Telecommuting for Jesus

Pennsylvania State University studied 12,833 telecommuters and found that telecommuting programs are beneficial for both the workers and their employers. The results showed more job satisfaction, less stress, improved work-family balance, and higher performance ratings by supervisors.

Sounds great!!!! So how so you work in a church or non-profit and do this???

It’s not easy. The first hurdle is the boss, and then all the people who give to support your mission. Then the real hurdle: Your ego.

I bring this up because those who work in these sectors sometimes have the biggest problems with the work-family balance issue. There are always more people to help or more souls to save. And there is always a group of people cheering you on as you sacrifice all to do so. So how do you figure out what to do?

The first step is to get to know yourself better. Ask yourself some of the tough questions:

Who am I trying to impress? What am I afraid of? What am I trying to control and why?

As you answer these questions, you may find that telecommuting is not your solution, but rather just choosing to go home when it is time to go home (and then actually focusing on home when you are there!)

Most of us are actually choosing to neglect what we say is important in order to do things that get us positive attention from those we want to impress. We just use the “working for God” as an excuse to get our egos fed.

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The New Economy

My son and I have a game we play almost every day - it’s called “What’s the price of gas today?” He is great at remembering what and where and keeping me informed. I almost always get the lowest price around!

At one intersection close to our house there are several gas stations. Two of the stations are usually within a few cents of each other, while a third station is at least 10 cents more. Guess where the lines are.

While the more expensive gas may be a better quality, no one is there.

There is a change from “see how much I paid”… to “see how little I paid”

What does that mean for churches and non profits? More than you think.

The decades of self indulgence are coming to an abrupt halt. Giving to “bigger and better” is dead. If you want to survive, you need to know the new rules.

For years church buildings have been the height of self indulgence. I remember one church that was constructing a family life center (gym). When I asked why..the response was that the YMCA was really crowded in the mornings, and also 20 minutes farther than the church. I appreciated their answer because most churches just don’t have the guts to confess their real motives for what they build and why.

Each month our staff gets together and tells stories about the lives that we have seen changed through what we do. It is incredible to hear those stories, and know that what we do really does matter. We routinely run out of time before we run out of stories.

I have asked other groups to tell me their changed lives stories. There are blank stares, and awkward silences. If I ask them about their next building project they can talk forever - and in great detail, down to the type of carpet they are using.

Those who support us are no longer going to be moved by the expensive carpet or the new building: They are going to be moved by the lives that are changed.

It is time to rethink the purpose of our facilities, worship centers, offices, classrooms and gyms. It is time to look at the needs of our communities and see how what we have can be used to make the human condition a bit better (or a lot better). It is time to stop rationalizing multimillion dollar projects that are really just monuments to ourselves. It is time to open up, and use what we have in ways that we have never thought of before.

If you don’t have those stories to tell - then its time to close your doors.

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Stop Preaching…

O.K. - so it’s the holiday season, and you know what that means. Yep - time to pick a fight with those you love. Hmmm.., that sounds wrong. Maybe that’s just a side effect of all the family time!

Well, dear family - here we go.

Most preaching is done for the personal fulfillment of the preacher, not for the betterment of the people listening. Most preachers/teachers focus on what they want to preach or teach instead of what people need to hear. That means the message is based in personal ego and not in the concern for the congregation.

How’s that for picking a fight!!

Over the years I have seen countless messages given that the speakers thought were great, but that the people found useless. What typically happens is that the speaker finds an interesting fact, passage or illustration, and thinks “I could preach on that!”. The message that ensues is a walk down personal gratification lane.

What should happen is that those delivering the message actually study their audience and spend time preparing a message that will make a difference in their lives. Simply offering an interesting Biblical commentary on some topic is a waste of people’s time.

People need real help in putting their lives together, and are willing to give those who speak a shot at bringing that help.

Stop preaching and teaching, and focus on Communicating and Motivating! Communicate the core truths that the Bible offers: truths on morality, money, relationships, and such. Motive the people listening to actually DO something with what they are hearing. Give them a step to take each and every time!!

Before you deliver a message, read through it and ask yourself “So what?”. If you have no answer other than “that was interesting” - go back and start over. Otherwise you are just wasting time and being self indulgent .

