What are your thoughts on this video and this effort at communicating creatively?

For the past 2 weeks, I’ve been reading 2 books: one for Christian leaders and one for business leaders. The books are Doing Church as a Team and Organizing Genius. Both have given me great insight into teams and collaboration. What are you reading?

I’m also pleased to see what happens when churches collaborate with one another like churches do through Unite! here in Atlanta. Do you collaborate? If so, please share.

SPREAD THE WORD!
LifeChurch.tv and XXXChurch.com present:

ThePornEvent.com is open to people everywhere, so feel free to invite your friends, Twitter Followers, Facebook Fans, or anyone from your community. Expect a non-threatening environment featuring stories, helpful answers, and an open conversation with people who’ve traveled a similar path. ThePornEvent.com is for anyone who is interested in what it looks like to live a life beyond pornography.

Personally, I was quite pleased with last night’s 24 finale. I hope they’ll do a movie. What did you think?

Last night ended a six year love of a television show that captured the hearts and imaginations of millions. I’m still chewing on it and playing it over in my mind. What are your thoughts on the series finale?

The following is a guest blog from my friend, Brian Davis – Media Resources Manager at Highland Park United Methodist Church.

For months I have heard Paul Rasmussen (Pastor of our modern worship service) say, Don’t let resources dictate vision”. As a resources manager, I live in a very concrete world of what we have and what we don’t have – what’s real and what’s imaginary. I know what gear we have available, and what money we have in our budget. So I have to live with the tension of what we have and what everyone would like to do. Recently in a staff meeting, Paul fleshed out what he means, and I think it’s worth a few bullet points here.

* Resources is not the same thing as money. Resources include money, but also include you (what you personally bring to the table in terms of influence, skill and other traits), systems, and human resources (volunteers).
* Most people are pretty good with the You. A talented video producer might tend to simply take all the assigned videos and crank them out by himself. That mat be because he’s a perfectionist or control freak. But it may also be that the systems aren’t in place to accommodate volunteer editors. Or maybe there isn’t a system in place to allow the video producer enough time to develop people in that role.
* Many people who may be in good shape with the You or the money, but meet with opposition when trying to expand or change systems. In church work we often tend to operate without much personal margin, so when we are met with the slightest opposition, we retreat back to what we know. It takes continual pushing against the status quo to affect change.

Andy Stanley has said “Your people are exactly where they have been led to be”. And I’ve heard it another way – “Your systems are perfectly designed to give you the results you’re getting”. Historically, our church has not had a really strong emphasis on volunteering. In some areas, yes, but certainly not in the areas of music and worship service production. We are committed to changing that. At the very least, it will require two things. First, our people have to be led to a different place. Led by our pastor, led by me, led by our tech staff. Secondly, it will require a culture change on our part. We have to change the way we think about our work – who owns it, who we’re doing it for. We’ll have to be prepared to volunteers be better at our jobs than we are (that can be intimidating). Paul told us “The reason for increasing our volunteer force is not to get free labor, but to increase buy-in of our mission”. So lastly, we’ll have to change our definition of success. Success will have to mean much more than successful operation of equipment, and “professional” performance. We’re not giving up on that, but success has to be expanded to how well we engage the body and allow our people to increasingly take leadership in our services.

I’m convinced that doing this will help our people grow. And it will help us grow, too.

As you know, I’m a full-time consultant and feed my family by consulting and secret shopping churches. However, I want to take today to encourage you to get to know another consultant and friend of mine – Alan Danielson. I think it’s worth your time to consider bringing him into your church, especially with his summer special. Alan specializes in small groups, multi-site and has a new Triple-Threat Leadership training that he’s doing. Read a blog that Alan just wrote to tell you about what he can do for your church:

I absolutely LOVE helping pastors and leaders build the best ministries and organizations possible.  I can give your organization a boost related to leadership development, outreach, small groups, and multi-site ministry.  I’d be happy to talk to you about how I can help set you and your team up for more success!

TRIPLE-THREAT LEADERSHIP COACHING

My proprietary “Triple-Threat Leadership” system will allow you see leadership through a truly new and simple lens.  It will help you see your own personal strengths and blind spots as well as revealing the default leadership approach of and blind spots within your entire organization.  Read here for a series of short blog posts describing “Triple-Threat Leadership” and then contact me about taking your team through a one-day training/assessment or about setting up a several month coaching relationship where you will truly be developed into a “Triple-Threat Leader”.

TRIPLE-THREAT LEADERSHIP SUMMER SPECIAL!! Summer is the right time to talk about leadership development.  Since fall is when life gets back into full-swing and normal rhythms, it just makes sense to gear up and work on leadership skills during the summer.  Let me help you this summer by offering a 35% discount from my normal rate.  I typically don’t list prices on my site, but for this summer I’m throwing caution to the wind!  My normal rate of $1000 (plus travel) for a one-day, on-site training event for your staff will be discounted to $650 during the months of June and July!!!  Your team will be challenged and your ability to make great leadership choices will be fundamentally improved!  Contact me to set up your event TODAY!

