Sunday Mind Dump - August 8

A very good day. However it was balanced with good and bad. I’ll try to make this a report of what God is doing more than a rant.

Attendance was good. I don’t know what the count was but it looked good in both services. The attendance in second service looked better than normal.

The people who attend second service are crazy! They shout, clap their hands, stand up spontaneously, and get into church! I was ready to have an altar call and lay hands on people today.

Today was Alex Casey’s last day with us. He is the college aged kid who plays in our band. He can play several instruments (bass, saxophone, drums, etc, almost anything), and has been an enormous assets to PCC and our worship band. He also wears cool hats on stage sometimes, and even looks cool when he does it. Plus he has a true servants heart. He is moving to Mississippi to attend college. We are going to miss him. I hope he comes back.

After church today we took Alex and a few of his friends out to lunch, along with some of our staff. We wanted to honor him in a proper way, and had a lot of fun together.

A lot of people spoke to me about the morning message. I mean a lot. Apparently it was very encouraging for some. I must confess that it was encouraging to me as well. Sometimes when I teach I am doing so simply because that is part of my role at PCC. At other times I’m preaching it to myself just as much as to anyone else. Today was one of those days; I’ve lived it, experienced it, it was alive to me. Just like you.

Some thoughts from the day……

The newness wears off. It’s then that you have to dig in and see your commitments through.

There comes a time in everyone’s life when quit looks good.

Some of you are probably on the verge of the greatest years of your life, but you’ll never know if you run.

The second half of the wall is harder to build than the first half.

The second half of your life can be better than the first half.

Trust God, He’s great and awesome (v.14)

Fight for your families!

Get involved in a ministry of serving others.

When I get to church on Sunday mornings I never turn on my computer - never, ever, ever - for the simple reason that there might be an e-mail waiting for me that will rattle me just before I walk onto the stage. I don’t need that kind of distraction. Well, Gene Tharp opened his e-mail today and, you guessed it, there was an e-mail there written by some unhappy person who felt the liberty to slam everything good about PCC. It came in through our web site. To Gene’s credit he did not tell me about it until after church. I asked to read it. Then I had Gene forward it to my e-mail account and told him not to worry about it because I will handle it, The nerve of some people.

Here are a few comments from facebook about today’s service:

Marueen B. said, The Lord is good and worthy to be praised!!Great God, Good church, good friends and LOVE the men in my life! Jesus Christ and Ronald!

Kim U. said, Church was so AWESOME today. I've been a Christian for a very long time and today I felt like God and I were having a one on one conversation. Sooo close to leaving some walls half finished. Now, I'm rethinking.

Christa C. said, The message today was super interesting!! Talking about overcoming discouragement, which I have been facing some of that lately!! He even talked about how sometimes we just want to bail on our lives; I so get that!! I have thought about running away many times!! I won't, I will stand in the face of adversity and decide that the second half will be harder but better than the first!! Thanks Ron!!

Another lady wrote Renae a long e-mail this afternoon expressing her thankfulness for today’s service. She was driving around aimlessly in shorts and flip flops, drove by our church, felt that she should attend here, so quickly drove to the dollar tree and bought a pair of pants to wear to church. She said the message was exactly what she needed to hear since she has been having a long battle with discouragement. The content of her letter made my spine tingle.

You know what? God does things like this; He actually sends people to places where He knows they will receive help.

Vacation Bible School was totally amazing last week. I’m not sure of the numbers, but this first night was over 70. I think it might have actually increased a couple of night from there to. Most impressive to me were the VOLUNTEERS who did such an amazing job. I was totally impressed with their selfless service. I especially like seeing so many of our teenagers involved in teaching, serving, and stepping up.

I love it when God confirms things… and He’s been confirming some things recently.

There are a lot of things that need to be fixed and/or improved at PCC. Some of our systems are not working well. After meeting with a group of people this week we are beginning to get clarification about these matters. We are going to refocus our efforts on what’s most important and will be ruthless in keeping the main thing the main thing. Over the years we have become too diversified but now we realize that we need to get back to the basics.

For the last couple of years we have been stuck at the halfway point of building this wall. Now it’s time to build the second half…. and it’s going to be greater than the first half. I think we have to the people and the plan to make it happen.

If you have an interest in the future of your church, log on to this blog – I’ll be writing about these events as they unfold. I’ll be sharing the specifics.

