Your Journey Blog with Gary Rohrmayer

Join Us For Accelerate 2019

 

Register Now!

Who Should Attend?

This two-day workshop is critical for any denominational, associational or network leader to understand how new churches impact the legacy of your organization. Whether you are a national, regional or local church planting leader you will gain a wealth of knowledge and practical insights from our speaking team, Steve Pike, Daniel Yang, and Gary Rohrmayer along with other Church Multiplication Coaches.

What will you learn?

Planting a new church is one thing but providing leadership for a church planting movement is a whole other ball game. Join Gary Rohrmayer, Steve Pike and Daniel Yang as they walk you and your team through the why’s and how to’s of movement leadership.

• How do you ignite a new movement of churches in an older organization?
• How do you create a spiritual atmosphere for multiplication?
• How do you develop a pipeline of new church planters?
• How do you assess church planting couples?
• How do you ignite a self-funding church planting movement?
• How do you train and coach your church planters?
• How do you resource churches to plant churches?

When?

September 10-11, 2019

Where?

The Billy Graham Center 
Wheaton College

Sponsored by Church Multiplication Partners and The Send Institute

Registration deadline is Tuesday, September 3rd.

How Directness Helps Relationships

Relationships among people quite often suffer because of a lack of directness.

The bible tells we should...

“…instruct one another …” Romans 15:14

“…teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom” Colossians 3:16

It is interesting that the meaning behind the words “instruct” and “admonish” are the same: that is “to caution, reprove or warn gently.” The values of love, responsibility and respect call us to address one another directly, kindly and fairly.

Directness involves speaking to a person, not about a person. Gossip is speaking about a person and not to a person. If gossip persists in the life of the church it will embed the dysfunctional habit of triangulation, which is extremely painful to break.

Here are four observations why a person would talk about a person rather than to a person.

• Fear: Not sure how the person will respond or that we are overreacting.
• Insecurity: Lack of confidence emotionally or in the situation.
• Uncomfortable: No one likes these situations; if they do they need therapy.
• Help or advice: Genuinely seeking confidential counsel before approaching the person.

Speaking directly to people finds its roots in the Law of Moses, “You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD. You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.” (Leviticus 19:16-17).

Jesus builds on this principle in teaching, "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. (Matthew 18:15)

When we reason frankly and speak gently with those in our lives we do so according to the following guidelines:

1. Make sure the offense is an offense: We have experienced an offense or injury, or have been the object of sinful behavior, not just an innocent mistake.
2. We go to them: The offended is the one responsible for initiating with the offender.
3. We express our own concerns: We need to speak only for ourselves. Phrases such as: “Many feel that…”, “A lot of people think…”, or “Some have told me…” should not be used.
4. We do it face to face: This is to protect the person and ourselves in case it is only a misunderstanding or they readily repent of the offense. We only bring in another person if they are unwilling or unresponsive to our first encounter. Do not do it via email or text.
5. We do it believing they will listen: Going in to the conversation believing for the best outcome is the first step of reconciliation.
6. We do it hoping that the relationship will go to a deeper level: Helping people become aware of their behavior and assisting them to embrace how it affects those around them can have a profound positive impact on our relationship.

Directness does not justify recklessness. The Apostle Paul warns us, “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another” (Galatians 5:15). Directness involves choosing our words appropriately. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver” (Proverbs 25:11).

Directness is critical to healthy worship and healthy relationships (Matthew 5:23-24).

The following questions are designed to help you guard yourself, each other and the church corporately. The Apostle Paul calls the church leaders to, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock” (Acts 20:28).

Reflective Questions for Individuals:

• What are some of the fears I wrestle with in regards to directness?
• Have I fully grasped my part of the problem in the relationship?
• In what case would I not go directly to a person with a concern?
• Have I ever been a victim of triangulation?
• Do I know how to ask for forgiveness correctly?

Reflective Questions for Small Groups or Teams

• What types of speech or humor could be deemed as reckless?
• How do we protect our group or team from the sin of gossip?
• How do we handle reckless speech in our group or team?
• How do we promote this principle of directness in and through our group?
• How is confidentiality protected in our group or team?

