Wayne Hedlund

Category: LEADERSHIP

Leadership Articles prior to 2016

  • Values Shape Culture

    bio-pic-joshua-finleyThis is a guest post from Pastor Joshua Finley, Lead Pastor at Elim Gospel Church in Lima, NY. I ran across this post on his blog this morning and felt it appropriate to share with you (with his permission, of course). Enjoy.

    Values, more than vision, shape a culture.

    Having a lack of vision is bad, really bad. Without vision people are stuck, literally immobilized and eventually perish. Having skill and competency is so important. Without a skill-set matching your role, you and those around you will be frustrated and ineffective.

    Having the wrong values is deadly to a culture.

    Every leader is a “cultural architect”, one who actually shapes external environments by their internal reality. Cultural architects without vision are stuck. Cultural architects without the right skill set are ineffective. Cultural architects without an aligned value system are destructive.

    It is one thing to be ineffective and a totally another thing to be destructive to the environment that is being built. Misaligned values bring toxic emotions and cancerous growth to a culture. Values, more than vision or skills is what shapes a culture.

  • 19 Tips on Preaching

    I received this email from the team over at preachingrocket.com yesterday and thought it was so helpful I should share it with you. These people know what they’re talking about. You may recognize them from the webinar they hosted and I wrote about entitled, “Preach Better Sermons Online Conference“. I recommend their webinars and services to pastors at large! Enjoy.

    logo_preaching

    We wanted to share some tips with you that you could apply to your message this week. Don’t try to use all nineteen this weekend just chose one or two to incorporate into your message this Sunday.

    • Get feedback on your message BEFORE you preach it.
      Feedback after the fact is great, but if you seek input before you preach, you can make your message better. This could be as simple as sending it to another pastor, another staff member, or a volunteer or two in your church. Chances are, there are people in your congregation who would review your message seriously and be a great help to you. Ernest Hemingway said the first draft of anything is #$&*@, so make sure you never preach your first draft.
    • Finish on time.
      Whether you use a countdown clock or a watch, it’s a good idea to stick to the allotted time. The Gettysburg Address has 300 words. Nobody remembers the other guy who spoke that day (who spoke for a couple of hours). Besides, nobody ever got mad at the preacher for finishing a few minutes early.
    • Don’t hide in the greenroom.
      Connecting with real people before your message is one of the most powerful things you can do. Last minute study is a sign of poor preparation and while some last minute prayers are always appropriate, that doesn’t mean you can’t speak a few words to people in the congregation. Leave the green room mentality and shake hands with people.
    • Pick a point.
      Most sermons try to cover too much information, so pick a point and stick to it. One 30-minute message isn’t going to be the final word on any topic. If you want to learn how to make that point memorable and sticky, here’s a free webinar that might help.
    • Be interesting.
      Helpful content that doesn’t engage the audience won’t have the desired effect. In other words, be interesting. Boring presentations, lifeless information, and passionless points will sail right over the head of the congregation. And over the head misses the heart every time. It’s absolutely imperative that you have accurate, Biblical content. But it’s equally important to present it in a way that connects.
    • Stories say it best.
      You’ve listened to speakers too, and, chances are, when the speaker told a personal story, your interest level increased. There’s something about stories that cause people to lean in. So make sure you tell a story every ten minutes or so. “Stories are the most powerful delivery tool for information, more powerful and enduring than any other art form,” writes Nancy Duarte.
    • Know your material.
      Before you preach your message to anyone else, you should preach it to yourself. Be familiar with your content so you can preach from your heart. A reliance on notes could be a sign that you don’t know your material. That’s why we teach members how to finish early in the week so the message can sit in a crockpot.
    • Get better as a preacher, don’t just work on your next message.
      Watching yourself on video is a great way to improve. Joining a community of people committed to improvement might also be right for you. For most churches, the sermon is the most visible thing you do and a key component in the discipleship process. So don’t get stuck in a rut, get better.
    • Speak to everyone.
      Those football stories you tell are awesome, and about 30% of the audience really relates to them. Referencing 2 Peter commandment on the fly is cool, but unchurched people think you’re talking about a race. You’ve got a diverse audience – that calls for diverse application and varied illustrations. Make sure your message is sensitive to your audiences (yep, you have more than one).
    • You’re not preaching in the first century.
      From time to time, I meet people who say, “Jesus didn’t need PowerPoint.” That’s true. (He would have used Keynote or ProPresenter anyway.) But Jesus was preaching in a first century context that didn’t have electricity. You didn’t ride on a donkey to church or ask the congregation to bring grain to the alter. It’s okay to use modern methods to communicate a timeless message.
    • Preach to who is NOT there.
      If you want guests, address guests. If you want to reach men, talk to men. If you want to reach the educated, add a little more intellect. Preach to who is NOT in the room, not just who IS in the room.
    • Summarize your sermon for twitter.
      Your sermon needs a central theme or a big idea. J.H. Howett was right when he wrote, “I have a conviction that no sermon is ready for preaching not ready for writing out, until we can express its theme in a short, pregnant sentence as clear as crystal.” We’ve got a       free webinar that will help you craft these simple statements.
    • Find common ground.
      People don’t think preachers have real lives, real marriages or real struggles, so the fact that you’re a preacher is NOT instant credibility. Make sure you find common ground with your audience to let them know that you share some of their struggles, doubts and feelings.
    • Talk about your failures, not just your successes.
      John Maxwell said if you want to impress people, talk about your success, but if you want to impact them, talk about your failures. When you appropriately share your struggles, mistakes and failures, and communicate from a place of humble brokenness, you’ll make a far greater impact on your congregation.
    • Make people laugh.
      Everybody wants to laugh, and you don’t need to disrespect God’s Word or be a comedian to make people smile in church. Proverbs 17:22 says a joyful heart is good medicine. So let’s not talk about a boring God with lifeless sermons and give people the impression that God has no personality. God created laughter…it’s okay for it to happen in church.
    • Present Jesus as the hero.
      Not the audience, not you, not even the church. No matter your topic, you can find a way to point to Jesus. By the way, that’s exactly what Jesus did when he opened up the Old Testament scriptures and connected the dots for people.
    • Preach to inspire action, not just to inform.
      What do you want people to DO as the result of hearing this message? When Peter finished preaching in Acts 2, he told the people exactly what they should do (repent and be baptized). Make sure you’re not just presenting information but calling people to action.
    • Add some visuals.
      Whether it’s a graphic, or a slide, a prop or an object lesson, look for ways to make your words visual. Study after study shows this is the key to rememberability. If this doesn’t come natural to you, fight through the hard work…it’s worth it.

