Category Archives: Movements

How to Kill a Movement: Part 3…an Ode to the best admin ever: David Nelson*

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How to Kill a Movement Part 3: Refuse to provide administrative help and let it suffocate under it’s own weight

 

Of all the things on the list, I think this one may be the most ‘unMovement’ feeling for most. Here is the reality: There is a big difference between starting a movement and sustaining a movement. Administration is not sexy, does not inspire most people, does not get the earthly praise and is sometimes low on the gift list of leaders who are out beginning the movements.

 

Let me say from experience…administration is very important to long-term movement sustainability. If a leader is thinking long-term, then administration has to be included in that strategy. Here’s how I see it:

 

Movements are like fast moving boats in stormy water. Most types of people that get on these boats are the people who are bent towards looking out past the bow. They ask questions like: Where are we going? What do we have to navigate? What is the best way to get where we want to go? Their eyes and hearts are bent towards what is to come. And that’s a good thing.

 

The truth is that while going through this storm, people fall off the boat. People get left behind. Some people are even trying to get on, while others are just barely hanging on. I see administrative roles looking out for this stuff and looking out for solutions to the problems caused by the nature of the storm…not to mention looking at the map to make sure we are going in the right direction…and checking the engine to make sure it’s not going to explode! Admin gifted people can help answer (and ask) questions like: Is this the best way to get where we want to go? How can we get through the storm better? Who has fallen off and how can we throw them a life-preserver? Who is trying to get on this boat?

 

If a movement is truly healthy it will grow. And the more people that get on the boat, the harder it is to maneuver, operate, repair, and keep people from falling off. Admin people have the giftedness to help a movement expand their boat.

 

The people and the way that they think can (and should) become the backbone of a movement. They keep it standing up tall, not lying limp on the ground. So if you are wanting to begin, have started, or are in the thick of a movement, remember that there is a reason that God gave us all different gifts and that each one has value. See the strategy behind having a healthy admin structure because if you don’t prepare for it now, it could kill you in the future! Also, admin people can also be visionary and gifted not only in tasks and processes…listen to and look for them.

 

A good example of this is found in Acts…the disciples appointed some other people to take on the ‘admin process’ of distributing bread among the widows. One of those men was James. Who in a chapter later gives one of the most hard hitting talks recorded in the book of Acts…and ends up being killed for it. But his original task? Bread distributor. We never know how God may have or will gift those in our movements.

 

Administrate…do it. Find people to do…or we run the risk of killing our movements under their own momentum. 

 

Dave is a great friend of Jen and I’s and was my admin back in the day…truly an amazing person that I had the privilege of serving with. He was a great admin, but an even greater friend. I would work with him again in a heartbeat…and he made some dang good coffee! 

How to Kill a Movement Part 2

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How to Kill a Movement Part 2:  Demand Conformity in Methodology

When driving in your car, have you ever thought how many different ways there are to get to the place you are going? Sometimes I sit in my car nearly paralyzed because I’m strategizing the best way to get from point A to B. Sometimes I take off in the direction I think will be the fastest just to get stuck in traffic. Or other times it’ll end up taking way longer than I thought. But if I just keep on driving, I get there eventually.

Movement thinking is a lot like this…and so is the art of church planting. There are many ways to get to the same place. There are many ways to make a difference in the Kingdom. When we begin to believe that there is only one right way, we fool ourselves, especially when we are the author of THE way. There may be the fastest way under certain given circumstances, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only way for all of time. 

 

So, if you want to kill a movement, here are some ideas to building conformity that will help you on your way to nowhere:

1. Control the big box.

Trusting other leaders is the last thing you want to do. This will show them that you believe that God speaks to them…meaning not only you. So, if you start letting some people think outside of the big box you run the risk of losing all control. You don’t want that. You want to give people smaller boxes to think outside of, while you control the big box. He who controls the big box wins the battle of conformity. 

 

2. Make sure everybody knows the right way 

Forget the idea of values. Values schmalues. Rules are what you want. You want people to know clearly there is a right way and wrong way. And you want people to look to your rules to know what the difference is. You need to know what the right way is…but don’t be clear what that is because it’s fun to watch people squirm trying to figure it out. They just need to know that you know. And you are watching. Period.

 

3. Lastly, and most importantly, never admit failure.

In order for people to continue to trust your ways, you can never admit anything remotely close to failure. People can not lose faith in the system. There should be no room ever given to doubt the Master Plan. Even if you feel like the world is falling down around you…smile, use lots of Christian sounding words, and stick to the Master Plan. (I even recommend calling this the ‘Master’s Plan’ as that makes it sound cleverly spiritual.) Never, ever, ever do anything to make somebody think that there needs to be a solution, because, of course, there was never a problem with the Master Plan. Remember, smile…a lot. If somebody is not really looking, it can go a long way.

