Here’s the truth – sometimes Pastors can be the worst time managers. When in reality, the nature of our calling demands that we be excellent managers of our time. Here’s a simple time management tip that has saved me tons of time over the years: Bundle similar tasks together. If you have 5 calls to make, make them one after the other. This way, you don’t spend too much time on each call. You are able to give each call the time time it deserves without chewing the fat for an hour and getting behind on your work. The same thing is true for … Read More
Free Report on Increasing Baptisms
I recently wrote a special report on increasing baptisms in your church that’s been getting lots of interest. So I thought I’d offer it here. You can request a FREE copy here. Enjoy!
Act Like You’re Leaving Town Tomorrow
Have you ever noticed that the last day you’re in the office before going on vacation, you accomplish a tremendous amount? We tend to work faster, delegate tasks, use technology to our advantage, and empower others to follow through on certain things. It was Zig Zigler who said, “Why not work everyday as though you’re going out of town the next day? You’ll get twice as much done!” What would happen if we took this advice everyday we were in the office? We’d be much more productive and effective. If you’re looking for a resource that can radically improve your productivity, … Read More
Halftime is Coming
June 30 is the last day of the 1st half of 2011. It means there’s still time to reach those goals and execute those plans. Even if you didn’t set goals in January, nothing is stopping you from taking some time to reflect and setting your sights on some goals for the rest of this year. Here’s what I’d encourage you to do as we look to the latter half of 2011: 1. Set a reading goal for the rest of the year 2. Set a goal that will help you grow spiritually 3. Get into an environment where you … Read More
Write with a Bias Towards Action
I recently got a church direct mail piece delivered to my office. . It said the name of the church, the service times, the directions and the phone number. There was only one thing missing: they never asked me to attend. Sometimes we expect the people who get what we send to them to decipher what we send to them. If you’re going to take the time to buy a billboard, do direct mail, or get the church to invite friends using invite cards – tell the recipient exactly what you want to them to do. Do you want to them to attend … Read More
You only have 3 seconds…
Imagine this scene: You pick up your mail and sort through it. How long do you give each piece of mail that you bring inside? I’ll tell you: about 3 seconds. If it doesn’t catch your eye and say something that connects with you, it ends up in the round file. We talk about these 3 seconds a lot at Calvary when we’re getting ready to do a direct mail campaign. You’ve got 3 seconds to say something that keeps you out of the garbage can and into the pile of mail that gets read. Then you’ve got to say … Read More
Cinnabun and Direct Mail
For those that think direct mail doesn’t work, think again! Cinnabon’s sales had dropped due to decreased foot traffic in malls because of the recession. So what did they do? Direct mail!* They started a direct mail campaign and guess what? Sales went up! This teaches us a couple of things: #1 – Hard work pays off – I commend Cinnabon for not blaming the government or anyone else. Instead, they got creative, took a risk and their hard work paid off. #2 – Direct mail still works – You just have to do it right. I’m having too many … Read More
A July Outreach
July is a great time to reach people. In fact, it’s one of those “hidden” opportunities for outreach. People are in and out on vacation in June and August, but are generally speaking, home in July. My recommendation is to pick a Sunday in July (later is better) and plan an event that will attract people to come out. Here’s a couple of ideas: 1. New series launch 2. Combined service with a Church picnic afterwards (this takes little effort and works really well) 3. Baptism 4. Start of a new initiative Honestly, you could actually do all of these … Read More
Sunday Stuff (Father’s Day Edition)
– Great day at Calvary (I know I say that every week)! – I taught Romans 8:1-17 – Had the opportunity to teach on calling God “Abba” – Today was a fantastic day to spend with my kids. Plus, I got to have lunch with my dad. Good times. – I love teaching the Bible, but I’m looking forward to the break I have coming up. – Those that teach on a weekly basis know the grind that it can be – Don’t think “grind” in a bad way. I mean it in the way baseball players say the 162 … Read More
Live Outreach Seminar in West Hartford, CT!
For those of you not in the New England area, feel free to skip this post. For those of you who are in or near the New England area, my good friend Bill LaMorey is going to be leading a 21st Century Outreach Strategies Seminar in West Hartford, CT on Wednesday, June 29th from 10AM-Noon. Bill has taken the principles that I’ve taught in this seminar and applied them to his own church and seen fantastic results. He is a great guy to learn from because he is actually doing it in the New England area. You can register and/or … Read More