Your Journey Blog

Developing a Sowing Mentality-Part 2

Last month was Part 1 of "Sowing Mentality."  Below is a recap of that introduction, followed by Part 2.

Why is it that some missional leaders see growth in their church every year?  Why is it that some can crash through growth barrier after growth barrier?  There are multiple issues around this subject but one thing rings true in every leader I know who hasn’t settled on a plateau.  Each of these leaders possesses what I like to call a “sowing mentality.”  They are constantly and liberally sowing seeds to uncover receptive hearts to the gospel.  It may often come about through increasing their ability to get into more spiritual conversations, loving their community with incarnational service, engaging people through random acts of kindness or saturating their community with captivating marketing images.  These leaders do whatever it takes to discover those who possess that “good soil” Jesus spoke about which will produce a yield a hundred fold.

King Solomon offers some wisdom on the subject of sowing and reaping in the book of Ecclesiastes, "Sow your seed in the morning and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well." (Ecclesiastes 11:6)  This verse speaks volumes to those who are serious about making connections with those who are disconnected from your people and know nothing about your church.

SOWING MENTALITY

Part 2

3. Those with a “sowing mentality” embrace the mysterious work of God, “…for you do not know which will succeed…”

There is a sense of mystery to the work of God. In the parable of the sower, you get the idea from Jesus that the sower was really concerned with scattering the seed and not so much as to where the seed landed. He trusted God for the fruit.  His job was to get the seed out and to get it out liberally no matter what it cost.  I remember our first Easter Service in our church plant. We had $1050.00 in the bank and spent $1000.00 of it on an Easter Mailer of 5000 post cards.  The result of this mailer was we had our highest attendance, cultivated very receptive contacts who became converts along with attracting some significant families who became ministry partners.  I remember thinking that that $1000.00 would not have made any difference if I just kept it in the bank.

Sowing seeds in faith and prayerfully trusting God to work miraculously through your efforts is essential.  Scattering seed without watering with faith, fertilizing with prayer and cultivating it with hard work will be like casting seed to the wind…fruitless.

4. Those with a “sowing mentality” are not particular about methods, “…whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well…”

In my experience too many church leaders get stuck or inebriated with a particular style of evangelism. Yet leaders with a sowing mentality understand it is never an “either/or” proposition but more of a “both/and” conviction. Equipping your people through a highly relational and incarnational style of evangelism is the first place to start but it does not rule out doing a systematic visitation or follow up process that is built on the connections with your public worship service. Equipping your people to be includers and inviters does not nullify the use of social networking, various types of marketing and branding your vision and image throughout your city. The old revivalist Leonard Ravenhill said, "Any method of evangelism will work if God is in it." 

Developing a sowing mentality is a life or death proposition for any church.  For a new church, if you are not sowing evangelistic seeds in your community, you will die a quick death filled with indefensible excuses.  For an older church, it will be a slow and painful death, built on harmful rationalizations. Both are equally tragic and embarrassing to the Lord of the Harvest.  Are you reaping what you have sown? 

Top Ten Posts of Your Journey Blog for 2007

As I reflect back over the last year I am amazed and grateful at the impact of the Your Journey Blog.  Since I made the commitment to spend a year writing on evangelism we have gone from 70 hits a week to over 1100 hits a week!

Here are Your Journey's top ten most read blogs of 2007:

1.  October 1, 2007 - Five "Quick Hits" on Denominationalism

2.  September 4, 2007 - Midwest is Launching Five New Churches This Fall

3.  November 29, 2007 - Ten Lessons a Bartender Can Teach a Pastor

4.  August 27, 2007 - Spiritual Conversations - My Paradigm Shift

5.  September 10, 2007 - Spiritual Conversations - My Paradigm Shift - Part 2

6.  October 31, 2007 - Five "Quick Hits" on Public Speaking

7.  December 5, 2007 - Church-Centric vs Mission-Centric Equipping

8. November 11, 2007 - Six Causes for Evangelistic Entropy - Part 3

9.  November 27, 2007 - Six Causes for Evangelistic Entropy - Part 5

10. August 8, 2007 - Engaging in More Spiritual Conservations - Part 2

My prayer for 2008 is a simple prayer the Apostle Paul prayed for his friend Philemon, "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." (Philemon 1:6)  The more we embody the gospel in word and deed, the more we experience the gospel in depth and power.

