Wayne Hedlund

Category: LEADERSHIP

Leadership Articles prior to 2016

  • Excellence Honors God

    24-eldersSometimes you hear a message that you will never, ever forget. It’s a defining message. Early in my walk with Christ I heard one such message by Pastor Jack Hayford about the holiness of God. It changed how I think about God. If I had known how important that message was to me at the time, I would have saved it. But it’s not a great loss – I remember it like I just heard it yesterday. Among other things, the message helped birth in me an intense desire to do things with excellence, specifically to honor and worship God.

    Pastor Jack spoke from Revelation where it says:

    Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Revelation 4:8-11

    The picture that has been etched into my mind is of these twenty-four elders who were each sitting on their individual thrones around the throne of God. These are real individuals who have a will. They are not puppets. And yet they are so overwhelmed by the Presence of God that they fall to their faces to shout out their praise to God. When they are finished, they find their seats in perhaps one of the most honoring of all places to sit – only to find themselves in awe of God’s Presence yet again and compelled to proclaim it to one another and God Himself as they bow before Him. They do this over and over, never tiring, in rapt worship to our heavenly Father.

    There is nothing half-hearted about these elders. Every fiber of their being is given to honoring God. 

    Compare these people with those God Himself rebuked in Malachi, who were bringing mediocre offerings before God:

    “But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ By offering defiled food on my altar. But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ By saying that the LORD’s table is contemptible. When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your Governor! Would he be pleased with you?” . . . “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands.” Malachi 1:6-8a, 10

    The only thing I can think to say to that reference is, “Ouch!”

    I’ve come to the conclusion that one of the best ways that I can honor God, is by giving him the best of what I have to give. That means my best resources. My best time. My best work.

    Excellence Honors God!

    Don’t get me wrong, I’ve not arrived. I still fall short, and I’m so thankful for His grace when I do. But I aspire to give God my best. I aspire to excel. Excellence is one of my core values. It’s something that drives and marks me. It’s not on some legalistic ‘to do’ list. It’s an act of worship and honor to God.

    I think excellence should mark the ministry of every believer, in some way. It defines who they are and what kind of relationship they have with God. That’s a bold statement for me to make. It’s actually a little scary for me to say. Perhaps presumptuous? I don’t know, but it seems right to me.

    How about you? Where does excellence stand out in your life and ministry?

    Image by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1982, 1992 (revelationillustrated.com).

  • Look Up From Your Phone

    My wife sent me the below video this past weekend. It was so powerful (and convicting) I thought I’d share it with my readers. Christian leaders are not immune to the pull of social media, tv, internet and more. ‘Screen time’ as we call it at home is slowly taking over. I’m getting sucked in as easily as many others. I fear what this habit might be doing to my family, my ministry and, most importantly, my walk with God. I so appreciate this reminder to look up and be with those I care about most.

    How about you? 

    (disclaimer: There is one word in the video some may find offensive. Although the video may not be filmed with the christian audience in mind, the message still stands for all who will hear it. Enjoy.)

     

    Can’t see this video? Try clicking here.

     

  • Reading Between the Lines of Excellence

    excellence
    Very few believers I know would question this statement, “God wants us to do our best.” I believe it’s true. Our best is a valued currency in God’s kingdom. He excels at bridging the gap between our best and His best. All it takes is a few moments of reflection to realize how God has given His best for us. From creation to the cross and beyond, we see God’s character shine. He has never once given less than His all for us. That would be contrary to His very nature. His call to the believer is nothing less. Jesus even went so far as to tell us that we should deny ourselves, and take up our cross, like Him, daily.
     

    Years ago I remember walking by a local pizza shop. There was a promotional sign in the window that boldly proclaimed their pizza was, “Good Enough”. Not very inspiring. Unfortunately, it’s very easy for us to slide into a ‘good enough’ mentality in our ministries. ‘Good Enough’ sneaks up on us. It begins with one small task or event and slowly creeps into more and more of what we do until we, one day, discover that our ministry is defined by those words: good enough.

