By: New Churches

In Episode 512 of the NewChurches Q&A Podcast, Daniel and Todd discuss what causes success to be killed and what leaders need to avoid those success killers.

“What are the common things that kill the success of leaders?”

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

The top three things leaders struggle with
Why you need community and accountability

 Shareable Quotes (#NewChurches):

“An obsession or a fixation on money, sex, or power would have a tendency to take leaders out.” – @toddadkins
“When we look at the landscape of people we know who have been taken out of ministry, a lot of times it is because of money, sex, or power.” – @toddadkins
“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” – @danielsangi
“It’s pride that causes you to find security in money.” – @danielsangi
“What are the boundaries or guardrails in your life to prevent you from falling into that?” – @danielsangi
“We need to have people in our lives that are completely unimpressed with us.” – @danielsangi
“When you are praying with your wife, that is as accountable as it gets.” – @toddadkins

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The post Episode 512: Success Killers appeared first on NewChurches.com – Church Planting, Multisite, and Multiplication.

Source: Episode 512: Success Killers

The post Episode 512: Success Killers appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: Jordan Raynor is a serial entrepreneur who has bought and sold several fast-growing businesses by the time he turned 30. He’s been a Google Fellow and spoken at SXSW, Harvard and TEDx.

He talks about what makes for a successful launch, the qualities and characteristics that make for great entrepreneurs, and why so much of the career advice people give young leaders is wrong.

Welcome to Episode 312 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

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Website | Master of One

Episode Links

RightNow Media

Leaders are always looking for ways to develop and equip those around them. Whether you are a church or business leader, I want to tell you about a powerful tool to help the people in your church or in your company. The team at RightNow Media created the world’s largest library of video-driven Bible studies, leadership training, and personal care resources.

More than 20,000 churches, schools, and businesses already subscribe to RightNow Media’s streaming platform, giving their people access to tens of thousands of inspirational videos anytime, anywhere. Through the RightNow Media app, subscribers get unlimited access to videos from former Carey Nieuwhof guests like J.D. Greear, Francis Chan, Ann Voskamp, Henry Cloud, and Patrick Lencioni. It has Bible studies and content on topics like marriage, personal finance, and mental health, as well as shows for kids.

Visit RightNowMedia.org/Carey to get a free trial of RightNow Media today.

Conversation Links

Books by Reid Hoffman

Getting Things Done by David Allen

The Call to Mastery with Jordan Raynor

Deep Work by Cal Newport

Trillion Dollar Coach by Eric Schmidt

Grit by Angela Duckworth

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Called to Create by Jordan Raynor

3 Insights from Jordan

1. You are less important to the success of your organization than you think

Many senior leaders worry that if they leave their organizations, everything will fall apart. They know that they have raised up good leaders but are worried that, without them, it will fail anyways. This is what Jordan Raynor was expecting when he left his role as CEO of the organization he in now chair of the board with.

When he left, he thought, “Oh man, there’s going to be something that blows up because I’m not here,” but nothing did. This was a humbling lesson for him that God has the ability to put the people in the right seats on the bus with or without you. Everyone in an organization is dispensable. Including the CEO.

2. If you want to succeed, you have to identify and cut out the noise

While he was CEO of Threshold 360, the leadership of the organization asked him what strength they should be looking for in his replacement. Jordan said that the most valuable ability he has is the ability to look at his daily calendar and identify and cut out the things that won’t actually push their mission forward.

As CEO, he worked to relentlessly eliminate distractions from his daily work, and he would spend good chunks of his day with his phone on do not disturb, or not even with him. Every morning, he would look at the work he had to do and decide what was most important for him to focus on that day.

3. Passion follows mastery

One of the worst pieces of advice is sadly one of the most common we are giving the upcoming generation. “Find something you are passionate about in life, and build a career around it.” What researchers like Amy Wresniewski are discovering is that people don’t become truly passionate about something until they master it.

So when we ask a high school senior what they want to do with their life, we’re asking a question that they don’t know how to respond to, because they haven’t mastered a lot of things, so they can’t tell you what they are passionate about. Often, highly successful people will have many different careers that are working towards the same discipline that they are trying to master.