Ten Lessons a Bartender Can Teach a Pastor

Recently I found the following article, The Top Ten Tips Bartenders Use To Get Loyal Customers At The Bar, by Jeff Beale. I was struck by the similarities and insights we can take away from this article for our local churches.  I have used his points as a grid to evaluate our ministries and services.  How are we, as pastors, fostering loyal members and missional partners?

1. ATTITUDE - Make people feel welcome. A warm, genuine smile and friendly attitude give people the impression that you're glad they came. 

Gary's Questions:

• How glad are people when they participant in your services?
• Do they feel welcomed, affirmed and appreciated?

2. ACKNOWLEDGMENT - Greet your guests as soon as possible, introduce yourself and learn the guest's name through conversation. People appreciate being noticed and referred to by their name. It's a valuable connection. 

Gary's Questions:

• What type of connections are being made before, during and after your services?
• What type of connections are you making with people before the service?

3. ACCOMMODATE - Within reason, all requests should be filled regardless of the hassle. People appreciate being catered to, it's at the heart of great hospitality.

Gary's Questions:

• How would you rate the hospitality of your church?
• How is a servant's spirit being reflected in your services?

4. LOOK YOUR BEST - Appearance affects the impression you make and speaks volumes about your degree of professionalism. Looking your best will be rewarded by guests.

Gary's Questions:

• What first impression does your appearance make on your target group?
• Does the appearance of your team add or subtract to the value of your message?

5. PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE - You should be able to accurately answer any guest's question regarding the menu or a specific product. Looking for someone else to provide information diminishes your standing with guests.

Gary's Questions:

• Do you know the questions your guests are asking?
• How are you training your staff, volunteers and regular attenders in answering those questions?
• What type of written materials do you provide for those FAQ's?

6. SUGGESTIVE SALES - Your suggestions .and recommendations enhance the guest's overall experience. It also boosts your ticket average, from which your gratuity is calculated.

Gary's Questions:

• What next steps do you provide for your guests or regular attenders for their spiritual formation?
• How do you discover where your people are on their spiritual journey?

7. COMMUNICATE - Vague and imprecise information can lead to miscommunication and guest's expectations going unfulfilled. Effective listening and communication skills when handling guest's questions and complaints is extremely effective when it comes to keeping the guests experience positive.

Gary's Questions:

• What type of opportunities do you provide for feedback?
• How do you engage your people in a dialog?

6. ANTICIPATE - Service excellence requires anticipating a guest's need before it arises. Offering a second, drink or cocktail, refilling water glasses or breads baskets, even supplying condiments without being asked are all good examples. It's a much appreciated consideration.

Gary's Questions:

• What ways you can anticipate the needs of your guests and regular attenders?
• Can you make a list of needs associated within and throughout your community?

9. STRESS-FREE SERVICE - It may be busy and you're in the weeds, but it's not the guest's responsibility to perceive your plight. People seem to be most demanding when you can least afford it,but transferring that stress onto your guests dampens their evening. Challenge yourself and raise the bar.

Gary's Questions:

• How would you rate your self in handling pressure or stress?
• How would you rate your staff, ministry leaders and volunteers in handling pressure or stress?

10. TEAMWORK - Cooperation and teamwork will inevitably bail you out in a time of need. Providing support to fellow employees improves the working environment and leads to a consistently higher standard of service.

Gary's Questions:

• How would you rate the team spirit in your staff or among your ministry teams?
• When is the last time you celebrated cooperation and teamwork among your people?
• How did you celebrate the moment?

Tyranny of the Urgent - Evangelism Entropy Part 4

The fifth cause for evangelistic entropy is what is known as the “tyranny of the urgent.”  I discovered this concept in Stephen Covey’s classic book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. In it he refers to two factors that determine activity: urgency and importance.

