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NEW Sermon Series – Teach Your People How to Face Life’s Storms!
One of the most helpful and well-received sermon series we’ve done at The Journey this year was called “Unshakeable Faith.”
And now I’m excited to let you know that the full, six-part series (and everything you need to teach it at your church) is available in the Church Leader Insights Store.
Here are the details:
Teach your people how to “Stand Strong When Things Go Wrong” with this brand new, six-part sermon series.
Jesus tells a story of two men in Matthew 7:24-27 – one wise, one foolish – who chose to build their homes on two very different foundations – one on ROCK, one on sand. And when the storms came, one house survived and one didn’t.
Your people are no different – no matter how much we wish it wouldn’t, the storms of life WILL come.
- The question is “on what foundation will they depend to get them through?”
- When the unexpected happens, how will the people of your church respond?
Unshakeable Faith is a six-week sermon series that will help you equip your people to face the toughest of situations with their faith not only intact, but stronger than ever!
This Sermon Series Includes these Messages:
- Unshakeable Faith
- Facing Failure with Faith
- Facing Death with Faith
- Facing Doubt with Faith
- Facing Illness with Faith
- Living with Unshakeable Faith
You’ll also receive these resources:
- Sermon Notes
- Sermon Transcripts
- Graphics
- Presentation Backgrounds
- Memory Verse Cards
- And more!
P.S. This is a great series to teach your people this fall – order it for Immediate Download (click here) and you can download the entire series within minutes. Or click here to secure your 7-CD Set.
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3 Ways to Help your Worship Leader Succeed (Part 1)
“I want my worship leader to succeed!”This is Jason Hatley, Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey and and Founder of www.WorshipLeaderInsights.com, and I can’t name a single pastor that I’ve met anywhere that would disagree with that statement.
After all, as goes your worship team, so goes your worship service.
Having personally coached over 125 worship leaders, I can tell you for sure: the pastor plays a vital role in the success of the worship leader.
If you want your worship leader to succeed (and I know you do), there are some things that you can do as the Pastor to help him or her do just that.
That’s what we’re going to spend the next 3 blog posts talking about. Here’s the first one:
#1 – Clear Expectations
Many worship leaders fall short because they simply do not know exactly what is expected of them. They keep busy, but they may not know:
- What is the deadline for the worship order to be done?
- Does my pastor want the service to go this way or that way?
- Is it my responsibility to ________________?
It’s frustrating for you both!
When I hire someone on my team I give that new hire a list of 30+ expectations with weekly deadlines and action steps.
I want them to know exactly what I am hiring them to DO.
Here are three quick tips for writing and communicating your expectations:
1) Be specific. The clearer you are on the front end, the less likely there will be disagreements or missteps on the back end. Don’t say, “The worship order needs to be written.” Say, “I expect YOU to write the worship order.”
2) Make it measurable. Don’t just say, “I expect you to write the worship order.” Say, “I expect you to bring the worship orders for the next two weeks to our Monday meeting.”
Those are very different statements. It’s hard to measure the first, but on Monday at that meeting you and your worship leader know if the task has been accomplished.
3) Give a deadline. Anything that you can put a deadline on… do it! Deadlines help your worship leader understand how to prioritize their work.
“I expect you to bring the worship orders for the next two weeks to our Monday meeting, to finalize this Sunday’s worship order by Wednesday at 5pm and to have copies printed and ready for the entire team before Thursday midnight.”
Now I know exactly what to do!
Have you given your worship leader a set of written expectations for the job? Make a list of 20 expectations that you have for your worship leader.
Remember, if it’s foggy in your mind, it’s a blizzard in your worship leader’s mind.
Get clear on expectations.
PS: I have a talk just like this for Worship Leaders as well. It’s much more in-depth on how they can help you succeed and it’s only available to those in my Tele-Coaching Network.
Not only that, but in the network I will spend one full year training your worship leader on how to double their personal effectiveness, give you what you need to succeed, plan worship services weeks, months, even a year in advance, double your worship team in a single day, and much more.
My next network begins on October 15 and is already 65% full. Apply at http://www.worshipleaderinsights.com/coaching.
PPS: Each month, I send out a Free Newsletter for Worship Leaders. It’s a monthly email publication that focuses on leadership, worship planning, effective worship team development and much more!
To sign up your worship leader today, visit:
http://www.worshipleaderinsights.com/newsletter
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Is There Such Thing as “Too Much Space?”
Recently I did a series of posts on the Top Three Growth Barriers that all churches face, regardless of size (click here to read), and from the feedback I’ve received it was helpful to many of you.
One question that I have gotten (and often get at live events about this) is about SPACE, the top growth barrier:
“Is there such thing as a ‘too much space’ barrier?”
