Source: Prioritize Sharing the Gospel in Times of Crisis

The post Prioritize Sharing the Gospel in Times of Crisis appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By Carey Nieuwhof: After a year of leading through constant crisis, how are leaders supposed to cope?

Ian Morgan Cron and Carey catch up on how each Enneagram type reacts under stress and the difference between fake or strategic authenticity and true vulnerability.

Welcome to Episode 411 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 why he finds personality assessments so helpful as a leader.

Guest Links

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Website

Episode Links

Pro Media Fire

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

Book your social media management consultation today at promediafire.com/growth.

XPS 2021 By CDF Capital

If you’re a 2nd chair leader (Executive Pastor, Administrative Pastor, Operations Pastors) at a local church, you’re in an incredible spot of influence.

I’m privileged to have been a part of the Executive Pastor Summit (XPS), and I’d love to point you to this gathering of Exec Pastors that is led by CDF Capital, Exponential, and Leadership Network.

XPS is an annual innovative gathering of XP leaders looking to move their ministry forward.

Key voices shaping XPS this year include:

Ed Stetzer
Dan Reiland
Beth Ganem

The event is May 25-26 in Denver, Colorado. Sign up today, and connect with the sharpest men and women XP leaders in the country.

Learn more about XPS 2021 at welcome.cdfcapital.org/xps2021/.

Conversation Links

Typology Podcast

Typology Podcast: How Hidden Beliefs Impact Toni and Carey Nieuwhof’s Marriage

Typology Podcast: Seven Core Challenges of Leadership, feat. Carey Nieuwhof (Enneagram 8)

Typology Podcast: Carey Nieuwhof on the Enneagram and Self-Leadership, part 2 (Enneagram 8)

The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile

CNLP 241: Ian Morgan Cron on Using Your Enneagram Number to Boost Self-Awareness, Spiritual Growth and Reduce Conflict at Work and at Home

CNLP 342: Ian Morgan Cron on How Your Enneagram Type Handles Stress, How to Stay Healthy in a Crisis, and the Best Approach to Dealing with Uncertainty

CNLP 278: Ian Morgan Cron on How Your Enneagram Profile Positions You for Burnout, Pride, Cynicism and Other Hidden Traps in Life and Leadership

RightPath Resources

Leading From Your Strengths Assessment

StrengthsFinder

The 6 Types of Working Genius

Intimacy with God by Thomas Keating

Carey’s Daily Email

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

Insights From Ian

1. Take care of your basic needs if you want to fight anxiety

As a corporate consultant and therapist, Ian often gets calls from leaders who are dealing with some pretty intense anxiety in the moment, and they want him to help them stop being so anxious.

His first question to them is often, “What did you eat for breakfast?” Usually, the answer is, “Nothing.” Then, he asks, “How much water have you drank today?” Followed by, “When was the last time you exercised?” And, “How much sleep have you gotten the last three nights?” Usually, they’re struggling with three or four of those things, so he tells them to fix those issues and call him back. Seven times out of 10, this fixes their issue.

2. When you’re stressed, avoid the trap of managing rather than leading

When many leaders get stressed, they fall into the trap of managing rather than leading. You probably have great managers working under you as a leader. Ian recommends you let them do their job, and that you focus on leading them with vision and direction rather than micromanaging.

3. Loneliness is killing leaders

During the interview, Ian makes a point to recommend every single leader ask themselves, “Am I lonely?” With today’s technology, people are becoming more isolated, and loneliness has become an epidemic. Odds are, you or someone you know are being seriously impacted by loneliness.

To fight loneliness, Ian recommends having more spontaneous visits with old friends, more FaceTime calls with relatives and putting yourself into more social situations than you might be comfortable with. It might be uncomfortable in the short-term, but will pay off in the long.

Quotes from Episode 411

Don’t you know that when you try to be authentic, you’re automatically being inauthentic? @ianmorgancronClick To Tweet

Vulnerability is arguably the most important ingredient in forging great relationships. @ianmorgancronClick To Tweet

Embrace your powerlessness, and when you do that, you find power. @ianmorgancronClick To Tweet

Leaders can confuse vulnerability with weakness. @ianmorgancronClick To Tweet

When people panic, they stop leading. @ianmorgancronClick To Tweet

You want to have relationships? Start practicing vulnerability. @ianmorgancronClick To Tweet

Technology is set up to create addicts. @ianmorgancronClick To Tweet

We’re facing loneliness. And loneliness has reached epidemic proportions. @ianmorgancronClick To Tweet

A lot of leaders live with the myth of invincibility. @ianmorgancronClick To Tweet

You’ve got to lead people the way they want to be led.Click To Tweet

Self-awareness is spiritual awareness.Click To Tweet

Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 411

Looking for a key quote? More of a reader?

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

GET YOUR LIFE BACK

Do you want to unlock more of your potential in life and leadership without sacrificing time with your family and your health?

Sounds crazy, but it’s not. I know because I’ve lived it. A few years back, I seriously crashed and burned because the demands on my time and life were bigger than the time I had to accomplish them. I promised myself that wouldn’t happen again.

Today, I still have bigger goals than ever before, but I’ve made fundamental changes that have led to a healthier, happier lifestyle without sacrificing my family and vastly increasing my productivity at work. I’ve taken what I’ve learned during this journey and put it into The High Impact Leader course.

You can complete the three-hour course at your own pace. It’s the most comprehensive content I’ve ever created for leaders to help you reclaim HOURS every day so you can become more effective at work and more present at home. When your time, energy, and priorities are all working together for you, it’ll impact everything you do.

You become a better leader, because you’re doing what you do best when you’re at your best
You become a better spouse, because you’re focused at home
You become a better parent, neighbor, and friend, because you actually have time off to relax and engage

These principles will free you to thrive in every area of your life.

You can learn more and gain instant access today.

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.

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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: Annie F. Downs

Annie F. Downs returns to the podcast to talk about how she got her audience fully engaged in her book launch, which led to hitting the New York Times Bestsellers List. She unpacks how she gets her audience engaged in all her platforms, what she’s learned about podcasting and why hobbies and fun are lifelines for leaders.

Subscribe for free now so you won’t miss Episode 412.

The post CNLP 411: Ian Morgan Cron Explains How Your Enneagram Type Responds to Chronic Stress and the Difference Between Fake Authenticity and True Vulnerability appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 411: Ian Morgan Cron Explains How Your Enneagram Type Responds to Chronic Stress and the Difference Between Fake Authenticity and True Vulnerability

The post CNLP 411: Ian Morgan Cron Explains How Your Enneagram Type Responds to Chronic Stress and the Difference Between Fake Authenticity and True Vulnerability appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By unSeminary: Welcome to this week’s episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we’re talking with Steve Grusendorf who is a part of the denominal leadership at the Christian and Missionary Alliance. He started as a local pastor at a CMA church, always serving in leadership development, and a few years ago became involved in this aspect at a denominational level, now serving as Director for Ministry Studies.

Leading a congregation through crisis—whether it’s a moral failure, a sudden transition, or something else—is a unique challenge that leaders may not always feel equipped to handle. It can be easy for us to miss the wounded that may already be invested in our church, especially when they’ve been wounded by the church. Listen in as Steve shares how we can get better at spotting and loving the spiritually wounded right within the shadow of the church.