Urgent items are describe as “…those that are requiring immediate attention. It’s ‘Now!’ Urgent things act on us...urgent matters are usually visible.  They press on us. They insist on action.  They’re often popular with others.  They are usually right in front of us.  And often they are pleasant, easy, and fun to do. But so often unimportant!” 

Important items are describe as “…being focused on results.  If something is important, it contributes to your mission, your values, and your high priority goals. Important matters that are not urgent require more initiative, more pro-actively.” 

Let's consider the four quadrants of the Covey’s urgent/important matrix as it relates to all the activities that rob us and our churches of its evangelistic energy.  Take a few minutes to categorize your daily and weekly activities in the following quadrants. Download Four Quadrants Worksheet.pdf

Here are some "what, who and when" questions to consider as you work through the urgent - important matrix:

What

1)       What are the important activities that you cannot delegate?

2)       What are the important activities that you can delegate?

3)       What are the not important activities that you cannot delegate?

4)       What are the not important activities that you can delegate?

Who

1)   Who assists you in navigating the not important activities of your day?

2)   Who can help you in completing the important/urgent activities of your day?

3)   Who assists you in scheduling time for the important/non-urgent activities of your day?

4)   Who can you trust with the important/urgent activities in your ministry?

When

1)       When in your weekly schedule is there time for important/urgent activities?

2)       When in your weekly schedule is there time for important/non-urgent activities?

3)       When in your annual calendar is there time for reflecting and planning important/urgent activities?

4)       When in your annual calendar is there time for reflecting and planning important/non-urgent activities?

Leadership is simply a well applied energy burst.  If a leader is going to let his energy get depleted through not important and urgent activities that distracts every ministry, then there will not be any energy left to counteract the evangelistic entropy that attacks every church and robs them of their evangelistic effectiveness.

Six Causes for Evangelistic Entropy

Entropy is the natural and irreversible tendency toward disorder in any system without an external source of energy (The Wordsmyth English Dictionary).  When we apply this principle to evangelism we need to embrace the fact that left to itself the energy for evangelism in the local church will naturally (and in some cases irreversibly) move towards disorder.  This is why every church needs an energy source to counter this natural drift from mission to maintenance.  What is that energy source? Leadership! Its through leaders who model evangelistic passion, though their prayers, priorities and plans.  Someone once said, "Leadership is focused energy bursts."  The older the church, the more energy is needed to overcome all the competing issues that cause evangelistic entropy.  Over the next few months we are going to take a close look at how to practically lead your church in overcome the entropy that can slowly kill a church's missional effectiveness.

Here are the first two of six causes for evangelistic entropy:

1. Burnout of the leader.

Evangelism is a spiritually intense activity. Pioneer church planters, those without a “running start” with a core group, are fully engaged in evangelistic activities out of the sheer need for survival.  The ability to network in the community and to engage it evangelically rests solely on their shoulders, and the burden of that responsibility is intense.  The constant load of rejection they encounter can lead to burnout. One of my church planters said, “If you really want to gain a little understanding on the condition of the church in America just drop yourself into a community not knowing a soul.  Every time I shared my vision with churched people they looked at me as though I was an alien from another planet.”  The face of that constant rejection can be very demoralizing.

Another factor that can lead to burnout is the lonely nature of the job, especially for those who come out of thriving ministries.  The shock of going to a community where nobody really cares that you are there can be debilitating.  I usually try to prepare pioneer church planters with a little pep talk like, “When you move into town you will need to push yourself to meet people because the only people who care that you are there will be me and Jesus!”   Now that is a overstatement. I am sure that there are many people who care that they are there.  The only problem is that none of them live in that town.  Leadership is a lonely job!  Many pastors feel like they are carrying the burden for their communities alone. Listening to people's myriad of complaints can lead to frustration and wondering if anyone cares about their neighbors.

