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Trinity Helps the Hurting

December 12, 2011 in Ministry, Personal with 0 Comments

I love my church because we have a real ministry to hurting people.  We don’t have to look far in our city to find people in need, and those hurting people don’t have to look far to find us ready to help.  They actually come to Trinity’s Outreach Center by the 100′s every week.  We work hard to feed hungry people, clothe those in need, and offer financial assistance in as responsible a way as possible.  We partner with prisoner release programs, city food pantries, drug rehabilitation programs, health clinics, and other churches everyday to reach as many people as possible.  Did you catch that last one?  We work with other churches.  I love that.

As the NextGen leader at Trinity I am blessed to have ministries like this built into the system of our church.  It’s easy to find a house for teenagers to paint, or a project for children to raise winter coats for.  It’s easy, because our church meets these needs every single day.

I’m not saying my church is better than your church, I’m just saying I love my church.

My Church is Old, and I Love It.

December 8, 2011 in Ministry, Personal with 2 Comments

I love it that my church is old.  Trinity has weathered the storm of different generations and has survived!  Trinity has lasted.  As we approach the 50th year of ministry in Lubbock, I marvel at the impact we’ve had over all these years.  The attendance numbers have fluctuated from “bursting at the seams” to “will anyone show up?”, but over they years has continued to find health and participate as a functioning part of our community for 50 years.

There are unique challenges of an old church, there is no doubt.  But there are great advantages as well.  We have consistent people, both in attendance and in what they give to the vision of our church.  We have a diverse group of people that ranges from newborn children through WW2 veterans.  We have a story that spans 5 decades, and people love to tell it to us young folks!  We have the luxury of experience to draw from with each decision we make.

It’s comforting to me to attach myself and my family to a secure place like Trinity, that values loyalty and excellence all at the same time.  In my travels, I regularly run into people who know about my church.  They don’t know about us from some recent podcast, or popular book our pastor may have wrote (and there isn’t anything wrong with this.)  They know about us, because sometime in the past 50 years our church has impacted their life or someone they know.  That’s rich and I love it.

Six Keys to Leading Awesome People

November 10, 2011 in Ministry with 1 Comment

I lead a great team of leaders here at my church, and everyday I’m learning to be the leader they need me to be.  In this journey, I’ve discovered 6 important keys to making it happen for my team.

1. Let them be themselves.  You hired them for who they are, let them be that. (Wisdom and Discretion applied as needed.)  

2. Encourage Self Management.  When you hire someone, let them manage their own time and productivity.  (See #3 for corresponding key.)

3.  Hold everyone Accountable.  When letting someone be themselves, and encouraging self management on your team;  it’s imperative that you also couple those things with heavy accountability.  When is the last time you asked your team what their daily and weekly schedule looked like?  Not that you want to change it, but just because you want to see with your eyes what they are doing with their time.

4.  Say Thank You.  The easiest thing to forget when leading others, yet also the easist thing to do.  When you see something great, tell them you saw it.  So easy to do, so easy to forget.

5. Force Teamwork.  You might say, “How can you force something that should be natural?”  Easy, I tell people to work together on projects.  When they do that, they are being a team.  I will not tolerate the solitary person on our team, we all have to buy in and be a team.  And sometimes that takes the leader making that big ask!

6. Set the Example.  Be the change you want to see on your team.  I know it’s easier said than done…but it’s important nonetheless!

This list goes on and on and on and on…what would you add?

The Perception of Change

November 8, 2011 in Ministry with 0 Comments

I’m a change advocate.  Change has never really scared me, and I look forward to opportunities to do it the right way.  However, I’ve also learned that the the perception of many towards the change you advocate is oftentimes negative.  Strange, huh?  Yet, that’s the result of change.  There will always be the battle between perception and reality.

What was perceived to be the reality before the change, and what is perceived to be the resulting reality after the change; are different from the actual reality.  The problem is that sometimes perception can be so far from reality that it leads to a new conflict.  As is often the case when you advocate and lead change, you as the leader will bear the burden of criticism due to the perceptions of others.

