The Church Leader Insights team and I love to read your email about how God is using what we do to help you lead your churches and reach the unchurched.

Here’s one such email I received recently from Pastor Al Marks and asked if I could share with you:

I have to tell you a story from Sunday.

A young couple and their kid visited. The wife turned in a connection card. We send the email and a handwritten note with a Starbucks card. The following week they were back.

She came running up – gave me a hug and said, “Thank you so much for your note. It meant so much. It made me cry. I can’t believe a church would send us such a sweet gift. I couldn’t wait to come back.”

God is honoring our efforts to track first and second time guests. We started the end of August and have averaged 3-4 first time guests per week. Of those who turn in connection cards, we are having about 70% second time visits.

Of those who come a second time we are finding about 90% sticking coefficient. We have seen six come to membership with five baptisms. That is in two months. We are definitely praising the Lord around here.

Thanks for all you are doing to bless the kingdom.

Al Marks
First Baptist Church Vallejo
www.FBCVallejo.com

And thank you, Al, for sharing – Keep up the good work!

I would love to hear how God has used this ministry to help you and your church in 2009.

If you have a brief story you’d like to share, just click on the “Ask Nelson” button on the right side of the blog and send me your Praise Reports!

P.S. To learn how to WOW first-time guests and put a system in place to help them move toward fully-committed members of your church, check out The Assimilation Seminar.

Kerrick Thomas (our Executive Pastor at The Journey) really did a great job on the webinar he led last week called The Top 3 Skills Every Executive Pastor Must Master.

There was a high turnout (over 300 Executive Pastors participated), and the early feedback has been very positive.

Just in case you missed it (or you were on the call but want to listen again), Kerrick set up a webpage where you can listen to the audio from his webinar at:

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/xpreplay

Also, on the listening page you’ll find links to the resources that Kerrick mentions in the webinar AND a very special deal on one of our most comprehensive resources (for a limited time only).

P.S. Kerrick is beginning a BRAND NEW Executive Pastor Tele-Coaching Network on January 21.  You can find more information and download your application by clicking here.

“Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan.”
– Tom Landry, football coach

P.S. To learn about setting and achieving Godly Goals that will positively impact your leadership, ministry and family, check out my new resource, Setting and Achieving Godly Goals.

I am still blown away by all the great feedback you have been sending about my latest book, Ignite: How to Spark Immediate Growth in Your Church.

It’s so rewarding to see how God is already using it to encourage church leaders to stoke the fire of evangelism in their churches.

I got permission to share one of the emails I received recently from Pastor Mat Weeks in Arizona:

Nelson,

I started Ignite today.  Honestly, I was not looking forward to it.  I thought it would be another book on doing a ‘big day’ and I didn’t want to read a book on doing a ‘big day’.

I’m not against or theologically misaligned with ‘big days’—just stink at doing them and they’re a lot of work.  Forgive me, after all, what I was thinking, of course the “Systems Guy” is gonna deliver more than ‘how to do a big day’ in a book on evangelism!

I was very encouraged to read that Ignite will show me how to “create a consistent culture of evangelism” in my church.

In fact, I have been praying for God to lead and assist us in that very endeavor, so the book must be part of His Divine response—and I’m confident it will deliver!

Have a great weekend bro,

Pastor Mat
Horizon Church
Surprise, Arizona
www.YourHorizon.org

P.S. If you still haven’t grabbed your copy of Ignite, you can order it from Amazon (best price available) by clicking here.

As church leaders, we’re all called to make disciples.  A big part of the disciple-making process is helping people recognize and grow in using their spiritual gifts for God’s Kingdom.

This is not a foreign concept to any pastor I know – in fact, you are probably doing it already with respect to some spiritual gifts.

For example, if someone has the gift of serving, you give them opportunities to serve.  If someone has the gift of hospitality, you let them serve as a greeter.  If someone has the gift of leadership, you give them opportunities to lead.

As Pastors and Church Leaders we have an obligation to cultivate all of the spiritual gifts.

But how do you cultivate those people in your church who have the gift of generosity?

