CEO, BELAY

You can learn more and get your copy of Didn’t See It Coming here.

SUBSCRIBED YET?

Subscribe for free and never miss out on wisdom from world-class leaders like Brian Houston, Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Nancy Duarte, Henry Cloud, Patrick Lencioni, Francis Chan, Ann Voskamp, Erwin McManus and many others.

Subscribe using your favorite podcast app via

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google Play

Stitcher

TuneIn

Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review

Hopefully, this episode has helped you lead like never before. That’s my goal. If you appreciated it, could you share the love?

The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on Apple Podcasts and leave us a brief review! You can do the same on Stitcher and on TuneIn as well.

Your ratings and reviews help us place the podcast in front of new leaders and listeners. Your feedback also lets me know how I can better serve you.

Thank you for being so awesome.

Next Episode: John Ramstead

John Ramstead shares leadership skills drawn from flight school and from the cockpit of F-14A Tomcat fighter jet and shares principles that apply to all crisis leadership. After suffering three life-altering injuries, John also talks about how to be resilient in the face of suffering and setbacks.

Subscribe for free now so you won’t miss Episode 410.

The post CNLP 409: Rick Warren Opens Up About the Coming Tsunami of Grief, Handling Personal Tragedy, and How Saddleback Grew During the Pandemic appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 409: Rick Warren Opens Up About the Coming Tsunami of Grief, Handling Personal Tragedy, and How Saddleback Grew During the Pandemic

The post CNLP 409: Rick Warren Opens Up About the Coming Tsunami of Grief, Handling Personal Tragedy, and How Saddleback Grew During the Pandemic appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Today’s post is written by Jim Sheppard. Jim is CEO & Principal of Generis, a consulting firm passionate about helping churches accelerate generosity towards their God-inspired vision.

By Jim Sheppard

Money and the church. It’s an awkward relationship. Have you noticed that?

If I had to guess, I would say that there is no topic that is more on the minds of senior pastors on Monday mornings and less on their minds as they plan sermons. This is not a critique, just an observation.

The conversation about money and giving in the church has become taboo. We don’t talk about it; and yet, all of the church leaders I know want to see giving increase. They want their people to become more generous with their finances, loosen their grip on money, and give back to the One who has provided it all in the first place.

To add to the tension, a lot of pastors fear playing into the stereotype that the church is all about money. So they never talk about money or wait until they need it. That’s a mistake.

The reason you need to talk about money is more about what you want for people than what you want from them. People argue about money every day, and you can help them win with it.

In addition, without casting an authentic vision about money, many will never release the gift of generosity in their life. Giving is a discipleship issue that too many church leaders ignore.

If you truly want to see church members embrace biblical generosity, you have to talk about it openly. You need to normalize the giving conversation and take the awkward out of it.

It starts with the acknowledgement that giving is first and foremost a spiritual issue, not financial. Our giving back to God for the work He wants to do in this world is a reflection of who He is in our lives. It shows our worship and reverence.

Giving is first and foremost a spiritual issue, not financial. – Jim SheppardClick To Tweet

That is why we give to God. It’s not to fund the church budget or advance projects. Those are merely secondary effects of what happens when we give to God’s work in and through the church.

This is where we often get it wrong and add to the awkwardness. We communicate that the main reason we want the people in our church to give is so that our church finances will flourish. That’s not it. That is not the primary reason we want our people to give. We want our people to give so that they can experience what it does for them when they give to God’s work. Our giving to God is meant to transform us!

When we treat the spiritual discipline of generosity as an exercise in fundraising – we end up nominalizing what God intended as a means to grow us.

Teaching about giving is an integral part of making disciples.

All of the church leaders I know want to make more disciples. Therefore, we have to teach and equip our people on giving if we are really serious about making disciples.

Most of the people in our churches have no idea of the spiritual implication of managing (or not managing) well the money and possessions that have been entrusted to them. For us to take the awkwardness out of it, our focus must be on growing givers’ hearts.

A couple of leading voices in the American church have spoken to this and it bears mentioning here.

In the second message of the series Money Talks that Andy Stanley preached in February 2019, he says it this way. “Until Jesus is first in your finances, Jesus isn’t first. You’re not a follower. You’re a user. And Judas tried that.”

That sounds direct but it is hard to argue. If we have put Jesus first in other areas of our lives but we have not done so with our money and possessions, we have missed it. We have not fully put Jesus first.

The issue gets compounded because we are not good at self-assessing. We think we are more generous than we really are.

Tim Keller, in a talk he gave at a Generous Giving gathering some years ago, says it well in this excerpt. “…Nobody thinks they’re greedy. Nobody. In all my years as a minister, I have heard almost every kind of confession. Nobody has ever come to me and said, ‘I spend too much money on myself.’ Nobody has ever done that. But here is what I want you to consider. If Jesus talks about greed and materialism 10 or 20 times more than he talks about other sins, and he says that nobody ever thinks they’re doing it. Then we should start with a working hypothesis that it is probably a problem for me.”

Giving is a spiritual issue. If we want to develop cultures of generosity in our churches, we have to own this. We can’t just hope it will change. We have to do something if we want to see it change.

Until Jesus is first in your finances, Jesus isn’t first. You’re not a follower. You’re a user. And Judas tried that. – @AndyStanleyClick To Tweet

Five Areas To Address When Taking The Awkward out of the Giving Conversation

So, where do we start? There are five areas where I would recommend we start:

1. Regularly Teach Biblical Generosity

The senior leader must teach on generosity and stewardship on a regular basis. A series every now and then is helpful, but also consider other means. When generosity comes up in the text of a passage you are using to make another point, take time to cover the generosity point in the text.

Perhaps the single best way to teach regularly is through the offering moment. The few minutes before you receive the offering in service each week is a key time to teach on the importance of what is happening.

If you want a step-by-step plan to accelerate generosity in your church, you can download one for free here.

The few minutes before you receive the offering in service each week is a key time to teach on the importance of what is happening. – Jim SheppardClick To Tweet

2. Model Generosity – In Your Own Life and In Others

Share examples of people who have seen transformation in their own lives when it comes to giving. For people who are not faithful givers, they don’t know what it looks like. They need examples and encouragement. Seeing the journey of someone else accomplishes both.

One thing I hear often when I bring this up is the idea that this is not a topic we are supposed to share about in public. They say, “don’t let the left hand know what the right hand is doing.” Without going into a long explanation of the text, that is not a prohibition against sharing one’s giving story. If it were, Jesus would not have talked about letting your light shine before men that they might see your good works.