 

Ugh…Even though I laughed out loud typing this, I now feel sick as this goes against every fiber in my being. I really, really hope nobody read this and thought I was serious! 

 

How to Kill a Movement Series: Require education for the leadership

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A while ago (a really long while ago), I talked about doing a series of posts on a list that I had found on another blog. Honestly, I’ve not had the extra brain energy to put into this, and I am finally back to thinking on this level again. Well, we’ll see after this post! 

Over the next few weeks I’m going to be unpacking my thoughts on the list called How to Kill a Movement. Here’s the list if you want to look at it the whole thing. 

If you want to kill a movement the first thing you should do is require education for the leadership. 

Leadership is one of the most crucial issues when thinking on a movement level. I’m not one of those guys who thinks that everything rises and falls on leaders, but I do think that leaders play a significant role in developing a movement’s culture, ideals, values, and vision. Having the right people in the right places is absolutely critical in maintaining a movement dynamic. 

I believe that leadership habits can be learned and that one can be taught how to lead. But ultimately, leadership (meaning influence) is a gift from God that we are called to be stewards of. The way I see it, if somebody has been given Kingdom influence it is a gift from God, there is no need for them to have to have a certificate or a degree to validate their influence. I do believe that education is good…I believe that it reveals commitment, it can challenge thinking, and it can provide good mentoring. I just don’t think that it is the stamp of approval for a leader. I have observed that there is a clear difference between true spiritual authority and simple hierarchy. Education does not produce spiritual authority, wisdom, or influence; only God does. And this in only revealed by the fruit it produces. It’s not revealed in strategy. Nor organized teaching. Nor the appearance of ministry…only by it’s fruit. Requiring a leader to go through formal education runs the risk of burning out their passion by weighing it down with specialized vocabulary, methods, and strategies that may even detract from them being truly incarnational leaders. This could be compared to making a Masai leader go to seminary just to return to the bush wearing a suit, making people sit in pews, and sing hymns.

Here are some thoughts about what I think movement leadership needs to be…since formal education is not one of them.

Movement leadership needs to be held with open hands

Life always comes with change. And with every change in seasons comes new challenges and needs. Leadership within a movement needs to be seen as a gift that God temporarily lets us borrow to be used as He sees fit. We must hold onto this gift loosely knowing that it is not ours…and that we are ultimately valuable to God because of Jesus, not because of our giftedness. Our identify comes from within, not from without. I get a picture of golf clubs in my head…on some shots God may need a driver, yet on others, a pitching wedge. Just because God can crush His driver 7,000 yards doesn’t mean He has to do it every shot! There is a time and a season for every leader…our job is to be as faithful as possible for the places and seasons God has put us in…all the while knowing that the season we are in could just be prep for the next thing God has around the bend! 

Movement leadership needs to be empowering

The best leaders understand that their true ministry is to equip those around them. This is especially true when wanting to start a movement. People from within the movement need to know that they are believed in. That they are gifted. Basically, they need to know that they have what it takes. The fundamental role of a leader is to provoke people into seeing themselves the way God does. The best type of movement leadership is birthed from the inside out. Yes, recruiting leaders is good too, but I would take a leader who is developed from the inside over a ‘top recruit’ any day…even if the recruit looked better on paper! But in order for leaders to emerge and see themselves as influencers they must be empowered. This won’t look the same way in every situation (it shouldn’t be a cookie cutter thing anyway), but the value of empowering developing leaders is must for any movement to succeed. 

Movement leadership needs to pass on core transferable values and get rid of the other nonsense

The big picture of movement thinking is long-term reproduction and sustainability. It’s worth noting that it is extremely important to pass on the right things and not treat unnecessary, or overly specified things, as fundamental. I think that that key is to reduce what we want to see multiplied to the core values and allow the values to multiply (not mimic) themselves into new expressions. These new traits and practices will become incarnational expressions of the new environment, not simply carbon copies of the original.

Movement leadership ultimately needs to trust that God is in control

If we’re being honest…we prefer predictability to trust. At least I do most of the time! But when it comes to movements, we have to be willing to risk…risk failure, risk resources, and even risk people with people. We are never never going to survive unless we get a little crazy…wait, that sounds like Seal doesn’t it? But we have to trust that God is going to meet crazy with provision and/or grace! Following the Spirit is an unpredictable journey that leads us into danger and even chaos. But this is the space where faith is born. 

