Lacking Focus?

Here is a link to a tool from Bob Beihl and the Master Planning Group that I plan on using later this summer at my annual planning retreat. This is definetly something worth sitting down with for a day or two and praying, reflecting and writing on.
http://www.masterplanninggroup.com/FreeDownload.lsp

Where can you see yourself using these questions?

Some Things Worth Thinking About...and Acting On

I realize that almost everyone and their mother has posted these thoughts from Andy's Stanley's presentation at Catalyst 08 this past year, but these are things I personally wanting to be thinking about often and I want my friends thinking about.

1) To reach people no one else is reaching, we have to do things no one else is doing (Craig Groeschel) We have 175,000 people within 10 miles of Northpoint, and we aren't reaching them. We aren't going to reach them by building another church building. We have to do something no one else is doing. Become preoccupied with those you want to reach rather than those you are trying to keep.

2) The best idea for reaching the next generation isn't going to come from the existing generation, it's going to come from the next generation. If you are over 45 years old, you aren't going to have any good ideas. It's your job to recognize the good ideas. Don't do to the next generation what the previous generation did to you.
Be a student, not a critic.

3) I'm looking for what can't be done in church, but if it could be done would fundamentally change the church. It always used to drive me nuts that the communicator and the leader had to be the same thing. Multi-site solved this. Now the great leader doesn't have to be the teacher. Like that, you may be the one to crack the code on something no one else has figured out that will fundamentally change our "business." Pay attention to people who are breaking the rules. It's the rule-breakers who are oftentimes the problem solvers.

4) If we got kicked out by our board, and they hired a new guy, what would the new guy change or do different? Let's walk out the door and walk back in, and make those changes. The problem with ministry is that we've fallen in love with the way we've done ministry. It's not "no pain, no gain" -- it's "no pain, no change." Without pain, there typically isn't any change. A question you need to ask is: Ask: "Where are we manufacturing energy?" What are the things we aren't very excited about that is taking energy to get it done, but the results aren't stellar? Now own up to why you aren't doing anything about it. What is it you fear? You need to deal with that. It is a leadership lid for you.

5) When your memories exceed your dreams, the end is near. You look back with smiles and lots to celebrate, but you don't have a lot to work forward to. Are you willing to be involved in the future more than the present? Don't let success overshadow your vision. Success breeds complacency and complacency breeds failure.
October 10, 2008

Which of these thoughts most grips you as something you and team really need to be thinking about?

Four Questions to Ask when Facing Obstacles

For the last 15 years, the end of May has been a time to pause between the school year and summer minsitry in order to reflect, evaluate and refocus on the coming year.

These questions were given to me by a friend a while ago. I don't know who these questions orginated with, but they've been helpful to me as I look at the obstacles I and my ministry are facing. I believe they are God glorifying questions that keep me listening to Him, trustings His Soveriegnty and in the proper place as "follower"while letting Him lead.

In facing this obstacle:

1. What do you/we need to STOP doing? Is this mission critical? (You may call this "planned abaondonment")



2. Which of these "obstacles" are actually God's way of showing us His "opportunities"?



3. Am I/Are we willing to fail? Do I/we believe that there is greater wisdom to be gained from our failures than from our successes?



4. What is God trying to show me/us through our greatest limitation?

What's one of the biggest obstacles that you are facing in your ministry or life right now? How many do these questions give you another lens through which to view that obstacle?

8 Reasons Why Every Youth Pastor Should Read 2 Thessalonians

1. It will focus you on the fact that Christ IS returning (2:1).
2. It will remind you that you and your students live in an age of mercy where God is restraining a greater evil that is yet to come (2:6-7).
3. It will assure you of Christ’s incomparably victorious power and ulitmate triumph over present and future evil (2:8).
4. It will raise a holy fear and sense of urgency by reminding you that God’s patience with mankind will not last forever (2:11-12).
5. It will keep you boasting in and depending on God’s work in salvation and sanctification in your own life and that of your students (2:12; 16-17; 3:3).
6. It will elevate the preciousness, power and purpose of the gospel (2:14).
7. It will give you (your graduating seniors and their parents) peace in knowing that enduring faith is a gift from God and a work of his grace and might in you and your students (1:11-12).
8. It will teach you how to pray for yourself, your students and your church (1:11-12; 3:1-5).

Challenge 2010

I'm getting pretty excited about Challenge 2010 Conference which will be held in Columbus, OH.

