-
Vacation Reads - A Little Fiction is a Good Thing
I’ve been on vacation most of this past week (I interrupted my vacation for one day on Wednesday to kick-off a new Tampa Coaching network but more on that later). One of the ways I relax on vacation is through reading. This time, in addition to my usual non-fiction list, I decided to throw in some fiction books - particularly some from the Mystery category (my favorite!). So here are a few that I recently read:
(Disclaimer: Please don’t be legalistic, I am not endorsing everything in these books…you’ve been warned):
.
.
.
.
.
.
Back to vacation - only four more days before we head back to the city!
Nelson
P.S. I’m always looking for new fiction authors - if you have any recommendations just let me know!
-
Lessons Learned From Rick Warren - Lesson #4
Lesson #4 - Don’t Be Afraid To Fail
Rick used to tell us, “If you aren’t failing at least once a day, you aren’t trying hard enough.” I’ve heard Woody Allen put it like this, “If you don’t fail now and again, it’s a sign you are playing it safe.” Notice that the difference between Rick and Woody comes in the frequency of failure. Rick said “once a day!” That’s a lot more failing than “now and again.” But both of these successful men, from completely different walks of life, understand the importance of this universal principle – Failure begets success. The more often you fail at something new, the more you are growing.
I like to tell my staff, “I expect you to fail at something new every day.” Now, if they are failing at the same thing every day, we have a problem. But if they are actually failing at something new every day, I just might promote them. Why? Because that’s evidence that they are pushing themselves outside of their comfort zones. They are proving their willingness to take on new challenges.
What have you failed at today? What did you fail at yesterday? If you can’t think of anything, maybe it’s time to stretch yourself a little. Do something new. Push past what you know. Try harder than you’ve ever tried. Go ahead… fail! When you do, you will be putting yourself on the path to great effectiveness and success.
- Nelson
-
Lessons Learned From Rick Warren - Lesson #3
Lesson #3 - You Are Blessed To Be A Blessing
Rick taught me The Principle of Generosity. This principle states that you are blessed to be a blessing. God wants to work through you. He wants the blessings He pours into your life and ministry to flow out of you and bless others. Picture a living river, being fed from the source and giving out to the tributaries. If you just take God’s blessings for yourself and never pass them along, you become more like a stagnant pond.
Not only does Rick teach this principle, he models it. During my years at Saddleback, I witnessed his extraordinary generosity many times over. He was constantly giving away books and materials to pastors who couldn’t afford to buy them. He was always pouring free stuff into the community. When we had conferences, he made sure that price didn’t keep pastors who needed the information from being able to be there – We always sold thousands of tickets to people who could legitimately pay and also gave away thousands to those who couldn’t.
I’ve really tried to take this principle to heart. Through Church Leader Insights, I have made intentional efforts to model generosity. God has blessed me, The Journey and CLI greatly, so it is my responsibility to let that flow through me and back out to you. That’s why we give away almost $7000 worth of free materials every week to church planters. We recently gave away more than $50,000 worth of Evangelism Seminars, and our free reports are packed with information we could sell but would rather give away. And you know what? God continues to bless us even more. I’ve learned that you can never out-give God. This kind of mindset has exponential results. I understand and model The Principle of Generosity because of Rick. Hopefully, in some small way, you will take to heart and model The Principle of Generosity because of me. Who will learn The Principle of Generosity because of you?
Every day, ask yourself: “How can I use my blessings to bless others?” Just imagine the ways God would move if we all committed to being flowing rivers.
- Nelson
P.S. - Speaking of giving away free stuff, if you haven’t had a chance to download the free “Maximizing Summer” special report yet just click here to get it! The information will really help you grow through the summer and set yourself up to have great momentum in the fall!
-
How to Overcome the Barriers to Baptism
Did you know that there are barriers to people being baptized? It’s true and that’s the topic of this months free Church Leader Insights Podcast. I’m particularly proud of this podcast. And I can say that without one once of arrogance as….I’m not even on this month’s podcast! Instead, Roy hosts Bob Franquiz for this insightful and practical podcast.
