No-Nonsense Leadership – CLI Newsletter Rewind

Each month in the Free Church Leader Insights Newsletter, I include least one book recommendation (in addition to all of the articles, podcast training, events and more).

I pick only the best of the best of what I read and share a book that will help you lead your church more effectively.

Just in case you missed this month’s Newsletter (click here to make sure you don’t miss another one), I wanted to share the leadership book I recommended:

NO-NONSENSE LEADERSHIP
by Dave Anderson

“I first listened to this book on CD, then read it twice and now our Executive Staff is studying it together – it’s that good! John Maxwell and Jim Rohn have certainly influenced Dave Anderson but he also brings a lot of insight from his own experience as a Christian leader to this fast-paced, ‘in your face’ book on leadership. If you only read his ‘takeaways’ at the end of each chapter, this book will more than pay for itself . . . and it will make you a better leader too.”
- Nelson

The Church Leader Insights Newsletter is designed to bring you the best available material on Church Growth, Evangelism, Leadership and Church Planting every month – and all you have to do is check your email!

If you don’t already have your Free Subscription, you can click this link to sign up right now.

How the Best Leaders Lead – CLI Newsletter Rewind

Each month in the free Church Leader Insights Newsletter, I include least one book recommendation (in addition to the other articles, podcast training and events).

I’m an avid reader and I like to pick the best of the best from what I read and share a book that will help you lead your church more effectively.

Just in case you missed last month’s Newsletter (click here to insure that you don’t miss another one), I wanted to share the leadership book I recommended:

HOW THE BEST LEADERS LEAD:
Proven Secrets to Getting the Most Out of Yourself and Others
by Brian Tracy

“Brian Tracy has a gift to compile a ton of relevant information in a small space . . . and in this book he packs together some of the best teaching on leadership available today – from self-leadership to goal setting to time management. While written for a secular business audience, the majority of the lessons are immediately applicable to us as church leaders. Grab a highlighter or charge up your Kindle or iPad as you’ll be underlining this book a lot.”
- Nelson

The Church Leader Insights Newsletter is designed to bring you the best available material on Church Growth, Evangelism, Leadership and Church Planting every month – and all you have to do is check your email!

If you don’t already have your Free Subscription, you can click this link to sign up right now.

10 Books That Will Impact Your Life and Leadership

Recently my friend and 3 time Coaching Alumni Terry Mahan from The Fathers House Christian Center in Leesburg, FL asked me to send him a list of the Top 10 Books that have impacted my life.

I don’t know if this list is my TOP Top 10, but here’s what I shared:

	Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren
	Money Posessions and Eternity by Randy Alcorn
	How to Reach Secular People by George G. Hunter
	Good to Great by Jim Collins
	Leading at a Higher Level by Ken Blanchard
	The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker
	Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge by Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus
	Leading Minds by Howard Gardner
	Understanding Church Growth by Donald MacGavran and Peter Wagner
	Dig Your Well Before You Are Thirsty by Harvey Mackay

Bonus: Victory by Brian Tracy, Leadership by James MacGregor Burns, See You at the Top by Zig Ziglar, On War by Carl von Clausewitz, Certain Trumpets by Garry Wills, Leading Change by John P. Kotter

Oh, and let’s not forget those brilliant books: Launch, Fusion, Activate and Ignite… ha!

What would you add?

Thanks for the question Terry!

Nelson

P.S. For more book recommendations, check out my Free Monthly Newsletter where I review at least one book a month.

In addition to the books, you’ll receive the best and latest thoughts from some of the greatest minds in the country and a half-hour of free monthly podcast training, all delivered to your inbox each month.

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How Big Days are Igniting Church Growth

Since my latest book, Ignite, came out, it’s been exciting to see how God has used it to help all sorts of different churches, in all sorts of different areas.

Case in point: I was recently forwarded the link to Kenny Rager’s blog, where he reviewed Ignite and shared how it’s impacting his church. Kenny is the pastor of Living Faith Baptist Church in Hartford, Kentucky.

Kenny gave permission for me to reprint his thoughts here:

Recently I have discovered the wonderful resources of Church Leaders Insights. Nelson Searcy, Lead Pastor at The Journey Church in NYC, heads up this organization by offering different church growth resources for church leaders.

One of those resources is a book called “IGNITE” by Searcy. God has used this book to really shape the ministry at Living Faith for this new year.

It introduces the concept of “BIG DAYS,” Intentional High Attendance Days that pack the church house in order to attract the unchurched and to build evangelism prospects.We have already done one “Big Day” and we are excited about our next “Big Day” on Easter. Searcy really encourages the pastor to turn up the evangelistic heat in the church. We have already seen great results from our first big day and cannot wait to see how the next one comes.

On an additional note, Searcy just doesn’t focus on practical methodology, he also brings it back home with prayer, fasting, and seeking God. I love it that he produces solid methods while always keeping the focus on Jesus.

Searcy has re-sparked the fire in my life towards church growth. I really recommend that you pick up a copy of this book either from the Church Leader Insights website or from Amazon.

