Going All the Way

As many of you know, I love to network with and track other Christian leaders from around the country. You also know that I love to read. So when I came across a recent post from Craig Groeschel, Senior Pastor of Lifechurch.tv, offering a free copy of his recent book for people who blog about it, I couldn't resist!

The book is called Going All the Way: Preparing for a Marriage That Goes the Distance. I've read that some pastors are utilizing the book as their foundation for pre-marital counseling while others are using it for material during teaching series on marriage. I honestly don't know much more about the book than what I've read on other blogs, so I will let you know my thoughts after I receive my copy.

I have been learning from Craig for some time now, and I have been inspired and challenged by his teachings and writings. I've got two other books written by him, Chazown and Confessions of a Pastor. The first time I heard him speak was his presentation on the multi-site movement during the 2006 A2 Conference. I can honestly point to this talk as the turning point for me with regards to the multi-site movement. I also recently listened to his talks about "exponential innovation" and "practical atheism" from the 2007 Buzz Conference. Great talks that I highly recommend checking out.

Enough for now...I'll let you know if I get a free copy of the book...they only had 40 left...

Vegas Reflections No. 3

Loren & I headed out to Zion National Park yesterday for a day of hiking and mentoring. There isn't anything better than some road-time and trail-time with a mentor and friend to draw out the conversation. And there isn't anything better than being in God's creation to draw out the inspiration and majesty of the Creator. If you have never been to Zion, I highly recommend it. I am planning on coming back some time to hike Angel's Landing Trail and The Narrows.

I met Chris Trethewey for lunch today to catch up and talk leadership. As always, it proved to be a great conversation. The more time I spend with Chris, the more I am impressed with his leadership knowledge and application. He and I have similar personalities and perspectives; we just have different contexts in which to practice our leadership. We usually end up bouncing ideas off of each other and gaining the other's insights into current dynamics and situations.

We talked at length about Central: Uncensored to discover what worked well and what needed to be adjusted for the future. Following this debriefing time, we talked about numerous other leadership issues. Here are some personal take-aways from that conversation...

• Alignment of staff is critical but difficult since most staff members come from churches where their ministries were "islands". They were not required or rewarded for collaborating across ministry areas.
• Always discover the irreducible minimum.
• Disney can reach a multi-generational audience with a single movie. How can the church use this strategy to communicate/teach to a diverse audience?
• If a leader does not possess discernment (about people, future, direction, etc), he is not a leader.
• A process of change is needed, but don't be afraid to toss a grenade every now and then to get things moving.
• Seek to understand all of the dynamics about a situation before passing judgment or jumping to conclusions.

Following my lunch with Chris, I met with Kyle Costello, Small Groups Pastor of Young Couples. This conversation proved to be intensely practical and strategic for leading small group leaders. Kyle joined the staff of Central about two and a half years ago after working as a financial analyst for Ford Motor Company. He will prove to be a great contact for the future. Here are some take-aways from my conversation with him...

• Utilize strong small group leaders as mentors for other leaders. This will spread your span-of-care and allow you to better utilize your time and energy.
• Try to establish inter-group conversation and encouragement among small group leaders.
  
• Whole-church campaigns provide strong growth and involvement in small groups; however, you can expect some natural attrition once the campaign is done. In the long run, though, campaigns are great for small group expansion.
• Be sure to provide multiple levels of training for hosts during a campaign. Don't rely on a single large-group training to adequately prepare hosts for campaign experience.
• Be sure to have post-campaign strategy for new groups to reinforce the purpose of the small group.
• Pay attention to the next-steps...have material available at all times (including on your person during weekend services) that directs people to their next step to getting involved in a small group.
• Living Room Events - Dinner & a Movie; Night at the Ballpark; Sacred Space (encouraging groups to adopt a specific area of the community and make it better through service projects)
• Leadership influence flows downhill.

I really appreciated all of the insights from Loren, Chris, and Kyle. I am looking forward to connecting with them more in the future.