The January Point Leader Meeting featured two speakers:
Sam O'Neal, General Editor,
SmallGroups.com.
Thanks to Jeff Zoellick, Our Savior, Carol Stream, for hosting the meeting.
Our next scheduled meeting is …
More from Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups by Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas. The book is organized around twelve big ideas focusing of methodology, structure and leadership.
Big Idea # 3:
Think Friends … Not Intimacy
Conventional Wisdom: Small groups are a place where intimate relationships are formed.
Reality: Small groups are a place where new friendships are formed.
When people visit your church many times they’re looking for friendships, not just a friendly church. Small groups are great at helping people develop friendships. How good is your group at helping people develop friendships? What can you do to improve??
Of the USA's 100 largest churches, 67% now have two or more sites and 60% of the 100 fastest-growing churches also have multiple sites, according to the annual listings of the USA's largest churches in Outreach magazine's October issue.
Among U.S. Protestant megachurches, 37% reported having two or more locations under the same leadership in 2008, according to a study by the Leadership Network and Hartford Institute for Religion Research in Hartford, Conn.
Small group point leaders are those people who coordinate (paid or volunteer) your church's small group effort. The next meeting of the NID Small Group Point Leaders is scheduled for ...
Thursday, January 28, 2010
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Our Savior, Carol Stream
Featured Speakers:
Sam O'Neal, General Editor,
SmallGroups.com
Philip Zielke, Executive Director,
Phil's Friends
Reggie McNeal’s new book titled "Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church." To do that he has identified three critical mission shifts that have to take place …
A shift from internal to external - This is a shift from a church-centric to a Kingdom-centric view of the world. "We think in North America that the church is the destination. It is not. It's the Kingdom." "The church is a connector to help people get where they want to go - which is abundant life. When we confuse that, we miss what Jesus meant."
"So much of our evangelism strategies focus on turning people into church people. All we do is end up taking people away from the places where they can be salt and life to others." "There's a reason for the church, but it is to bless people. Don't have an evangelism strategy, have a blessing strategy."
A shift from program-driven to people development - The days of templating people's spiritual experiences are over. "We believe if we keep people busy, they'll be disciples, but we are wearing them out. People are not waking up hoping they can spend more time in church."
"Ask people, 'What would you like to see God do in your life in the next 6 to 12 months?'"
A shift from church-based leadership to apostolic-era leadership. "It's A.D. 30 all over again. All the old gods are dead." "In A.D. 30, you look for God in the world. God is breaking in on people's lives."
More from one of my favorite books on leadership, The Leadership Challenge, by James Kouzes and Barry Posner. Their research has revealed five practices that are common when leaders are able to make extraordinary things happen. Kouzes and Posner call these The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership.
Model the Way
Leaders establish principles concerning the way people should be treated and the way goals should be pursued. They create standards of excellence and then set an example for others to follow. Because the prospect of complex change can overwhelm people and stifle action, they set interim goals so that people can achieve small wins as they work toward larger objectives. They unravel bureaucracy when it impedes action; they put up signposts when people are unsure of where to go or how to get there; and they create opportunities for victory.
Commitment # 1 — Find your voice by clarifying your personal values
Commitment # 2 — Set the example by aligning actions with shared values
Watch for more on The Leadership Challenge!
In the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake, LCMS President Gerald B. Kieschnick speaks of LCMS relief efforts and encourages the people of the Synod to give generously.
According to an email story I received last week, in a small mid-western conservative town, a man started building a new bar. With petitions and prayers a local Christian church promptly started a campaign to block the bar from opening. Work progressed, however, right up till the week before opening, when a lightning strike hit the bar, which burned to the ground. The church folks were rather smug when they heard the news. But then the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church was, through its prayers, ultimately responsible for the demise of his building, either through direct or indirect actions or means. In its reply to the court, the church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise.
As the case made its way into court, the judge looked over the paperwork at the hearing and commented: “I don't know how I'm going to decide this, but it appears from the paperwork that we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer, and an entire church that doesn't!”
Whether that story is true I don’t know. What I do know is this: “The prayer of a righteous person has great power …” (James 5:16).
From President Kieschnick’s Perspectives - January 14, 2010
Since founding Amazon in 1994, he has revolutionized retailing. Now he's out to transform how we read. No one has been more surprised by the success of the Kindle than Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. The electronic book reader has become the online retailer's bestselling product. Bezos spoke to NEWSWEEK'S Daniel Lyons about the device, how the Apple tablet might affect it, and the next phase of digital distribution.
We start with the customer and we work backward.
Have you ever heard of Jeff Wilkins? Wilkins is the NFL placekicker with the most consecutive extra points made - an astounding 371 (as this is done)! In fact, he holds a number of records or leads in a number of categories. He is currently a member of the St. Louis Rams football team. When Wilkins walked onto the field to try for the point after a touchdown, no one watching the game at home, in the stands, or on the field gave it much thought; they simply assumed that he would make it - and he does.
Despite his remarkable streak, many sports fans today have never heard of Jeff Wilkins. True, he isn't a superstar of the game as we think of quarterbacks or running backs or ends, but he gets the job done time and time again. Sadly, it seems Wilkins' performance is so dependable that it is easy for people to take for granted.
Quiet consistency and dependability often go unsung in the world, which is a shame. "Jeff Wilkinses" are all around us. They are everyday people who are the backbone of their families, teams, churches, and communities. Though we may forget to praise them for their efforts, we expect and rely upon their steady, constant performance.
Are there people in your church, your workplace, or your family who, like Jeff Wilkins, consistently score points but don't always get the recognition?... nor do they seek recognition. Don't let their deeds go unsung. Take the time to let these quiet producers know just how much you appreciate their efforts. How much they do make a difference in the every day ministry and service in the church and in their lives.
Some ways to say "thanks," you're special:
Being a leader is knowing who the "stars" are who keep the organization or group going...those who quietly care and seek little recognition...those you can count on.
From Dr. Lou Jander, Weekly Update, Area D, Texas District LCMS, 11/29/09
Me to We: A Pastor's Discovery of the Power of Partnership
Alan Nelson
Sticky Church (Leadership Network Innovation Series)
Larry Osborne
The Pocket Guide to Burnout-Free Small Group Leadership: How to gather a core team and lead from the second chair
Michael C. Mack
On order!
Transforming Discipleship: Making Disciples a Few at a Time
Greg Ogden
