Jason Hatley here – Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey and founder of WorshipLeaderInsights.com – with some holiday thoughts for you today.

Thanksgiving has come and gone (except for the leftover turkey of course), but “giving thanks” is always in season. Especially when it comes to thanking your worship arts team members.

I don’t have to tell you how valuable the members or your team are to your mission as a church. In fact, I’ve always said, “As goes your worship team, so go your worship services.”

And it’s true . . . imagine what services would be like one Sunday if all the members of your team decided to take a day off. It’s a recurring nightmare for me

The members of our worship arts teams give above and beyond all year long. By the time a member of your team practices, attends rehearsal, and serves on Sunday they could be giving 20+ hours a week to our churches. Incredible when you think about it!

This Christmas, you and I have a unique opportunity to tell the members of our team “Thank you for a great year of service to our church!”

So in the spirit of the season, here are 3 things that we do at The Journey to thank our volunteers this time of year . . . that you can do as well.

1 – SEND PERSONAL CHRISTMAS CARDS
It’s simple, but very sentimental. Nothing beats a personally signed Christmas Card this time of year. Write a brief personal note in each and it will be a “thank you” your team members display all season long.

2 – THROW A CHRISTMAS PARTY
One of my favorite ways to thank our Worship Arts Team is through an end-of-year Christmas Party. I use the party to recap some of the great things God did in our church and our team that year, to show some fun videos of worship elements our team performed, to invest in them personally and spiritually at Christmas, and to say “Thank you!” for serving.

And don’t forget – this party isn’t just to remember and say thanks, but also to cast vision for the New Year.

3 – PREPARE A SMALL GIFT FOR YOUR LEADERS
Finally, you can prepare a small gift for the leaders on your team. More than anyone else, your leaders have served at the highest level this year. Gifts don’t have to be expensive, just meaningful. One year I gave our team leaders a Christmas ornament from a local AIDS relief charity that our team had been supporting that year. By purchasing the ornaments I had made a donation to the charity in their names, and had shown them a small (but personal) sign of my thanks for them and their leadership on our team.

Don’t miss the opportunity to share a well-deserved “thank you” with your team this year. It’s a great way to acknowledge their service and inspire them to continue to serve in the New Year.

Your partner in ministry,

PS – Have you heard about my NEW Worship Leader Tele-coaching Network? The Super Early Bird deadline is coming up quick (December 31st).

Right now you can receive the Super Early Bird rate and additional bonus resources ($772.00 value) that you receive when you’re accepted.

Go to www.worshipleaderinsights.com/coaching to learn more and apply today!

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY – The Church Leader Insights Thanksgiving Sale ENDS TODAY at 11:59pm!

Today’s your final opportunity to take advantage of HALF OFF on over 55 of my bestselling downloadable resources – Systems Seminars, Sermon Series and dozens of other popular training resources.

Also, TODAY ONLY you can receive $100.00 OFF on:

• Planning Worship Services for Life Transformation
• The Assimilation Intensive
• The Small Groups Intensive
• The Stewardship Intensive

Plus Over $1,000.00 OFF with Package Deals!

And all these resources (and more) are HALF OFF:

• The Evangelism Seminar
• The Ignite Seminar
• The Strategy Seminar
• The Activate Seminar
• Christmas in Narnia Sermon Series
• Christmas Traditions Sermon Series
• Open Before Christmas Sermon Series
• The Grinch Sermon Series
• Developing a One Year Personal Growth Plan
• Debt Free Pastor
• Reaching Your Community through Servant Evangelism
• The Journey Church Policy Manual
• Starting a Second Service
• Plus over 45 more – too many to list here!

CLICK HERE TO SAVE ON DOZENS OF PROVEN RESOURCES NOW!

It’s official – I am stuffed from yesterday’s turkey and enjoying the day with Kelley and Alex.

But I thought I’d let you know that we decided to join in on this year’s Black Friday Sale.

