The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”
– Michael Altshuler

It’s that time of the year again. When the two top teams from the NFL
compete for the title of Super Bowl Champion!

In keeping with that time-honored tradition, we too wanted to be part of the
Super Bowl fever and create our own mini Super Bowl!

So here it is. We decided to look over our resources that have made the
greatest impact in 2008, and from there have our very own Super Bowl offer
featuring those seminars and resources.

Here they are:

• The Evangelism, Assimilation, Stewardship, Small Groups and
  Strategy Seminars
  
• 10 of our most in demand sermon series (that’s over one year’s worth of sermons)
• Breaking Growth Barriers workshop
• Leadership Skills For A Growing Church
• Time Management For Busy Pastors
  
• PLUS 14 MORE GAME WINNING RESOURCES!

We’ve put all of these “top performers” in one package and we’re making it
available at over 50% off!  This offer is good until midnight Monday.  So,
before your team wins or loses go ahead and place your order here: CLI Super Bowl Package

Now, I know what you might be thinking, “But I already have some of these
resources.”  Well, you could give away 1/2 of the resources, help some other
pastors and still save money.

For more info or to order go to:
CLI Super Bowl Package
or call 800-264-5129 today.

Please review the package and you will agree there are so many great
resources – an incredible price – that will benefit you, your family and
your church!

Happy Super Bowl watching!

Nelson Searcy

P.S. Enjoy the game and make sure that you too have your own personal Super
Bowl plan and goals for 2009!

P.P.S Yes, the game is still a few days away, but we couldn’t wait any
longer to share this great CLI Super Bowl Package with you! Click here for the CLI Super Bowl Package.

In Mastering the Management Buckets, John Pearson brings 30 years of CEO experience and a heart for Christian leaders to the table by outlining the 20 essential areas that must be mastered to become a great manager.

I am not exaggerating when I say that this is the best book on Church Management that I’ve read in over a decade, maybe ever.  Pearson is motivational and refreshing in describing the “buckets” and the “balls” that must go in them.

Every Senior Pastor, Church Planter and Executive Pastor should read this book and they should make it required reading for their high level leadership teams.

This is Kerrick Thomas – Executive/Teaching Pastor at The Journey Church.  I’m writing to you today because I want you to be aware of a special tele-coaching opportunity for your Small Groups Pastor or for the staff person you have leading small groups at your church.

In just a few weeks (on Thursday, February 26) I’m kicking off our first ever Tele-Coaching Network just focused on small groups that will last for 8 months (through September 2009).

WHY ARE WE DOING THIS FOR SMALL GROUP PASTORS/LEADERS?

At The Journey we have experienced first-hand the power that life-changing small groups can have on the growth and health of a church.

In the Fall of 2002 when we began our first round of semester-based small groups – we didn’t know what to expect.  We only had 80 people attending each Sunday.  We started 7 groups and had 110 people sign up.  By the end of that first semester – our average attendance had grown to over 100 people and we had 11 people ready to be baptized!

Fast-forward to the beginning of 2009.  In the few years since we started semester-based small groups, The Journey has grown to 1,150 adults attending each Sunday and has seen over 650 people baptized.  This semester we will have over 90 small groups available and close to 1,500 people will sign up!

And every semester we have seen over 100% of our average Sunday attendance sign for a small group!

Semester-based small groups have had an incredible impact on the growth and health of our church.  And we believe that this coaching network can help take your small groups and your church to the next level.

In this network, each month we will connect for a 2 hour phone call to talk about issues directly related to improving and growing your current small group structure.  But not just that – we will also invest time in growing the influence, leadership and competency of your Small Groups Pastor.

WHY TELE-COACHING?

By making this a tele-coaching network (as opposed to an in-person network in New York) it provides several benefits to you and your church:

(1) It saves you thousands of dollars on travel and hotel – as the network only costs $195 a month to join;

(2) It saves your church valuable time and money as your Small Groups Pastor/Leader doesn’t have to be away from your church to participate (only one 2 hour phone call per month);

(3) We will be providing those who participate in the network FREE resources throughout the network that they can make available to you and your entire staff.

So, your Small Groups Pastor/Leader can get all of the valuable, hands-on coaching from the comfort of their own office.  And they will have unlimited access to me each month between the phone calls for questions or discussion.

If you are serious about the growth of small groups in your church and you believe that your Small Groups Pastor/Leader needs to be in my upcoming network, I want to challenge you to ensure that I receive their application for this network. We’ve already got a good group of Small Group Pastors/Leaders confirmed – and the network begins in a few weeks – so I need their application ASAP.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The Small Groups Tele-Coaching Network is a relationship-based coaching experience.

Your Small Group Pastor/Leader will have the opportunity to connect with me and other Small Group Pastors/Leaders from around the country once a month from February – September 2009 on a two-hour phone call (1-3pm EST) where we will cover the following topics/challenges:

* Build a small group ministry that will see 100% participation
* Avoid the same traps that small group ministries fall into over and over again
* Learn how to have small groups that are outward focused
* Discover what the ideal size for a small group is and why
* Create a small group environment that encourages friendships to form
* Understand the advantages semester-based groups have over long-term groups
* Develop a simple and clear sign up system that will multiply involvement
* Utilize the flow of the yearly calendar to maximize sign ups and life-change
* Grow new small group leaders without overwhelming them with trainings
* Multiply small group leaders without having to split up existing groups
* Implement a small groups structure that is clear, produces results and, above all,
can work in your church

As a part of this network, your Groups Pastor will receive:

* Monthly hands-on coaching from me
* A proven coaching process that leads to growth and health
* FREE resources every month
* Unlimited email access each month to me and others on our staff
* A monthly small group environment where everyone is focused on personal,
professional and church growth
* Free access to other CLI events and on-line trainings during the network
* Plus much, much more

You have already experienced the benefits of a coaching network as a lead pastor – imagine how much more would your church could grow in size, influence and effectiveness if your small groups were operating at maximum efficiency.

