Onward: leadership lessons from Starbucks

It's not very often that you get an inside look into a company during their darkest days but that is exactly the journey that the book Onward takes us on. This book tells the story of how Starbucks worked through the banking and housing crisis from 2008-2010. I know that does not sound like a fun read but it is really a powerful story of resilience. The true mark of an organization is how they respond to struggle. This is an inside look of how a founder of an organization came back to help lead that organization through crisis. The book is packed with leadership lessons for all of us in ministry but here are my favorite notes from the book.

• No business can do well for its shareholders without first doing well by all the people its business touches.
• When we love something, emotion often drives our actions. This is the gift and the challenge entrepreneurs face every day. The companies we dream of and build from scratch are part of us and intensely personal. 
• That, as I've said, is what merchants do. We take something ordinary and infuse it with emotion and meaning, and then we tell its story over and over and over again, often without saying a word. 
• Work should be personal. For all of us. Not just for the artist and the entrepreneur. Work should have meaning for the accountant, the construction worker, the technologist, the manager, and the clerk. 
• Creating an engaging, respectful, trusting workplace culture is not the result of any one thing. It's a combination of intent, process, and heart, a trio that must constantly be fine-tuned. 
• Companies pay a price when their leaders ignore things that may be fracturing their foundation. Starbucks was no different. 
• Starbucks is in the business of exceeding expectations. That means we have to admit it when we are not as good as we think we should be. 
• This is why, I think, so many companies fail. Not because of challenges in the marketplace, but because of challenges on the inside. 
• Without confidence, people could not perform 
• What elements about Starbucks, we asked ourselves, are ritual and what elements are merely habits? 
• We forgot that “ones” add up. 
• The world belongs to the few people who are not afraid to get their hands dirty.
• I've always believed that innovation is about rethinking the nature of relationships, not just rethinking products, 
• Growth had been a carcinogen. 
• Success is not sustainable if it's defined by how big you become. 
• Pursuing short-term rewards is always shortsighted. 
• Exploring an imperfect idea can often lead to a better one 
• At its core, I believe leadership is about instilling confidence in others,

Do you really believe in what you are doing?

I have a good friend who NEVER believes the best about his sports teams. Ask him how things are going and he will tell you that his teams are not doing well. It could be the line, the quarterbacks, the defensive backs, or coaching that leads to his doubt. I finally asked him why and he told me that when he did not allow himself to believe in the team it was easier for him to process the outcome. He is probably right because I choose to believe the best about my teams and it sure does hurt when things go bad!

The perspective of my friend might help with our sports teams but rarely will it help with any organization, department, or team you lead. If others are going to follow you they need to know you really do believe in what you are doing. If you don't believe in what you are doing why would anyone else. Belief helps people...

• Move Forward >> when leaderships displays belief in the mission then people are more likely to take a step of faith. Over and over in the Bible God used men and women to call people to action. Those leaders had nothing but belief in their God to lean on and the people responded.
• Never Quit >> when I see a leader believe and lead strong even in hard times I am encouraged to not give up and to keep pushing.
• Trust the Leadership >> when people see you believe then they can trust that you will make the best decision for the organization. Belief drives us to vision and away from selfishness.

If you see people around you not moving forward, quitting, and not trusting leadership maybe it's time to step back and see if you still really believe. When have you seen the power of belief make a difference in your organization or ministry?

3 tips when immersed in a culture of controversy

If you follow the NFL at all you know that all off season the New Orleans Saints have been immersed in a controversy called "bounty gate" that led to the suspension of coaches and players. The result of all that controversy has led to three straight losses by a very talented team. Controversy can wreck any team in any organization.

For several years I served a church that had an extreme culture of controversy. Seriously, there always seemed to be a new controversy and someone was always being blamed for the situation. At every level of the church controversy seemed to always be right around the corner...another situation...a new problem...another big deal...another fight. Many of you leading in churches know exactly what I am talking about. Here are three rips when trying to lead in a culture of controversy.

