We are putting the finishing touches on all our preparations for our “God on Film” series and I thought I would share a few ideas with you today to spark some thoughts on how you can make a bigger impact this summer. If you don’t plant in the Summer you will beg in the Fall.

We do a series each summer entitled “God on Film,” where we choose 7 or 8 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 7 or 8 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 7 or 8 different areas over the summer.

This is one of our most attractional series of the year and we capitalize on that by providing easy tools for our church members to invite their friends. Two tools that are extremely effective for that are:

1. The Invite Card – Here’s a sample of the quarter page invite. We also did these as a business card size handouts. This simple tools are easy to print and make it easier for people to invite.

2. Movie Ticket Giveaway - The second thing we do is to provide FREE movie tickets to all First Time Guests AND the person who invited them on our first Sunday of the God on Film Series.

Remember that people don’t do what they should do, they do what is urgent.

Attaching a free ticket giveaway to the launch of this series really pushes for your guests come for the first time at the front of the series but it also gives the motivation that your regular attenders need to make the invite.

We are anticipating June 10th to be one of the highest attended days of the year in our New York Campuses as well as in Boca Raton, Florida.

What can you do this Summer to make a difference? How can you plant seeds NOW so you don’t have to beg in the Fall?

Nelson

P.S. – To learn more about Big Days, check out the Ignite Seminar. You can pick it up today and begin planning for a great Summer.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE IGNITE SEMINAR

Jason Hatley here . . . Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey and Founder of www.WorshipLeaderInsights.com . . . and I admit it. I have not always had a love of reading. But it didn’t take long as a young Worship Leader at The Journey for me to recognize my need to read in order to survive in ministry, much less lead a thriving worship team.

I first started in ministry at age 23. I was fresh out of college. I had been a worship leader, but I had never been a Worship Pastor in the church before. I could stand onstage and lead worship, but I couldn’t write a task list, build teams, lead people . . . you get the picture.

It was at that point – aware of my personal and ministry shortcomings, and certain that I needed to make a change – that I developed a love for reading.

How about you? Have you been there?

This Summer you and I have a unique opportunity. While most of the world looks at summer and says, “I’m going to take it easy and just GLIDE through the summer,” you and I can choose a better course. We can choose to GROW this summer.

I believe that’s what God would have us do. Psalm 90:12 says:

“Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom.”

One of the fundamental pathways to growth is reading. Charles Johnson said, “You are the same today that you are going to be five years from now except for two things: the people with who you associate and the books you read.”

So here are 3 Powerful (and Easy) Reading Goals to help you make the most of your time and grow in wisdom this summer:

#1 – READ IN YOUR AREA
That is, read what will help you grow as a Worship Leader. Read books, magazines, and articles on how to become a better Worship Leader. Listen to audio books or watch DVDs to get new training as a Worship Leader.

This could be rephrased as “Reading for Skill”. But whatever you call it, invest time this summer becoming better at the central thing that you do – leading worship and your worship ministry.

Here’s some of what I’m reading in this area this summer: Worship Leader Magazine, Worship Musician Magazine, Worship Facilities Magazine, Church Production Magazine.

#2 – READ FOR PERSONAL GROWTH
You also want to read for your overall personal development this summer. This could include books on leadership, time management, how to be a better parent, goal setting . . . the list goes on.

Here’s the key to this goal. Identify 1-2 key areas that you would like to grow in over the summer and read a book on that topic.

As you read on that topic, you will begin to implement the lessons you are learning and will begin to see the immediate positive effects of growth in that area of your life.

When you finish that book. Identify another area and read a book on that. By constantly reading in these areas you will ensure that you are continuing to grow into the person you want to be as you serve God, lead your family, and so on.

For this area, I have on my reading list this summer Patrick Lencioni’s book, Advantage (reading now; on staffing and healthy work systems), Change Anything by Kerry Patterson (a research book on developing healthy habits), and The Accidental Creative by Todd Henry (a book about how remain creative day after day).