For more information on building health relationships download Gary's free ebook: Ten Biblical Principles for Healthy Relating

3 Essentials for Renewing Your Mind Daily

I was 14 years old when I took lifeguard certification at a youth camp.  One of the last parts of the training was to simulate a rescue of a person who was thrashing out of control and fighting to keep their head above water.  They taught us how to come up behind the person and grab them around the chest to immobilize them so you could swim them safely back to shore.  The person I was chosen to rescue was a college age student who was much bigger and stronger than me.  As he was thrashing in the water, I came up behind him and locked my arms around his chest. For the next 10 seconds, which felt like an eternity, he did everything he could to get out of my grip.  He finally gave up and rested in my arms as I swam him safely to shore. 

How many of us have a fight with God in our minds through worry, anger, fear, doubt and comparison?  

These mental struggles can be so physically draining and spiritually damaging. They rob us physically and emotionally and steal the peace, love, joy, trust and contentment that God desires for us. 

The renewing of our minds starts with surrendering ourselves to God consciously, continually and completely.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2). 

What does surrendering look like practically? 

Surrendering involves grasping on to God.  We grasp on to what God has done for us through His merciful kindness. Paul writes, “…in view of God’s mercy…”.   God’s mercy is defined as ‘God withholding what we really deserve.’  We deserve judgment because of our sinful nature and in light of our rebellion towards God our minds are depraved. Yet God through His grace gives us what we do not deserve, His righteousness, His favor and the ability to have a renewed mind through the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

Surrendering also involves giving up control. Giving up control by offering ourselves to God.  Paul uses the worship language of the Old Testament, “…to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God…” As an act of our free will we say yes to God. We make ourselves available to God.  We align our lives with His thoughts, will and desires.  We allow His word to reign in us and through us. 

Surrendering involves resting in God’s presence. He continues, “…this is your true and proper worship.” Worship is an act of rest, an act of peace, where we are so caught up with who God is and what God has accomplished for us that nothing else matters.  This is not escapism but realization that God is bigger than problems and that He can be trusted.  Worship lifts us up out of the ordinary and gives us a fresh perspective. 

The renewing of our minds starts when we stop the mental wrestling match with God and rest in the wonders of His love for us. 

Reflective Questions

• Are you seeing more and more of a need for mental toughness in your life?
• How does daily surrendering practically work itself out in your ministry?
• What spiritual disciplines do you have in place to help you be more resistant to the daily distractions of our culture?
• How did Jesus stay mentally focused in the midst of temptation?  (Mathew 4:1-11)
• What is the difference between realism and optimism?

Additional Materials 

• How to Stay Mentally Tough in the Midst of Chaos
• Taking Charge of Your Attitude
• Five Observations On Attitude
• 27 Biblical Thoughts On A Healthy Attitude
• 26 Biblical Quotes On The Blessing Of Humility
• Your Attitude: Sarcastic or Sacred?

 

Related articles

18 Old Testament Scriptures Showing Us How God Forgives Sin

What Are You Offering To God As Worship?

Fasting Insights by Gary Rohrmayer

How to Stay Mentally Tough in the Midst of Ministry Chaos

I don’t know about you, but I am finding that I need to work harder these days to maintain a healthy attitude. 

The chaos of this world from terrorism to politics and natural disasters to human cruelty, can be so mentally draining that we feel our optimistic faith being replaced with a pessimistic spirit. 

As spiritual leaders we need to discover God’s way for renewing our minds and refreshing our resolve to stay focused on God’s mission. 

Today, with the complexities and challenges of ministry, church leaders can lose their faith and see their hope dissipate.  Genuinely ministering to and loving people who bring a myriad of problems and life pains with them challenges every spiritual leader.  

The more effective we reach them the more they keep coming and coming and coming with new problems and difficult life situations. This can overwhelm the best of us.  One pastor said, “Every week we see people coming to faith in Christ.  On one level I rejoice with the angels in heaven and on another level I say to myself this is going to be a lot of work.” 

What does God’s word say about mental toughness? 

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to Christ’s followers who lived in Rome, spends the first eleven chapters explaining the wonders of God’s plan of salvation and the richness of the gospel.  Then in chapter 12 he turns his attention to the working out of the gospel in our lives and the first thing he addresses is the renewing or strengthening of our minds.  