The team at CLI convinced me to ADD SOME NEW DEALS to our on-going Thanksgiving sale.

So I’ve added in Intensive Workshops and Package Deal resources for $100.00 OFF….but those are just for TODAY ONLY!

Just click this link:

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/thanksgivingsale

(While you are on the page, check out the dozens of other resources that are on sale just for Thanksgiving.)

Thanks for letting me and my team partner with you in ministry!

Nelson

P.S.  The Super Early Bird Deadline for my next Senior Pastor Tele-coaching Network is coming up!  You can receive over $1,245.00 in additional resources if submit your application before December 31st.  To learn more click the link below:

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/telecoaching

Hey there – hopefully you’re spending a great day with family and friends.

I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!

I am very grateful to be a small part of your ministry and look forward to serving you for many years in the future.

Your partner in ministry,

Nelson

P.S.  Don’t forget our download sale continues through Monday – click the link below:

http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/thanksgivingsale

P.P.S.  The Super Early Bird Deadline for my next Senior Pastor Tele-coaching Network is coming up!  You can receive over $1,245.00 in additional resources if submit your application before December 31st.  To learn more click the link below:

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/telecoaching

It’s THANKSGIVING SALE time at Church Leader Insights!

Between now and Tuesday, you can take advantage of HALF OFF on over 55 of my bestselling downloadable resources – Systems Seminars, Sermon Series and dozens of other popular training resources.

All these resources (and more) for HALF OFF:

• The Evangelism Seminar
• The Ignite Seminar
• The Strategy Seminar
• The Activate Seminar
• Christmas in Narnia Sermon Series
• Christmas Traditions Sermon Series
• Open Before Christmas Sermon Series
• The Grinch Sermon Series
• Developing a One Year Personal Growth Plan
• Debt Free Pastor
• Reaching Your Community through Servant Evangelism
• The Journey Church Policy Manual
• Starting a Second Service
• Plus over 45 more – too many to list here!

Don’t miss this opportunity to download hours of practical training at huge savings:

CLICK HERE TO SAVE ON DOZENS OF PROVEN RESOURCES NOW!

Happy Thanksgiving!

“Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one’s thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world.”
- Johann von Goethe, German poet, novelist, and dramatist

I just released a brand new podcast where I outline the Top 10 Books of 2011 for Church Leaders and I thought I’d give you a sneak peek on the blog today…

>> CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE COMPLETE PODCAST

The year 2011 produced some powerful new reads from some of my favorite authors, including Jim Collins, Billy Graham and John Maxwell, plus a handful of new favorites.

You know what I say, “all leaders are readers.”  And that’s especially true of growing church leaders. With that in mind, here’s the Top 10 Books of 2011 for Church Leaders:

