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Monday Proflections - June 30, 2008
It’s the week of July 4th and a vacation time for many people. I’m even taking a few days later in the week so it’s a pretty relaxed week, but here’s what’s going on that may be of interest to you:
Monday - In our various staff meetings today, we are continuing our discussion of ‘how to wow’ - I hope to blog on some of the more interesting ideas soon.
Tuesday - We generally have 3 ‘church systems’ meetings on Tuesday - each one no more than an hour. First one up is Assimilation, where we discuss how the system is running and measure our effectiveness. Second is Evangelism, and the final one is Ministry/volunteers. Three meetings may sound like a lot but actually consolidating all discussions about these BIG areas into three one hour meetings each week saves a ton of time.
Wednesday - I’m off to visit my parents in NC today. When my dad turned 70 five years ago, I made a commitment to never miss his birthday (June 10). This year, his schedule didn’t allow for a visit on June 10 so I’m hanging with him over the fourth (I think he’s busier in retirement than he was when he worked full-time. I hope to follow that pattern too).
Thursday - While I’m in NC, I’ll also be visiting one of my best friends in the world. Check out his blog here.
Friday - Happy Independence Day! Watch your email for a BIG July 4th Special from Church Leader Insights - all downloads will be on sale for $10. Why? It’s our way of saying thank you being part of the CLI family.
Saturday - Heading back to the city and doing some final prep for Sunday. No evening services tomorrow in Manhattan so I’ll only be preaching three times. We will sometimes cancel the evening services over a holiday weekend (July 4th, Thanksgiving, etc.) as a way to reward our staff and volunteers.
Have a great week! I’ll see you back here tomorrow - I’m very excited about this week’s blog posts.
Nelson
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The Power of Sunday
Here’s what I read every Sunday morning:
The Power of Sunday
Sunday is . . . game day . . . impact time . . . evangelism hour . . .resurrection day
. . .prime time . . . focal point . . . the super bowl, world cup and world series all rolled in one! Sunday matters! THIS Sunday Matters!I love SUNDAY! I’m teaching live in the first three services in Manhattan this morning and then tagging Kerrick in to teach tonight. Elliott is teaching live in Brooklyn and I’ll be on the big screen in Jersey City. I can’t wait!
Hope you have a great Sunday!
Nelson
P.S. The quote above is from my latest church system seminar called The Worship Planning Seminar.
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How to Overcome Short Term Failures - A Saturday Quote
“You must have long-term goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-term failures.”
– Charles C. Noble -
Show Me The Money
Friday is a great day to step back and take stock of your life… to look back over what you’ve accomplished during the week and evaluate some things… to think a little more deeply and ask yourself questions like, “Am I in the right place? Doing the right thing? Am I serving with joy?” Or how about this question that I recently stumbled across on another blog (paraphrasing):
How much money would it take for you to walk away from your current ministry position?
Think about it. If a multi-millionaire appeared in front of you right now and said, “Here’s a blank check. How much money will it take for me to get you to leave your ministry,” what would you say? How high would that number be? Would it be high at all?
Your answer to this question is more revealing than you may realize. It can give you great insight into your fit for your current ministry, your passion for the work God is doing where you are and your fulfillment of your calling. If you know that you are exactly where God wants you, no amount of money should be able to tempt you away. If you are passionate about the work that God is doing through your ministry, that multi-millionaire couldn’t write a big enough check. (Unless, of course, he was writing it as an offering!)
Some of you may be surprised that you have a hard time answering this question. If that’s the case, let this exercise prompt you to do some soul-searching. Maybe you need to re-evaluate the way you have been spending your days. If you can admit that you would walk away from what you are doing for more money, spend some time thinking and praying about whether or not you are truly following God’s call on your life.
When you know that you are fulfilling God’s purpose, no amount of money can come close to equaling what God is doing through you and your church!
- Nelson
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Leadership Lessons… from Zig Ziglar
Zig Ziglar may seem like an unusual addition to this Leadership Lessons mini-series. After all, he is a sales guy - a true businessman. We are not in business, much less in sales. But Zig Ziglar operates on principles that we all believe in. I have learned quite a bit from him and so can you. Many of the ideas he focuses on transcend categorization. They are just good, strong tenets for bettering yourself and anything you are part of - including your church!
Here’s a list of action steps Zig Ziglar has published on Keeping the Right Attitude that we should take to heart every day (taken from Ziglar on Selling, pp. 334 to 336):
- Accept the fact that you CAN control your attitude.
- Make the commitment to do whatever is necessary to take control of your attitude.
