Just finished reading a great book by Larry Osborne on my Kindle. Sticky Teams: Keeping Your Leadership Team and Staff on the Same Page was one of the most practical books for church leadership that I have read. I was constantly highlighting and taking notes as I read. This is not a deep theological treatment of the roles of elders, pastors, and deacons, but instead it is focuses on the practical side of how you work together and build unity to advance the Kingdom.

I liked it so much, that I have ordered copies for everyone on our elder board at Cornerstone so we can work through it together. In a new and growing church, you encounter so many issues that you don’t foresee happening. This book shares a lot of wisdom about what their church learned as they grew. Unfortunately, I have already learned many of the book’s lessons the hard way. But this book has helped me to think strategically about the future of our church and my role as the Pastor. You simply have to learn how to adapt and change leadership style and roles as your church grows if you want to maintain unity.

I think the best way to share what I learned is to share some of my highlights. (This is one of the great features of the Kindle, you can just cut and paste your notes and highlights from the Kindle website.)

• my deep conviction that the health and long-term effectiveness of any ministry begins with the health and unity of its primary leadership teams.
• There are three component of a healthy and unified team – Doctrinal unity, Respect and friendship, and Philosophical unity
• Finally, I’d had enough. I told the board that as far as I was concerned, the “theys” no longer existed. I’d happily listen to comments and critiques from people with real names and faces. But nebulous theys who didn’t want their identity known and hypothetical theys we couldn’t identify would no longer have any sway.
• Rather than trying to figure out what everybody wants them to do, leadership teams have only one question: what does God want us to do?
• Just because people are spiritually mature doesn’t mean they’ll work well together.
• Wise pastors and leadership teams know an important paradox of leadership: church harmony is inversely related to the amount of time spent oiling squeaky wheels.
• Overly restrictive constitutions and bylaws reveal a profound lack of trust. It’s as if those who write them trust God’s ability to lead in their own life but not his ability to lead in the life of the next group of leaders. So to keep future leaders from going astray, they put in all kinds of detailed regulations and procedures that make sense today but that will make no sense tomorrow.
• But one thing is certain. Everyone needs to agree on the pastor’s role. Otherwise, as we’ve already seen, it won’t be long until dysfunction and conflict break out.
• That’s why I’ve committed myself to follow three key guidelines. (1) Present first drafts, not final proposals  (2) Keep no secrets from the board  (3) Follow the board’s advice These guidelines ensure that my leadership has boundaries and help keep me accountable. They also go a long way toward allaying the fears of those who are suspicious of strong leadership.
• Research has consistently shown that strong pastoral leadership is a key ingredient in virtually every healthy and growing church. But this leadership can’t be demanded or taken. It has to be granted.
• The primary role of the board will always be the same: to determine God’s will and then see that it’s carried out.
• The strongest indicators that it’s time to consider changing the primary role of the board are (1) a marked increase in conflict and frustration while making decisions and (2) meetings that drag on forever.
• Previously, whenever I taught or instructed our leaders, I aimed at their hearts. Most everything was of a devotional nature. But now I aimed at their role. Armed with the new goal of equipping our board members for their specific job as church leaders, I began to teach and convey the leadership principles others had poured into me.
• But even when I’m absolutely convinced that something is God’s will, I check one more thing: is this God’s timing? I’ve learned that God’s will has a what and a when. The question of timing is often answered during the testing-the-waters stage.

This is just a small sampling of what you’ll find in the book. I read it in two days because I simply couldn’t put it down.

I shared the story last week in church about a conversation I overheard between my son and my nephew last year.  Boys typically think that their dads can do anything, and this conversation was no exception. They were talking about all the things their dads could do when my nephew Todd shared that his dad was a chef at a restaurant.  My son Luke stopped to think a minute, and then shared that his dad didn’t work anymore because he was a preacher. OUCH! Kids can be honest, but it does show that ministry has a perception problem.

The truth is that ministry is hard work. But the work is different and few people understand the challenges ministers face. The biggest change I’ve noticed from the corporate engineering world is the lack of a set schedule that most ministers deal with. Engineering was a demanding career that I loved, but when I left work each evening, I didn’t have to deal with anything until the next day. In ministry, you juggle meetings at night, unexpected pastoral care calls, study time, devotion time, and family time. My mind is constantly thinking about church and the vision and direction we are setting. And you’re still expected to share a great message from God each and every week, because Sunday really does come every week. In smaller churches, the pastor is expected to be able to do a little of everything, and you face constant challenges of training and equipping people to really do the work of the church as Ephesians 4:11-12 commands.  The job of a leader is never done.

