Wayne Hedlund

Tag: Growth Barriers

  • Telling Yourself Stories

    Whether you are a public speaker or not, you ARE a storyteller.In fact, you are such a good storyteller that your primary audience is almost always convinced of the reality and truth of your stories, even though they are sometimes not true. You are your primary audience and you tell yourself stories every day.

    • When you’re mother-in-law gives you ‘that look’ you tell yourself a story about what she is saying to herself about you.
      EXAMPLE: “There she goes again. She’s judging me. She never accepts me for who I am. She thinks I’m fat, lazy and a bad dad.”  REALITY: Something you said reminded her that she forgot to return an important phone call at work yesterday. The ‘look’ had nothing to do with you.
    • When the lady on the phone seems rude, you tell yourself a story about her competence and professionalism.
      EXAMPLE: “How could this company hire someone like this lady! Why is she being so defensive? I just want them to return my money and pay the shipping fees. Doesn’t she know the customer is always right?” REALITY: She just found out last night that her husband has been having an affair and she doesn’t have the authority to return your money, even though she agrees and wants to.
    • When a leader in the church sends an email expressing frustration about what happened this Sunday in church, you tell yourself a story about his attitude and loyalty to you and the church.
      EXAMPLE: “What does he mean that he’s ‘disappointed’? Who does he think he is, my boss or something? I thought he was committed to this church and one of my trusted leaders. He’s really borken my trust.” REALITY: The man was genuinely offended by something someone said from the pulpit and took it personally. He’s committed to the church but would like to understand why it was said publicly.
    Check out these two articles by Michael Hyatt and Seth Godin. These are great reminders to combat what we tell ourselves about others every day.

    What Story Are You Telling Yourself? By Michael Hyatt

  • Thinking is Hard Work!

    How many times this month have you noticed some problem and didn’t try to find a solution? I bet it happens a lot more than you are willing to admit. You walk to your car and notice, again, how inadequate your parking lot is; or you are reminded during your Sunday service that the drums overpower all of the other instruments during worship. Perhaps you have a recurring problem with Sunday School volunteers showing up late; or you find yourself embarrassed to discover that your website is out of date again.

    This weekend I got to spend a day talking about strategic planning with some of the leaders at River of Life Fellowship in Copenhagen, NY. It was exciting to hear about the recent growth they have been experiencing as well as some of their future plans. Their unique mix of excellence and their commitment to the cause of Christ for their congregation and community were so refreshing.

    We ended our day brainstorming ideas on what they might improve or change in order to accommodate ongoing growth. They were full of some new and great ideas. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they implemented some of those new thoughts within a few short days.

    That day reminded me how often we tend to let problems slide simply because a solution isn’t obvious or readily available. Usually, we simply don’t want to stop and really think things through until we find a solution.

    Thinking is hard work. I’m not talking about the kind of thinking we do every day to operate our vehicle on the way home from work. I’m talking about the kind of thinking we engage in when we have to complete a final exam, prepare a sermon, or learn something new. The energy and focus necessary for that level of thinking is taxing, which is why we shy away from it. I know I do. It’s a lot more satisfying to see a problem and find the solution without breaking into a sweat first!

    Last night I revisited some of my own past posts regarding critical and strategic thinking. It seemed appropriate to point them out to you this week as well.

    That’s why I’d like to introduce you to my new e-book:

    Thinking for a Change: a fresh look at critical thinking

    I’d love it if you would consider purchasing the book and letting me know what you think. You can learn more about this e-book right here or feel free to purchase it right now! Cost is only $3.99. Thanks!

  • ..maybe you should do something scarier..

     

    I’m a fan of Seth Godin. His life message is about doing something new and different; getting out of the status quo; getting off the couch and making a lasting difference. Powerful and motivating. His message is to the world, not to Christians specifically. He can be blunt and painfully honest at times, but what he has to say is critical to our role as church leaders (not managers).

    In the church world I believe it is extremely important that we ask ourselves what we should be doing differently. What isn’t working? What new ideas should we tackle? How can we better facilitate the message of the Gospel? For instance, a while back I had an informal conversation with Pastor Joshua Finley and Pastor Seth Goodson at Elim Gospel Church about discipleship for the new believer. It was a refreshing conversation for me, simply because we were willing to stretch our thinking beyond what we’ve always seen and heard in the church world.