CONFERENCE SPEAKING

I’ve been a conference speaker for Willow Creek, Saddleback and RightNow.org.  Training leaders and challenging their paradigms is on of my specialties.  My genuine and funny style are sure to engage your audience.

PREACHING SUPPLY AND EVANGELISM:

Evangelistic speaking is a gift and a passion!  I am always up for preaching/pulpit supply and evangelism/revial speaking engagements.

SMALL GROUP LEADER TRAINING:

I’ll help you cast vision for your small group minsitry, push your leaders to move beyond their comfort levels, and disarm their fears through fun,  engaging and humorous communication.

MINISTRY CONSULTING:

I consult for churches through retainer contracts and one-off site visits.  Here are some of my areas of specialty.
>  Creating a small group ministry environment where evangelism, mission and outwardness are embraced.
>  Building a comprehensive small group system where groups survive and thrive. Includes:
-   Curriculum
-   Marketing Plans
-   Training Methods
-   Mission Strategies
>  Doubling your number of small groups.
>  Helping your new groups survive their first year.
>  Creating a scalable group model for Multi-Site Ministry.
>  Establishing a solid curriculum plan.
>  Transitioning from Sunday School to small groups.

For any of your speaking and/or consulting needs, please contact me and we’ll work to establish a contract that is appropriate for your budget.

Click here to hear some of my live event speaking samples.  Click here to see some of my pre-recorded teaching samples.

As you know, I consult with churches across the nation. I love doing this and since I’m not currently on staff full-time at a local church, I get to do this more frequently (and it provides for my family). My friend, Alan Danielson, recently blogged about hiring a consultant. He’s a great consultant, too and the small groups guru for the Church. I suggest you get to know him. He’s in my blogroll to the right. Check out what he said in a recent blog post:

In my line of work I’ve learned there are three primary reasons people don’t hire consultants:

1. They think they can’t afford a consultant.
2. They think they don’t need advice from someone who isn’t living in their shoes.
3. They don’t think they have time to mess with consulting and coaching.

Here’s why these three assumptions are wrong:

1. Consultants are often willing to negotiate rates.  Consultants would rather work for a discounted rate than not work.  If you don’t like the rates they offer, make a counter offer.  Maybe they’d be willing to use some of their airline miles or stay in your extra bedroom.  Maybe they’ll knock off a percentage in exchange for some word-of-mouth advertising.
2. Consultants bring a fresh perspective. Sometimes the best advice comes from people who aren’t walking in your shoes.  It’s easy to get so caught up in your own circumstances that you can’t see your blind spots.  Consultants can see those blind spots quickly and help you avoid them.
3. Consultants help you earn your pay. The leader is an organization’s greatest asset.   You invest in your team because they are a great asset.  You invest in marketing, product development and customer relations because all of these are assets.  Sadly, most leaders spend little or no money investing in themselves.  What a tragedy!!  Without great leadership your organization will go nowhere.  You can’t afford NOT to hire a consultant.  Hiring a consultant is like bringing a conference to you…a custom-made conference just for your context.  Consultants make you better and what you do and therefore make you worth your salary.

Think about the biggest problem you are facing right now.  A consultant can help with that!  Think about the toughest leadership decision you’re facing right now.  A consultant can help with that!

Consultants can help you figure out:

• Why your organization isn’t growing
• Why you have a staff-revolving-door
• Why your customers are leaving
• Why people don’t seem to listen to you
• Why people don’t see how truly great your product is
• Why people are leaving your church for the one down the street
• Why you loved your job last year and hate it today
• Why ____________________ (fill in the blank)

Consultants are strategic leadership doctors!  So hire a consultant or coach and do it this week!  If you wait excuses will creep up and keep you from making a great leadership choice.  Whether it’s myself or someone else, figure out how and when to hire a consultant…you’ll be making a tragic leadership mistake if you don’t.

*** It’s Greg: This past Sunday I did a secret shopper for NorthStar – a great church in Atlanta. I’d love to secret shop your church. Get me in touch with your pastor.

For the past year I worked behind-the-scenes on a great project – training for church planters from the comfort of your own home or office. For years, church planters have had to travel to Church Planter Roundtables around the country (paying for their flight or gas, hotel and conference registration, meals, etc.). Now you can log on to ChurchPlanter.tv and get the same training for just $79.

This is quality training that I’m proud to be associated with. I know it’s good because I got to watch the videos over and over as we were editing them. I’d encourage all pastors and especially church planters to check this out. I learned a ton from watching them.

For one special person, I’d like to give you a coupon code for a FREE registration. Just tell me how you could benefit from training on ChurchPlanter.tv in the comment section and I’ll select one of you.

Don’t get me wrong – I read a TON of business books. I think there’s a lot of principles, concepts, strategies and leadership lessons that we can learn from the business world, but I also think the business world can learn from a healthy church. The Wall Street Journal wrote about this today. Check it out…

• MAY 17, 2010

Learning From the Good Book

For tips on starting a business, entrepreneurs might head to church

Entrepreneurs who need help boosting their business could learn a thing or two in church.