#3 – READ FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Invest in your spiritual growth this summer as well. The summer is a great time to change up your spiritual growth routines in order to keep them fresh. To start a new Bible study, pilot a new spiritual growth plan, or just identify an area of your spiritual life that you want to deepen and go to work on it.

For me, I recently started a new Bible study plan for my personal quiet time to freshen it up and will be re-reading one of the books that tends to make it on my spiritual growth rotation every couple years, Heart of the Artist by Rory Noland.

Don’t let the summer go by and look back only to realize that you are actually further away from God than when you started.

BONUS – READ FOR FUN.
It’s OK to read for fun you know So feel free to pick up a novel or a quick read just for the enjoyment of reading. Personally, I love crime mystery novels and from time to time will read in that genre . . . a lot of fun and a great change of pace to some of the other books I’m reading.

What’s on your summer reading list?

Your partner in ministry,

P.S. If you’re serious about reading and learning as much as possible this summer (and beyond), join Nelson for the “How to Read More” Webinar TOMORROW (Thursday, May 31). There are three convenient times to choose from and there are a few spots left.

Click the link below to learn more and Sign Up Today:

https://nelsonsearcy.infusionsoft.com/app/storeFront/showCategoryPage?categoryId=120

How would your church be impacted if you were to read just one more book a month?

Can you imagine consuming the wisdom of 5 books a week and having it readily available to you?

All leaders are readers!

So I want to show you the system I have developed over the years that has allowed me to read as many as 5 -7 books a week.

I won’t be sharing any speed reading tricks or summary techniques but instead, I will lay out the system that I have used to train my reading and retention muscles to get me to the level that I am currently reading.

So, if you’re looking to make reading a larger part of your ministry and read more each month, I’d like to invite you to join me for one of three identical webinars in just two days, that’s THIS Thursday, May 31.

“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people”

Victor Borge, Humorist and Musician

When people hear about the number of books I read each year and that I can currently read a 250 page book in about 90 minutes, they often question if or how that’s even possible.

And as you might imagine, many pastors over the years have asked me to help them learn how to read more.

So, if you’re looking to make reading a larger part of your ministry and read more each month, I’d like to invite you to join me for one of three identical webinars next Thursday.

I’m a firm believer in the old adage that “all leaders are readers,” but you might be surprised to know that I never completed a book from start to finish prior to age 17?  And today I typically read five to seven non-fiction books a week.

I like to say “God just gave me a passion to read” and while that’s true, I’ve also developed a system (imagine that!) for reading that improves recall and keeps me focused on what is most beneficial and helpful to my ministry as a pastor and leader of leaders.

This week, Church Leader Insights is celebrating eight years of ministry!

 On Tuesday, I shared about the BIG 8th Anniversary Sale going on right now.

Today I want to let you know that my team and I have selected 8 additional resources (get it, eight – 8th anniversary?) and added them to the Sale at 50% OFF. This sale ends TOMORROW.

Over the past eight years, these resources have proven helpful in hundreds of churches just like yours:

• Leadership Skills for a Growing Church
• Time Management for Busy Pastors
• The Maximizing Membership Package
• Stewardship Sermons
• Evangelism Sermons
• Small Groups Sermons
• The New Testament Challenge (Full Church Campaign)
• Financial Freedom (Full Church Campaign)

And they’re HALF OFF – ONLY ONE MORE DAY!

Click the Link Below for ALL 20 Resources at 50% Off:

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/AnniversarySale

Hurry! Ends TOMORROW at 11:59pm Eastern!

Your Partner in Ministry,

Nelson

Jason Hatley here . . . Pastor of Worship Arts @ The Journey Church and Founder of www.WorshipLeaderInsights.com.

Today we wrap up the 3-part series on Leading a Growing Worship Team, and I think today’s topic is one of the most important leadership principles for doing just that.

