ENERGY killers

Last week my brother's 20 year old heating and air conditioning unit died. Yep he had to pay a ton of money to replace it but what he found out was that his old unit had been costing him twice as much each month to operate than his new unit would cost. The new unit was costly to install but in the long run will save him money. His old unit was an ENERGY KILLER...sure it worked but it was very very costly. I wonder what things in our organizations are energy killers? I am talking about things that may or may not work for some people or ministries but continue to drain our teams of needed energy. If you work with kids your list is probably going to be different but here are a few ENERGY KILLERS I think youth ministries face in many churches...

• Sunday School >> this many be working for you but for most student pastors Sunday School just kills energy and drives them crazy. Hey kids, come sit in a circle and for the most part here adults talk. Sunday School drains energy because it makes us create an environment for teens in a time slot that is just not optimal for serving teens and it keeps teenagers from serving in the church. If Sunday School has any chance of not being a energy killer you better reformat it!

• Poor environment space >> many times the ministry spaces we use for reaching teens just kill energy. Most of the time it is not the room, it is the lack of tools and freedom to transform the space into an area a teen would want to be. Florescent lights, white walls, and pink chairs are not going to get it. A sound system that cracks in and out when the band plays is not going to get it. A bad room can be an energy killer!

• Poor worship leading and planning >> worship leading and planning is an energy killer when you have the wrong people leaders and when the planning is aimed at adults not teens. Most student services I check out are planned by adults and you can tell when we the whole service is packed with things that appeal to adults. As for worship leaders...put a leader up who can't lead or sing and get ready to kill some energy!

• Too many events >> busy does not equal significant. There is a balance your team needs when it comes to events. Too many and you will KILL ENERGY because your events will be half baked and not that good.

• Tunnel vision speakers >> so many times youth pastors have no plan when they communicate and base their teaching schedule around their own desires. When the speaker says the same thing every week get ready for some energy to be killed. Youth ministries need a communication plan that empowers creativity and brings different voices and perspectives. God has too much to say to teens to allow a speaker to keep talking about the same thing. That will kill energy!

Those are a few energy killers I thought about in youth ministry today. I would love to hear from you! What are some energy killers that you see?

a great conference for MIDDLE SCHOOL LEADERS...

Once a middle school leader always a middle school leader at heart.  Mark Oestreicher (aka MARKO) has been an influence in my life for the past 13 years as I have served teens. Mark is also at heart a middle school leader who has created an event for middle school leaders called the Middle School Ministry CAMPFERENCE. This is one conference that will allow middle school leaders (paid staff and volunteer staff) to unite behind the common cause of investing in middle school students. I have felt for years that there needs to be a conference that focuses on middle school ministry...here it is. If you have a passion for middle school ministry then this is the experience for you. Check out the list of speakers, and partners already connected to this conference. This might be for you! And for all of you investing in the lives of middle school students...thanks for shaping the lives of the leaders of tomorrow.

Finding the right leaders for your team

One of the greatest challenges for any organization is finding the right leaders to join the team. It makes no difference if you are filling a volunteer role or a paid staff position, building a team that is effective is hard work. This week the University of Tennessee hired a new head basketball coach. If you are a sports fan you know Tennessee has had a difficult few years with coaches. UT choose to hire a man who was qualified but had no national recognition. He was not the "BIG NAME." Sometimes I think we spend too much time trying to staff our teams with BIG NAMES both in paid staff and volunteers. Sure, there are times we get to hire / add proven leaders to our team but most of the time we simply need to look for the right leader and not the big name. I am glad several churches gave me a chance to lead when I had done nothing noteworthy up to that point. Those churches saw potential and gave me the chance to lead. With our family ministry team we are constantly looking for leaders who have potential to make a difference. Leaders never emerge if they are never given the chance to lead. Empowering people to lead means we take a risk on them...we give them a shot...we strive to be leadership developers. Here are some principles we look for when we are adding people to our family ministry team. These are principles that helps us empower the right leaders...

• We look for passion and competence >> We want leaders who are passionate about their craft and do a good job at what we ask them to do. Make no mistake, we empower leaders who are good at what they do. Competence is so needed if others are going to follow. Passion is that combining ingredient because leaders have to inspire. Inspiration needs passion!

• We look for character >> We want people of high character on our team. We are not looking for moral perfection but we are looking for people who can build healthy relationships and make wise choices. True character is found in the middle of relationships (at home, with friends, and at work) and we want that kind of character to matter the most.