    Between the Lines
    For anyone willing to think it through, there are some unspoken things we are saying when we choose to set ‘good enough’ aside and settle for nothing less than our best. Your excellence (or your mediocrity) is communicating several things, between the lines. Here are a few.

    • Our best says we trust God.
      I believe it takes a lot of faith to give our best. The fact is, often we know in our hearts our best won’t be good enough. Most of us are our own worst critic. It can be simpler to give in to the reality that we just don’t always measure up. But when I give my best for Christ, against all the odds and even when I know I fall short, I’m committing my work to God, and trusting Him to do what He does best – breathe His transformative power into it.
    • Our best says we value others.
      Jesus simplified the Christian walk and the whole Bible by declaring that everything hinges on the two greatest commandments, to love God and love others. When we give our best we are fulfilling that high call, not only to serve God, but to serve those He gave His one and only Son for. When we serve with excellence, we are communicating to those who will benefit from our work that they are of great value both to us and to God.
    • Our best says we value our calling.
      Great leaders are secure leaders. They are humbly and intimately aware of their strengths and weaknesses and have become reconciled to their limitations while they lead and serve others. When we choose to give our all, whether for the most menial of tasks or for the big public event, we are accepting God’s calling on our life to be His hands and feet in the world.
    • Our best says it’s important.
      Practically speaking, excellence communicates volumes to those around us about whether what we are doing is truly important or not. Not just whether it’s important to us, but whether it should be important to them as well. If people walk into an event that is only half-baked, there is a nonverbal message saying, “This wasn’t important enough to us to do it right, so you don’t need to treat it as important either.” Similarly, when we bend over backwards to produce excellence at every turn (remember, that means our best, not perfection), then we are letting the world know, “This is important to me, and we want it to be important to you too!”

    What other things do you think excellence communicates to those around us?

    photo credit: Josh Liba via photopin cc

  • God’s Standard of Excellence

    excellence-paintbrushWhatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24

    Years ago I found myself painting the walls in the master bathroom of our home. I’m a decent painter, but it’s not my trade nor is it something I enjoy. That said, I have pretty high standards, so I was very focused on doing a good job. At one point, I found myself laying on my back and reaching way back to the wall under a bottom shelf that was perhaps 18″ inches from the floor. As I was gently brushing the trim under that shelf, I realized I was overdoing it. Nobody in their right mind would ever be looking under this shelf to see if I painted the trim and that back wall properly. They’d need a flashlight to do so, and that was with the lights on in the bathroom.

    That’s when the Holy Spirit spoke to me, “Do it for me.”

    It was the most meticulously painted wall in the whole room. I found myself in tears while I did it too. It became a love offering to God. It was one of the most powerful worship experiences of my life.

    Working for the Lord

    According to Colossians, we’re to maintain that standard of excellence in everything we do. That’s not to say that we should spend hours painting the backside of the drywall before we put it up, or check every sentence we write in our emails with the grammar dictionary to ensure it’s perfect, or even to keep our homes or offices meticulously clean at all times. I don’t believe that’s the point.

    God isn’t looking for perfection. He is sorely aware of how imperfect we all can be, which of course is why He offered His perfect solution for our imperfection in Jesus Christ.

    Rather, I believe God’s standard for excellence is simply our very best with what matters. Of course, we’re talking about ‘what matters’ to God, not ourselves or our earthly masters.

    The last sentence of this Scripture states, “It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” It may be my wife who asked me to paint the walls, my boss who is requesting the report, or my pastor asking me to make a few phone calls; but it’s the Lord Christ who I am always serving. His high calling is to serve those around me as if the request came out of His own mouth.

    My best is going to look different than yours too. You might be a much better painter than me. God is simply looking for me to give the best I can, with what I have. That includes my skills, my strengths & weaknesses, my experience, my time and my resources. Excellence is less about what others see or think, than it is about what God knows.

    After all, nobody would have ever thought the widow gave her best when she put two cents in the offering (Luke 21:1-4). In comparison to others, it wouldn’t have counted as excellent service. Yet, that’s what Jesus Christ said about her. That offering was the one that represented what Colossians is calling each of us to do. To give our best.