Dang! I’m excited about PCC.

Book on Church Growth

I just read the most amazing book on church growth. It's called The Book of Acts and it's found in the Bible.

Leadership Summit Highlights

T. D. Jakes (senior pastor, Potters House, Dallas TX)

“When people are passionate about what they do, they are far more effective in what they do.”

“Leadership is transition. It’s not maintaining.”

“People follow people who move. People who take action. People who take risks.”

You want to make sure the vision doesn’t get “diluted or polluted”.

“People are passionate when you ask them to do something when it’s within their reach.”

“When God gives you people, He’s given you something he really cares about.”

“Passion is more than emotionalism. Passion is the fuel that makes the engine go.”

“If you only surround yourself with people who do what you do, they only compete with you but they don’t complete you.”

“When Jesus picked the 12 disciples, He didn’t pick one rabbi.”

“If you have 2 or 3 confidants in your lifetime, you are a blessed person.”

“Don’t try to hold people too tightly who are meant to come and go.”

“You need to keep at least one ear-cutter on the team.”

“Joshua was a fighter. He wasn’t a brief case carrier.”

“You don’t want to kill the fight. You want to direct them to the target.”

“You can’t be led by someone you can’t read well.”

“When my heart is overwhelmed, I go to the Rock that is higher than me.”



Dan Pink (author, Drive)

One of the problems that we have in our organizations is that we make the wrong assumptions about people.”

“One of the false assumptions is that people are machines.”

Another false assumption is that “human begins are blobs.”

“Our nature is to be active and engaged.”

People need: autonomy, mastery and purpose

“Management wasn’t delivered to us from God.”

“Management is a technology designed to get compliance.”

“We want engagement. Management doesn’t lead to engagement. Self-direction leads to engagement.”

“Give people autonomy over their time, team, task and technique. That leads to engagement.”

“Making progress is the single greatest motivator at work.”

“We want challenge.”

“Performance reviews are not authentic conversations.”

“I think we are seeing the limits of the profit motive. The profit-motive is a good thing, but it’s not the only thing.”

“The only way people will be enduringly motivated is if they’re animated by something bigger than themselves.”

“I’m convinced that anything good in life began with a conversation. That’s what changes the world.”


Andy Stanley (senior pastor, North Point Community Church, Atlanta GA)

“Every organization has problems that shouldn’t be solved and tensions that shouldn’t be resolved.”

“If you resolve some tensions, it’ll lead to other tensions.”

“Progress doesn’t depend on the resolution of tensions but on the management of those tensions.”

“If it’s a problem that keeps resurfacing, it’s a tension to be managed.”

“The role of leadership is to leverage the tension for the benefit of the organization.”

“Often times the right person doesn’t win the argument, but someone wins the argument.”

“Certain tensions are the key to progress.”

for leaders… “Continually give value to both sides, and don’t weigh in too heavily with your personal biases.”

“Always try to see the upside of the other side, and the downside of your side.”

“Don’t allow strong personalities to win the day.”

“Don’t think in terms of balance – think in terms of rhythm.

Plan A - no Plan B

The church is God's Plan A for reaching the world and there is no Plan B. Wes Stafford, Compassion International, Leadership Summit today.

Let Dying Programs Die

Programs that are terminally ill need to be put out of their misery. Any ministry that has lost its effectiveness needs to removed.

Eliminating dead programs has the same positive effect on our future as tilling the soil has for next years crop. It makes the future possible. It sets the stage so that new seeds can grow without the old roots choking them out. Without this commitment and willingness to cease funding and staffing the programs that no longer work well, we will never have enough money and energy to create the future.

The difficulty with axing certain programs is that every program has its champions. Even after rigor mortis has set in, someone will champion the cause. Usually these champions are leaders who invested time and energy into making the program successful in the first place, or a tiny remnant who believe that if it “helps just one person” it’s worth it whatever it costs.

But a senior leadership team cannot allow these people to sway how resources are allocated. If we give in to everyone who pleads for heroic measures to save their favorite ministry, it won’t be long until we’ve become a historical preservation society, so loaded with ‘yesterday’ that we have no energy or resources left for ‘today’ or ‘tomorrow.’

We have only a limited supply of time, energy, workers, and money. That’s why I will ask the question, “Why are we doing this?” If there is no good reason, we will abandon it. I will say, “Show me the results.” If there is not enough measurable data to demonstrate its effectiveness, we will discontinue the activity in favor of a newer initiative.