The key here is to be careful about the motive in sharing. Give credit to God for the increase in your heart’s capacity to give. That’s the real story here!

3. Celebrate Mission Advancement

Encourage your church by calling attention to victories in mission advancement due to giving. This is probably the most overlooked element of encouraging generosity.

Think of a time when you made a significant appeal to the people of your church and they rose up and met it. Did you celebrate it? I don’t mean patting yourselves on the back and congratulating each other, I mean giving thanks to God for the move of His Spirit among your people, and the response of obedience in His people.

If you haven’t been doing it, make sure you do it next time you ask and your people respond.

4. Make Generosity a Priority, a Mark of Discipleship

Specifically identify giving and generosity as one of the marks of discipleship in your church.

Churches prioritize that which they have identified as important. Values get prioritized. Many times, the values a church establishes are connected to marks of discipleship. Prayer, service, leading, and Bible study are frequently on the list of things a church considers the marks of discipleship.

Did you notice which one is not in the list? Giving and generosity. Maybe church leaders just assume if you do the other things, you will be a generous giver. This is not a good strategy.

I have been around hundreds of churches as a consultant and I’ll just say that’s not my experience. It doesn’t just happen. It has to be specifically addressed. Making generosity one of the church’s marks of discipleship is a way to ensure that it happens.

5. Have a Generosity Champion at the table with your lead team

This is a voice to make sure generosity and giving are prioritized. This is probably the biggest single idea of the five mentioned here, and likely the one most leaders have not considered.

It is easy for giving and generosity to take a back seat to other priorities church leaders are addressing at any given time. This is understandable when something really pressing comes along, but it should be the exception, not the norm.

Generosity should be like a thread that is woven into the fabric of the church. Not siloed, but owned by every leader on the team.

A Generosity Champion, whether a staff member or a key lay person, will keep it on the table at all times.

Generosity should be like a thread that is woven into the fabric of the church. Not siloed, but owned by every leader on the team. – Jim SheppardClick To Tweet

Where do we go from here?

We have to solve this. The stakes are high on two fronts.

1. The people in our churches are spiritually malnourished when it comes to money and possessions.

When we talk about making disciples, we have to be committed to addressing all the areas of discipleship. Teaching in the area of money and possessions is the most neglected one. In a culture that is as materialistic as America, our understanding of money and possessions and how it fits into our faith perspective is critical.

Jesus was concerned about it two thousand years ago. He knew that money had the potential to be another god to us.

In Luke 16, he clearly pointed out that money has the potential to cause us to worship at that altar instead of the altar of Almighty God.

This is a powerful teaching and we tend to blow past it. It speaks to the need to provide spiritual nourishment in the area of money and possessions.

2. Our churches are being limited in the pursuit of their God-given mission and mandate by the lack of sufficient financial resources.

In a country as affluent as America, there is no reason for our churches to have to limit their ministry because of financial resources. Yes, there are churches that are in economically challenged areas. But that is not the norm.

The best research we have indicates giving among believers is somewhere in the range of 2.5% of their income. Think about that. If believers in America gave just half a tithe (10% of their income), it would double the level of giving to churches. The impact of the ministry of the American church would be significantly expanded.

Only by growing givers’ hearts and loosening the grip on what God has provided will we make meaningful progress.

There’s too much at stake.

Let’s commit ourselves to removing the awkwardness and normalizing the giving conversation. For our people and for our churches.

What if you could take the weirdness out of the giving conversation at your church?

The Generis team has been helping churches do this for years.

We’d love to offer you a totally free conversation about how you can build a culture that embraces generosity like never before.

Normalize the giving conversation in your church and accelerate greater generosity towards your God-inspired vision starting today!

You can schedule a complimentary discovery session with a Generosity Strategist here: https://resources.generis.com/carey

How do you currently talk about giving? 

I’d love to know what strategies you’re trying.

Leave a comment below and let us know!

The post The Awkward Relationship Between Money and The Church…And What You Can Do About It appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: The Awkward Relationship Between Money and The Church…And What You Can Do About It

The post The Awkward Relationship Between Money and The Church…And What You Can Do About It appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By Carey Nieuwhof: Craig Groeschel returns to talk about what he’s learned in the last year about church attendance, how to lead your team well when everyone has strong (and divergent) opinions, why he’s gone 100% in on digital church and 100% in on physical church, and how he’s winning the war in his mind.

Welcome to Episode 397 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.

Plus, in this episode’s What I’m Thinking About segment, Carey talks about disruptive church trends that will rule 2021 (part 1).

Guest Links

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Website

Episode Links

Pro Media Fire

Are you getting ready to hire a creative or digital staff member at your church?

There are two options:

Hire an internal staff member that is an expert in one or two main areas.
Hire Pro Media Fire and get an entire team of experts for less than the cost of a professional staff hire.

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The choice is yours, hire one person or get an entire team of professionals providing digital strategy and a creative framework to help your church grow online.

Teams win championships!

Book a free strategy session today at promediafire.com/churchgrowth.

Convoy of Hope

Convoy of Hope is a Christian humanitarian organization that exists to bring hope to the hungry through feeding initiatives, disaster response, women’s empowerment and agricultural training, empowering others to live with greater independence and freedom from poverty, disease and hunger.

In 2020, Convoy of Hope delivered 150 million meals to those affected by COVID-19, all in partnership with the local church.

Thousands of churches around the U.S. partner with Convoy of Hope to help those in need in their local community. You and your church can, too.

Convoy is one of the most trusted non-profit Christian humanitarian organizations in the world. They take your dollars and stretch it into 6 dollars because of their partnerships with companies like Wal-Mart, The Home Depot, Culligan, Nestle Water, Bass Pro Shops and more.

You can bring hope to the hurting and hungry by texting COH to 68828, or visit convoyofhope.org to donate.