1. FOCUS // never allow other people to draw you away from your mission and into their controversy. Churches addicted to constant controversy have long abandoned their mission to make disciples and instead turned inward. If you are going to lead this kind of culture you will have to constantly help everyone focus on what matters most.
2. CHANGE THE TARGET // if a culture is going to move away from the addiction of constant controversy then you will have to change the target. You have to define what the real win for the organization is. Trust me you can do this even if you only run your department in a church. Help your ministry move toward a healthy target. Changing the target is the heart of true leadership in any organization.
3. LEAD COURAGEOUSLY // it will take courage to avoid the trap of fueling controversy and not move along with the crowd. You may have to stand alone and a healthy influence in a culture of dysfunction. Trust me, it's worth it and your organization needs you to be a solution instead of ignoring the problem.

community of innovation

Innovation doesn't happen in a vacuum because it always impacts other people. I know we all think that innovation happens when we hole up in isolation and come up with the next great idea. Sometimes innovation happens that way. Great ideas also happen in the midst of community when we see what others are doing, learning, teaching, and thinking. Other people help us see new possibilities and many times take our original idea to entirely different level. We all need a place where we know we will be pushed to think strategically, dream bigger, and take risks.

For me one of those places has been the Orange Conference because it's there every year I get to link arms with a larger Orange family and be encouraged to embrace innovation. During those few days we all embrace the idea that innovation is possible at every level of our ministry. We are pushed to go further, faster because we are surrounded by other people headed in the same direction we are. My staff, volunteers, and my Orange friends spread out across the country have become my community of innovation. We are pushing each other to take the risk innovation brings. That is my community of innovation...do you have one?

You can join our community or innovation! Registration opens for OC13 next Thursday, September 27. For more information, please visit www.TheOrangeConference.com.

Making Exponential Change

When I go to conferences I am the guy who loves to hit every session and every breakout. I know I am sick but you never know what God has for you. This past year at the Orange Conference I had the chance to hear one of my favorite leaders, Carey Nieuwhof,  process the idea of leading our organizations through exponential change. Here are my notes from that session...

Leading change is one of the hardest things any leader has to do. Most next generation leaders love change. We love change because we know it will help the ministry grow. The people you lead are not always as excited about change because you are changing their routine. Our team at Grace Community Church understand this process because we are a little addicted to change. We also have experienced the pain of change when the people resisted the process. Today at The Orange Conference Carey Nieuwhof talked us through the process of making exponential change in our church culture. Check out these 5 steps to take and look for his ebook on this process summer of 2012.

1. Start by casting a vision bigger than yourself (your organization)
Outward vision attracts people.
A bigger vision implies bigger change.
Plot and share trajectory. Reveal where we are doing and what happens if there is no change.

2. Focus on the why behind the what.
Why is the best question a leader can answer.
Why unites.
How and what divides.

3. Set realistic expectation for everyone
Understand but don't be deterred by the cost.
People will leave.
Change before decline. Courageous leaders ask questions in their best days.
Changing what's working can create greater long term success.
Asking questions early leads to a season of conflict.
Conflict is not fun but you will have to make change before others see the need.
The greatest threat to your future success is your current success.

4. Communicate in concentric circles.
Make sure the people most invested have the most information.
Dialog with the core. / Don't make changes in isolation.
Get input from the committed. / Many times people don't want to make decisions they just want input.
Get information to the congregation.
Vision to the crowd.
Invitation to the community.

5. Be prepared to change again. You are never done.
Don't rest on your success. Don't trust in your success more than the need to change.
Stay committed to the vision but not necessarily to the methods.
Hold your model loosely and your mission tightly.

4 reasons to join a coaching network

Coaching is a big deal these days. It seems that everywhere we turn there is a leader offering a coaching network. I know many of you out there might be skeptical of why you even need coaching but I promise that this new wave of mentoring is a good thing. Finally leaders across our country are blocking off time and offering one on one mentoring to help other leaders go further faster. I feel like it's a good trend and here are 4 reasons you might want to join a network...

