Reading to Lead!
I didn’t come up with this quote, but I love it. “Leaders Read and Readers Lead.” Today, I just want to share some of the things I read on a daily basis other than the Bible. (If you are in Christian Leadership and your Bible is dusty, you NEED to start there!)
ONLINE
Pastor’s Blogs
Perry Noble – Pastor of NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC. Writes a great blog that mixes encouragement for Christians and for other pastors.
Dean Herman - Pastor of 5 Point Church in Easley, SC. His church is the fastest growing church in Pickens County, SC and he has a lot of great ideas.
Business and Marketing
Seth Godin – It is no secret that this guy writes one of the best marketing blogs in the world! Great thoughts and many of them can apply to the church.
Publishing and Leadership
Michael Hyatt – He is the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers and writes a great blog about much more than the publishing industry.
News and Current Events
Drudge Report – a quick news feed to keep you up to date on what is going on in the news.
ZoeCity – A great feed of news and blogs from a Christian Worldview perspective.
IN PRINT
Non Fiction
Andy Stanley – One of the best writers on pastoral leadership and christian leadership.
Seth Godin (yes, I know I already mentioned his blog, but he is an accomplished author as well.)
John Maxwell – Another great writer on Leadership. Not as focused on pastoral leadership as Andy Stanley, so if you aren’t a pastor, you might get more out of Maxwell.
Joseph Ransom – I wish he had a blog! I would read it! I have read every book and play he has written. The pastor of Shady Grove Baptist Church in Sparta, MO is a great inspiration! He is blind and still pastors a church, has completed a PhD, teaches in a Bible institute and unfortunately doesn’t have spare time for things like blogging…but Joseph, if by chance you read this, I would love it if you did have a blog!
Fiction
John Grisham- Ok, not deep stuff, but I love reading his work.
Robert Ludlum- International Crime and intrigue.
I know this list didn’t impress anyone, but it might give you an idea or two or challenge you to read something new. (If you want a list of the stuff I read in Spanish, let me know…I have some favorite authors but they are all in the fiction genre.)
Yesterday, Satan got upset!
Yesterday was a great day! Not only at my own church – NewSpring (Greenville Campus) but also at many churches across the country. At Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC 581 souls are now bound for heaven after yesterday’s services!!! That is incredible. At NewSpring, 516 people gave their hearts to Jesus! I am sure that in the thousands of other churches that dot the landscape of our great country and around the world, God was doing incredible things! I would love to hear comments on what God did in your church this Sunday! If you don’t attend a church anywhere, I encourage you to find one in your part of the world to get involved in. God uses churches of all kinds! None are perfect, but if we are willing to be used by HIM, He will make things happen!
Young Leaders!
Filed under: Church Revitalization, Direction, Encouragement, Random Thoughts, creativity
I just had one of my advisees, Jarrick Lee, stop by my office. He is studying to be a pastor and feels that God is calling him to plant a church. It is incredible to spend time with young leaders who are so full of passion for our Savior! If you have been hanging out with a bunch of Christians who were Christians when Kennedy was shot or even when the Challenger blew up, it is time to make a conscious effort to get out of your box and spend time with some baby Christians and young leaders who are challenging the status quo! I love teaching on a college campus where there are so many young people who are on fire for God!
New Beginnings
Filed under: Church Revitalization, Encouragement, creativity
The semester here at NGU starts tomorrow and so students are arriving in droves, moving into their dorms and greeting each other with smiles, laughter, hugs and a few screams of joy. The classes haven’t started yet. Joy is in the air because of relationships. Soon, things will get hard, and they won’t be quite as happy as they are now. Church plants can be like that. In the beginning, there is a great passion to reach the community for Jesus Christ, and then something happens as things begin to get hard. There is a struggle to pay the rent on the building or a deacon or staff member you thought would be there forever leaves. Starting something new takes work, but it can be just the thing to revive a dead environment too. Like our campus which seems lonely without the students, the church can be brought back to life through doing something new…anything new short of sin. Getting the membership to grab a hold of a new passion can ignite a fire in your church that will cause people to once again be excited about being a part of it like they were back when it was first planted.
An Incredible Post by Brooke Pizzati!
Just want to share a blog post I read this morning! If it doesn’t rock your world, you are probably dead.
http://pizzati.blogspot.com/2010/08/until-im-safely-home.html
It isn’t long, but it is powerful. Just take a moment to read it.
What is the secret to reviving a dead church?