Conversation Links

Winning the War in Your Mind by Craig Groeschel

The Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast

Life.Church

Dangerous Prayers by Craig Groeschel

Divine Direction by Craig Groeschel

Hope in the Dark by Craig Groeschel

Liking Jesus by Craig Groeschel

CNLP 173: Craig Groeschel Deconstructs His Approach to Preaching, Leadership, Success, the Future and More

CNLP 319: Craig Groeschel on What He’s Learning From His Performance Coach, How to Handle High Demand Leadership, and How to Avoid Entitlement in Leadership

CNLP 052: How Craig Groeschel Stays Healthy, Relevant and Passionate in Ministry

CNLP 228: Craig Groeschel on Handling the Pain That Comes with Life and Leadership, How God Can Redeem Self-Inflicted Pain and Bring Hope in the Dark of Personal Suffering

CNLP 207: Bobby Gruenewald on Leveraging First Mover Advantage, Innovation, AI, Technology and the Future Church

8 Disruptive Church Trends That Will Rule 2021 (The Rise of the Post-Pandemic Church) by Carey Nieuwhof

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Insights From Craig

1. As a leader, you can have extreme views but you need extreme empathy for those who disagree

The COVID-19 pandemic has likely revealed how far apart the views of some of your staff are. Mask or no mask, gather or not, all of these issues are highly-polarized, and as a leader, you need to be able to speak to and empathize with people on both extremes. If you can’t respect other people’s views, you’ll never be able to lead them.

2. Truly engaging people online takes a lot more work

There’s a lot to question when it comes to online attendance and results. Do online views count? Yes. But how you count them and how you engage with those viewers on a deeper level is difficult to know. Both Carey and Craig tend to be conservative in how they count online numbers and think you need to go beyond just views.

3. Go in 100% on online and 100% on in-person

As you build out the future of your church, there is opportunity both online and in-person. To capitalize on both places, Craig and his team are going 100% in on online and 100% in on in-person church services. He recommends that you be honest about the strengths and weaknesses of both ways to gather.

4. When it comes to models, be FOR what you are but not against what you aren’t

So many pastors cast stones at churches that don’t share the same model as them. Craig points out that there are strengths to large gatherings and strengths to micro-gatherings. Moving forward, be positive about the model that’s working for you, but don’t be against the model that you isn’t.

5. To have a great organization, get over your preferences

Over the years, Craig has learned that if he wants their organization to grow, he needs to be willing to give up more of his preferences for the sake of empowering others to make those decisions. He’s learned this through a lot of pain and anonymous 360 reviews. The longer he’s led, the less confident in his own preferences he’s become.

Quotes from Episode 397

Your life and leadership are always moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts. @craiggroeschelClick To Tweet

Be what you are without being against what you’re not. @craiggroeschelClick To Tweet

If you’re small minded, you’re always going to have a limited impact. @craiggroeschelClick To Tweet

Online is a higher priority, and it should be for everyone doing any form of ministry and leadership moving forward. @craiggroeschelClick To Tweet

If you don’t like what you have, change the way you think. @craiggroeschelClick To Tweet

Whatever you lead is a reflection of the thoughts you think. People may not ever hear you say it or think your inner dialogue, but they’re going to feel it. @craiggroeschelClick To Tweet

To have a great organization, you have to get over your preferences. @craiggroeschelClick To Tweet

We have to fight as leaders not to be overly optimistic or overly discouraged, but just tell the truth. @craiggroeschelClick To Tweet

You have to lead with grace, understanding and an explanation. @craiggroeschelClick To Tweet

Crisis leadership is not as hard as you think. There are some basics: You have to communicate over and over again. You have to bring the why behind everything that you’re doing. @craiggroeschelClick To Tweet

If we value the church gathering, then we may still stream our content but our strategy of how we engage people needs to be different. @craiggroeschelClick To Tweet

The number of people participating in the mission who are not in the building on a Sunday will surpass the number of people participating in the mission.Click To Tweet

In the post-pandemic church, your most engaged people may not be in the room.Click To Tweet

In the post-pandemic church, growing churches will shift their focus from gathering to connecting.Click To Tweet

Some pastors will try to fill auditoriums while others focus on fulfilling the mission.Click To Tweet

Full auditoriums do not guarantee a fulfilled mission.Click To Tweet

Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 397

Looking for a key quote? More of a reader?

Read or download a free PDF transcript of this episode here.

Watch Back Episodes of The Podcast on YouTube

Select episodes of this podcast are now on YouTube. Our YouTube Channel gives you a chance to watch some episodes, not just listen.

Help Your Team Crush Their Goals As You Move Into The Future

It’s never been more important for your organization to hit your goals. It’s also never been more difficult.

Lead a Better Team is the step-by-step approach to:

Get far better results with the same team
Create a system of accountability so you can actually achieve the goals you set; and
Boost the performance of your staff so you can stop micromanaging

All while freeing up time for you to do what you do best.

The best part? You’ll learn how you can do this even if you’re leading a virtual team.

Get instant access to Lead a Better Team here, and take your team to the next level.

SUBSCRIBED YET?

Subscribe for free and never miss out on wisdom from world-class leaders like Brian Houston, Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Nancy Duarte, Henry Cloud, Patrick Lencioni, Francis Chan, Ann Voskamp, Erwin McManus and many others.

Subscribe using your favorite podcast app via

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google Play

Stitcher

TuneIn

Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review

Hopefully, this episode has helped you lead like never before. That’s my goal. If you appreciated it, could you share the love?

The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on Apple Podcasts and leave us a brief review! You can do the same on Stitcher and on TuneIn as well.

Your ratings and reviews help us place the podcast in front of new leaders and listeners. Your feedback also lets me know how I can better serve you.

Thank you for being so awesome.

Next Episode: Christy Nockels

Christy Nockels has been singing in front of tens of thousands of people since she was 19. She shares the best and hardest parts of life on the road, how she dealt with a life-altering bout of burnout, how to work with your spouse and what she thinks the future of live events and the music industry might look like.

Subscribe for free now so you won’t miss Episode 398.

The post CNLP 397: Craig Groeschel on the Future of Church Attendance, How to Lead Well When Everyone Has Different Opinions, and on Winning the War in Your Mind appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 397: Craig Groeschel on the Future of Church Attendance, How to Lead Well When Everyone Has Different Opinions, and on Winning the War in Your Mind

The post CNLP 397: Craig Groeschel on the Future of Church Attendance, How to Lead Well When Everyone Has Different Opinions, and on Winning the War in Your Mind appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: Greg Atkinson returns to the podcast to talk about welcoming guests online.

So much has changed since COVID hit, and Greg shares best and worst practices for engaging online and in-person guests, how to move attenders into engagers, and how to best deal with trolls and other people who threaten to take you off mission.

Welcome to Episode 369 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.

Plus, in this episode’s What I’m Thinking About segment, Carey talks about vanity metrics and why we should stop focusing on attendance.

Guest Links

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Connect with Greg

Episode Links

Pro Media Fire

Are you a leader of a church facing these challenges?

Your digital team is at max
Your social media team can’t keep up with the need for content
Your creative team is overwhelmed
And you’re cautious about spending money with new staff to help

But how do you increase your quality and output of content without a huge expense?