- Evaluate each book, television program, movie and video before you start reading or viewing it with a question: “Is this going to help me in my personal, family, or business life, or is there a better use I could make of this time?”
- Learn one new word each day. In less than five minutes per day, you can get amazing results.
- Read something of value to you personally and professionally for at least twenty minutes every day.
- Turn your car into the University of the Automobile (with tapes and cds that can help you grow).
- Choose your associates carefully.
I will let this list stand for itself. Those of you who know me well have heard me talk about many of these principles in the past. Pay special attention to the one about making good use of your time and reading every day!
That wraps up our Leadership Lessons mini-series, but don’t let it be the end of studying great leaders for you. Those who have come before have a lot to teach us, if we will just take a few minutes and tune in!
-Nelson
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Leadership Lessons… from Dale Carnegie
How much time do you spend with great leaders? I suggest that you spend at least an hour or so a day learning from them, however you can (through books, tapes, seminars, etc.) That’s why I’m doing this “Leadership Lessons” blog mini-series this week. I want to encourage you to be proactive about learning from some of the strongest leaders of our time. Hopefully, you’ll use these blogs as a jumping off point for your own study of influential leaders and their leadership principles.
Today, let’s take a look at what Dale Carnegie has to say about Listening to Learn:
“The secret of influencing people lies not so much in being a good talker as in being a good listener. Most people trying to win others to their way of thinking do too much talking themselves. Let the other people talk themselves out. Listen patiently and with an open mind. Be sincere about it. Encourage them to express their ideas fully. They will never forget it. And you will learn a thing or two. Nobody is more persuasive than a good listener.”
- Dale Carnegie (The Leader In You, pp. 92-93)
This is great advice for those of us who talk for a living. We get into the habit of using our words to persuade people, when really we would do well to step back and listen to what others have to say. Interestingly, when you let other people talk and you truly listen, you gain much more influence over them than you realize. If you are willing to hear them out, even if you don’t agree, you earn their respect and trust. Take a few minutes today to think about how well you listen to those around you. Are you doing all the talking or are you listening to your staff, your members, your family? Remember, the best leaders are the best listeners.
- Nelson
P.S. - If you want to spend some time reading Dale Carnegie, I suggest How to Win Friends and Influence People, The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking and The Leader In You.
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Leadership Lessons… from Stephen Covey
For the next few days, I’m going to be doing a blog “mini-series” to highlight some of the important truths I’ve taken away from the time I’ve spent studying great leaders - namely, Stephen Covey, Dale Carnegie and Zig Ziglar. All three of these men have a lot they can teach us about being effective with people. And let’s face it: If we aren’t effective with people, we aren’t effective! Let’s get started today by taking a look at what Stephen Covey says about learning to Synergize:
“As a principle-centered leader, effective delegation takes emotional courage as you allow to one degree or another, others to make mistakes on your time, money and good name. This courage consists of patience, self-control, faith in the potential of others and respect for individual differences. Effective delegation must be two-way: responsibility given, responsibility received.” - The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (pp.171 -179)You’ve probably heard me talk about lone-ranger leadership before… So many of us - especially lead pastors - want to do everything ourselves. If we do ever get to the point of trying to delegate, we usually want to keep a pretty high level of control over the things we put others in charge of. But look at what Stephen Covey is telling us here - to create synergy and to raise up leaders, we have to be willing to hand over the responsibility for what we are delegating. We can’t expect those we are calling on to take responsibility for what we are asking them to do if we refuse to let go of the reigns ourselves. You have to trust your people, which really does take courage. But as you truly give responsibility, they will receive that responsibility and impress you with their success. Don’t deny others the chance to step into deeper levels of responsibility. The synergy that results will take you much higher than your lone-ranger leadership could ever take you on its own.
- Nelson
P.S. - If you haven’t read Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, I HIGHLY recommend that you do!
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Monday Proflections - July 23, 2008
I’m looking forward to another great week here in the greatest city in the world:
Monday - Today is staff and worship planning meetings. One exercise we are doing today as a staff is asking the question “How do we WOW people when they first walk into church on Sunday?” I’m looking forward to this brainstorming meeting - I’ll post the ideas later in the week.
Tuesday - Watch your CLI email as we are introducing The New Testament Challenge Campaign Kit today. This is unlike any resource we’ve ever done - it’s a full campaign to lead your people to read and study the New Testament in 3 months. Includes everything you need for Sunday services and small groups.
Wednesday - My day off. A big secret about NYC is the quality of the beaches. Long Island here I come (I’ll be the guy with the three books -ha!).
