September 28, 2011 By 9 Comments

Pastor, You Don’t Have a “Real” Job

The guy working at Waffle House on Saturday morning – the day I’m taking my daughter out to breakfast – has a “real” job. The guy working on spreadsheets in a cubicle all day, with only 45 minutes for lunch, has a real job. The underpaid school teacher and the soldier fighting in Iraq…they have real jobs.

You get to attend meetings and strategize about ways to save the world. You get to study the Bible, read blogs and attend conferences. You can study from an office, go bowling with your staff, and control a good part of your schedule. You can deduct a housing allowance from your taxes, something the stylist can’t do. You get to attend Exponential with your spouse, skipping a day for Disney of course, something the guy working at Jiffy Lube can’t do.

I’m not saying that being a pastor isn’t stressful. I’m not saying you don’t get tired or deserve a vacation. I’m not saying that being a pastor easy. Unless you are a pastor, you may not understand the weight and pressure pastors feel. But I am saying that it’s not the reality facing the normal people sitting in the congregation. You don’t have a real job, in the way that most Americans would define a real job.

This ought to make you thankful. If you’re a church leader, constantly remind yourself that you GET to do what you do. It’s a calling, and it’s an honor. Sure, there are going to be days when you feel like you are relying on your calling, because ministry can be emotionally, spiritually and physically draining. But I still say it’s an honor. If you’re one of those church leaders who is constantly talking about how hard this is…go find a different job.

This ought to keep you from complaining. Complaining about how hard it is to talk to crowded rooms full of people three times in one day sounds like the millionaire athlete complaining about losing a game check. You may actually be tired, but the rest of the world thinks you sound crazy.

This ought to give you perspective. The people in the pews work 40-50 hours a week, and a good many of them still find time to volunteer at church. The guy in the worship band comes to practice after 9 long hours in office – he didn’t get to run home for a couple of hours to see his wife and kids, or he doesn’t get to have a Friday off to spend with his family. The people in your church are real people with “real” jobs…keep that in perspective when planning.

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September 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

What Pastors Need to Know About Volunteers

I used to tell people all the time that our church was driven by God but fueled by volunteers.  Here’s a few things I learned about working with volunteers:

1. People don’t volunteer because they are bored. They are busy people with jobs, families and hobbies.  They don’t have lots of time for meetings, read all the emails you send, or think about church every day like you do.

2. They need clear directions. I’m a huge proponent of a written job description for every volunteer.  It doesn’t have to be long, but let people know how much time a volunteer position takes, and who to call if they have an issue.  Get on the same page on the front end, and you’ll have less confusion on the back end.  For what it’s worth, volunteer job descriptions are included in Docs and Forms.

3. They want to meet your expectations.  Most volunteers are not bad people with bad motives. They really do want to please you.

4. They want to feel good about what they do. Checking boxes and completing tasks aren’t inspiring. They want to be a part of something that leads to results, not plug away without seeing success.

5. Their only reward shouldn’t be in heaven. Appreciating people isn’t expensive.  Recognition and information are two great ways to appreciate people.

6. They need a break. No volunteer should be asked to commit to a position for life. This is especially true for children’s ministry workers. Give the setup team a morning off.

7. Someone needs to care for their soul. You are a shepherd, not just a leader. Personally. Family. Spiritually. Does someone know their kids?

8. You gotta ask people to serve. General requests from the stage get general responses from the audience. Ask people personally. Create specific opportunities for people to serve.  The more specific the position, the more likely you are to find someone.  ”We need a 2nd grade small group leader at 9:00″ will get a better response than “we need kids workers.”

9. It’s easy to use people. If you keep asking the same people for stuff, they will feel abused.  People in your church are not a mechanism to help you accomplish your vision. People have goals…help them reach them.

10. They need development. All volunteers are not leaders. Some people are doers; some people are leaders. Teach people skills that they can use in life, not just in church.

Docs and Forms - $79 instant download

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September 26, 2011 By 7 Comments

It Doesn’t Have to Cost A Lot

Companies and non-profits alike frequently cite the pursuit of excellence as one of their goals. And they just as frequently cite the lack of money as an excuse for falling short.

But excellence doesn’t require a large budget. As a small business, you’ve got to learn to fake it till you make it, or bootstrap your way to success. If you don’t have the cash to pull off excellence, change the game and let creativity be your guide. Here are a few examples of cheap solutions at a young church.