    Check out this 11 1/2 minute video interview with Seth and be challenged and inspired. Here are two quotes I jotted down while listening: “..maybe you should do something scarier..”, “.. mega-church is a factory..”.

    Exclusive interview with Seth Godin from GiANT Impact on Vimeo.

  • Thursday Quote – When Less is More (Andy Stanley)

     
    Andy Stanley

    Andy Stanley hits another home run in his two part podcast series entitled “When Less Is More”. These two audio clips are each about 20 minutes long and well worth listening to. Here’s the deal. You are spending way too much of your time doing things that you were never designed to do. I guarantee that you will be challenged and motivated anew to PERSONALLY “do what only you can do because the less you do the more you accomplish.”

    Quote 1: “Leaders forget to distinguish between their authority and their core competencies. Every leader has authority over things they’re no good at. When you forget to distinguish between your authority and your core competencies, you will leverage your authority, because you’re the authority, in areas where you are no good and you will miss-leverage your authority.”

    Click this link to listen to “When Less is More – Part 1”
    (If you have difficulty listening, right click the link and ‘Save As’ to your desktop.)

    Quote 2: “Stress is often related to what you are doing, not how much you are doing. When you’re in your sweet spot, you can’t get enough. When you’re outside your sweet spot you want to get out of the ministry. The reason you are so worn out is, not so much because of how much you have to do, but because you’re spending so much time in areas you have no business in . . . it sucks the life out of you.”

    Click this link to listen to “When Less is More – Part 2”.
    (If you have difficulty listening, right click the link and ‘Save As’ to your desktop.)

  • Guest Friendly or Seeker Sensitive

     
     

    It seems I’ve caused at least a minor stir among some of my readers regarding this past month’s “Guest Friendly” series. Evidently, some of you are getting the impression that I am actively promoting a particular model of church ministry labelled years ago by Bill Hybels as the ‘Seeker Sensitive Model’. I can understand how my most recent posts can come across that way.

    I’d like to bring clarity to that question here. To be blunt, clear, and concise: I am not suggesting your church adopt a “seeker sensitive” approach to ministry. Let me explain.

    SEEKER SENSITIVE: the seeker sensitive model which, until recently, was a key value at Willowcreek Community Church states that most aspects of the Sunday morning experience should be specifically catered to the unchurched or ‘seeker’. This means that the worship, announcements, special music and the preaching from the Word is primarily centered around the unbeliever.

    GUEST FRIENDLY: In my ‘guest friendly’ series I have been talking a lot about how to host your guests. I introduced new language like “Insiders Looking Out”, “Outsiders Looking In”, etc. in my post about adopting a ‘Guest Friendly Perspective’. I’ve encouraged you to view the Sunday morning experience, your parking lot, even your website through the eyes of the guest. If you’d like to read through the entire series, you may click on this link.

    Here’s the deal. I think it’s important that your church is guest-friendly. That means you are regularly thinking about your guests each week in some way. It means you don’t alienate them with your words or your attitude. It means you don’t drive them away simply because you WEREN’T thinking about them. Is that being ‘seeker-sensitive’? Technically, yes, but it is not a ‘Seeker-Sensitive Model’ of church ministry. It is simply common sense.

    Let me say that again . . . being ‘Guest Friendly’ is simply common sense. If you want to experience growth and desire the unchurched to not only darken your door, but come back again, it is critical that you figure out how to care for your guests. The only reason that I can see for a church to specifically choose to NOT be guest friendly would be because they just don’t want new people at church.

    Here’s the difference. In a Guest Friendly Church, your ministry will include and take into consideration the guests in your midst; but it won’t just focus on topics that are solely for the unbeliever. In a Guest Friendly Church, you will welcome guests, make them feel at home, and hopefully follow up with them; but you will also welcome your regular attendees, make them feel at home, and include them in every aspect of your Sunday experience. In a Guest Friendly Church, you may give some sort of evangelical call at the end of your message for those in the room who are ready to receive Christ’s amazing forgiveness; but it may come after a message that was on a totally different subject.