Don’t let awareness fade. // We try to prepare ourselves to help wounded people when they are drawn into the church for the first time, but sometimes we miss those who are hurting and already within our church. We can’t assume that everyone who regularly attends our church and is involved on some level is ok, or is even a believer. Avoid the perfection trap. // Within the church, we know we aren’t perfect, but no one talks about it. There is a difference between the living church and the local church. The living church is all believers and you have to be a genuine follower of Jesus. But the local church is a wide open place to come for healing. It can be filled with believers, skeptics, seekers, and even people who may have less than positive motivations for being there. The local church needs to be the place where people come to be redeemed.Tell your story. // As a leader, if we only focus on telling our current stories (after following Jesus) we can come off as being perfect. We can’t forget to tell the story of our lives before Jesus. Communicate that the local church is not a place for perfect people, but rather a place for broken and hurting people who want to find healing and redemption. Share the story of how you were one of those people.Serve, forgive, and pursue. // We may know these three things, but don’t always communicate them from the platforms God gives us. Service has to trump power all the time, and it has to start with the leadership. Leaders, we need to find a place where we are participating in our churches without leading. Be careful about putting power above service.Aftermath: A book for the spiritually wounded. // Steve wrote his book, Aftermath, for people who are spiritually wounded and also for church leaders who want to get better at spotting and loving the spiritually wounded right within the shadow of the church. Steve saw there was a pattern where people in the church are often unheard and stuck in their pain, and as a result may walk away from the church or God entirely. As leaders, be willing to make yourself available in a variety of ways, and process with others the painful things that are happening in the nationwide and global church.Watch for wolves. // As leaders we are taught about how to care for the sheep, but not always how to deal with the wolves. We need to be aware that sometimes these people can come from the inside and prey on others. Stay vigilant and look for these three red flags: Firstly, a person who desires leadership without participation in discipleship. Discipleship is more important. Second, a person who desires leadership without demonstration of good follower-ship. To be good leaders we first must be good followers. And third, a person who desires leadership but expects to skip steps to get there.

You can learn more about Steve and his book at www.intheaftermath.com.

Thank You for Tuning In!

There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally!

Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live!

Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Leadership Pathway

We all want millennials and GenZ on our team to reach the next generation. We need them like never before. But the first years of anything is tough.

Reduce turnover, stresses, avoid the pitfalls of quitting or termination with those who are just beginning their journey by engaging a coach for them. Avoid early departures on your team. Young leaders quitting too soon or getting fired is more than just a sunk cost. Don’t wait to get them a coach to help them face the unique challenges of starting in ministry. Visit Leadership Pathway to see how they can help.

Source: How to Help People Who are Burned, Bruised, or Wounded in Your Church with Steve Grusendorf

The post How to Help People Who are Burned, Bruised, or Wounded in Your Church with Steve Grusendorf appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By Cary Nieuwhof: Feel like you need some encouragement?

Doesn’t every leader right about now…?

Most of what’s come at you in the last year has been discouraging…criticism from every side, events that are completely out of your control, operating in anything but ideal conditions. It’s a long list if you think about it.

So, this short post is designed to do one thing: Encourage you.

I love the word encouragement.

As a young leader, I never knew what to do with encouragement. Discount it? Shrug it off? Live for it?

I think I did all of the above.

But, the longer I’ve led, the more I realize how valuable encouragement is.

Think about the etymology.

To encourage someone literally means to give courage to them. Encouragement derives from an old French word that means ‘to make strong’ or ‘hearten.’

So, in the hopes of encouraging you and your team, here are some rather invisible things you’re doing really well right now as you’re leading.

To encourage someone literally means to give courage to them.

Click to Tweet

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1. You Haven’t Quit

Some of the most important moments of leadership have come for me when, discouraged, someone pulls up alongside me, puts their hand on my shoulder, looks me in the eye and says, “Hang in there.”

When I’ve hung in there, I’ve never regretted it.

So, leader, you’re hanging in there. You’ve made it this far. You haven’t quit.

I’m not saying you can never quit. But here’s a good rule: Never quit on a bad day.

If you’re going to quit, quit on a good day.

Never quit on a bad day. If you’re going to quit, quit on a good day.

Click to Tweet

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Then, at least you have a level head, have thought about it, prayed about it and hopefully talked to some really wise friends.

You haven’t quit. And, that thing you’re developing, as a result, has a name. It’s called resilience.

You haven’t quit. And, that thing you’re developing, as a result, has a name. It’s called resilience.

Click to Tweet

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2. You’re Learning to Lead in Constant Uncertainty

Remember predictability in leadership? You could look ahead six months and have a relatively clear idea what was going to happen.

That, of course, is completely gone.

You’ve had to lead through crisis and are still facing tremendous uncertainty ahead…uncertainty that’s likely to remain for a while longer, even after the pandemic ends.

In the midst of it, perhaps without even noticing it, you’re developing an agility you’ve never known before.

In uncertainty, agility is ability and flexibility is a superpower.

Hint: Agility is an incredible skill to keep honing in leadership. Agile leaders have done better than inflexible leaders for years. In a highly disrupted world, they’ll do even better.

In uncertainty, agility is ability and flexibility is a superpower.

Click to Tweet

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3. You’re Navigating Deep Divisions and Forging Unity

Every leader I’ve talked to tells me how hard it’s been navigating the division, tribalization and polarization that’s happening among the people you lead.

Numerous pastors have told me they’ve had to break up public arguments among staff, board members and even prayer team members. Wow.

This too, I hope, will pass.

One of the tasks of leadership is to bring diverse groups together around a common mission and purpose.

The Gospel unites what politics and prejudice often divide.

The Gospel unites what politics and prejudice often divide.

Click to Tweet

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I’m guessing all the division is driving you deeper and deeper into the true mission of the church. That’s never a bad thing.

A divided nation needs a united church.

You’re leading toward that. Way to go.

4. You’re Bringing Hope

Hope is what people need right now, and hope is so hard to find.

Church leaders, you’re bringing it.

I know sometimes you look out on a Sunday and see 30% of the people who used to be in the room. Or, you can’t even get in a room with people, so you just look into the lens of a camera.

But, you’re bringing hope.

Every person who watches that video or stops on your post needs it.

Every person you see in those distanced chairs hungers for it.

And every person you’re trying to reach has no idea what they’re missing.

You’re bringing hope. Keep bringing it.

Hope is what people need right now, and hope is so hard to find. Church leaders, you’re bringing it.

Click to Tweet

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5. You’re Deepening Your Faith

You probably don’t even realize it, but your faith is growing.

That’s what crisis does. It forces you to stop relying on yourself and start trusting God at a much deeper level.

I know it’s hard.

But, it’s like deciding you’re going to train for a 5k.  At first, it’s painful, you end up walking 2km of your ‘run’ and you’re so sore you need to stretch five times later that day.

The next day hardly feels easier, and now you’re running sore and through shin splints, but it’s done.

Fast forward to six months later, and you’ve just set a personal best and the endorphins kick in halfway through. Yeah, you’re tired when you’re done. But you’re so much further ahead than you were six months earlier.

Your faith is growing.

Your trust is deepening.

And, your reliance on God is probably more profound than you realize.