LISTEN TO BARRIERS TO BAPTISM PODCAST RIGHT NOW
I believe that baptism is the most new testament way of going public with your faith. Yet, a lot of people hold off on the decision to be baptized. Why? That’s what Bob Franquiz discusses in this new podcast. Bob is a three time alumni of my coaching networks, a certified CLI traniner (he’s doing a Fusion event in Connecticut soon) and the Pastor of Calvary Fellowship in Miami Lakes, FL. My huge thanks to Bob for sharing his insights!
LISTEN TO BARRIERS TO BAPTISM PODCAST RIGHT NOW
Bob is also one of the guys who pushed me to enter the blog world (I’m grateful, I think). He was blogging back before it was cool. Here’s a few of my favorite posts from his blog:
6 Years Later: Lessons from Church Planting
What Is Deep? What is Shallow?
I hope you enjoy the podcast! If you have suggestions for future topics, just let me know by commenting below or using the Ask Nelson button on the right —–>
Nelson
P.S. Why not take a moment right now and subscribe to our free podcast using iTunes or your favorite MP3 tool. This way you’ll never miss an issue! Here’s the step by step directions on how to subscribe to the Church Leader Insights Podcast
-
Lessons Learned From Rick Warren - Lesson #2
Lesson #2: Evangelism Must Always Be Our Priority
When I was working at Saddleback Church with Rick Warren, I heard him say time and time again, “As long as there is one unchurched person in the Saddleback Valley, we must keep reaching out as a church.”
Rick understands the importance of making evangelism a priority, or as I like to say, the importance of “staying outwardly focused.” It’s all too easy for us to get busy with the demands that direct our days and let the unchurched people who fill our communities slip to the backburner. But those people are the very reason our churches exist! If we don’t intentionally make it a priority to reach them, we are doing them a disservice and falling short of our responsibility to God.
As you think about how you can make evangelism a priority in your church, remember that evangelism is never an expense – It’s always an investment. Every dime you spend to reach a new person is an investment in God’s kingdom. Every bottle of water or pack of gum you hand out as part of a servant evangelism project is an investment. Every postcard you mail to promote a new series is an investment. God has commissioned us to take His truth to the corners of the earth, and that commission starts in our own neighborhoods and communities.
I challenge you to insert the name of your community into Rick’s quote. Write it out and put it on your desk, so that your focus comes back to local evangelism every day…
“As long as there is one unchurched person in _________________________, we must keep reaching out as a church.”
- Nelson
P.S. - Reaching out to ’serve others’ is always a sure way to make an impact. Click here see how one church made a big statement in their community by helping people offset outrageous gas prices. Remember, it’s an investment. BTW, Mike McGown, the pastor of the church featured in the article, is a coaching alumni who is doing a great job in Houston, TX!
-
Lessons Learned From Rick Warren
Last week, I had the opportunity to spend some time with my friend and former boss, Rick Warren. Being back in the zone with Rick made me start reflecting on some of the key things that he has taught me over the years– both when I was at Saddleback and since starting The Journey. This week, I’m going to pass some of those great lessons along to you, in a new blog series called, “Lessons Learned From Rick Warren.”
Lesson #1: Pastors change the world.
As pastors, you and I have much more influence than we may realize. When we stand up to teach, we have the opportunity to speak into people’s lives in a way that no other community leaders can. Just think about it – Government leaders may have influence over laws and political issues, but not over individual hearts. Business leaders may have power in their area of expertise, but they don’t have the opportunity to speak truth to many people. And if they did, who knows what that “truth” would be? You and I, on the other hand, are uniquely positioned to stand on God’s Word and instill His truths into the people in our churches, in a way that can change them completely.
So, you and I are God’s catalyst for changing the world. It works like this – Change a few individuals and you can change a group. Change a group (an entire local church) and you can change a community. Change a community and you can change a city. Change a city and you can change a nation. Change a nation and you can change the world!
As you go through your daily routines and rigors of ministry, work with purpose! You have a big calling… The calling to change the world one person at a time!
- Nelson
P.S. - Check back tomorrow for the second “Lesson Learned From Rick Warren.” Here’s a teaser: It will help you reach more people!
-
Free Report - How to Maximize Summer
A few days ago I wrote about the Myth of the Summer Slump and argued that summer is the perfect time to reach new people and to creatively connect people to your church. I proposed that you have to learn to do one of two things:
Plant in the summer or beg in the fall!