1. You are in a season of change >> in times of constant change or struggle coaching networks can help you stay sane. There is nothing like having a group of leaders around you during times of change who can have your back.
2. You are in a new ministry role >> when you are starting a new position coaching networks can help you get a better foothold on leadership needs in your new setting. New brings opportunity to reboot!
3. You need a new perspective >> many times when you are facing challenges during a season of ministry it is good to have an outside perspective to help you navigate key decisions. A coaching network can give you a group to help you gain that fresh perspective.
4. You are looking for some fresh training >> many times leaders have been to several conferences and they just want to mix it up with their ongoing learning. Plugging into a coaching network is a great way to learn tons from other leaders right where you are at. 

Maybe it's time to check out a coaching network. If you are a student ministry leader my friend Terrace Crawford is putting together his next coaching group. Terrace is a leader who gives his group a ton of personal investment and connects them to other high impact ministry leaders. Check out what he is doing this year on his blog.

minor changes can make a big difference

I know this picture does not make much sense to you but for our team at Relevant Student Ministry they know it is an aerial view of our Wednesday night venue we rent and a new traffic plan for middle school parent pick up. This is just one minor change that is going to make a big difference for our ministry this year. It will keep teens safe and maximize the limited space we have. Last night was our first night to try it and besides a little frustration from parents having to face a new system it changed the dynamic of pick up process. What I am learning this semester is that as you grow it is mostly overlooked systems like parking, small group space allocation, and people flow that will help your ministry grow. I know we all love new banners, t-shirts, projectors, or lights but at some point as you grow effective systems are the key to maintaining momentum. The best thing any student pastor can do as they grow is to allow gifted administrators to lead the process of system innovation. Listen to those leaders. Allow them to dream and create effective systems. Give them freedom to try new things out. When you let these leaders help you then you will find you have more time to cast vision, connect with teens, and focus on doing only what you can do as the leader. Want to keep growing? Just reminding you that you might want to do a systems check and make some minor changes for major impact!

Monday Morning...

My Monday mornings have been significantly different over the past few years. In the past Monday was a day filled with excitement as our team worked toward our big day of ministry on Wednesday. Everything in me was focused on getting to our program, doing our thing, watching how God was going to work in the lives of teens at our "youth ministry." I would not say it out loud then but what mattered most to me was not what happened on Sunday morning but rather what was to come in the ministry I lead. The church I was shaping in our student ministry not the church I served on Sunday had captured my heart. When I came here to Grace Community I was determined to never go back to this place. With Grace I was able to embrace my full role as a pastor, serving the church, investing in families and not just a pastor to teens. I believe our churches need more of us to embrace our role as pastor and care about them just as we care about the individual ministries we lead. Mondays should become days where we process all God did through our church just as much as we work toward our own personal ministry goals reaching kids, teens, or college students. If you are out there and your can't embrace the church you serve in this way it's probably time to begin to ask God to give you that kind of church where you can serve, love, and live life with the same passion to give you the ministry you are called to lead. Jesus never said he was going to build his kingdom on your children's ministry or youth ministry. The idea Jesus had was the church and it is time we fight for it as much as we fight for our personal ministry areas. Your church needs your leadership and creativity. Your church needs you to lead just like you lead in your ministry area! You are a pastor so start serving on Sunday mornings like it!

the numbers crunch

Numbers, we love them and hate them. When they are going up we celebrate. When they are lower we go into evaluation mode. When we talk about the ministries we lead we tend to mention them to our friends. Numbers are a factor for all of us but they can never be allowed to consume us. Seriously, I believe numbers can entrap us because we become addicted to them when we base our self confidence on what they are revealing to us. If we are not careful we begin to celebrate numbers more than life change in the people we lead. When it comes to numbers we have to learn to manage the tension they bring. Ignore numbers and you will not see clear and consistent trends. Hold them too tightly and your judgement will be clouded. When it comes to the "numbers crunch" here are a few rules to remember.

