Broken Systems
One of the more interesting talks at Catalyst this year was the last one. Andy Stanley talked about the importance of creating a system that actually works. I have been a part of many different kinds of systems - family, clubs, local churches, and others. All of them have written and unwritten rules and expectations. They are designed to create an environment that exerts pressure on those in the system to perform in a certain manner. In highly dysfunctional systems - people play roles and try to appease the person who is acting out. What they don’t realize is that they are actually creating the environment that makes that behavior possible.
As a leader, Sometimes the best thing you can do is shake up the system by pointing out that the “emperor has no clothes” so to speak. It is amazing what some hard truth can do.
On the other hand, there are times that the truth is more than someone can bear to face.
Wisdom is knowing when to speak and when to remain silent as a leader.
StrengthsFinder in the Church
One of the topics that is receiving a lot of attention is how to effectively incorporate StrengthsFinder into the life of a local church. If you are not familiar with StrengthsFinder, you will be soon! Overall, I am seeing a significant trend toward the strengths based approach in both the church and not-for-profit areas. This is mirroring the action in the for-profit sectors. Companies and organizations have invested millions of dollars and hours into trying to get peak performance. Systems and processes have been refined to the Six Sigma standards - but that still hasn’t solved the key issue. Business and organizations are people interacting with people. If your people can’t deliver, neither can your Six Sigma system. In the church, the same concept applies.
You can have a great mission and model for ministry- but if you do not have the people in place that can deliver, then you are in trouble. StrengthsFinder is a great tool to help your key leaders get a better understanding of themselves, and where they best fit into your system. As a leader, you need to know your team and what they can or can’t do well.
Every time I give this talk in a church, someone quotes the scripture that His power is made perfect in our weakness (2Cor 12:9). That is true (of course), but the passage is about Paul asking God to take away his weakness (”thorn in the flesh”). God’s response is that this “thorn” is a reminder to Paul that even though Paul is a great man, he is still just a man and dependent upon God for true power. This line of thinking actually helps us get past the idea that trying to fix our weaknesses is the goal. The goal is to humbly understand that we all have strengths and weaknesses - but that we should focus on understanding both, and build on our strengths.
During this next week, I will be detailing specific ways that you can move your church or organization to an effective strengths based model.
If you are already on board with this idea, but would like to be coached through implementing these strategies, contact us about distance or on site coaching.
Leading into the Future
Personalities and Positions
As I have read and studied, one thing that I have noticed is that the opinions given about the future form of the Church seem to connect strongly to the personal leanings of the speaker/author of the given information.
George Barna, who has long been seen as a neutral voice on state of the Church, says in his book, Revolution, that the House Church will be the predominate form of church in the future. He warns the MegaChurches to get ready to sell their property and buildings (more or less). He also goes on to align himself personally with the House Church model, and the movement that has inspired it. His life experience impacts his vision for the Church of the future.
On the other end of the spectrum are leaders like Mark Driscoll. Mark is the Senior Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. He says in his book, Confessions, that the MegaChurch is just getting going and is the primary form of church in the future. His view is that the Church has really been a MegaChurch from the beginning, and quotes some scripture to back that idea up. He pastors a MegaChurch.
In all honesty, I’d be disappointed if either one of them took the opposing position. I am glad that they believe passionately in the form of the church where they have a personal connection.
Can you imagine what Mark’s church would say if he predicted the demise of the MegaChurch in the next 20 years?!
Read more about the TeraChurchProject, a collaborative wiki project on the future forms of the local church.
Leadership Mistakes to Make
Thought you might enjoy this Q & A from Church Relevance
Religion and Branding
In the world of branding, they even see the issues that the Church is facing! Check out this article on BrandChannel.
Using StrengthsFinder
We are currently working on a plan to help leaders understand how to more effectively use their strengths from StrengthsFinder (Marcus Buckingham). It is a great tool for leaders (and others) to understand how they work best. The strengths revolution is not new with Marcus Buckingham, but he has given it a significant boost. If you have not read his ideas or taken the StrengthsFinder assessment, I strongly encourage it!
If so, what has been your experience with the information and insights you have gained?
Is it always best to be safe?
“The reality is that great creating requires risk, and a part of that risk is the fear of failure. When we become obsessed with safety, we can run the risk of smoothing over our hard edges and creating a workplace where everyone gravitates toward the middle. A place where there are no bad ideas. A place where we inadvertently become less creative via the very systems that are supposed to free us up.”
From a post on Accidental Creative. Read the entire post here
from TeraChurch.net
Over and over again, we find ourselves looking for clues as to what the future holds. We understand that with knowledge, we can be prepared, and possibly avoid disaster. The Church is no exception. One of the primary questions that Church leaders throughout our country are asking is…
“Why are we losing members?“
The response to this question almost always begins with “they should” referring to those who are not there. That is completely the wrong approach. The correct answer begins with “We should have” and ends with “so that is how we will move forward”.
With all of the information available to Churches today, there is no valid reason for having a dying church. Don’t misunderstand that point, I know there are plenty of excuses, and as a church consultant I have heard most of them.
The CANNOTs
“Our church cannot attract young families”
“Our church cannot compete with…”
“Our Pastor just cannot”
The WILL NOTs
Our church will not offer…
Our church will not encourage
Our church will not share a
Our church WILL NOT change!
Did any of those statements sound familiar?
They should.
These and other similar sentiments are at the very heart of why
the Church in America is in decline.
read TeraChurch in its entirety
Is Your Denomination Growing?
Very interesting post on the Leadership Network blog about church size and attendance in the U.S.
It has great links to various studies - including which denomination are growing (2) and which are declining (all the rest). Sounds like the church in America is not doing so well.
This ties into some interesting conversations that I have been having over on the Catalyst Blog (and here) about the role of the church in contemporary society. In general, the question seems to be whether or not it is the place of the church to get involved in the world- or rather the place to abstain from the world. How do you reconcile Jesus saying that the poor would always be with us, with comparing Himself to the poor and needing us to provide for Him. And is the primary role of the church social issues or spiritual issues? Ultimately, these questions are at the heart of it all.
Got Values?
I had the opportunity to co-tech a new members class at my church last night. During one part I was going over the core values. Everything was great until I got to the last one: Excellence.
I had to stop and assure them that we really do believe in that! You see, just that morning we had a ‘perfect storm’ come together that communicated anything but excellence. First, the video projector went out. No words for the songs. No announcements running. We pushed on - and during one of the songs 2 of our musicians began a rather loud conversation. The other musicians looked at them to get their attention, but it did not work. Later, we had other musical problems. Finally the message, but no video clip to illustrate. Overall, excellence was no where to be found that morning.
I really think I should have changed the final core-value to Grace!
Now Reading
Planned books:
None
Current books:
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Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder by David Weinberger
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Success Built to Last: Creating a Life that Matters by Jerry Porras
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StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition by Tom Rath
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The Experience Economy: Work Is Theater by B. Joseph Pine
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Ten Rules for Strategic Innovators: From Idea to Execution by Vijay Govindarajan
Recent books:
- Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath
- The 18 Immutable Laws of Corporate Reputation: Creating, Protecting, and Repairing Your Most Valuabl by Ronald J. Alsop
- A New Connection: Reforming the United Methodist Church by Andy Langford
- Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi
- Confessions of a Reformission Rev.: Hard Lessons from an Emerging Missional Church (The Leadership N by Mark Driscoll
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