The response to this post has been incredible with so many people asking for more! In response, our team went to work and we have produced a brand new report for you (my huge thanks to Roy and Jennifer!).
DOWNLOAD THE MAXIMIZING SUMMER REPORT HERE
In this new 15 page report, you’ll learn:
- How to experience more first time guests during the summer months than ever before
- How to design creative outreaches that will take your evangelism to the next level
- How to design creative sermons that draw in more people during the summer
- How to multiply your impact by connecting summer events to your summer sermons
- How to connect more new people through summer small groups
- How to use the summer to develop new small group leaders
- How to use the summer to connect people in small groups that would not previously join a group
DOWNLOAD THE MAXIMIZING SUMMER REPORT HERE
I can’t wait to hear your feedback. You can post comments below or contact me using the “Ask Nelson” button on the right. If you missed the original post, you can read “The Myth of the Summer Slump” by clicking here. Oh, one more thing - if you find this report helpful will you share it with others or direct people to this post? Thanks in advance!
Happy Summer!!
Nelson
P.S. If you missed my earlier report entitled Healthy Systems, Healthy Church then you can join the 2000+ others who have downloaded it by Clicking Here to Download Healthy Systems, Healthy Church Report.
-
Happy Memorial Day
On this day when we pause to honor the men and women who have given their lives in military service, take a few minutes to think about this quote:“THERE ARE RISKS AND COSTS TO A PLAN OF ACTION, BUT THEY ARE FAR LESS THAN THE LONG-RANGE RISKS AND COSTS OF COMFORTABLE INACTION.”
— John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States
This truth applies to every area of our lives - and to every area of our churches. As you rest and rejuvenate today, think about where you are leaning toward comfortable inaction and what you need to do to get ready for a summer of effective ACTION!
- Nelson
-
Bring Everyone Together on Occassion
Today we are doing one big combined worship service at The Journey. When you have multiple services and especially when you have multiple locations, I think its important 2 or 3 times a year to bring everyone together for one big service. This does several things:
- It allows you to communicate vision to everyone at once
- It allows the attendees to see the ‘entire church.’
- It rewards your staff (one service is easier than six).
- It gives momentum
- It allows for extras (we offer an optional pre-service Worship Concert)
- It builds connectivity (some of the smaller services or new locations really feel like they are part of something big)
- It’s exciting to see everyone in one place
In addition to Memorial Day, I’ve found that the Sunday closest to July 4th is another good time for a combined service. We sometimes do one the first Sunday of the year too, depending on how the calendar falls. While we usually ‘take off’ the weekend after Christmas, many people tell me that’s a great time for a combined service. When would be a good time for you to bring everyone together?
Whatever services you are having today I hope they are great!
Nelson
-
Free Worship Leader Webinar on June 4, 2008
Jas
on Hatley, The Journey’s Pastor of Worship Arts, is doing a free Webinar on Wednesday, June 4 on the Top 3 Worship Leader Challenges. I’ve heard him teach this live and I highly recommend it. You can sign up for The Top 3 Worship Leader Challenges Webinar here.Here’s how Jason describes it:
Join us in this live WEBINAR without ever having to leave your office or home! Webinar participants will need a phone and a computer with Internet access to participate.
Every Worship Leader faces the challenges of planning creative and impactful worship services, working seamlessly with the Lead Pastor, and developing the leadership skills to lead their ministries effectively both now and in the future.
Join Jason Hatley for this first-ever Worship Leader Insights Webinar, (Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey Church in New York City) as he teaches proven lessons on how to overcome the Top 3 challenges that Worship Leaders face, including…
• How to develop a personal growth plan to ensure leadership effectiveness at the highest level
• How to Maximize the Pastor / Worship Pastor relationship
• How to plan life-transforming worship services each week
• Plus much more!You can sign up for The Top 3 Worship Leader Challenges Webinar here.
-
The Last Lecture - Time Management Bonus
If there’s anyone out there who understands the 34 Time Management Principles I lay out in my new resource it is Randy Pausch, who is dying from pancreatic cancer. Randy is a Carnegie Mellon Professor who delivered what he called ‘the last lecture‘ on Sept 18, 2007 and it has turned into a phenomena on YouTube and is now captured in his new book.
