August 9, 2010
Time in the Wilderness; Time with God
This summer, God has called me into a season of prayer, meditation and discernment. After a time of betrayal, tests and trials, I am seeking God’s still small voice to lead me forward on the path to which I am called. Where do I go to spend this season? To our cabin in the mountains above Boulder, Colorado. For ten years, we have spent summers, and a couple of months of winter, here on the mountain in the wilderness. It is a place of peace, healing, restoration and a home where we give thanks for wonderful times with family and faithful friends. Our land is surrounded by National Forest, with views of the Continental Divide, the Indian Peaks Wilderness and Rocky Mountain National Park.
The mountains have been a special and holy place since the time nearly forty years ago when God revealed himself to me in these same mountains. Now I’m a city boy by birth and rearing, from Atlanta, far from these mountains. But, from my first trip here, the Rocky Mountains have been my spiritual home. I am not alone in seeking God in the wilderness. From the time of Christ, his followers have withdrawn to seek God through solitude, seeking peace and quiet in God’s holy places.
August 4, 2010
New Information to Shape Evangelism Ministry
It has been my life-long observation that Lutherans are very nervous about the word evangelism. It’s not so much the word itself as it is the idea that somehow they might be expected to witness to Jesus Christ in their daily life. Lutherans have been much more comfortable with the idea that religion is something that is very personal and private, not to be discussed in public. I would like to be able to tell those Lutherans they are free to stay in their comfort zone, but if they do they will not be serving Christ or His mission.
For decades congregations were able to grow relying on marketing instead of evangelism. If a congregation was warm and fuzzy there was an attractiveness that drew people to it. Even though most all congregations still pride themselves on their warmth welcoming strangers, far more members than not are only warm to one another. And even if they work at it, notice that such warmth is no longer effective in bringing in new members. Most of the people in the pew would like to think such friendly warmth is evangelism but it bears no connection. That has always been part of the problem; it puts the focus on members instead of on Jesus, and more on members than on disciples. Outsiders fail to see any connection to Jesus. Another concept mistaken for evangelism is “build it and they will come.” That is marketing and has only minimal success attracting others.
August 4, 2010
Funding for Today and Tomorrow
Dan Hotchkiss
Congregations almost always say they want to grow, but I've come to doubt that many really do. The more accurately people picture how a congregation changes when it grows from family-sized to pastoral, program, corporate and beyond, the more clearly they see that growth means losing the worshiping community they know and love and trading it in for one where they will feel—at least initially—like strangers.
Ministries of service to others pose similar challenges. Like outreach to potential members, serious service to the needy requires donors and volunteers who understand that the church or synagogue exists for others at least as much as it exists to serve its members. Casual generosity will support casual service—sustained social responsibility requires a revolution in most congregations' understanding of their purpose.
This can make it hard to raise funds for growth or service. We like to have it both ways: believing that we live for others, while at budget time demanding that the congregation focus its resources almost exclusively on satisfying the desires (excuse me, "needs") of current members.
The trouble with current members, though, is that in the long run they're all dead. A congregation that intends to thrive for more than a generation needs to have a plan to meet the needs of people who have not yet crossed the threshold. In a congregation where "serving the members' needs" is primary, it is difficult to gain support for real outreach.
August 4, 2010
Be the One: Change
John Maxwell
Change. Politicians promise it when they run for office, but seldom are the pledges made from campaign podiums matched by real, measurable results after an election. In fairness to our politicians, initiating change and carrying it through to completion is a monumental challenge. Attempts to bring about change encounter fierce opposition and entrenched resistance.
Although most leaders perceive a need for change, few leaders can convince others to believe in change, and fewer still can actually achieve change. We will take a look at this time at what it takes to be a leader who not only talks about change but also is able to make it happen.
Nine Qualities of a Leader Who Achieves Change...
July 16, 2010
Gaining and Losing Influence - Part 2
Do you Twitter? If yes, you can follow me @DanReiland. If you don't Twitter, you may want to check it out and give it a try. www.twitter.com If Twitter is new to you, let me tell you about it. It's a social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and receive messages of up to 140 characters known as Tweets. Most Twitter enthusiasts do this with their cell phone, but you can also use your computer. You set up your own profile page and blast away. Some who twitter annoy the tar out of others by tweeting 30 – 40 – 50 times a day. Get a life! But most just send a few blasts a day and its great. I've received some great quotes, book recommendations, news updates, websites, blogs, in the moment pictures, and of course fun factoids from my friends on what they are doing in the moment that day.
Now this is where it really gets fun. Your subscribers are known as followers. Yes, followers! And it's easy to get addicted to increasing the number of people who follow you. But let's be clear on something, just because you have an increasing number of followers on Twitter, that doesn't mean your influence is on the rise as a leader! I hope you are smiling with me, I'm having some fun here. But I do want to make a point. You may be an influential person. That can gain you a large following on Twitter, but let's stay solidly connected to the idea of real influence with people who know you, and you lead them in your local church!
Again, I think Twitter is fun and can be very useful. On most days, I post a few Tweets, hopefully some add value to you and others are just for fun. But there are things in life like Twitter that can give a false indication of your real influence. For example, when people stand in line after church to shake your hand, and tell you how great the sermon was, that might not be a true indicator of your real influence! Or, in contrast, you may have a board member stirring up trouble for you and that too is not an accurate picture of your true level of influence in the church. As a leader you are responsible not only to understand the level of your influence but why you are gaining or losing it.
In Part 1, I dealt with losing influence. In this article I want to offer some thoughts on gaining influence. It's difficult to surpass the insightful and practical teaching of John Maxwell in one of his classic lessons on leadership called "The Five Levels of Leadership." It progressively shows what larger influence looks like and why your influence increases. I'll list them here for a quick review.