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The Great Recovery – My Thoughts

July 26, 2011 in Church finance, Church generosity, Church giving, Church leadership, Church planting, Church Stewardship with 0 Comments

I was on vacation last week so I did not get to see The Great Recovery launch event live. I watched it this morning and I am blown away. If you thought you had seen Dave Ramsey on fire before, wait till you see him in this event. If you did not see it live, you can view it here: http://www.thegreatrecovery.com/live.

I love the message of The Great Recovery. As I write this post, the politicians in Washington — all sides — are debating how to solve the budget and debt ceiling issues. I watched only briefly last night because I just cannot listen to any more “blah, blah, blah” political posturing from Republican and Democrat alike without proposing a viable solution. I’m just sick of it — all talk, no real action. Dave Ramsey, on the other hand, is proposing a real, workable solution — The Great Recovery. Restoring the hope of the world as embodied in the church. Living lives based on Biblical values as it relates to our finances. Restoring America one life at a time. Having the courage to face our challenges and work our way out not just wish our way out. Putting our hope in God as our provider, not Washington, DC.

I am really grateful God has raised up a courageous, faithful man like Dave Ramsey to speak up and bring us this message. Count me in. It’s that simple.

I am joining The Great Recovery movement. Join me. You’ll be glad you did!

www.TheGreatRecovery.com

The Indispensable Ingredient

March 30, 2011 in Church generosity, Church leadership, Church planting with 0 Comments

I was in San Diego a couple of weeks ago to attend the Harbor Presbyterian MultiSite 3.0 conference. It is not a big conference, but I was impressed with the depth and breadth of the wisdom and counsel offered to the attendees, most of whom were planters or multisite campus pastors.

My friend, Dick Kaufmann, is the founding pastor of Harbor Presbyterian. He was Executive Pastor of Redeemer Church in New York before leaving for San Diego a little over ten years ago to begin Harbor Presbyterian. Today, they are a thriving multi-site church reaching San Diego for the Kingdom in a meaningful way. Dick is one of those guys who doesn’t say much, but when he does, you probably ought to pay attention.

The last session of the two days was an open forum Q & A. It seemed to me that a proverbial tsunami of information had been shared, so I asked the question — “Among everything that has been shared, are there any 1 or 2 factors that rank above everything else in establishing a viable, gospel centered church plant?” Dick was the first one to respond and here is what he said.

“To me, there is one indispensable ingredient. It is the personal holiness of the senior leader. Churches do not fail because of the lack of giftedness, bad preaching, poor location, wrong strategy, though these factors can have an impact. However, if the senior leader is not committed to a lifestyle of gospel-centered personal holiness and that leader has a moral or integrity failure, the collateral damage is huge. So, to me, that is the indispensable ingredient.”

Yep, that’s it. Dick nailed it.

The one indispensable ingredient — personal holiness.

Everything else is a distant second.

Thanks, Dick, for reminding us how important this is.

Talking Multisite with Jim Tomberlin

March 15, 2011 in Church generosity, Church leadership, Church planting with 0 Comments

I had a chance to catch up with my friend, Jim Tomberlin, recently to ask him a few questions. Jim is a leading voice on multi-site churches. He began his multi-site church journey in the mid-1990s when he was the senior pastor of Woodman Valley Chapel. In 2000, he went on to pioneer the multi-site model at Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago. Since 2005 he has been consulting and coaching churches in developing and implementing multi-campus strategies.

I posed a few questions and here is what Jim had to say.

A lot has changed in a short period of time. I can remember, not too long ago, when multi-site was a new concept. Now, it seems everyone is talking multi-site. What is a common misconception about multi-site?

When people hear multisite, they tend to think megachurch and video sermons. Yes, some multisite churches are also megachurches. However, the reality is that megachurches (weekend attendance of 2,000+) comprise only a third of all multisite churches nationwide and only half of all multisite churches utilize video to deliver their teaching content.

Is it easier for a new church to start out as a multi-site church or an established church to become multi-site?

In the long run, it is definitely easier to start out as a church with a multisite mindset than to transition a church from a mono-site mindset to a multi-site paradigm. The older and larger a church is going multisite, the more difficult it is to move to a multisite paradigm.

What are the challenges of each?

Older and larger churches will tend to be more “mothership-centric” and view multisite campuses as “satellites” that revolve around the hub campus. They function as a church with multisite campuses. Younger and newer churches that start with a multisite mindset tend be more “community-centric” and see themselves as a church of multisite campuses. Both can and do work, but ultimately a church of multisite campuses will have less inter-campus relationship and management challenges. Starbucks and Target stores have a central headquarters, but you don’t get the sense that their local stores are satellites of headquarters.

If I asked you to name the top 2-3 critical success factors for making multi-site work effectively, what would they be?

The three most critical factors of a successful multisite strategy are a compelling reason/vision for multisiting, a high capacity campus pastor leader who bleeds the DNA of the church, and delivering the overall campus experience as good or better than the sending campus. If any of these three are lacking, the multisite strategy will be an uphill climb.