Check out his website for even more resources and to download the PPT. Thanks for all the incredible positive feedback on my new Time Management for Busy Pastors resource and I’m glad you enjoyed the Time Management posts this week.
Nelson
-
Automate Automate: Time Management Part 3 of 3
I love the late night infomercial where the guy puts the chicken on the iron stick, places it in the revolving oven, turns the dial says, “Set it and forget it!“
That’s a great time management tip! And it leads us to our final principle of the week…
Time Management Principle #3: AUTOMATE AUTOMATE
What are you spending time on right now that you could automate so that you do it once and then you ’set it and forget it?‘
I first learned this lesson thanks to bill paying. I used to spend an hour or more each month paying bills that stacked up on top of my computer monitor (that’s what people had before we had laptops). One day, I was reading a book by David Bach (one of my favorite financial writers) and he mentioned that most utility companies would regulate your bill so that you could pay the same amount each month. His point was on budgeting, but it struck a time management nerve with me.
If you could predict how much your bills would be each month, you could pay them automatically by setting up an auto-withdrawal or having your bank send over a check. (Another time management short cut - I can send a check online much faster than I can write one).
I currently auto-pay everything. . . from my monthly bills to my tithe (and when God blesses me I have my bank send another check as an offering). This has saved me at least two hours per month.
But I’ve gone beyond bills. I am constantly looking for things to automate. I have automated my Mac by having it automatically open the three programs I use most when it powers up. I have automated my cell phone voice mail by having voice messages automatically sent to me as text messages. I have automated prescriptions. . . the website for my pharmacy allows me to set-up for refills to be automatically sent (I love it!). Same thing for my daily wear contacts. And for my . . . well, you get the point.
If I can automate it, I will. Set it and forget it!
What could you automate in your life that would save you a ton of time? It may take a few extra minutes on the front end to set it up but it will save you hours each month in the future.
Nelson
P.S. You can find 33 other time management principles in my newest resource. Click here to order Time Management for Busy PastorsP.P.S. I even automated this blog post! I wrote all three of these time management posts in one sitting (another time management practice: group like projects) and then set them to ‘go live’ each morning. Here are the previous two in case you missed one:
What the BEST Use of My Time: Time Management Part 2 of 3
Living Off Peak: Time Management Part 1 of 3 -
What’s the BEST Use of My Time: Time Management Part 2 of 3
Here’s time management principle #2:
Always ask: WHAT’S THE BEST USE OF MY TIME RIGHT NOW?
This nine word question can change everything. When you get up in the morning, ask: What’s the BEST use of my time right now? (Devotions anyone?)
When you first arrive in the office, ask: What’s the best use of my time right now? This question should help you focus on your most important project and get it done straight away.
When it’s date night with your spouse, ask: What’s the best use of my time right now? (Hint: Put away the iphone and give your spouse your undivided attention.)
Get the idea? For me, this question has become a prayer. I’m constantly asking God to show me: What’s the best use of my time right now? This gives me focus and helps me prioritize.
In real estate, they will often say that the value of a property is determined by ‘its highest and best use.’ Its the same way your time. The value of your time is measured by ‘its highest and best use.’ Make the decision this week to make the BEST use of your time on every occasion!
Nelson
P.S. You will discover 33 other time management principles in my newest resource. Click here to order Time Management for Busy Pastors
Previously:
Living Off Peak: Time Management Part 1 of 3 -
Living Off Peak: Time Management Part 1 of 3
I’m very excited to let you know that my new Time Management Resource is being released today! This resource has pre-sold
better than any other we’ve ever offered. In honor of this big release, I’ll be doing a four-part time management “blog series” this week.Each day, between now and Friday, I will unpack a time management principle that has greatly impacted my life. Here’s the first one:
LEARN TO LIVE OFF PEAK
A couple of weeks ago, I violated this principle. I went shopping for a Mother’s Day gift on the Friday before Mother’s Day. Over lunch, I made my way from my office on W44th to Macy’s (the World’s Largest Department store - I do love living in NYC) down on W 34th St.
