CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-04-10 14:12:29 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Do church leaders get enough time off?

This morning we talk about a piece from +Scott Williams blog about pastors and time off: how much is enough, and what is too little? Over the course of the conversation (and this is a long one) we also hit on a few other important conversations for church leaders: how stressful is ministry, how much vacation do we deserve, and what do we do about frustrated staff members?

How does YOUR church handle vacation time?

2013-04-08 15:05:15 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

How would YOUR church react to being broken into?

Today, we are going to go all Paul Harvey on you. Last month a story broke about a Long Island pastor who subdued a burglar until police arrived. The story was front page news out here, and made the news around the country. However, some incedibly cool things have come about since this story broke... today, we share the rest of the story:

2013-04-05 13:33:28 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

What?!?!?

I may not have been the best student, but I know I would have remembered my theology professors talking about the $273 Super-Natural, Double Portion Miracle. Maybe I missed class that day? In this morning's Ministry Briefing we may be slightly sarcastic as we discuss a recent news piece on Todd Coontz, of Rock Wealth International Ministries.

Help us out... are we off-base?

2013-04-04 14:49:19 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

This begs an interesting question...

CJ Mahaney has been under fire for a while now. A sabbatical to deal with pride issues, conflict within Sovereign Grace, and now a child sexual abuse trial aimed at offences from early on in SGM's ministry. Add to that Brent Detwiler calling on SBC and T4G leaders to stop enabling his sin. Detwiler's call begs a difficult question for ministry leaders:

How do we interact with fellow ministry leaders involved in scandals?

2013-04-02 16:09:29 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Learn this lesson now...

From April's Ministry Briefing: A Cocoa, Fl. church is in the middle of a fight with their former pastor over the parsonage. Upon retirement, the church gave the pastor use of the parsonage for life, as a way to honor him for his 53 years of service. What they did not expect was for him to move out, and allow other family members to move in. Sometimes the "spirit" of an agreement does NOT match the wording...

How would YOU handle this?

2013-04-01 17:36:59 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

WARNING: Blatant sales pitch ahead

I won't apologize for pushing Ministry Briefing pretty hard today. Why? Because I am convinced it is a great tool for busy church leaders. This month we have summarized over 150 articles, studies, and blog posts that church leaders will find helpful, and will be giving away a Chromebook to a yearly subscriber. 

Click through for a look inside, and to find out more

2013-04-01 14:32:32 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

I think this is the best thing since sliced bread...

Today my friend +Todd Rhoades and I launched the April edition of Ministry Briefing, a resource we believe every church leader should check out. This morning we took a few minutes to discuss why we are so excited about Ministry Briefing, and our crazy plan to give away a FREE Chromebook.

2013-03-29 14:23:27 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

An interesting statement from Tim Keller

Tim Keller, while participating in an event at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, made an interesting statement regarding the current marriage debate: "you can believe homosexuality is a sin and still believe that same-sex marriage should be legal." This marks the first time that either of us have heard someone of Keller's stature bring this up in the public discourse.

Is this a conversation that needs to be had?

2013-03-28 14:33:07 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

An interesting paraphrase, to say the least...

A Birmingham church recently launched a billboard campaign, putting an ad up next to a "gentleman's club" that said:

Strip for me
-Jesus

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this one:

Would YOUR church do something like this?

2013-03-27 16:13:14 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

People are busy!

Scheduling meetings can be a little tricky these days, as people's calendars continue to fill up. While one on one meetings can be tough, getting together with a group is even more insane. Here are the tools that I am currently using, I'd love to know what you use.

How do YOU handle scheduling?

2013-03-27 14:03:59 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

59% of Americans have no church plans for Easter Sunday

+Ed Stetzer released a poll yesterday that suggests 20% of Americans are undecided about whether they will be in church on Easter, and 39% know that they will not be. In this morning's Ministry Briefing conversation we talk about two possible meanings of this study, and what churches need to learn from this.

What are YOU anticipating Easter Sunday attendance will be?

2013-03-26 16:47:30 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Do you give people a reason to discount you?

Have you had a conversation with a church leader that limits their ability to minister through the way they describe themselves? "Well, I never went to seminary..." or "I'm just not gifted to lead well..." or something of the sort? Something tells me that the Holy Spirit would not entrust the care and shepherding of the Bride of Christ to just anyone... so maybe we should start accepting the fact that we have been created to pursue the calling we have been given.