Okay, so what’s the other side — the most common mistakes churches make in trying to become multi-site.

Not having a compelling vision for multisiting, leading out with a follower rather than a leader, launching too close or too far, under-delivering the campus experience, not embracing the paradigm shift from a mono-site to a multi-site paradigm.

I see you have a new ebook. What’s in it and how can I get it?
My free eBook “125 Tips for MultiSite Churches and Those Who Want To Be” is the distillation of my 15 years as a multisite pioneer and church consultant. My multisite journey began for me as a senior pastor of a megachurch in Colorado, got me invited to pioneer the model at Willow Creek Church in Chicago, and propelled me into full-time multisite consulting nationally and internationally. I have been tweeting a daily multisite tip for several years and have compiled these tips into an eBook in an easily accessible topical manner. The eBook also includes helpful articles I have written over the years and features a snapshot profile of ten successful multisite churches. You can read and download it here: http://multisitesolutions.com/125-tips-for-multisite.

Great insights, Jim! Thanks for taking the time.

Organizations Are The Way They Are…

March 8, 2011 in Church finance, Church generosity, Church giving, Church leadership, Church planting, Church Stewardship with 0 Comments

…because of the way they are.

I have seen it any number of times but it really crystallized for me in the last few days. Organizations, including and especially churches, do not end up the way they are by accident. It happens on purpose. The excellent church continually finds ways to do things better and reach more people. Other churches struggle just to maintain whatever they have and some do not even do that. Why does the excellent organization seem to make the right call almost every time and the mediocre entity seem to seldom make the right call?

The people, theology, thinking and systems all contribute to it. If nothing changes, nothing changes. The entity becomes stale and replicates itself over and over. On the other hand, the excellent entity keeps itself fresh and continually reinvents itself to adapt to changing circumstances. Whatever your church or organization is — for better or for worse — will replicate itself internally until there is a significant change of some kind.

You could peg it all on leadership and, to some extent, that would be true. But leadership alone is not the issue. I could show you churches who have had several leaders in recent years and the result of the church is the same. That begs the question of culture. Yes, that is probably an issue, too, in a number of cases. Culture matters more than vision. Bad culture trumps great vision every time. But there is more.

Churches make choices. Remaining the same is a choice for the most part. Challenging the status quo to effect change for the better is a choice, too. For there to be change, something has to change.

Sometimes, the change that is necessary is “major surgery” of some kind. More often, it is something not so major. Perhaps just a change of perspective for the senior leader or a team of leaders. Conferences are good and can provide a spark. Consultants can provide an additional perspective. But real change is more grass roots than that. You have to see it in action to be persuaded it will really work.

There are any number of ways you could do that, but here is one suggestion.  Find a church that is like what you want your church to become — missional, evangelistic, global missions, community outreach, worship and arts. Whatever it is you want to see change in your church, find a church who does that well and go spend time with them. Better yet, if they are local, arrange to swap places with the senior leader for a couple of days. In other words, you go see what makes their church tick and vice versa. Then sit with each other and share your observations. You’d be surprised how illuminating this can be.

Change does not happen all of a sudden. It takes time. But the decision to change can happen right now. For Christ’s sake, if your church is stuck, find a way to get unstuck. You don’t have to be the way you are. You can effect change.

Organizations are the way they are — because of the way they are.

Should The Jobless Tithe On Unemployment Benefits?

March 2, 2011 in Church finance, Church generosity, Church giving, Church leadership, Church Stewardship with 1 Comment

The Village Green section of Christianity Today magazine which presents answers from leading Christians to pressing questions. CTI asked me to contribute to this question for their March 2011 edition. Here is what I said.

Yes, with generosity!

Perhaps the greatest tragedy of the recent economic meltdown is long-term unemployment, a reality in which many thought they would never find themselves. For the first time, hardworking, well-intentioned individuals are paying their bills with the income they receive from government checks instead of their profession or trade.

During these tough times, it is easy for churchgoing, typically responsible Christians to fall off the radar as they deal with the shame of being unable to provide for themselves or their families. In these times, it is more important than ever that Christians seek out pastors, leaders, and friends who can provide loving community and accountability to be faithful stewards in times of hardship.

Scripture does not speak directly to the topic of tithing on an income that is not your own, so I am reluctant to say firmly, “Yes, give this much.” But the Bible has much to say on the subject of generosity and gratitude.

There are four questions church leaders and others can ask to help someone struggling with tithing on their unemployment benefits.

• Do you see unemployment benefits as part of God’s provision for your life?

• Are you continuing to practice generosity in every area: time, talent, and treasure?

• How does giving a portion of your unemployment benefits differ from giving apportion of your “employed” benefits?

• Would giving a portion of your unemployment benefits demonstrate gratitude that God is providing for you in this season of your life?