We need to understand the importance of PLANNED ABANDONEMENT. We must deliberately ask ourselves, “What ministries or initiatives in PCC are no longer effective?” And once identified, we must let them go. Most people will see it as heartless, but it’s not. It’s about making room for the future.

Clergy Burrnout on the Rise

Read it Here

An Honest Evaluation....

One of the reasons new churches are so effective in reaching people for Christ is because they are typically very lean. The leadership structure is simple. The ministry strategy is very focused. The mission is clear. Unencumbered, ministry leaders are free to be creative and launch initiatives.

But as a church ages the ministry strategy gets more complex. New programs and events get layered on, one after another, without ever removing ineffective programs. The agenda gets bloated. Church growth eventually slows down or plateaus altogether as the complexity increases. The typical response is to add even more structures or systems to fix the problem. Big mistake. This is the very time when programs must be slashed and the whole church needs to get back to basics. The solution is found in doing less, not more.

PCC, like other churches, has gradually drifted towards a complex matrix of varied ministries. These ministries, each with its own champion for the cause, are competing internally for resources, attention, support, and use of the building. We want to avoid the turf battles, volunteer raids, and budget wars that usually follow this kind of scenario. To that end, we are going to be taking steps to fix things:

1. We will not become a federation of sub ministries. Pace Community Church is one unified body – not a federation of sub ministries. We have one mission and one purpose statement. Our staff and volunteers do not belong to a particular ministry; they belong to PCC and serve our church “through” that ministry. Each ministry does not need it’s own website – our main website should have all the content. Each ministry does not need its own advertising budget – our church’s outreach budget covers that effort for everyone. We are not building a house of separate brands; we are one brand.

2. Staff members and ministry leaders must have a CHANGE OF PERSPECTIVE about the ROLE of their ministry. People sometimes get tunnel vision. They operate their ministry in a certain corner of the church and lose sight of the bigger picture. The only vision they have is for their own ministry and its needs, and don’t fully embrace the vision of the church. If not corrected, some people will actually begin to think that their ministry is autonomous (independent of the church) and that the only role of the church is to make them and their ministry successful. That is a wrong perspective. Actually, it’s the other way around. Each ministry exists by permission of PCC and the role of these ministries is to serve mission of Pace Community Church.

Instead of asking “What’s best for my ministry?” staff members and ministry leaders should start asking, “What is best for the church?” In other words, sometimes changes need to be made in certain areas (i.e, small groups, teens, children, seminars, hospitality, building usage, etc,), and when those changes are made the guiding principle is NOT what kind of impact will it have upon that specific ministry, but rather what kind of impact it will have upon the church as a whole. If we scale something back or if we increase our efforts in a certain area, it’s for the benefit of the whole. It’s not about you - it’s about the church. It’s not personal - it’s about the bigger picture. Each ministry exists to serve Pace Community Church; not the other way around.

3. We are going to do less. Look. We can’t do everything. We can’t implement every idea. We can’t authorize every kind of ministry that everyone is passionate about. It’s just that simple. To do so diffuses energy and gets the church running off in too many directions at once. To combat this trend we will keep ourselves decidedly simple at PCC, limiting our ministries to about five areas only. Read more here and here. I have written about this before.

To ensure that the most important and productive ministries thrive, it is necessary for us to periodically cut competing systems or programs from the church docket. We just have to SAY NO to some ideas. Even though they would broaden our ministry they would also blunt our impact. For instance, from the beginning we decided not to have choirs, mid-week church services, Sunday night worship services, Easter cantatas, Christmas specials, and a host of other good but potentially competitive programs. There is nothing wrong with any of these programs or ministries. But for us, we can’t do everything that comes along.

4. A significant investment is going to be made in emerging and future leaders who understand these principles. My number one priority is to raise up leaders who get it. I’m looking for people who are loyal to the vision and mission of PCC (which, btw, is the Great Commission). I'm looking for people who understand that the big picture is more important than the little picture. Loyalty to PCC's vision is something we expect because our church can never grow if our leaders are not loyal to the vision of this church.

We will never allow our vision from God to get hijacked by anyone. If we permit people to do their own thing we will wake up one day and not even recognize the ministry that we have allowed to be created. I want PCC to grow and that can’t happen if everyone goes off on a tanget and does what they want to do. Everyone, including myself, must operate withing the boundaries of our mission, statements, and strategy.