• We look at their past responsibilities >> How people handle smaller responsibilities has a direct correlation to how they will deal with more demanding situations. We love to see a history of progress before we add a person to our leadership team. Trust me...everything I know about ministry I learned from some amazing people in a small town named Bloomfield where 1,200 people live. Those people allowed me to lead them and I learned so much there. That role and time has had a direct impact on how I lead today.

• We look for a team connection >> It matters that the staff and volunteers we empower connect with the rest of the team. I never hire a person for our staff until they connect with other people on our team. I follow the same rule with our lead volunteers. We work best with people we enjoy being with. Healthy relationships being energy to ministry teams.

• We look for learners >> We want people on our team who are striving to improve. We want life long learners. A heart that longs to learn leads to a humble heart that values others. Nothing kills forward progress on a team than people who will not learn, listen, and grow.

Parents...please partner with us!

This week at Grace Community we finished up our series called Modern Family as we looked at how parenting and marriage collide. You can check out that message on our website later this week if you missed it. We challenged families to fight for the heart of their children. Moms and Dads have to choose to fight for their relationship with their children and their child's relationship with God. I hope this week you will take a few steps as you process to fight for the heart of your kids. Check out these ideas...

• Read Parenting Beyond Your Capacity >> we feel like this is a must read book for every parent. We all want to know how to be better parents! This book will help you figure out how to not fight this battle alone. Link arms with the church and fight for the heart of your child every day. Check out this book. We have around 20 copies left at the GCC office. Email us at office@gcomchurch.com if you want us to reserve you a copy.

• Check out www.orangeparents.org >> one of my favorite blogs for parents. Subscribe to the blog and they will send new posts directly to your email inbox for you to process. Great parenting is no accident. listen to some voices who will help you make forward progress.

• Check out the resources we have for parents every week at Grace Community Church >>  every week we provide families resources to help you continue the discussion from Sunday at home. Check out www.gcomkids.com and www.relevantstudents.com to see how we are trying to set you up to have intention converstions with your children.

what/when do I UPGRADE?

What do I upgrade in my ministry setting? Here is another question...When do I implement upgrades? An upgrade is any adjustment (addition or subtraction) that will make your environment function better. The team at Apple is constantly adding things and taking things away from their products to help them function better. I am amazed by the effort they put into this process and honestly it is the reason more and more people are choosing to buy their products. Their team has done everything possible to maximize the performance of their products. We can do the same things with our ministry environments. Here are a few areas that can help us with the what and when questions of implementing upgrades...

• What needs to be added? >> make a list and don't hold back...what needs to be added to help your ministry connect with more people. When I think about additions I break them down into a "right now" and a "down the road" list. When you make a list you can start prioritizing your additions and you can track your progress. You need to know every year what you upgraded and you should always know what is coming down the road.

• What needs to be subtracted?>> there are always things that need to be killed. Every idea and strategy has a shelf life and when it gets old and stale some things have to go. If you create a culture of experimentation you really will have to kill things often. We try new things all the time here so we have to stop doing things often. Some of our greatest upgrades have come from subtraction.

• What is the best timing? >> timing is everything when it comes to upgrades. Budgeting, planning, and implementation all guide in timing. Additions and subtractions have to be set in the proper timing sequence. We have things we want to add and stop right now but we are waiting till summer. Timing is critical.

• Who do I need on the team to implement this upgrade? >> getting the right people involved in your ministry will help you make needed upgrades. Ministry is about people. Sometimes the best upgrades come through leaders who understand the mission and vision of your ministry. Who do you need on your team (or off your team) to make your next upgrade?

Are you ready to UPGRADE?

I just upgraded to the iPhone 4 and I have to say, I am very impressed. Just 4 years ago I was the guy happy to have a Motorola Flip and just had started texting. Today I love having a small computer in my pocket as my phone. We now have the iPhone 4, the Motorola Droid, or whatever smart phone you have because companies choose to upgrade. They decided to not settle for what was but instead push to create what could be. When was the last time your chose to to that with the ministry you lead? How often are you making upgrades to your environment, your small group curriculum, your branding, your volunteer team, your staff, your planning schedule, or your strategy? Upgrades should be a regular part of any growing and healthy organization. Most of us don't make upgrades because we never slow down long enough to see what needs upgrading. I want to challenge you to put time in your schedule that allows you to step back, evaluate, and see what things need adjusting. After you see what needs to be improved adjust your focus and schedule to make the upgrade possible.

Stop settling...have the courage to step by step make the upgrades your ministry needs!

Parents...get this book!

