paulurban.blogs.com

Leading is a team sport

Leading can be lonely, as I talked about, yesterday.  Many times it's just you and God.  And because of that, you can end up isolating yourself from others' good ideas.  The truth is, as much as people love The Journey, I would venture to guess that no one has poured in as much time, energy, or personal sacrifice as Matt and his family and Me and my family.  That provides some leverage.  That also bears some responsibility.  We're going to answer to God one day for how we led this church.  That's a weight that I don't take lightly.

That weight, also means that I don't give a rip how much you make and want to give to the church, or how influential you think you are, or how many people you know and can sway.  We're going to follow what God tells us to do, regardless of what "man" says to do.  Plain and simple.

BUT, that can also present a danger.  To think that I know everything there is to know about leading, about The Journey and the needs of the people here, well . . . that would be foolish.  We need all of us.  And, we as leaders, need to be able to listen to what others have to say and how God might be speaking to them.  It's a team sport, and we don't know everything.  That's something I'm continually working on.

Leading

The thing about leading someone or something, is that most often you're leading others somewhere that NONE of you have ever been before.  That means, you don't totally know where you're going either.  You just have a vision and a dream and you HOPE that one day you'll get there.

I am consistently blown away that so many people have joined us as we pursue this dream of a different kind of church along the lakeshore.  Because (shhhh . . . don't tell anyone . . . ) we haven't been here before and we don't always know what we're doing, because it's new to us too.  We're simply striving to follow Jesus and do what He calls us to do.

What will tomorrow bring?  I don't know.  You don't either.  But, I am confident in the One who has called us to this great mission.  So, we continue to follow Him wherever He leads.

Paradigm-shift part 3

We've been talking about some of the paradigm shifts we've been making at The Journey, and the truth is there is ALWAYS a potential paradigm shift just around the corner.  Why?  Because what you're doing today, most likely, will not be what works tomorrow.  There are timeless truths that don't change, the vision doesn't change.  God's Word doesn't change.  But everything else . . . is up for grabs.  Most churches that are stuck in a time warp and not making a real difference, were at one time making a difference.  Because they had success 40 years ago they have kept doing the same thing.  Only now it's outdated and ineffective.

As leaders, we're called to be agents of change.  To not settle for the status quo.  To move people and the "organization" where they need to go, not necessarily where they want to go.  So, what other paradigm shifts are in store for The Journey?  I'm not sure.  But they are coming.  If not this year, it will be next year or the year after.  I know we're constantly thinking about how to make steps of spiritual growth simpler for people and that may affect how we do our assimilation, or our Journey Groups, or our volunteering system.

So where have you gotten too comfortable?  What "program" or way of doing business was successful in the past, but might not be now?  What paradigm shift might be around the corner for you?  Start praying, planning, thinking about it now. 

Lessons on Leadership 4

Over the last 3 posts, I've been talking about leadership and some of the lessons we're learning.  I feel, and I think I speak for our whole staff, that we have a long way to go in our leadership abilities and learnings.  But, here are some of the lessons we're learning, and some of the things that are characterizing our brightest and best volunteers at The Journey.

Leaders are on the Look-out for other leaders.  Leaders don't just do the task with their heads down.  Leaders are constantly on the look-out for others to come with them, for people to join in, for someone to replace themselves.  We use that phrase "replace yourself" often.  We want people to be looking for others that could do what they are doing.  We're looking to multiply leadership. 

Leaders are always on the look-out for others and they are the best ones to do recruiting for their ministry area - because they are raving fans.  A leader isn't (or at least shouldn't) be leading out of duty, it should be coming out of passion.  If they are passionate about what they are doing, that passion will spill over to others.

Sometimes, we think we've got to find the perfect leader to replace ourselves, we've got to find the "mature" Christian.  But, leadership can be risky too.  I would rather take the new follower who is still unsure of themselves, but is absolutely sold out to the vision and absolutely thrilled to be a part of things and passionate.  That's a diamond in the rough.  And, that is exactly the kind of people Jesus took.  He didn't take the spiritually elite, instead He consistently called them out for being religious and missing the point.

Who are you on the look-out for?  Who are you replacing yourself with?  Who do you see as a "diamond in the rough"?  Are you investing in them, pouring into them, training them?