Here are some ideas to help you cultivate the gift of generosity in the people of your church:

1 – Familiarize yourself and them with God’s generosity. Jesus talked about money more than heaven and hell combined.  Read through the Gospels and look at the generosity of Jesus with the person in question.  Read the parable of the Shrewd Manager (Luke 16), The Parable of the Worker’s in the Vineyard (Matthew 20) and others.

Remind them that God doesn’t give us what is fair, he gives to us out of His grace.  Generous giving is an extension of God’s grace and His work.  Generosity is not fair.

2 – Don’t neglect the tithe. Generous giving is above the tithe.  The Bible tells us that the tithe belongs to God, so generosity is not giving something that already belongs to God.  Remind people to continue to be diligent in their tithe and know that generous giving is above the tithe.

3 – Help them to recognize God’s voice in their life. Most people who have the gift of generosity are compelled to give a specific number.  Help them to have confidence in the direction that they’re given.  Encourage them to only give what they’ve been told/compelled to give.  No more or less.

4 – Teach them to discern how they are to give what God calls them to give. Sometimes they are to give anonymously and sometimes they are to do it with someone else’s knowledge.  God may not only use them to give but to compel others to do so.

There may be times when they’re to give their gift with someone’s knowledge through a testimony to help disciple others.  Sometimes their giving and someone else knowing is to teach that person or to compel them to do the same.  God uses people with the gift of giving to be examples to others.  Encourage them to only do that which God leads them to do.

5 – Encourage them to never be motivated by guilt or manipulation. Others who find out that they have this gift or ‘are just a generous’ person may try to take advantage of them.  Encourage them to not allow this to happen.  God has given this gift to them and it’s their responsibility to be obedient.  He’s already found them to be a good steward, now it’s just up to them to be obedient.

6 – Challenge them to grow in their gift. There may be times when they’re to give a gift that seems completely outrageous.  Challenge them to trust God that this is the right gift to give.  Take it as a challenge and opportunity for growing their faith.

Look for ways to give in both large and small ways.  It may be as simple as leaving behind a larger tip for their waiter or it may be that they’re to give to a large endeavor.  Help them to look to grow in their gift not only by the amount that they give but by the number of opportunities that God gives them.

7 – Let them know there may be times when God doesn’t give them a figure to give. He just wants them to give out of the gift He’s given them.  That’s an opportunity for them to use their discretion.  During those opportunities let them know that there’s no right or wrong gift.  God just wants you to use the gift He’s given them.

8 – Challenge them to set goals for their giving. One of the things that Jesus taught in the Parable of the Talents is that “you have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things.”  Encourage them to look for opportunities to grow spiritually through their financial goals.

9 – Teach them to be wise about those who concern themselves with your gift. Studies have shown that generosity as a spiritual gift is given to a small percentage of believers.  With that in mind, they should be careful of people who seem overly concerned with their gift.

10 – Lastly, remind them that they can’t out-give God. We can try, but it will never happen.  In fact, it’s a lot of fun to try to out-give Him and watch how He blesses in return.

P.S. Here are some great resources to help you cultivate the spiritual gifts of the people in your congregation:

• For more on cultivating the gift of generosity, check out The Stewardship Intensive.
• For more on cultivating the gift of hospitality, check out The Assimilation Intensive.
• For more on cultivating the gift of serving, check out The Ministry Seminar.
• For more on cultivating the gift of leadership, check out Leadership Skills for a Growing Church.

This is Kerrick Thomas – Executive Pastor at The Journey.

I just wanted to give you one last chance to participate in my FREE webinar “The Top 3 Skills Every Executive Pastor Must Master” TOMORROW, Wednesday (December 9) from 1:00-2:15pm (EST).

I’m really looking forward to this webinar - and really believe it will be a big help to Executive Pastors (and even to you Lead Pastors who wish you could get more out of your Executive Pastor or who are looking for just the right person to be your future Executive Pastor)!

During our time together we’re going to be looking at 3 of the most important skills that that have helped make my time as Executive Pastor at The Journey Church successful, fulfilling and yes…even enjoyable.