Thursday - I’m interviewing some prospective staff members today (seems like I’m always recruiting! In fact, we have a number of opportunities so are you looking to join our staff? Seriously, send me some info with your thoughts on what you are good at.). I’ll be praying a lot on Thursday . . . not only because of the interviews but because I have a dentist appointment in the afternoon (does anyone else hate the dentist?!).
Friday - Message run thru for Sunday’s sermon. My goal is to preach Sunday’s message at least once before Sunday.
Saturday - I’ll be working most of the day but heading out a little early to take Alexander to the Nassau Coliseum Fair . . . nothing I love more than watching my son have fun!
I’m also very excited about a series of posts that we are doing this week on the blog - so check back each day, it will be with your time.
Have a great week!
Nelson
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Voicemail to Text Mail: Ask Nelson Reply
Received this question from David Henderson, Pastor of Eagle’s Landing Church in Port Richey, FL.
“In a recent Time Management post you mentioned that you have automated your cell phone voice mail ‘by having voice messages automatically sent to me as text messages.’ How are you doing this?”
Thanks David! Here’s two websites that do this for you:
www.YouMail.com - their conversion of voice mails to text message is almost instantaneous but its not 100% accurate since its still in beta and is done by a computer, not an actual human. They also will send your voicemails to you as an email. This is the service I currently use. The only charges (at the time of this post) comes from the ‘call forward’ feature on your cell phone.
www.spinvox.com - this is a great service too but doesn’t work with all phone carriers. I used them before YouMail and there are some great advantages. Very accurate.
Hope this helps! For more, use google to search “voice mail to text message.”
If you have a question, please use the Ask Nelson button on the right!
Your friend,
Nelson
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Character and Reputation
“Character is like a tree, and reputation is like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” — Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States
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Activate Hits Bookstores!
My latest book (co-authored with Kerrick) hits bookstores today! I’m very excited about this new book on small groups. The book has been available on-line for a few weeks and is doing great. In fact, I still think Amazon.com is the best place to purchase the book.
The goal of the book is to help you build a small groups system that motivates 100% Adult
Participation. We’ve been using these principles here in NYC for the last 6 years and regularly see 110% of our adults in small groups. In addition, I’ve seen similar results with several dozen churches that I have coached through the same process.Kerrick and I hope you find this book helpful and beneficial (especially for those of you who have struggled with groups in the past).
And if you’ve already read the book, I hope you’ll post a review on Amazon.com (they really do make a difference).
Your friend,
Nelson
P.S. If you have small group questions, use the Ask Nelson button on the right - I plan to answer a ton of small group questions in the blog shortly.
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Summer Small Groups - Are They Worth It?
This week, our summer growth groups kick-off at The Journey. So far, over 90% of our adults are in a summer group. We should settle in at around 105% participation this summer - a lot of people will wait until this week to join a group. (Our goal is always 100% of our adults in a small group . . . measured against weekend attendance).
For the next few days, you can see an example of how we do online sign-ups for groups by click here (I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t fill out the form, but feel free to steal anything you like).One of the big questions we get about our semester-based small groups system has to do with summer groups. A lot of people question whether summer groups are necessary at all.
I know where this thinking comes from… Summer groups are usually ‘flat’ in attendance compared with the spring and fall semesters. In fact, we’ve thought long and hard about skipping a summer semester but each year we continue to push summer groups.
Here’s why we keep doing summer groups:
- Summer allows for a lot of creative groups that will attract new people (bible studies in the park, fitness groups, bring your kids groups, bbq/cook out groups, etc.)
- Summer is the perfect time for new group leaders to get their feet wet (this summer almost 50% of our group leaders are new!)
- Summer is a great time for returning group leaders to take some time off. We ‘force’ our group leaders to take one semester off a year to prevent burnout. I’d rather them take the summer off since the spring and fall are the times when we need as many groups as possible.
- Summer is a great time for many people to join a group who otherwise have busy fall/spring schedules
- Spiritual growth shouldn’t stop just because it’s hot outside
Hope this helps answer your question about summer groups. If you have more questions just use the Ask Nelson button on the right or post them below. I’ll answer as many as possible.
Nelson
P.S. For more on the complete Groups system we use to attract 100% of our adult attendance to groups, check out my brand new book Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups.
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Little Things Don’t Mean a Lot - They Mean Everything
I went to McDonalds recently . . . because I got a coupon in an Amazon.com order for a free Southern Style Chicken Sandwich. I ordered my sandwich, a small fry and a small soda. The total came to $3.47 - I was a happy camper. I can’t remember the last time I ate lunch for under $3.50!