How do YOU handle negative self-talk?

2013-03-25 17:00:37 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Succession planning is the elephant in the room for many churches

The only church that doesn't need to have the succession planning conversation is the church that plans to shut down after their pastor leaves. So much time, energy, and momentum is lost due to bad transitions, that it makes me wonder why more churches aren't proactively having the conversation now. This is why I am so excited about a great tool for churches on thinking through transition. Tomorrow, Leadership Network will have a conference that will help kill the elephant in the room.

How does YOUR church approach succession planning?

2013-03-22 12:12:07 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Much ado about nothing?

If you've been watching The Bible on the HIstory Channel, perhaps you saw the appearance of Satan... which looks strikingly similar to President Barack Obama. The creators of the show claim that this is merely a coincidence, but speculation has run wild.

Do YOU think this was a coincidence?

2013-03-21 22:30:59 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

2013-03-21 15:08:49 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Maybe you really DON'T have a leadership shortage...

I have had countless conversations with church leaders who have one major complaint: a lack of available leaders in their church. Last week, +Rich Birch suggested on his blog that God has given your church all the leaders it needs... you just need to know where to look. This morning we unpack that statement, and share our experiences in finding leaders.

Where does YOUR church find key leaders?

2013-03-20 19:09:35 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

Have you heard of Boomerang?

Email can be a pain at times, and I have often struggled with keeping up with all the loose ends of projects, and figuring out whether team mates have handled their piece of a project. I recently discovered Boomerang for Gmail and it has seriously changed the way that I approach email. With the ability to remind me of of deadlines and unresponded to emails, it has simplified my work flow pretty significantly.

How do YOU manage email?

2013-03-20 12:21:53 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Jack Schaap gets sentenced today...

This whole situation is terrible, and it is easy to say it'll never happen to me... but keep in mind that no one wakes up saying I want to blow up my family and ministry today. This morning we talk about the critical lessons we need to learn from this situation.

What have YOU learned through this?

2013-03-19 19:53:03 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Are YOU this church?

JC Penny recently revamped its strategy when it comes to how it sells its merchandise. Moving away from the coupon madness, and crazy sales of the last few decades, it has embraced a whole new concept... one that everyone in the business world applauds as the right way to go. The only problem is through implementing the strategy overnight, the store has alienated its old customer base before attracting a new one. 

What can YOU learn from JC Penny's misjudgement?

2013-03-19 14:01:14 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Breaking News: Rob Bell makes a definitive statement

News broke yesterday of Rob Bell's statement on gay marriage, which was surprisingly definitive for the enigmatic Bell. Speaking at an event in San Francisco, Bell said I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it's a man and a woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man." This morning we ask, does this matter? Has Rob Bell jumped the shark? Is this a surprise?

Does this statement change YOUR views on Bell?

2013-03-18 17:53:31 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Do YOU encourage feedback?

Feedback is a valuable tool... one which we often try not to use. It can be easy to look at negative feedback as a bad thing... but there is something far worse than negative feedback: No feedback at all. Many times leaders make the critical mistake of thinking that a lack of feedback means that people are satisfied and happy with your church... often it is a sign of disengagement.

How do YOU encourage feedback in YOUR church?

2013-03-18 13:22:18 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

5 Months ago Hurricane Sandy ripped through Long Island...

5 Months later there is still a great deal of need, and the need is only growing in size. This is a much different storm than Katrina, in ways too numerous to count, but while much of Long Island is back to normal, there are many South Shore communities that are struggling to wrap their heads around just what happened.

Will YOU commit to praying for the recovery of Long Island?

2013-03-15 19:36:00 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

I need some help here...

I'm not entirely sure what I think on about this... would you mind helping me out? This afternoon +Todd Rhoades and I discussed Pat Robertson and his habit of sharing a word of knowledge on the 700 Club. Recently, he shared that someone who was watching would be receiving a check for $1 million. Sure enough, a couple of days later Pat told the story of a businessman who had received a check for $1 million from BP, unexpectedly. Does this sit well with you? Why or why not?

If YOU had Pat's platform, would you share a "word of knowledge"?