Quotes from Episode 312

You’re always more dispensable than you think you are. @JordanRaynorClick To Tweet

The cheapest way to acquire more happy customers is doubling down and making sure your existing customers are exceedingly happy. @JordanRaynorClick To Tweet

The 80/20 principle is the law of the universe. @JordanRaynorClick To Tweet

Passion follows mastery. We get to love what we do by getting really, really good at it. @JordanRaynorClick To Tweet

Now more than ever before, we have more options than we’ve ever had before of what to do vocationally. @JordanRaynorClick To Tweet

Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 312

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 Life Back in 2020

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
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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.

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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?

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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: Francis Chan

Francis Chan caused quite a stir when, in late 2019, he announced he was going back to Asia. Francis clarifies what he’s actually doing, talks about the impact social media controvery has on real people, apologizes for the confusion and talks transparently about the tension of living a public life where your words get misconstrued again and again. Plus, Francis gives advice on how to use social media, what young leaders should think about, and talks about his hope for the US church.

Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 313.

The post CNLP 312: Jordan Raynor on the Ingredients for a Successful Start Up, the Essential Qualities of a Great Entrepreneur, and Why So Much of the Career Advice People Give Young Leaders is Wrong appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 312: Jordan Raynor on the Ingredients for a Successful Start Up, the Essential Qualities of a Great Entrepreneur, and Why So Much of the Career Advice People Give Young Leaders is Wrong

The post CNLP 312: Jordan Raynor on the Ingredients for a Successful Start Up, the Essential Qualities of a Great Entrepreneur, and Why So Much of the Career Advice People Give Young Leaders is Wrong appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Is your church healthy but considering merging with another church?

Are you a multisite church that is thinking about helping another church through a merger and adding a campus at the same time?

Are you part of a struggling church that is looking at the potential of merging with another church in your community?

Over the last 10 years, church mergers have heated up and become a palatable topic for discussion, and what was once a taboo subject now seems to be a favorite topic of conversation among church leaders nationwide. A sizable number of multisite churches are considering merging and one recent study revealed that a third of all multisite church campuses exist because of a merger.

But how do you know if merging is the right next step for your church?

During my own ministry career, I’ve played a direct role in facilitating two mergers with churches that joined us to become campuses. Each time, the process required the leaders of our ministry team (myself included) and those of the joining churches to undergo an internal transformation. In my own heart, I had to get to the point where I was willing to do whatever it took to see the incoming church succeed.

Through the dialogue and conversation of this process, I found myself increasingly seeing the merger as an opportunity for us as a church. I got to the point where I just loved these people and wanted to see something positive happen. My own conviction led me to realize that the fundamentals of my own church needed to change in order to restore its original passion for reaching the community. Likewise, the leaders of the churches that joined us came to realize that a significant and necessary change on their part needed to take place. They realized that in order to reach new people, a type of death of their original church was required.

We often talk about church mergers using rebirth language because it supplies a framework for understanding what a healthy merger could look like, especially since both sides of these merger conversations need to experience a transformation of heart. There is a palatable sense of resurrection that needs to take place in the life of a church to experience the new life that is on the other side. We come as lead churches thinking that we want to do whatever it takes to serve, care and love for this community of believers. But because we see that brighter future ahead for our communities as they join together, it requires us to lay down what we’ve done in the past.

As I think about your church and what it might take for you to engage in a successful merger, there are a few things that came to the surface as warning signs against merging. My desire is that you would be a part of healthy, thriving church mergers. The two mergers that I was directly involved in resulted in a more than 20 times return on attendance, new life through baptisms, kids in church that hadn’t been in there in years, and all kinds of other amazing things. But if you’re thinking about a merger, I would advise you consider these five warning signs carefully before you step forward into one.

Too Far Away

The greatest success factor in the health of a merger is the lead church’s ability to invest a large, healthy volunteer core that is able to breathe new life into the joining church.

Oftentimes when a church has atrophied, the volunteer community has withered as well. If this new campus is too far away from your existing community, it will be difficult for you to inject a renewed sense of vitality into that community. If the distance between the two communities is too great, you won’t be able to ensure that a solid group of volunteers can serve that community well in the days ahead. 

Measure the distance between the two locations and plot your volunteers onto a map to see how many you might have at the new location. Let the data determine whether you have an existing community that could be a part of the merged campus.

A Cultural “Misfit”

It all comes down to the culture and vision of the church. 