About two bites into my ‘Chick-Fil-A-look-a-like’ sandwich I glanced at the receipt. And that’s when I noticed it:
Eat-In Tax….. 0.25
I was a charged a QUARTER for eating my meal in the restaurant where I ordered it. I was no longer a happy camper.
Now, before you think this must be a ‘New York City’ thing, I want you to know that this happened outside NYC . . . in a standard suburban McDonalds.
The issue was not the actual 25 cents . . . The issue was not ‘tax’ as I don’t mind paying any legitimate tax (render under Caesar and all that)… The issue was that McDonald’s was charging me a hidden fee to eat the meal I purchased from them on their premises.
Here’s the point: The issue wasn’t the quarter but the feeling the quarter caused. It left a bad impression on me that I’ve been living with for several days now. Over a mere 25 cents, McDonald’s left me feeling bad about the entire experience (and overall the chicken sandwich was pretty good).
In 1988, I heard bestselling author Harvey Mackay speak and he said:
Little things don’t mean a lot - they mean everything!
I’ve lived with that quote for almost two decades! In this case, one little thing at a fast-food restaurant left a huge negative impression on me.
So here’s a question for you. . .what are the little things you are doing at your church that are leaving negative impressions on your guests or regular attenders?
Here are a few things to prime your thinking:
- Are you charging for regular coffee on Sunday? Eat the quarter and give it away!
- Are you being stingy with your printed materials and trying to save a quarter by not printing both sides in color?
- Are you skipping the ‘little things’ in your worship service and not telling people when you are about to pray or when its time to sit down?
- Are there funky odors in the bathrooms that a 25-cent deodorizer would solve?
- Are there lights burned out in the children’s area?
- Are the labels on the envelopes you mail out more than a little crooked? (couldn’t resist mentioning envelopes since Harvey Mackay is in the envelope biz)
- Are you settling for regular paper instead of heavy stock for your connection cards in an attempt to save a few cents?
You get the picture. Let me remind you again:
Little things don’t mean a lot, they mean everything!
What changes do you need to make this week that will remove negative impressions and leave people saying ‘Wow!’ when they leave your church on Sunday?
I’m not saying that I won’t ever eat at McDonalds again but I will probably get my future orders ‘to go.’
Nelson
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How close are you to Hartford, CT?
On Friday, Bob Franquiz will be teaching my seminar on Assimilation in Hartford, CT. If you are within driving distance (i.e., within an 10 hour drive!) then I highly recommend you make it to this seminar. Someone told me recently that Bob actually teaches the seminar better than I do - but I’m in denial for now.
Bob is a three time Coaching Alumni and one of a handful of guys I’ve certified to teach my seminars. He is also the founding Pastor of Calvary Fellowship in Miami Lakes, FL, where he lives the Assimilation principles he teaches.
Here are all the details on the event:
The Fusion Seminar: Turning First-Time Guests into Fully-Engaged Members of Your Church
Friday, June 20, 2008, 9:00 a.m. - Noon, Hartford, CTThe Fusion Seminar will include:
- Principles to help you create an inviting environment for first-time guests
- How to ”wow” first-time guests into wanting to come back
- The Journey’s complete ”Assimilation System,” used to follow up with the 30+ first-time guests who attend the service each week
- Plus much more!Only $39 per person if you register by June 18.
Click Here to RSVP for The Fusion Seminar in Hartford, CT
And, as always if you can’t afford the investment, call the Church Leader Insights office at 1-800-264-5129 and tell them you need a scholarship - they are limited but they are available.
I hope you can make it - it will be well worth your time!
Nelson
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A Miraculous Story - New Podcast
Most of you know Roy Mansfield as a Teaching Pastor at The Journey or the Director of Church Leader Insights or my colleague on several resources or the monthly podcasts but how much do you really know about him?
Well, in this month’s new podcast the truth comes out! No, I’m not talking about his difficulties with the cops or his past stunts as a traveling ‘houdini’ (more about this in a future podcast perhaps) but rather I’m talking about how God worked in his life and church a few years ago when he suffered SEVEN major strokes in a row!
It’s a true miracle story and I hope you’ll listen by clicking here. Go ahead, click here its free (you can also download the file and listen later).
This podcast deviates from our usual focus on church leadership issues but it is a strong reminder that God can and will use EVERYTHING in our life for his glory!
If you want to send a comment to Roy after you listen to it, just post your comments below. I have it on good authority that he reads this blog every day!
Nelson
P.S. Is there a topic you’d like to see me address in a future podcast? If so, use the Ask Nelson button on the right to send me your thoughts.