Keep going.

Crisis forces you to stop relying on yourself and start trusting God at a much deeper level.

Click to Tweet

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6. You’re Learning New Skills

Every leader ends up in ruts…at least I do.

And right now, you’re learning new skills at a rate you may not have learned them in years.

Take online ministry for example. You probably feel out of your depth. You may be disappointed by the results.

But you’re doing a new thing.

That’s actually rewiring your brain and making you stronger. Cognitive and social engagement have even been shown to protect against cognitive decline as you age.

Whether you continue to do everything you’re doing now or not, you’re growing, stretching and learning.

That has long term benefits no matter what’s ahead.

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engage your congregation and reach the unchurched with the art of better preaching

Whether you’re preaching into a camera or in front of an audience, the core principles of sermon preparation and excellent preaching never change.

If you’re ready to start preaching better sermons and reach the unchurched without selling out, then it’s time to start using the right tips, lessons and strategies communicating better.

The Art Of Better Preaching is a 12 session video training (and comprehensive workbook) that will help you create, write and deliver more engaging sermons. It’s the lessons that Mark Clark (Lead Pastor of Village Church) and I have learned, taught and used over decades of preaching. 

It’s the complete course you need to start preaching better sermons, including: A new bonus unit on preaching into a camera The 5 keys to preaching sermons to unchurched people (to keep them coming back) How to discover power in the text and use it to drive your sermonWhy you need to ditch your sermon notes (and how to do it far more easily than you think) How to keep your mind and heart fresh over the long run 

… And much more!

Check it out and get instant access today.”,”container_class”:””,”element_class”:””,”wrap_styles_border”:0,”wrap_styles_width”:””,”wrap_styles_margin”:””,”wrap_styles_padding”:””,”wrap_styles_float”:””,”wrap_styles_show_advanced_css”:0,”label_styles_border”:””,”label_styles_width”:””,”label_styles_font-size”:””,”label_styles_margin”:””,”label_styles_padding”:””,”label_styles_float”:””,”label_styles_show_advanced_css”:0,”element_styles_border”:””,”element_styles_width”:””,”element_styles_font-size”:””,”element_styles_margin”:””,”element_styles_padding”:””,”element_styles_float”:””,”element_styles_show_advanced_css”:0,”cellcid”:”c8094″,”key”:”the_preaching_cheat_sheet_1603377863588″,”drawerDisabled”:false,”wrap_styles_background-color”:””,”wrap_styles_border-style”:””,”wrap_styles_border-color”:””,”wrap_styles_display”:”block”,”field_label”:”The Preaching Cheat Sheet”,”field_key”:”the_preaching_cheat_sheet_1603377863588″,”id”:595,”beforeField”:””,”afterField”:””,”value”:”

engage your congregation and reach the unchurched with the art of better preaching

Whether you’re preaching into a camera or in front of an audience, the core principles of sermon preparation and excellent preaching never change.

If you’re ready to start preaching better sermons and reach the unchurched without selling out, then it’s time to start using the right tips, lessons and strategies communicating better.

The Art Of Better Preaching is a 12 session video training (and comprehensive workbook) that will help you create, write and deliver more engaging sermons. It’s the lessons that Mark Clark (Lead Pastor of Village Church) and I have learned, taught and used over decades of preaching. 

It’s the complete course you need to start preaching better sermons, including: A new bonus unit on preaching into a camera The 5 keys to preaching sermons to unchurched people (to keep them coming back) How to discover power in the text and use it to drive your sermonWhy you need to ditch your sermon notes (and how to do it far more easily than you think) How to keep your mind and heart fresh over the long run 

… And much more!

Check it out and get instant access today.”,”label_pos”:”above”,”parentType”:”html”,”element_templates”:[“html”,”input”],”old_classname”:””,”wrap_template”:”wrap”}];nfForms.push(form);

Keep Going (Share and Leave a Comment)

So, keep going.

If you need some more reasons not to quit, here are some more.

If you want to encourage someone, share this post on social or with your team.

And, leave a comment about how you’re growing and what you think you and your team are doing well right now.

Let’s encourage each other.

The post Need Encouragement? 6 Invisible Things Church Leaders are Doing Really Well Right Now appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: Need Encouragement? 6 Invisible Things Church Leaders are Doing Really Well Right Now

The post Need Encouragement? 6 Invisible Things Church Leaders are Doing Really Well Right Now appeared first on Passion for Planting.

This post is written by Dillon Smith, a Gen Z team member at Carey Nieuwhof Communications.

By Dillon Smith

Even before the pandemic struck, the western church has been filling fewer and fewer stadiums over the last few decades.

As Gordon Macdonald talked about in this interview, the days of Billy Graham’s evangelistic crusades where he packed out arenas are long over.

According to Gordon:

“Billy Graham’s way of saying the gospel doesn’t work anymore. Bill Bright’s doesn’t work anymore. So get ready for something new.”

Sadly, I think we’ve needed a whole new evangelism strategy for the last 10-20 years, and COVID-19 is finally forcing us to figure out what it should be.

So, in an age where…

The Gospel isn’t filling very many stadiums,
Sunday morning church attendance is at all-time lows,
and our best evangelism strategies are producing diminishing returns,

…what can your church do to reach more people?

As a young church leader who has had the privilege of working closely with Carey Nieuwhof and seeing behind the scenes of A LOT of churches and church models, I see 5 promising options:

We’ve needed a whole new evangelism strategy for the last 10-20 years, and COVID is finally forcing us to figure out what it should be. – @Dillon_M_Smith

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1. Online influencers that talk about their faith

In case you haven’t noticed, It’s pretty difficult to grow a following on YouTube. Especially if you’re a church.

Why is that?

I’ve spent the last year and a half trying to figure out why some content is performing well online, and other content isn’t.

What I’ve realized is that there are 2 types of binge-worthy content that will allow you to grow a massive following online.

Those 2 types of content are:

Entertaining Content

This would include channels that are based on gaming, sports, comedy, and a long list of other things that we would classify as entertaining.

Helpful Content

This would include channels that are based around “How-to” videos, educational videos, makeup tutorials (Which are HUGE on YouTube,) and anything else that makes the viewer feel like they have learned something new from watching.

If a channel can consistently produce one of these types of content, it has the potential to become huge.

Sadly, many online church services aren’t densely packed with helpful or entertaining content, and that’s one reason why they aren’t growing.

Many preachers, myself included, take 35 minutes to solve a problem that a different Youtube video would only take 10 minutes to solve. This is likely one reason why our YouTube channels aren’t growing.

But, there are a lot of Christian influencers that have built a massive following based on some other helpful or entertaining topic.

And when they talk about their faith, millions of (mostly young) people are watching.

Some examples: 

One of the world’s largest YouTube Channels is called DudePerfect.

Because of their early start in YouTube, and explosive growth, they have 54 MILLION YouTube Subscribers today. (And that’s just their main channel.)

That’s huge, and as you follow them for the entertaining videos, eventually you hear them talk about their faith, and how it’s the most important thing in their lives.

So, just by creating entertaining YouTube videos, they’ve been able to talk about Jesus to tens of millions of people. It’s easy to see how God is using them.

Another example is Matt Carriker of DemolitionRanch, OffTheRanch, and VetRanch.