Filed under: Church Revitalization, Encouragement, Random Thoughts, church growth
The secret to reviving a dead church at the base level is simple. People must fall in love with God to the point that their love is contagious! Have you ever noticed how on a personal level, there are people that you like to be around? They inspire you to be a better you. There are also people that make you cringe when you see them coming. Admit it, there are those negative people that inspire you to be a better you by getting out of there as quickly as possible. Churches are the same. Is your church one that inspires people to live and love like Jesus? Or is it more the discouraging church that drives people away? Before I get any hate mail, I am not talking about watering down the gospel so as not to offend people. If the WORD OF GOD offends people, they need to be offended, but when the church offends them, then the church has a problem to fix. Beg God that your church can be one that is making a difference in your community through the contagious love of Jesus Christ! When that is taking place, you will no longer be a dead church!
Why do Missions?
I have been in many different denominations in my life and one of the huge differences I have seen is that some put an emphasis on missions, and others don’t. The usual reason given by those who don’t give money to or send foreign missionaries is that there are too many people here in the USA who need the Lord to spend money in other countries. I am offering a third option. Missions is wherever you are! If that is in small town USA, then that is your mission field. If you are in a urban setting..that is your mission field. If you are outside the USA, then that is your mission field! So what about giving to “missions”? We are the richest country in the world…at least until we collapse. I make more in a month than most people in the world make in a year! Even though I make less than the “average American”. People taking the Gospel to those outside the USA don’t have the luxury of working a side job to make ends meet. Many times due to visa restrictions, they are not allowed to work. We then have a choice to make. Live in our luxury and make excused, or give to those who are working to take the Gospel to their mission field! (Please do not confuse this with the idea of giving to those who don’t work and want to live off of others.) I have never had to miss a meal because I gave too much and then didn’t have money to buy food. God encourages us to test HIM in this…HE will make up the difference!
Prosperity Doctrine???
Lately, I have read a few great books by authors not writing from a biblical or christian world view. Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom by Suze Orman. Each of these books bring out an interesting point, especially since they are not written for the “Christian” market. That point is that giving is an important part of wealth. As Americans we are wealthy. If you feel poor see my previous post about this. By giving more, we open up our lives to receive wealth in many forms. There is something about not trying so hard to hold on to money that the rich understand well. Solomon, the richest man to ever live, the man who has tried every pleasure and found them meaningless, knew what it was to give lavishly. He built the temple of our Almighty God! Does this mean that if we write a big check to the church this week that next week we will be millionaires? No, it doesn’t, but a lifestyle of giving does lead to being happy, successful and even possibly wealthy. Try giving more to see if God doesn’t make up the difference. Each of these “secular” authors found this biblical truth to be true. I think that while being a follower of Christ in no way guarantees riches, following God’s plans concerning money are the best financial plans that one can follow.
Have you taken a Look Around Lately?
Filed under: Church Planting, Church Revitalization, Encouragement, Random Thoughts, church growth, community, evangelism, leadership, ministry
When Church planters enter a community, they usually do some research first. They figure out where the people are, where they can meet the needs of the people they intend to reach etc… In established churches, sometimes the community changes while we aren’t paying attention. Maybe we need to take a walk around the neighborhood with some new eyes. Plant a new church within the established church! Rose White (Sorry Rose, I don’t have a link to you on the internet) recently did some incredible research into the idea of the “Christo-centric Walkabout” finding where people would and wouldn’t go in a city and why people might find certain areas or even churches “inaccessible”. Has your church become inaccessible to the people of the community where it is located? Do changes need to be made so that you can meet the people where they are in order to create relationships in which the Gospel of Jesus can be shared? Maybe it is time for a Walkabout…or even just a walk around the neighborhood with your eyes open to how God would have you reach the people there.
Are Programs Killing Your Church?
Filed under: Church Revitalization, Direction, Encouragement, Random Thoughts, Vision, leadership, ministry, volunteering
In the church world, there are so many great programs/events/studies/classes that can help your church. At what point do they become a detriment? One question to ask is, “How many staff and volunteers do we have?” and then secondly, “What is the very best use for these people?” If we try to do everything, we will accomplish nothing well. There are traditional programs like Choir, Vacation Bible School, Sunday School, Special Music, Men’s & Women’s ministries…each of these take someone to lead them and people to be involved in them. Each of these serve a purpose and can be good for the church. Sometimes though, it is important to choose between them so that a smaller number of programs can be done with the excellence that is due worship presented to the King of kings and Lord of lords! If you are having trouble getting volunteers for an area of ministry in your church, you could berate the congregation about why they aren’t serving the Lord…OR you might take another look at that area of ministry and ask if it is really vital to the core mission of the church? It might be time to kill it before it dies a long painful death.
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