I think that’s enough on this one…but two last thoughts:

1. Jesus never went to any formal training that we know of…he was a carpenter from a hick town.

-and-

2. “Your mom goes to college” – Kip Dynamite 


How to Kill a Movement Blog Series

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I’ve received a number of comments and links about the list a few posts down called, How to Kill a Movement…ironically (or not) I didn’t write a word of it. But I’ve read over the list a few times and I’ve decided that I want to spend some time expounding on the different things. I don’t know when I’ll have time to start, but just know it’s coming…I know you’re on the edge of your seat.

How To Kill a Movement

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Thanks to Jay at OnMovements for posting this list from Sam Metcalf. I think that many (if not all!) of these things are certainly worth thinking about if you are in any way a steward of ministry…

How to Kill a Movement »

By Jay Lorenzen on Jan 19, 2008

Sam Metcalf at UnderTheIceberg posted the following list on How To Kill a Movement:

1. Require education for the leadership

2. Demand conformity of methodology

3. Refuse to provide administrative help and let it suffocate under it’s own weight

4. Get spooked by supernatural phenomena outside your paradigm

5. Make no room for younger, less experienced leadership

6. Be obsessed by theological purity

7. Put the safety of the people involved as a higher priority than sacrifice

8. Centralize the funding

9. Punish out-of-the box thinking

10. Manage it by goals and strategic plans

11. Reward faithfulness rather than entrepreneurial ability

12. Get tied to property and buildings

13. Let your critics define you

14. Be threatened by giftedness that’s not like you

15. Create an endowment

16. Treat creativity as heresy

17. Refuse to exercise discipline for the right things

18. Make sure you are related to existing institutions for credibility

19. Promote on the basis of seniority and longevity

20. Insist that decisions be based on policy instead of values

21. Make nurture and conservation of gains a focus

22. Don’t be intentional about leadership selection

23. Be risk adverse under the guise of stewarding your people

24. Justify your reluctance to raise money

25. Have a big need for approval and affirmation

Above all else, control it if, God forbid, he actually shows up!

Mike Frost

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Mike Frost wrote a book with Alan Hirsch called ‘The Shaping of Things to Come’. This book put into words and pages what my heart felt. Here’s an encouraging/valuable/challenging/long/insightful clip of Mike talking about the missional Church. Make a cup of coffee or tea and spend some time watching this and let it sink in. Thanks to Alan for posting this on his blog for me to steal:)

Seedless Grapes

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grapesToday I was talking with a friend about church stuff…I’ve been thinking of this analogy for a while, but hadn’t really processed it much.

I’ve been thinking a lot (a lot) about what sustainable movements look like and what it takes to be sustainable. In the process I’ve been thinking about what sustainable isn’t. The image that came to mind was of seedless grapes. A seedless grape is convenient, tastes the same, and looks the same…but there is one major difference: it can’t reproduce. If a seedless grape is the last grape on the planet…it has no chance of reproducing. If a seedless grape falls to the ground and dies…that’s all there is to it.

A grape with a seed has all the DNA tucked inside of it to create more grapes. If a grape with seeds dies there is a chance that many more grapes will be able to grow.

The critical difference is that a seedless grape is missing the part that can actually make a difference to the sustainability of the fruit…it’s missing the DNA. A movement cannot be sustainable if the DNA is lost. This is the biggest threat to Christianity not being sustainable for generations to come…becoming seedless grapes.

My prayer is that we as a movement will rediscover the DNA of following Christ that makes faith in Jesus so potent and culture changing.

If you are curious as to thinking more about this subject I would check out the book The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch. He does a great study of the first century Church and the underground Church in China; two movements that have possessed this radical DNA.

Hungary and First ‘crawls’

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As you may or may not know, Jen, Maisie, and I are in Hungary for our annual conference with Christian Associates. It has been so good to see our friends and spiritual family for the week. It’s been a really full week and God has given much more to think about that I thought…posts about that coming soon!…The week has gone by fast and I can’t really believe that it’s already Friday.

In other news…our little girl has become mobile. She took her first ‘crawls’ in Hungary this week. How weird is it that my baby has started to crawl in Hungary…just never thought I’d say that. I think that she’s gained inspiration from Alleke, our friends Kelly and April’s daughter. One night Alleke went crawling by Maisie and I think Maisie just decided,

“I want to follow her…I’ll try what she’s doing.”

And so she did and crawled on after her…well about half a meter after her and then got tangled up in her long arms, legs, and dress!

So…good week. Much more to say about how much we love our organization and what God is teaching us, but we’re hungry and it’s time for dinner…later.