He has 15 Million Subscribers across his 3 channels and has built a very personal relationship with his followers through his OffTheRanch vlog channel.

Anyone who’s followed him for a while knows that he has had a few tragic deaths in his friends and family recently. The closest of which has been the passing of his little brother Mark.

In the video titled “Rest In Peace Little Brother”, Matt talks about why his entire family got baptized during his Brother’s cancer journey.

This 33-minute video has been seen 4.5 Million times by Matt’s followers.

Essentially, Matt preached the gospel to 4.5 MILLION people even though his YouTube Channels have nothing to do with the Church or faith.

Forward-thinking churches should see online Christian influencers as a part of their evangelism strategy.

Whether it’s creating great content online yourselves or partnering with online influencers in your area that already have a following, you can’t afford to miss this opportunity.

Forward-thinking churches should see online Christian influencers as a part of their evangelism strategy. – @Dillon_M_Smith

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2. Multiplying churches reaching college-age people

This one isn’t so much an “evangelism” strategy as it is a “stop losing so many teenage Christians when they go to college” strategy, but I’m including it anyway.

There are very few church models that give me as much hope as churches that are focused on multiplication. And that “multiplication” effect is amplified further if they’re actively reaching college-age students.

I don’t have enough room to explain exactly how the model works, but the best example of this that I’ve seen is CityLight Church in Omaha, Nebraska.

They’ve planted 10 churches over the last 10 years, and have reached thousands of people with the gospel.

You can listen to an interview with Chris Hruska, their lead pastor here.
Or, you can listen to Carey’s recent ChurchPulse Weekly interview with their newest church plant here.

Here’s the bottom line: Millions of Christians are becoming stagnant in stagnant churches. Multiplication-focused churches might hold the key to solving this problem.

Millions of Christians are becoming stagnant in stagnant churches. Multiplication-focused churches might hold the key to solving this problem. – @Dillon_M_Smith

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3. Apologetics online

Today’s young people are taking their hardest questions to Google, not their parents, friends, or pastors.

So as they begin to ask serious questions like “Is there a God?” “Why do I need to believe in God?” or “Which God is the real God?” they end up typing it into a search bar rather than asking a person.

And what is your Church doing about this?

…

Most churches have no clue what to do about this.

But there is a massive opportunity here. According to VidIQ, 5400 people search “Is there a god?” on YouTube every month.

What if your church was on that first page of results?

Now here’s a warning:

When you try to answer this question, you’re competing with the world’s best minds because their video will pop up next in the “recommended” section right after yours.

So, whether you create the video yourself, or you send your people to your favorite apologist’s video, make sure your video and argument stands a chance at competing with Steven Hawking or Sam Harris.

Today’s young people are taking their hardest questions to Google, not their parents, friends, or pastors. – @Dillon_M_Smith

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4. Calling people to unity (because technology is dividing us)

The internet is becoming a more and more divided place.

I know you know that. Just look at what happened with the election.

Because of all of the things we’ve seen online, the US (where I live) is more divided and destabilized than it ever has been since the civil war.

To find out why, we have to look at the algorithms that run our social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube.

Because they want more ad revenue, these algorithms are prioritizing whatever content that keeps you on their platform the longest.

Sadly, the content that keeps people engaged the longest (and gets them to see the most ads) is proving to be whatever content is more and more extreme.

Tristan Harris does an outstanding job of explaining this on The Joe Rogan Experience here.

So why is this an opportunity for the church?

Roughly 40 million people have seen Tristan Harris’ Netflix Documentary The Social Dilemma.

That’s 40 million people whose eyes have been opened to the dangers of social media and division online.

If you start producing intentionally unifying content, some of these people will take notice, and they will be quick to share your unifying content and tell their friends about what you’re doing.

We at Carey Nieuwhof Communications are “trying to create a place for the good people on the internet.” Your church can and should be doing the same.

5. Felt-need marketing

This might be the most doable of these 5 options for your church. And most churches are doing this already on a small scale.

But here’s what’s true about every single person that you’re trying to reach:

They have needs.

Whether it’s financial, mental, relational, or spiritual needs, your community has them. Your church should be helping them with those needs.

But, as Carey has pointed out for years, most churches have been answering questions that nobody in their community is asking.

When you write sermons and produce resources that help people with specific problems and then market those sermons to your community, you’re practicing “felt-need marketing.”

And if you want to start bringing new people into your church, you need your communities to know about the felt-needs that you can help them solve.

So what Christian organizations are doing this well? Look at organizations like Griefshare, Alcoholics Anonymous, or Dave Ramsey and Ramsey Solutions.

These organizations see a need and are filling it. Your church can do the same.

If you want to start bringing new people into your church, you need your community to know about the felt-needs that you can help them solve. @Dillon_M_Smith

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There are 2 major ways that your church needs to be broadcasting the felt-needs that you can help with:

Word-of-mouth/person-to-person marketing based on your weekly services

Rich Birch does a phenomenal job of outlining how a church can do this well here.

Using digital ad space and social media to reach people with specific struggles.

Some larger churches can afford to hire a digital marketing/social media agency to run these ads for them. But the majority of churches don’t have 10’s of thousands of dollars to spare.

Many of the more normal-sized US-based churches are putting their resources together into a nation-wide ad campaign called GlooConnect.

Here’s a bit more information about them:

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TURN ONLINE VIEWERS INTO REAL RELATIONSHIPSn

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Ever wondered how to turn a viewer into a real relationship? n

Every day, people visit your church website and access your content, but few ever really identify. n

GlooConnect is a solution that gives people showing interest in your church online an opportunity to connect with your church. n

It will help your church: nnGet a steady stream of introductions to people that are ready to connect nBuild relationships with the people visiting your church’s websitenSupport people who are looking for guidance and hope through life’s challengesnParticipate in done-for-you digital campaigns to reach people in your community nn

GlooConnect lets you pastor and focus on what you do best. No additional staff. No complex tech. Plus, it’s way more cost effective than doing it on your own. n

Get started in as little as 15 minutes and make 2021 a year of unprecedented growth for your church by joining GlooConnect today: n

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TURN ONLINE VIEWERS INTO REAL RELATIONSHIPSn

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Ever wondered how to turn a viewer into a real relationship? n

Every day, people visit your church website and access your content, but few ever really identify. n

GlooConnect is a solution that gives people showing interest in your church online an opportunity to connect with your church. n

It will help your church: nnGet a steady stream of introductions to people that are ready to connect nBuild relationships with the people visiting your church’s websitenSupport people who are looking for guidance and hope through life’s challengesnParticipate in done-for-you digital campaigns to reach people in your community nn

GlooConnect lets you pastor and focus on what you do best. No additional staff. No complex tech. Plus, it’s way more cost effective than doing it on your own. n

Get started in as little as 15 minutes and make 2021 a year of unprecedented growth for your church by joining GlooConnect today: n

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Which of these things will you try? 

This list isn’t exhaustive, but I think these are 5 strong contenders for the church’s next evangelism strategy.

Also, I’d love for you to leave a comment below talking about which of these you’d like to try!