Two weeks ago we talked about how Personal Growth ALWAYS Precedes Ministry Growth.

Last week I talked to you about the importance of Raising New Leaders to help you carry the load of a growing team.

And here’s #3 . . .

#3 – Remove Obstacles to the Growth of Your Team.

Every leader faces obstacles.  Some are hard decisions that we spend weeks praying over.  Others are tough seasons of personal growth.  These are challenges that you will get through in time.

However, there are some obstacles that, if we don’t do something to change them, they will stick with us for many years and actually KEEP us from experiencing God’s best in the ministry we’re called to lead.

The #1 obstacle we face is the limitations of our own thinking and faith.

I know, I know . . . that seems a little intangible, so let me explain.

Do you remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 9:29?

He said, “. . . According to your faith let it be done to you.”

Wayne Cordeiro taught on this passage to a small group of leaders I was a part of a few years ago and this is what he said:

“If you think it will be hard to achieve a goal for God, then God will say, ‘Ok – for you this will be hard.’  But if you think, ‘We can do this,’ then God will say, ‘Ok – for you this will be possible.”  

In other words, if you think leading a growing team will be hard, then it will be hard.  According to your faith will it be done to you.

But if you have a mindset of being “more than a conqueror” (Romans 8:37), of being able to “do all things through Christ who strengthens you” (Philippians 4:13) and have the faith that God is able to “do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3;20) then you will be able to do for God what others may not.

If you look at the challenge of leading a growing team and say, “I don’t exactly how to do this, but I’m going to trust God, go to work on myself, and see this through”, then God says, “Ok – you will be able to do this.”  According to your faith will it be done to you.

For many of us in ministry, the difference between who we are and who we want to be may lie in the faith we have in ourselves and our God to become all that he has called us to be.

Here’s the challenge . . .

Remove the limiting thoughts and faith from your life.

Don’t think, “It’s too hard.”
Believe, “With God’s help we’ll get through this.”

Don’t think, “We’ll never see that happen here.”
Believe, “God, make me into the person I need to be to see this happen here.”

A change in thinking can change your ministry!

Your partner in ministry,

PS -Want to learn the audition process that worship pastors have been using to grow their Worship Team and the leadership tactics for how to deal with the new leadership challenges that come with it? Check out the How to Double Your Worship Team in a Day resource.

And if you try the auditions system, give it an honest run and do it just like I teach it, and it doesn’t work for you . . . return it to us within 365 days of purchase for a full refund.

Eight years ago, just as our young church in New York City was breaking through the 500 barrier, I received a call asking me to teach the Church Planting track at Rick Warren’s annual May conference.

I was humbled and excited… not sure if I could do it, but I said “yes.”

The conference was to be six hours over three days and I was to teach everything I had learned about launching large and starting a new church from scratch.

One week before the conference I received a call saying that the schedule had changed and instead of six hours, I would only have four hours to teach my sessions. With over 400 church planters registered, I simply didn’t know what to cut.

After much prayer, I decided not to cut anything. Instead, I would record the content I didn’t have time to teach live and share it with the participants. It’s been eight years now, but I recall that I recorded the following CD resources:

Am I Called to Be a Church Planter?

Funding Your Church Plant

Launching Large

Is My Husband’s Call My Call (with my wife Kelley)

The night before the conference (literally) I was up duplicating CDs on my computer and sticking labels by hand. It was crazy… but it worked! Thankfully, I was judged by the content on the CDs and not the design.

That conference came and went, but I started receiving calls and emails afterwards asking if those CDs were available for purchase. In fact, another large church planting conference that July wanted to offer the CDs for purchase at their conference.

From this humble start, we began making my resources available for purchase at various conferences, at my own speaking events and we put up a basic online store.

Why am I sharing this? Because it was this week eight years ago that all this happened and it was out of these “accidental” beginnings that Church Leader Insights was born.