• Always be honest // When we count we are always tempted to add on a few or estimate high. Trust me, don't do it. Inflated numbers never help anything. Be honest with how you track your numbers. Adding numbers that are not real always forces you to chase inflated numbers down the road. Honesty today helps you celebrate tomorrow when honest growth and life change happen. 

• Track the data // I should not have to mention this but always keep recoreds of the numbers you want to track. Getting a count is good but being able to find that number in 2 years is priceless. Find a way to keep numbers safe so you can have needed data later.

• Count and celebrate what matters most // Sure we track attendance in our weekly environments but we alo track stats that matter most. How many small groups are we launching? How many students are getting baptized? How many teens are plugging into our events and retreats? How many students are involved in mission trips and projects serving our community? Go ahead and have the courage to track what matters most to you!

• Look for trends // stop reacting to numbers and start looking for trends. Numbers have to be examinded over a extended amount of time. Numbers can help you see trends that will help you plan and program more effectivly. Use data to help you make better choices. We can do all the right things and still not be effective if we are not paying attention to the data we track.

Connecting with a generation in a state of constant change

How do you create organizations, environments, and resources for a generation that is in a state of constant change? As a pastor that is what I do. I help lead an organization, create environments, and shape resources that help people discover and grow in Christ. What is tempting for me is to lead and create in a way that impacts the largest mass of people. The goal is to reach people. Seth Godin's book We are all Weird addresses the tension between marketing and creating for the mass verses trying to stand out by being often going against the grain of mass appeal. There is a tention to manage in this idea but Seth offers some great insight into the process of being OK with being a weird. The generation we are striving to reach is changing. Seth proposes that how we connect with them might need to change also because this people now embrace "weird" and many times push it forward. Here are my favorite quotes from the book. I have linked to the Kindle version on Amazon so go check it out!

• From now on, mass market success will be the exception, the black swan. Mass is dead. Here comes weird.
• The epic battle of our generation is between the status quo of mass and the never-ceasing tide of weird.
• We shun the outliers, train students to conform and reward companies that create historically efficient mass market products.
• The key element of being weird is this: you insist on making a choice.
• Standing out takes time, money, and confidence. More of us have all three now.
• Art at the edges is no longer an oddity, it’s the norm.
• When we give people choice, we make them richer.
• When an artist (not just a painter, but anyone creating new ideas and new work) is able to have his work amplified, it changes him and also raises the bar for those that would follow.
• When you don’t feel alone, it’s easier to be weird, which sort of flies in the face of our expectation that the weird individual is also a loner. Social acceptance of weird behavior makes being weird more popular. 
• The reason that people are walking away from mass is not so that they can buy more stuff. Material goods and commerce are not the goal, they are merely a consequence. The goal is connection.
• We’ve been trained since birth to enforce the status quo. Our bias is to the many. To please the many. To sell to the many. To be organized to serve the many.
• If you persist in trying to be all things to all people, you will fail. The only alternative, then, is to be something important to a few people.
• The key lesson: humanity and connection are trumping the desire for corporate scale.

5 moves to make when implementing CHANGE

Over the next few weeks student, kids, and college pastors all across the country will be beginning new semesters, reaching new students, and partnering with new volunteers. Many of us will be making changes and change always brings tension. For the new leaders and new students they have no idea anything is changing because of course it is new! For our veteran leaders change can be a little difficult. Change is healthy for every organization but it also brings pain. No matter how big or how small the changes you will be making your team will always want to know why and you need to be prepared to lead them through the change. There are a few things to remember when implementing change this semester...