    One of the most significant things you can do as a communicator is work ON your skill and develop your calling. This is very different from working on your next message. It’s why we created the Core Coaching Program.

    Thanks for letting us serve you today!

    Michael

    CEO of The Rocket Company

    P.S. Here is a summary of the FREE stuff in this email:

    • Preaching With A Point Webinar: How to craft a memorable bottom line statement each week that your church attenders will be repeating on Wednesday at Starbucks.

  • God the Master Planner

    Blast from the past . . . originally posted on September 3, 2010.

     

          

     

    Isn’t it great to know that “planning” is God-inspired? He has no desire for us to live our life and run our ministry “spur of the moment” or spontaneously every second of every day. Oh, there’s room for that, at least I hope there is since I participate in unanticipated activities fairly regularly. But God is into planning. In fact, He is the Master Planner.
    Just go outside and look at this world we live in. Wow. And the stars, each a massive inferno so expanse that we can see them millions of miles away. Last week I discovered a praying mantis clinging to my screen door. I gave him a good look. The design and symmetry and “perfection” of this little noble creature is just as awe-inspiring.

     

    Genesis 1 says that God built all of this in seven days, in a particular order too. It would be interesting to know why he created the animals in the water and air on one day and the land animals on another. Why not both the same day? Or the other way around? Must be some serious strategic planning going on there. I mean, if I were God, I think I’d just do it all at once. But God saw it fit to phase creation in, even including a day where He intentionally did nothing.

     

    Wow. Thanks God, for reminding us that you’re into planning. It’s a reminder to us that every moment we spend thinking about the future and building processes, steps, and ‘plans’ towards that future we are participating in a God-inspired activity.

  • Robert L. Montgomery

    “It’s just as rude to step on people’s ideas as it is to step on their toes.” 

  • Antony Jay

    “The uncreative mind can spot wrong answers, but it takes a creative mind to spot the wrong questions.”