In other words, while the lack of adequate worship space is an obvious limiting factor, is it possible that having too large of a space for too few people can limit your church’s growth as well?
And the answer is Yes, but…
Yes, too much space can hinder growth, but only in relatively extreme cases. Keep in mind that most people feel most comfortable in a room that’s 40-50% full.
However, when you are facing this situation (let’s say: 100 people meeting in an 800-seat school auditorium):
1) People get so spread out that they feel awkward (and lose the “corporate worship” feeling)
2) The room loses “energy” – even a Big Day can feel small if the room is too big
3) Your church can appear disconnected from reality
But there’s good news:
It’s much easier to make a large space feel small than it is to find or build more space.
With strategic use of pipe and drape, folding room dividers or seat covers, you can effectively “shrink the space” of an over-sized room to fit a crowd of just about any size.
One company we’ve used to help us make a large space feel smaller is:
They provide pipe and drape (like what’s used at conventions and trade shows) that works great to make a cavernous space feel more cozy.
Whatever method(s) you decide to use, be sure that they’re easily adjustable — because as your church grows, you need the flexibility to keep opening up more and more seats.
Have a great week!
P.S. To learn the nine most common growth barriers that churches of all sizes face AND the tools to break through them, check out The Breaking Growth Barriers Workshop – A live recording of my popular six-hour workshop. It’s available for Immediate Download or as a 5-CD Set.
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Information vs. Communication – A Saturday Quote
“The two words ‘information’ and ‘communication’ are often used interchangeably, but the signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through.”
– Sydney J. Harris, Journalist -
No-Nonsense Leadership – CLI Newsletter Rewind
Each month in the Free Church Leader Insights Newsletter, I include least one book recommendation (in addition to all of the articles, podcast training, events and more).
I pick only the best of the best of what I read and share a book that will help you lead your church more effectively.
Just in case you missed this month’s Newsletter (click here to make sure you don’t miss another one), I wanted to share the leadership book I recommended:
NO-NONSENSE LEADERSHIP
by Dave Anderson“I first listened to this book on CD, then read it twice and now our Executive Staff is studying it together – it’s that good! John Maxwell and Jim Rohn have certainly influenced Dave Anderson but he also brings a lot of insight from his own experience as a Christian leader to this fast-paced, ‘in your face’ book on leadership. If you only read his ‘takeaways’ at the end of each chapter, this book will more than pay for itself . . . and it will make you a better leader too.”
- NelsonThe Church Leader Insights Newsletter is designed to bring you the best available material on Church Growth, Evangelism, Leadership and Church Planting every month – and all you have to do is check your email!
If you don’t already have your Free Subscription, you can click this link to sign up right now.
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What are New People Experiencing at Your Church?
For all of you who have read my book Fusion or listened to The Assimilation Seminar, you know that part of the Assimilation System that I teach is emailing out a brief online survey to every First Time Guest that attends The Journey.
There are a couple of reasons behind this survey: 1) To get an idea of their first impressions and genuinely assess how we’re doing as much as possible, and 2) To reinforce the positive experience they had and hopefully prompt them to come again.
Now, not everyone is willing to respond to a survey, but when they do it often says a lot about how we’re doing as a church.
Today I wanted to share a big win for our team at The Journey… here’s a survey response we received from First Time Guest last week:
What did you notice first?
I noticed smiling faces everywhere, how organized everything was (literature, tables, etc.), and a joyful spirit in everyone I saw or spoke to. For me, it can be a little intimidating as a first time in a new church. I like it to be more of a personal process and just get a ‘feel’ for it. Some churches, with all the best intentions, can be overpowering with things like ‘receiving lines’ at the front door, name tags, escorts to a seat, asked that first timers stand up, etc. When I entered The Journey on Sunday, I didn’t feel descended upon, just welcomed.
What Did You Like Best?
I loved the great music that lead off the service – very engaging. I especially liked that the service seemed designed to be interactive (connection card, worksheet), was relative to daily life, didn’t have a judgmental tone, and wasn’t preachy.
Overall Impression?
The Journey has a wonderful atmosphere. Several times I looked around at the members and was really pleased to see that people were attentive, engaged, and just plain smiling a lot. That doesn’t happen by accident.
Wow! That’s a great response – I was able to share this with our team to celebrate the win, PLUS just the very act of completing this survey served to reinforce the positive experience that this person had in their first visit to The Journey.
How do you solicit feedback from your newcomers? What can you start doing this weekend to find out what they’re experiencing at your church?
P.S. For a step-by-step process to help First Time Guests become Fully Committed Members of your church, check out The Assimilation Seminar.