The solution is Pro Media Fire, where you can hire an entire creative team of professionals for less than the cost of a staff hire. And the best part is the plans are month to month.

You can get help today with professional graphics, videos and content to make an impact while navigating this season of digital expansion.

Book your free strategy session today at promediafire.com/churchgrowth.

The Ascent Leader

This is a unique season that is often the most challenging environment to lead. You may find that you’re inheriting a prior leader’s staff, culture, elders and much more.

If you’re a new lead pastor who is leading a church after a recent senior leader transition, I want to invite you to The Ascent Leader cohorts.

In these cohorts, you’ll get to learn from many of the best transition leaders in the church, you’ll be connected with like-minded A-level peers and you’ll have access to a coach who has experience with dozens, and even hundreds, of church leadership transitions.

Apply today at theascentleader.org.

CONVERSATION LINKS

First Impressions Conference

CNLP 132: Greg Atkinson on the Secrets of a Secret Church Shopper: What People are Looking for When They Come to Your Church

CNLP 132 Transcript

CNLP 185: Greg Atkinson on How First Time Guests Get Alienated by Your Church Services

CNLP 185 Transcript

CNLP 357: JP Pokluda on the Future of Online Preaching, What Pastors Can Learn from YouTubers, and How to Influence the Next Generation

Church Online Platform

Crossroads Church Cincinnati

Church Anywhere

Elevation Church

Life.Church

Churchome

Hillsong East

The Summit Church

North Point Community Church

ChurchPulse Weekly: with Thom Rainer and Myron Pierce

Some Awkward Questions About How to Measure Online Church Attendance (+ 5 Growth Strategies) by Carey Nieuwhof

The Online Church Engagement Summit

Text CAREY to 33777 to join more than 70,000 subscribers to our leadership content

INSIGHTS FROM GREG

1. Questions your team should be asking in the online chat

It seems like most online chat experiences are either trivial or divisive. People are asking questions like, “What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?” Or, there are trolls who make everything political, making it a point to disagree with anyone who speaks up. How can you avoid this?

To avoid trivial conversations, have the members of your greeting team intentionally go into the chat and ask highly emotionally intelligent questions and give great answers. The quality of your questions will determine the quality of your chat.

For the trolls, Greg recommends that you try and take the conversation offline. If they’re a member of your church, have a phone call or text with that person. If they’re someone you don’t know, and refuse to take it offline, you will likely have to ban that user. Greg and Carey both often have to ban people online. It’s okay.

2. You’ll be tempted to view your online audience as “secondary” to your in-person audience, don’t

Greg has watched pastors completely forget about their online audience over and over throughout his career, and he thinks that pastors will begin to fall back into that habit as they come out of the current crisis.

Many pastors are already saying things like, “The 30% who have returned to in-person church are the devoted ones, and those staying home are less committed members.” This simply isn’t true.

Some of your most committed members have serious health risks that are keeping them at home. Don’t forget about them in your quest to refill your room.

3. Your church’s future depends on what you learned (or didn’t learn) in the crisis

One of the big questions coming out of the COVID crisis is, “Will church attendance go back to what it was pre-COVID?” Greg thinks that it will return for some churches and won’t for others. He thinks it will totally depend on whether a church learns the lessons that we need to learn from this pandemic.

If you go back to the old way of doing things, your church isn’t going to thrive. But if you learn from this season about how powerful online can be, reinvent yourself, and add a healthy online experience and community to your church, your church will likely thrive.

Quotes from Episode 369

If a church feels like they can’t be a church because of missing a one-hour service out of building, we were missing the point all along, ministering to people. @GregAtkinson

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During times of uncertainty, lead with your humanity. @Andy Stanley

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The gospel has never been proclaimed so largely, so broadly, so loudly as in the past five, six months of this COVID experience. @GregAtkinson

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Never forget your online audience. We’re in that phygital world from here on out. There are always people watching at home. @GregAtkinson

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That front door experience, that very first impression, starts online. @GregAtkinson

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When you tune into an online experience, there should be somebody that sees you and acknowledges you and thanks you for tuning in. @GregAtkinson

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Pastoral care has never been so important. @GregAtkinson

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Let people see your heart, because people really resonate with emotionally engaging content. @cnieuwhof

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Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 369

Looking for a key quote? More of a reader?

Read or download a free PDF transcript of this episode here.

Watch Back Episodes of The Podcast on YouTube

Select episodes of this podcast are now on YouTube. Our YouTube Channel gives you a chance to watch some episodes, not just listen.

The Online Church Engagement Summit

So you’ve got people watching your church online. How do you turn them into engagers?

On October 8th, 2020, Carey Nieuwhof is hosting The Online Church Engagement Summit. It’s a free, 90-minute value-packed event where Levi Lusko, Nona Jones, and Bobby Gruenewald will give you their best practical strategies to turn viewers into engagers.

If you feel like you don’t even know where to begin, or if you’ve had success but want to reach and engage more people, this is for you and your team.

Learn more and register for free.

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Thank you for being so awesome.

Next Episode: Brad Lomenick

Brad Lomenick returns to the podcast to talk about his new podcast, H3 Leadership, and how to grow your influence without producing more content. Brad explains the power of curating content and connecting people, and how he used that to build one of the largest leadership networks out there. Brad also discusses future trends every leader should watch. Plus, Carey and Brad talk about the launch of a brand new podcast network: Thrivicity.

Subscribe for free now so you won’t miss Episode 370.

The post CNLP 369: Greg Atkinson on How to Grow Engagement in Online Attendance, Best and Worst Digital and In-Person Church Practices, and Improving the Church Guest Experience appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 369: Greg Atkinson on How to Grow Engagement in Online Attendance, Best and Worst Digital and In-Person Church Practices, and Improving the Church Guest Experience

The post CNLP 369: Greg Atkinson on How to Grow Engagement in Online Attendance, Best and Worst Digital and In-Person Church Practices, and Improving the Church Guest Experience appeared first on Passion for Planting.

This post on the algorithms around us is written by Leslie Mack. Leslie is a creative director, singer-songwriter, and communicator from Atlanta, Georgia. I recently interviewed her for ChurchPulse Weekly on how to leverage this crisis to reach the next generation. You can listen to the interview here. 

By Leslie Mack

You and your team just hit “post” on your latest magnum opus of content and with bated breath, wait for the likes to start pouring in.

You’d never say it out loud, but this could be the post that goes viral and brings your organization the visibility it deserves.