New houses of worship face many of the same challenges as start-up companies—and the strategies pastors use can hold valuable lessons for entrepreneurs of any stripe.

Consider the worldly concerns pastors have to sort out to get a church on its feet. They must assess a market to see if locals want a new alternative, figure out whether to buy or rent space—and then find ways to keep worshippers coming through the door. Not to mention landing enough donations to keep in the black.

And if pastors can’t keep revenue flowing, they face the same realities that all small businesses do. About one-third of new churches fail by the end of their fourth year, according to an estimate by Lifeway Research, a nonprofit church-advisory group in Nashville, Tenn.

So, pastors often try a range of creative strategies to launch their church and stay afloat. These methods cover all sorts of situations but have one common theme: tapping into a church’s unique spiritual mission. Pastors try to build their business by tightening their ties to their community and treating worshippers like friends and neighbors instead of customers.

Here’s a look at some of those tactics—and what entrepreneurs can learn from them.

Meet Your Customers

Like any other enterprise, pastors need to test the waters before they set up shop. But when they do their market research, pastors often bypass the traditional, formal methods of assessment—such as surveys and focus groups—and try a much more personal approach.

Clay Reed, pastor of the Southlake Baptist Church in a Dallas suburb, says it helps to develop a profile of “the kind of person you think would probably want to come in the door.” Then approach a few such individuals personally and get to know them. “If they are the kind of people who do business over lunch or go to diners, take them to lunch or hang out in a diner getting to know them,” he says.

In Mr. Reed’s case, his experience as a churchgoer taught him that young families are the most vital growth factor for start-up congregations, so he sought out parents attending youth sports events and struck up conversations on the sidelines. He found them receptive and forthcoming.

For instance, several parents told him that programs for kids were essential in any church that sought them as regular members. But they warned him that those programs shouldn’t duplicate offerings already in abundance in the community—and they shouldn’t be scheduled at times that competed with established activities.

Think Big—and Unusual

The next challenge is deciding what kind of space suits a fledging enterprise best. Many churches plan for growth from the beginning—a natural outgrowth of their missionary values and the faith they have in their enterprise. That doesn’t mean breaking the bank, however. Pastors get creative to ensure that their expenses are low at the start, but that they can expand easily and cheaply.

Many rent space, for instance, in schools or even movie theaters—where they can take over additional auditoriums if they need extra seating space for Christmas, Easter and other special services. Justin Haigler says he spent about $60,000 to open his independent congregation in a rented movie theater in Bossier City, La., in 2007. Starting out in a one-screen auditorium, the Simple Church now rents space that contains 14 screens in one multiplex and six in another.

Of course, many small businesses can’t follow that model exactly. But many can find creative ways to guarantee easy access to expansion space. Consider Mr. Reed, who sold his office-cleaning company when he founded his church. For years, he says, his secular enterprise operated rent free out of space owned by some of its customers—storing equipment and paperwork in spare offices or other rooms. “We didn’t even have our own building until we had about 500 employees,” says Mr. Reed.

Sell Yourself

New businesses can be so determined to broaden their audience that they immediately turn to mass-appeal methods such as campaigns on the Internet, radio or television. But they lose something crucial in the process: the personal touch.

Clerics at fledgling churches are well aware they are their own best public-relations representative, and they don’t miss a chance to meet and greet potential members in the neighborhood—such as distributing handbills on the street in person. Another useful strategy: getting to know local businesspeople, who can work wonders by talking up the church to customers.

“When we started out, I took a gift basket to every store. I said, ‘I don’t know if you go to church, but we’d love to have you,’ ” says Mr. Haigler of the Simple Church, adding that the merchants helped inspire a stream of new congregants both from their ranks and among their customers.

Charity and volunteer efforts are another way to get closer to the community. While these may seem a luxury for many small businesses, churches see them as essential strategies that attract interest and get new members involved. New churches usually become quickly visible in everything from clothing and food drives to helping find shelter for the homeless. Such activities can attract support from patrons of the poor—and previously indigent people the churches helped get on their feet.

Get Creative About Paying

Finally, small businesses could take a page from churches when it comes to getting people to open their wallets.

New churches often use innovative ways to encourage congregants to donate. Rather than relying on the collection plate, most preachers set up a website for online giving by credit card. Some try to make in-church giving easier, too, by putting a bucket in the lobby instead of asking people to toss cash into the plate—which makes people feel a lot less self-conscious about making small donations. It also helps the church seem less focused on money.

Small businesses could implement these sorts of ideas in a number of ways. The secular retailer who knows his customers well might feel comfortable providing layaway plans, flexible no-interest credit and discounts for cash payments. The key is to play off the personal relationship that a small business has with its customers—something a big business, like a chain store, might not have.

Mr. Johnson is a writer in Roanoke County, Va. He can be reached at reports@wsj.com.