Just the thought of having to renew our minds suggests a few things: 

• Our minds can be weakened
• Our thinking can become stale
• Our attitudes can turn sour
• Our viewpoint can be deceived 

Because we live in a world where our thinking can be degraded, the need for daily renewal is on the top of Paul’s list for learning how to live out of the gospel and be engaged in God’s redemptive cause. 

So how does Paul encourage us to strengthen our minds?

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2). 

Reflective Questions 

• Where does renewed thinking start?
• How do your daily choices affect your mental wellbeing?
• Why is worship important to having a healthy attitude?
• What are some unhealthy attitudes our culture is forcing upon us?
• List the benefits of a renewed mind.
• How would you paraphrase this text?

Additional Materials 

• Taking Charge of Your Attitude
• Five Observations On Attitude
• 27 Biblical Thoughts On A Healthy Attitude
• 26 Biblical Quotes On The Blessing Of Humility
• Your Attitude: Sarcastic or Sacred?

You Can Take Charge of Your Attitude

Chuck Swindoll offers this timeless insight, “The longer I live the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude to me is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.  It is more important than appearances, giftedness and skill.  It will make or break a company…a church…a home.  The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding our attitude we will embrace for the day.  We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.  And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.” 

We are in charge of our attitudes!  
Believing this statement, the Apostle Peter wrote the following words to those of Jesus followers who had been suffering for their faith. Suffering from being scattered by persecution and suffering from the false teachers who were scoffing their foundational beliefs.   Peter knew that when we experience suffering it could play with our mindset and mess with our thinking. So he calls them to take charge of their attitudes. 

“Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.”  (II Peter 3:1-2 NIV) 

Wholesome Thinking 
Peter calls us to ‘wholesome thinking’.  In other terms he appeals to us to take charge of our attitude. This word wholesome is only used in the bible twice (cf. Philippians 1:10).  It communicates the idea of purity or sincerity or an unsullied mind.  It is a mind that has been sun tested, meaning it has been fully exposed and found pure when examined by the sun’s light.  He pleads with them to rise above their dire circumstances, ongoing doubts and crippling fears.  He calls them to reject to the false teaching they are encountering and to cling to truth of God’s word.

The Keys to Wholesome Thinking 
How do we get to thinking in a wholesome manner or taking charge of our attitude?  Here are a few keys towards wholesome thinking.

1)     “Reminders”
We all need reminders.  We are a very forgetful people. How easy is it to forget that God is with us and to forget his promises in the word of God. Peter is now writing his second letter to those who love Jesus and are suffering for it.  He says these letters serve as “reminders” of the precious truth of God.  This is just the opposite of the scoffers who, “deliberately forget” (2 Peter 3:5 NIV).  These false teachers willfully rejected the promises of God’s word and pretended to be ignorant of its’ basic teachings.  We are not only forgetful people, but we can also be willful people.  We choose what to believe and how to act on those beliefs. This is why we need to feed our souls daily with the word of God and to live in fellowship with a church where we receive clear teaching of God’s word.  Receiving a good balance of doctrinal teaching and practical exhortations will help us to think biblically and allow our lives to be gripped by the gospel. 

2)     “Stimulate” 
We all need a wake up call.  Peter is reminding the people so that he can wake them up.  The meaning behind stimulate is to be aroused or awakened in our thinking.   Too many Christians are mentally drowsy making them spiritually sluggish.  Suffering can cause a drowsiness to overcome us and yet God wants our minds sharp, focused and alert.  I can image Peter reflecting on the time that Jesus gave him a wake up call when he found him sleeping with the other disciples, “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” And then exhorted them to, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41).  When was the last time you encountered a wake up call, spiritually, morally, ethically or missionally?  A life following Jesus will be filled with moments of awaking that lead to wholesome thinking. 

3)     “Recall” 
We are not to just intellectually remember the teachings of God’s word, but to recall them volitionally and to act upon them in faith and obedience. Truth without application leads only to mental stimulation, but truth applied leads to spiritual transformation. Truth that is not applied appropriately often leads to pride, whereas truth humbly received leads to wholesome thinking. Applying the truth of God into all of our life situations is essential to following Jesus.  Peter encourages us to think like the prophets, to live out teachings of Jesus and to see the world through the eyes of the apostles. 