What has God called your church to do? Require these conversations to take place to discover how strongly the joining church aligns with its own mission and vision. If there isn’t a fundamental understanding about why the church exists and what its role is in the world, it will set up the post-merger dynamic to drag down the mission of the church. Your conversations need to be united about what the mission of the church is and then focused on doing whatever it takes to achieve it. From my perspective, the church is the only organization in the world that exists for the people outside its doors, and the conversation needs to stay focused on that.

We would love to merge with other churches that share similar convictions but have just lost their way and don’t have a recent history of being able to engage their communities as a result. But if there isn’t a deep conviction within that church that they should be doing whatever it takes to reach and serve those in their community, then the merger is going to be difficult.

If you can’t achieve strong alignment in the mission and culture of the church, you will face problems.

A Large Financial Debt Load

More often than not, financial troubles become the straw that breaks the camel’s back as a church contemplates closing its doors.

Financial problems are common motivations for churches considering merging with another church, and while this is a frequent reality, the lead church needs to think very carefully about the implications of assuming that debt. For example, churches that have struggled with debt for years often defer maintenance on buildings (which may mask significant building issues that could drive into the tens of thousands—or hundreds of thousands—of dollars). Churches that struggle financially often underpay staff, which may have compromised the church’s ability to serve with excellence. There may also be reputational issues that the church may not be able to overcome—even with the new brand.

Straight up: if you are assuming debt in the form of a mortgage or other long-term commitments, you need to consider very carefully whether your church can carry that load.

We want to ensure that the financial institutions that are expecting to be repaid actually get repaid so that your church can move forward. Don’t just blow past or ignore the financial entanglement that is about to happen with the merger. Evaluate it and consider its full impact on your financial operations.

Mutual State of Decline

There used to be a type of church merger where two struggling churches would pool their resources to try to bounce back and have an influence. This is not a particularly promising idea.

Two organizations that are unclear on how to impact their community, raise the required financial resources, release volunteers, or develop leaders won’t get better at those things when they come together.

If your church is looking at joining another church, avoid churches that appear to be in decline. Combining two churches that are struggling will not somehow magically produce a church that suddenly thrives. Unless there is a change in the trajectory of where a church is going, then it won’t be able improve at what God has called it to do.

It’s Just An Asset Acquisition  

If you’re a lead church considering mergers and your primary reason for doing so is to acquire assets that could help your church’s balance statement, please don’t merge with other churches.

There is a high level of hard work that needs to be done to honor the generation that is passing on the asset to your church. If you think of these churches as just buildings that you can slap your brand onto, you are mistaken. These churches have been in their communities for years, or even decades, and you have the privilege of joining with another church in order to see amazing things happen in the community. Of course, there’s often an asset transfer in a church merger and that tends to be a positive outcome for your church. However, if that’s all it’s about for you as a lead church, I would caution you from moving forward.

Similarly, if you’re joining church and all you see is a building, you’re missing the opportunity to have your people join this new venture and see amazing things happen. I love seeing church leaders who have joined with the lead churches become reactivated in their leadership and service and re-energized with what God has in store for their community. Look at this as a positive way to get people more engaged in the mission of Jesus.

More help for you as you think about church mergers

There’s no doubt that church mergers are a hot topic, and we want to help you as you look for resources to make these mergers go better. Click here to download an audio recording and a PDF that will help your leadership team as you think about church mergers. Here’s what you’ll find:

An interview with Kristy Rutter where she talks through the best practices of being engaged in a church merging process. (Kristy has since passed away after a battle with cancer. She was one of the clearest voices and practitioners in this area and I was honored to interview her about her experiences.) A PDF download from Portable Church Industries on what every multisite should know for a merger conversation. This PDF offers some food for thought and acts as a great discussion starter as you and your team wrestle with campus expansion.

Thank You to This Article’s Sponsor: HarperCollins Publishers

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Pick-up your copy and enjoy the other free resources for your church at www.LiquidChurchBOOK.com

Source: 5 Warning Signs That Your Church Shouldn’t Merge

The post 5 Warning Signs That Your Church Shouldn’t Merge appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By Bobby Harrington:

Discipleship-First Friends,

We all know that Thanksgiving is an important day on many levels. At Discipleship.org, since we are committed to helping you be a disciple who makes disciples, we know it’s important to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:18).

A thankful disposition is fundamentally important as a spiritual practice for everyone, but especially when things are going well. While many in the world are struggling with daily physical needs, they can still give thanks for God’s blessings. How much more important when things seem to be going well.