2013-03-15 12:55:31 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Living an exciting life is hard work!

A recently released app allows you to appear to be living life in the fast lane... all while sitting on your couch in your pajamas. Couch Cachet checks you into the cool events and places, shares pictures, and makes it seem that you are the life of the party... falsely. This morning we talk about the app, whether it could be a cool thing for the church, and whether it has been at work in the church already.

Would YOU used Couch Cachet?

2013-03-14 19:39:31 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

Google Reader will be no more...

Did any one else have to repent for the nasty things they thought upon learning that Google Reader is going away? Here's how I am adapting... I'd love to hear what you are doing.

How are YOU planning to adapt to life without Reader?

2013-03-14 17:56:33 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Do YOU work with negative people?

Earlier this week we came across a Lifehacker article on dealing with negative people... In the church world we often try to avoid these people, but the truth is part of our job is working with negative people. Keeping in mind that shooting people isn't all that Christ-like, we'd love to know:

How do YOU deal with negative people?

2013-03-14 14:40:29 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

Commuting is becoming a full time job...

A new study suggests that over 600,000 Americans have a 90 minute, or longer, commute to and from work. It got us thinking: how can the church help redeem that time, and how far will people commute to YOUR church?

Check it out and let us know how YOU redeem the commute:

2013-03-13 20:31:02 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Welcome Pope Francis I

With the election of the new Pope, we briefly dive into the background of Jorge Mario Bergoglio and why this is important for the evangelical movement.

What do YOU think about the election of Pope Francis I?

2013-03-13 19:08:33 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

I need help:

Can someone explain to me why this is a good idea?

2013-03-13 13:01:52 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

So, just how much do we want to share?

We are in a culture that highly values authenticity, transparency, and full disclosure... But a post from +Dan Rockwell suggests that we need to think through just how public we want to make our struggles, and the hows, whys, and whens of public disclosure. This morning we kick around how to manage the tension between appropriate and inappropriate sharing.

How do YOU determine when to share YOUR struggles?

2013-03-12 17:25:05 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Legacy systems keep you from your mission...

Everyone has heard the old line "but we've always done it that way", and while history and tradition is important... history and tradition for the sake of history and tradition steals from our ability to pursue our calling. So, how do we get away from this? Ask "why?".... Ask it a lot, and see what happens.

Where do YOU need to be asking "why?" in YOUR church?

2013-03-12 12:43:59 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Ministry can be tough...

A recent look at pastors and depression by the American Baptist Press has Todd and I sharing some of our experiences, and some suggestions on how to deal with some of the loneliness of ministry. This is a tough time to be in ministry: aging congregations, limited funds, and repeated scandals are taking their toll on pastors... We'd like to know:

How do YOU handle the stress of pastoring?

2013-03-11 20:14:36 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Don't be that church...

This is a pretty cool story: an Indiana church recently held a service where they apologized to three decades worth of pastors for the church's spirit of rebellion. 

Have YOU ever been a part of something like this?

2013-03-11 12:06:39 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Don't be that guy...

Moral failure will take down a church faster than anything else... and do things to the spiritual lives of the congregation that we can't fully comprehend. This morning Todd and I talk about a recent piece by Chuck Lawless on +Thom Rainer's blog that outlines the 7 warning signs that a pastor is about to fall check it out.

Which of these signs are YOU seeing in YOUR life?

2013-03-07 19:17:16 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

2013-03-06 23:56:45 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Are YOU able to keep up with your reading?

With all the content out there, it can be tough to keep up with all the stories, trends, and blog posts that affect church leaders.

That's where Ministry Briefing comes in... Each month +Todd Rhoades and I read through thousands of stories, posts, and studies, sifting through to find those that are most helpful for ministry leaders.

Click through to download YOUR copy today:

2013-03-06 20:56:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Would YOUR church accept a tithe on lottery winnings?

A man in Southern Oregon, after being laid off and struggling to pay his bills, spent $16 on lottery tickets... and won $1 million. The first check he wrote was to his church, giving them 10%. Here is our take... we'd love to hear yours:

What would YOU do?

2013-03-06 19:39:51 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Church can be hard...

My friends at Blessing Point Ministries have developed a pretty cool tool to help churches make an initial assessment of their health levels. This afternoon I share a little bit about the tool, and how it might help YOUR church.

