Archive - October, 2011
The Elephant Room – Round 2
01 . 25 . 2012
Who’s Going?
According to their website … “The Elephant Room features blunt conversations between seven influential pastors who take differing approaches to ministry. No keynotes. No canned messages. These are “the conversations you never thought you’d hear.” All conversations are moderated by James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel and Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church.”
The next event is on January 25, 2012 and you can register & see location(s) here – they have simulcast sites.
Some questions tied to this event:
- Is this needed?
- Does this dialogue help the local/global Church?
- How has Elephant Room – Round 1 helped you?
Personally, I appreciate healthy & open debate on these matters. Not to divide or create tribes … but to unify … out of respect to the One who made us … and called us according to His plan.
Church Attendance Glass Ceilings
So, what is the size of your Church in attendance? Does size matter?
Over the past 8 years, I’ve had the privilege of working with churches and their leaders all over the US.
Below are my observation(s) of churches at certain attendance thresholds.
- 100 – This is a group of people who are circling around a good vision-caster. This group likely knows everybody. They are really vision based … and giving can be strong with a key/sending group. One key ideal/vision is the reason for this group to have developed. 6 months in is a tricky season at this level … stagnation can hit around this mark.
- 300 – This group of people essentially are the typical church. 2 to 3 staff. Duct tape systems & processes. Not everyone in the church knows each other. Typically, I see a pastor change here … after one or two attempts of trying to grow the church but unsuccessful. Churches that grow out of this stage … change their mindset on scaling … and start to really believe in the power of small groups AND volunteerism.
- 600 to 800 – This church is now a small organization. 3 to 5 staff. Volunteers emphasis is imperative. Church goes from church of 300 to 600/700 by developing (maybe for 1st time) systems & processes. Refinement of ministries tied to mission/goals likely happens. This is where people who attend are challenged with church not being about them – and an attack on consumerism by attendees. Churches often make the mistake of building something here as THE solution to growth.
- 1,200 to 1,400 – Small organization grows up. 8 to 12 staff. If stagnant for a season of time tied to growth … a pastor change happens. Churches often start the brain damage of church planting or multi-site here. Refinement/expansion of system & process happens here. Elder teams/committees refined/clarified & empowered.
- 2,000+ A Mega-Church. The books & thoughts discussing how a church goes from 2,000 to 10,000 … are all over the place. Focus on unchurched … multi-site … simple church … etc. Original team/staff move on here a lot too. Vision-casting here to a large group of people becomes an art … to inspire yet push for results.
- 10,000+ A Giga-Church. Big organization with layers of people, systems, and process. Leadership development and generational leadership issues should be addressed. Multi-site is likely happening. Legacy giving becomes a focus for future funding sources. Refinements with GAP or SWOT analysis are commonplace within these sort of organizations. Their size is leveraged for church-planting initiatives … as well as a bigger footprint in community impact. Churches this size look for “domain experts” vs. general pastors/practitioners.
NOTE: I am not a church-world expert. I haven’t poured over mountains & mountains of data and research to come up with the info above. I’m also not advocating that the ONLY goal with churches is for them to strive to get bigger.
What do you see? Have extra thoughts? See these stages & the characteristics differently?
MAG Video Update – 10.26.2011
MAG Video Update from our CEO, Shannon Miles – 10.26.2011
You can also follow Shannon on Twitter @shannonkmiles
Scaling Your Church When You Are Broke
Outsourcing can help you scale the needs/demands of your growing church. A church that is set on only hiring staff versus powering their church with certain roles will find it takes longer to grow the ministry. A rigid mindset in developing your staffing plan of attack … will certainly add month(s) to your efforts to get your ministries up & running.
The definition of scalability is this: The ability of something to adapt to increased demands.
Note the “ability” word in the definition above. Specifically, being able to adapt. Scalability begins with leaders thinking in their minds (or being able to) … that they can adapt to meet an increased demand. This is usually the infamous lid on leadership.
I spend hours each week talking with leaders … and they ask me questions about doing administration differently (administration, project management, bookkeeping, payroll). Most times, they will concede that they have more opportunity & tasks … than people internally to deploy. Experienced leaders also know there are other costs … employee burden costs and other intangible costs … that impact their overall understanding and budgets for staffing.
Costs aren’t the only issue of outsourcing. It’s a focus issue too. What if you could get stuff/tasks done … and you didn’t have the obligation of leading and developing the people who worked really hard for you? Catch that?
Scaling your church when you are broke is tough. However, tons of church leaders around the US (and abroad) have shifted their minds … that outsourcing is a viable and trustworthy option.
Even if you are not broke … could you do things better or differently … if you have an affordable solution where you didn’t need to lead and develop people that still worked really hard for you?
The path to scalability … begins with the leader … believing they can adapt … in the face of increased demands.
Wish to read more on Church Outsourcing? Register HERE to download our Church Outsourcing Report via our MAG Facebook page.