It was packed! What should have been a nice 30 - 45minute shopping experience turned into an hour and a half ordeal.
Living Off Peak means that when everyone else is doing a particular ’something’ you are doing ’something else.’ Since ‘everyone’ shops on the Friday before Mother’s day, you (and I!) should shop the week before. Make sense?
This means you:
- Never go to the post office or bank at lunch
- You avoid the DMV at the first of the month and the end of the month
On the flip side, it means you:
- Take the first doctor’s appointment of the morning
- Take the mid-morning or noon flight on Monday (to avoid the Monday AM rush)
- Arrive at the office before everyone else (to avoid the traffic and get in some uninterrupted work time!)
Once you start practicing this principle you will find dozens of ways to apply it. As church leaders there are a lot of things that we do not have control over, but one thing we can all do is learn to live off peak. This one principle probably saves me 3 - 4 hours per week.
Nelson
P.S. You will discover 33 other time management principles in my new resource. Click here to order Time Management for Busy Pastors
-
Make Progress - Be Unreasonable
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends upon the unreasonable man.”
– George Bernard Shaw, Playwright -
Monday Proflections May 18 2008
This post is earlier than normal because I have a 6:05am flight into Orange County (I hate getting up early but I love getting an early start and avoiding the LaGuardia delays!). This is a big week for Church Leader Insights as Roy is rolling out my NEW Time Management for Busy Pastors resource (no link yet, watch your email on Tuesday) and a fun week for me as I’m off to be with my former boss Rick Warren and a ton of my friends from the Purpose Driven Community. Here’s a look at the week ahead:
Monday - Kerrick and I are flying to Orange County. We are working on summer sermons on the plane (should be fun) and then we head to LA for some meetings and to catch a taping of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (my favorite of the late night shows - here’s one reason why).
Tuesday - Watch your email for my new Time Management for Busy Pastors resource. We offered a presale to our key clients last week and the response was overwhelmingly positive! I’ll be doing a 4 Part Series on Time Management here at the blog starting tomorrow to coincide with the release. I’ll be at the PD Community Gathering at Saddleback Church thru Thursday - any one else attending? Let’s definitely connect.
Wednesday - I’m teaching at the PD Community Gathering today. I’ll be teaching on ‘discipleship’ and I’m sure I’ll find a way to work in my new book on small groups (ha!).
Thursday - Rick is teaching his latest insights on the P.E.A.C.E plan at the ‘non-conference’ today. I can’t wait. Later I’ll catch a midnight flight to Florida where I’ll be spending some open time with Kelley and Alexander (I hate midnight flights but I love having the extra day of vacation!).
Friday/Saturday - I’ll be out of touch for a few days on vacation but I’ve got some great posts scheduled for the blog, but more on that later.
Sunday - We are doing ONE BIG service this Sunday with everyone from Brooklyn, Jersey City and Manhattan coming together for one big worship service. It begins with a preservice Worship Concert by Jason and his team and ends with Kerrick teaching on The Art of Gratefulness. If you are dong multiple services or multi-site, its good to bring everyone together in one big place a few times a year.
Off to the security line and then to fight with Kerrick over the aisle seat, lets hope the plane isn’t too full!
Nelson
P.S. If you still haven’t downloading my “Maximizing Summer” resource for FREE, there’s still time. Click here to find out how to get “Maximzing Summer” for free.
-
Co-Teaching A Message
Today I am co-teaching Message # 3 of our Tongue Pierced series with Kerrick. This is the first time we have co-taught together in quite a while, although before we went multi-site we used to do it quite a bit.
The #1 question we get about co-teaching is ‘how does it work?‘. This Sunday it works this way: I’m doing the first 15min of the message, Kerrick will do the next 10min and I’ll come back and wrap it up. Sometimes we do half and half but in general its good to have the person who ’starts’ the message to ‘conclude’ the message, as it gives greater symmetry to the entire message.
Co-teaching a message with someone has its advantages:
- Multiple voices keep people more interested
- Multiple voices connect with a broader audience
- Less physically taxing that doing a message alone (especially when you are doing four in a row!)
- greater creativity
- more fun doing a message togetherI’ve found that you can’t just co-teach with one. In general their style has to be 65% similar to yours (I talk pretty fast so they have to be comfortable talking fast too).