It is the job of all ministry leaders at Pace Community Church to carry out the DNA of our church. The leaders that will take this church to the next level are those who know our vision, teach our vision, operate within our vision, and fulfill our vision. These will be the people who are appointed and delpoyed. These are the people who we will deeply invest in.

When is a Church Too Big?

Sometimes people will say, “A church can get too big, you know.” My question is, “Too big for who?” Come on now. Is a church ever too big for God, or is it you?

At what attendance level has a church gotten too big? When there are 300 people? 400? 500? 1000? Where do you draw the line? Who is the person that is qualified to decide this magic cut-off number?

Some people want everything to grow except the church. They want their businesses to grow, their salaries to grow, and their checking accounts to grow. But when it comes to the church – keep it small!

Is church just the right size when you and your family get saved? Is it just the right size as long as you ‘know everyone?’ But what about those other lost people out there? Does God want to see them saved and on their way to heaven? Does He want to see them in church? Of course He does!

So who’s talking here?

Church

God does not call you to attend a church. You are called to belong to one.

Sunday Mind Dump - August 1, 2010

• SLAMMED! That is the word that describes my life right now. I’ve been slammed on every front, and to say my life is beyond crazy right now would be the understatement of the year. When it rains it pours. There is almost more on my plate than I can take care of.
  
  
• I’ll be fixing that real soon.
  
  
• It is a very busy season at PCC right now for everyone.
  
  
• The building is decorated really cool for VBS (that begins tomorrow night). All the workers (about 40 of them) spent the afternoon creating a perfect kids environment. Come up and check it out.
  
  
• Today was a good day at PCC.
  
  
• The teenagers got back from Student Life Camp Saturday evening. It was great to see them all across the front row this morning. A couple of the guys had on hats that were pretty cute. I think it’s a good thing when so many young people love Jesus and their church so much that they will walk in making a statement.
  
  
• Attendance was back up from a slight July slump. Looks like vacation and summer travel is coming to an end. It always feels good when attendance is full.
  
  
• After first service everyone hung around for more than thirty minutes in the atrium until after the second service actually began. I think that is really neat. It means people love hanging out together and catching up with one another. It means we actually ‘like’ each other. It means there is a certain buzz or vibe about PCC that is contagious.
  
  
• I must say, the people in the second service are crazy! Although attendance is lower the energy in the place is awesome. They lift their hands, shout out loud, clap, laugh, take notes, and enjoy themselves; and it really shows. This makes it very easy for me to preach. What I mean is I can get out of “teach” mode and get into “preach” mode. There is a difference, you know.
  
  
• From Nehemiah chapter 4 we talked about being “Steadfast in the Face of Opposition.” We learned that prayer should always be our first response, that intensified opposition sometimes calls for an intensified response on our part, and that being spiritual and practical go hand-in-hand.
  
  
• We had a lot of visitors today. Glad to see it.
  
  
• But there was one exception. Why is it that some people will visit our church for their very first time and feel led to tell me what to do? I asked him, “Do I look like somebody who doesn’t know what he is doing?” He probably won’t be back. Just saying…
  
  
• We are putting some things on the drawing board right now. An overhaul is in our future. You may recall that I wrote a brief blog series earlier this summer on “Rethinking” our church in regards to leadership, church programs, volunteers, organization & structure. We still have top-of-mind awareness about doing this. We are looking at all programs and evaluating them.
  
  
• As a church we have to get back to the business at hand. We’re going to be getting back to the basics. I think a little mission drift has set in – and it is my fault – so I intended to fix it. I’m going to remind everyone what our ‘main thing’ is and then ensure that we keep the main thing the main thing.
  
  
• How about the flute player today? Awesome is all I can say to that. Here name is Taylor. Next time you see her, tell her what a great job she did. It was a very nice new element in our song service.
  
  
• How about the bass player today? His name is Cameron. He is one of two that we have. I thought he did an exceptional job today as well. He gets better all the time. In fact, I even looked over at him 2 or 3 times today to steal a look – he was just that good.
  
  
• It does my heart good to see young people living for God and using their talents for God – whether on the stage, cleaning our building, teaching a class, serving as volunteers in the children’s ministry area, or simply living for God in their daily life and being a good witness for Christ.
  
  
• All for God’s glory…