As a leader, the challenges to my attitude are continual.  Dealing with setbacks, disappointments, stretching relationships and uncooperative people can mess with anyone’s mindset.  Yet our God calls us to rise above and to resist the cynicism that can contaminate our thinking.  

Whether good or bad, positive or negative, attitudes are easy to spot!  God has given us each the ability and the tools to reign in our thoughts and ultimately to take charge of our attitudes! 

Reflective Questions: 

• What are some of the triggers that send you into a bad attitude?
• How are you intentionally filling your mind with reminders of God’s teaching?
• When is the last time you memorized a large portion of scripture?
• When have you shared a portion of scripture God used to give you a wake up call in the last year?
• What truth of scripture is challenging your attitude or behavior?

Additional Materials

• Five Observations On Attitude
• 27 Biblical Thoughts On A Healthy Attitude
• 26 Biblical Quotes On The Blessing Of Humility
• What Is Pride? - John Piper

 

40 Inspiring Quotes from Vince Lombardi

Kicking off the football season with some wisdom and inspiration for legendary coach Vince Lombardi.

"Leadership rests not only upon ability, not only upon capacity; having the capacity to lead is not enough. The leader must be willing to use it. His leadership is then based on truth and character. There must be truth in the purpose and will power in the character." - Vince Lombardi

"If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you'll be fired with enthusiasm.” - Vince Lombardi

 "Mental toughness is essential to success.” - Vince Lombardi 

"To achieve success, whatever the job we have, we must pay a price.” - Vince Lombardi

"Success is like anything worthwhile. It has a price. You have to pay the price to win and you have to pay the price to get to the point where success is possible. Most important, you must pay the price to stay there.” - Vince Lombardi

"Football is a great deal like life in that it teaches that work, sacrifice, perseverance, competitive drive, selflessness and respect for authority is the price each and every one of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” - Vince Lombardi

"Once you agree upon the price you and your family must pay for success, it enables you to ignore the minor hurts, the opponent's pressure, and the temporary failures.”  - Vince Lombardi

"Confidence is contagious and so is lack of confidence, and a customer will recognize both.”  - Vince Lombardi

"If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done.”  - Vince Lombardi

"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”  - Vince Lombardi

 "Once a man has made a commitment to a way of life, he puts the greatest strength in the world behind him. It's something we call heart power. Once a man has made this commitment, nothing will stop him short of success.”  - Vince Lombardi

 "Unless a man believes in himself and makes a total commitment to his career and puts everything he has into it-his mind, his body, his heart-what's life worth to him.”  - Vince Lombardi

"It is essential to understand that battles are primarily won in the hearts of men.”  - Vince Lombardi

"In great attempts, it is glorious even to fail.” - Vince Lombardi

" Leadership rests not only upon ability, not only upon capacity; having the capacity to lead is not enough. The leader must be willing to use it. His leadership is then based on truth and character. There must be truth in the purpose and will power in the character.”  - Vince Lombardi

"Leadership is based on a spiritual quality; the power to inspire, the power to inspire others to follow.” - Vince Lombardi

 "Winning is not everything--but making effort to win is." - Vince Lombardi

 "Having the capacity to lead is not enough. The leader must be willing to use it.” - Vince Lombardi

"The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary." - Vince Lombardi

 "A leader must identify himself with the group, must back up the group, even at the risk of displeasing superiors. He must believe that the group wants from him a sense of approval. If this feeling prevails, production, discipline, morale will be high, and in return, you can demand the cooperation to promote the goals of the company.” - Vince Lombardi

"Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”  - Vince Lombardi

"They call it coaching but it is teaching. You do not just tell them…you show them the reasons." - Vince Lombardi

"The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender." - Vince Lombardi

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will." - Vince Lombardi

 "It is essential to understand that battles are primarily won in the hearts of men. Men respond to leadership in a most remarkable way and once you have won his heart, he will follow you anywhere." - Vince Lombardi

"Excellence is achieve by the mastery of the fundamentals." - Vince Lombardi

 "A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done." - Vince Lombardi

 "If you'll not settle for anything less than your best, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives." - Vince Lombardi