The final factor that can lead to burnout is the intense care of new believers.  Converts come in all sizes and shapes, with all sorts of baggage.   They have messed-up marriages, damaged emotional lives, self-centered values, screwed-up finances and whacked-out priorities.  They have no knowledge of God, the Bible and the church.   Seeing them through these issues with proper follow-up and discipleship can be a very draining and frustrating experience.  I particularly remember one such time when I cried out to God.  It was eighteen months after we had started a new church.  I was working a couple of jobs.  We had grown from two families to about 40 families, of which about 80-90% were people who weren’t believers yet, had just trusted Christ, or had just started coming back to Christ.  I remember yelling at God saying, “If you don’t bring me any help in the next six months, I am going to quit!”  Did it mean that I didn’t love lost people? No!  It just revealed that I was burned out.  John Maxwell has said, “There’s no such thing as burnout.  It’s just people who are taking themselves too seriously.”  In principle I believe that.  But when you’re on the front lines and ministry is such a struggle, you seriously do need some tangible help.  The end of that story is that within two weeks, God provided two spiritually mature couples who partnered with us in establishing the church.

2. Imbalance of the Ministry Priorities.

Imbalance is another reason why leaders can abdicate their evangelistic responsibilities.  Although many church's mission statements say something about reaching unchurched people, the truth is that investing in churched people takes time.  A leader's time can get swallowed up just ministering to the already convinced.  Shepherding, counseling, discipling, training all take time not including leading and preparing for worship services. If leaders are not disciplined in networking and spending time with unchurched people they can end up growing a church for the churched instead of a leading the church to missionally engage its community.  We recommend that our pastors and church planters minimally tithe of their work week in networking and developing pre-Christian contacts. (See 3 X 5 Rule)  To adequately address evangelism entropy leaders are going to have to replace a negative imbalance with a positive imbalance in favor of evangelistic engagement and equipping the church missionally.  (Excerpt: Church Planting Landmines)

Next week I will conclude with the final four causes for evangelistic entropy.

The 3 x 5 rule Worked Out!

Jer Dunlap, of Storyline Church in downtown Nashville, is working the 3 x 5 rule!  Jer is a pioneer planter pushing himself every day to get those contacts and make meaningful connections.  In his latest post there are great insights and ideas for planters and pastors to connect with their communities.

"I am not naturally a person that will just walk up to anyone on the street and say, 'Hey you, I'm launching a church - be there' ... and have them respond positively. Though I meet people well and have met many people, via Fidos, I want to meet and network at a faster pace. Through the Meetup Website, I was able to find a meetup group for entrepreneurs. (Also, google your area, you may find a local page that functions in the same manner: www.linktonashville.com)

This past Tuesday evening I attended my first Entrepreneur Meetup here in Nashville. During a networking exercise we had the chance to hear and share vision. After I was finished sharing, I was flooded with "see me" and business cards! In total I walked out with twelve contacts!"  Read the entire post

Here are a couple of thoughts on Jer's experience:

1. You don't have to be a flaming extrovert to be good at networking.
2. Every leader needs to push themselves internally to get out of their comfort zone and into deeper connections.
3. There are great network opportunities right around the corner in your neighborhood.
4. Be ready to tell your story in a compelling manner within two minutes or less.
5. Use technology to open doors and make meaningful connections.

Ray Bakke writes, “Pastors who network their communities, especially in the first year of a pastorate, may end up knowing that community better than any other person.  This upfront investment of time should pay rich dividends and provide the opportunity to help people…” (The Expanded Mission of City Center Churches, p 53-4) 

Share some ways you are making meaningful connections in your community.

Taking the Mission to the Coffee House

Here is a great post from Jer Dunlap a pioneer Church Planter in Nashville, TN. He offers seven insights for taking the mission to his local coffee house:

1. Always tip. No matter what you purchase. The best money I spend is the .50 added to the $1.42...for the employee to get my coffee mug. (If you get a speciality coffee, minimum tip is a buck!) Why? Many people behind the coffee bar at your local artsy coffee house are struggling artisans who appreciate the extra cash.

2. Be you. Fakes are sniffed out the moment they walk through the door. Do not attempt to be an artist, musician, or comment on things you do not know. The most annoying person in a coffee house - someone who has an opinion on everything (and does not know much of anything).

3. Do not use the coffee house to "build your church". It annoys people...and can ruin a good cup of coffee. Make friends to care about, minister to, and then invite them into your journey. It will take time. Do not start off any conversation with, "you should come to my event" verbiage.