The post The Western Church Needs A New Evangelism Strategy: 5 Promising Options appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: The Western Church Needs A New Evangelism Strategy: 5 Promising Options

The post The Western Church Needs A New Evangelism Strategy: 5 Promising Options appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By Carey Nieuwhof: So you probably want people to like you and your leadership. Who doesn’t?

If we’re honest with each other, most of us in leadership prefer to be be liked (rather than not liked). That’s natural and it’s not entirely unhealthy.

But so many leaders would also quietly admit that, deep down, they’re people-pleasers.

People pleasers usually evaluate their leadership by how popular their decisions are. That’s not great leadership in the best of times.

Often the right decision isn’t the popular decision.  Doing what’s best for people isn’t always doing what’s popular with people. Anyone who’s parented for more than 10 minutes understands that tension.

Throw a crisis into the mix, particular a crisis as deep and pervasive as the one we’re in right now, and it makes people-pleasing leadership even less effective than it normally is.

Often the right decision isn’t the popular decision. Doing what’s best for people isn’t always doing what’s popular with people.

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Crisis: The Perfect Storm for People Pleasers

One of the trends I’m tracking very closely as this crisis compounds and lingers is the mental and emotional health of leaders.

Recent polling shows that mental health among leaders has now reached crisis levels.

If your ego is fragile at the best of times, that makes leadership difficult. What you think will make you happy (pleasing people) not only doesn’t, it makes it worse. Crisis makes that dynamic ten times more complicated, difficult and challenging.

The current climate, one of almost unprecedented division, polarization, trivialization and misinformation means you’re trying to please people in heavily divisive times.

Getting agreement in normal times is heard enough. In crisis, it’s far it’s almost impossible.

As a result, crisis leadership crushes people pleasers.

People pleasing was always a bad leadership strategy. In a crisis, it’s so much worse.

If there was any time to kick the habit of people pleasing, it’s now.

Here are 5 ways your people-pleasing is already hurting you in this crisis.

Once you see where people pleasing takes you and the people you lead, it becomes that much easier to change.

Crisis leadership crushes people pleasers. People pleasing was always a bad leadership strategy. In a crisis, it’s so much worse.

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1. You Put the Mission At Risk

A key goal of leadership is to lead a diverse group on a common mission. That’s why leadership isn’t for the faint of heart.

When you try to please all kinds of people, you usually end up sacrificing the mission.

Is that what you want your legacy to be? Didn’t think so.

Here’s why so many leaders end up sacrificing the mission.

The people who disagree with you naturally don’t agree with each other. So you might have three or even five conflicting visions or ideas you’re trying to synthesize. No wonder it’s feels impossible. It is.

It’s a little like trying to agree on what to do for dinner: you want to grab take out, your spouse wants to dine in, your oldest wants you to grill burgers, and your youngest wants mac and cheese. Unable to gain consensus or make a decision, you end up skipping dinner.

So many non-decisions or poor decisions happen because of a lack of consensus.

Conversely, very few good, innovative ideas gain consensus before a leader acts.

In fact, most great new ideas worth anything are inherently divisive.

So rather than waiting for consensus across the boards, try thing:

Don’t ask the team for agreement, just get permission. (Chances are you already have it. You’re the leader.)

Listen to people, but make the best decision you’re capable of making.

If you’re wrong, take full responsibility

If it emerges that you were right, be humble and invite others on the journey

Great decisions usually only look like great decisions in the rear-view mirror.

When you try to please all kinds of people, you usually end up sacrificing the mission.

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2. You Dislike Who You’ve Become

People pleasers feel like they’re winning in the short term, but long term they are rarely if ever satisfied with the results.

After compromising again and again, people pleasers end up very unhappy with who they’ve become.

In an attempt to please others, they’ve sold out.

In the long run, you lose self-respect, and that further undermines your leadership. It’s difficult to respect a leader who doesn’t respect himself.

When you’re tempted to people please, think about who you’d like to be a decade or two from now. Then act accordingly.

It’s difficult to respect a leader who doesn’t respect himself.

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3. It Gets Way Harder to Hear the Voice of God

When you are trying to please all the voices around you, it becomes far more difficult to hear the voice of God, let alone obey it.

Scripture gets interpreted through the filter of the critics.

You can begin to avoid what you know to be right because it’s just…so…hard to do what you believe to be right.

Do you really want to lose the courage to hear the voice of God? Didn’t think so.

When you are trying to please all the voices around you, it becomes far more difficult to hear the voice of God.

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4. The Real Leaders Leave

Great leaders have a sixth sense that picks up people-pleasing.

When you give into multiple voices and the mission is in decline, your best leaders will make a beeline for the door.

They won’t make a lot of noise. They’ll just quietly disappear.

Guess where that leaves you?

It leaves you with all of your best people gone and a bunch of people who still aren’t happy.

All of which leads us to reason number five to stop people-pleasing.

People-pleasing leadership ultimately leaves you with all of your best people gone and a bunch of people remaining who still aren’t happy.

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5. Nobody’s Happy In the End

You and I have heard it a thousand times: when you try to please everybody, you end up pleasing nobody.

Here’s why that’s true.

When you try to please a multiplicity of voices, you can’t follow a course that is clear or hone in on a singular purpose. You end up going nowhere.

Guess who’s least happy with that in the end? You.

So remember: the critics don’t even agree with each other, which is why they need leadership.

Leadership takes people to where they wouldn’t normally go except for your leadership.

So take people somewhere. Keep at it, and you’ll eventually end up somewhere good.

What’s Helping You Lead? 

People pleasing is something most of us struggle with, myself included.

What’s helping you lead well in such a difficult time and lead through the disappointment of disappointing people?

Scroll down and leave a comment!

The post Afraid of Disappointing People? 5 Ways People-Pleasing Is Starting to Hurt You in This Crisis appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: Afraid of Disappointing People? 5 Ways People-Pleasing Is Starting to Hurt You in This Crisis

The post Afraid of Disappointing People? 5 Ways People-Pleasing Is Starting to Hurt You in This Crisis appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: Silicon Valley titan Pat Gelsinger, the CEO of VMWare and former CTO of Intel, and Scott Beck, who scaled Blockbuster Video, Boston Market, Einstein Brothers Bagels and Ancestry.com, and is the Founder of Gloo, talk about how the future church can use technology to reach people and connect people.

Pat and Scott also talk with Carey about why church leaders resist technology, privacy concerns and why the future is more relationally-connected than we imagine.

Welcome to Episode 372 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 weird lies that pastors and church leaders believe about church online.

Guest Links

Pat Gelsinger on Twitter | Gloo | GlooConnect

Episode Links

Remodel Health

The season to reevaluate your health benefits is right around the corner. Are you ready for it?

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To date, Remodel Health has helped Carey Nieuwhof listeners save $2.1 million in the last year and a half! Imagine what your ministry could do with that extra money. We know right now is a very challenging time for churches, so why not take healthcare off your list of financial stressors.

If you’re interested in learning more, Remodel Health’s benefits consultants can run a free analysis for your unique team to help you evaluate all of your options.

Visit remodelhealth.com/carey today to learn more and get access to their free Savings Calculator, Church Buyer’s Guide and brand new e-book.

ServeHQ

Our partner, ServeHQ, is launching a new option for homeschool families and we want to tell you about it.

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Learn more about Homeschool Magnet’s student experience, by going to homeschoolmagnet.com and join the growing waitlist.