    I have a confession. I’m not there. I’d love to say I raise my children, help others in need, do my weekly chores and carry out my work responsibilities like I did when I painted that bathroom wall. But I can say that I aspire to that kind of service to and for Christ.

    How about you? Do you maintain God’s standard for excellence in your life and ministry?

    photo credit: Guillaume Brialon via photopin cc

  • Mark Batterson on Church Leadership

    Last year we were privileged to have Mark Batterson speak at our Elim Fellowship Leadership Conference. He did a great job! So I thought I’d share this awesome message where Mark talks about the Power of Testimony, Leadership and a lot more. 

    This would be a great clip to show to your team and hold some discussion over afterwards. Enjoy.

     

     

  • Confrontation 101: Maintain Safety At All Times

    confrontation-maintain-safetySomeone once told me that if you stare at a cat long enough, they will get angry. Years ago I was at the zoo watching a lion pace forward and backward over and over again. The lion exhibit was packed with people watching him. It was awesome and I was mesmerized.  After a while I remembered what my friend had told me about staring at cats. So I decided to try an experiment. I lined myself up with his pacing so that every time he walked back towards the crowd I was standing directly in front of him. Each time he paced towards me, I made and held eye contact with him. I did this for a couple of minutes. Suddenly, the lion stopped in mid-stride, stared me in the face and let out a mighty roar. The hair on my neck stood on end. It was loud and scary!

    What’s interesting is the response of everyone around me. They all went crazy. Some screamed, kids cried, most jumped and several took off running. This despite the fact that we were all completely safe. The lion was behind two sets of bars. He wasn’t going to hurt us. And yet, for a few moments, we all totally freaked out. I learned a valuable lesson from that experience. 

    When people feel threatened, they don’t think reasonably. It doesn’t matter how smart you are. When we’re scared our bodies go into defense mode. We have a natural desire to either fight or flee. In a sense, our reasoning shuts down and our God-given instincts take over. 

    Danny Silk explains this in his book, ‘Culture of Honor‘. Check it out.

    “God put this little gland inside our brain called the Amygdala. It is an almond-shaped mass of nuclei located deep within the temporal lobes of the brain. This gland is important for determining emotional responses, especially those associated with fear. When somebody does something threatening or unexpected in your environment, when somebody is not safe, your Amygdala kicks on and begins to flood your body with these messages: react, defend, disappear, fight, or flee.

    These are some of the responses in which we show our worst. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to discover that people who are scared are not at their creative best. If you’ve ever been near a person who is drowning and scared that he or she is going to die, then you know it would be a good idea to keep your distance. Throw a rope or extend a pole, but do not let that person get a hold of you or you will become a buoy. Oh sure, the person will apologize later, if you lived.

    But scared people are not thinking about the team, family, church, or anyone else beside themselves. Fear is a dangerous element for humans to navigate through. Most do not manage it well.”

    So what does all of this say about how we should communicate with others, especially during a confrontation?

    Hopefully, it’s blindingly obvious. In any confrontation, we must find and maintain safety. We need to help the other person know the conversation is going to be ‘safe’. That is, that we will honor them during the conversation; that we care about and respect them. People feel unsafe when they believe one of two things:

    • You do not respect them.
    • You do not care about their goals (or what’s important to them).

    If you want to experience transformative conversations with others, learn how to maintain safety. Be sure the other person knows you are for and with them. You can do this by reading through ‘Three Keys to Effective Confrontation‘. But you will also do it by checking to be sure the other party still feels safe throughout the conversation. At any time, if you sense they are becoming defensive, it’s time to stop talking and begin working at reestablishing safety.

    The fact of the matter is, if you or I feel unsafe in a conversation we will quite naturally get defensive and will emotionally fight or flee. There’s no point in talking when we get to that point, at least not until we’ve calmed down again.

    Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Colossians 4:6 reminds us to, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

    Confession time – I still struggle with this. Especially with my spouse and kids. The people I most want to feel safe will sometimes feel the complete opposite when I’m around. I’ve got a long way to go, but I’m committed to getting there. Are you?

    How safe do others feel around you?

    photo credit: ekai via photopin cc

  • Three Keys to Effective Confrontation

    confrontationIt takes courage to confront others . . . well, let me qualify that. It takes courage to confront others right! Anybody can blow up, say something mean or hasty or brush through a confrontation without giving thought to others’ feelings. But it takes a lot of intentional thought, courage and patience to successfully confront people properly.

    Let me share just a few pointers I’ve learned about confrontation that might help you next time you find yourself preparing for this super intimidating experience.

    1. Remember the Goals of Confrontation
    Contrary to popular opinion, the goals of confrontation are not to be right or get back at someone who hurt you. If that is truly why you want to talk, it’s better to simply keep your mouth shut. When your goals include the following, then you’re almost ready to begin.

    • A Better Understanding
      Your goal is to gain understanding where it is lacking. There is almost always something you don’t know about the situation. You may lack context which drove the offense. There is often emotions, motives & outside circumstances that you were completely unaware of. Confrontation should be a truth-seeking venture to help you understand others’ perspective better.
    • A Positive Change
      Your goal should include a positive change. In other words, whether the offense is rooted in something you did or said or not, you should wholeheartedly desire to help others learn and grow through the confrontation. It should seem more like a learning or coaching experience than a hand-slapping experience.
    • A Growing Relationship
      If strengthening and growing your relationship with the other party is not a goal, then again, it may be better to just leave well enough alone. Your goals will drive your behavior and what you say. If you genuinely want a stronger relationship after the confrontation, you will naturally ensure that happens throughout it. If you think there is a good chance the confrontation may burn bridges or destroy the relationship, you will take stock and make sure the confrontation is truly worth it before proceeding.

    2. Begin With Three Fingers Pointed at Yourself
    It’s an old illustration, but it works well. Whenever you point your finger at someone, there will always be three other fingers pointing back at yourself. Before you begin any confrontation, the wise person will evaluate their own motivations, feelings and thoughts first. Each finger is asking one of the following questions:

    • Am I Part of the Problem?
      Is it possible that the conflict in question was somehow impacted by your actions? Did you not communicate something clearly? Is there a chance your lack of participation discouraged others? Is there anything at all that you might have done that could have helped prevent the conflict from taking place? Be open & honest with yourself before you sit down to talk with others.
    • Am I Telling Myself Ugly Stories?
      Some of us have a tendency to assume the offending party was intentional about hurting us. We make up stories by patching together random events from the past and by attributing motivations to the person that he or she may never have had. We label them in our minds with words like, “mean” or “rude”. Or we imagine things like, “they hate me” or “they are so cocky”. If you enter into a confrontation with stories like these in your brain, the whole conversation will be seen through that filter and you won’t find the healthy resolution you are seeking.
    • Am I Being Defensive In My Approach?
      If you are feeling defensive before or during the confrontation, your chance of success has been neatly cut in half, if not ruined from the start. Most people can read a defensive stance from miles away – and what it usually means is that they need to take up the same stance as well. If you look like you’re ready for a fight, I guess I better get ready too. That’s how we emotionally respond. Resolution will never be made if our goal is to protect ourselves. 

    3. Move To One Finger Pointed At God’s Servant
    Just this morning I heard a story about a woman who has been able to experience a restored relationship that you and I would probably have thought impossible. When asked how she was able to put up with all of the pain and disappointment she experienced while trying, she simply pointed out, “if God loves them so much, who am I not to”. A great reminder to us all. We should be asking ourselves:

    • Am I Treating Him/Her with Honor?
      We dishonor God when we dishonor His people. We should approach every conversation with a holy reverence, as approaching one of God’s most fascinating and beautiful creations. 
    • Am I Assuming the Best?
      Rather than telling ourselves bad stories, we should do the opposite. Why not make up stories of why the conflict may have happened that believes the best of the person, rather than the worst? Taking this approach will help you relax, it will honor the person you are confronting, and it will empower them to confess wrong motives if they are there – because they won’t have to be defensive.
    • Am I Taking Our Differences Into Account?
      It would be very presumptuous to assume that others think the same way as you. We all process life differently, we make choices differently, we view life through a different filter of expectations, experiences & values. This is often even more true if you are working with individuals from other ethnicity’s or cultures. I will bring value to the conversation by removing my assumptions and expectations and seeking to understand the frame of reference others come from.