I feel that you have to be called to ministry, otherwise there is no way you can stick with it. The demands are high, and there are plenty of people who have high expectations and aren’t afraid to let you know it. You need to have thick skin and a soft heart. My advice to anyone considering ministry is to not even consider it, unless you are willing to work hard and you feel that God is truly calling you into His service as a career. For me, there is no doubt that I’m doing what God created me to do. I love making an eternal difference in people’s lives, and I’m excited to play a small role in God’s plan for our community and church. I truly believe that ministry is not work, it is a way of life. But to live your life in obedience to God’s calling takes a huge commitment and a willingness to work hard.

At the Unleash Conference yesterday, which was absolutely amazing, the team at NewSpring announced a new one-day leadership conference this fall. Mark your calendars for September 16th and make plans to drive down to Anderson, South Carolina. They’ve lined up an awesome group of pastors who are passionate about sharing the gospel.  Can you imagine hearing from Francis Chan, Mark Driscoll, and Perry Noble all in one day. It will definitely be powerful. Here’s the info from their website

The NewSpring Leadership Conference is a full day of teaching and worship focused on influence and how it affects our preaching of the Gospel. We’re passionate about the local church, and we believe in the power of the preached Gospel to show how Jesus Christ changes lives. There is no better goal to spend your influence on.

Join us in Anderson, SC on Thursday, September 16th to hear unique perspectives from our 6 speakers on leadership and influence. The event will run from 9:00am until your brain can’t process any more. Your ticket includes admission to the conference, all conference materials, a tasty lunch and plenty of southern hospitality.

I’m getting excited about our trip down to Anderson, South Carolina this week for the Unleash Conference. We’re leaving tomorrow and hopefully heading into some warmer weather. Jennifer and I have been every year and I love the encouragement that we receive from the NewSpring staff. We try to take a different group from Cornerstone each year to expose them to the hospitality and vision of NewSpring. You can’t help but leave “fired up” about what God has called you to do. All the details about the conference can be found on the website, along with a listing of all the breakout session topics.

If you can’t make it to the conference, then you can join in and watch the main sessions online at http://unleash.cc/

Here is just a sample of what you can expect. I look forward to meeting up with some online friends. Leave me a comment or send me a message on twitter if you will be there.

Promo: “Unleash 2010″ from NewSpring Production on Vimeo.

A One Day Event focused on the church and it’s potential at NewSpring Church on March 4, 2010. Visit newspring.cc/unleash for more information.

Over the past several years, I have had the opportunity to help organize several community church events and help with several others. It’s not always easy, but I want to be part of a church that takes the prayer of Jesus in John 17 seriously. That we would be one. Our church wants to be a resource to other churches by planning events and hosting conferences. We want to bring local Christians together and to reach out to those in our community who are lost and hurting. We have been able to break through some racial and denominational boundaries, but we still have a long ways to go. In our efforts, I have noticed two huge enemies of cooperation between churches.

Fear & Pride

For many churches, fear is a way of life. The pastor is afraid of helping another church because they might have a different style of music or be from a different denomination. Worse yet, the leadership can become paranoid about losing members to another church, so they work hard at keeping people involved only in their own activities.

For other churches, pride can prevent them from working with other churches. Some churches reach a point where they don’t think they need any help. They believe their efforts are better than anybody else and it’s just too much of a hassle to work with others. I have seen churches that constantly make fun of the efforts of others and refuse to be part of any community activities.

I pray that I will be a pastor that is not afraid to cooperate and work together with other churches. I pray that fear and pride would not control the decisions in our church. In the New Testament, we see churches referred to by their city. We read passages about the church of Ephesus, the church of Corinth, the church of Jerusalem, the church at Antioch, and many more. Now, local believers are fragmented a million different ways by denominations and egos. Let me challenge you to reach across denominational lines and join forces with other believers in your community. You will be amazed at the impact it will have in your community, and don’t be surprised if people see the truth of John 17:21 become a reality.

If you haven’t noticed, my blog has been pretty quiet for the past few weeks. It’s been a busy time with all the excitement of the Christmas season, and I have definitely been doing a lot of planning and thinking. For the first time in my life, I’m thinking through some long term goals. In order for me to be the best husband, father, and pastor that I can be, I am making some changes.

One of the biggest changes is the amount of time I use the computer in the evenings.  While it may seem minor, I am making sure I am fully present for my family. That means I am disconnecting from much of the tech world after I get home until the kids go to bed. Although, I’ve had much less time to work on the blog, there is no doubt that I am making the right decision. I will continue posting to the blog, but it will not be as frequent as in the past. My goal is 3 high quality posts per week. I simply don’t have the time to do more than that right now with the demands of a growing church and a busy family.  I will still be on twitter for other day-to-day thoughts, so you can follow me there.

