Pastorpreneur

God Sizing Your Church

This is the day for book posts!  Wanted to ask some help from you, my blog friends. 

Here is the topic:  Leading and Growing a Healthy and Life Changing Church.  Most of us in church life know about all the awesome big churches.  Many of them are located in big cities.  I'd like to hear more stories of churches located in smaller communities that are having God-sized impact in their community, even if you've never been written up in a national paper and no one but your family knows your name :-)

I'm writing a book called, "God-Sizing Your Church" where I want to move beyond a focus on mere numbers, but on life change.  So...if you have a great story to tell, would you be willing to send me a paragraph or two about:

1)  Your church and how God is using it to reach people for Christ and see lives change for His glory.

2)  Any details that you think are pertinent, specifically unique tools, vehicles, or leadership focus that has helped undergird your church

3)  Details about the church including your name, role, and a church website if you have one.

If possible, I'll include your story in the book!

Thanks!

Review a Marketplace Book?

Fellow Blogger and all around cool guy, Tim Stevens, gave me a cool idea.  He's writing a book and asked for 10 people to read an advanced copy and give some feedback, perhaps including an endorsement.

I have a book called, Leveraging Your Communication Style, coming out in the Fall of this year..

I'd like to throw that out to you, my faithful blog readers.  Here are some caveats:

1)  If you are a "marketplace" guy or gal in a leadership role...either a Christian or not (for this book, the subject is equally applicable), AND

2) You have interest in building better teams and becoming a better communicator, AND

3)  You would be willing to spend 2-3 hours reading a manuscript in a WORD document and giving a 3-4 sentence review of the book manuscript within a 3 week period of time, THEN

Send me an e-mail to  john@cvcwired.com and tell me a little bit about yourself (your role and interest in the topic) and I'll pick 10 people to send a copy of the manuscript and you can be part of the process!

Going All the Way-Great Book!

I just finished my copy of Going All the Way by Craig Groeschel of Life Church.  It is an awesome book and our church (www.cvcwired.com) will almost certainly be using it for all pre-marital preparations in the future.  I love Craig's heart, his easy/breezy conversational writing style.

Now to be honest....even though my dear friend Ray Johnston of Bayside Church (www.baysideonline.com) has always spoken highly of Craig, and even though I've been impressed with what I had seen and heard from Life Church, I did view them with some measure of suspicion (my bad, sorry Craig).  You know, they have grown so fast, they are so stinking slick, and a guy with looks like that just shouldn't be a pastor.  Well, that is all of what I did think...but then I heard Craig in person for the first time at Thrive 2007 at Bayside.  I was so deeply moved by his passion, his clarity, and the simplicity of his focus on Jesus.  Lead strong for Jesus my friend!

Anyway, back to the book...the book provides a great overview of the process of relationship development...and gives a clear Biblical framework for developing.  I will be able to commend this book to everyone in our church who is preparing for marriage...and will be dropping off my copy to Roy, our Associate Pastor for Connecting Ministries, in the next 30 minutes.

Go buy your copy!  In the acknowledgements, Craig thanked Jimmy Evans (along with others).  Interestingly enough, our new Executive Pastor (Craig Fuller) at CVC has been having me listen to tons of teaching from his Pastor, Jimmy Evans of Trinity Church in Amarillo, Texas.  I got to speak to Jimmy's conference of Church Planters in their association in October and had a blast.  Jimmy and I connected briefly at Pebble Beach with EQUIP (www.iequip.org) later that month.  Small world...BIG God!

Pastorpreneur-Year End Deal!

Many of my blog readers have read my first major book, Pastorpreneur.  That book was preceeded by High Impact Church Planting and followed by Leveraging Your Leadership Style.

Each of those books, along with other resources, can be found at my Author/Speaker Website Here

But, since we are coming close to the end of the year, I wanted to clean out some inventory of Pastorpreneur.  This is a hardback 230+ page book that has been used in seminaries, Bible colleges, and local churches in the last several years, both here in the US and abroad.  And, it has already been translated into Korean!