You check back in 15 minutes…2 hours… 2 days. Where are all the likes, views, reshares, and comments?! You have 500 followers but only 12 likes. You have 3,000 subscribers, but only 78 views.

Alas, we shake our fists to the heavens and lavish our unspeakable cures on the only one to blame here… The Algorithm.

Why do we hate “The Algorithm”?

Algorithm, a word that – if you’re bad at math like me- sounds like it’s spelled with numbers.

Between high school math equations, the binary zero and ones code the matrix showed us, and our leach-like dependance on a technology we barely understand, no wonder we feel defeated and helpless toward the invisible machine that seems to swallow our best work into the oversaturated oblivion known as the internet.

But what if you could sweet talk an algorithm?

What if you could sweet talk an algorithm? – Leslie Mack

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Algorithms have feelings too

What if we embraced the idea that algorithms have feelings too? That, like humans, algorithms are trained to pick up on behaviors, and adapt to social norms (or “abnorms”). What if we viewed the algorithm as highly emotionally intelligent and not just mathematically intelligent?

By the time you feed the algorithm several opportunities to practice reading your audience, provide the algorithm several opportunities to hone this skill, it becomes highly skilled at predicting the behavioral responses of your audience.

Don’t believe me, just google “Cloud AI”.

It’s not that the algorithm doesn’t want the world to see your content. The algorithm is more like a big brother (no pun intended) who doesn’t want you to “leave the house like that”. i.e. Put out bad content to your audience.

What if it were possible to partner with – dare I say befriend – the algorithm. You can begin to implement strategies to make the algorithm appreciate your best content by avoiding what the algorithm hates.

1. The Algorithm hates when you sucker punch your audience

The algorithm’s job is to keep people watching, scrolling, and attention-giving as long as possible. It will refuse to feed your audience something it has no history of ever liking.

Based on the previous content you posted, the algorithm collected enough data to tell what your audience likes to click on. So when you come out of left field with a new style of content, abandoning your truest tone of voice, the algorithm tries to protect your audience from the sucker punch you’re delivering. It ups it’s loyalty to the platform you’re posting on by not pushing your content.

Instead of a drastic change from say fixing motorcycles to make up tutorials, consider having a familiar face give a familiarly toned- intro to set up the change.

You might even consider cushioning either side of your “new” content with content that features a familiar face, topic and tone to your channel and audience.

The algorithm’s job is to keep people watching, scrolling, and attention-giving as long as possible. It will refuse to feed your audience something it has no history of ever liking. – Leslie Mack

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2. The Algorithm hates when you seem like a liar

If we agree the algorithm can feel things, the one feeling it hates most would be deception. And it’s pretty impatient when deciding whether or not it believes you’ll deliver on your promise.

Early on during the pandemic, I posted a video to YouTube called “You, Kanye, and Hangry Jesus” – teaching on the parable of the cursed fig tree. Originally, the thumbnail featured images of cut-outs of fruit, my face, and Kanye’s face. Clickbait-y? The algorithm definitely thought so. I didn’t mention Kanye until 9 minutes into the video!

In the first few minutes of the video being live, the metrics predicted that the video would perform below average for our channel. We changed the title of the video to “New Pandemic, Old Me: are Instagram Lives Making Us Better People” and changed the thumbnail to just feature my face with a confused expression holding fruit.

We were able to restore the performance of the video back to being on target for our channels average.

Now, we both know that you’d never intentionally set out to flat out lie to your audience. We just tend to like a sermon that ends with a good ah-ha moment.

However, if in the first few seconds of your content it doesn’t seem like you’re going to deliver on the promises made in the title, the thumbnail text, and the thumbnail art, well the algorithm would much rather suggest a video that will.

That’s why a large amount of the successful videos you watch on YouTube start off with “In today’s video I will…” followed by a list of buzz words and phrases that align with the title, tags, thumbnail text.

Try using a Search Engine Optimization tool along with a tool to help craft strong titles, to see what words people are searching for and align your content – from the title and thumbnail to the very last sentence- to meet an existing need.

If in the first few seconds of your content it doesn’t seem like you’re going to deliver on the promises made in the title, the algorithm would much rather suggest a video that will. – Leslie Mack

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3. The Algorithm Hates When You Thoughtlessly “Re-gift” Content

Grandma may always give you socks for Christmas and money on your birthday. At least she recognizes there’s a difference between the holidays (and doesn’t re-bless you with socks for both).

It’s tempting to put all your energy into making one piece of amazing content and just repost it, as is, across all platforms. But, the reason why your great aunt is on Facebook, your brother is on reddit, and your niece is on Tik Tok can be chalked up to two words: pace and preference.

Not tailoring your video to the platform it will live on means you’re guaranteed to be missing key components of what makes content succeed on different platforms.

It’s up to you to learn the pace and preferences, i.e. the native language, of the platform to which you post.

Where blogs speak the language of text with subtitles throughout, Tik Toks speak the language of short vids, overdubbed with jump cuts and text on screen.

Your audience (and therefore the algorithm) can spot “regifted” content from a mile away. Videos made for YouTube stand out like a sore thumb on Instagram- can the link you mentioned “in the description box below” actually found in your bio now?

Your church websites’ generic greeting video feels irrelevant to the audience on YouTube. Is regifting content all bad? No, but making some minor edits that make your content native to the platform help up your chances of visibility and reach.

Here are a few things to consider when customizing the content you intend to post on various platforms:

Your audience (and therefore the algorithm) can spot “regifted” content from a mile away. Videos made for YouTube stand out like a sore thumb on Instagram. – Leslie Mack

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1. Which platform supports the type of audience engagement you or your team is able to be responsive to?

If someone comments “I want to accept Christ” on your YouTube video you posted 3 months ago, do you have the right systems in place to respond in a thoughtful and timely manner?

If they reach out looking for your church’s address via Instagram DM, can you respond?

2. Are you thinking mobile-first?

The content we create is being consumed not on the massive computer screens we use to edit on, nor on a flatscreen TV, tablet, or jumbo stage projector in an auditorium.

By a landslide, mobile devices are the primary space for consuming digital content.

When you shrink your content down to the size of an index card, or even a 2’’ x 1’’ screen within a screen, are the graphics still legible? Does the orientation of the video allow your subject to be centered or cut off? Is important information in your headers or lower thirds being covered by in-platform graphics?