1. Don't surprise key leaders // Make sure your key leadership know about changes before you hold your first meeting to introduce the changes. You know your key leaders, try not to surprise them. Connect with them and gain wisdom before you implement change.
2. Ask for permission to experiment // Cast vision and explain your idea but when making changes ask your team to give you permission to experiment (admit you might fail!). They give you permission by supporting you as you make changes. Never take that for granted no matter how long you lead in an organization.
3. Call people to a step of faith // "buy in" comes when the changes you make work. As a leader simply call your team to live by faith as you make changes. It's ok if your leadership team does not "buy in" 100% at first, call them to serve with faith!
4. Listen to feedback // make sure your team knows they have a voice and can email you or call you with ideas and feedback about the changes.
5. Lead strong but be flexible // If your changes work, great! If they don't lead strong by being willing to make changes and admit you might not have been correct

Rethinking High School Ministry // campus ministry

This summer our team is trying to rethink some of the aspects of high school ministry. We love serving high school students, and we are having success reaching them, but we feel like it is time to change a few of our strategies so we can make a bigger impact. We have been processing how we can make a bigger impact on the high school campus where teens are living life every day of the year. Even in summer teens spend a ton of time on their school campus. The question for our team is how we establish a presence on where teens are at. For our team campus ministry is going to look different than some other ministries doing contact work at schools. We love the work that Young Life does and we support them but most of our leaders have jobs that will keep them out of the school during the school day. We are going to try to do more on the high school campus through partnership and on campus events. Here are a few ways we are going to try to take our campus presence to another level...

1. Football Tailgate Tour >> This fall we are going to hit 4 of our high school's for a tailgate tour. Food, games, t-shirts, yes it's gonna be great. This also allows middle school students to come since they feed into those schools.
2. On Campus Ministry Support >> When teens who are leaders need help we want to support them. If they have an event to raise money for a cause we want to help them make the event better. Volunteers, publicity, or production support...we just want to be available.
3. Volunteering for school projects >> We are going to try to get more of our student ministry small group leaders and parents involved with on campus events where volunteers are needed. Dances, Prom, Pep rallies, tutoring and are typical places volunteers are needed. We just want to be available.
4. Spring Sports Tour >> Tons of our teens play sports during the spring. We are going to cookout at spring sports days and encourage our teens to pack the stands and invite their friends to support spring sports. We will see how our fall tailgate nights go and then determine how many schools we stop at!

The common denominator with all of these ideas is that it gives our small group leaders a scheduled time to be on a school campus and connect with teens. We view our time on the campus as a bonus and we hope this will help leaders block out more time to meet students on their turf. We also believe these ideas will help us keep good balance and not freak teens out by our presence since when we are at the school we are on their turf!

What in the world is FAMILY MINISTRY?

What is family ministry? Great question! After five years of leading our family ministry team at Grace Community Church I have been asked that questions often by people who see my title or hear our staff talk about serving families. Today I am going to join a ton of other family ministry leaders across the country doing an online Family Ministry Blog Tour. You can check out how they answer the question over the next few weeks by just checking out the tour site linked above! Some of these men and women are close ministry friends and you will love hearing their ideas. I guess I better get to answering the question...how do I define family ministry? What is it? I define family ministry as the effort of the church to partner with families in order to lead a generation of children, teens, and college students to follow Jesus with all their life. How we carry this out looks different at every church much the same as how the staff structure and leadership differs at every church. The one unifying element to true family ministry is the concept of partnership. The base for every family ministry plan is founded on the influence of the family (whatever that messy modern family looks like today!). God dreamed up family long before He chose a people, gave the law, created the Nation of Israel, sent a prophet, or revealed Jesus to our world. We simply trust God is honored when we partner with what He created. God wants to work through the influence of every family to lead this generation to Himself and we want to be a part of that process. Family Ministry at our church has led to a few anchors that guide our effort to serve families...