"It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up." - Vince Lombardi

"I've never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn't appreciate the grind, the discipline. There is something good in men that really yearns for discipline." - Vince Lombardi

"Mental toughness is many things and rather difficult to explain. Its qualities are sacrifice and self-denial. Also, most importantly, it is combined with a perfectly disciplined will that refuses to give in. It's a state of mind-you could call it character in action." - Vince Lombardi

"Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit." - Vince Lombardi

 "Individual commitment to a group effort-that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work." - Vince Lombardi

"Teams do not go physically flat, they go mentally stale." - Vince Lombardi

"The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual." - Vince Lombardi

"Success demands singleness of purpose." - Vince Lombardi

 "Some of us will do our jobs well and some will not, but we will be judged by only one thing-the result." - Vince Lombardi

"Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing." - Vince Lombardi

"I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle-victorious." - Vince Lombardi

"Perfection is not attainable but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence." - Vince Lombardi

How to Develop a Biblical Plan for Spiritual Growth

Woody Allen once said, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.”  I find this both humorous and sad. Humorous in a pessimistic way but sad in a spiritually shallow way.

What would God's reaction be towards the goals and plans we have set out for our lives?  Would he approve them, laugh at them or cry over them.

In order to develop a solid spiritual growth plan we must recognize the biblical ingredients for such a plan.  As I toured the wisdom literature of scripture I discovered some great truths for developing a solid biblical plan for spiritual growth.

Five Essentials for a Personal Growth Plan

1. Our plans must be God centered.

"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." Proverbs 16:3

Our plans come out of our relationship with God.  When God redeemed us it meant he bought us back at a great price - the death of His own Son, Jesus.  So our lives are not our own.  Doing our own thing leads to estrangement from God, but seeking God's ways leads to great intimacy and awareness of God in all we do. Solomon wrote, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." (Proverbs 9:10)  The key to living life skillfully and with perspective comes out of our relationship with God.

2. Our plans must be aligned with God's purposes.

"Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21

What is God's purpose?  Where do we find His marching orders for our lives?

Solomon concluded it this way, "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind." Ecclesiastes 12:13

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31

When we think of purpose we must take a close look at the Great Commission passages, Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15 ; Luke 24:46-49; John 20:21 and Acts 1:8.  It is here we discover the marching orders of Jesus.  He calls us to be a part of his great redemptive purpose. Recent surveys have revealed that 60-70% of those who call themselves followers of Jesus don't think they need to be engaged in evangelistic activities.

We are called to love God and others within His mission.  This is why I love the missional language and why I have infused the concept of Living Missionally into my writings.

3.  An honest assessment must take place.

"For your ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all your paths." Proverbs 5:21

"Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways." Proverbs 4:26

"Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD."  Lamentations 3:40

When I developed the Spiritual Journey Guide I wanted to provide a picture of what it meant to be a spiritually mature follower of Jesus. If leaders don't define spiritual maturity in their churches the definition will always drift to "Who has the most bible knowledge?"  Now bible knowledge is important, we need to know the commands of Jesus in order to obey them, but bible knowledge without transformation will always lead to Pharisaical Christianity.

This is where the concept of living missionally was developed for me. I believe the goal of every follower of Jesus is to love God and to love others, all within the context of God's redemptive mission.  I've narrowed down six areas of life that help us evaluate how well we are living within God's mission.

• Craves intimacy with God through spiritual disciplines - Devotional Life (Mark 12:29-31)
• Shares their faith effectively with others - Evangelism (Philemon 6)
• Mentoring others spiritually - Discipleship  (Matthew 28:19-20)
• Gives generously - Stewardship (II Corinthians 8:7)
• Serves in their community - Servanthood & Compassion (Mark 10:45)
• Understands the centrality of the gospel - Character Transformation  (Titus 2:11-14)

By assessing your spiritual life around these six areas you can easily develop a focused spiritual growth plan that seeks to fully or more fully work out these areas in your life and relationships.

4.  Wise mentors need to be secured.

"Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." Proverbs 15:22

"Plans are established by seeking advice..." Proverbs 20:18

The craze for personal coaching and mentoring really stems from the fact that we have moved from the Information Age to an Age of Implementation. We are so overwhelmed every day with the barrage of information that we struggle with applying it into our lives. This is where a mature wise mentor or experienced coach comes into play to provide accountability, encouragement, and insight while helping you grow in your spiritual your life.