Does your call to action ask your audience to navigate through tricky multi-step processes that are hard to get to from the current platform? (Ask me about the nightmare of using Instagram Stories to ask 10,000 students to submit TikToks via FormStack that ultimately got complied into dropbox files for a DJ to mix into a video that would play on 40 ft projectors at an in-person event. The complexity!)

By a landslide, mobile devices are the primary space for consuming digital content. – Leslie Mack

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3. Are you using your title real estate effectively?

Is your title now cut off due to the character limit shown on this specific platform where the full title was clear over on YouTube?

Are you posting a series that all start with the same phrase and therefore limits your audience’s ability to engage with all the different parts of your content at a glance?

Is the text on your thumbnail redundant to title redundant to caption?

Maximize on grabbing attention by rephrasing or re-angling at each opportunity.

4. Does your content artwork break the promise your title makes to your audience?

Are you covering a sensitive topic but your artwork is your default, million-dollar smile headshot?

Is your message titled “peace during a pandemic” but your artwork feature an image of the pastor, scowling with passion as he makes his most poignant point?

Does your video title promise you’ll be hearing from students in this video but your thumbnail only show your face?

Treating the Algorithm as if it’s highly emotionally intelligent (even if that “emotional intelligence” is just a string of calculated predictions and mechanistic understanding) will help the algorithm begin to love some of your best content.

Treating the Algorithm as if it’s highly emotionally intelligent will help the algorithm begin to love some of your best content. – Leslie Mack

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What’s working for you? 

Have you had any posts go viral?

I’d love to hear about them in the comments below:

The post 3 Reasons “The Algorithm” Hates Some of Your Best Content appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: 3 Reasons “The Algorithm” Hates Some of Your Best Content

The post 3 Reasons “The Algorithm” Hates Some of Your Best Content appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By: Brandon A. Cox

Source: The Church is Messy, Isn’t It?

The post The Church is Messy, Isn’t It? appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Shawn Lovejoy:

“We have never seen anything like this.”

At the time of this writing, the COVID-19 Virus has been labeled a “pandemic”, businesses are suspending operations or working remotely, churches are scrambling to figure out how to hold gatherings, America is essentially closed, and we’re hearing statements like the above consistently.

The word “unprecedented” is being used a lot.

Uncertainty is at an all time high.

Many stabilizing forces in our world feel unstable.

Uncertainty, unprecedented times and unstable futures tend to spark feelings of fear in the people and teams we lead.

So what do you do? What’s a leader’s responsibility during moments like this? You’re the leader, what are people looking to you for?

In a word: Leadership.

This is what you signed up for. While none of us saw this moment coming, this moment is what you are here for. In moments of crisis, leaders lead. When everyone else feels crippled by fear, this is your time to courageously lead.

I heard it said recently that…

“The inconvenient often becomes the vehicle through which the impossible becomes the inevitable.”

I believe this season of inconvenience and fear can be leveraged if you will posture your leadership in three ways. Here are 3 things you can do as the leader to help people fight fear and achieve what may seem impossible…

Be a Voice and Presence of Peace

During tense times followers take their emotional cues from leaders. The person in room with the most peace is often the person in room with the most influence. In your meetings, give extra time to encourage your team. They are thinking about providing for their families and protecting their health. Speak words of calm and peace. Carry a calm demeanor. Smile. Of course be your authentic self, share your concerns and create urgency…but as the leader, lead with peace. Especially in seasons of chaos, people follow people of peace more than people with a position.

Ignite Passion

I read recently that “Passion obliterates panic.” When we point to something larger to live and work for, it has a way of eclipsing the tensions of the moment. It’s why people dive into work or hobbies to alleviate stress. Take extra time to feed the dreams of the people on your team. Feed people’s need to be seen, heard and cared for. Point to the “why” behind your work. In this time of national crisis, reframe your why in a manner that connects to today. Remember, those who are passionate about something are less likely to be those who panic about everything.

Bring Practical Solutions

Inspiration matters. In fact, right now, it is an essential. That said, people you lead need to some practical “hows” during a crisis as well. Practical leadership doesn’t mean you have to provide a roadmap all the way to the end goal, no one expects you to predict the future, but it does mean you provide the first step or two. Sit down with your team and map out one day at a time. Start by giving clarity for today. Set short term priorities. Define, as Stephen Covey says, what the “big rocks” that matter most are. The next right thing to do being made clear serves as an anchor to our team. Keeping people clearly focused on what’s next guards people from being fearfully consumed with what may never come to be.

At the church my family attends, our pastor is leading us through this “unprecedented” time. The most practical thing he did on Sunday was give us homework for the week of reading Psalm 91 everyday as a personal prayer. Did he tell us how we’re going to survive this health crisis? No. Did he say what to do about the stock market? No. Did he give me the plan to protect my business? No. But he did give me a practical next step to focus my energies on.

Lead your team through the fear they feel and the season they find themselves in by bringing similarly practical solution, igniting and fueling passion in your team, and being a leader guided by peace.

It takes courage to lead.

This is your moment.

You can do this.

I’m cheering you on.

……………………………………………………………………………

Could you use someone to process your next step to take as a leader with? Don’t navigate this season in isolation. Our team is offering a Free 30 Minute Coaching Call where one of our coaches will jump on a call with you and help provide you perspective and peace about what’s next. Schedule a call with us today.

schedule a call today

Lets Talk About Coaching

Source: 3 Ways To Lead Through Times of Fear & Uncertainty

The post 3 Ways To Lead Through Times of Fear & Uncertainty appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Source: The Two Big Reasons Why Believers Give Praise to God

The post The Two Big Reasons Why Believers Give Praise to God appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: For the first time ever, Outreach Magazine has produced a list of the Top 100 Reproducing Churches. Why? The future isn’t just in growth, it’s in multiplication if the church is going to thrive.

J.D. Greear, Lead Pastor of the Summit—a multiplying church— and President of the Southern Baptist Convention, and Todd Wilson, President and CEO of Exponential, talk about the five levels of churches, and why reproducing churches are the future. Fortunately, they also explain how even a plateaued or declining church can think about reproducing in a healthy way.

Welcome to Episode 287 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.

Guest Links

J.D. Greear

Instagram | Twitter | Summit Church | Gospel Above All

Todd Wilson

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | ReproducingChurches.org | Exponential.org

The Church Multiplication Challenge | Outreach Magazine | Outreach 100

Episode Links

Don’t miss The Stack Your Library Giveaway! Follow Carey on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for your chance to get in on the fun!