I am also making changes in the way I take care of myself. I want to finish strong and I want to finish healthy.  That means I will be working out and eating healthier and taking more time off. I’ll share some more of my goals for the next few years in a future post. I am excited about the changes and I want you, my blog readers, to know that this site will continue to have great information about church technology, about ministry in a small town, and about the lessons I learn along the way.

Image by Stephen Hunton

Three days later, and I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the Catalyst Experience.  It was again a great trip.  In the past, I have shared about what each speaker shared, but this year, I just want to talk about the overall experience.  You can find summaries of the talks at the Catalyst Blog.

I was able to split my time between two groups, the young leaders coaching group that I have been a part of and a group of leaders from Cornerstone.   My wife was able to make the trip as well and volunteer with Land of 1000 Hills Coffee.  At a conference like this, you are exposed to encouraging times of worship and great teaching.  But for me, I felt a little more like a guide this year to those I was traveling with. It was great to see the conference through their eyes.

For me personally, I think God really spoke to me about rest.  That may be a funny thing to take away from a leadership conference that is over the top in so many ways, but I was able to just close my eyes and soak in what God wanted me to hear.  I have been through a busy season of ministry, but it is time for me to focus on others.  If our church is to continue growing and reaching others, then I have to do less. I have to give away more responsibility, and spend more of my time to train and equip the saints (Ephesians 4:11-12).  One of the highlights of the trip was the ride home. I was able to spend some great time with Jennifer, Chad, Ben, & Randy as we talked about what God had showed each of us.  The challenge for everyone at Catlayst is to not just gain knowledge, but to gain wisdom in how to apply that knowledge. Learning what to do as a result of what we have heard is very important.   What sin do we need to confess and repent? What do we need to start doing? What do we need to stop doing? What do we need to share with others?  My hope and prayer is that I will take what I have learned, and use it to build God’s Kingdom here on earth.

For those of you reading my blog who attended Catalyst, what did God speak to you this year?

Tomorrow, I’ll be driving down to the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta. This will be my third year in a row that I have atttended. We’re taking a group of 6 people from Cornerstone, so I’m excited for our team as well. Catalyst is not your typical conference. From the time you enter the parking lot, everything is about creating an experience you won’t forget. The teaching is excellent, the activities are over the top, and the worship is passionate. I love that the conference is focused on developing and building young leaders.

I’ll be hanging out with a group of young pastors during the conference. We have been meeting with a mentor and friend who has been pouring into our lives and leadership over the past year. It will be the first time to the conference for all of them, so I’m sure we will have a great time.

Here are the main stage speakers
Andy Stanley, Chuck Swindoll, Louie Giglio, Malcolm Gladwell, Tony Dungy, Matt Chandler, Rob Bell, Priscilla Shirer, Dave Ramsey, Jessica Jackley, Shane Hipps, Josh Hamilton, Reggie Joiner, Margaret Feinburg, and Francis Chan

WOW, from athletes to business people to incredible pastors and church leaders, Catalyst is truly an experience. If you haven’t been before, then prepare to be amazed. If you can’t make it, you will want to check out the Catalyst Backstage website for info and videos about the conference. I’ll be posting updates from my twitter account as well.

Catalyst 2009 Preview from Catalyst on Vimeo.

If you are a leader, then let me share with you a great source of free leadership lessons.   Andy Stanley’s Leadership Podcast is great for both those in the business world and in the church world.  Each month a new 20 to 30 minute lesson is posted and every single one of them has been exceptional.  Click here to subscribe to this podcast in iTunes.

If you’re not familiar with podcasts, let me share a little instruction.  You don’t have to even have an iPod, but you will need to have iTunes installed on your computer.  If the links in this post don’t work, it probably means that you don’t have iTunes installed.  It is a great free program for managing your music, and there are thousands of great Christian podcasts that you can subscribe to for free. While you’re there, you’ll want to check out our sermon podcast for Cornerstone as well.

I shared about our walk with Christ this past weekend at Cornerstone.  How our life is full of small steps that determine our direction. I also mentioned Andy Stanley’s new book, The Principle of the Path.   He makes the statement that our direction, not our intentions, determines our destination.