We wanted to give all first time guests to our church a memorable gift. Our solution was a 3″ mailing tube from Uline wrapped in a full-page label purchased from an office store. We stuck some candy, info cards, a water bottle, and occasionally a t-shirt inside and gave them to first time guests who visited our church. It didn’t cost a lot of money and we put them together ourselves.

We wanted a display of current volunteer opportunities, and a few strips of metal, some magnets and homemade cards did the trick. We didn’t have the money to spend on a fancy display, so we chose to play off the metal look in our building.

As we prepared for hundreds of guests on Easter, but struggled with the budget, we decided to put together simple guest bags for everyone who attended. It turned out to be pretty cheap to print our logo on a bunch of brown bags (you could even order a stamp and do it yourself). Candy and a few flyers were all that were inside.

We didn’t have a video department or even a video guy on our team, but we know we wanted to use video. But this little solution worked great for what we wanted to accomplish. The videos that connected most with our church family weren’t the slick motion graphics, but the simple videos that told a story. A flip camera with an external mic did the trick. (Additional Note:  Will kindly left a comment with details on the setup and mic.)

It would have easy to use the lack of money as an excuse not to create video, but a simple solution allowed us to move forward with a “good enough” approach.

Filed Under: Leadership Tagged With: ,
September 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Stuff I Starred

Here’s my weekly list of some stuff I clipped into Evernote, starred in Google Reader or Favorited on Twitter.

Filed Under: Leadership
September 22, 2011 By 1 Comment

Book Notes: Necessary Endings

Here are my notes from Necessary Endings, by Henry Cloud

  • Today might be the enemy of tomorrow
  • The good cannot begin until the bad ends
  • Endings are a requirement for living and thriving
  • Growth depends on PRUNING.
  • When Jack Welch took over GE, he decided to get out of any market he couldn’t dominate. And he decided to fire the the bottom 10% every year.
  • All things have life cycles and seasons.
  • Desire along is not enough to keep something going
  • Don’t keep discussing a problem or an idea with a foolish person
  • Show people the vision over time – don’t dump it on them all at once. (Example: When he was moving to a new house, he showed his kids the neighborhood, the backyard, the upstairs – all over time, so when he told them about the move, they were familiar with the destination)
  • There are simple things that work, but they are not always obvious.
  • There is tremendous power and focus in a simple deadline. A deadline is simply creating the ending in advance.
  • There is tremendous clarity in simple measurements.
  • Urgent is the new normal and “later” is a drug.
  • Don’t get too attached to a certain outcome.
  • Face losing things you might want in order to be free to do the right thing.
  • Don’t idealize or romanticize – it keeps you from seeing the whole picture.
  • The best and longest lasting business are the ones in which everyone sees and loves the whole picture.
  • There’s a big difference between a skeptic (someone with real questions) and a “no-no” person (someone who is opposed to any kind of change)
  • Sometimes, you need to set a personal deadline and give yourself a consequence (For example: “If I don’t get a job teaching in 9 months, then I’m going to pursue another field.”
  • What are your goals for a specific conversation? Decide and communicate in advance what you hope to accomplish.
Filed Under: Book Notes, Leadership Tagged With: , , ,
September 21, 2011 By 1 Comment

Ten Things You Can Do To Get Organized NOW

You started off with a dream, passion and vision, but the idea has quickly become mundane amid the pressures of the everyday.  You struggle to find time to do the things that you ought to do.  You know you should step back and work ON it, but it’s tough to get ahead.

A big reason why you feel the way you do is because you’re not as organized as you should be.  Here’s ten things you can do to take a GIANT leap forward.