Here's the deal:  If you will be using the book in your ministry (church, para-church, or marketplace) setting, I can get you a case of Pastorpreneur (26 books) for $165 including shipping!  That is less than $6 per book for the books themselves, which is BELOW the publisher cost.

UPDATE:  We decided to make it easy and just put the weblinks in.  So here are the year end deals just for my blog readers:

Pastorpreneur (10 copies)  http://www.vqresources.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=VMS&Product_Code=PP10

Pastorpreneur (26 copies – case):  http://www.vqresources.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=VMS&Product_Code=PP10

These books make great gifts to your ministry teams or for class use; I hope you take advantage of this special year end offer!

Leveraging Your Leadership Style-More Supply In!

I have had a great relationship with my publisher, Abingdon Press.  We've had a great experience with the first printing of Leveraging Your Leadership Style and we think that we may be ready to do a second printing soon.

Soooo....I just had the publisher ship me another 300 copies of the book.  We've tried to make it easy for you to order on our website.  But if you haven't gotten the chance to order yet, here are two great options:

1) To order multiple copies for your ministry or work team, click on this link to get your team copies in sets of 10 or more for $7 each:  Order Discounted Sets of Leveraging Your Leadership Style Here

2)  If you'd just like a single copy, still discounted from the retail price, order here for $10 here: Single Copy of Leveraging Your Leadership Style Here

Book News

1) Just got word from Dave Ferguson that The Big Idea will be published in Korean.  Very cool!  You can read about it here:  Dave's Blog Article about The Big Idea in Korean.  About 9 months ago I was able to announce that Pastorpreneur was being released in Korean as well.  You can read about the Korean Release of Pastorpreneur Here.

2) Good friend Bill Hoyt just released his new book, Effectiveness by the Numbers, Counting What Counts in the Church and it is doing really well.  In another indication that God is Lord of ALL, Amazon has paired Bill's book with my book, Leveraging Your Leadership Style.  Here's to believing that God will use both resources for His Kingdom glory!

3)  I have a total heart for the ministry use of my books.  So...here's a special offer to blog readers.  If you are going to use any of the following books for ministry purposes, I will sell them to you in any quantity above 10 copies at my cost.  You can check out the descriptions at my website here:  Pastorpreneur Website

Here are the books and the "above 10" copies cost:

Pastorpreneur:  $10

Leveraging Your Leadership Style:  $7

High Impact Church Planting:  $5

If you order more than 20 copies of any of the above, I'll also pay for the shipping.  I'm serious...I WANT YOU TO USE THESE RESOURCES FOR KINGDOM GLORY!

E-mail me at john@cvcwired.com and I'll get you hooked up!

Leveraging Your Leadership Style-Reviews

Leveraging Your Leadership Style (get your copy at Pastorpreneur or at Amazon ) has been getting some cool reviews.  If you have read Leveraging Your Leadership Style, I'd love to hear your comments...and if you'd be willing to leave a comment at Amazon, click the link above...that would be great!

Here are some sample reviews...God is on the move!

Jeremy Dunlap Blog   Jer is planting a church in Nashville...check it out at Storyline

Amazon Review

Leadership Network Review

Let me know if you write a review on Leveraging and I'll add your review to the list!

Leveraging Your Leadership Style-Counselor

Leveraging Your Leadership style is now available!  And, I just got my first shipment...so you can get your copies directly from me!  Here are two options:

Purchase a Single Copy for $10 here

Purchase multiples of 10 books for only $7 each here!

If you do your shopping directly at Amazon, here is your Amazon purchase link here

As you may already know, Leveraging helps you identify both your leadership style and the leadership style of others on your team.  For those of you who are Counselors or work with them...