You can download the application for the Small Groups Coaching Network by CLICKING HERE

The network begins on Thursday, February 26.  We are limited in how many people we can accept into the network – so the sooner you get the attached application back to me…the better.

Email me with any questions you might have or have your Small Groups Pastor/Leader contact me directly by email or phone.

Growing together…

Kerrick Thomas
Executive/Teaching Pastor
The Journey Church
kerrick@journeymetro.com
P: 212-730-8300 x206
F: 212-245-0620

*Kerrick is Executive/Teaching Pastor at The Journey Church and has co-authored “Launch: Starting A New Church from Scratch” and “Activate: An Entirely New Way of Doing Small Groups.”  Kerrick has been at The Journey from the beginning and was part of the team that launched The Journey Church of New York City in 2002.  By 2008 The Journey has grown to over 1,100 attending each Sunday with 1,300+ in small groups.

Question: How do you pitch preview services best. I’m clear on not using the terminology “preview service” or “practice service”. Do you go with like a “try it before you buy it” or “test drive” theme? Any advise on how you advertise this and personally invite?

Kerrick Thomas my co-author on Launch:Starting A New Church from Scratch answers:

First of all – we never call them “preview” because that doesn’t sound like the “real” thing.  We always call them monthly services.  We say…we are going to have 6 monthly services leading up to the launch of weekly services on….

We are straight forward in how we talk about it.  Remember – an unchurched person won’t be thinking like that.  They’ll think – this church is pretty cool – they only meet once a month   And if someone asks – just tell them you wanted to start services as early as possible and monthly services was the best way to do it.

Remember – what you want to sell is the series that you teach through the monthly services.  So, join us on the following dates as we talk about how to get rid of stress in your life, about who Jesus really was, about what the bible says about relationships, etc.  Let people know you are working toward and building momentum toward the launch.

But as far as promotion – just promote the teaching series, dates and locations and mention that weekly services launch on that specific launch date.

Hope that helps!

Kerrick

A lot of blog readers have asked me for my 2008 Year End Giving letter which will be mailed this month to everyone who gave to our church in 2008.  I just finished it so I’m posting it here for you to download:

YEAR END GIVING LETTER

This is ‘my draft’ it will be posted on Letterhead and typeset by our designer but I wanted  you to have it first.  It will eventually be printed in 2 colors on nice paper.

We are also going to include a half-page insert from Kerrick, our Executive Pastor -  you can download it here:

YEAR END GIVING INSERT

We’ve found that doing an insert on a brightly colored paper is beneficial, as a lot of people will read the insert first.

We are mailing our statements in regular #10 envelopes with the following enclosed:

Giving Letter
Giving Insert
Giving Statement
Postcard about February 8 series
Auto-Debit Form
Giving Envelope

On the front of the envelope we are printing in red: Important 2008 Tax Documents Enclosed.

Giving letters are a great way to communicate to your key audience and to cast vision for 2009.  For more on building a healthy Stewardship System, see my Stewardship Seminar by clicking here.

Hope that helps,

Nelson

P.S. Full disclosure: I modified the first three sentences of my giving letter from an email I received from www.earlytorise.com

This week I’ve been sharing some “Lessons Learned in 2008″ from Tim Ferriss, one of my favorite authors and bloggers.  Here’s some final thoughts:

“You don’t have to recoup losses the same way you lose them.

Adversity doesn’t build character; it reveals it.

Related: Money doesn’t change you; it reveals who you are when you no longer have to be nice.

A good question to revisit whenever overwhelmed: Are you having a break-down or a breakthrough?

A mindset of scarcity (which breeds jealousy and unethical behavior) is due to a disdain for those things easily obtained. (Seneca)”

To read more from Tim, click here. See you next week – have a great Sunday!

Nelson

This week I’m sharing some “Lessons Learned in 2008″ from Tim Ferriss, one of my favorite authors and bloggers.  Here’s the one more:

“You’re never as bad as they say you are. My agent used to send me every blog or media hit for The 4-Hour Workweek. Eight weeks after publication, I asked him to only forward me positive mentions in major media or factual inaccuracies I needed to respond to. An important correlate: you’re never as good as they say you are, either.

It’s not helpful get a big head or get depressed. The former makes you careless and the latter makes you lethargic. I wanted to have untainted optimism but remain hungry.”

Well said Tim!  To read more from Tim, click here.

Nelson

This week I’m sharing some “Lessons Learned in 2008″ from Tim Ferriss, one of my favorite authors and bloggers.  Here’s another one:

“It doesn’t matter how many people don’t get it. What matters is how many people do. If you have a strong informed opinion, don’t keep it to yourself. Try and help people and make the world a better place. If you strive to do anything remotely interesting, just expect a small percentage of the population to always find a way to take it personally.[Ignore] ‘em. There are no statues erected to critics.”

Well said Tim!  To read more from Tim, click here.

Nelson

One of my favorite blogs is from the author Tim Ferriss.  Recently he had a great post on lessons learned in 2008.  This week I’m going to share some of his thoughts:

“One of the most universal causes of self-doubt and depression: trying to impress people you don’t like. Stressing to impress is fine, but do it for the right people — those whom you want to emulate.”

Well said Tim!  To read more from Tim, click here.

Nelson