    A Seeker Sensitive Church will eventually alienate your committed members and mature believers. It communicates that the newbies and the unchurched are more important than they are. None of us want that.    What we DO want is for our committed members and mature believers to receive powerful, spirit-filled ministry every single week, equipping them to become a light for Christ in their communities and workplaces. What we PRAY FOR is that, as the light of Christ is spread into our communities, the needy, broken, and curious will show up to church one Sunday to see what this ‘God thing’ is all about.

    When that happens . . . will you be Guest Friendly?

  • Ready for the Rain (Ugandan Water Project)

    Have you sensed in your heart that there is much more to the ministry God has for your life than you are actually seeing today? Is there perhaps, an internal tension that is hard to describe or put your finger on which you walk out each day. The tension comes from believing there is more of God’s purposes that could/should be operating in your life than you experience week in and week out at the church you help lead. Do you know what I mean?

    If so, then I would like to suggest that the tension you are experiencing may very well be Holy Spirit inspired. There is very possibly more to the calling on your life than you see represented in your ministry each day. Let me share with you a very profound key to unlocking that potential in ministry. Here it is:

    Build Towards Your Faith-Inspired Future Right Now.

    Functioning Water Tank at local school in Kkalwe 

    I suppose there are better ways of saying that – but there it is. Let me explain with a powerful, yet simple, illustration. In May of 2007 the Ugandan Water Project was birthed through a man in our church named James Harrington. The Ugandan Water Project is a humanitarian effort that places rainwater collection tanks on community buildings throughout the East African nation of Uganda. The concept and design is very simple. These large tanks are placed near buildings with metal roofs. When it rains in Uganda the rain runs off the roofs, into a gutter system that drains the collected water into the tank. This simple method is saving entire villages that were wracked with sickness and suffering due to unsanitary conditions. (To learn more, check out their website at www.ugandanwaterproject.com.) As you might expect, it takes a period of weeks to several months to raise the appropriate funds, order and ship the materials, and install the system. Even then, after the tank is ready to go, the village will likely have to wait longer until the rains have filled the tank to the appropriate capacity to serve that village.

    Here’s my point. James Harrington and his team don’t wait until it rains to start building towards their desired future in Uganda. Of course, that wouldn’t make any sense. No, they spend every day building towards their faith-inspired desired future. In fact, they NEVER see the end result until they’ve completed building the water tanks. It rains every year in the country of Uganda. The resource each village needs has always been readily available – they just need a way to capture that blessing.

    I hope you’ve made the connection by now. To be clear, let me close the loop on how this applies to you. A growing church will not wait until they see fruit before they build towards their faith-inspired future. A growing church MUST have a steadfast commitment to build now for something that is not happening yet. This attitude should permeate every level of your ministry.

    What do you believe God wants to do at your church one day? What vision has he placed in your heart that you dream will someday happen? You know it’s been raining. You know the blessing of God is available to you. You believe you and your church has something (Someone) that can transform the lives of those in your community.

    Your first step is the toughest. It happens in your heart and in your head. It’s the step of choosing to plan and build towards the vision God has given you right now, rather than simply staying where you are. It means you’ll start acting like you’ve already arrived before you really have. It means you’re building towards a goal that many around you won’t understand. Reminds me of that guy in Genesis who also had a God-ordained vision to prepare for rain. It’s a good thing he didn’t wait until the last minute!

  • Guest Friendly Philosophy

    Does it seem wrong and self-centered to you when people talk about attendance numbers at church? Do you feel like a hypocrite if you think to yourself that you’d like to see your church grow numerically? Is your perspective one that says, “As long as our people are maturing and growing in God, that is enough.”?

    If your answer to any of those question is “yes”, then it’s quite possible that creating a ‘Guest Friendly’ environment at your church also seems like a waste of your time and energy. I would like to tackle a more philosophical aspect of church growth by, again, asking the question, “Why?” As leaders we need to have a firm and clear understanding why we do everything we do at our churches. This includes the topic I’m addressing this month – “Guest Friendly Churches”. Why does your church need to foster a ‘Guest Friendly‘ environment? Why is it important to have a guest friendly website? Why should you spend the extra money and time to invest in good advertising and guest follow up?