Over the past few months at our church, I’ve made a pretty significant change to our mid-week programming and the change has been overwhelming positive.  It’s been a long-time in the planning, yet was done with prayerful intentions and a high-degree of reluctance to do so.  However, it’s been the right thing for our church at this time. Even in that atmosphere, there is still the battle between perception and reality.

The perception is that I never liked what was here before.  The reality is different.

The perception is that I ran off people who loved the existing program.  The reality is different.

The perception is that I don’t like programs that require large groups of committed volunteers.  The reality is different.

The perception is that now I’ve created a program of lesser value.  The reality is different.

I could go on and on and on about perception vs. reality; but I’m still left living with the perceptions of others.  And that’s going to be allright.  You can’t control someone perceptions of you and your leadership.  [WARNING: I'd tell you to keep an eye out, if the perception of everyone around you is something different than you; that could very well be the sign that you're wrong and they are right! The perceptions I speak of are from people that aren't on the "inside" of the change that's being made, I speak of those that are solely making their perceptions on what they see from a distance.]

The truth is that you can only control your own personal actions, and the steps you take to help kids and families connect with God through the ministry of your church.  Learning to live in a place of health in spite of unhealthy perceptions is not always easy, but it’s required if you’re going to advocate for change.  Being a change agent in a place that even demands for change will not be easy, but it takes someone willing to sacrifice themselves to current perceptions in order to create a longer-lasting perception based in reality.  And that reality takes time.

Are you committed to making the change in spite of the initial perceptions?  Let’s hear from your own journey…

Why December 25th?

November 7, 2011 in Links, Ministry with 25 Comments

A few years ago I remember there being a family in our apartment complex that didn’t celebrate Christmas.  The real kicker was that they were ardent Christians, and we’re a really great family.  They didn’t celebrate it, for reasons that are common.  Jesus wasn’t born in December, it’s a roman holiday, etc, etc, etc…  The real funny thing was that another Christian family in our complex noticed this family didn’t have a tree or any presents for the kids…and in the real Spirit of Christmas they set out to correct this assuming the family couldn’t afford to celebrate.

They went out and bought a tree, presents, and Christmas food and showed up unannounced at their doorstep to surprise this family with their own “Christmas Miracle.”  What was really great, was that the family that didn’t celebrate; never let on with this family as to why they didn’t celebrate.  They just took the gift, and celebrated that year.

Well, this year the folks over at “What’s in the Bible?” have tackled this age-old questions of why is Christmas on December 25th?  The videos and curriculum are sure to be content-rich; but they bring up an interesting question.  How do we approach this sensitive subject with kids and those that lead them in our churches?  I mean we do all understand that Jesus wasn’t born on the morning of December 25th, right?  We know that the date we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior is rooted deeply in pagan traditions, right?

I personally have learned to celebrate the birth and coming of my redeemer, in spite of the conflict that December 25th present for us; but how do I prepare my leaders to do this in the atmosphere of being honest and forthright with our kids?

 

Let’s start here:

  • I’d let the information within the WITB videos spur the questions and answers on their own.  When I show this video to our kids at Trinity this month, I’m going to make room for kids to question what they hear.
  • I’m going to encourage that we make the most important thing the most important thing.  The most important thing being…a redeemer was sent for me.  That redeemer was born to a virgin, and laid in a manger in Bethlehem.  That’s truth, and I can hang my hat on that all day long.
  • Be sensitive to those that disagree with the day of December 25th.  It’s easy to assume those people are nuts, but they have their reasons.  When I’ve dealt with these families; I’ve always encourage them to find their own times of the year to celebrate the arrival of a redeemer!

So I’ve spent time today talking about this great video and curriculm idea from WITB; and now it’s time to give yourself a chance to win some all for yourself!  I’ll be giving away a “Why do we call it Christmas? Curriculum Series” DVD, valued at $79.99!  And you can enter right now below, and there are up to 5 different ways to get your name in the drawing.  Let’s play now!

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