4. Listen more than you talk. At first, questions should outnumber answers and opinions three to one. Earn the right to "say what you think."

5. Engage the people behind the bar. Do not simply pay for your coffee and move on. Talk to them. Many of them - want to talk to you.

6. Judge not. Artistic coffee houses attract many types of people, backgrounds, sexual orientations, and social demographic levels. Treat no one with more time...than anyone else based upon the "type" of person... or worse - what they could offer you.

7. Learn to appreciate all kinds of music. I am naturally a fan of all types of music. If you're not - learn. In an artistic coffee house you will hear every and any style. (Particularly in Nashville) It is not smart, unless you are known there, to criticize what is playing over the public speakers. There is a good chance that someone behind that coffee bar chose the music playing for a reason. (Even worse: the music may be the creation of someone behind that coffee bar. Offending the art of an artist...is never good.)

Read the entire post

Sharpening Your Evangelistic Skills

Leaders are passionate learners. Leaders are always seeking ways to improve themselves by sharpening their skills.  They fully embrace the fact that growing leaders lead growing organizations.  If you are going to sharpen the edge of your personal evangelism skills, it is going to take courage, imagination and discipline.  There is always a price to be paid for growth. The cost will involve significant amounts of time, energy and resources, along with a significant level of vulnerability, which says, "I am not as effective as I could be and I need help to get better."  Here are 5 ways to sharpen your evangelistic skills:

1. Read a good book on evangelism

Every year as part of my own leadership development I read a book on evangelism.  This year I am reading Bill Hybels' book, Just Walk Across The Room: Simple Steps Pointing People To Faith.  This is a must read for every pastor serious about sharpening their evangelistic skills.  Here is a list of the books I've read over the last couple years:

• More Ready Than You Realize by Brian D. McLaren
• Evangelism Outside the Box by Rick Richardson
• Building a Contagious Church by Mark Mittelberg
• Evangelism That Works by George Barna
• How To Reach Secular People by George Hunter III
• To Spread The Power by George Hunter III
• Knocking On Doors, Opening Hearts by Ralph Neighbour

What books have you read lately on the subject?

2. Find out where effective evangelism is happening and learn from them

This spring I purchased Nelson Seary' s Evangelism Seminar Resource.  It is filled with many ideas and practical tips for developing a comprehensive evangelism system in your local church.  In the past I've ordered materials from Steve Sjogren's Servant Evangelism site, along with subscribing to his online newsletter called 'Serve.'

What seminars, websites, blogs or conferences would you recommend?

3. Hang out with leaders who are doing it better than you

Some evangelistic leaders I learned from in my early days of ministry were Paul & Steve Johnson along with Tom Nebel, who is the "Master of the Evangelistic Invitation."  Most recently I have learned from planters that I have coached. Darryn Scheske and Joe Basile inspire me in how they are always looking for opportunities to engage in spiritual conversation.

Who are leaders in your life that are doing it better than you?

4. Hire a coach

World class athletes have several coaches in their corner, watching, listening and advising them in how to improve their performance.  Pastors need all types of coaches throughout the life of their ministry.  Leadership coaches to help them navigate critical leadership issues such as processing change, adding staff, creating and developing systems. Stewardship coaches to help them raise resources in a way that does not harm the church but builds and strengthens the church around a united vision.  Communication coaches to help them take their communication skills to a new level.  Many pastors themselves admit that they have struggled for years in personal evangelism. An evangelism coach will develop strategies to help pastors become more competent in sharing their faith. 1) By helping them discover their evangelistic style, 2) By assisting them in seeing the opportunities all around them, 3) By teaching them to be competent in using a reproducible tool, 4) By teaching them how to develop a clear, concise and compelling faith story, 5) By teaching them how to develop and maintain spiritual dialogs, 6) By teaching them how to develop the appropriate next steps with those they are pointing to Jesus,  7) By holding them accountable to their personal evangelistic goals, and 8) By helping them to debrief and analysis their spiritual conversations on a weekly basis. Evangelism coaches can have a dramatic impact on a pastor. Kirt Wiggins, of Pathway Community Church in Elmhurst, IL.,  "It was recommended to me to find a personal evangelism coach to help me sharpen my skills in this area. In just five months my coach helped me discover ways to share my faith each week. During that time I have had more opportunities for spiritual conversations and to see people come to Christ than ever before."