P.P.S. If you haven’t already done so, why not subscribe to our podcast via iTunes . . . its free and you will insure that you never miss an episode. Click here to learn how to subscribe.
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Monday Proflections - June 16 - 21
Here’s at what’s going on this week with me and Church Leader Insights (CLI) that might be of interest to you:
Monday - I’m away today for a writing day - working on my next book (I can’t tell you the title yet but one of the goals of the book is to bridge the gap between attractional and missional evangelism).
Tuesday - My latest webinar will be announced today - I’m very excited about this webinar, which will be ‘for Senior Pastors’ only. Get a sneak preview here and save $20.00 by registering early.
Wednesday -I’ll be in Tampa for the second meeting of my brand new Coaching Network there. I’m very exited that Bob Franquiz will be co-leading this network with me. Also, watch your CLI email for the latest Podcast with a miraculous story that will leave you shaking your head saying ‘Only God!’
Thursday - Happy 2nd Birthday to Alexander Searcy! Eat some birthday cake for my son!
Friday - The ‘official’ release date of Activate: A Totally New Approach to Small Groups. I’m very excited about this new book (co-authored with Kerrick). It’s been available online for a few weeks, check it out here.
Saturday - I’ll be hanging with Advanced Coaching Alumni Jamey Stuart as he’s leading a mission team from his church to work with us in NYC. Their primary focus will be touching thousands of people in New York City through Servant Evangelism.
I also have some great stuff to share here each day on the blog. Have a great week!
Nelson
P.S. Last week I answered your questions on Assimilation (see below). Remember, if you have any questions, just use the Ask Nelson button on the right.
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A Sunday Thought from Dale Carnegie
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” - Dale Carnegie
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A Big Party Today
Kelley and I are in Atlanta today where our families are all coming together for Alexander’s 2nd Birthday (which is officially June 19). Alex is enjoying life in suburbia as you can tell in this pic:
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Answering Your Assimilation Questions - #4 and #5
This is two-for-one “Assimilation Friday!” For the last several days, I’ve been answering some of the most common assimilation questions I get in response to my Assimilation Seminar and Fusion – my new book on assimilation. I’m going to wrap this up today by answering two more questions about Connection Cards. Here goes:
#4 – How do you measure your Connection Card completion rate?
After each service, we count the Connection Cards that were turned in and divide that number by the estimated number of people in the room. We constantly compete against ourselves, trying to get the number higher than the week before.
#5 – How do you get both a husband and wife to fill out a Connection Card?
The first step is to make sure that every person gets a bulletin – not just one per couple. Train your greeters to hand a bulletin and pen to both the husband and the wife. But beyond that, you have to understand why individual cards are so important – and then relay the importance to your attenders…
First of all, each spouse probably has their own email address. You want to be able to follow up with both of them. Secondly, you want each person to take the “Next Steps” they most need to take… Too often, husbands want to leave it up to their wives to fill out one card and consider themselves covered. I purposely challenge the guys on this - to connect on their own and to take their own steps toward growth.
Hope this week’s assimilation Q&A has been helpful to you! If you missed any of the questions, just check below. And don’t forget – to go more in-depth with how to turn your first-time guests into fully engaged members, check out my Assimilation Seminar and my book, Fusion. Have a great weekend!
- Nelson
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Answering Your Assimilation Questions - #3
Question #3 – Do guests have to hand their Connection Cards in to someone in exchange for the free gift?
We don’t ask guests to do anything that would make them uncomfortable – that includes handing their Connection Cards directly to someone in order to get the free gift we offer them. Instead we ask everyone, including guests, to put their Connection Cards in the offering buckets as they are passed at the end of the service. And we let them know that if they do that, they can pick up their free gift (currently, the book One Month To Live by Kerry Shook) on their way out.
We keep the books stacked on a table by the exit. No one hands them out. The guest can simply grab one as they walk by. (You may want to have a volunteer stand off to the side to restock the table or answer any questions, if approached.)
Why do we operate this way? Experience has shown us that if you allow guests to remain comfortable and anonymous, they will be more likely to do what you ask and they will be more likely to return. They don’t want to be the ones not turning their cards into the offering bucket when everyone else is. They don’t want to have to talk to anyone to get the free gift. If you require them to speak to someone, or to hand a card directly to a staff person or volunteer to get their gift, you will have far fewer Connection Cards turned in. Guaranteed.
Keep it simple, keep them comfortable and you’ll keep them coming back.
- Nelson
P.S. Check back tomorrow for more on assimilating your newcomers! And, if you haven’t already, don’t forget to take a look at my Assimilation Seminar and my new book on assimilation, Fusion.
Archive for June, 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