CONVERSATION LINKS

GlooConnect

The Juggling Act by Pat Gelsinger

Moore’s Law

ChurchPulse Weekly

Barna

7 Weird Lies About Online Church Pastors Need to Stop Believing by Carey Nieuwhof

Text CAREY to 33777 to join more than 75,000 subscribers to our leadership content

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

INSIGHTS FROM PAT AND SCOTT

1. Your church should use technology, not rejecting it, to reach more people

If you look back at the times of Martin Luther, it’s obvious that it would have been foolish for him to say, “We shouldn’t use the printing press to print more bibles. We should keep doing things the way they’ve always been done.” The printing press was a groundbreaking advance of technology that allowed more Christians to have access to the Bible.

The problem is that many Christians and churches are doing the exact thing with the internet. A lot of pastors are looking at online technology and saying, “It’s only temporary.” Or, “We need to keep getting people into our buildings on Sunday morning.” Sadly, those leaders are going to miss out on the biggest opportunity to spread the Gospel in our lifetime.

2. Privacy needs to be a priority as you move forward with technology

While technology is great, there are some dangers that come with any new technology. One of the biggest concerns with using the internet is data privacy. If your church has an email list or an online database of any kind, you know this is a challenge. Where do you store your members’ data? What happens if it gets hacked? How should you use it?

As you move online, you should put more energy into making sure your church’s data is secure. Platforms like Gloo and GlooConnect are backed with the highest data security in the world and have the resources to continually watch for potential breaches. Most churches don’t have the bandwidth or resources to do this, so it’s critical to outsource this.

3. Digital churches need to scale 1-to-1 interactions along with the 1-to-many

Pastors are focused on three things right now when it comes to online church: Video broadcasting, video broadcasting and video broadcasting. That’s great, but if you want to begin engaging more people online, you need to do more than just broadcast. You need to scale online 1-on-1 interactions as you scale up your broadcast interactions online.

As you put more and more of your effort online, ask yourself, “How am I helping my church have more 1-on-1 or 1-on-a few interactions online?” Are you providing Zoom rooms? Running ad campaigns around certain felt needs? Whatever you do, your ability to scale your reach will match your ability to scale healthy and helpful 1-on-1 interactions.

Quotes from Episode 372

90% of humanity will be persistently connected to the internet by 2030. 10 billion people are part of your potential congregation. @PGelsinger

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There are going to be two types of churches going forward. There’s going to be the phigital church, that is digital and physical, or the church that’s all digital. @PGelsinger

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This is the opportunity for churches to really scale, to really reach the world. – Scott Beck

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If you’re a physical-only church, you’re dead in the future. I just don’t think that you’re going to be able to survive in this increasing digitally-connected world. @PGelsinger

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Christ didn’t command us to go build churches, he said, ‘Go make disciples.’ @PGelsinger

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There’s nothing more important today than to be able to make sure that the smallest recovery center, the smallest church has the world-class capabilities to be able to leverage technologies. – Scott Beck

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Church is limited today by the capital of the edifices that we’re building. @PGelsinger

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We have to bring technology into the right design in order for it to be used for personal growth and for God’s purposes. – Scott Beck

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The average American spends 152 minutes a day on social media alone. @cnieuwhof

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People are screened out on things that aren’t interesting to them. They’re screened out on bad content, but are they screened out? Nope. @cnieuwhof

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Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 372

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.

Turn Online Viewers into Real Relationships: Meet GlooConnect

Ever wondered how to turn online viewers into real relationships?

Every day, people visit your church website and access your content, but few ever really identify.

GlooConnect is a new solution that gives people watching the opportunity to introduce themselves to your church.

It can help your church:

Get a steady stream of introductions to people ready to connect with your church
Build real relationships with the people visiting your church’s website
Connect with people who are looking for guidance, hope, and support in life’s challenges where their church is already equipped to serve
Participate in world-class digital campaigns to reach people with needs in your community
Do digital outreach in a way that’s compliant with the strictest privacy laws in the world

GlooConnect lets you pastor while GlooConnect programs. No extra staff. No complex tech. Get started in as little as 15 minutes, and get ready to meet the people already connecting with you online.

To get instant access to GlooConnect and learn more, click here, and make 2021 a year of unprecedented growth for your church.

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: Andy Stanley

In July 2020, Andy Stanley made national news when he announced North Point would not reopen until 2021. In this interview, Andy explains his reasons for the decision, the methodology he uses to find clarity, what he’s learning about preaching to a camera and the hardest part of the pandemic for him personally.

Subscribe for free now so you won’t miss Episode 373.

The post CNLP 372: Pat Gelsinger and Scott Beck on the Future Church, How to Connect with the People Watching Your Church Online and Why So Many Church Leaders Resist Tech appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 372: Pat Gelsinger and Scott Beck on the Future Church, How to Connect with the People Watching Your Church Online and Why So Many Church Leaders Resist Tech

The post CNLP 372: Pat Gelsinger and Scott Beck on the Future Church, How to Connect with the People Watching Your Church Online and Why So Many Church Leaders Resist Tech 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.

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: 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.

by Carey Nieuwhof: So you’re trying to make the best decisions you can in a deeply confusing, stressful time, and you’re tired.

I get it.

I know when I get tired, it’s hard to think straight, let alone sense where the decisions I’m making are taking us long term.

How do you know how you’re doing…whether the kind of decisions you’re making are pointing your church in the right direction?

So today, to help, I’m sharing five kinds of leaders I’m seeing right now. You can make up your own categories if you want, but getting a sense of the overall approach you’ve embraced to decision making can help you get a handle on whether this is where you want to be ore not.

The categories below reflect the overall approach leaders are taking to the insane amount of uncertainty, change and disruption that is leadership right now.

Each of the five approaches has a probable destination—a prospect for the future that, while not inevitable, is likely.

Note: you may toggle through different leadership styles on different days (or even hour to hour), and in some cases you may embrace one approach in one area you’re leading, and reflect a different style in another area.

With all that in mind, here are 5 kinds of church leaders right now and the future prospects associated with each.

1. Deniers

Denial has always been a part of human nature.

Despite what you’re eating and what you see on the scale, it’s easy to deny you have health problems until you visit the doctor or end up in the ER.

It’s easy to deny that your relationship is in trouble until one morning she tells you she’s done and walks out.

But we live in this strange moment where denial is happening everywhere. Many leaders right now still deny that the virus is real, that’s the situation is real, that there’s any threat or that this is a disruption (rather than an interruption).

And regardless of what you think, when you deny the depth of change taking place, you set your organization up for failure.

Denial is a terrible leadership strategy. Denying the truth doesn’t change the truth.

Denial is a terrible leadership strategy. Denying the truth doesn’t change the truth.

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Just think about all the people who denied they had financial problems until they filed for bankruptcy. Or the angry leader who swore his team was with him until, one by one, they all left. Or the leader in an affair who thought he’d never get caught until…

Even when you don’t like it, the truth (this is wrong/things really aren’t great/you can’t keep doing this) is your friend. Trust me, I don’t always like the truth either.

Leaders who change when they see the truth always fare better than leaders who try to change the truth by denying it.

If you want to lead a healthy team that embraces the truth, I’d love to help.