    Why? Good question. Here’s the simple answer:

    Because you have something (actually Someone) to give to others that can change their lives. 

    That’s it. Question answered. You didn’t think it would be that simple, did you. It is.

    The reason why we should desire to see new faces in our church, numbers increasing in the pews, and more and more guests attending and staying every week is because we believe in the mission of our church. We believe God is doing something special; that He is transforming lives. The thought of people driving by our church every Sunday who are missing out on the freedom, purpose, and life that we experience in Christ should be plenty motivation for us to find ways to draw them in. We shouldn’t want to keep for ourselves the knowledge that people are discovering God, getting set free from addictions, being reconciled in their relationships with their children or spouses, and perhaps experiencing the power of God in some unique way every week.

    That’s exciting and it’s motivating. It’s also the primary motivation for ‘why’ people in your church will invite their family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors to church. However, this assumes a couple of things about the Sunday morning experience at your church:

    • People are experiencing transformation at your church. Obviously, if you don’t have something (or Someone) valuable to offer your community then it’s not only anticlimactic for them to come, it’s demotivating for them to want to seek God. The fact is that most of your first time guests are seeking God in some meaningful way – whether they are already believers or not. If they took the time to visit your church then the unspoken hope is that they will find Him there.
    • The Sunday morning experience is ‘Guest Friendly’.A while back I was placed in charge of watching two of our young children while my wife was away all day running errands. Sadly, I didn’t do a very good job of cleaning up after them. After about three hours the house was totally trashed. Later that afternoon I was talking to a good friend on the phone and the thought occurred to me, “Should I invite him to pop over to continue our discussion?” One look around the house was all I needed to answer that question. I had no desire to invite a guest into my home when it was such a big mess. The same will be true for your congregation. Many won’t invite others to church simply because they don’t believe the church experience is really ready for guests. It’s not ‘Guest Friendly‘.

  • Finding Your Sacred Cow

    This week I suggested that your church may have a ‘sacred cow‘ or two that you’ve been holding onto. I haven’t been entirely fair in my blunt and vague references to the ‘cow’. Today, I will attempt to be more clear and practical.

     

    Definitions:

    • Wikipedia defines a ‘sacred cow’ as something considered (perhaps unreasonably) immune from question or criticism. 
    • Dictionary.com proclaims it as an individual, organization, institution, etc., considered to be exempt from criticism or questioning. 
    • Miriam Webster’s Learners Dictionary says it best from my perspective though: someone or something that has been accepted or respected for a long time and that people are afraid or unwilling to criticize or question.
    A Real Example:
    Several years ago I was leading a Strategic Meeting at Elim Gospel Church. We were discussing the number of programs, events, and activities that were potentially sideways energy and not centered around our primary mission as a church. The reality was that some of these activities were stealing our best people and resources – and they weren’t strategically helping our church and it’s people grow. We had just read Andy Stanley’s book, Seven Practices for Effective Ministry (required reading at our church) and decided we needed to “Narrow the Focus”.
     
    So far, so good. We all acknowledged that we needed to streamline our church programs to maximize effectiveness and make room for focused growth. Our next step was when the sacred cows stepped into the room (Note: cows don’t mix with elephants very well!). We wrote down on a white board all of the church related activities that could be counted as something that should be evaluated. Once we built our list we systematically began discussing each activity to decide what to do with them. At the end of the meeting we had decided to cut exactly ZERO things.
     
    Here’s what the conversation sort of sounded like, 

    Wayne: “So how about VBS? Is that something we should consider ending?”

    Team Member: “No. We can’t lose that. We have hundreds of children attend that each year and it’s attracting a lot of families from the community.”

    Wayne: “OK. Well, let’s consider the ‘Women’s Community Bible Study’.”

    Team Member: “No, no. I feel we would really be making a big mistake there. A lot of women from the other churches attend that event. It’s a great way to serve those other churches and it’s very well attended.”

    Wayne: “Umm. Our Easter Production?”

    Team Member: “Wow. You really think we should consider doing a normal service? Besides Christmas Eve services that Sunday service is our highest attending service of the year!”