5.  Work out your plan diligently but not hastily.

"The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty." Proverbs 21:5

Have you ever responded emotionally to a situation and made a reckless commitment?  Solomon's advice is that we don't want to just jump into something but we want to thoughtfully develop a spiritual plan by seriously considering and reflecting on points 1-4.  I strongly encourage people to put their plan in writing because you need to think it, then ink it, if you are going to achieve it.

For instance, my January goals all have to do with recharging and expanding my devotional habits.  Last year I focused my goals around the discipline of fasting. I read two books on fasting which took my practice of fasting to a whole new level. I practiced several types of fasts throughout the year. I wrote a devotional guide on fasting and recruited over 100 people to join me for a 31-Day Daniel Fast.

This year my focus for January is on my prayer life.  Focusing on upgrading my daily prayer rhythms, expanding intercessory practices, reinstalling my monthly prayer retreats, finding a prayer partner for accountability and reading a devotional on prayer that will expand, inspire and challenge my prayer life. This month I am reading Prayer A Holy Occupation by Oswald Chambers.

You can use this monthly goal setting process to work through each of the six areas that will move you toward a more effective and fulfilling missional lifestyle.

• Craves Intimacy with God through spiritual disciplines - Devotional Life (Mark 12:29-31)
• Shares their faith effectively with others - Evangelism (Philemon 6)
• Mentoring others spiritually - Discipleship  (Matthew 28:19-20)
• Gives generously - Stewardship (II Corinthians 8:7)
• Serves in their community - Servanthood (Mark 10:45)
• Understands the centrality of the gospel - Character Transformation (Titus 2:11-14)

All of us need a plan because there is no arrival point as long as we are traveling in this world, there will always be areas of growth needed.

The Apostle Peter wrote,  "Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen."  II Peter 3:17-18

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New Leadership Podcast Series Launched

The Barrier Breakers Podcast

By Jonathan Reitz and Gary Rohrmayer

Jonathan Reitz and Gary Rohrmayer talk about the leadership skills you need to help your church break through the most common leadership barriers!  You might be stuck at a certain size or in a particular problem, and this is the podcast for you!

Find us in ITUNES by searching either Jonathan Reitz and Gary Rohrmayer and subscribe to the The Barrier Breakers Podcast as a new podcast is posted every other Friday.

JOIN US TODAY

 

Here are some of the questions we are asking:

• Episode #1--Why Leaders Plateau?
• Episode #2: Does Your Church Have a Conversion Orientation?
• Episode #3: Why Your Church is Plateaued?
• Episode #4: Why Your Church is Plateaued? Part 2

Leadership Skills Webinars

There is a lot of material on how to break growth barriers from an organizational perspective but little from personal development outlook. This series of webinars is design to look at the essential skills needed for a pastor to lead their church to the next-level of missional impact.

The Sharper Edge Webinars Series

Presented by CoachNet Global, Gary Rohrmayer is leading a free webinar series for pastors, church planters and leaders desire to take their ministries to the next level.

Register for this series here.

Topics in the series include:

1.       Sharpening the Axe: Personal Development

2.       Capturing a Harvest-Size Vision - Listening to God

3.       Casting the Vision Effectively - Vision Casting

4.       Cultivating Vision Ownership - Strategic Planning

5.       Preparing Leaders to do the Vision – Equipping

6.       Letting Leaders do the Vision - Delegation

7.       Supporting Leaders in Achieving the Vision – Coaching

8.       Building a Team around the Vision – Team Building

9.       Raising Resources to Fund the Vision - Fund Raising

10.    Hiring Staff to Further the Vision - Recruiting & Interviewing

11.    Managing Staff to Expand the Vision - Motivation & Supervision

12.    Reinforcing the Vision through Inspiring Worship Services - Preaching & Worship Planning

13.    Measuring the Effectiveness of the Vision - Accountability

14.    Broadcasting the Vision to your Community – Sowing Seeds of Awareness

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10 Highlights on Church Giving to Share with Your Church Board

Evangelical Council for Financial Accountablity offer 10 Hightlights on Chuch Giving for their annual research project.