	#10:Replenish: Leading from a Healthy Soul by Lance Witt Every leader functions on two stages–the front stage or public world, and the back stage or private world. One cannot lead successfully front stage when one is completely depleted back stage. In a time when pastors are leaving the ministry in record numbers due to cynicism, disillusionment, weariness, and personal scandals, there is an urgent need for soul care in the private lives of leaders. Learn More!
	#9:What They Didn’t Teach You in Seminary by James Emery White In churches today, there are ever fewer older pastors speaking into the lives of younger leaders, and fewer younger leaders feeling there is much to be learned from the experience of their elders. Street-smart wisdom is gone from training as there are many men and women preparing pastors who have never themselves pastored a church. Intriguingly, even older, more seasoned pastors yearn for insight into their task, as they remain “undiscipled” in the school of leadership. In What They Didn’t Teach You in Seminary, veteran pastor James Emery White provides the kind of mentoring young pastors desperately need but cannot get from academia or leadership books. These “from the trenches” insights will help them transform their relationships with staff and parishoners, develop healthy boundaries, deliver hard truths, avoid spiritual pitfalls, use their time effectively, and much more. Learn More!
	#8:Move: What 1,000 Churches Reveal about Spiritual Growth by Greg L. Hawkins One of the church’s primary responsibilities is to foster genuine spiritual growth in people’s lives. Today’s pastors bring tremendous effort and passion to this task, but they are often disappointed by people who sit in the pews for years, knowing about Jesus but never really knowing him. In 2004, Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago undertook a three-year study to measure spiritual growth called the REVEAL Spiritual Life Survey. Over the next six years, additional data was collected from over a quarter million people in well over a thousand churches of every size, denomination, and geographic area. Move presents verifiable, fact-based, and somewhat startling findings from the latest REVEAL research, drawing on compelling stories from actual people—congregation members of varying spiritual maturity, as well as pastors who are equally candid as they share their disappointments and their successes. It provides a new lens through which church leaders can see and measure the evidence of spiritual growth. The local church is uniquely equipped to foster spiritual growth and challenge people to pursue a life of full devotion to Christ. Move helps pastors and church leaders inspire and direct that challenge with confidence as they lead their congregations to move closer to Christ. Learn More!
	#7:How to Wow Your Church Guests: 101 Ways to Make a Meaningful First Impression by Mark Waltz For every innocent man sent to prison, there is a guilty one left on the outside. He doesn’t understand how the police and prosecutors got the wrong man, and he certainly doesn’t care. He just can’t believe his good luck. Time passes and he realizes that the mistake will not be corrected: the authorities believe in their case and are determined to get a conviction. He may even watch the trial of the person wrongly accused of his crime. He is relieved when the verdict is guilty. He laughs when the police and prosecutors congratulate themselves. He is content to allow an innocent person to go to prison, to serve hard time, even to be executed. Learn More!
	#6:The Five Levels of Leadership by John Maxwell True leadership isn’t a matter of having a certain job or title. In fact, being chosen for a position is only the first of the five levels every effective leader achieves. To become more than “the boss” people follow only because they are required to, you have to master the ability to invest in people and inspire them. To grow further in your role, you must achieve results and build a team that produces. You need to help people to develop their skills to become leaders in their own right. And if you have the skill and dedication, you can reach the pinnacle of leadership-where experience will allow you to extend your influence beyond your immediate reach and time for the benefit of others. Learn More!

Listen to the complete podcast now:  The Top 10 Books of 2011 for Church Leaders Podcast

P.S. For more book recommendations, leadership articles, and more, Subscribe Today to the FREE Church Leader Insights Newsletter – click here.

No single issue keeps pastors awake at night more than staffing!

After studying everything I can get my hands on, coaching over 1,000 senior pastors and learning from my own experience, I’ve identified the most common staffing mistakes and I’d like to share them with you…

Can you join me on a FREE Webinar TOMORROW (Wednesday, November 16) at 2pm Eastern?

I’d like to personally invite you to this 75-minute webinar where you’ll discover the three most common mistakes Senior Pastors make in leading and managing your staff!

This webinar is free for you to experience from the comfort of your home or office (all you need is a computer with speakers or headphones and internet access – no phone line or long distance required).

Here’s what you can expect to learn:

• How to overcome your growth barrier and the role of your staff to break that barrier.
• Why staffing is one of the most difficult tests of leadership and what you can do about it.
• How to measure the commitment level of every staff member . . . every day.
• Why being on a church staff is the highest calling anyone can answer and how to manage your staff according to their calling.
• Plus much more!

Since the webinar is tomorrow, CLICK HERE NOW to SIGN UP!

Since writing the book Fusion I get a lot of questions about assimilation and how to get more first time guests to return to your church and ultimately become members.

One question I get frequently involves the handwritten note and gift that I recommend you send to every first time guest.

There’s nothing like a handwritten note to really show people that you care – in this note, you want to thank them for coming, invite them to come back again (don’t forget this!) and give them a gift.

Generally I recommend including a gift card of some type that fulfills some type of basic need (food, beverage, transportation, etc.).