    Suffice it to say, that was not one of our funnest meetings. I left that meeting feeling deflated and as if we had wasted several hours of everybody’s time. What we realized was that although we wanted to do the right thing and cut back, none of us were committed to really questioning these and other events. They had become sacred cows for us. (Note: I specifically used those three examples from our discussion for a reason. We have since successfully ‘killed the cow’ in each of those cases. If you’re interested in how we did it, shoot me an email or post a comment.)
     
    Three Disclaimers:
    1. Before you look at the final section below, please be reminded that IF one of these have become a ‘sacred cow’ it’s possible you either don’t know it or aren’t willing to admit it. I talk about that in my post entitled, “The Smelly Cow“.
    2. I am NOT trying to say that the below examples shouldn’t be happening in your church. It’s quite probable that many of them should. However, what may be very appropriate, strategic, and anointed by God in one church may in fact become the opposite in another.
    3. If you look closely at the above definitions you will note that a sacred cow is NOT NECESSARILY something that you shouldn’t be doing. It can also include something that you should be doing, but that you ARE NOT willing to question. So here it is, “Are you willing to question any or all of the below examples in your church ministry?”
    Sacred Cow Examples:
    Following are a few examples of activities, events, etc. that COULD end up becoming ‘sacred cows’ for your church. I’d love to listen to your internal dialog as you read them. Hopefully, they won’t sound that meeting we had many years ago!
    • A Program or Ministry.
      It is possible your church supports a ministry that happens every week or month that isn’t really an integral part of your church’s mission. This may include a men’s or women’s program, a children’s program, a class, perhaps even your mid-week service {gasp}! 
    • An Event.
      Of course, there may be many events that you host occasionally or even annually that really need to be questioned and evaluated. Understand, you shouldn’t really be checking to see if the event is successful based on how many people attend or even how effective the event is. Rather, you want to know, “Is it strategic and fulfilling our mission as a church?” An event may include a special service like an Easter or Christmas service, a youth overnight retreat, a seminar or conference that you host, maybe even your Vacation Bible School.
    • A Service Element.
      A service element may include ANYTHING you do immediately before, during, or after a Sunday service. Often, churches get so used to doing the same things every week that they become sacred and untouchable. This is how church services can become ineffective and irrelevant in reaching their communities. Your members who have been around for years don’t even question what happens each week, but your guests sure do! Examples of service elements include your style of worship, how you receive the offering, the volume of the service, the temperature in the room, how you give the announcements, how you host communion, whether Aunt Edith should play the piano and possibly even how you preach every single week! Ouch.
    • Your Language.
      Sometimes the words you use every week are inappropriate and unhelpful to your listeners – and in particular to your guests. This will include the obvious words like “sanctification”, “justification” and what-not. However, it may also include words like “visitor”, “heathens”, and “secular”. (Example: We no longer refer to new people each Sunday as ‘visitors’ – it sounds like they won’t be staying long. We now call them our guests.) Finally, your language will also include the many assumptions you may make from the pulpit about your listeners, like ‘everyone here already knows all the stories/people in the Bible’ and ‘everyone here understands our church’s history and culture’.
    • Your Things.
      What would happen if you walked down the hall and removed that picture of the founding pastor from 50 years ago? What things does your church possess and most often display that have become sacred cows? How about the seats in the sanctuary? The offering baskets? The stained glass windows? I’m not suggesting you clean house this Saturday – if you do so, you may end up with a church split. I AM suggesting that you may have some sacred cow ‘things’ kicking around that should be identified. What to do with them is another topic entirely.
    • Your Building.
      Every pastor and leader understands intellectually that the ‘church’ is the people, not the building. However, we can often be guilty of giving our building more ‘sacred value’ than our people. Nowhere in your mission statement is there a reference to your building (I hope). How have you preferred your building over your people? Additionally, parts of the building can become sacred cows – like the color of the carpet or walls or the wall that divides two rooms which could really serve your church better as one big room.
    • Your People.
      Don’t get me wrong, I’m not calling your people cows. However, sometimes we can have people in positions of influence or ministry in the church and nobody is willing to question whether they are really serving the church well in that role. Just because someone has been on the worship team, an elder, or a greeter for the last 20 years does not mean they should be today and tomorrow.
    • Your Systems.
      You may not realize it, but you have systems. They are the procedures that you either officially or unofficially utilize to get things done. Here’s the deal with systems: rarely do the same systems serve the church forever. In fact, just like the parts of your car, systems can get old and wear-out. A growing church will always be evaluating how decisions are made, how the bulletins are produced, how guests are followed up on, etc. to ensure those systems are still serving the ministry of the church as best as possible. If you ever hear someone respond to the question, ‘Why do you do it this way?’ with ‘Because that’s how we’ve always done it.’ then I submit that you may have a system that has run it’s course.
    Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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  • Thursday Quote: Shutting Down Low Performing Ministries

