johnlaeger.com

My job is not to lead the church

Yesterday and today I have the awesome privilege of sitting in on one of the interview panels for interviewing candidates for Shakopee first full time Fire Chief.  Not only is it a privilege to be part of this historical process, but even more so it is a privilege because I am able to sit and listen to some great leaders.

Last night one of the candidates made this statement (not verbatim - but here's what I heard), "A fire department is like a ship and I am the captain.  My job as captain is not to run the ship.  My job is to find and identify officers who will lead the ship."

I immediately picked up on that because God is challenging me big time to identify leaders, train leaders, and lead leaders at Meadow.

Then just a few mintues ago, I was challenged by my ministry coach with this statement. (And he had no idea what I had heard last night.)  "Your job as pastor is not to lead the church.  Your job is to find and train leaders who will lead the church.  Let them own the ministry.  Let them do it not because John said so, but because they own it."

Now...this was all part of an hour coaching call and I will be processing it and chewing on it and fleshing it out.  And it won't be an overnight deal to get there.

But I have a confession...(if you are looking for a pastor who is perfect or think I am perfect - you need to stop reading right now)...

I am not good at this.  I would like to think I am good at it, but I have a lot to learn.  I am a control freak.  I have to stop being a control freak.  I also run way ahead of people and get frustrated when I have to come back and explain things that I seem to just do intuitively.  This is not leading leaders.  This is more leadership by dragging!

I have to let others own the ministy.  I have to find leaders at Meadow.  Invest in leaders at Meadow.  Train leaders at Meadow.  They are here.  I know they are here.  Many are already in positions of leadership.  But I need to train them, invest in them, and let them lead.

My job is not to lead Meadow.  My job is to find leaders, train leaders, and lead leaders, and then let them lead Meadow!

Your job?  Remind me of my job!

The path that leads to abandoning

I am reading thru 1 Timothy in my time alone with God.  God has been doing some challenging overhaul in my brain and thinking.  This morning was no exception.  Something inside me was prodding me to blog about it...

1 Timothy 4:1 (NIV)  "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons."

"abandon" = one of the more specific meanings of this word is... to withdraw one's self from; to keep one's self from; absent one's self from.  In other words, abandoning the faith is my choice.  I choose to withdraw.  I choose to remove myself.  It is not the fault of the church, or the pastor, or the staff, or even some wacko Christian who is making the news because of something stupid he/she said or did.  No, abandoning the faith is MY choice.

But...I highly doubt that in most cases, it is an intentional - "Today, I am going to abandon the faith."  It probably starts on an extremely subtle deal.  Like yesterday morning and this morning in my own life.  Not that I am abandoning the faith, but I just didn't feel like sitting down, getting alone with God, and reading my Bible.  There wasn't anything wrong.  I am not angry at God or struggling in my faith.  In fact, right now, I am riding a high wave as we approach the first Sunday of "23" and as I work with Ministry Advantage and as I work with leadership development, Starting Point, what's happening with my kids...there is just a lot of good things happening right now.  It's just that I am not feeling compelled to get alone, sit down, read my Bible and pray.

WARNING!  WARNING!  WARNING!  DANGER!  DANGER!  DANGER!  This is where it starts.  That subtle ... "Today, I won't pick up my Bible and read it."  Nothing even close to "Today, I am going to abandon the faith."  But everyone who eventually abandons the faith has to start somewhere.

So - what do I do to guard against going there?  Reading my Bible, getting alone with God, prayer, other spiritual disciplines like tithing, engaging the lost, serving in the church - they HAVE to be intentional choices I make regardless of how I feel.  This is why I HAVE to read my Bible.  This is why I HAVE to pray and I HAVE to tithe and I HAVE to engage the lost.

Not a "have to" in the sense of someone is forcing me to.  But if I don't do these things, I will start walking down the path where one day I will wake up and I will have abandoned the faith.  My teaching will be from my opinions not God's truth.  My thinking, my advise, my behavior - will be based on my standards not God's truth.

If you are on staff - this is a wake up call.  You HAVE to read the Bible.  You HAVE to pray.  You HAVE to tithe, and engage the lost, and serve.  Your leadership depends on it.  Your decision making depends on it.  I don't care if you feel like it or not - you HAVE to do it.  I don't care if you are tired or busy or have other things going on - change your schedule, stop spending the tithe on other things, walk across the gym or the street and introduce yourself to your neighbor.

