Lead Well

Photo by Medienstürmer on Unsplash Starting a new ministry position can be scary. We don’t know what the future holds or what to expect. We’re filled with enthusiasm and passion for the next chapter, but a lot of times we go in blind. I've been there.  It's never fun to be surprised when things happen we don’t expect. Inevitably, we fall into the comparison trap of what we did at the last church. The best way to combat this problem is with questions. It's not unusual to ask a lot of questions during the interview process, but once you accept the position, what then? The transitional time between when you say yes, and your first day is critical to set expectations and understand exactly what you're walking into. By asking more questions, you can make sure you mesh with the culture well and hit the ground running. With this in mind, here are 75 questions to ask after you’ve accepted the job and before you start. If you'd like an editable copy of these questions, do

Photo by Jan Tinneberg on Unsplash I’ve served at 4 different churches and deciding when it’s time to go is never an easy decision. Serving in ministry, we feel called to the city, the church, the people, and now that time may be coming to an end. For some, it’s like being hit by a Mack truck, others it’s a slow burn or something in between. Whatever it is, for better or worse, there will come a time for you to say goodbye. We are all itinerant ministers. There was probably someone before you, and there will most likely be someone after you. Even if you serve for 50 years in the same place, time and people move on. But how do you know when it’s time to move on? How do you know it’s a prompting from God and not your emotions getting the better of you? There are no simple solutions, and every situation is different. I know because the reason I’ve moved from each church has been for vastly different reasons. The list I’m giving isn’t exhaustive, but rather created from personal

Photo by Ante Hamersmit on Unsplash It was the summer of 2014, and I’m trying to get as many kids as possible to go to camp. I advertised, secured scholarships, made phone calls and much more, but I’d hit a ceiling. Many kids couldn’t go because their parents had already scheduled something that week or they had already committed to attending one of other paid events throughout the summer and couldn’t afford it. Sound familiar? One dad told me he’d love to send his kids to camp, but he hadn’t budgeted for it. If I’d told him about all the things earlier, they may have been able to go. Thus, the parent meeting was born. Even though it started as an information meeting, over the years, the meeting has morphed into a vision casting and connection point for parents. It’s one of the most valuable events I do all year. 5 Steps to a Successful Parent Information Meeting. 1. Plan the Year. You don’t have to have every event listed and don’t feel like you’re locked into everything you’ve li

Let's do T-shirts! That’s a question that somehow got skipped in seminary. Nowhere in all my studies did anyone tell me how to design, order, and then sell/give-away t-shirts and somehow in my ministry experience I find myself having to do it at least once a year. Over the years, I’ve developed some strategies to help me be successful and get the kind of shirts everyone loves. This is the first of a three part series on ordering t-shirts.  Designing your shirts Ordering the right amount Distribution As Julie Andrews taught me in the Sound of Music , let’s start at the very beginning.

Small Group time at my church Churches all over are trying to figure out how to reopen and relaunch their services and specifically their children’s ministry. I’m no different. I’m eternally grateful to the leaders I’ve talked to over the last few months who have successfully (whatever that means these days) opened their children’s ministries. I’m in Florida, so I know that I’m a little bit ahead of the curve. We opened in-person meetings in May and relaunched kids (elementary only) on July 26. I don’t have all the answers, but this is what I’ve learned so far about launching kids ministry in a pandemic filled world.

For a few years now, I’ve been holding a parent information meeting at the beginning of the year. I originally started the meeting to help boost camp attendance. The cost of camp is sometimes prohibitive, and by the time I was getting the information out to parents to sign up, they had already made their summer plans. Over the years, the meeting has morphed into a vision casting and connection point for parents. It’s one of the most valuable events I do all year. Before I share 5 things to make your own meeting great, you can watch the last meeting I streamed live here , and you can download the calendar I gave to every parent here . Without further ado, here are 5 things I do to make the Parent Information Meeting great.

Events and ministry go hand in hand. It comes from when the church was the center of town. Everyone’s social calendar was filled with church activities because the church was the community. Now things have drastically changed, but we still do events. Now you may be in one of those churches that have fully embraced the Attractional Model and all you have to worry about is the weekend. As my southern friends say, “Bless your heart”. For the rest of us, it’s a juggling act. The pressure of Sunday is always coming, but you also have movie nights, pajama parties, picnics in the park, VBS, kids camp, back to school outreaches, Holy Ghost Weeny Roasts, the list goes on and on. I could talk about why you’re doing all these things and even question if doing all of them is even the right thing to do, but that’s a different post . The question I want to ask today is “Does the event work?” Many churches simply do things out of habit. “This is what we did last year, so we’re go

When I first started out in ministry, I was naïve to think that everyone would get along. We all love Jesus, and we’re all in this together, we should be one big happy family, right? Unfortunately, church can be like angry Twitter. No matter who you are or where you go there will always be conflict. You’re going to want to do something and someone else is going to have a different opinion. It’s called being human. Your skill as a leader is shown by your ability to work with others and get things done. It’s far too easy to make that other person your enemy but doing so will not help you reach your goals or theirs. Let me tell you a story.