I have also read two other books by Searcy that I may post about in upcoming blogs. I hope you check it out.

Thanks Kenny – and it sounds like Easter really was a Big Day for you and Living Faith as well!

So how about you?  When’s the next Big Day on your church’s calendar?

• Mother’s Day?
• Father’s Day?
• That brand new “Community Day” you’re kicking off this summer?

I’d love to hear about it - click the “Ask Nelson” button on the right side of this blog to let me know what you have planned for your next Big Day.

P.S. And if you still don’t have your copy of Ignite: How to Spark Immediate Growth in Your Church, you can order your copy from Amazon by clicking here.

Ignite is one of Outreach’s Resources of the Year!

It seems like every week I’m posting something about all of the great feedback and interaction I get from you about my books and resources, and today I just want to send you a heartfelt, genuine THANK YOU.

My latest book, Ignite: How to Spark Immediate Growth in Your Church, has been selected as one of Outreach Magazine’s Resources of the Year for 2010!

Click here to read the article and see all of the resources that were chosen.

What an amazing honor this is, and I want to say this: it wouldn’t have happened without you picking up your copy, reading, reviewing and recommending it!

Accolades like this one are always humbling, but the best part of all this is knowing that so many of you are being blessed by the book and that God is honoring our efforts to expand His Kingdom.

Keep up the good work you’re doing and Thank You again for being a part of the Church Leader Insights family.

P.S. If you haven’t yet read Ignite, click here to grab your copy.

P.P.S. If you have read Ignite and have a testimony about how it’s been of help to your church, please click the “Ask Nelson” button on the right side of this blog and share your story.

Can I Help You Read More This Year?

Well, now they’ve done it!

For years one of the frequently asked questions in my coaching networks has been “How can I read more?”  And for years I’ve been able to quietly give a tip or two in passing and move on, but now…

The team here at Church Leader Insights has twisted my arm and convinced me to share my hard-earned – and up until now closely held – secrets to reading more in a brand new, 75-minute webinar called (creatively enough) “How to Read More.”

The How to Read More Webinar
Tuesday, February 16
1:00pm – 2:15pm Eastern
12:00pm – 1:15pm Central
11:00am – 12:15pm Mountain
10:00am – 11:15am Pacific

Here’s some of what I’ll be sharing:
- How to find time to read (without robbing time from the more important things)
- How to know what to read (and what NOT to read)
- How to increase your reading speed (hint: its not by becoming a speed reader)
- How to retain what you read
- How to get everything you can from a book
- How to stay motivated to read (and not to feel guilty if you aren’t)
- Plus much more

Plus, just for Pre-Registering you’ll receive over $97.00 in FREE BONUSES (that’s more than three times your investment).

So, will you join me (on the phone and over the internet) for this practical training opportunity?

Hurry though, you have to pre-register to get your bonuses and this thing is filling up fast!

REGISTER NOW FOR THE
HOW TO READ MORE WEBINAR

P.S. If you’ve been waiting to apply for my new Senior Pastor Tele-Coaching Network, now’s the time — it starts next Thursday — Click Here to Download Your Application

Guerrilla Lovers? Vince Antonucci Stops By Today

Today I’m excited to be part of the blog tour for Vince Antonucci and his new book, “Guerrilla Lovers: Changing the World with Revolutionary Compassion” (along with a bunch of free resources for pastors, guerrilla assignments, and more at www.guerrillalovers.com).  Vince is a church planter and pastor, and so he knows about fundraising and teaching about money…

So Vince, one of the chapters in the book had to do with how a guerrilla lover handles their money.  Can you tell us about that?

Answer: Sure.  We live in the richest country in the history of the world, but most of us spend most of our time trying to figure out how to get more money.  Guerrilla lovers try to figure out how to give it away.  It’s a whole different approach to spending.

Like, for me, I’ve made a decent amount of money in the last few years.  And I’ve spent it in all kinds of ways – an iPod, a car, clothes.  But, to be honest, I can’t remember how it felt to purchase any of those items. They were all things I was excited to buy, and felt like I “needed” but actually acquiring them gave me no rush.

Let me tell you what did.

On two different occasions in the past year my wife and I decided to give some extra money away. Both times we knew of a family in need and realized that some of our extra could meet their need. So each time we told our kids what we were going to do, filled an envelope with hundred dollar bills, and drove over to the home of the family.

We wanted our act of kindness to remain a secret, so the whole way over we discussed how we could drop off the money undetected. The kids were getting more and more excited, but tried to whisper. (I’m not sure why, maybe they think our car is bugged.) Finally, nearing the house, we turned off our headlights and parked behind a tree.

I quietly opened my door and then ran towards the house, keeping cover behind bushes and parked cars. I slid the envelope under the welcome mat and then ran back to the car. I gently closed the door, we put the car in reverse, turned it around, and then sped away, everyone in the family celebrating that we had not been caught and imagining how the family would react when they found the envelope.

That was a rush. I can’t think about it without smiling.