Generosity is a condition of the heart. As resources come into the hands of a generous person, he or she can’t help giving them away. It’s second nature. A lifestyle of generosity should not stop when times are hard. If anything, tithing when income is low reinforces gratitude and trust, as it reminds the giver that God can use even the smallest gift to accomplish his will. It also reminds me that I am always dependent on God for my sustenance, whether I have savings in the bank and a regular paycheck or not. This is where Christian community should be most apparent, in encouraging and supporting each other to live out generosity in tough times.

I’m not going to argue that a specific percentage be given, just as I wouldn’t in responding to an employed individual. That is between the individual and God. Living a generous lifestyle is not an obligation but rather an opportunity. It is something I get to do for God’s kingdom, not something I have to do.

As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:7–8, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

Staffing Your Church

February 4, 2011 in Church finance, Church leadership with 7 Comments

Selecting and hiring church staff is one of the most crucial decisions a senior leader will ever make. Vanderbloemen Search Group has carved out a niche by specializing in corporate quality executive search for churches. Justin Lathrop founded and heads up HelpStaff.me, a search firm that has shown enormous abilities in searches for positions in the middle of a church org chart like childrens and student pastor searches. Recently, HelpStaff and the Vanderbloemen Search Group united. Their merger has broadened the capabilities of the  Vanderbloemen Search Group so they are now able to help any church fill any position. I recently had a chance to visit with both William and Justin to get their thoughts on what they are seeing in church staffing. Here is our conversation.

1. Is there any particular big trend you are seeing in the way churches are being staffed?

Justin:
We’re seeing lots of new staff positions emerging that haven’t before, particularly among the larger, innovative (and smart) churches we get to work with. My hunch is that their innovations will become much more common in the near future

For instance, several of our clients are now employing a Pastor of Social Media. It’s a step up from simply having person who is good with social media to a person who has pastoral skill and is good online. This position often covers online campuses, like our friend Brandon at LIfeChurch.tv or Nils Smith at Community Bible Church in San Antonio.

William:
Another new staff position we are seeing is a Pastor of Generosity. This is pretty much a Chief Fundraising Officer that has pastoral skill. When Jud Wilhite and the folks at Central Christian asked us to find this position for them, it showed me a new reality: (1) lots of new believers are coming to growing churches, (2) new believers don’t usually give or tithe, (3) dollars are tight everywhere, and (4) the Senior Pastor cannot  ask for money all the time. Smart churches are hiring folks to help close the gap, just like hospitals, charities, and universities have for years. I know you all have been our in front of your sector doing some key thinking about raising generosity and generous cultures. Seems like the idea is catching on.

2. The role of the strong Executive Pastor, a COO type of position, seems to be expanding. What do you see in that area?

William:
Executive Pastors searches make up about 40% of the searches we do, so we are seeing more and more models for the role. The common denominator I see in all the models is an increase in authority, responsibility, and implementation of the vision. Lead/Senior Pastors seem more intent than ever on casting vision, protecting their preaching preparation time, and getting out of the way for a strong XP/COO to get the ball from point “a” to point “b.”

3. What about multi-site? Any particular challenges there?

Justin:
Many Campus Pastor roles don’t involve weekly preaching so the perception is that communication isn’t important. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The ability to communicate is greater than ever before.

Because of this perception, it is difficult for churches to get the right communicator that doesn’t view campus pastoring as a purely administrative role.

William:
The Campus Pastor is a role that is here to stay. As the number of campuses at churches mushroom, staffing the role is more difficult than ever.

Bil Cornelius and I were visiting some time back about innovative ways to staff small campuses in small towns with superior leadership. A whole lot of new models are emerging in response to this crucial need.

4. Looks like there are a lot of Baby Boomer pastors leading mega churches. Are they thinking about succession? That’s a big looming issue, isn’t it?

William:
I think succession is THE looming issue in the Church. It’s also the most common search we lead now.

The fact is, we are all interim pastors. And a whole lot of key churches are going to face pastoral retirement in the next 10 years. You know, retirement is only mentioned once in the Bible. It had to do with requiring the retirement of priests. It’s so natural for a Pastor to love his job and church so much that he doesn’t plan for the day he’s not there. But it will happen. So we are spending loads and loads of time working on this and have been blessed to receive a high measure of corporate training on the matter. Getting to help churches through that process is a rare honor and one we are taking very seriously.

7. I see you announced some big news about a week ago. Tell me about it? What prompted the partnership?

William:
I’ve known Justin for about as long as I’ve been doing search and watched his company grow. He’s a great guy with a real gift. I’ve also noticed that he’s really good at mid-level searches, which were searches we weren’t really focused on. We talked for a while about referring searches to each other and then it dawned on us that it would be better to do this together. So now, we never have to tell a client “we can’t help you.” Whether it’s our traditional Senior and executive level searches or mid-level, we can help staff the Church. And we love getting to do that!

Great stuff, guys. Thanks William (@wvanderbloemen) and Justin (@justinlathrop)! You can find them at www.vanderbloemensearch.com.