Often I’m asked whether these gifts should be sent to every single person or each family and I’ve seen it done either way.

At The Journey, we typically send one card & gift to a married couple and then our Children’s Ministry also sends a similar – but age-appropriate – card and gift to any first time children who attend.

You’ll be amazed at the reaction people have to receiving A) a handwritten note (who sends those anymore?) and B) a useful and meaningful gift from the church they just attended on Sunday.

By implementing these tools as part of a comprehensive Assimilation System, you will begin to see an increase in the number of people who return a second time and engage in the life of your church!

PLUS, you’ll be demonstrating Biblical Hospitality AND Generosity from their first experience at your church – a powerful lesson that will come in handy as you seek to help them become fully developing disciples of Christ.

P.S. If you’re ready to implement a complete, step-by-step Assimilation System – one that was designed, refined and is still being used to follow up on the 50+ First Time Guests at The Journey each week, check out The Assimilation Intensive.

You’re invited to join me next week for one of 4 free webinars I’m leading called “Planning Your 2012 Preaching Calendar.”

After coaching more than 1,000 pastors over the last few years, I’ve learned that one of the best tools for reducing your stress, maximizing creativity, honoring God and working with the natural patterns of your people is planning your preaching calendar months in advance.

With that in mind, I am committed to doing everything I can to help you plan out what you’re going to preach in 2011.

My bestselling “Planning a One Year Preaching Calendar” resource lays out the principles of how to plan your preaching a year in advance, but next week I want to go a step further!

That’s why next week I’m doing a series of FREE WEBINARS for pastors called “Planning Your 2012 Preaching Calendar,” where I will literally walk you (by phone and on your computer) through the 2011 calendar during the course of our 75 minutes together and help you plan what you’re going to preach over the next year.

You can register now at this link:

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/preachingwebinar

This is NOT the same general training that I teach in the 1 hour preaching calendar CD resource…

Instead, I will help you APPLY the preaching calendar ”principles” to the unique makeup of the 2012 calendar.

In each of these webinars, I will walk you through:

* When, specifically, to plan your 2012 Big Days (and when not to plan them).
* The pitfalls and possibilities built into the 2012 calendar
* How to make the most of people’s natural seasonal patterns.
* The best times in 2012 for each of the 3 different types of sermon series (attraction, growth & balance).
* How to make Easter in 2012 more effective than ever at your church.
* Which days you can expect fewer people and how to best use those days.
* Plus much more!

I don’t remember being more excited about any of the webinars we’ve done than I am about these!

Church Leader Insights exists to help you “maximize your ministry” and this webinar is my virtual opportunity to sit down across the table from you (over the phone and on your computer) and walk you through this planning process.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2011
2:00pm – 3:15pm Eastern
1:00pm – 2:15pm Central
12:00pm – 1:15pm Mountain
11:00am – 12:15pm Pacific

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2011
7:00pm – 8:15pm Eastern
6:00pm – 7:15pm Central
5:00pm – 6:15pm Mountain
4:00pm – 5:15pm Pacific

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2011
2:00pm – 3:15pm Eastern
1:00pm – 2:15pm Central
12:00pm – 1:15pm Mountain
11:00am – 12:15pm Pacific

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011
2:00pm – 3:15pm Eastern
1:00pm – 2:15pm Central
12:00pm – 1:15pm Mountain
11:00am – 12:15pm Pacific

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/preachingwebinar

Thanks for your continued support of Church Leader Insights and I can’t wait to talk to you next week!

If you have any questions or prefer to register by phone, simply call             1-800-264-5129      .

Remember, all you need is a phone line for the long distance call and computer access to join me on one of these webinars. Oh, and did I mention that each one is FREE!

Your partner in ministry,

Nelson

P.S. Do you know any other pastors who would benefit from one of these webinars?
Please forward this invite to them — I’d love for them to join us!

Here’s the address to sign up again:

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/preachingwebinar