I was in New York City several years ago for a wedding.  My wife and I managed to get around by using shuttle services and the train system.  We were up in Long Island for the wedding and arranged for an airport shuttle van to get us back in time for our flight home. When the driver arrived, he asked me to sit up front with him. I had trouble understanding his Jamaican accent, and he struggled to understand my hillbilly accent, but he finally got across that he needed some help. He wanted me to be his navigator and tell him how to get from where we were to our next stop to pick up the other passengers on the shuttle ride. He handed me a map and a list of five addresses and asked me where to turn next. I had this sinking feeling that it was going to be a long afternoon. I realized very quickly that a map is useless if you don’t know where you are and if you don’t know where you are going.

The same principle is true in our walk with Christ. I want to urge you to think about where and where you need to be in your spiritual life. Listen to this short clip from Andy Stanley about this principle of the path.

It was strange tonight having a cookout with the family instead of being at church. As many of you know, we have stopped having our Saturday night service during the month of August. During the past year, Cornerstone has had two services: one on Saturday nights at 7pm, and one on Sunday morning at 10am.  If you have been at church the past few weeks, you have heard our decision to move our Saturday night service to Sunday night starting September 13th.  It was not an easy decision to make, but we feel that it will be best for everyone involved.  When you have to change something that you created, it is tough, but I am excited about the changes we are making.

Here is what was great about Saturday night:

• The laid back, conversational environment with tables and chairs surrounding the stage
• The modern/eclectic worship style of our young adult band, Scattered
• The ability for our people to attend the Saturday service and worship and then serve on Sunday mornings
• The chance for me to preach the message twice each week.  Saturday night helped me develop and fine tune my thoughts for Sunday

But here is what we struggled with:

• Encouraging people from the community to attend. After almost one year of meeting, we had very few people from outside of the church visit.  Attendance was increasing, but we weren’t reaching those in our community who weren’t already in church somewhere
• Having enough volunteers to serve each week.  It was a constant struggle to make sure that we had our children’s ministry covered and enough people to setup and run the cafe.
• Spending time with my family on the weekend.  Since Emma was in school this year, Saturdays with my family were important.  Preparing for a service meant that many Saturday afternoons were spent at the church. For the health of my family, this was not a good habit to get into

So we decided to address the good and the bad by moving the service to Sunday night.  We debated moving to two Sunday morning services, but we would lose the identity and environment that we have worked so hard to create on Saturday nights.  Having a service opportunity for our younger band to lead worship was important, and trying to incorporate two different bands on Sunday morning would have been difficult. Already, we have had much more support from our volunteers about serving on Sunday night.  It also worked well with our decision to start a mid-week youth service.

I hope that we will soon be adding a second service on Sunday mornings (that makes three services all together).   That will be the next logical time to add.  But for now, we are encouraging people to think about switching to the Sunday night service to free up some space for visitors on Sunday morning, especially our teenagers and their famillies.  I’ll share more about our youth ministry and the new changes over the next few weeks.

At our First Wednesday Service at Cornerstone last night, Sam shared about Christian leadership. He shared some examples from a blog post by Tony Morgan. I also talked about the importance of leadership development this past Sunday.   But you cannot talk about Christian leadership without talking about the character and integrity of the leader. We all have influence, how are we going to use it? Check out these passages that Sam shared last night.

Leadership is less about the words or actions of the leader and more about the character of the leader.
That’s the conclusion I’ve reached after revisiting what the Bible has to say about leadership within the Church. For example, we can look at a handful of passages and come to this “job description” for leaders:

• Encourage others. (Romans 14:19)
• Set an example with your speech, life and faith. (I Timothy 4:12)
• Remain pure. (I Timothy 4:12)
• Embrace humility and gentleness. (Ephesians 4:2)
• Promote peace and unity. (Ephesians 4:3)
• Avoid arguments and quarreling. (2 Timothy 2:24)
• Gently instruct others. (2 Timothy 2:25)
• Maintain emotional control. (Titus 2:6)
• Demonstrate integrity in your actions and speech. (Titus 2:7-8)
• Live your life above reproach. (I Timothy 3:2)

In some ways, looking back over the last 15 years, I realize that I have been a reluctant leader.  In 1 Timothy 4:14, Paul shares with Timothy this challenge, “Do not neglect the gift that is in you …”

Thanks to Tony Morgan for putting the Unleash Main Sessions on his blog at TonyMorganLive. Here are the two main sessions. You can see my notes for the morning session and the afternoon session.

I’ve updated my links page here on FaithEngineer.  I’ve included church technology websites, all the Cornerstone bloggers that I know of, and some great ministry websites that I visit. This list is always available through the tab at the top of the page or by clicking here.

What websites are speaking into your life right now?