Would you spend the time and the resources to get into a coaching relationship?

5. Just do it!

Solomon wrote "...he who wins souls is wise." (Proverbs 11:30)  I always read this verse and thought, "Yea, it is wise to win souls, pretty basic" but in reality it's meaning is much deeper, "You get wisdom in the process of winning souls."  It's been said, "90% of what you learn comes through actually doing whatever you are trying to learn."  The more spiritual conversations that you engage in, the more wisdom you will gain in the process and the more skillful you will become in the art of spiritual dialog.  If you are not active you will have a slower learning curve.  Do whatever you can to engage in meaningful spiritual conversations throughout the week.

How many spiritual conversations do you get into each week?

Solomon wrote, "If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success." Ecclesiastes 10:10   Let's start sharpening our evangelistic edges this week so that we can get into the middle of God's redemptive flow.

Being Available to Those Around You

As a movement leader my life has always been on the move, traveling at a high rate of velocity. Darting from one appointment or project to another trying to catch my breath between meetings and yet God moves according to his time frame, not mine. I have to admit that because of my busyness and people intensive schedule that there are times that I just get "peopled out." I don't have the mental, emotional or physical energy for another spiritually intense conversation. I end up hoping that person next to me on the plane will just keep to themselves because I am just too tired. Then after about a 30 minutes into the flight God pricks my conscience and I repent and look for ways to start up a conversation to see if God will open a door in this person's life.

As pastors and leaders we need to be spiritually sensitive to those divine opportunities where God can use us in his redemptive plan. Paul asked for prayer in this matter in his letter to the Church in Ephesus: "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." (Ephesians 6:19-20) Remember, Paul was under house arrest and chained to a Roman solider. Every word he spoke was under the listening ear of a potential convert.  I am sure there were times when Paul was weary and just plain "peopled out." This could be behind his appeal for prayer on the matter.

There are times when we need to push beyond weariness and busyness and allow God to interrupt our agendas and schedules. I was reminded of this recently. As I was running from one event to another a young man stepped into my life after preaching at one of our new churches. I had never met him before but he said he needed to speak with me. I stopped for a moment, listened to his story and saw in his eyes that this was his time…his day of redemption…his moment to embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior. An hour later this confused young man was a new man in Christ. I was a part of God’s redemptive plan because I was spiritually sensitive and willing to let my schedule be interrupted. After that experience God’s Spirit pricked my heart with this thought, "How many times have I missed those Divine opportunities because I have been unavailable or insensitive?"

How do you over come spiritual insensitivity created by your weariness and busyness?

Do You Dream of Them?

This week I came across a stirring quote from Dave Brainerd that struck a cord in my heart. "I care not where I go, or how I live, or what I endure so that I may save souls. When I sleep I dream of them; when I awake they are first in my thoughts…no amount of scholastic attainment, of able and profound exposition of brilliant and stirring eloquence can atone for the absence of a deep impassioned sympathetic love for human souls."

Brainerd's words reminded of Paul's passionate confession in Romans 9:1-5:

"I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!"

A couple of events this week fired up my passion for human souls:

1) At the church where I have been preaching since Easter we had a baptismal service. Hearing men, women and children declare their personal faith in Jesus and out of obedience following in His footsteps, with the act of baptism, just stirred my heart.

2) To celebrate Father's Day we had a family gathering with my father and my siblings. Twenty-seven years ago this month I experienced the miracle of God's saving grace when I got down I my knees, cried out to God and embraced Christ as my risen Lord and only Savior. Twenty-seven years ago most of my family was far from God, but as we sat around the table yesterday, everyone of them now has their own story of faith, their own story of how God's amazing grace has invaded their hearts. My heart was filled with joy and a renewed passion that the next generation of our family be reached, touched and transformed by God's saving grace. That's my new dream!  That's my first thought of the day!

What fires up your heart when it comes to God's evangelistic purposes?