It teaches us an important principle about giving thanks in times of abundance. Why do we need to hear this? Well, when things are going well, it is harder to acknowledge our dependence on God. It will make us forget God.

Let’s listen to the Word of God through Moses as he instructs us about this:

“When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God …. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down,and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God…” (Deut. 8:10-14).

Notice that last part: “your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord.”

That is where the Deuteronomy 8 principle comes in – we carefully practice thanksgiving so that we do not forget God.

The challenge, when things go well financially, is that we can become self-sufficient. When this happens, the Word of God tells us we will have a tendency to not even think about God.

Continue Reading from email …

Americans live in a time of economic prosperity which the world has never seen before. I really like this video that a church in Charlotte, NC produced to help us to be thankful for all the amazing blessing that we have and take for granted.  Click Here to watch

Moses contrasts times of hardship and times of material blessings. Hardships test our motives and aspirations. They can bless us with humility and dependence on God. But blessings tend to make us rely on ourselves. Your perspective is so important.

Take two minutes and listen to football player Nick Foles talk about both success and trials in football and life.  Click Here to watch

Nick points out how trials can cause us to draw closer to God.

Moses describes our natural response in difficult times. He tells us that trials to come and “humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you” (Deut. 8:16). In contrast, wealth inclines us to say to ourselves, “my power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me” (Deuteronomy 8:18).

This is where giving thanks comes in for disciples of Jesus, who quoted from Deuteronomy 8 during his great temptation: “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth …” (Deut. 8:18).

Catch that: “remember the Lord” … “he gives you the ability.”

So as a disciple of Jesus, it is important to regularly take stock of our hearts, especially when things are going well. We need to explicitly remember and thank God for his presence and for his blessings.

So every year, as a disciple and as a disciple maker, I make a big deal of Thanksgiving in my family. Since my children were young, my family takes time to go around the table and share specific things for which we are thankful, what has come to us as a gift from God.

Then we offer prayers of Thanksgiving for those things.

I encourage you to do the same … at Thanksgiving and continually in your life.

For King Jesus,

Bobby Harrington, Point Leader, Discipleship.org

The post Thanksgiving, Disciple Making, and the Deuteronomy 8 Principle appeared first on Discipleship.org.

Source: Thanksgiving, Disciple Making, and the Deuteronomy 8 Principle

The post Thanksgiving, Disciple Making, and the Deuteronomy 8 Principle appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: So let me guess, every time you need to talk about money in church, you wince. And so does everybody else.

I know, because I’ve been there.

If you’re going to be effective in ministry, you have to become comfortable talking about money.

Yet few church leaders I know are.

Here’s why.

When you talk about money, it’s like you’re setting yourself up to be shot at. You almost always take bullets when you talk about money, even when you speak about it as earnestly, biblically and honestly as you know how.

As a result, many pastors avoid the subject and only talk about it if there’s a financial crisis looming for the church.

That’s the biggest mistake you can make. Only talking about money when you need money is the best way to set everyone up to lose.

Nobody wins in that scenario: not the church, not your people, and not you as a leader.

But you have to talk about it. Why? Because there’s so much at stake if you don’t.

Pastors who refuse to talk about money can ultimately leave both their churches and their people broke.

The message we continually hear from the culture around us leads people to overextension on things that matter little in the end and can also result in dissolving families (see below).

Only talking about money when you need money is the best way to set everyone up to lose.Click To Tweet

It’s Not Hopeless…Really

I know what it’s like to lead with very meager resources as well as what it’s like to lead with more.

When I began in ministry, three small churches called me to be their pastor.

The annual budget for one of the churches was $4,000. No, I’m not kidding. No, there are no missing zeros. Added together, the budget of all three churches was less than $50,000 for the year. The doors were almost closing.

But seeing resources freed up for ministry has made a big difference. More than 3,500 people now call our church home, and we see over 1,300 of them every weekend. Today our church is vibrant, healthy and alive (and I’m so thankful for that).

What’s even better, though,  is how we’ve seen people who attend our church become financially healthy in their personal life. Far too many people were driving car payments, not cars, buying so much house there was no money left for anything else and no one seemed to be interested in casting a different vision. It’s been a joy to cast vision and help people live with margin and live on mission. And they’re so grateful for having margin in their life.