I invite anyone from Meadow (anyone NOT from Meadow too for that matter) to, at any time, ask me or anyone on staff - "So, what are you reading in the Bible?",  "Are you praying?"  "Are you tithing?"  (Then ask us to prove it by showing you our checkbook!)  Not so we can prove to you how spiritual we are - because the more I read the Bible the more I realize how spiritual I'm not.  But it is an accountability deal.  If we are not reading the Bible, if I am not reading the Bible - where is the wisdom coming for the decisions I make?  What is the basis for why I am doing what I am doing?  If I am not tithing - not only does that mean God is not first in my life, but how in the world can I challenge you to tithe?  If I am not engaging the lost - how in the world can I challenge you to engage the lost?

If you are a community group leader - this is for you too.  You HAVE to read the Bible.  You HAVE to pray.  You HAVE to tithe and engage the lost and serve.  Your leadership of your group depends on it.  Your group is counting on you to be practicing and leading out of a life that lives these spiritual priorities.  In fact, I think anyone in your group - at any time - should be able to walk up to you and ask you the same questions I just posed should be asked of anyone on staff.

This is also a wake up call for any Christian.  If you don't put these disciplines into practice - you WILL eventually abandon the faith.  Maybe not in an evil way.  But you will stop thinking and making decisions with the mind of Christ.  You will start thinking with the materialistic mentality of our culture.  God will not be on your mind.  Prayer will not be your first reaction.  You will get spiritually cranky, critical, judgmental of the church, making a big deal out of trivial things in the church.  I have a hard time believing anyone wants to go there.

Long but INCREDIBLE day!

It's 10:30 PM.  I just got home.  Long day.  I spent most of the day working on the series that will start the week after Easter.  And you are not going to believe this series!  It is going to rock your world!  Something absolutely amazing happened in the planning for this - a total God thing!  Can't say much now.  You just have to wait until the grand unveiling in a couple of weeks!

I heard him!!!!

My son (Pat) is working at KS95 radio.  He is in the programming department and also does some of the jingles for commercials.  Yesterday as I was workin' in my garage, listening to KS95 - I heard my son's voice!!!  Not once - but twice!  This is one of the hottest radio stations in the Twin Cities and my son is on the radio!!!  I have no clue what the first advertisement was about because I was so caught off guard by hearing him.  The second was for Applebees.  I almost ran right out to eat there it was so cool!

I am so proud of him.  Not only does he have a cool radio voice, but now he has a larger audience than any preacher preaching in any church I know!  Is that cool or what?

Myth of Complex Strategic Planning

Strategic planning is critical and something we have been lax on here at Meadow.  This will be changed over the next few months.  However, in reading Built to Last again, the following is extremely relevant to keeping strategic planning at Meadow in perspective.

Myth:  Highly successful companies make their best moves by brilliant and complex strategic planning.

Reality:  Visionary companies make some of their best moves by experimentation, trial and error, opportunism, and - quite literally - accident.  What looks in retrospect like brilliant foresight and preplanning was often the result of "Let's just try a lot of stuff and keep what works."

We will be doing strategic planning.  In fact, it is something I am working on right now through Ministry Advantage.  However, we will also be opportunistic which means there will be things we choose to do that cannot be strategically planned.  They happen as we see or hear of an opportunity that we believe could be used at Meadow to advance our vision and purpose.

We will also try A LOT of things.  And when we try them, we will throw as much energy and resources as we can into them (if we don't we pretty much doom it from the get go).  Most of these will fail or sputter out.  The few that work will work really well and we will continue to use that idea or method or whatever until it no longer is effective.

This is and has been in the DNA of Meadow from day one.  And it's one of the reason I believe the ministry here is healthy.

Timing could not be better

In the last 10 days, I have been connected to the following either via the fire department or personal friendships...

• Fatal car accident
• Full arrest
• Divorce of a friend
• Cancer of a friend's mom
• Impending divorce of a friend
• Possible cancer of a friend
• Fear of a spouse of being abused and threatened
• Deadbeat dad neglecting his kids

Heavy, heavy days for many.  And this is just in my network of awareness.  The timing of "23" could not be any better.

"In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart, I have overcome the world."  -  Jesus (John 16:33)

Just a wierd kind of day

It's just been a wierd kind of day.

First, Sandy is in Washington with her mom.  She'll be back Wednesday night - but it is just so empty around the house without her.  Pat & Alicia, and Jess were here and I wouldn't trade time with them for anything.  But, Sandy is my bride and when she is gone, I am just - well, a bit lost.