How Leaders Bridge Inspiration with Reality
The Bridge Ahead for Leaders
Church Leaders and other Leaders take note from one person: President Obama. If there is just one case study on inspiring people then letting them down … look no further than the Oval Office. This is not a political slant or commentary … just an observation.
The greatest leaders out there … regardless of trade/vocation … are the ones who can effectively bridge inspiration and reality. They can create hope and vision … AND … confront brutal facts. They can inspire your mind to act … AND … help you see the need to give, sacrifice, dig deep, sweat, & work hard.
This bridge-building effort is a process that looks like this:
- Inspire People to the Task(s) – paint the picture of what could happen
- Expect/Demand Results Consistent with the Inspiration – what gets measured, gets done
- Use Results to Further Inspiration – leverage your measured results for higher goals … keep the momentum
Isn’t it true … that your heart will gravitate towards inspiration? What if you coupled it with results? Wouldn’t you be emboldened?! Dig deeper? Go farther?
What does this look like in your life?
Are you a leader in need of some shifts? More inspiration? More focus on results? Are you REALLY inspiring anyone? Are you REALLY holding people accountable to a result?
OK, so what if you are not a leader … are you expecting your leaders to inspire you? Do they know that from you? Are you setting an example by seeking results?
Leaders are rarely birthed by time alone. They see a chance and they take it. And when that chance comes … they have a game plan to bridge their inspirations with reality.
3 Jedi Mind-Tricks for Pastors with Their Staff
As Pastor … do you just need to get some stuff done?
You need your staff team to execute. Not talk about it … just do it. Sure, there are times to debate the subjective … but there are plenty of times to objectively finish a job! Complete something. See it through.
At MAG, we work with scores of pastors around the US … and we see where they struggle with their staff … to just get stuff done and executed well. Over the course of time … I have developed 3 Jedi Mind-Tricks pastors can use with their staffs … to get stuff done.
- Don’t be Needy – Simple but true. Needy pastors come across as needy, and that scares staff. When you act needy about getting stuff done, it puts your staff in a position of automatic/intuitive authority over the situation. To counter this … use clarity and objectivity with your request.
- 100%, Own Their WHY – Do you have your staff figured out? Why should they work hard for you? Why should they listen to you? Why are you worth following? Why would not working hard … be disastrous for them? Why drives the what, when, and how. If you don’t 100% own their “why” … they will never know the “why” behind what they do … because you don’t either as a leader.
- Request to the “Ask” – Your ask … is what you want them to do next. Your ask should be a leading comment/expectation for what you see as their work-product, deliverables, and tasks. So many pastors send their teams on rabbit-trail explorations because they are unclear of the “ask.” Wasted energy and time are the result. Before you ask … know what the task really is. Get your mental house in order before you ask your team to do the same.
May the force be with you.
Occupy Wall Street and the Church
Over the past month, I have struggled to understand the meaning of the Occupy Wall Street protests in NYC, Boston, and in other cities around the globe. Maybe I am dense ... but, it just seems like a group of people ... are protesting ... because they feel entitled to something they didn't work hard for. Then, I got to thinking ... WHY hasn't this thing settled down yet and just gone away? Could there be more to this grouping of people?
According their website ... Occupy Wall Street is leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%. We are using the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to achieve our ends and encourage the use of nonviolence to maximize the safety of all participants.
The claim that they are the 99% puts emphasis on the 1%. Why are they so mad at the 1%? Is it just corruption & greed? Or, is it more? What should we expect from the 1%?
What should we expect from our leader(s)? Below is a good list from The Nolan Principles tied to an advisory board in the UK called The Committee on Standard in Public Life. Catch that? Public Life. Aren't Pastors "public" too?
Consider this list below ...
- Selflessness – Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other benefits for themselves, their family or their friends.
- Integrity – Holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organizations that might seek to influence them in the performance of their official duties.
- Objectivity – In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit.
- Accountability – Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.
- Openness – Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions they take.They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands.
- Honesty – Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest.
- Leadership - Holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and example.
What does this mean for you & your Church? How are you looking at the Occupy Wall Street protests? Do you look at YOU first? What's in YOU before you point to THEY? I'd love to hear your comments!
Make Your Church Staff Happy :)
Making your church staff happy begins with you.
Bryan Miles, from MAG, recently did this presentation for several church leaders … and we wanted to make it available to our MAGsays readers. Inside the presentation, there are 10 things you can do at your church/organization … to make your staff happy!
View Presentation Here!
Tools & Tips Against Time Sucks
Your family needs you. Your church needs you. Your staff needs you.
Being available to all the people that need you require you to stop against time sucks that prevent you from the people and places you need to be.
Here are 7 tools or tips to kill the time sucks in your life.
- Egg Timer – use an egg timer or try the the virtual version at e.ggtimer.com
- Track your time usage on-line at RescueTime.com
- Set up twice-a-day check-ins on eMail and other services
- Turn off push notifications to your eMail and phone
- Unsubscribe from newsletters and eMails that you are not reading or delete without reading
- Decide what you intend to do on-line before you get in front of your computer
- Get Google Reader – so you can read post(s) faster without needing to go to every blog site
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