So how do you get over your innate fear of talking about money?

Here are 7 ways to get the funk out of talking about money at church.

1. Realize people talk about money every single day

Think about it. Do you know a person who doesn’t talk about money in some way every day?

There’s not a family in your church or community that doesn’t have some kind of daily dialogue about money.

People talk about it, argue about it, and try to make their plans around it.

Almost everyone in your church and community thinks about money daily and talks about it daily. They may even struggle with it daily. It’s just that few people step up to help them with it.

And because most church leaders are afraid to talk about, or only ever talk about giving, people talk about money in a theological vacuum because few church leaders will talk about it.

So start talking about it. And when it comes to money, don’t just talk about giving, talk about living. Normalize the conversation by talking about normal things.

When it comes to money, don’t just talk about giving, talk about living. Normalize the conversation by talking about normal things.Click To Tweet

2. View talking about money as pastoral care

Could it be that your reluctance to talk about money is costing people their marriages?

Reports continue to show that money issues are a top reason families break up.

In a culture of plenty burdened by massive personal debt and a lack of fulfillment around money, families are looking for hope and help.

If the church won’t help people figure out how to handle their personal finances, who will?

The scripture is packed with practical advice and missional claim on personal finances that can literally change people’s lives.

Why hold out on people? Who will bring them help or hope if you don’t?

If the church won’t help people figure out how to handle their personal finances, who will?Click To Tweet

3. Help people plan their financial future, not just yours

Addressing money in your church shouldn’t just be about your needs in ministry.

Too many leaders only think about their church’s need when it comes to money. Wise leaders think about their congregation’s needs when it comes to money.

If you help people plan their personal financial future, you’ll have a better future as a church.

The tagline we came up with a few years ago is that we want people to live with margin and live on mission.

I started telling people I wanted them to pay cash for their next vacation, to save for their children’s education, to save for retirement, to create an emergency fund and to live generously.

I think people were shocked that a preacher a) wanted them to take a vacation, b) wanted them to pay cash for it,  c) offered a program to help them realize their financial goals and d) didn’t expect all their money to go to the church.

One of the best things we’ve done in the last 5 years has been taking hundreds of adults and students through the Financial Learning Experience. It’s a two-hour forum designed to help people master the basics of financial planning and realize their dreams. There are follow-up small groups and individual coaching you can also offer.

My joy as a leader is to see hundreds of people paying cash for their vacations, saving for their kids’ education, saving for retirement AND giving generously to the Kingdom.

But that only happens if you want something FOR people, not just something FROM them. So help people plan their financial future, not just yours or your church’s.

Church leaders, help people plan THEIR financial future, not just yours or your church’s.Click To Tweet

4. Understand you’re slaying a giant idol

If the world (and church) have an idol, money is a prime candidate.

So know up front you’re going to get push back when you address it. But if you help people with their finances as a ministry and steward the money that’s received appropriately, you will help break the power of an idol in our culture and church.

When you attack an idol, prepare for a counter-attack.

It’s easier not to fall victim to the criticism or internal battles that the attack brings when you realize the attack is coming.

But before you go too far down that road, remember the enemy is not just outside you, it’s within you. The idol you’re trying to get your congregation to slay might also be yours. Really question your motives when you talk about money.

Be honest about how you struggle with money and the love of it. If you don’t struggle with money, you’re probably not human.

Preachers, remember that the idol you’re trying to get your congregation to slay might also be yours.Click To Tweet

5. Tap into the desire most people have to be generous

It’s easy to think most people are stingy. I’m not sure that’s true.

Most people want to be generous. They just don’t know how.

When you can’t make your minimum credit card payments, even a $20 donation to the food bank seems out of reach.

When you help people get their finances in order, generosity can be unleashed. And more people want to be generous than you think. They just need help getting there.

Most people want to be generous. They just need help getting there.Click To Tweet

6. Your vision and stewardship must be worth the sacrifice people make

When people give, you receive a measure of trust from both people and from God.

You need to steward and manage the money well. Things like a third party independent annual audit (which is expensive, but worth it) should be the norm.

And your vision and mission should be compelling, up to the challenge and have life-changing results.

People may give once or twice, but over time, most people don’t give generously to uninspiring or poorly stewarded visions.

People don’t give generously to uninspiring or poorly stewarded visions. Click To Tweet

7. Unchurched people are more open to conversations about money than you realize

I saved the best for last. Of all the concerns I’ve heard about talking about money at our church over the years, the #1 objection is that unchurched people don’t like the church to talk about money.

And guess what? Most of our growth comes from unchurched people, so it’s a live tension.

Sure, sometimes, that’s true. But most of it’s not. Surprisingly, unchurched people love to talk about money when they realize you’re ready to help them.

If you doubt that people love to talk about money, just ask Dave Ramsey how, for a quarter-century, he’s helped millions of people (churches and unchurched) win with their money.

Ready for a truth bomb? In my experience, the people who object the most about talking about money are the people who give the least.

I can’t prove that statistically, but it resonates with my experience and intuition.

Don’t let the people who never give ruin your ministry to people who love to give and want to give.

The people who object the most to talking about money are the people who give the least.Click To Tweet

Want More?

WANT MORE?

Money is one thing, but it’s not the only topic when it comes to communication and preaching.

Ever wish someone could come alongside you to walk you through the finer points of the art of better preaching?

That’s exactly what my good friend Mark Clark and I do in our course, The Art of Better Preaching. We’ve even got a full unit on how to leave your notes behind the next time you give a talk.

Every week, Mark and I preach to thousands of churched and unchurched people, Mark at Village Church in Vancouver BC, and me at Connexus Church north of Toronto. We have very different styles, which means this course is not a preach-just-like-me approach to preaching.

You can customize it to help you preach better messages, and it draws from the rich tradition of different approaches that actually connect with unchurched people. Plus, we share our best secrets on how to craft the best messages we know how to create.

In the course, Mark and I cover:

The Why and How of Preaching
How to Preach to the Unchurched
How to Give a Talk Without Using Notes
How to Craft a Killer Bottom Line So People Remember Your Talk Years Later
How to Stay Fresh over the Long Haul

And much more.

We’re so excited to help you become the best communicator you can be.

Sunday’s coming. Boost your ability to connect! 

The post 7 Ways To To Get Past the Funk Of Talking About Money At Church appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: 7 Ways To To Get Past the Funk Of Talking About Money At Church

The post 7 Ways To To Get Past the Funk Of Talking About Money At Church appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: Let’s face it, you’d love to have ideal conditions to lead in. Who wouldn’t?

And while, ideally:

Your team would be perfectly motivated to achieve the mission

No good team member would ever leave

You’d be inspired to write every day

The people you’re trying to reach would be open and receptive

You’d introduce change without any fear or pushback

All your ideas would be great ideas

Life isn’t like that. At all.

And yet it’s easy to get into a place where you’re hesitant to act, constantly frustrated and thinking of quitting because things never seem like they’re as easy as they should be.

Yet here’s what’s true: if you waiting for perfect conditions to act in leadership, you’ll wait forever.

If you’re waiting for perfect conditions to act in leadership, you’ll wait forever.Click To Tweet

There Will Never Be…

There will never be

A surplus of amazing team members

Quite enough money

Thunderous applause every time you introduce a new idea

An absence of doubt when it’s time to pull the trigger

I feel this again and again. Whether it’s writing this blog (every post could be better), launching a new podcast episode (what am I missing that could make it better) or writing a book (I don’t know if this chapter measures up),  writing a sermon (this one isn’t as good as the last one) or hiring a team member (are we now over-staffed, understaffed???) conditions never seem ideal.

I have that even with cycling. I’m trying to hit a goal of 3500 km this year (about 2000 miles), and every day I think of going it’s a little too windy/cold/wet/hot/busy for me to hit the road.

You know the best way to hit a goal of 3500 km? Ride whether you want to or not.

Ditto with leadership. Lead whether you feel like it or not. Whether things are perfect or not.

Leaders have a bias for action and nothing produces traction like action.

The question is: how do you get there? What do you do if you’re still not sure conditions are right to act?

Here are a few things that continue to help me push through the inertia of life and leadership.

Leaders have a bias for action. Nothing produces traction like action.Click To Tweet

1. Focus on what you can control, not on what you can’t

It is so easy to focus on what you can’t control in leadership.

If you let your mind go there, there’s so much you can’t control. Here’s a very partial list of the things you can’t control:

Other people

The market,

Your team

The economy

The weather

Other people’s reactions

Your boss

Time

Other people’s actions

Honestly, the list could go on and on.