• Family Ministry is the anchor for teamwork with our staff // if you serve the next generation in our church then you serve with one unified team who are all striving to partner with parents. Preschool, children's, student, and college ministry work on a team together and support each other as we serve parents and their children. We are friends and we are a team. Sure we serve different ages but we work together.
• Family Ministry has helped our team focus // we realize that we can't do everything if we want to serve families with excellence. We constantly say NO so we ca better focus on doing a few things really well for families. Doing next generation ministry well requires focused effort and the concept of family ministry acts a filter who what we do and do not do. The questions becomes, is what are doing really helping parents have the best shot at modeling Jesus for their kids? That is a powerful filter!
• Family Ministry has expanded our influence in the life of every child // When parents and ministry leaders are saying the same things, modeling the same effort to follow Christ, setting the same goals then Jesus gains more influence in the life of every child. When we help parents have resources, trusted mentors for their kids, and a safe place to ask questions then the church is having influence with the people who most impact the choices of kids. When we work together with mom and dad both the home and church multiply their effort to lead the next generation to Jesus.

RETHINKING camp for high school students

Our team here at Relevant Student Ministry is rethinking lots of different aspects of student ministry and one of those issues revolve around camp during the summer. Reaching teens in high school has become more and more difficult for us. Jobs, athletics, academic camps, family vacations, and band pull on so many of the high school students we reach during the year. It's not that they don't want to go to camp it's that they can't get away or choose not leave their summer commitments. Many times they have coaches, bosses, and family pushing them not to go to camp for many different reasons. Our middle school camp continues to grow while our high school camp has remained flat for three years even thought we are reaching more high school students during the school year than we ever have. We have finally realized we have to reformat what we do for high school students during the summer and we are ready to mix things up this coming summer. We are ready to do our own high school camp but give it a different spin with different goals. We are going to reformat our camp experience for high school students so we can...

• Take every small group leader with us to camp >> By doing our own camp for high school students we will now be able to bring every high school small group leader. Small group leaders will get to work toward camp all year and we love that idea of ending the year with groups at camp!
• Make space for true small group time >> We have not found a camp that allows to block the proper time and have the proper space for small groups...now we will make it happen every day of camp. Small group is the main thing in our ministry and camp needs to continue that push.
• Control content >> When you control content on stage and in small groups you have a better shot at communicating a specific message to your teens. We are ready to take on this aspect of camp. We already do this in middle school and we are ready to hit a different audience with high school students.
• Move the focus to mission work during the afternoons >> We are not taking camp to the mountains or the beach, we are taking camp to a city so we can serve the needs of the city and make an impact. Mission work transforms all of us from the inside out. We are changing the focus from entertainment to service.
• Control the date >> We think this may be the most needed change. We have to control the week in order to reach the teens we want to reach. Doing our own camp will help us make that happen.
• Maximize the budget >> We have found that we can better control the cost of our camps when we do our own camp. Sure we add more work but we also have less overhead than many camps across the country doing amazing things. Our camp does not have to make any profit, just break even!
• Define the win >> If we are going to do camp in the summer we want to make sure we aim for a specific target so we can all understand what a win is for high school camp week. When we control the schedule, content, and focus we can work toward a set target every year!

REthink high school ministry

I am right in the middle of our high school summer camp at Relevant Student Ministry and we are having an incredible week here at BigStuf Camp in Panama City. Even in the middle of an event I find myself in the RETHINK process when it comes to how we serve high school students in the coming school year. We serve a generation that is in a constant state of change but many times our ministry setting never change. I am betting that we probably need to rethink much of what we do if we serve an age group that is in a state of constant change. Sure, we are doing a ton of things the right way. When things are working is the best time to look ahead and see what adjustments are going to be needed down the road. Here are a few areas we are evaluating and working on implementing changes in the coming months. Look for a few posts in the coming weeks on each one!

