As leaders we all make mistakes. That’s the occupational hazard of being a leader. Mistakes. Happen. But there are some mistakes that happen needlessly that inflict all kinds of damage to our church and our potential to reach people. I call them the “Buzz” killing mistakes. Here they are: Thinking that “Buzz” happens by accident. Not realizing the momentum that “buzz” brings Missing strategic moment that create buzz for your church There are lot more. But I think you’ll agree that these 3 are whoppers! This month in Outreach Ninja, we have best selling author Mark Hughes (author of Buzz … Read More
The Secret that Makes Reaching People (Almost) Effortless
I remember planting Calvary 11 years ago and having difficulty reaching people. It seemed so hard to get someone to attend one of our services. Then. Something. Happened. In a word: buzz. There’s something powerful about buzz. Buzz is that intangible interest that gets people talking about something. I discovered that when Calvary got buzz, reaching people became (almost) effortless. People started inviting their friends and family at record rates. We started seeing people make first time decisions to follow Jesus in our services every week. Before buzz, outreach felt like pushing a truck up hill…exhausting. Afterwards, it was like … Read More
Sunday Stuff
– Awesome day at Calvary! – We launched our Capital campaign today. – Our goal is to raise $1,000,000 between now and the end of 2012. – You can read about it at www.blueprintcampaign.com – We’re adding the video of the service tomorrow – The response has been incredible. – We did some advanced meetings with our leaders and raised 1/3 of the money before today! – It’s a great place to be: 1/3 of the way to our goal on day 1. – Our goal is to raise the money so we can be serious contenders in buying property. … Read More
Don’t Take Relationship Advice from a Eunuch!
There’s more bad information about outreach than there are crooks in Washington. Why I speak thus? Because it seems like every book I read every seminar I attend by the “experts”, the more misinformation they share. Here’s some of the nonsense I’m hearing: 1. “Churches with limited budgets can’t do outreach well because it takes lots of money to reach people.” 2. “Direct mail is dead. Social media is the only way to reach people.” 3. You can’t do both evangelism and discipleship in your services. You must pick one or the other.” Seriously, listening to these guys is like … Read More
Eliminate the 4 Most Annoying Words a Pastor Hears
There are 4 words that Pastors hate to hear. Words that are like nails running down a chalkboard to any preacher. I’m sorry to make you read them, but here they are… I’m. not. getting. fed. It hurt me just to write them. They’re annoying. Frustrating. But sometimes… they’re true. Sometimes people really aren’t growing. I’ve learned that there are times when churches don’t offer people a clear path to grow and christians feel stuck in their faith. The truth is, this is more common than we might realize. One of the biggest reasons that people walk out the back … Read More
The Ninja Secret to Unlimited Leaders
I am deeply committed to seeing leaders raised up at every level at Calvary. I know that’s important to you as well. There really is a secret to raising up lots and lots of leaders. It’s not calling staffing companies and combing through resumes. Makes. me. want. to. gag. Instead, the key to unlimited leaders is making your leadership system part of the DNA of for church. Everyone needs to know about it. Even though who don’t participate. They need to know that everyone who enters your leadership development process gets developed, discipled, and dispatched into greater levels of ministry. … Read More
3 Scary Lessons from a Leadership Collapse
I grew up in Boston, so to say that I’m a Red Sox fan is a severe understatement. I love the Red Sox. I cried when they won the Word Series in 2004. Needless to say, the last week has been rough for me. The Red Sox fell apart. Completely. Then to make matters worse, they fired their manager. Say. it. ain’t. so. But in the midst of all of this madness, there’s 3 huge leadership lessons for us to learn as church leaders: 1. The Red Sox didn’t think through the chemistry of the team when they brought in … Read More
The Army’s Secret Leadership Strategy
The U.S. Army rocks for many reasons. But there’s one reason that most people overlook, that makes the Army unparalleled as an organization. It’s not their battle skills. Or their exceptional abilities. Neither. It’s one thing… they exclusively raise up their own leaders. The Army doesn’t “borrow” soldiers from other branches of the military when they’re looking for new leaders. Instead, the Army does the hard work of training men and women who can lead at all levels. They have a thoughtful strategy for turning Privates into Generals. Most churches fail to put together a winning plan for raising up … Read More
The #1 Reason Churches Lack Leaders
I’ve worked with thousands of churches over the last 3 years and I’ve noticed a common denominator in churches who lack leaders. It’s not a desire for leaders. It’s not a love to see people grow. It’s not even having someone “assigned” to discipleship or leadership development. It’s none of these. The #1 reason churches experience a leadership drought is they haven’t laid out a plan or system that raises up leaders at every level of the church. Because there is no system in place, leadership development gets put on the back burner. Here’s what I tell the Pastors I coach: leadership … Read More
Sunday Stuff…
– Great day at Calvary! – To say that I am enjoying teaching Nehemiah is an understatement! – This morning I taught on “Dealing with Vision Killers” (Nehemiah 3-4). – I love seeing people take bold steps in their lives. I’m hearing great stories of people who are listening to the Lord! – On October 16th we’re boldest initiative in the history of our church. Prayers appreciated. – Looking forward to a couple of days off this week. We’re Disney bound 🙂 – Don’t worry Ninjas, I’ll still be there for our monthly coaching session on Tuesday. It’s the highlight … Read More