How healthy is YOUR church?

2013-03-06 13:50:32 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

When you are a leader, no one does you a favor...

Do you ask people who work for you to "do you a favor"_? While you may be using the phrase, you aren't asking for a favor... you are assigning them another task. This morning Todd and I reflect on a piece from +Chris Huff on favors and leadership...

Click through, and let us know what YOU think:

2013-03-05 18:24:34 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Oh how the job has changed...

Over the last decade or two the role of the Executive Pastor has changed significantly. Once a more business role, the position seems to have developed into something that varies from church to church. This afternoon, +Todd Rhoades and I discuss how the role has evolved, and the three main types of XP that +David Fletcher of xpastor.com sees.

How does YOUR church define the role of the XP?

2013-03-05 16:36:19 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

I am envious of 8 year olds...

Each year I get a birthday coupon for Benihana: birthday boy eats free! Last week, as Theresa and I made our yearly pilgrimage to the Japanese steakhouse, I noticed an 8 year old boy, completely engrossed in our chef's performance, while much of the rest of the table were pretty much lost in their own conversations... It got me to asking when did we lose our sense of wonder?  And more importantly:

How do we develop a weekly sense of wonder in our churches?

2013-03-05 14:45:50 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Leaders make a commitment, just by being a leader

Some of these commitments we know about, some are unspoken. T.J. Addington recently listed nine such commitments on his blog, including:
Leaders model relational health
Leaders keep a missional focus
Leaders pay attention to their spiritual health

This morning +Todd Rhoades and I kick around our thoughts on the commitments leaders make... _what would YOU add?

Click through, and let us know YOUR thoughts:

2013-03-04 20:46:18 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Are YOU a dripping faucet leader?

Are you constantly tinkering in the name of improvement? Continuously looking for ways to "make things better"? You may be chasing your best team members away...

Click through, and let us know what YOU think:

2013-03-04 16:56:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

So much content... not enough time!

We know that we need to be reading in order to keep up to speed on the world around us... the problem is that there is just not enough time to sort through all the content out there, and get to the stuff that matters... That's where Ministry Briefing comes in...

Check it out, and let me know:

Would this be helpful to YOU?

2013-03-04 14:47:19 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Indiana church budgets $500k for jet fuel, but doesn't pay mortgage

REALLY?

This morning, +Todd Rhoades and I talk about this church, being a better steward of finances, and how this case will ultimately end up affecting your church.

Click through, check it out, and let us know what YOU think:

2013-02-22 19:36:37 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

+Alan Wildes must have bumped his head...

My friend Alan has a great question: if Easter is one of the most heavily attended church services a year... why is the offering flat, or less than normal? Alan thinks it should be different... waaaaaaaaay different. So different, in fact, that Alan is suggesting that YOUR church give their Easter offering away this year... 

Do YOU think Alan bumped his head? Would YOUR church do this?

2013-02-22 18:38:04 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Doctrine fight!

A couple of Christian college professors are in the midst of an old school doctrine fight, one calling for the job of another... even though they are in different schools. This has got +Todd Rhoades and I thinking: is there a better way to do this, and what IS the right way to question orthodoxy?

Check out our take, and let us know what YOU thinkg:

2013-02-22 15:57:31 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Churches need to pray proactively instead of reactively...

That one line wrecked me a week or so back. That observation, is one of many that Dr. Chuck Lawless has made after consulting with churches over the last decade... you REALLY need to see all of them. Todd and I discuss them this morning...

Check out our take, and let us know what you think:

2013-02-21 20:12:34 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Apps have changed the world... and the way people view the bible...

An interesting story out of Atlantic City, where firefighters were sworn into office using a bible app on an ipod, instead of a bible. This afternoon, Todd and I share our thoughts on this, and would love to hear yours.

How do YOU feel about the shift from print bibles to apps?

2013-02-21 13:34:48 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Do your people like you?

Ever had the guts to ask them? Our friend +Brian Dodd recently listed the 8 habits of disliked leaders on his blog, this morning +Todd Rhoades and I talk about which of these we have seen in the church, and throw out a pretty big challenge to pastors.

Click through, and let us know if YOU have worked for, or are, a leader that exhibits one of these habits: