Tag Archives: church planting

Posts that should have been written throughout the week

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Don’t worry…nothing’s wrong and everything is great…I just haven’t had it in me to write on here with all the people around. My extravert tendencies were in full force being back around CAI folks this past week and if I weren’t around people I was sleeping…and I wasn’t sleeping much. Jen did a great job putting up pictures on her blog and others from CAI have been writing as well if you want to follow the links. You can even listen to the talks from some of the sessions here or go to iTunes and do a podcast search for “Christian Associates”. If you really really want to have your mind given something to chew on listen to Deb’s talk on obstacle to the Kingdom. 

So in as best order as I can remember, here are the highlights from since I’ve last written…this could get long and I’m sure I’ll still leave out some good stuff…

We were able to have dinner with our good friends Ken and Nancy Hendren in our overnight layover in Denver. They are always encouraging and ask great questions. It is sad that we only got about 1.5 hours with them, but we’ll take what we can get!

Our overnight flight from Denver to London was as good as a flight this long can be. We gave Maisie benedryl which only seemed to make her mad until she was too drugged to fight it. We slept a little bit, but not enough to prepare us to be sane for what was to come. 

When we got to London a number of things sent me to the edge…If it wasn’t for the ‘lovely’ british accents and phenomenal customer service of British Air, I would have been forced to pull what little hair I have left out! First, American Airlines didn’t put any of the strollers that were gate checked in Chicago on the plane. So there were a number of us who waited for 30-40 minutes for our strollers just to learn that they were still on the other side of the ocean. Second, American Airlines’ incompetency continued as we learned that they didn’t issue Maisie a ticket all the way to Vienna, just to London. What were they thinking? That we wanted to drop Maisie off by herself in London so we could continue on for a little vacation without her? So we had to pay 70 pounds ($143) for Maisie to join us on our flight to Vienna…I’m not looking forward to the call that I have to make to American Airlines. This will most likely be the last time we fly them…these two things pale in comparison to the ways in which AA have been frustrating to deal with. Other than the stoller not arriving on time, we did get all 5 of our 50 pound suitcases! It was pretty funny to have that much stuff at a conference that only lasts a week. I think most people knew we were moving, and if they didn’t then they should have just guessed…see Jen’s blog for a picture of it all when we arrived at the Grafs.  

So we made it to Connect! It was so great to see so many of our friends. This was our fifth conference, but it was different to have not come from or be returning to Paris. It was the same conference, but the circumstances of our past year of life were very different than normal…whatever normal is. I guess the biggest difference from this year to last year is us. We’re just very different people than we were a year ago. We had some great conversations with leaders in CAI and we’ve gotten better understanding of what the future will hold. We feel very encouraged and empowered to discern what the future will look like. I could talk on and on about the content of the week, but I’ll do that in a different post. 

Thursday was a really fun day for me…I got to lead worship for the morning session with some of my favorite CA’ers. Bob Gerken, Richard Wilson, and Hilary Rivera led along with me and we had a great time…and played really well considering we only practiced that morning. (different subject but still Thursday) We had run out of diapers…not a good thing. So I got to borrow a friend’s car and drive into town. I’ve decided that one of my favorite things to do is drive in foreign countries. I think I love the adventure of not knowing a city and hoping that you don’t get lost. Also, going grocery shopping is difficult when you can’t read the labels….just a heads up on that. 

A bit of a miracle took place yesterday. Remember that we were traveling with 5 suitcases? That normally isn’t a good idea when flying in Europe. We not only had the suitcases, but we had two carry-ons, a diaper bag, and a guitar. So we were at full capacity. When we got to the airport we learned that we were only allowed 50 kilograms total (110 lbs). Seeing as two of our 5 bags weighed about that much, things weren’t looking good. I told Laina back at the conference that we had a luggage issue and she said, “pray for a nice lady that is understanding of your situation”. So I did. And we got a really nice lady that we very understanding. She let us check FOUR of our bags that easily doubled our weigh restriction! Our friends, the Johnsons, checked our fifth bag for us so we were able to make it paying absolutely zero for all of our stuff! I was stoked to say the least…because it meant we could afford a taxi into Amsterdam because not even Tenzing Norgay could have carried our stuff on the train and to the Grafs. 

Ok…that’s enough for now and Jen is wanting to get on the computer. I have to get ready to leave the house. We’re going to head into the city center for a bit today. I’ll write more tonight….It will probably be my favorite ‘sound bites’ from the conference speakers. 

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