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Budget for 09

It is budgeting time for churches and non profits. With the shaky economy right now, most organizations are looking to cut back on expenditures. 2009 looks to be a tighter year than 08. At the same time that “lower funds” are being expected for 09, income is actually increasing in 08. This can create a false sense for the budgeting process. Here are a few things that may help you to get a good perspective.

1. There is no money for 09. The Economy is in the worst shape since WWII. With very few exceptions, everyone is expecting for churches and nonprofits to have less money given to them in 09.

2. They are wrong. Long term studies show that these groups still maintain income, regardless of the ups and downs in the economy.

3. Budget as if they are right. No one will let you put a “growing” budget out right now. If you try - they will doubt your ability to see reality. You cannot win this argument.

As a leader, you budget for slight decrease to flat - and have a plan on what to add in each quarter as the “unexpected” funds come in. If by some fluke, history is wrong - you will still be OK.

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Leadership is simple.

They are the ones we call “leaders”. You have seen them, and may be one of them. They have the ability to motivate and get things done. People gladly follow them and share in the excitement of all that is being accomplished. We pay them a lot to do what they do.

But the truth is that it is not really hard to lead people. Think about it. Leadership happens all the time, everywhere. It happens in those moments when a group is wandering though the halls of a building together and seems lost. One person will say “lets go this way” and the rest follow. It happens in meetings where everyone is there except the “designated leader”. After a few moments, someone else will say, “let’s get started”, and it happens.

Leading people is about giving them the next step to take in a specific direction. It is really not very hard. It doesn’t take a “great” leader.

A “great leader” is someone with the ability to lead leaders. Any organization can get someone to lead followers. Leading leaders is a completely different matter.

Leading leaders is what matters if an

organization is going to grow and be successful.

How can you tell if you have the ability to lead leaders? The first indication is that you have other leaders around you, and you are not threatened by their abilities. The second is that they stay around you. When leaders leave, you don’t have what it takes.

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Non Profit Salaries and Benefits

In our last post… we made the claim that there is extra money in the salaries and benefits budgets of churches and non profits.

When a staffing need presents itself, there are always two options. Find a volunteer, or hire an employee. The default has become to waste money by hiring someone. Why? Here is the thinking…

First - If we pay someone, then the job becomes desirable.

Second- We need to pay someone the going market rate for that position.

Because they have experienced positive results in doing this in the past, they assume that it is working. They are wrong. It is not the money that brings the success…it is the process.

Think about it for a moment. In order to hire a person, you go through many specific steps. You determine the need, formulate a job description, look at resumes, interview candidates, and work out the employment details. You work hard to find the right person. Of course it works - you put a huge amount of time and energy into filling the position.

For a volunteer , there is typically an announcement in a newsletter or website stating the need for help with something. The description is usually broad and unclear. The hours and duties are flexible (unclear) because they “don’t want to scare off” a potential volunteer. They end up with people that are looking for something to do, and like the flexibility that you have communicated (low commitment) and they take advantage of it…

After a while the boss complains about the lack of commitment from the volunteer and convinces the board to go for the hire. It is not the volunteers fault it didn’t work…it is the organizations.

If they simply went through the same process for finding volunteers as they do for hires, they would have great committed volunteers who would do the job for free (or close to it).

Most organizations are wasting huge amounts of money by paying people to do what others would be glad to do for free. And it is because they are lazy.

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Non Profit Budgets in a Tough Economy

When the economy gets tough, churches and nonprofits are some of the first to feel the pinch. Both groups often live on thin budgets to begin with, and when the income slows down - it can get really difficult to make it. There are numerous articles out there (here, here, and here) on how to make you money go further, but quite honestly, they are sugar coating the problem.

Here is the uncomfortable truth: Churches and nonprofits waste tremendous amounts of money.

Each year, they go through the same budgeting process whether the economy is good or bad. They take last years budget numbers , decide what % increase is reasonable, and then try to get the budget to reflect that amount. The problem is that no one is going back to the initial basis for the budget. I have yet to see a budget for a church or non profit that doesn’t have a tremendous amount of waste built in. And the people building the budget KNOW that!

So if that’s the case - how do yet get ready for building next years’ budget?

First - Don’t let the people who are spending the budget build the budget. That is like asking my 10 year old to figure out how much candy he wants.

Second - Get the people who spent the money to justify each expenditure they made. It is very different to explain why you spent than why you want to spend.