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CNLP 183: Todd Wilson on Lessons from the Nuclear Navy and What the World’s Best Engineers Can Teach Church Leaders or Any Leader about Leadership

CNLP 111: How to Find Your True Calling – An Interview with Exponential’s Todd Wilson

Multipliers by Liz Wiseman

Leadership and Self Deception by The Arbinger Institute

How the Mighty Fall by Jim Collins

Good to Great by Jim Collins

Dangerous Calling by Paul David Tripp

The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb by Kyle Strobel

3 Insights from J.D. & Todd

1. Multiplication needs to be a part of a church’s DNA from the beginning

A lot of churches get into this idea of, “Well, we’re not healthy enough to plant, we need to wait until we have 500 or 1000 people before we are ready to plant another church.” The problem with this is that once you go to that size, multiplication is not even part of your DNA anymore. A multiplication mindset takes a long time to build into a church’s DNA. If you can, build it in on day one.

So what do you do if your church is already groing and you want to become a multiplication focused church? For multiplication to truly become a part of your church’s DNA, it’s got to be a discussion you have early and often. If you want to become a multiplication church, start ingraining it into your key leaders today, and making small contributions to other church plants in your area.

2. Multiplication creates an abundance mentality and culture

As a pastor, one of the biggest enemies to your church’s multiplication will likely be your own desire to keep your best leaders at your original location. We need to fight this. When we are looking at the people we are losing we are feeding a scarcity mindset. This scarcity mindset will do more harm than good but will be masked as “good stewardship.”

A much more effective mindset to have is a multiplication mindset that says “we have been given much, so we will give much away”. A multiplication mindset trusts God to continue to provide the resources needed to accomplish what he has called you to accomplish. This mindset extends beyond just people, it also affects how you distribute resources like finances and staff time.

3. You don’t need to be a growing church to be multiplying

As Todd looks back at the church that he grew up in, he can count nearly 300 churches that have been planted from that church. Want to know the shocking part? That original church had less than 150 members. Todd uses this as evidence to show that you don’t need to be a massive, growing megachurch to be a multiplying church.

The mindset that a small church needs to have if they want to be multiplying is a mindset that is more focused on who they are sending out to reach new communities rather than what they are building or accumulating. There is a wave of small churches doing this. Maybe your church needs to join them.

Quotes from Episode 287

Fame is making yourself accessible to a bunch of people you don’t really care about, at the expense of those few that you do. @jdgreearClick To Tweet

Church planters are like teenagers, all they want is your money, and your affirmation, and then for you to leave them alone. @jdgreearClick To Tweet

If you can get 16% of the population behaving a certain way, it becomes the new normal. @toddwilsonClick To Tweet

Programs consume resources. They don’t reproduce, only people reproduce. @toddwilsonClick To Tweet

The next 30 to 40 years are the reproducing church movement. @toddwilsonClick To Tweet

Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 287

Looking for a key quote? More of a reader?

Read or download a free PDF transcript of this episode here.

Watch Back Episodes of The Podcast on YouTube

Select episodes of this podcast are now on YouTube. Our new YouTube Channel gives you a chance to watch some episodes, not just listen. We’ll add select episodes to YouTube as time goes on.

Get Your Church Growing (Again…or for the First Time)

Getting a stuck church growing, or helping a church that’s reaching new people grow even further can seem daunting.

It doesn’t have to be.

Whether you’re a church that isn’t growing, has plateaued, or whether you wish your church was growing faster than it is, I’d love to help you break through. That’s why I created the Church Growth Masterclass.

The Church Growth Masterclassis everything I wish I knew about church growth when I got into ministry more than 20 years ago.

Naturally, I can’t make a church grow. You can’t make a church grow. Only God can do that.

But I believe you can position your church to grow.

You can knock down the barriers that keep you from growing. You can eliminate the things that keep your church from growing and implement some strategies that will help you reach far more people. That’s what I’d love to help you do in the Church Growth Masterclass.

In the Church Growth Masterclass I’ll show you:

The 10 reasons your church isn’t growing
Why even committed church-goers aren’t attending as often as before
How to tell if your church leaders are getting burned out
The 5 keys to your church better impacting millennials.
What to do when a church wants to grow … but not change
5 essentials for church growth
5 disruptive church trends to watch—and how to respond
How to increase church attendance by increasing engagement.

The Church Growth Masterclass includes a complete set of videos that you can play with your team, board or staff, PDF workbooks that will help you tackle the issues you’re facing, and bonus materials that will help you navigate the most pressing issues facing churches that want to reach their cities today.

You can learn more and gain instant access to the course today.

Subscribed Yet? 

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Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review

Hopefully, this episode has helped you lead like never before. That’s my goal. If you appreciated it, could you share the love?

The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on Apple Podcasts and leave us a brief review! You can do the same on Stitcher and on TuneIn as well.

Your ratings and reviews help us place the podcast in front of new leaders and listeners. Your feedback also lets me know how I can better serve you.

Thank you for being so awesome.

Next Episode: David Kinnaman

David Kinnaman, President of the Barna Group, busts some persistent myths about people and culture too many leaders still believe. He also shares findings from his surveys of over 100,000 young adults, what they believe, what bothers them, and how a surprising number still have strong faith, despite what you read about the next generation. Plus, David and Carey test some assumptions about where culture is headed in the future.

Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 288.

The post CNLP 287: J.D. Greear and Todd Wilson on Why The Future Church Is a Multiplying Church, How to Overcome a Scarcity Mindset and How to Start Reproducing Leadership appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 287: J.D. Greear and Todd Wilson on Why The Future Church Is a Multiplying Church, How to Overcome a Scarcity Mindset and How to Start Reproducing Leadership

The post CNLP 287: J.D. Greear and Todd Wilson on Why The Future Church Is a Multiplying Church, How to Overcome a Scarcity Mindset and How to Start Reproducing Leadership appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: It’s easy to write off a stuck or plateaued church as irrelevant or bound to close, but that’s not what happened when Ron Edmondson became senior pastor of a church of 1000 in Lexington Kentucky. Under Ron’s leadership, Immanuel Baptist grew from 1000 attenders to over 3000 in six years and is firmly positioned for the future.

Ron explains the keys to turning a church around, how to handle critics, and we talk about his new job as CEO of Leadership Network and how the leadership landscape is changing.

Welcome to Episode 280 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.

Guest Links

Ron Edmondson | Leadership Network | The Mythical Leader

Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Vimeo

Episode Links

Empower and equip your leaders with church management software from Church Community Builder. Podcast listeners receive 20% off now.

