• Program Priority
What is a Program Priority in Church? From my vantage point it has been my observation that many churches have what I call a Program Priority. Basically, it is that program that seems to characterize a church. A church can become known for this priority, i.e., a Missions Church or a Youth Church. Two things tend to drive this priority: the vision and focus of the leadership (often the pastor) and/or allocation of funds in the church budget. This is an observation taken from where the money goes.
When you are new to a church, one is wise to assess whether there might be such a program priority…music, worship, preaching, outreach/ evangelism, discipleship or maintenance of the facilities and grounds. The image of a landmine seems appropriate. Things could explode, if you unknowingly step on it. So failing to discover your church’s Program Priority must just be a landmine that might cause you some serious adjustment. Think about it!
• The Coaching Partnership
The Coaching Partnership
The coaching relationship is a partnership between two equals. My relationship with my protégé’s is based upon the belief that they are smart, mature, and capable people who want support in articulating and achieving their goals. It seems to me that I provide support in at least four basic ways.
• Leadership: Self Correcting #3
Leaders: Self Correcting
After watching numerous hours of professional tennis, I have observed how the pros seem to be able to “adjust their game,” as their game develops. It is like they find “another gear” to raise the level of their performance. The opponent tries to a find a weakness to exploit. The defender raises their level of play to counter this attempt. When what they are doing fails to work, they make a correction to the game plan, while they are playing. This is a bit like trial and error, but it works. This reminds me of…
• Role of Lingering
The Role of Lingering
One of the ways to get return engagements is to “linger” after you finish your performance. Lingering is not “loitering” or wasting time, as in being lazy. It is rather, deliberately waiting, not rushing away. It is involves making “yourself available” for something. For me, it is tarrying for some opportunity to minister and/or make some relational connection.
• Light Reveals, Shadows Define
Light Reveals and Shadows Define! Take a lesson from Photography, too much light is hot, too little light becomes drab, too much light has no shadows, proper balance of light and shadow defines the character of an object. Thus, adjusting your camera settings for proper balance renders any object interesting to observe or enjoyable to view. So what?
• Theme Experiences are “IN”
Theme Programming is Still “HOT!” Dressing up in a costume, developing a character, or creating a set on the stage is still HOT. Check out a few Children’s Church programs and you will get the idea…creating a cool learning environment.
I was considered quite “odd” forty years ago, when I decided to wear a Barrel into a meeting to present the gospel to children. Well, I was “odd.” However, this barrel (worn) with a long tie became my “signature” outfit for all outreach programs. However, now theme programming is here to stay. Almost all publishing houses have produced VBS programs that require theme development. Over the years, I have collected a number of theme costumes to compliment these various themes. I probably have a dozen outfits now. Here is another one…
• Cutting Evangelism
Cutting Evangelism? I have noticed that when a church experiences financial troubles the first areas to get cut is evangelism and advertising. I see this as a impulse reaction. Instead of asking “how much?” We should rather ask, “who can we target to reach?”
We do know from Church growth studies that churches that target young families with young children seem to experience the fastest growth. So to cut back on “fishing” for young families with young children is counter-intuitive to me.
Rather than “cutting,” we should be “concentrating” on these target families even in hard times. These families represent giving units and the new building blocks for growth that have the potential to solve our financial crisis. Let’s double our efforts to reach families when things get tuff, plus they need our involvement too.
• India Playgrounds Shipped
This larger Playground for India
This Playground was installed in a Disabled School in India
Good News, two used playgrounds like the ones above were shipped to India on Wednesday, May 26th. The larger Playground will be built in Kidana Mission School in Gujarat, in northern India. The smaller playground will be built at the Disabled School in southern India. Both playground will be shipped into India.
A Total of $44,500 was raised in two phases: the first $30,000 was raised 2 years ago and the later $14,500 was raised in May, 2010. This container also includes training materials for forty churches for a two-day training event. Each of these churches will receive enough curriculum to last for one-full year.
In addition to these playgrounds and training materials, they rest of the container was filled with 192 boxes of 24 Bibles to a box for a total of 4,608 Bibles for the people of India. Estimated value of all the items in this container, new, would be well over $100,000.
• Finding Your Sweet Spot
Finding Your Sweet Spot?
The term “sweet spot” often used in various sporting events to describe that place where the ball might be hit for the optimum results. For example, a ball hit on the end of the bat or near the handle might not produce optimum contact, but in between might be called the “sweet spot,” or in some cases 6 inches from the end.With most sports it tends to be in the “center,” as in a tennis racquet.
The term is now used in other fields to indicate any solution where competing factors produce a favored outcome between extremes, as in the tension of the rackets above.
• Coaching Term: Benched
Believe it or not I was very active in sports in High School. My athletic experience then was very interrupted with my Father’s moving career. I attended five schools in my last four years. So starting all over again, and again was my annual experience. I played football, basketball and track and I lettered in each sport. Proving myself and starting at the bottom and working my way back up to first string was a process. I was becoming used to this challenge with every new season of my experience.
I noticed that the Coach would “pull” a player from play and put them on the “bench.” As I reflect on those days, I too, was frequently benched, but there were many reasons for it. Just because you were “pulled” from the game, it was not always about being “benched,” which was always my first thought when I was pulled. I would always think I did something wrong. However, it was not always the case, I learned other things were going on. The more I observed the Coach, the more I observed being “pulled” was not always about my performance and would not always mean I would be sitting very long on the bench.
Here are a few reasons that to come to mind why a Coach might “pull and/or bench” a player.”