Third - Have your board (or board reps) look over that information and decide which of those expenditures actually moved you forward in your mission. You will be surprised by the results of that action.

Fourth - Build a budget based on expenditures from last year that moved you forward combined with known unavoidable increases (insurance, membership fees, etc.)

You may notice that I have not addressed salaries and benefits — That will come next time! And there is a lot of extra money to look at in those 2 categories!

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The Shadow Knows…

I was recently given a book by John Ortberg entitled Overcoming Your Shadow Mission. The basic premise of the book is that individuals and organizations have a stated mission, but that in reality they also have unstated missions. Ortberg states” noble missions will give rise to noble thoughts and shadow missions will produce an inner life of darkness and destructive discontent. Shadow missions always destroyed at least one person, the person who lives for them.”

I’ve seen this in my work with churches and nonprofits. Shadow missions usually answer the questions that people are asking in the parking lot after a meeting. You may have been part of one of these conversations. It usually begins with one person saying “you know what I don’t understand…” then the conversation ensues and usually involves agreement about mission and a lack of understanding about what is being done.

Shadow missions are often based on the ego needs the leader or board members. The stated mission of the organization may be to meet the physical needs of children within the community. But on the board of directors you may have someone whose inner desire is to run for elected office. Their need for publicity and recognition can drive the decisions are made instead of the mission. Children become the vehicle for the shadow mission, instead of the mission focus.

An effective leader needs recognize his/her shadow mission. They need to be able to understand what truly drives and motivates them. With this knowledge, they will have the insight to avoid the destruction the comes from following shadows.

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Quitting to Win

“Quitters never win and winners never quit.” I’ve heard this all my life - but recently had this idea challenged. In The Dip, a small book by Seth Godin, he effectively makes the claim that winners quit all the time. The key is that they quit doing things that will not help them to be successful, so they can focus on the things that will.

As I listened this book I was challenged to think of all of my activities that are not necessarily leading me to success in the areas that I value. I can see times that I’ve invested significant energy into projects that did not get me where I wanted to go. On occasion that’s okay. Sometimes I just enjoy the change of scenery. But overall, it’s important that the time I invest is moving me for towards the things that I value.

Seth goes on to say that the “dips” or barriers that we overcome actually help to make us successful. These barriers are the ones that separate the “best” from the “rest”. Once you overcome these barriers - your value increases exponentially. On the other hand. not all barriers are “dips”. There are also dead ends and cliffs. A dead end is a job or a project or task that will consume time and energy but not get you any closer to success. Both the dead ends and cliffs need to be avoided while the dip needs to be pushed through.

I have seen many leaders, churches and nonprofits face these dips. Many of them give up and never realize their goals. A very few gather their resources and push through and make it to the other side.

What about you? Are the barriers that you face today the ones that will make you better in the future - or are they just eating your time and energy? If you really know where you want to go and what you want, to then it is vital that you can tell the difference.

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Responsibility without Authority

During this summer, I have been serving full time on a church staff as Executive Pastor. The Senior Pastor is on a much deserved sabbatical, which is a great thing for a church to offer. Since the end of May, I have had the opportunity to reengage being a point leader. While that position can be rewarding, it is also very challenging.

Overall, I have the responsibility to make sure things move forward. This has involved finalizing a personnel handbook, getting raises for staff members, developing and launching a plan for reworking the children’s environment (and the funding to do so), and very quickly relocating all the staff so that the current office building can be torn down. It has been a very busy summer so far!

The most challenging thing is that while I have had great responsibility, I have had limited authority. I can only do what the leaders and members feel was “approved” by the Senior Pastor prior to his time off.

As I work with leaders and managers, I hear a similar dynamic. They are being given tremendous responsibility, but very limited authority. Every decision still has to go through the “boss” for final approval. For them, this is not temporary, but an ongoing way of life. This dynamic robs them of their ability to truly lead, and keeps them looking for opportunities beyond their current position. The “boss” is just trying to make sure things get done the right way, but in the process is slowing down the growth of the leaders and managers around him/her. Ultimately this costs the organization in many ways.

When responsibility is given, authority must be given as well. If you are going to hold someone accountable for getting the job done, give them the ability to make key decisions. They may make mistakes along the way, but they will also have a level of ownership to correct those mistakes. Ultimately, they will have the opportunity to lead and grow in ways they could not under the old system.

And everyone will benefit from that!

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