Welcome, Counselors! You care deeply about others, about how they feel, what they experience, and whether they fulfill their personal sense of destiny. Counselors have an innate desire to make sure that their relationships are stable and that tasks are accomplished within a supportive environment. Counselors do not think that the end justifies the means. In fact, most Counselors believe that the means are the end. In other words, if the means (relationships and supportive environment for people to flourish) are right, the ends will naturally follow!

            Counselors are particularly equipped to provide support for others in a different way from Coaches. Coaches provide a supportive framework for teams of people to operate, but do so within a clear vision of what the team can accomplish. Counselors start with the individual and not with the team. Counselors provide a framework for people to operate within that equips them to fulfill their individual destiny, and that is their primary concern. If you are a Counselor reading this chapter, then you are passionate about people experiencing health from your leadership. Good Counselor leaders are loved by those who follow them.

So...any Counselor leaders out there?  Work with any Counselors?

Leadership is an Art-Book Notes

As you know, I've got a huge file of book notes that I thought I would share periodically with my blog readers.  So, here are notes from a classic!  Max is on the Board of Fuller Seminary and a fantastic leadership thinker.

Leadership is An Art, Max DePree

It is now nearly sixty years since the millwright died, and my father and many of us at Herman Miller continue to wonder: was he a poet who did millwright’s work, or was he a millwright who wrote poetry?

In our effort to understand corporate life, what is it we should learn from this story?  In addition to all of the ratios and goals and parameters and bottom lines, it is fundamental that leaders endorse a concept of persons.  This begins with an understanding of the diversity of people’s gifts and talents and skills.

Understanding and accepting diversity enables us to see that each of us is needed.  It also enables us to begin to think about being abandoned to the strengths of others, of admitting that we cannot know or do everything.

What is leadership?  The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.  The last is to say thank you.  In between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor.  That sums up the progress of an artful leader.

The goal of thinking hard about leadership is not to produce great, or charismatic, or well-known leaders.  The measure of leadership is not the quality of the head, but the tone of the body.  The signs of outstanding leadership appear primarily among the followers.  Are the followers reaching their potential?  Are they learning?  Serving?  Do they achieve the required results?  Do they change with grace?  Manage conflict?

Leaders owe a clear statement of the values of the organization.  These values should be broadly understood and agreed to and should shape our corporate and individual behavior.

Leaders are also responsible for future leadership.  They need to identify, develop, and nurture future leaders.

Leaders are responsible for effectiveness.  Much has been written about effectiveness – some of the best of it by Peter Drucker.  He has such a great ability to simplify concepts.  One of the things he tells us is that efficiency is doing the thing right, but effectiveness is doing the right thing.

Leaders can delegate efficiency, but they must deal personally with effectiveness.  Of course, the natural question is “how”. 

• Respect people.
• Understand that what we believe precedes policy and practice.
• Agree on the rights of work.
• Understand the respective role and relationship of contractual agreements and covenants.
• Understand that relationships count more than structure.

I was inspired by a Charles Kuralt segment reporting on a talented high school gymnast paralyzed from the waist down.  The young athlete was really good, and it was fun to see how accomplished he had become.  Something he said applies in a special way to each of us: “I don’t come with the wheelchair.  The wheelchair comes with me.”

There are at least two things we learn about corporations from these tales of giants.  The first is that while productivity is important, giving space to giants is much more important.  The second is that giving space to giants lets them and others practice the “roving leadership”.  These two lessons may, from time to time, be hard on the hierarchical leadership.  But if you want a corporation to be truly effective, you will need to help corporations be open to giants at all levels.

Who owns this place?  Broadly speaking, there are three categories of owners in the typical American corporation.  The first group, those normally thought of as owners, invest mere cash in the business.  The second, because they have dedicated their working years to the corporation, invest their lives and their gifts in the corporation.  The third group, essential contributors to the corporation, invest some special skill or talent or creative energy and have a strong commitment to the corporation, but part time.