Second, I took this past week off and today we went to Meadow.  I got there about 10 minutes before the service started.  Sat up in the theater where I never sit.  I had no part in the service.  Basically I sat there as a "normal" person.  It was just wierd.  The perspective was extremely interesting.  I learned a ton and saw things that I wouldn't see normally.  Things that rocked and things that we need to work on.

I think every Meadow leader should come to Meadow now and then with the eyes of a new person and watch things, feel things, etc.

Fodder for staff and leadership.

Determing Where We Are

In working on refreshing, refining, and re-energizing our vision - it is critical that we do some serious assessment of "where we are".  Sometimes it is easy to talk about where we want to go - but to get to where we want to go, we have to know where we are now.  This is not always a "feel good" deal because in determining where we are, it is a non-negotiable that we are gut-level honest with everything - not just the positives but even those things that are not working right (yes, there are things that are not working right at Meadow).

Specifically at Meadow, this means discussing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and barriers in three simple and key areas under which every emphasis of ministry needs to fall under.

Comments are open and I invite input on this.  (You can email me too if you prefer.)  From your pespective, what are our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and barriers to the follow three simple areas at Meadow?  What areas am I overlooking?

Our Relationship with God

• Our corporate worship
• Your private worship
• Growth in understanding the truths of scripture
• Self-care and responsibility for spiritual growth
• Spiritual depth and challenge in Community Groups

Our Relationship with Those Disconnected with God

• Teaching that draws people to consider a relationship with Christ
• Sunday morning experiences
• Cross-cultural missions
• Marketing
• People inviting friends to Meadow

Our Relationship with Those Who Attend Meadow

• Ministry Teams (volunteers, training, etc.)
• Community Group relationships
• Leadership training and development

Jess

Tonight Sandy & I spent the evening with Jess up at Northwestern College.  It is music audition weekend.  Tomorrow she will stand in front of 5 college music faculty and sing, sight read, and speak.  This is no high school competition.  This is college level auditioning for scholarships and placement in the music program.

I am totally nervous.  I am sure she is even more - but I am so proud of her.  She handles it well and she will shine.  God has given her a voice that is like a breath of fresh air to those who listen.  He made her to sing and sing and sing and sing.

It was tough leaving her tonight.  My daddy instinct wanted to do it for her and rescue her from the stress.  But this is something only she can do.  She will do fine.  No...she will do great.  Yes...great.

Resonating Statements from C3

One of the advantages of technology and the web is blogging by church leaders who are sitting in great conferences.  I can benefit from things that are said without being there.  (It still is far better to be there though.)  One of those conferences going on right now is C3 and Bishop T.D. Jakes is speaking.  Here are some statements Tony Morgan blogged from Jakes talk on leadership.  These are nailing it.

The church gets its personality from the preacher.

"You haven't begun to preach until you're controversial."

"The cost of leadership is conflict."

"If you aren't experiencing conflict, you're not a leader--you're a follower."

"People generally admire their leaders best when they are dead."

"You don't know as much as you think you do."

"Could it be possible that God is bigger than your past experiences? He's bigger than our circumstances and our situations."

"We shouldn't give leadership to people who have never been broken."

"Leadership is really spelled loneliness."

Part 2 - from Craig Groeschel

Part 2 from yesterday's post by Craig Groeschel.

The Challenge of Ministry Friendships, 2

The question of the week...

Had my first coaching call today.  I can't say enough about how much I am looking forward to this and how much I need this.  This is not just a cool thing for me to get into.  This is a necessity.

This will be a journey and challenge of leadership.  Who I am as a leader is going to be stretched and challenged and even annoyed over these next 12 months or so.  As my leadership sharpens and becomes more defined and focused, the other leaders at Meadow will follow, and the ministry at Meadow will follow.

Here is the question he asked me.  It seems like such an obvious question but maybe the obvious has been overlooked and not given much thought.

"Why did God start Meadow Spring?"

The answer is not "to reach more people" - I mean it is.  But that is why every church is started.  Yeah...it is "to bring people into a refreshing relationship with Jesus Christ."  But what exactly does that mean?

My brain is churning on this question.

How would you answer it?  Feel free to comment or email me.  I'd like to hear your thoughts.

New Site

www.bible.org

It's been around for awhile, but they just revamped it.  Lots of stuff on this site - especially for those who are interested in jumping into some of the more fine points of theology and more detailed Bible study.  You just need to check it out.