  1. Create a health report spreadsheet with all the important metrics and start updating it once a week.  You’ve got to stop making decisions based on how things feel and start looking at real numbers.
  2. Write a “new email” sequence to send to every new email address you obtain.  Opt for a three-part sequence rather than one giant email.  Welcome new people to your tribe and educate them in the process.
  3. Create an annual calendar.  I wrote about this here. And it’s one of the workshops I can lead for your team. Hands down, this will be one of the most effective uses of a day.
  4. Write 140-character or less job descriptions for everyone on your team.  People need to know their bottom line reason for being on the team.
  5. Read this book.
  6. Read these posts from Michael Hyatt and start using Evernote.
  7. Schedule six month performance reviews with everyone on your team.  Schedule them right now, and let every employee know the date and time of their meeting.  An extensive performance review is a part of Docs and Forms.
  8. Email your staff or key leaders every Monday and share two or three things that you’re thinking about as the leader.  Make this a recurring task on your calendar.
  9. Schedule a two day staff retreat.  Tell everyone on your team that it’s required.  Maybe a workshop could be a part of it.
  10. Bring in someone from the outside to evaluate what you’re doing.  You’re stuck in the middle of it, and that causes you to lose some perspective.  I’d love to help if I can.
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September 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I am Not Planing a Church

I don’t know why exactly I feel the need to clarify this, but here goes…

A couple of months ago, me and my family moved to Atlanta.  We’ve got our kids in a new school and we’re really enjoying city living.

But I did NOT move here to start a church, and I don’t have any plans to start another church.  I’m not working on anything, raising money, or networking.  Right now, I’m focusing on my faith and my family, and we’re attending church.

I recently started working with Giving Rocket, and I’m fired up about this opportunity.  I don’t know exactly what I do – it ranges from writing to organizing to producing – but I enjoy it.  I’m grateful to Casey and his family – He’s become a good friend to me over the past few years, and especially over the last few months.  While I have no desire to be on a stage or get credit for anything, I care about the local church and want to help behind the scenes.

I believe in what Giving Rocket is doing to help churches fully fund their mission, and I’m excited about helping launch some new things in the coming year.

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September 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Free Online Conference Focused on Church Finances

Pete Wilson speaking at Fund Your Church Now

If you’ve attended The Nines or any other online conference, you’ll know how this works.  This free online event is focused on church finances.  It’s called Fund Your Church Now and it takes places on October 20.  Here are the details:

What is it? Fund Your Church Now is a FREE online event to help your church go from financial breakeven to breakthrough.  Some of the top church leaders in North America will talk about the practical things they have done to fully fund the church or ministry they help lead.  No travel required…just watch from your computer.

When is it?  October 20, 2011 from 1pm – 4pm EST.  Register here.

Who is speaking?  Bob Franquiz, Dino Rizzo, Carey Nieuwhof, Shaun King, Joe Sangl, Tim Stevens , Pete Wilson, Casey Graham, Robert Morris, and others.

Who is behind it?  Fund Your Church Now is hosted by Giving Rocket.

If you are a church leader, this free online conference looks like it’s worth your time.

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September 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Stuff I Starred

Here’s a list of some of the stuff I starred in Google Reader, favorited on Twitter or clipped into Evernote.

  • Hospitals in the UK have banned Crocs – those terrible plastic, sandal shoes.  Maybe the rest of the world will follow along.
  • We can create faster than they can copy. – Walt Disney
  • i unapologetically fire people for extra-marital affairs. If their spouse can’t trust them, how can I? – @DaveRamsey  (I wrote a pretty long blog post on this, but I’m not sure if I will publish it)
  • “If people don’t know their pastor, it’s easy to put the pastor on a pedestal and depersonalize him or her. It’s also easy for pastors, who don’t know their congregations, simply to classify congregants as saved or unsaved, involved or not involved, tithers or non-tithers. These impersonal designations allow you to treat people not as they are, but as sociological or psychological categories.” - Eugene Peterson, addressing. the modern temptation to depersonalize ministry. Excerpted from “Pastor in the Present Tense” in the Summer 2011 issue of the Leadership Journal.
  • Great post from Jonathan Herron about Thomas Edison and bad luck.
  • Superman’s underwear reminds us that some people just don’t like change.
  • Growing up my family was always humiliated and laughed at. That’s why I wanted to appear as fearless and mean, even though I am not. – @miketyson
  • When you say less, & say it more clearly, people remember more of it – & longer. -Quentin E. Wood
  • Creative ways to tell your story.  This would be good for a small group, or anything where people needed to introduce themselves.
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September 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Free eBook on Volunteers

Last year, I put together a resource for church leaders on how to find, train, develop and equip volunteers.  Today, I’d like to offer that resource to you absolutely free.  Just join my mailing list and the handy auto responder should send you the download link within 24 hours.

 

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