Since 2004, I have had the incredible privilege of developing over 100 church growth resources. From that handful of church planters back in 2004, Church Leader Insights has grown to impact 90,000+ church leaders a year. And eight years later, I’m still humbled and excited!

Today, I give away those early church planting resources on our Web site. We give away over $3,000.00 in free resources to church planters around the world each week. Not to mention thousands of dollars in free e-books, international downloads, free books and audio resources.

One ministry leader recently estimated that we give away over $45,000.00 in free resources each month to 3,000+ church leaders around the globe. God is good!

And yes, we still offer resources for purchase… In fact, it’s because we offer certain resources for purchase that we are able to run our ministry and provide the free resources we offer (like the podcast, e-books, webinars, etc.).

Our goal is to always give those who purchase resources from us far more value than the dollars they invest. And it seems to be working – our ministry is currently expanding at the rate of 500 new church leaders a week.

I’m humbled and excited about what God has in store for the future and I wanted to share this story with you. So thank you for reading this far!

To celebrate our EIGHT YEAR ANNIVERSARY as a ministry, we have combed through our store and selected a dozen very powerful resources and made them available at a significant discount between now and this Friday, May 25… some of these resources have never been discounted before.

Check out THE EIGHT YEAR ANNIVERSARY SALE resources at a full FIFTY PERCENT OFF at:

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/AnniversarySale

Over a Dozen Never Before Discounted Items Available, but Hurry, ends THIS Friday, May 25!

As I’ve said several times already, I’m humbled and excited about the future. Thank you for being a part of the Church Leader Insights family. This ministry is truly a partnership between me and pastors like you.

God’s best to you,

Nelson

P.S. After that first church planting event back in 2004, I was asked by several planters if I would be their “coach.” I never saw this as part of my ministry but gave it a shot with 12 guys in the summer of 2004. I loved it and God blessed it! Since 2004, I’ve coached over 1,000 church planters and senior pastors.

We have measured the effectiveness of my coaching process and learned that the average pastor sees a 30% growth in attendance and a 25% increase in the offerings (among many other improvements) within one year of completing my network.

My next SENIOR PASTORS COACHING NETWORK starts in August but there are some great Super Early Bird resources you get if you apply by July 30.

If you are a Senior Pastor or church planter, I strongly suggest you check out this link and prayerfully consider my network:

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/telecoaching

If you have any questions about this network or the anniversary sale (or if you prefer to order by phone), call us at 1-800-264-5129 – we are really nice to talk to – I promise!

“Losers live in the past. Winners learn from the past and enjoy working in the present toward the future.” 

— Denis Waitley: A motivational speaker and writer

For those of you who have implemented my weekly message run-through, I have found a great tool I want to share with you.

If you don’t know what a weekly message run-through is, check out this past blog where I explain it: http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/blog/2011/04/18/how-to-make-this-sundays-service-excellent-at-your-church/

Simply stated, the way you do the weekly message run-through will greatly affect the way the message goes on Sunday morning. We try and get everything the same for the run-through as it will be on Sunday morning.

The teaching table we use at the run-through is the same. If there is a clip, we play it. We use the same teaching notes and all the Sunday slides are on the screen. We do everything at the run through identical to how it will be done on Sunday mornings with the exception of one item… a countdown clock.

On Sunday’s we have a countdown timer on stage to ensure that the service is able to stay focused on what God has called us to accomplish for each Sunday and instead of having to haul that large countdown back and forth to the office, I have begun to use a simple and free online version.

It is found at http://www.online-stopwatch.com/countdown-timer/

This gives me that ability to have a timer but keeps me from having to break my back!

So, if you are not yet doing a sermon run-through, make steps today to get it on your calendar. If you are doing a run-through, use this great online timer to make sure that your message is the length it should be!

Let me know how it goes!

Nelson

P.S. To learn more about implementing a proven message run-through strategy, starting this week, download your FREE copy of my brand new “Double the Effectiveness of Your Preaching” E-Book by clicking here.