Here’s what you can control: you.

You can control your indecision, your willingness to act through fear, your response, your attitude, your determination, your willingness to try when everything else inside you wants to give up.

So many people focus on what they can’t control. Leaders focus on what they can control. Even if that’s a small list, think about what you can do, not what you can’t, and you’ll make far more progress.

You’ll also enjoy this life and leadership far more.

Focus on what you can control, not on what you can’t. Click To Tweet

2. Don’t Lie About How Bad It Is.  Then Act Anyway.

One of the leader’s first jobs is, as Jim Collins says, to confront the brutal facts.

I have seen way too many leaders publicly say their organization is growing when in fact it’s flat, or who pretend they’re financially healthy when they’re not.

Listen, I feel all those urges to spin, manipulate and pretend it’s better than it is. Don’t.

Leaders are dealers in hope, but we’re not dealers in deception.

An inferior (and unethical) way to lead is to tell people everything’s better than it is. “Everything’s fine. We’re doing great. I’m excited for the future.” Your best leaders can sense when there’s a gap between reality and your words. And they hate spin.

A much better way is to say “So we can see this is not our finest hour. We have our challenges. But I’m ready to move forward. We can make this far better than it is. If we all pull together, we’ll shape a much better future. Who’s ready to go?”

Be honest with yourself. Honest with God. Honest with your team.

A realistic assessment of the present creates the best basis from which to forge a better future.

A realistic assessment of the present creates the best basis from which to forge a better future.Click To Tweet

3. Focus on What You Can Do, Not On What You Can’t

This sounds like a repeat of the first point, it’s not.

You and I have both been in situations where there are 10 things we can’t do because we don’t have the money, time, or resources. It’s hard in that moment not just to call it a day.

Wise leaders look for the one or two things they can do. Then they do them.

When things are really down, ask yourself: what is the one thing I can do? There’s always something.

Then do it.

Maybe you can

Pick up the phone one more time.

Meet with the one capable lead who said she’s in.

Build your strategic plan around the one idea that survived

If you spend your days thinking about what you can’t do, you’ll do nothing.

If instead, you look for what’s possible, you’re far more likely to turn what’s possible into what’s probable. And maybe, just maybe, what’s possible will one day look like it was inevitable.

There are so many things today that seem inevitable that two decades ago seemed so unlikely: that people would share their cars (Uber, Lyft, Turo) or homes (Airbnb), or that photo sharing would replace photo printing as the primary way pictures are consumed (Instagram), or that people would have a seemingly endless capacity for creating and watching user-made videos (YouTube, Vimeo).

If you listen to the origin stories of many of these companies, most almost failed before they succeeded. But they kept focusing on what they could do, not on what they couldn’t.

Think about it.

There’s always a church planter (or transitioner) who has a thriving congregation in a city where churches don’t grow.

In every city there are retailers who have burgeoning businesses even as most other retail dies.

Leaders…focus on what you can do, not on what you can’t.

Leaders…focus on what you can do, not on what you can’t. Click To Tweet

4. Ditch Your Excuses

Underneath all of this is our tendency to make excuses.

There are always reasons not to do something. It usually is too cold/wet/hot/dry/tenuous/uncertain/fragile/unclear to do what you have in your heart to do.

But great lives are never built on excuses. Right now, your excuses seem quite compelling to you. But fast forward twenty years and tell your future self and everyone else why you didn’t act, why you didn’t do what you knew you were supposed to do. In the future, your excuses won’t sound compelling. They’ll actually sound sad.

Beside, excuses are the enemy of progress. You can make excuses, or you can make progress, but you can’t make both.

So what are you going to do?

Make excuses?

Or make progress.

Excuses are the enemy of progress. You can make excuses, or you can make progress, but you can’t make both. Click To Tweet

Get Over Yourself (And Find a Renewed You)

Find posts like this overwhelming because it leaves you wondering how on earth you’ll find time to do any of this?

When will you find time to push through the inertia and really dig into the problems you face? To take care of yourself in the process? And to forge a new future.

Let me help.

My approach to life and leadership changed radically for me over ten years ago when I figured out how to get time, energy and priorities working in my favour.

I’d love to help you free up hours each day to do the same thing. And I’ve helped over 5000 leaders do just that.