Finally, co-teaching is a great way to raise up a new teacher or to introduce a new teacher to your congregation.
I’m sure I’ll address this issue again in the future, but if you have any questions just comment below.
Off to the 10am service.
Nelson
P.S. Another key to effective co-teaching is to have your preaching calendar done way in advance so you have plenty of time to prepare to teach together.
-
The Breakthrough Company - Book Recommendation
Each month in the Church Leader Insights newsletter I recommend two books. This month one of the books was:
THE BREAKTHROUGH COMPANY
How Everyday Companies Become Extraordinary Performers
by Keith R. McFarlandThere are two diagrams in the book that have changed my leadership thinking forever. One is a diagram that shows how to move from start-up to mature organization and the other is a ladder that shows how your leadership style must develop as the organization (read: church) grows. In many ways this book is a ‘Good-To-Great-for-smaller-companies’ but the parallels to church leadership are just as relevant as those from Jim Collins.
Here’s just one quote:
‘However good you are—or think you are—you can’t do it alone. Learn how to surround your company with networks of outside resources, aka ‘scaffolding,’ and how to enlist the aid of ‘insultants’—people who are willing to question a firm’s existing assumptions and ways of doing business.’
Nelson Searcy
P.S. If you aren’t getting my free newsletter you are missing out on reviews/recommendations like this one plus six key articles each month to help you lead better. You can sign-up for The Church Leader Insights Newsletter Here
-
The Myth of the Summer Slump
MYTH: Memorial Day is right around the corner. You know what that means… Low attendance. People head for the beach, the lake, or the kiddie pool in the backyard and leave you preaching to empty rows. Oh well, that’s the way the summer goes. Just hold on and count the days until fall. There’s not much you can do.
REALITY: Memorial Day is right around the corner. This is the perfect time to grow your church to the next level!
You have one week until summer (unofficially) begins. Are you ready?
At The Journey, we have grown every summer since our start in 2002. How? By choosing to take advantage of the freedom summer gives us to be creative! We have come to understand that summer is the perfect time to connect new attenders with the church, through creative outreach, creative messages, and creative small groups. So, while all of our regulars do their summer sunning, we are keeping our attendance consistent.
Just think about the effects of this approach when fall hits – All of your regular attenders will get back on track and all of the new people you started assimilating over the summer will be truly connected and ready to go deeper… That means a huge fall growth spurt! That means momentum! That means more people headed towards becoming fully developing followers of Jesus!
Or you can sit by the pool and wait for the leaves to start turning… The choice is yours, but here is my suggestion:
Plant this summer so you can reap the harvest in the fall!
- Nelson
P.S. – To learn more about how to creatively connect newcomers this summer, download our Maximizing Summer MP3 - use this code to get it for FREE: maxsummer
(Note: Coupon Expires 6/15/08) -
Taking Off The Mask
Most pastors want to be perfect. But we can’t be. So what do we do instead? We try to make people think we are perfect. We put on the mask of perfection and go about our day, never letting anyone get too close. Because, if they did, they might see that we are actually (gasp) human. I hope no one minds if I quote Jim Morrison…
“That’s what real love amounts to – letting a person be what he really is… You get to love your pretense. We are locked in an image, an act. The most important freedom is to be who you really are.” – Jim Morrison
I would add that the most important freedom is to be who you are in Jesus. Thanks to what He has done, we don’t have to walk around pretending to have it all together. The people in our churches don’t want to see our act. They aren’t looking for a performance. They want and need to see leaders who are real people, complete with imperfections, transformed by and walking in grace.
Now, don’t misunderstand me. I am not advocating that we air our dirty laundry for the world to see. I am simply saying that we don’t have to spend our days pretending to be something we are not. We don’t have to be perfect. We don’t have to keep people at arm’s length so that they won’t see the chips in our armor. Some of us need to work on being ourselves, authentically, all the time, no matter who we are with or what the circumstances. Let’s start leaving the mask at home. There is truly great freedom – and great love – in being every ounce of who God has created us to be for this moment in time.
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory…” – Paul (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)
Archive for May, 2008
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
Activate: A Totally New Approach to Small Groups