    These aren’t academic points to me. I work hard to honor them during confrontations. And when I don’t I always regret it. Ironically, it gets harder and harder to successfully confront the people we care about and love the most. Which is why it’s so important we work at it together.

    Which of these three points do you forget to do most often?

    photo credit: gabaus via photopin cc

  • Trust vs Suspicion, Andy Stanley

    Sometimes there is a teaching that has tremendous potential to be a game-changer for churches & ministries. This is one of them. A healthy, thriving church/ministry has a ‘culture of trust’ among the leaders, the teams and, ultimately, throughout the rest of the organization.

    Here is who should watch this video. Pastors. Staff. Elders. Deacons. Board Members. Volunteer Leaders. Ministry Teams. 

    Rarely do I plead with people to do something. But in this post, I am. Please watch this and ask your teams to watch this. And please make it a launching pad to establish/re-establish/strengthen trust in your ministry. Thanks. 

    [su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/CI204RLs0XA” width=”320″ height=”200″]

     
     

  • The Art of Inviting Feedback

    feedbackI’m a big fan of feedback. Not the kind you get on Sunday mornings when the microphone goes haywire and everybody goes deaf. The kind you get when people share their thoughts & opinions regarding something you’re trying to do with excellence.

    Inviting feedback is a bittersweet activity. But when I swallow my pride and listen closely to other’s thoughts, it increases my effectiveness and impact in ministry.

    Yesterday I listened to this two-part podcast from the Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast series entitled, “The Art of Inviting Feedback“. One of the big takeaways was learning how to ask your leaders, co-workers and team-mates this one question:

    “If you were me, what would you do differently?”

     I strongly urge you to ask your entire team to listen to these two podcasts. They have the potential to, over time, make a big difference in your ministry’s leadership culture.

    The Art of Inviting Feedback – Part 1 (Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast)

    The Art of Inviting Feedback – Part 2 (Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast)

    photo credit: woodleywonderworks via photopin cc

  • Sunday Announcements: Information Overload

    Dark microphoneSeveral months ago I and my family visited a small church as a ‘mystery guest’. The goal of my visit was to provide some helpful feedback to the Sunday morning experience, especially as viewed through the eyes of a guest.

    I was completely overwhelmed (or maybe the word is underwhelmed) by the morning announcements. They were boring. The person giving them was practically reading them from the bulletin. And perhaps most frustrating, there were way too many. I stopped listening when they got to the special event happening 6 months from now. If it wasn’t my job to listen, I’m not sure I would have ever ‘started’ listening,

    I was recently reading a book summary of a book I read a few years ago entitled, “Less Clutter, Less Noise” and ran across this very poignant paragraph.

    “A Sunday edition of the New York Times carries more information than the average nineteenth century citizen accessed his entire life. Information used to be a rare and precious as gold; now it is so inexpensive and plentiful that most of it ends up being overlooked, ignored, or tossed like garbage. The barrage of data to which we are constantly exposed carries a cost – physically, mentally, and financially – regardless of the generation. People who live in today’s world respond in one of three ways: they become overwhelmed and shut down; they labor over whether they are making the right decisions; or they just ignore you and move on. More isn’t what people are looking for; relief from the pressure of more is what they’re looking for.”

    Well said. My advice is simply this.

    • Keep your announcements to a maximum of 3, preferably 2.
    • Sell what you have to say. Convince people why it’s important to them.
    • Communicate everything else through other means (like a weekly eblast, the Sunday bulletin, the church website & calendar, facebook, word of mouth, etc.)

    photo credit: istockphoto