Leaders who change when they see the truth always fare better than leaders who try to change the truth by denying it.

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2. Reverters

The reverters are the leaders who are actively trying to recreate or restore the past. They want to revert to the way things were, to get back to the familiar, to what they know, even to what they were trained to do and programmed to do.

I have some sympathy for reverters. Nobody signed up for this.

But reverting to the past only works if the past is coming back. The longer this disruption continues, the less likely it is that things will go back to the way they were.

It’s hard to go back to normal when normal disappeared.

It’s hard to go back to normal when normal disappeared.

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I’ve written quite extensively on why I believe the longing to go back to normal, while natural, is a big leadership mistake.

Why Going Back to Normal Church Seems So Compelling, and Can Be So Dangerous

Avoid This Big Mistake: Stepping Back Into the Past When You Step Back Into Your Building

The Original 2020 is History: 7 NEW Disruptive Church Trends Every Leader Should Watch

Reverting back is a wonderful strategy if the challenges you’re facing are an interruption. Someone turned off the light, you turned it back on, and you just pick up where you left off.

A disruption is different. Things are changing far more deeply and profoundly, and as a result, you need a new approach.

Old strategies applied to a new day produce diminishing returns. And as we’ve seen already in the low return to church numbers, that rarely turns out well.

Old strategies applied to a new day produce diminishing returns.

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3. Resigners

I’m guessing there are a lot of leaders in this category.

As much as you want to believe this is not a disruption, you admit to yourself that it is. You know that things aren’t going back to normal, even though you wish they were. And you’re not denying or even resisting the truth that you’re living in a deeply chaotic, disruptive time.

It’s just you haven’t got the energy for what’s ahead.  You’re resigned to a different future, you just haven’t got the strength to embrace it.

Can I just say I get it?

I have led from a place of zero energy. The thought of more change or ONE MORE THING GOING WRONG just about killed me more than once.

I also realize, as you do, that this isn’t a place you want to stay in long. You can’t stay in this place long and still lead.

Perhaps the remedy for leaders who feel resigned to the change ahead is to get yourself healthy, to build up reserves that can help you embrace the challenges and opportunities ahead. And trust me, there are opportunities.

Here are a few posts and resources that can help.

11 Signs You’re More Than Just Tired, You’re Burning Out

How I Recovered From Burnout: 12 Keys to Getting Back

The High Impact Leader: How to Get Time, Energy And Priorities Working In Your Favor

Being resigned to change doesn’t prepare you for the future nearly as well as embracing change does.

Being resigned to change doesn’t prepare you for the future nearly as well as embracing change does.

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4. Adapters

Adapters understand that they are leading through large scale change. They’re not denying it, resigned to it and not really reverting back.

But—and this is a critical distinction—they’re not innovating either. They’re adapting.

One of the key differences between innovation and adaptation is that innovation is voluntary. Adaptation is not.

One of the key differences between innovation and adaptation is that innovation is voluntary. Adaptation is not.

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Most of the change that churches and businesses have adopted in the disruption to date isn’t really innovation. It’s adaptation.

Adaption is forced on you. Remote work for the most part has been adaptation. So has church online. You didn’t really have a choice.

Crisis isn’t the only disruptor at work in culture. Many industries have been disrupted in the last 20 years without a virus: think about transportation (thanks to ride-share services), photography (thanks to smart phones and Instagram) or hospitality (thanks to Airbnb).

In an era of rapid change, adaptation might help you survive, but it rarely helps you thrive.

You can make it into the future, but usually, as a shadow of what you used to be or what you could be.

Most of the change that churches and businesses have adopted in the disruption to date isn’t really innovation. It’s adaptation.

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5. Innovators

They say necessity is the mother of invention, so, churches, this is a great time to invent.

The long term trends around church attendance weren’t promising even before a virus hit.

The good news is the mission of the church is eternal. The methods change from generation to generation. Leaders who reinvent the methods ultimately become those who preserve the mission. Just study the Apostle Paul, or the Reformers.

They say necessity is the mother of invention, so, churches, this is a great time to invent.

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This could be a season where the lack of traction you’re getting using old methods can spawn you to try new things.

So what does it take to innovate? A lot of it, believe it or not, is attitude and willingness to take risks.

If you study innovators, you’ll learn that they’re usually curious, passionate, resilient and willing to fail.

They have a voracious appetite for learning—often outside their disciplines.

Innovators leverage the strength of their team to generate new ideas and iterations, and they’re not overly sensitive to criticism, knowing that divergent views simply make their future approaches better.

So the question becomes, where are you innovating? Adapting is one thing. Innovating is quite another.

Today belongs to the adapters. Tomorrow belongs to the innovators.

Today belongs to the adapters. Tomorrow belongs to the innovators.

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Get Your WHOLE Team Embracing the Future

Sometimes leadership feels overwhelming, and that’s often because you struggle to get your whole team working together to solve the problems you’re facing.

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 my brand new, online, on-demand course that gives you a comprehensive, step-by-step strategy to:

Get far better results with the same team (you don’t need to fire everyone and start over)
Deepen employee engagement
Actually achieve the goals you set
Eliminate toxic culture and deal with toxic team members; and
Stop micromanaging because you’ve built a self-motivated team.

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

The best part? Lead A Better Team gives you the tools you need to help your team thrive whether they work remotely, in person or you lead a hybrid team.

Get instant access to Lead a Better Team NOW and start taking your team into a better future.

Any Other Styles You See?

I hope this helps frame this moment and get you on track with where you want to be.

I’m curious, any other styles you see? Anything you’d add to help leaders make it through this challenging era?

Scroll down and leave a comment!

The post The 5 Kinds of Church Leaders We’re Seeing Right Now (And their Future Prospects) appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: The 5 Kinds of Church Leaders We’re Seeing Right Now (And their Future Prospects)

The post The 5 Kinds of Church Leaders We’re Seeing Right Now (And their Future Prospects) appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By Carey Nieuwhof: Jon Tyson thinks the church missed a moment in rushing to get back to normal after COVID, and is perhaps missing a moment because of our response to racial reconciliation.

As usual, Jon offers some deep insights into this cultural moment, what the future church needs to do, how he and his family recovered from catching Coronavirus, and how to find real rest in the midst of an exhausting era.

Welcome to Episode 363 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 shares the new characteristics of churches that will be in decline five years from now.

Guest Links

Instagram | Twitter | Church of the City

Episode Links

Leaders in Living Rooms

I want to introduce you to a great podcast that is a part of my personal repertoire.

It’s from my good friend and leader, Sean Morgan, and it’s called Leaders in Living Rooms. On Leaders in Living Rooms, Sean has backstage conversations, living room style conversations, with leaders like Jud Wilhite, Brady Boyd, Aaron Brockett, David Kinnaman, Kenton Beshore, Brad Lomenick and myself. Sean is a hyper connected leader, and spends a lot of time with founders like me and with their successors to discuss a major issue in church and business, leadership transitions.

Check out Leaders in Living Rooms wherever you get your podcasts, or go to
CDFcapital.org/Leaders-In-Living-Rooms

Remodel Health

The season to reevaluate your health benefits is right around the corner. Are you ready for it?