Lessons on Leadership 3

We've been talking about some of the leadership lessons we've learned at The Journey and what we're seeing in some of our brightest and best leaders at The Journey.  Leaders are people who fly at 30 feet and 30,000 feet.  Leaders need to be able to know (often intuitively) what is happening in the church, the ministry they are involved in, or the organization they are a part of.  They need to be able to hear what's going on, to have eyes that see what's going on right now.  But, leaders also need to have the ability to not get bogged down at 30 feet.  See what is going on, help direct course corrections, evaluate effectively, delegate what needs to be delegated, make the call . . . but, then . . . pull up to 30,000 feet.

Leaders need to live much of their life at 30,000 feet.  Soaring above, evaluating the landscape, looking to the future, calculating potential problems and possible opportunities.  That means casting the vision.  That means inspiring the other leaders towards that vision.  It means dreaming big God-sized, and God-ordained dreams and finding the right people who can help those dreams become reality.

What's easier for you?  30 feet?  Or, 30,000 feet?  Leaders need to do both.  If you stay at 30 feet, you're not really leading and you'll never be able to see through the forest in order to capture the potential that lies ahead.  If you stay at 30,000 feet you run the danger of keeping your head in the clouds and not living in reality.

Lessons on Leadership 2

Yesterday I talked about some of the challenges I feel in leadership.  I also talked about some of the things that characterize the leaders and potential leaders we're looking for at The Journey.

Yesterday, we said that leaders are learners.  Part of that learning, is that Leaders are listeners.  If you're not listening, you won't be leading for long.  Leaders need to be listening to those around them, to those ahead of them, to the next waves in our culture, to the critiques they get.  Listeners need to be listening to the podcasts and the books that they are reading.

Leaders don't know it all - although they often think they do.  Good leaders, Godly leaders, are listening.  They realize they don't have the market on good ideas or direction.  But, primarily, they are listening for God.  They are listening for His voice to lead them.  And, when they hear it, they obey it.  If a Godly leader hears from God, listens, and then obeys - that is someone worth following every single time.

By the way, you can totally listen to the wrong people.  Make sure you're listening to the right people.  Wise people, people trying to follow Jesus, people who are on board and invested with the vision.  In other words, if someone who doesn't give a rip about The Journey, doesn't like the vision, and isn't giving a dime of money, and isn't serving anywhere has something to say - I'll listen (politely), but I won't hold much stock in it, unless God convicts me otherwise.  But, if someone who is invested, who is sold out to the vision, who invests themselves, their time, their energy into what God has called us to do - I'd be stupid not to listen.  Leaders are listeners.

Lessons on Leadership

I don't FEEL like a very good leader most the time.  I wonder what it will be like to lead at a church of 700 or 1000.  I wonder where my leadership ceiling is.  I usually am pondering how to lead a basically all-volunteer organization.  There is no threat of being fired that can be used to motivate a volunteer.  I struggle with figuring out how to pull out the God-designed potential in each person. 

Here's some things I'm learning though, and some things that are characterizing our best and brightest leaders at The Journey.

Leaders are learners.  I heard this long ago, but it's true.  Leaders don't stop learning, they don't settle.  Often, that happens by being readers.  But, not always.  Following blogs, talking with leaders who are a couple steps ahead of them.  Going to a conference or seminar.  Those are all ways in which we grow as leaders.  Matt is primarily an auditory learner.  He'll also learn by doing.  He'll listen to a podcast, read a blog, or just jump in figure it out and ask some questions along the way.  I'm primarily a learner through writings, and through conversations with others who are a couple steps ahead.  We have different learning styles, but we're learning.

Are you stuck?  Have you capped your leadership potential because you're not learning something new?  Are you spending time with someone a little ahead of you?  What are you reading?  Leaders are learners.

Tomorrow, another leadership lesson that may surprise you.

Re-Defining the Pastors role (pt. 4)

Yesterday I said that I would talk about why a pastor can't be fully available to the congregation where he leads.

Beyond the co-dependent nature of that question (which I talked about yesterday), to be fully available to the congregation, means a couple of things:

1.  The pastor can't do what he is called primarily to do - which is to pray (including the prayer for vision and direction of where the church is headed - i.e. focused leadership), and to speak God's Word to challenge people to live the full life God wants for them.  Any church of 100 or more will present way too many people issues to be able to effectively care for needs and do these focused role of the pastor  (See Acts 7 in the Bible).