BUT...as with this site and any other site - please do not use this site, or any other site or blog (even my blog), as your primary source for spiritual truth and feeding.  Your primary source for spiritual feeding and truth and learning needs to be by opening up your Bible and reading that.

It is great to read blogs.  I do.  I subscribe to about 20 that I scan daily.  BUT...it is better to just read the Bible.

From Craig Groeschel - LifeChurch

This is not to toot my own horn or that of the staff at Meadow - just to give some insight into our world and help you better understand our psychie.

The Challenge of Ministry Friendships

This has been a GREAT day (and it's not even over yet!)

What a GREAT day!

It is 4 degrees outside.  Winchill is -9.  And I am sitting here in my garage for the first time since last November!  It's a balmy 40 degrees in here!  Dude...THIS is how you get rid of the crude!  Who needs doctors.  :)  The cure is sittin' in your garage, drinking hot coffee, the smell of power steering fluid and kerosene on your hands, KS95 jammin'.

That's not all...today, I:

• Spent some awesome time studying 1 Tim. 3
• Blogged
• Drove the ladder truck, lights and sirens, to a small structure fire
• Had a Whopper Jr WITH cheese, fries, and a diet coke (I know, it is so not healthy but it tasted so good!)
• Bought a new gas can and funnel
• Cleaned the garage and hung my 2008 Ace Hardware calendar on the wall

So...as you can see, it has been an extremely productive day.  And it's not even over yet.  Sandy will be home in about an hour and I get to spend the evening with her!

Then tomorrow...who knows...I might just do it all over again!

Reality Check - The Morning "23" Starts

Nelson Searcy made a comment in his book "Fusion" that we need to think through and seriously process - especially in light of all the new friends we are anticipating for the start of "23".

"When an unchurched person or family decides to attend your church for the first time, what do you think is going to happen to them the morning of the service?  Whatever the Enemy can pull out of his bag to throw at them - right?  If he can't keep them from attending, he will at least make sure they hit the parking lot stressed out and in no mood for what lies ahead.  The Enemy knows that if he can sow pre-service defensiveness and negativity, 8 out of 10 American churches won't do anything to turn those guests' attitudes around.  In fact, in most cases, the church will just make them self-conscious, uncomfortable and, by default, more irritable.  Sadly, by nudging guests to disengage before they walk through the door, the Enemy usually wins the battle.  But he can't win if we don't let him."

On Sunday, March 2, there will be new friends coming to Meadow.  Many, if not most or all, are coming from a life where church is not a priority.  We have one shot and one shot only to change their perspective.  And that perspective is formed and/or changed before they even get into the theater and hear the music or message.  Statistics say we have 7 minutes - yes, just 7 minutes - beginning at the moment they drive into the parking lot, to give them a "wow" welcome and to make sure the Enemy doesn't win the battle.

We will not be one of the 8 out of 10 churches.  I am putting every single person who calls Meadow Spring their church home on notice.  You can make a difference by doing everything possible to help every new friend be welcomed and say "wow" about their experience at Meadow.

"Fusion" Bits & Challenges

Finished "Fusion" yesterday.  Really great and extremely practical.  I have heard Nelson Searcy's training CD on the same subject and we have implemented much of what he talks about, has found successful, and other churches are benefitting from too.  Looks like he has a podcast out.  I am subscribing to it.  You should to.  (Yes, I meant YOU.)

We do a good job on First Impressions - I think.  We have a dynamite team of volunteers who take this very seriously.  Yes, we have room for improvement and we still have our bumps in the system.  But giving people a "wow" first impression "from the street to the seat" is fairly healthy at Meadow.  There might be a few tweaks we make due to some reminders from the book, but nothing overly alarming.

Getting more people to fill out communication cards and the follow-up of those cards needs improvement.  This is largely on my plate.  But there are some practical things I can start doing right now that will inject some well-needed energy and effectiveness into this.

Going from 2nd time visit to the next step is something we definitely need to work on.  We need to examine our system - or lack of system - with a critical eye and do a better job at connecting people to the life of Meadow.  We might be talking - but I don't think people are hearing.  That's our (staff & leaders) problem and we need to do something about it.

Good book.  If I could require reading of all leaders and volunteers, this would go on the "Required Reading" list.  And yes, there would be a test!

What a great group!

Last night was the third night of Starting Point and I am having a blast!  The energy and level of dialogue and engagement and honesty is absolutely off the chart.  One of the keys to the success and effectiveness of this group is for people to feel free to ask any questions and to state any opinions - even if they think they are skeptical or different from the religious norm.