These times are challenging enough for leaders within churches and faith-based organizations, let alone trying to navigate health insurance questions and rate increases. What if you could have an industry expert come alongside you to not only help you understand your options, but find a solution that could save you and your employees hundreds of thousands of dollars? I know this sounds too good to be true, but I promise you it isn’t.

Remodel Health is the health benefits software and consulting service that helps employers save money and care better for their teams. By switching organizations from traditional group insurance to individual plans for each employee, Remodel Health helps you and your team tap into significant savings on health insurance.

To date, Remodel Health has helped Carey Nieuwhof listeners save $1.5 million in the last year and a half! Imagine what your ministry could do with that extra money. We know right now is a very challenging time for churches, so why not take healthcare off your list of financial stressors? Remodel Health’s benefits consultants can run a free analysis for your unique team to help you evaluate all of your options.

Visit remodelhealth.com/carey today to learn more and get access to their free Savings Calculator, Church Buyer’s Guide and brand new e-book!

CONVERSATION LINKS

Beautiful Resistance by Jon Tyson

The Burden is Light by Jon Tyson

The Corona Virus Experiment by Phil Moore

CNLP 204: Jon Tyson on Reaching Cynics in NYC and What to Do When the Burden of Leadership Feels Too Heavy

CNLP 339: Tim Keller on How to Bring the Gospel to Post-Christian America, How He’d Preach Today if He Was Starting Over Again, Why Founders Get Addicted to Their Churches and Why He Left Redeemer

Mountain Rain by Eileen Crossman

Strange Glory by Charles Marsh

Leaders in Living Rooms podcast featuring Brad Lomenick

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

Text BETTERVALUES to get Carey’s 3-Step Guide to Developing Better Value Statements

3 INSIGHTS FROM JON

1. The Church is missing a big opportunity during COVID

The Coronavirus has been one of the biggest opportunities for the church to step in and be Jesus to a broken and traumatized world in our lifetime. But rather than reaching out, repenting and changing, we went into hiding and asked, “When can we reopen?”

And in our quest for normalcy, we didn’t learn any of the great lessons we needed to learn in this season.

The normal the church is longing for just isn’t coming back. We keep seeking the old normal rather than asking “What does God want us to do in this season?” When our grandchildren ask us, “What did you do in the coronavirus? And all we can tell them is the list of shows we watched on Netflix, that’s not our best story. Sadly, for many Christians, that’s all this season has meant for us.

2. Politics could be doing more harm than good in your church

The U.S. is a broken and fractured nation. We live in a time of totalized political narratives. Neither political side can concede any ground, and that could be affecting your church. Jon has been a pastor for 20 plus years, and he’s never seen people leave the church over any issue, including sexuality, more than he has over politics. It is by far the most divisive subject to tackle.

He thinks the cause of this is because America is totally secular now, and that means that in our cultural understanding, there isn’t any afterlife. So, we are trying to fit an eternity of justice, joy and happiness into every moment. As the church, we need to offer an alternative to the divided culture, not amplify it from our stage.

3. If you want to share the Gospel with any community, you need to acknowledge their “sacred core”

Every community possesses a non-negotiable belief at the center of it, and until it’s acknowledged, you will not get any openness to have influence with them. For example, if you’re trying to bring the Gospel to someone in the gay community, you need to acknowledge that they think Christians just want to “pray the gay away.”

When Jon approaches this topic with his church, he says:

“I know that there’s pain in your heart because you feel like in order for God to love and accept you, you have to become heterosexual. And I just want to say today, that’s not true. The gospel is not a gospel of heterosexuality, and that gay people must become straight. The gospel is the gospel of the Lordship of Jesus and that idea has all sorts of implications”

He then shows that he understands how anxious they must be for coming into a church service talking about homosexuality. When Jon takes this approach, he is gaining the ability to speak to someone in the gay community and for them to actually listen to what he’s preaching.

Quotes from Episode 363

Revival doesn’t happen without repentance. And maybe this was a moment that could have been very different.

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Once you know what a community fears, they’re so easy to manipulate. And Christians fear being uncompassionate. @JonTyson

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Bar a genuine move of God and radical discipleship, statistically we’ve lost the church. We can’t get it back by human means. @davidkinnaman

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If we don’t set the right habits, practices, vision and values deeply enough in the moment of disruption, we will revert back to the previous thing and miss the opportunity. @JonTyson

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Theology is an attempt to understand, but it can also be an attempt to control. @cnieuwhof

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Beauty is a form of resistance against the brokenness of the world. @JonTyson

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The gospel is always bigger than the church. It’s always crossing boundaries. @JonTyson

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Here’s what I know doesn’t advance the gospel—watering the gospel down. @JonTyson

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Christians run in when everyone runs out. @JonTyson

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I believe there is power in the truth, and then when preached prayerfully and humbly, God does the work through it. @JonTyson

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Very few people will be given the cultural influence and power to actually shape history, but all of us have unlimited agency to shape the world around us. @JonTyson

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Shame on us if 50 years from now when our grandchildren ask us, ‘What did you do in the Coronavirus?’ And all you can do is tell them the list out the shows you watched on Netflix. @JonTyson

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What you measure as a leader influences what you value. @cnieuwhof

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The internet is not going away anytime soon, and everybody you want to reach is online. @cnieuwhof

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Different opinions lead to better decisions. @cnieuwhof

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Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 363

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.

LEARN HOW TO LEAD THROUGH CRISIS

The world is experiencing a series of unprecedented challenges, and you’re leading in the midst of it all.

I’ve got an online, on-demand course, called How to Lead Through Crisis, that can help you lead your team, your church and yourself through the massive disruption.

The course is the gift from me and my team to you and leaders everywhere. In light of everything that’s going on, we decided to make it available 100% free.

Inside How to Lead Through Crisis, you’ll learn how to:

Cultivate a non-anxious presence that inspires confidence and trust.
Care for yourself so the crisis doesn’t break you.
Master the art of fast-paced, clear decision making.
Gather and interpret the most reliable data that will advance your mission
Advance digitally to scale past physical barriers and grow your outreach.
Lead your team and congregation remotely

While no one has all the answers in a crisis this big, in the course, I share the mindsets, habits, tools and strategies that I believe will help you lead through crisis to get you and the people you lead to a new (and better) future.

You can enroll and get instant access for you and your team here.

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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.

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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: Nik Wallenda

Nik Wallenda has set numerous tightrope walking world records, including being the first man to cross Niagara Falls, and wirewalking across Times Square, the Grand Canyon and more. Nik talks about how to train for adverse conditions, responding to failure and constantly changing conditions, how to reposition your mission when your model breaks, and how to push past fear and anxiety.

Subscribe for free now so you won’t miss Episode 364.

The post CNLP 363: Jon Tyson on What the Future Church Needs to Do Post-COVID, What Leaders Missed in Rushing Back to Normal, and How to Rest Deeply in an Exhausting Era appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 363: Jon Tyson on What the Future Church Needs to Do Post-COVID, What Leaders Missed in Rushing Back to Normal, and How to Rest Deeply in an Exhausting Era

The post CNLP 363: Jon Tyson on What the Future Church Needs to Do Post-COVID, What Leaders Missed in Rushing Back to Normal, and How to Rest Deeply in an Exhausting Era appeared first on Passion for Planting.