HIGHLIGHT #1. There is a wide continuum of practices regarding the senior pastor’s knowledge of who is giving—and how much. Just 10% of senior pastors know who is giving and how much. Another 7% know who is giving but not how much. Just under 47% of senior pastors can make specific inquiries on giving but they do not routinely have access to giving records. Just over 24% of all senior pastors never know who is giving nor how much.

HIGHLIGHT #2. Two-thirds of churches have no written biblical generosity strategy. Just 31% of churches said they had a written strategy for inspiring people in biblical generosity, while 43% affirmed they had a written core value on biblical stewardship. And 58% said they did not have a written philosophy for teaching people what the Bible says about money and possessions.

HIGHLIGHT #3. Church leaders are extremely satisfied with how they manage financial
resources but less satisfied with how they cast the vision for funding the ministry. A stunning 97% of church leaders were extremely satisfied or very satisfied that they are managing the church’s financial resources with trust and integrity. Yet just 50% were extremely satisfied or very satisfied with how they were casting the vision for funding the church’s total ministry.

HIGHLIGHT #4. Senior pastors are strong in teaching biblical stewardship but need improvement in developing relationships with major givers. More than 77% said their senior pastor’s ability at teaching biblical stewardship was extremely effective or very effective. Yet almost half said their senior pastor’s ability at developing relationships with major givers could be improved. Here’s how they rated their senior pastors on the major giver question: extremely effective (20%), very effective (20%), moderately effective (21%), slightly effective (16%), or not at all effective (9%).

HIGHLIGHT #5. The 80/20 Rule is still true (almost). While 26% responded that 20% of their people give 80% of the dollars (“The 80/20 Rule”), another 25% said that 25% of their people give 75% of the gifts. But note this: Over 15% are tracking above the 80/20 Rule with a range of 5% to 15% of people giving between 85% to 95% of the dollars. The “we don’t know” box was checked by 11%.

HIGHLIGHT #6. Leaders indicate strong satisfaction with both achieving budget goals and
keeping spending under budget. Over 76% of churches said they were extremely effective or very effective at achieving budgeted revenue goals over the last 12 to 18 months (2012 through July 2013). Almost 77% said they were also extremely effective or very effective at spending less than their budgeted expense goals for the same period.

HIGHLIGHT #7. Spiritual complacency and inadequate understanding of biblical generosity were ranked as the two greatest obstacles to increased giving. Church leaders were asked to rank the Top 5 areas that are currently the greatest obstacles to increasing giving. Just over 24% said both “spiritual complacency among members/attendees” and “inadequate understanding of biblical generosity” were the “#1 Obstacles,” yet “current economic environment” had the most Top 5 votes.

HIGHLIGHT #8. Churches have embraced digital giving. More than half of all ECFA accredited churches are leveraging a wide variety of digital giving tools for their people including credit cards, debit cards, electronic bill pay, electronic funds transfers (EFT), and online giving via the church website. Of 56 ECFA-accredited churches that responded to this question, 12 are using giving kiosks and another 8 churches are planning to add kiosks in the next 12 months, so almost 36% of ECFA-accredited churches in this survey are including kiosks in their digital giving menus.

HIGHLIGHT #9. When asked what kind of stewardship training the church provides to staff, board, and volunteers, approximately 40% to 50% of churches said “none.” The survey asked church leaders to identify the kind of training provided over the past 12–18 months in the area of biblical stewardship and growing generous givers. No training was provided to 43% of senior pastors, 50% of elders and/or board members, 43% of the stewardship staff, and almost 57% of church staff from other departments.

HIGHLIGHT #10. What needs fixing or improving? Adding more givers. Church leaders agreed or strongly agreed that three key areas need fixing or improving: (1) adding more givers (92.3%), (2) understanding and coaching givers in biblical generosity (91.9%), and (3) moving current givers to higher giving amounts (89.6%).

BONuS HIGHLIGHT. Giving to evangelical churches and ministries outpaces giving to
secular charities. According to the 2013 ECFA State of Giving Report (comparing 2011 to 2012), giving to ECFA-accredited churches showed an increase of 5.2% in cash charitable contributions: $805 million to $847 million. HT

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