One thing that crossed my mind last night as I was trying (not sure I succeeded) to explain some extremely confusing theology - is how complicated we have made some things in Scripture.  And sadly, I have fallen into that trap.  It was explained to me in a complicated way and now I am explaining it back to others in a complicated way.

As I was talking, inside my brain a major light went on that say, "Dude, this doesn't make sense.  Isn't there a simpler way to explain this?"

I am thankful for friends like this who keep me from going over the edge and getting lost in the quagmire of Christian complexity and living in a world of Christian jargon that everyone seems to speak but few understand.

I love this group!

All-Tithe Offering Thoughts

Was the offering last Sunday the largest in Meadow history? No. But the objective was not to collect a large offering. The objective was to come together and obey God as one church, making one priority shift, on the same Sunday. I can say that it was the largest "normal" offering in our history - almost twice what our average has been. By "normal" I meant it wasn't a capital campaign offering, or a special offering for a mission project. There were not any large gifts from one single individual due to a tax return, inheritance, etc. It was just normal, ordinary Meadow Springers coming together to obey God and put Him first in their finances.

And as I looked over the details of the offering - I saw names of people and families that I know are not (in the world's materialistic priority system) in a position to tithe. But they took a major step of faith and obedience. There were people who tithed for the very first time. There were people who had been giving less than a tithe and they - at least for one week - gave a full 10% tithe.

To those who took such a bold and courageous step of faith and obedience - please hear this. God will bless you. I don't know how nor when. But I do know He will add to your life in ways that are only a by-product of putting Him first in your money. That is His promise not mine. My prayer is that you have had a taste of the joy of giving (which is the pat of the hand of God on your back!) and you will want to continue that by making tithing a commitment every week. Your giving and the way you handle your money says a lot about your life and priorities. In fact, it is the most tangible and objective evidence of who is first in your life. Tithing is not about money. It is all about your values, your priorities, what you wrap your life around.

This was a demonstration of what could be. I can't even fathom what would happen if this became a regular practice if we all made a commitment to tithe every week! We could not contain ourselves. Your life would be so full of blessing! And the ministry at Meadow? The advancement of God's kingdom and message of His refreshing grace would be unleashed in an explosive way unseen in this community's history! The poor would be fed even more. The hurting would be helped even more. Our kids ministry and teen ministry would have the resources to advance ahead with vibrance. Our great staff and volunteers would be able to get needed training to stay sharp and focused. We would be able to step more aggressively into cross-cultural missions. Staff and volunteers would no longer have to sacrifice out-of-pocket funds to pay for resources.

I can't even imagine what God could do!

Now - to those who didn't tithe. I think you really wanted to. I believe you wanted to give and be a part of this significant Sunday. BUT - I think there is one thing, one word, that is preventing you from tithing. Debt. You didn't tithe because of overwhelming debt in your life. I am making this commitment to you. Please hear me. I want to help you get out of debt and to do this, I am exploring a ministry specifically designed to clearly and practically help you get a grasp on your money, eliminate debt, and be able to give as you want to and as God wants you to. My prayer and intentions are to pilot this ministry with a small group of people over the next few months and then launch it later this year. So, keep your eyes and ears open. More will be coming.

Ministry Advantage

I recently started a coaching relationship with Ministry Advantage.  I need this.  Meadow needs this.  It will be a coaching and training program that lasts 12-18 months and will involve...

• Weekly coaching calls with my personal ministry coach (Steve Bartels).  Steve will guide me through systems, plans, developing a strategic ministry plan.  Steve is not a consultant.  He is a coach.  A consultant flies in.  Unloads his "expertise".  Then flies out.  Steve will be with me weekly for 12-18 months.  He will know me and know Meadow - extremely well.
• Regular work on projects and resources which are relevant to Meadow growth.
• Workshops which I will attend at least twice a year in Dallas and receive training on leadership systems and engage with other pastors in the same program.

Over the 12-18 months, I (and Meadow) will be getting down and dirty with seven areas of focus:

1. Strategic Planning & Implementation
2. Leading Change
3. Organizing & Delegating
4. Maximizing Key Ministry Positions
5. Systems for Outreach & Assimilation
6. Maturing the Church Financially
7. Developing Leaders & Teams

I am totally stoked about this and I ask you to pray for me and Meadow as we grow through this.  I also want you to ask me about it.  Don't be afraid to email me, call me, pull me aside and say, "So, what are you working on now with your coach?"  Better yet, let's go get some ribs at Famous Dave's and I'll let you know all about it!