Just came across this quote from Henri Nouwen and thought I'd pass it along: "It seems easier to be God than to love God.”
Read More
While at LifeWay yesterday, I thumbed through a copy of "The Big Idea" by Dave Ferguson. I first became aware of Dave (and his brother Jon) when I interviewed with their dad for a staff position near Chicago. Dave and Jon are co-founders of Community Christian Church in Naperville, an innovative multi-site church. "The Big Idea" describes their approach to communication and teaching, from kids to adults. Each week features one big idea that will be the theme of the weekend teaching as well as in small groups throughout the week. By focusing on the same big idea from children's worship through the sermon, the majority of the church is on the same page at the same time. At first, their routine may seem a bit intimidating to some. It may feel restrictive. But as Ferguson points out rather well, it is not. By working ahead two to three months…
Read More
The following acrostic is from Scott Wilson, author of "Steering Through Chaos" (a great title for church leaders!). F – First Things First O – Other Things Second C – Cut Out the Unimportant U – Unify Behind the Vision S – Stick with It F – First Things First O – Other Things Second C – Cut Out the Unimportant U – Unify Behind the Vision S – Stick with It
Read More
Here's a clever video from Dan Heath ("Made to Stick") on how to overcome decision paralysis.
Read More
I love this post from Will Mancini. "The System Down the Hall Trumps the Mission on the Wall" This line is from the stellar strategist, Andy Stanley of North Point Community Church. When my friend Caz McCaslin (founder of Upward sports ministry) first heard the “systems talk” at the Catalyst Reverb conference ( I think it was 2007), he called me and we discussed it for what seemed to be hours. As a piece worth pursuing, here is Andy Stanley’s flow of thought: God created systems Systems create behavior Our leaders and volunteers action are guided by the systems we inherit, adopt or create We overestimate our ability to guide change, when we are not thinking on the systems level Systems have embedded expectations, rewards (lack of), consequences (lack of), communication styles, and behavioral patterns of the people in charge The idea of integrating the mission and vision into the systems of…
Read More