A few months ago, I wrote a post about leaving well . The inevitable happens when you leave something. You start something new. But leaving something and starting something are two different things. They both have their hurts and their joys, but you have to approach them differently. Now that I’ve been in the new ministry for almost a year, I can look back at that first month or two and realize what helped and what didn’t. Here are 5 things you can do to start a new ministry job well. 1. Listen  When you’re first starting out you don’t know what you don’t know. There are new processes, programs, events, people, jargon, and ways of doing things that will be different from where you came from. It’s important that you listen to everyone. Ask questions in a curious and non-confrontational manner. The first week is always tough because of all the on-boarding, but if you come in with a teachable spirit, it will help you go further faster. But this goes beyond the

About a year ago, I made a huge change in my career and left my church of 7 years in Montgomery, Alabama and moved to Sarasota, Florida for a new church and new children's ministry.  Next week, I will post about how I tried to start there well, but today I want to talk about how to leave well. When I first felt the release from my assignment in Montgomery, I wasn’t sure if it was the pizza I had the night before, the frustration I was feeling in my current position, or if it was God nudging me in a new direction. This had happened to me before, so I decided to wait and pray. I didn’t tell anyone, not even my wife for the first several weeks, while I sought the Lord. After a few weeks, I realized that this may be the direction I should go, so I asked my wife to pray as well, and I reached out to a couple of my mentors to help me think and pray. Jim Wideman’s Stay or Go resource was invaluable at the time. His best quote was, “If it’s time for you to leave, it has to be

VBS was 5 days away. I’ve been working on it for weeks. There was a booth in the lobby, an announcement in the bulletin, posters in the children’s hall, volunteers recruited, and supplies arriving every day. It was on my own social media channels including the kids Facebook page, but I needed it to be said on the main church social channels. I created the content and sent it over to the social media manager. He said he loved it and would get it cued up for sharing. The he asked, “When is it?” “Monday.” Face palm. To be fair, the guy was new and didn’t have kids. He knew it was coming but hadn’t paid attention as to when. Parents and volunteers are sometimes worse. You can talk about the event or program over and over again. You put up posters, make slides, and make an announcement from the stage, and you get crickets. Or even worse, the week after your event, someone asks you when it is. I hope your story isn’t like this, but mine has been. It’s frustrating

I have led vacation Bible school (VBS) almost every year of my ministry and had participated in VBS for as long as I can remember. When I first heard about MEGA Sports Camp (MSC), I was resistant, because I was very happy with the curriculum I was using. I had systems and procedures in place to put on a large VBS without having to reinvent the wheel every year. However, over the past few years, I’ve seen a shift in my area. I was doing some well-known VBS programs, and our church was just one of many churches in my town doing those same programs. I also kept seeing the same kids from other churches come to our VBS without experiencing any real life change. I knew I had to try a different curriculum. A ministry of my church takes place at a private school that serves kids from six weeks old to twelfth grade, and that has all the sports facilities and equipment I needed for MEGA Sports Camp. Hosting the camp seemed almost like a no brainer, so I decided to give it a shot this sum

With so many consoles out there and video games becoming a major part of the American childhood experience, many parents are asking which one should I get for my kids? As a lifelong gamer, I know the challenges and the overwhelming amount of information that's out there, so I'm creating this guide to help you make an informed decision for your kids this Christmas. First of all you should know that many console bundles that include a game and accessories are available usually for a reduced price. Also almost all consoles come with the following features: Online Connectivity Parental Controls At least 1 Controller Apps such as Netflix and Hulu 1. Nintendo Switch   Cost: $299.99 Free web: yes Kid Friendly: 5/5 Recommended games: Mario Kart 8 , Super Mario Odyssey , Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild If your kids are under the age of 10, this is the best system for your family.  It has fun, easy, and safe games for your whole family. This is Ninten