And that’s how guerrilla lovers spend their money, and that’s life changing.

Thanks Vince, that’s good stuff!  And if you want to order Guerrilla Lovers, you can do so here.

January Book Recommendation (Video)

For this month’s book recommendation, I sat down with author Gary McIntosh to discuss his book, Taking Your Church to the Next Level: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.

Here’s my January book recommendation video:

January Book Recommendation:

Taking Your Church to the Next Level: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Gary McIntosh

P.S. Have you read a book recently that you think I would enjoy? I’d love to hear your feedback — you can send it using the “Ask Nelson” button on the right side of the blog.

Ignite Ideas – Right on Time!

Among the responses I’ve received to Ignite: How to Spark Immediate Growth in Your Church is this note from Rob Huffman, Senior Pastor of Clearview Church in Chesapeake, Virginia and one of my Coaching Alumni:

Nelson,

Thanks for the insight in the new book. I read it the first day I got it in about 2 hours.

I am already working with my Associate Pastor to focus on our 4 big days for next year.

It’s funny you would write about the calendar and the big day, because the Sunday before we got the book we put 4 big days on the calendar for next year.

So reading the book helped reinforce that.

Thanks!

Rob

Isn’t it great how God seems to bring just the right book or resource at just the right time to equip us to do what He’s leading us to do!

I am far from the first person to write about using “Big Days” to help grow your church, but in Ignite I tried to give a solid explanation of how Big Days tie into your overall Evangelism System.

Thanks for the feedback Rob!

P.S. You can order your copy of Ignite: How to Spark Immediate Growth in Your Church by clicking here.

Igniting Growth In Your Church – Week 6 of 6

Welcome to the final week of my six-part blog series, “Igniting Growth In Your Church.” I trust that this weekly series has taken you to a new level in your understanding of how to keep your church’s evangelism temperature at the boiling point. If you haven’t already, make sure you pick up my new book, Ignite: How To Spark Immediate Growth In Your Church to keep digging even deeper into the truths of effective evangelism.

Last week, we talked about how to pinpoint your best fields for promotion. This week, we are going to shift gears a little and talk about one of the most critical pieces of evangelism – how you can prepare for people to say “yes!” to God and how to follow up with them when they do.

Today’s Topic:

Preservation: Preparing For And Following Up With People Who Say “Yes!”

PREPARATION

In addition to inviting people to say yes to God through our various evangelistic efforts, we have to prepare for them to say yes. God will not draw people to Himself in your church unless you are prepared.

Why would God cause people to accept His invitation of salvation under your care, if you aren’t ready to receive them and start shepherding them toward becoming fully developing followers of Jesus?

Preparing for people to say yes to God is actually more an assimilation discussion than an evangelism one. The process of clearing the way for them to meet God in a personal way begins the minute they decide to visit your church for the first time.

The Assimilation System that I detail in Fusion: Turning First-Time Guests Into Fully-Engaged Members Of Your Church outlines the process for making sure a first-time attender comes back again and again until they are ready to accept Jesus’ invitation of salvation, join your church and become fully-developing followers of Christ.

FOLLOW UP

Following up with new believers is a very important task for any pastor. Our faithfulness with the few will prove our trustworthiness with the many. (Hey, that sounds like something Jesus said one time!)  While each church must wrestle with their own new believer process, the goal is to be clear and intentional. Ask yourself these questions:

• What do you want a new believer to do in the first hour after becoming a follower of Jesus? At The Journey, we invite them to check the box on their connection card, so we are aware of their decision. Other churches invite them to come forward during an invitation time. I’m not against come forward invitations. If you use them, just make sure you also have a way for those who are so introverted they will never come forward to register a decision within the first hour.
• What do you want a new believer to receive within one day of becoming a follower of Jesus? For us, it’s a personal email, with the link to the online bible study.
• What do you want a new believer to do within one week of becoming a follower of Jesus? We want to put a new believer’s book in their hand to help them start growing in their faith.
• What steps do we want a new believer to take in the first month? At The Journey, the answer is baptism. What’s the answer for your church?
• What’s the future plan of discipleship for a new believer? For us, it’s connecting them into a small group and normalizing their church attendance.

There’s no such thing as a perfect new believer process, but do everything you can to insure that the new “babe in Christ” that God has entrusted to you has the best chance to grow!

God has big dreams for your church. Bigger than you can imagine. And He has called you to do the work. As you do, He will add His Spirit to your efforts.

My prayer for you is that you will latch into and implement all that we’ve discussed here over the last six weeks. Make sure to pick up Ignite: How To Spark Immediate Growth In Your Church and keep going deeper in your study. You may also want to check out my popular resource, “The Evangelism System.” Just click here.

Make the changes that need to be made in your church. Mobilize your people for evangelism. Keep the evangelistic temperature boiling hot. And then give God the praise as He sends you the harvest.

- Nelson

P.S – If you missed any of this blog series, just use the links below to get caught up:
Click here for Week 1.
Click here for Week 2.
Click here for Week 3.
Click here for Week 4.
Click here for Week 5.