• Summer programming / it's getting harder and harder to get high school teens out of town for camp and for mission trip experiences...we have a few changes we are working on.
• Connecting with the campus / in order to connect with teens you have to go where teens are. We have a few ideas we are working on to spend more time on the school campus in the fall and at the same time give teens needed space.
• Challenge, challenge, challenge / we are working on ways to call high school students to go further with their faith than we have in the past. We are working on ways to make sure teens are reminded to spent time on what matters most.
• Partner with the family / high school parents sometimes feel left out of their teens life and we hope to find more ways to keep parents in the process of spiritual growth even in high school.
• Small group / small group is the heart of accountability and life change...we have a few ideas we are working to be better at fostering connection and community
• Fun / I know it is not cool to talk about having fun in student ministry but why can't we create fun experiences where we communicate truth, connect with new teens, and change the pace? We have a few ideas.

How are you rethinking high school ministry? These posts are on the way this summer! Would love to hear some of your ideas.

small matters

We live in a culture where "big" seems to matter the most. People want big important jobs. People love living in neighborhoods with big houses. We love the big city with lots of buzz. We love to talk about our big goals and big plans. If you are in ministry like me people talk about big churches and try to imitate them at all cost. Big is a big deal and most of us spend our lives chasing after the idea that we are a success when and if we get that big promotion, big paycheck, or gain big influence. Nothing wrong with big but I think we often forget that in the Kingdom of God big does not get the same attention by Jesus as he gives things, people, and place that others in the world would consider small and of less importance. Jesus understands us better than we think He does. Jesus knew that how we handled small responsibility would be a indicator of how we would balance great responsibility. Jesus said it like this...

Matthew 25:29 (NLT)
29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.

Matthew 18:4 (NLT)
4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

I could list time after time where Jesus gave attention to people who were considered small and unimportant. Jesus even called us to use what we have been given so that we can be trusted with more later. Truth is that in life if we want big influence, big leadership, or big responsibility we have to learn to be responsible in the small. For most of us that means being fully present and fully focused on where God has us now. Serving when no one is looking. Taking care of the small things that are hidden from plain view. Being faithful to lead the people God has called us to lead and not wishing God would give us a new...bigger...better...place to serve. When we learn to manage thins we consider small then we just might be ready for a bigger challenge. Never forget, small matters!

Give your idea away!

A few years ago I was able to start a family experience at Grace Community called Cross Street Live. Once a month we gather kids and parents and create a worship experience where families and can worship and learn together. Since we started that years ago I have been on a journey to give my idea away and let others make it better. I was reminded of the process yesterday when our kids pastor showed me a new logo he was having made for the our FX. Honestly, for just a minute it was hard to see a new look. I felt a little sad seeing the logo we had made years ago being replaced...then 2 seconds later after that thought I was pumped because new leadership has embraced the idea. I have given the idea away and trust me, our FX is 100 times better because of it because we have an amazing team leading it. The more you can give your ideas away and let others advance them the better your organization will be because of a few reasons...

• Your idea can always be improved > Allowing other people to shape your idea allows for more creativity and faster innovation. You may have had the idea but that does not mean you are the one to advance the idea. Be willing to allow ideas you have to be shaped and carried out by others.
• You maintain balance when you let things go > If you don't give away ideas then you will become burdened by ideas of the past. You can only keep advancing a limited number of projects. To maintain balance and keep your vision aimed ahead you have to let some things go.
• Giving ideas away will reveal new leadership opportunities and new leaders > If you want to find great new leaders then give your ideas away to them. Nothing reveals leadership potential like having to work on a project. Giving away ideas allows you to invite more people into the leadership process!

Are you stuck?

This morning a few of our staff got stuck in an elevator...seriously...this is the picture Brandon Reed took while we were trying to figure out how to get UNSTUCK. I am going to be telling this story for years but it reminded me of how bad it feels to be stuck. Stuck in a job. Stuck in an emotional funk. Stuck in circumstances that we brought on ourselves. Stuck with no options we can see. Being stuck is never a good feeling. Most of the times we feel stuck because we have our focus on the wrong target. We begin to trust what we can see rather than God who has the perfect perspective on our journey. When I am feeling stuck in life I do three things that help...