I love the beginning of the year.  It's a great time to look back at the previous year and look forward to the next.  Every year, I make a list of books I want to read and work off of that list.  Sometimes I add books and take others off, but I always try to meet my goal. I read 13 books in 2015, which is significantly less than last year. However I'm learning that it's not the quantity of books read throughout the year, but the quality.  It doesn't do me any good to finish reading a book and not be able to apply what I've read. I plan to read even fewer in 2016, but I think I will get more out of them than I did in the past two years. Here's what I read in 2015: Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell Lead Small Culture by Reggie Joiner, Sue Miller and Kristin Ivy Good Leaders ask Great Questions by John Maxwell Three Signs of a Miserable Job by Patrick Lencioni Not Normal by Sue Miller and Ad

Let’s face it life can get tough. We endure things we never thought we would have to endure. We experience pain and disappointment, and we’re left questioning, “why?” Just like you, I’ve been through those tough times. I’ll admit, I started to question everything. Even God. However, I kept coming back to that one inescapable truth. His grace is sufficient for me. Whatever we’ve been through, Jesus knows what it’s like. While here on Earth he experienced loss, heartbreak, betrayal, and quite literally excruciating pain. Jesus knows. He also didn’t give up. He knew he had a mission to accomplish. He knew before he ever came to Earth what he’d have to endure and that didn’t discourage him. Was he scared? Yes. Did he have moments of doubt? Yes. Did that stop him? No. Because of what Jesus did for us, we cannot give up. As Paul told Timothy , “[Paul] has fought the good fight and finished the race…” We should do the same. Paul also told the Philippians, “Do not b

Goal-setting. It seems like such a simple concept, but how many of us do it regularly and/or successfully? Our bosses talk about sales goals and making our quota. Our teachers in high school and college talk about it like we already have them laid out, and TV is always talking about our financial goals before we call their company. For some, goal-setting is second nature, for others they know it should be done. and still others, it’s a foreign concept. So whether you’ve been setting goals all your life or you have no idea how, here are five easy steps for you to set goals and actually meet them. Your goal must be specific and must be measurable. When I ran my half marathon, I had to set a clear goal. It wasn’t enough for me to say, “I’m going to go running to get into shape.” I had to say, “I’m going to run a 13.1 mile race by finishing and not coming in last.” When we set goals, it is far too easy to be vague. For instance, “I’m going to lose weight.” Once I set th

I recently had some time on my hands and got to watch one of my favorite movies, Patton.  It's the story of 4 star General George Patton and his exploits during World War 2. Written by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North, it's based on the biography,  Patton: Ordeal and Triumph  by Ladislas Farago and Omar Bradley's memoir  A Soldier's Story.   If you know anything about Patton, you know that he was a great leader.  He had many faults that got him into trouble frequently, but no one can argue with his numerous victories including his most heroic at the Battle of the Bulge .  So here are 10 things we can learn from General Patton. Honor your men . Patton was quick to give out recognition and even medals for valor.  He made it clear frequently his appreciation for their sacrifice and heroism. Keep an eye the big picture . Leaders can see all the moving parts and how they fit together. However, many leaders make the mistake of watching just the big picture or

We spend our lives following God. Doing His will and still bad things happen to us. It just doesn’t seem fair does it? Didn’t God promise us joy? Aren’t we under his covering as His children? Doesn’t he want to bless us abundantly? Why would God allow this to happen? We’ve all asked ourselves these questions before and many times there are no answers. Then the answers we do get, seem hollow and cliche. The fortunate thing is that we are not alone. People all throughout time have asked these questions. Just a cursory reading of the Bible would show this. Adam lost two sons. Noah watched all the people of the world die. Joseph was sold into slavery and jail. David was hunted and almost killed. Jeremiah was thrown into a well and left to die. Paul was given a thorn in his flesh. Jesus was crucified on the cross. There is one thing all of these men had in common. None of them wanted to go through what they did. Even Jesus, the night before he was crucified as

Recently, I spoke at the All Church Ministries Summit for the Alabama District Assemblies of God.  I talked specifically about integrating the many ministries that fall under Children.  Use the following links to download my notes and the PowerPoint Presentation Notes PowerPoint

Ever feel overwhelmed?  You wake up in the morning and you just don't want to get out of bed?  Feel like you're drowning under the workload? courtesy gettyimages.com We all feel this way at some point in out lives.  Let me tell you the time I felt like this most recently.  My wife had gone out of town for the weekend to spend time with her family.  I told her not to worry about Sunday morning that everything was under control.  I wasn't lying; I just had no idea what lay ahead. This particular morning was one of the busiest Sunday mornings ever.  We had new lifegroup sign-ups in both services,which I had to be a part of, we were giving away new volunteer t-shirts, which weren't set up yet, I was supposed to start a new fifth and sixth grade leadership team that night, Two of my small group leaders were absent so I had to fill in for one of them, small groups had a craft that morning that had a lot of pieces and none of it was ready for children, and I had to do