    Will Mancini

    My Thursday quote this week is from Will Mancini’s blog entitled, “3 Strategic Alternatives to Shutting Down a Low Performing Ministry“. If you’ve been following the thread of this week’s series about ‘The Sacred Cow‘ then you’ll also discover this article particularly helpful.

    Here’s a teaser from Will’s post:

    “Is it time to close a program in your church? Many leaders will tell you, “When the horse is dead, dismount.” But this classic advice rolls of the tongue much easier than it plays in real life.

    As a leader in ministry you have no doubt faced ministries that just ought to go. Like sour milk, they live past their shelf-life. But for various reasons, you just can’t do it. Maybe there is still a group of precious saints being served by the program. Or maybe the decision-making culture of the church just requires more time to process.”

    Want to read more? Check it out RIGHT HERE.

     

  • The Smelly Cow

    Every once in a while I have the privilege to lead all day meetings at Elim Gospel Church where I serve as Executive Pastor. After a couple hours of intense discussions we’ll take a break. Everyone will stand up, leave the room, go to the bathroom, get a new cup of coffee, etc. Ten minutes later, I’ll walk back in the room and be inundated with an odor I hadn’t noticed before. Ugh. We’ll all notice it. The windows get opened and we valiantly attempt to air it out. All those bodies stuffed into that room add up to some serious BO. Here’s the deal. Most of us didn’t notice it until we left and came back.

     
    Two days ago I told you my sad story about a cow I cared about and then had to kill. I also suggested that some of our churches have cows as well. They are most often referred to and known as sacred cows.
     
    Their not. They are only treated like sacred cows. They are really smelly cows. You know what it’s like to get used to a smell. You’ve been in numerous situations where the odor is mildly unbearable for most people – but surprisingly not to you.
     
    By now you’re wondering what in the world my point is. Simply this. The ‘cows’ in your church aren’t very obvious to you and your members. They may be staring you in the face. You just might be gently patting one on the back while reading this article.

    However, sacred cows are usually quite obvious to your guests. Ouch. Is it possible that’s one of the reason some of them don’t come back?

     
    Do you have any sacred cows at your church? Not sure? I have a suggestion for you. Try sniffing them out. Here are a few ideas on how to get started…
    • Draft a few questions that are designed specifically to sniff out sacred (smelly) cows. Here are a couple to consider: 
      Was there anything that made you feel uncomfortable when you first arrived at our church? Was there anything about the Sunday service that was confusing to you or that didn’t seem to have a real point that you could tell? Is there anything anyone did or said that made you feel like an outsider? Is there anything about the facility that seems out of place? What can you think of about this church that has always been confusing to you? If you have attended other churches before, what would you say is really different compared to your other church experiences – good or bad?
    • Ask key people who might have some measure of authority to answer these questions. This could include:
      Any new members of your church within the past year. First time guests within the past 2 months (give them a call). First time guests each Sunday (make a feedback card or form). Guest speakers who have spoken in the past year. Trusted family members of attendees who visited from out of town.
    • Select four people who you trust know how to think critically to spend two weeks asking the question, “why?” to anything and everything. 
      I recommend you give them a notebook and have them journal all of their ‘why’ questions in the notebook. I also suggest they not share their ‘why’ questions with you or anyone else until the two weeks are over. Anytime they have a ‘why’ question that they can’t reasonably answer themselves, have them highlight them for further consideration after the two weeks are over.
    • Hire a mystery guest to come to your church. 
      Check out my post about mystery guests right here. 
    If you find some cows, I’d love it if you’d let me know.