Find training for every ministry area and every leadership level at Ministry Grid. Take advantage of their August special to lock in your annual rate with unlimited training, plus receive my book Didn’t See It Coming as a bonus gift.

Follow Carey on Instagram.

CNLP 159: Ron Edmondson on Busting the 7 Myths that Break too Many Young Leaders

CNLP 010: How to Rapidly Navigate Change in a Traditional Church Context – An Interview with Ron Edmondson

The Second Tier Principle by Ron Edmondson

Watermark

The Porch

CNLP 236: Jonathan Pokluda on the Keys to Reaching and Influencing Tens of Thousands of Millennials Every Week

Come and See by Todd Wagner

CNLP 265: Les McKeown on the Keys to Scaling Your Church or Business, Why Growth Doesn’t Necessarily Mean You’re Ready to Scale, and How Scaling Actually Reduces Stress on You and Your Team

CNLP 206: Les McKeown on Visionaries, Operators and Processors and How Each is Necessary in Thriving Organizations

CNLP 112: Les McKeown on Getting Your Church or Organization into a Place of Predictable Success

CNLP 140: Tony Morgan on Discovering What Stage Your Church is at in Its Lifecycle

CNLP 108: Tony Morgan on Why Churches Get Stuck and How to Get Your Church Moving Again

Leading a Church in a Time of Sexual Questioning by Bruce Miller

CNLP 253: Kadi Cole on the New Rules for Men and Women in the Workplace and Creating a Culture that Leverages Female Leaders Regardless of Your Theology

Managing Leadership Anxiety by Steve Cuss

Bob Buford Tribute

CNLP 155: Matt Engel on the Rise of Big Data and How to Use it to Pastor Your Church and Reach Your Community

Pat Gelsinger

Ask NT Wright Anything

3 Insights from Ron

1. When revitalizing a church, look at the last good thing that has happened in the church and start from there

Ron has helped with a lot of church revitalizations. One of the biggest lessons he has learned is that when you begin to bring big changes to a church (or any organization) you have to look back at the last good thing the church did and was excited about, point to it, and say, “We need to do more of that.”

If you can point people to the good things in the past, and say “remember when,” you will get lots of early adopters. They will hop on board with the new vision because they can easily visualize what the new normal can become. This is a huge part of starting a revitalization out on the right foot.

2. How should we think about online attendance?

Online church attendance has begun to take place of regular Sunday morning attendance. A big debate in the church world nowadays is: “Does online church attendance count?” Carey and Ron have both been diving into this conversation and asking hard questions of some of the top leaders in North America.

Ron has begun to see that many people are just as evangelistic and outreach focused if they are attending online. They are sharing the messages with their co-workers, and they truly feel like a member of the church. This is a good sign, but the goal of online attendance should always be to bring people into true discipleship and community in person. That is possible with online church, but it is much more probable if we can get people to begin to come in person.

3. When transitioning an organization, the right fix trumps a quick fix every time

When you step into a new organization, it is really common to want to make quick fixes right away. Ron has had to learn that this is not always the best approach. The quick fix never solves the problem. He has learned that it is best to come in and lead by learning. The longer he can wait, the closer to the right fix he will get.

There are some decisions you have to make quickly. Sometimes everybody knows that there are certain employees that just have to go. You can make those decisions fast, but the bigger strategy decisions, like company values and product releases, take time to nail down. If you wait to gain more context you will be better equipped to create a successful long-term solution.

Quotes from Episode 280

The new challenge that the church is facing is the decline of regular attendance on Sunday. @RonEdmondsonClick To Tweet

3% of the Bay area will be at church on Sunday morning, but 76% will be at work on Monday morning. What you do on Monday is as important as what you do on Sunday. @RonEdmondsonClick To Tweet

Quick is the enemy of right. @cnieuwhofClick To Tweet

Every zip code has a different struggle. @RonEdmondsonClick To Tweet

If you don’t know who you’re trying to minister to, you’ll give them the wrong remedy. @RonEdmondsonClick To Tweet

I’ve never seen decreasing attendance lead to increasing devotion. @cnieuwhofClick To Tweet

Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 280

Looking for a key quote? More of a reader?

Read or download a free PDF transcript of this episode here.

Watch the Podcast on YouTube

Select episodes of this podcast are now on YouTube. Our new YouTube Channel gives you a chance to watch some episodes, not just listen. We’ll add select episodes to YouTube as time goes on.

Need a great speaker for your next event?

Introducing the Nieuwhof Speaking Team comprised of top leaders to bring dynamic insight, clarity and wisdom to your next gathering.

For years, Carey has spoken to leaders around the world about leadership, change and personal growth.  Today, we’re introducing a team of communicators who can bring just what you need to help your next event or conference be a complete success.

The Nieuwhof Speaking Team line up is:

Jenni Catron

Jeff Henderson

Rich Birch

Brad Lomenick

Toni Nieuwhof

Dillon Smith

To learn more or book a speaking team member for your event, click here.

Subscribed Yet? 

Subscribe for free and never miss out on wisdom from world-class leaders like Brian Houston, Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Nancy Duarte, Henry Cloud, Patrick Lencioni, Francis Chan, Ann Voskamp, Erwin McManus and many others.

Subscribe using your favorite podcast app via

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google Play

Stitcher

TuneIn

Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review

Hopefully, this episode has helped you lead like never before. That’s my goal. If you appreciated it, could you share the love?

The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on Apple Podcasts and leave us a brief review! You can do the same on Stitcher and on TuneIn as well.

Your ratings and reviews help us place the podcast in front of new leaders and listeners. Your feedback also lets me know how I can better serve you.

Thank you for being so awesome.

Next Episode: Heather Zempel

Heather Zempel is a biological engineer who started working as a policy advisor to a US Senator on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. She now works with Mark Batterson doing ministry on Capitol Hill. In a wide ranging interview, Heather describes the culture in DC during the 90s and early 2000s and compares it to how it is today. She talks about reaching young adults in the city, developing young leaders, and why she’s rethinking her groups and teaching strategy as DC becomes more and more post-Christian.

Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 281.

The post CNLP 280: Ron Edmondson on The Essentials For Helping a Stagnant Church Grow Again, How to Handle Your Critics, and the Changing Landscape of Leadership appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 280: Ron Edmondson on The Essentials For Helping a Stagnant Church Grow Again, How to Handle Your Critics, and the Changing Landscape of Leadership

The post CNLP 280: Ron Edmondson on The Essentials For Helping a Stagnant Church Grow Again, How to Handle Your Critics, and the Changing Landscape of Leadership appeared first on Passion for Planting.