  • Leading Difficult People – John Maxwell

    photo credit: Neil. Moralee via photo pin cc

  • This Week’s Great Links

    Elim Fellowship Declares War on Malaria by Ron Burgio & Tom Brazell
    This fall, Elim Fellowship is declaring war on Malaria. We ask that you join with us in combating the biggest killer in history, MALARIA! We are joining with the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America (PCCNA) and Word Vision in their War on Malaria. Malaria is history’s biggest killer. In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, it takes the life of a precious child age five or under, EVERY 45 SECONDS! Nearly 2,000 kids die daily from this night predator…almost one million children every year. Mosquitoes ARE Malaria’s weapon of mass destruction. They kill children, they destroy families, and they impoverish communities. Read More.

    Ben & Jerry’s, Chick-Fil-A & Political Correctness by Perry Noble
    Let me begin by saying I absolutely LOVE Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. (Gonna go ahead and tell you that Oatmeal Cookie Chunk is THE BEST flavor I’ve EVER had!!) A few years ago I went to Wal Mart (the closest thing to hell I can imagine…that and the DMV), found my favorite flavor and decided to tweet that I was purchasing some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream…and doing so “unleashed the hounds” in a sense. Honestly, I’ve never experienced anything like it, “Christians” began @ replying me on twitter condemning me and scolding me for buying this product because apparently Ben & Jerry’s supported gay rights/same sex marriage. Read More.

    Good Is The Enemy Of Great by Wayne Hedlund
    “Good is the enemy of great.” So says Jim Collins, author of the book Good to Great. Checkout the opening lines from that book: “Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great. We don’t have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don’t have great government, principally because we have good government. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life. The vast majority of companies never become great, precisely because the vast majority become quite good – and that is their main problem.” Read More.

    No Dumping: 5 Keys to Effective Delegation by Ron Edmondson
    I have seen, and probably been accused of, dumping responsibilities on people inappropriately and calling it delegation. This form of delegation actually does more harm than good for an organization, because it leaves projects undone or completed sub-par, kills employee morale and motivation, and keeps the mission of the organization from reaching its full potential. Recently I asked two of our staff people to whom I delegate frequently how I am doing in this area. It was a good conversation and helped write this post. The bottom line is that delegation involves more than just ridding oneself of responsibility. You can’t dump and run and call it delegation. Read More.

    35 Quick and Simple Tips for Better Productivity by Mike Vardy
    When people first begin exploring the world of personal productivity and task management, they either don’t know where to start or can’t seem to find their footing when they do. If you’re one of these people, I’ve assembled 35 quick and simple tips for better productivity – ones you can use right away and start to see results in your work and in your life. You don’t need to take on all 35 (in fact, I’d recommend taking on far less and returning to this piece as you feel comfortable taking on more), but each of them can be used to provide you with a sample of what improved productivity feels like. Let’s get started. Read More.

    4 Truths Every Pioneer Should Know by Mary DeMuth
    Pioneering is hard. It is especially hard for those around them. It is even hard for the pioneers themselves. Through God’s strength, I’ve pioneered a lot of things in my life. I parented my kids in an entirely different way than I was raised (and am still plowing that ground). I broke up the fallow ground of publishing, starting from nothing. And my family and I planted a church in one of the most unchurched places on the planet: France. So I get pioneering. Read More.

    Image from pagadesign on istockphoto.com 

  • Thursday Quote: Who – The A Method for Hiring

    This is a guest post by Pastor Doug Cowburn II. Pastor Doug serves as the Executive Pastor at Elim Gospel Church in Lima, NY. Recently, while sharing lunch together, Doug told me about this book and readily agreed to writing this Thursday Quote about it for your benefit. Enjoy.

     
     
     
    Recently, two different people I know recommended that I read, Who: The A Method to Hiring. I found that this book was not only a great resource for when you need to hire someone, but also a great way to look at writing your own job description. If you’re like me, you want to know when you are being successful at your job. The problem is that many who are in ministry are either working without a job description or the one they have is all activity based. Activity based job descriptions say things like:
    • Connects with volunteers
    • Teaches on a regular basis
    • Leads the deacon team

    Someone could follow an activity based job description for years and never actually move the needle on the church’s mission. I want to be an “A Player” who delivers his best and contributes toward the church’s vision and mission. In order to do this I need a job description, or as this book suggests, I need a scorecard that gives me some targets to hit.

    Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

    “We define an ‘A Player’ this way: a candidate who has at least a 90 percent chance of achieving a set of outcomes that only the top 10 percent of possible candidates could achieve.”

    “The scorecard is composed of three parts: the job’s mission, outcomes and competencies. Together, these three pieces describe ‘A’ performance in the role—what a person must accomplish and how. They provide a clear linkage between the people you hire and your strategy.”

    “While typical job descriptions break down because they focus on activities, or a list of things a person will be doing (calling on customers, selling), scorecards succeed because they focus on outcomes, or what a person must get done (grow revenue from $25 million to $50 million by the end of year three). Do you see the distinction?”

    “Scorecards: • Set expectations with new hires • Monitor employee progress over time • Objectify your annual review system • Allow you to rate your team annually as part of a talent review process.”

    As you can see, this book was written primarily for the business world, but it has huge implications for ministry related job descriptions as well.  What would your scorecard look like?

  • This Week’s Great Links

    Unlocking the Secrets of Church Sound by Josh Cummings
    Poor sound can be extremely distracting. We’ve probably all been there: the worship leaders mic gives annoying feedback during the service, the preacher sounds like he’s underwater, or you can’t hear the lead vocals over the band during worship. Though it is often a thankless role, the church sound tech has the power to enhance or detract from the communication of the gospel in our church services. With that much depending upon one person, I thought I would give you a few tips on how to improve in this article on the art of mixing. Read More.

    Trust: The Glue That Makes Everything Possible by Tony Morgan
    I have gained a great deal of insight from Sam Chand’s new book called Cracking Your Church’s Culture Code. Sam’s excerpt on “Trust” was so insightful that I asked him if I could share it on my blog. Trust is vital for any team yet it is fragile and easily destroyed. Fortunately, trust can be rebuilt causing a team to become stronger and healthier. “Mutual trust among team members is the glue that makes everything good possible. Without it, a team quickly disintegrates into a gang of people protecting their turf and forming angry alliances.” Read More.


    2012 Challenge for our Catalyst Team by Brad Lomenick
    Here are 10 points we discussed and committed to as a Catalyst team earlier this year in January. Thought I would share them so as to motivate or inspire you to challenge your team as well:

    1. Authentic. Be Real. Human. approachable. Guard against hubris.
    2. No sideways energy. Communicate. Focus. Guard against silos and wasted energy.

    Read More.

    The Reason Many Policies are Written by Ron Edmondson
    Many policies are written because someone didn’t want to solve a problem. In her book “Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands”, Nancy Ortberg talks about the need to differentiate between “a tension to be managed and a problem to be solved“…. Most of the time, in my experience, churches are notorious for creating a new policy to attempt to manage the problem rather than doing the difficult work of solving it. Solving the problem often involves getting personal with people. It involves challenging people. It involves change. It involves holding people accountable to a higher standard. That’s messy. It’s never fun. Most churches like neat, clean and seemingly easy. (Just being honest.) Read More.

    How to Make the Host Ask: The 2012 Version by Mark Howell
    (Note: Mark uses the term ‘Host’ to indicate small group facilitators.)
    Getting ready to recruit HOSTs for an upcoming church-wide campaign? Let me give you my best shot at some keys to maximizing your impact. Here are what I think are the keys to maximizing the harvest. Read More.

    Create a Content Strategy for Your Church Website by Bryan Young
    Content Strategy is becoming more and more popular among web professionals — both the idea and the implementation. More focus has gone into design, user experience, and techniques of getting people to websites that the reason people come to websites can get lost. Of course, I’m talking about the content, itself. “Content strategy plans for the creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content.” (Kristina Halvorson) Just like you wouldn’t begin a sermon without first coming up with a topic, researching, and planning, you shouldn’t do the same with the content on your website. Everything successful, from businesses, to books, to websites, begins with goals and figures out the best way to achieve them. Read More.

    Image from pagadesign on istockphoto.com 

  • Don’t Miss Your Life Video

    I ran across this great 4 minute video over on epicparent.tv the other day and just had to share it. Powerful and relevant. Hopefully, this doesn’t hit too close to home. Whether it does or not, it would be a great opener to a message on parenting. Enjoy.


    If you can’t see this video, try clicking this link.

     
    I have to wonder, how many of us are ‘missing our life’ and don’t even travel? God give us the courage to be the men and women of God you’ve called us to be for our kids!