I want to help you apply these skills so that you will be better at relating to and helping the Lead Pastor, leading staff, managing the finances and taking responsibility for your own professional development.

It’s not too late for you to sign up for this 75-min webinar.

Just CLICK HERE for more info and to REGISTER NOW!

Today’s 4th and final installment on structuring your church for growth is going to be a bit of a turn from the previous 3 posts.

After looking at the issues of by-laws, church governance, and budgeting, today I’d like to share a few quick thoughts about the importance of having your salary package set up properly.

For whatever reason, many of us in church leadership tend to neglect the issue of our personal finances, especially when it comes to how our salary package is set up.

I would dare say that the vast majority of pastors I talk to about this are currently erring on one of two sides when it comes to the way they’re getting paid:

1) They are unsure/afraid that they’re in violation of Federal and/or State tax laws, or 2) They are leaving a considerable amount of money on the table (ie: paying more than their share of taxes).

What does this have to do with your church growing?  Well, you’re not going to be able to devote your attention to leading your church if you’re too busy looking over your shoulder for the tax man!

With the special nature of clergy tax laws and the myriad of unique rules and potential pitfalls, I have one big recommendation, Pastor:

Get some professional help!

I recommend Steve Merriman and his team at Clergy Advantage (formerly Clergy Financial).  They know more about clergy tax law than anyone I have ever met – including the IRS!

I’ve never been more thankful for the Clergy Advantage team than I was about a year and a half ago when I was audited by the IRS.

The minor expense of paying for a group of people who work with clergy salary issues EVERYDAY is more than worth the peace of mind of knowing you’re in good hands.

Don’t waste another day living in fear when it comes to your taxes – Get some help!

P.S. Clergy Advantage is offering a Free Webinar on Tuesday, December 15, called “Tax Free Money for Ministers.” You can read more and register now by clicking this link.

“Your goal should be out of reach, but not out of sight.”
– Anita DeFrantz, Olympic rower

P.S. To learn how to set goals that will positively impact your leadership, ministry and family, check out my new resource, Setting and Achieving Godly Goals.

Here’s one of the articles from the most recent CLI Newsletter.

We pack each newsletter with the best content the web has to offer. Here’s an example from Perry Noble:

WHAT MAKES A CHURCH COME ALIVE?

“CHANGED LIVES…when dead people are being brought to life a church cannot remain on life support.  Changed lives change a community! . . . THE GOSPEL…when the Gospel is THE agenda instead of some ridiculous issue that happens to be the ‘fad of the year’. . . PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY…when people in the church begin to accept responsibility for where they are in their spiritual journey…and then are willing to do something about it.” Read the full article here…

The Church Leader Insights Newsletter is designed to bring the best and latest thinking on Church Growth, Evangelism, Leadership and Church Planting directly to your inbox every month!

If you’re not already subscribed, you can click this link to sign up right now.

Q: You mentioned doing a series during the summer that isn’t sequential.  Can you elaborate on what that looks like?

A: The basic concept is to do a number of messages that can be combined under the same title, but that don’t build on one another from week to week.

Essentially, you should do a series that is made up of standalone message topics, with the understanding that people are most likely going to miss church at least a time or two during the summer.

Leadership often involves entering the conversation that people are already having in their mind.  By doing a series like this, you’re taking away the “well we missed last week, so…” reasoning.

Example: We do a series each summer called “God on Film,” where we choose 6 or 7 of the summer’s biggest movies and address the spiritual issues that each one raises.

The entire series is titled and branded as “God on Film,” but we will address 6 or 7 unique, standalone topics over the course of the series.  By doing so, we’re able to attract new people, keep our regulars attending in spite of their vacation plans and help people grow in 6 or 7 different areas over the summer.

P.S. – Still looking for a few series to fill in the gaps in your 2010 Preaching Calendar? Click here for some proven Sermon Series!

P.P.S.- If you missed the “How to Plan Your 2010 Preaching Calendar” Webinar, you can listen to a replay of the audio at: www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/preachingreplay