• I make sure I am carving out time for prayer and time to read the Bible // When I am not in God's word and spending time in prayer I lose touch with how God works around me. God is at work all around us and in reality we are never stuck. Going back to see how God worked in the life of Abraham, Paul, and Daniel reminds me that my God is a God who has a bigger plan!
• I change my pace and routine // I control my schedule so when I am stuck some things needs to change. My routine needs to change. My office may need to be rearranged. I may need a vacation or I may need to work harder so I can accomplish a new challenge.
• I need to make sure I am running away from isolation and toward community // When we feel stuck we tend to isolate. Nothing helps to break the power of feeling stuck like living life with others who can help us see the bigger picture. Isolation just brings more doubt and frustration. Community can bring direction and clarity.

The heart of a healthy staff culture #OC12

How do we develop a healthy culture inside our staff and volunteer culture? We ask that question often if we lead any size team. We read books about it, we lead training to encourage it, and we find ourself frustrated when people don't get it. This morning Andy Stanley helped us process the root question to ask when you want to learn how to play well together inside our leadership environments. That question is...HOW CAN I HELP YOU? Check out these notes from the session this morning...

You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:41-45 ESV)

Healthy and productive staff cultures are characterized by mutual submission.

The question mutual submission asks is HOW CAN I HELP?
How can I leverage my influence for you?

The struggle comes with this idea is when pastors and leaders feel like the anointing in a leadership role demands special treatment. We are all servants. Look at what Jesus said, event he came to serve others. The annointed one means you are the best servant. The new testament talks about the church being a body not a corporation with a CEO.

1. Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone. // Do not allow the pressure to be "fair" stop you from helping people. Be engaged and take action. Being fair will keep you from serving anyone.

2. Systemize top down service. // Figure out how we can make service happen all year long. Place service into your calendar.

3. Create and maintain a sustainable pace. // The reason many of us don't help others is we do not have time.

4. Celebrate and reward mutual submission. // Who helps you go further faster? Share that answer!
What is rewarded is repeated.

5. Confront your ego. // If this is all about you tell people. We know it's not but sometimes we lead like it.

6. Drop the term loyalty from your vocabulary. // When we demand loyalty we have a loyalty problem.

The starting post for creating a culture of mutual submission is...HOW CAN I HELP?

Making Exponential Change #OC12

Leading change is one of the hardest things any leader has to do. Most next generation leaders love change. We love change because we know it will help the ministry grow. The people you lead are not always as excited about change because you are changing their routine. Our team at Grace Community Church understand this process because we are a little addicted to change. We also have experienced the pain of change when the people resisted the process. Today at The Orange Conference Carey Nieuwhof talked us through the process of making exponential change in our church culture. Check out these 5 steps to take and look for his ebook on this process summer of 2012.

1. Start by casting a vision bigger than yourself (your organization)
Outward vision attracts people.
A bigger vision implies bigger change.
Plot and share trajectory. Reveal where we are doing and what happens if there is no change.

2. Focus on the why behind the what.
Why is the best question a leader can answer.
Why unites.
How and what divides.

3. Set realistic expectation for everyone
Understand but don't be deterred by the cost.
People will leave.
Change before decline. Courageous leaders ask questions in their best days.
Changing what's working can create greater long term success.
Asking questions early leads to a season of conflict.
Conflict is not fun but you will have to make change before others see the need.
The greatest threat to your future success is your current success.

4. Communicate in concentric circles.
Make sure the people most invested have the most information.
Dialog with the core. / Don't make changes in isolation.
Get input from the committed. / Many times people don't want to make decisions they just want input.
Get information to the congregation.
Vision to the crowd.
Invitation to the community.

5. Be prepared to change again. You are never done.
Don't rest on your success. Don't trust in your success more than the need to change.
Stay committed to the vision but not nessesarily to the methods.
Hold your model loosely and your mission tightly.