I'm very excited about speaking this weekend at Grace Community Church as we finish up the Modern Family series. For the past three weeks we have been trying to help people process what a healthy marriage looks like. This week we shift directions and talk about parenting. I wish we had six weeks to talk about parenting but we don't. Sunday we want to promo the book Parenting Beyond Your Capacity. Our staff at GCC feels like this is a book every parent should read. Since we feel that strongly about the book we are giving away one in each service Sunday morning to one lucky mom or dad. We are also going to have some available for sale but if you want to go ahead and get a copy just click the picture above and order one from Amazon. Get this book, read it, live it out with your family.

Leadership lessons I learned from Coach Bruce Pearl

That was my view this time last year when I watched Tennessee beat Ohio State to advance to the great 8 in the 2010 NCAA tournament in St. Louis. I could have never believed that this time in 2011 I would watch the demise of Coach Bruce Pearl. In my 34 years of life I have never seen the Tennessee men's basketball team play at the level they have over the past six years. To prove it, this football addict traveled to St. Louis to watch a basketball game. I'm glad I did. I'm glad I have that memory. I am disappointed that the university has fired Coach Pearl but I also understand that this was just a result of some very poor choices. I know Coach Pearl will learn from this and continue on with his career and Tennessee basketball will move forward. Here are some lessons I learned from Coach Pearl during his time leading the Vols...

• Honesty Matters >> We all have to remember to be truth tellers. Coach Pearl is getting fired because he lied. His offense is not the issue, the problem is he lied to the people he was accountable to. Always just tell the truth. Truth may hurt in the short term but it is always best.
• Lead with passion >> Coach Pearl always led this team with passion and his passion was contagious. People follow leaders who are passionate and combine that energy with vision.
• Maximize your team and resources >> Coach Pearl was at his best with teams that had less talent than the competition. Never make excuses and always maximize your resources.
• Advance the organization >> Coach Pearl always helped advance the women's basketball team, football team, and academic structure of the university. Coach saw the big picture and supported more than just his team. We always have to remember that we are a part of something bigger.
• Be available >> You never knew when Coach Pearl might show up on a local sports talk radio show or at a local restaurant in Knoxville. He was available. Never get to important for time with people. Being available matters.

I'm new! Can i serve?

I'm new to the church and I want to plug in to your ___________ ministry. You fill in the blank. When you lead in a church setting you get asked this question often and it's a good question to be asked! We love new volunteers but we always want to make sure we help them find the right ministry setting. Ministry "fit" is so important if any volunteer is going to thrive and not just go through the motions of serving. Here is how we try to help volunteers make sure our ministry is the right area for them to connect with.

• Test Drive // when we have new volunteers step up we ask them to come check out the environment first. We never give people a role until they see what we do and can decide if they want to partner with us. You can solve a ton of problems by simply asking people to take a test drive before they commit.
• Background Checks // you just have to do this in any Family Ministry environment. Protect both the volunteer and the kids / teens from future problems.
• Mentoring and Training // Before a volunteer flies solo we try to make sure they have seen it done by one of our key leaders. We are finding mentoring goes a long way to pass on ministry DNA and it helps new volunteers make friends in the ministry.
• Follow up // new volunteers need to be checked on. A quick call, email or card goes a long way to encourage new volunteers and answer questions.

start something...

Finished Seth Godin's new book, Poke the Box, last week and had to connect some student pastors and children's ministry leaders to these ideas. Many of us who work with teens, kids, and families are natural starters. We love innovation. We understand this generation. We love living in the present and pushing for a better future. This book is a call to start, experiment, and dream. Check out some of my favorite quotes from the book, go buy the book, and then go start something!

• Human nature is to need a map. If you’re brave enough to draw one, people will follow.
• Only by poking, testing, modifying, and understanding can we truly own anything, truly exert our influence.
• The more you do, the more you fail.
• For many of us, the resistance is always chattering away, frequently sabotaging our best opportunities and ruining our best chance to do great work. Naming it helps you befriend it, and befriending it helps you ignore it.
• Art is hard. Selling is hard. Writing is hard. Making a difference is hard.
• There’s never a problem getting a posse together to fix the broken. The upside for you (and the challenge) is to find the energy and the will to challenge the mediocre.
• Change is powerful, but change always comes with failure as its partner. “This might not work” isn’t merely something to be tolerated; it’s something you should seek out.
• To merely start without finishing is just boasting, or stalling, or a waste of time.
• Shipping is an event. There’s life before you ship and then there’s the moment you ship. And then there’s life after you ship. Starting isn’t like that. Starting something is not an event; it’s a series of events.
• Action is easy once you have a plan. Formulating a plan, however, is a rare and valuable skill.