The team has been working on some additions this year. One of which is that usually we plant 1 church, this year there is the possibility of planting up to three churches in the Columbus area.

Also, we are working on developing high quality training tracks for students that would involve "on location" labs. For instance, apologetic training would take place at the Columbus Science Center. Although participants will be able to mix and match recreation, training and service like in years past, those who choose will be able to focus in on a specific skill or area and train one day and then put it into practice the next day as they serve in the city of Columbus. The web site is being built and will be up by mid to late July.

Who's World are You Showing Up In?

Two questions pop into my head as I read Seth Godin's blog post today. I’ll just quote this line here, but encourage you to read the whole thing: "Showing up in your world (or your staff's world, or your volunteer's world, or your favorite preacher's online world) is not nearly as important as showing up in the world of the person you're actually trying to reach." (I added of course, what is in parenthesis.)

Question #1: Is your teaching content and style focused more reflective of your current place in life and your style of learning or is it focused on the place of life a 14 year old finds himself and the way he learns?   

Question 2: If your primary role as a youth worker is to “make disciples”, what percentage of your week are you spending with students in their world or equipping other adults to make disciples (meaning being ones who follow Jesus closely and who are sent out to impart life to others, inviting them to follow Jesus closely)? Are you satisfied with that percentage?  If not, what do you need to put on your "not to do list" so that you incrementally increase it?

I love you Dad

This school year we started a tradition that each month each of the kids gets to have a special lunch with dad. Yesterday, it was my oldest son's turn. We went to a local park, kicked around a soccer ball, sat on a bench and ate a brown bag lunch together. There wasn't much conversation. I've wondered at times whether these little investments of time, that are usually not full of all sorts of meaningful conversation, have any sort of significant value.

On the way back home from the park, Isaac broke the silence with a phrase that every father loves to hear...an unsolicted, "I love you, dad." On my way back to work I pondered the short experience with my son. I couldn't help but consider that the great works of God do inspire awe in my heart, but it is the simplicity and consistency of His presence, made accessible through Jesus Christ, that causes me to look to heaven often and say, "I love you, dad."

Are you and your youth ministry asking the right questions?

There is a great need in youth ministry and in the church as a whole to refocus our absolute attention on the person, work and priorities of Jesus Christ.

Could it be that all the questions we're asking like, "What does youth minsitry or the church need to look like today" are simply the wrong questions.?The greater questions we need to ask today are being recommended by Michael Frost and Alan Hirchsh. They are:

• What ongoing role does Jesus the Messiah play in shaping the ethos and self understanding of the movement that originated in him?
• How is the Christian religion, if we could legitimately call it that, informed and shaped by the Jesus that we meet in the Gospels?
• How do we assess the continuity required between the life and example of Jesus and the subsequent religion called Christianity?
• In how many ways do we domesticate the radical Revolutionary in order to sustain our religion and religiosity?
• And perhaps the most important of all, how can a rediscovery of Jesus renew our discipleship, Christian community, and the ongoing mission of the church? (ReJesus: A wild Messiah for a Missional Church. p. 5)

Too many of young people are leaving our churches, youthgroup gatherings and retreats experiencing a lot of wonderful things, but of the most concerning things they are leaving with is being convinced Jesus is to be worshipped but not followed.

What can we do to change this? What can we do to reboot our youth minsitries and churches (and our leadrship!) to Jesus?

China's Freedom

I'm sitting at YMEC meeting in Virginia Beach, VA. I just got done with a certain ministry director here at the conference. In a convesation about prayer and renewal ministry my friend said something to me that stopped me in my tracks. He said, "as you seek to be a part of accomplishing the Great Commission, pray for the complete freedom of China. There are currently 1 million international missionaries throughout the world. The Chinese church has a vision to tithe it's people to world evangelism, sending 10% of it's people worldwide to accomplish the Great Commission. This would be 10 million additional international missionaries. I've prayed for God to send missionaries to certain countries. I've prayed for the church to be built up in certain countries. I've prayed for believers to around the world to have a vision to reach lost people. I've never prayed for a country to become a major sending country. As I ponder my conversation with my friend, I am both humbled and stunned. Does my ministry vision for youth minsitry or the church involve any thought of tithing our people towards the final people groups to be reached with the Gospel? I've got a lot to learn from my brothers and sisters in other countries.