This three hour seminar has helped thousands of churches just like yours do a better job of integrating new people into the life of their church – why not you?
Click here to read more and secure your copy of The Assimilation Seminar.
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How to Use “Play Groups” to Connect People to Your Church
In Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups, Kerrick Thomas and I lay out a proven system of semester-based, free market small groups that you can implement to see 80, 90, or even 100% participation in small groups at your church (we regularly see well over 100% of our weekly attenders involved in groups).However, we also employ a very different type of group at The Journey on a regular basis:
PLAY GROUPS
Play Groups are one-time events, primarily designed for new people or a particular niche in our church.
They are what it sounds like – a chance to have some fun and get to know some other people from The Journey.
These groups are low commitment – one time only, just show up and pay your own way.
Some examples could include: going bowling, meeting up at a ball game, or simply going to see a movie together (one of my personal favorites).
We use play groups mainly during times when we have a lot of new people coming into our church who can’t get connected to a regular small group immediately (ie: in the middle of group semesters, like July or after Easter). They also serve as a pre-small group promotion strategy just before a new semester starts.
Play groups are really just fun events – anyone can attend, but we normally target our invitations to new people.
P.S. For a great primer on the Activate Small Group System and how to implement it at your church, check out The Activate Seminar.
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Be Clear About Who You (Don’t) Want to Hire
Since releasing The Staffing Workshop this summer, I’ve been blown away by the great feedback from pastors and churches all over the country who are already reaping the benefits of re-vamping their staffing processes.
One vitally important item that I talk about in the workshop is to be abundantly clear about who you want to hire for a position AND who you don’t want to hire.
This means that not only do you have to know who you’re looking for, but the ads and job listings you write must spell out your expectations so clearly that the wrong candidates won’t even bother applying.
As Jason Hatley (Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey and Founder of Worship Leader Insights) was looking to recruit some new band members recently, he put this principle into practice with this statement:
This is not a “thrown together, disorganized, cheap gear, let’s wing it and see what happens” kind of gig. Attention to detail, personal preparation and a commitment to excellence are a must. Great venue, great gear, great Church!
My hope today is that this little snippet will help you visualize the concept of being clear who you want (and don’t want).
Think about it – if you’re not a serious musician who’s willing to put in the hard work to be a part of this team… you won’t apply!
And isn’t that the point of recruiting – to find the right person?
So here’s the principle (straight from The Staffing Workshop):
Write your position descriptions or paid ads so you attract who you want and repel who you don’t want
Who are you looking for? Now, how do you plan to find them?
P.S. For the most comprehensive resource on church staffing – covering Recruiting, Hiring, Managing, and “De-hiring” – check out The Staffing Workshop.
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Three Speeches – A Saturday Quote
“There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.”
— Dale Carnegie -
Live Training Events in Your Area (Portland, OR – Richmond, VA – Atlanta, GA)
I really enjoyed my recent “Top 3 Growth Barriers Tour,” where I got to meet and interact with many of you all over the country, and it got me thinking…
Did you know that there are a number of CLI Certified Trainers that lead training events based on my content all over the country?
These are proven pastors who have learned and implemented these same principles and systems in their own churches – in addition to that, many of them have actually helped me hone and refine the content over the years in coaching networks and through their “from the frontlines” feedback.
Here are some CLI Trainer-led Events coming up in the next few weeks that you might be interested in (click each one for more info or to Register Now):
August 25 – Portland, Oregon Area
The Ignite Seminar (9am – 12 noon)
The Ministry Seminar (1pm – 4pm)
Led by Gabe KolstadSeptember 9 – Richmond, Virginia Area
The Fusion Seminar (9am – 12 noon)
The Activate Seminar (1pm – 4pm)
Led by Jamey StuartSeptember 23 – Atlanta, Georgia Area
The Activate Seminar (9am – 12noon)
The Fusion Seminar (1:30pm – 4:30pm)
Led by Kerrick Thomas and Adam BishopIf you’re within driving distance, do yourself a favor and Register Today – you’ll be glad you did!
P.S. For an ever-updated list of all upcoming CLI Events, you can always visit:
www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/events
Church Leader Insights is a bi-weekly publication sent via email that focuses on effective leadership, church growth, church planting evangelism and much more.
My Books
Ignite: How to Spark Immediate Growth in Your Church
Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups
Fusion: Integrating Newcomers into the Life of Your Church
Launch: Starting A New Church From Scratch
Maximize: How to Develop Extravagant Givers in Your Church
(Coming in October, Pre-Order Now)
The Generosity Ladder: Your Next Step to Financial Peace
(Coming in October, Pre-Order Now)