If you’re trying to find the time for what matters most in life, my High Impact Leader course, is my online, on-demand course designed to help you get time, energy and priorities working in your favour.

Many leaders who have taken it are recovering 3 productive hours a day.  That’s about 1000 hours of found time each year. That’s a lot of time for what matters most.

Here are what some alumni are saying about The High Impact Leader Course”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you for providing the course again. It has absolutely made an impact in my life and family already that I can’t even describe.” – Joel Rowland, Clayton County, North Carolina

“Just wow.  Thank you, thank you.” Dave Campbell,  Sioux Falls South Dakota

“A game changer.” Pam Perkins,  Colorado Springs, Colorado

Curious? Want to beat overwhelm and have the time to reflect, rest and reinvent yourself?

Click here to learn more or get instant access.

What Helps You Lead?

The bottom line moving into the future?

Leaders who learn to launch in imperfect conditions will always have something to lead. Leaders who don’t, won’t.

Leaders who learn to launch in imperfect conditions will always have something to lead. Leaders who don’t, won’t.Click To Tweet

What helps you lead when conditions are imperfect?

Scroll down and leave a comment!

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Source: How to Lead Through Imperfect Conditions

The post How to Lead Through Imperfect Conditions appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Source: 7 Big Tips for Funding Your Ministry Vision This Year

The post 7 Big Tips for Funding Your Ministry Vision This Year appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: This isn’t 1998 or even 2008, but too many leaders lead like it is.

And as a result, they can’t figure out why their team isn’t motivated, why they have a high turnover and why younger leaders don’t really want to work for them…or are always looking for a better opportunity.

Things have changed significantly in the workplace over the last decade or two, and too many bosses and organizations are still leading using old methods.

Here are 5 trends in team leadership every leader should be aware of because, well, things are changing, fast.

1. Your Title Means…Nothing

If you check the business section of newspapers in major cities (there are still newspapers, and increasingly, that’s a good thing), you’ll still see announcements that so and so became Executive Vice President of marketing at XCo, or that someone became Regional Director of Sales at YCo.

In a church context, you got an email letting you know that a seminary colleague became district supervisor or president of a seminary.

Guess what? Nobody cares.

Not anymore.

…

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Source: 5 Trends in Team Leadership No Leader Can Afford To Ignore in 2018

The post 5 Trends in Team Leadership No Leader Can Afford To Ignore in 2018 appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Source: Building a Culture of Generosity from Day One

The post Building a Culture of Generosity from Day One appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by NewChurches.com: What are the best financial support options for funding a new church plant?

In Episode 257 of the NewChurches Q&A Podcast, Daniel and Ed discuss various ways to fund new church plants. Here’s Blake with today’s question:

What are different financial support options for a brand new church plant? What are the pros and cons of those options?

In this episode, you’ll discover:

Cautions and considerations for different funding options.
Different funding models such as Full-Funded, Reverse-Tier, and a Shared Partnership Model.

Shareable Quotes (#NewChurches):

“There are a lot of resources to fund your church plant if you cast a compelling vision.”–@edstetzer
“Not every job is a good job for bivocational ministry.”–@danielsangi 
“Bivocational planting is not a penalty, it’s an opportunity.”–@danielsangi 
“You will soon find that your denominational support comes with strings attached. If you receive this support, you will be required to participate in denominational functions. This can be frustrating. Officials will busy themselves with programs that focus on the forest while you try to nurture a single, small-tree.”-Ralph Moore

Additional Resources:

Read this post about Church Planting and Funding Facilities
Learn more about Daniel and Ed’s book, Planting Missional Churches
Check out Daniel’s new podcast, IMbetween Podcast on Marriage, Parenting, Faith, and Everything In Between

Help us Multiply the Mission:

Please subscribe
Leave a rating and review on iTunes
Ask a question by clicking Send Voicemail on the right hand side of NewChurches.com
If you’re on a phone or a tablet, then go to www.speakpipe.com/newchurches to download the app and record your message
When you’re recording, introduce yourself and your context in about 15 seconds and then record your question for 30 seconds

The post Episode 257: Financial Support Options for Church Plants appeared first on NewChurches.com – Church Planting, Multisite, and Multiplication.

Source: Episode 257: Financial Support Options for Church Plants

The post Episode 257: Financial Support Options for Church Plants appeared first on Passion for Planting.