2.  There is a misperception that the pastor needs to be the one to pray with someone or visit them in the hospital or give them advice.  Although the pastor can be a good source for that, my prayers carry no more weight than anyone elses.  That's why our Groups are so important.  When you are in a Community Group, you have a built in network of people that can pray, visit, give advice.  There is no way I (or Matt, Mark, or Virginia) can know all the needs in our congregation and care for them.  So, don't be offended if someone from the staff doesn't visit, or if you don't have a "pastor" pray with you.  We may be able to, but we may not be able to, as well.  But, if you're not in a Community Group - get in one - and let these fellow followers be your support.  That's how God designed us to live life.

3.  My primary responsibility (as is yours) is not the congregation I lead, it is my personal relationship with Jesus and it is my family.  Tomorrow I'll talk about my personal relationship, but let me just say a word about family.  My expectation is that anyone on staff at The Journey will put their family before ministry.  If they don't, I will personally kick them in the butt!  My main small group is my family.  If I can't help Jen to flourish and if I can't help my boys become fully committed followers of Jesus - what have I done with my life?  So, I will always error on the side of family.  That means, that no matter how much I care for you - if you die, and I'm on vacation - your family is going to have to find someone else to do the funeral - I'm not coming back.  I can tell you this - if I'm not leading my family well - I'm not going to be much help to your family either.

Re-Defining the Pastors role (pt. 3)

We joke at staff that we are going to kick the mercy right out of new staff members and harden them up (it's a joke - mostly).  I think we can be seen as unmerciful at times.  I don't think it's true, but I can understand how someone might think that.

The truth is, I've seen each of our staff members display mercy many times (all of them to me at one point or another).  Mercy, according to the dictionary is: 

1. Compassionate treatment, especially of those under one's power; clemency.

2. A disposition to be kind and forgiving

I'm all about being merciful - compassionate, being kind and forgiving.  BUT, often times people see the role of the pastor to be one that just forgives people from any kind of personal responsibility.  Often times the role of the pastor is seen as one that needs to be fully available to any and all spiritual and non-spiritual needs of those who attend their church.  That, simply, IS NOT BIBLICAL, nor healthy (which is one of the reasons it is NOT BIBLICAL).  Too often, people place their spiritual growth and health squarely on the shoulders of their pastor.  That is not who we are to be dependent on.  Jesus is who we are to be dependent on.  Jesus is the only one that can bring healing.  Jesus is the one you have to personally get to know if you want to grow and have spiritual health.

If someone is dependent on a 30 minute message for them to grow to be like Jesus - they are never going to make it.  They need to learn to grow on their own.  They need to take personal responsibility for their spiritual growth - and we can help - but we're only a resource.  Not THE SOURCE.

Tomorrow, I'll share WHY we can't be fully available to the congregation beyond an unhealthy co-dependency.  Until then . . . Go Cubs Go! 

Re-Defining the Pastors role (pt. 2)

This may make some people mad.  Oh well.  As the Pastor that God has called me to be - I believe that I'm called to speak truth into people's lives, to cast a compelling vision to be about God's work in this world, and to challenge people to live the life God wants them to experience through life with Jesus.  Part of simply being a Jesus-follower is to love well, and care for the broken, the lost, the poor (which is NO different than what YOU are called to do if you're a Jesus-follower), and so I, like you, am called to live that way.

I've learned through my years of ministry and doing life with Jesus, though, that more often than not the love and care needs to be a tough love.  I don't do anyone favors by making excuses for them or coddling them.  Do people need love and support and sometimes need a shoulder to cry on?  Yes.  And hopefully, I can be that kind of person, but . . . more often than not people need a dose of reality, they need a kick in the butt, they need someone to not let them off the hook.  How do I know that?  Because that's what I usually need most too.

People might say that's not being sympathetic - yeah, maybe.  But, look at Jesus - he didn't coddle the Pharisees.  He didn't let the disciples off the hook when they tried to shift blame or when they were scared he didn't just say - "that's okay, your intentions were good".  He spoke truth, sometimes gently, sometimes not.  Which leads me to my thoughts for tomorrow.

Okay, I need to spend the rest of the day preparing for Wipeout!