Book Notes

Today's book notes comes from Nancy Beach, the uber-guru of Creative Arts Ministry who should be appreciated not only for her abundant giftings, but for her stellar leadership of the Arts over 3 decades at Willow Creek Community Church.

An Hour On Sunday By Nancy Beach (Zondervan)

In his excellent book Windows of the Soul, Ken Gire writes, “God gave us art, music, sculpture, drama, and literature.  He gave them as footpaths to lead us out of our hiding places and as signposts to lead us along in our search for what was lost.”  -  page 28

“You use a glass mirror to see your face.  You use works of art to see your soul,” said George Bernard Shaw.  -  page 29

The hour on Sunday can be a vital part of bringing people into a genuine relationship with their Creator.  We are called to prepare services that have the greatest potential for human beings to quiet their souls, to feel emotions deeply, and to choose growth and change.  -  page 33

Our goal has always been to prepare for the possibility for God to anoint our work, resulting in what we call transcendent moments.  -  page 34

No effective church can be all things to all people.  -  page 41

Every minute you and I spend wrestling to understand our mission, getting to know our audience, and sifting through a myriad of creative ideas and possibilities is worth it when we know that God has moved in the hearts of real people.  As long as I live, I will never get over what a glorious, holy adventure we engage in as we plan the hour on Sunday and partner with our Heavenly Father!  -  page 67

Those who provide leadership to arts ministries have two primary goals: to lead artists in creating meaningful moments in church and to lead artists to become more like Jesus. – pg 71

When it’s all said and done, I want to cross the finish line knowing that I was a part of a team who loved one another outrageously and did ministry side by side until the end.  I believe with all my heart that’s what God intended for every one of his children, and I urge you—no, I challenge you—to make the choice for community.  -  page 101

In considering who to include on an evaluation team, look for individuals who:

• Understand and embrace your church’s mission and vision—otherwise discussions will default to one person’s opinion versus another person’s opinion, which is not constructive.
• Have a vivid picture of your target audience for each service.
• Are committed to the arts ministry team’s core values.
• Will strive to communicate with honesty, sensitivity, and love.
• Display humility and lack of self-defensiveness.                               -  page 114

To avoid falling into entropy, we have learned to regularly ask questions such as these:

• Have we surprised our congregation lately?
• What could we do in this service that would be totally unexpected?
• Has the order of our service grown tired and predictable?
• What new art forms can we add to our toolbox to help us communicate truth?
• How can we combine art forms in fresh ways to breathe life into the service?

For example, we could add visuals to music, combine video with drama, bring Scripture to life with multiple readers, or involve the congregation in interactive exercises and experiences.

• What special events—we call them “buzz events”—can we create to shake things up from our normal pattern?  Buzz events might include bringing in guests to interview, guest artists, or turning the entire service over to one area, such as the student or children’s ministry.
• What can we learn from what other churches are doing?                   -  page 171

After ten chapters exploring the potential of the arts, the reader may be shocked by my point of view, but I think it’s true—teaching matters most.  Thankfully, however, we’re not in a contest, and the best hours on Sunday skillfully weave the arts and biblical teaching into a dynamic experience, a superb meal from start to finish.  -  page 230

I believe transformational teaching is biblical, passionate, relevant, creative, and honest.

                                                                                    -  page 232

If the almighty Creator has called you to serve the church with artistic or teaching gifts, you have the very highest of callings.  I long for you to know, down to your toes, that you are not less than for making this choice.  You are not less than those who record secular music or work for broadcast television or do live theater or make movies.  On the contrary, you are a member of a team God is assembling to bring hope to the world through his Bride, the church.  For the sake of people far from God, for artists in your local community, and yes, even for your own sake, I challenge you to fulfill your calling, to finish the race God has called you to.  Run with every fiber of your being, with all your heart and soul and mind and strength.  Together we create a legacy for the coming generations.  -  page 262