Letting The Lines Get Blurry
“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he’s always doing both.”
- James A. Michener (Red Rubber Ball)
For many years I have worked hard at drawing boundaries, making sure there were clean lines of separation between me and the “ministry.” Lately I have been sensing a need to let go of some of my control freak ways and let the lines get a little blurrier for the sake of a more holistic me. While I will always be a strong proponent for distinction between when to work and when to rest, and when to say YES and when to say NO, I am wanting all of me to be a blaring signal of a woman pursuing the vision that God has given to me for my life.
I want it to almost be confusing to others when they look at me as to whether I am playing or working. I want to have as much excellence in my unseen mommy moments as I do in my clear managing with the vision of Soul City. I want to step as deeply into a world of imagination with my children as I do with dreaming up ways to creatively communicate. So here is one control addict loosing the grip a bit in the hopes for a healthier way of living and loving.
How do you need to let the lines get a little blurrier in your life?
This post was written by Jeanne Stevens (Leader // Soul City Church)
10 Questions for Jarrett Stevens by Ron Edmondson
This is an interview that appears today on ronedmondson.com. Ron is a great Thinker / Pastor / Leader / Social Media Maven who has been a great support to Soul City Church. For some reason he thought it might be interesting to interview me. Go figure.
I have only recently started following Jarrett Stevens closely, but I am instantly inspired by his vision. Jarrett has a pedigree resume, having served in key roles at Willow Creek Church and North Point Church. He is the author of The Deity Formerly Known as God.
The part of his story that inspires me the most is his current venture. Jarrett and his wife Jeanne are leaving the comfort of the mega church to launch Soul City Church in Chicago. It is one of the most publicized and talked about starts of a church of which I have been aware.
I am curious on the front end of this planting experience to learn more about how Jarrett thinks, so here are my 10 questions with Jarrett Stevens:
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1. When you were growing up, is this what you thought you would be doing vocationally? If not, what did you want to do?
No. For the longest time I wanted to be a Christian Stunt Man (this is sadly too true to be funny or ironic). I wanted to be a light to those in the Action Stunt Industry. Once that dream faded, I thought for sure that I would be a Third Grade School Teacher.
2. What’s the most different job you’ve had from what you are doing now and how did that job help you with what you are doing now?
Pizza Delivery Guy, or as I like to call it – Domestic Food Export Industry. It taught me that I love serving people and playing a small role in their joy. It also taught me how to drive stick.
3. Who is one person, besides Christ, who most helped to shape your leadership and how did they help you?
Sheryl Fleischer. She was a Spiritual Mentor who shaped my leadership by dissecting, dismantling, and slowly rebuilding my soul. I didn’t learn a single leadership principle from her in the three years that we met. But I would not be the leader I am today without her.
4. Besides the Bible, what is one book that has most helped to shape your thought process in life and ministry?
Just One? Not possible.
Moments with the Savior – Ken Gire
Inner Voice of Love – Henir Nouwen
War of Art – Steven Pressfield
Good to Great – Jim Collins
Signature of Jesus – Brennan Manning
Rise of the Creative Class / Who’s your City – Richard Florida
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality – Peter Scezaro
5. What are three words other people would use to describe your work style/ethic?
Ideator
Developer
Fun
6. What is your greatest strength in leadership?
Ideas.
7. What is your greatest weakness in leadership?
Intentional Thorough Follow Through
8. What is the hardest thing you have to do in leadership?
Submit myself fully to God and live from His love and approval.
9. What is one misconception about your position you think people in your church may have?
That I’m the only Lead Pastor
10. If you could give one piece of advise to young leaders from what you’ve learned by experience, what would it be?
That Christian Culture is a tiny bubble in light of a world filled God’s love and acceptance and millions of people who desperately need it. Seek first the kingdom of God in every corner and crevasse of your life and in this world and settle for nothing less.
Jarrett has a huge vision. I look forward to following him in the years to come.
Thanks Ron. We are so grateful for your friendship and support. And thanks for taking the time to do this interview. You could have spent your time doing so many more productive things than this!
MLK and the Gift of Rejection
I am honored today to participate in the celebration of one of our countries finest sons – Rev Martin Luther King Jr. To reflect and remember this legacy in Atlanta amongst friends and family of the late MLK is both Humbling and Inspiring.
What is perhaps most amazing in the midst of our National Canonized Respect for MLK is that at the time of his death, he had the LOWEST Public Approval Rating of any point in his life. Abysmally low. His continued persistence in the work our country had yet to do in the ongoing struggle of equality, his stance against the Vietnam War, and relentlessness presence left him rejected not only by those that opposed him (largely White), but by those who first supported him and sought to make him live up to his name – King (mostly Black).
At the time of his death he was on a downward spiral of rejection and abandonment within the country he fought so hard to unite. This is perhaps why we celebrate and remember him to this very day.
He could have very easily settled for Acceptance. He could have said what people wanted to hear. He could have taken a nice job on a Sunday Morning Talkshow and enjoyed a lifetime of the unripened fruit of legacy. But…he did not. And here I am today not only remembering, but reflecting.
Am I willing to Speak Up and Speak Out, even it means that I will be Kicked Out. Am I willing to Stand For and not just Stand By. Am I willing to Walk On into my convictions no matter what the cost, rather than just Walk By.
And I suppose I would ask the same of you – Where are you being given the Gift of Rejection that affords you in it’s solitary fire the opportunity to have forged within you what God has put inside you? What are you willing to say? What are you willing to do? Even if it costs you everything that you thought once mattered.
4 things that mattered to our parents…
Innovation has always and is currently moving at a breakneck speed. There is of course, those things that continue to be true and great that remain and weather the gail force winds of change. There is a reason these things remain. And there is a reason that many former “innovations” fall by the wayside. They need to. It’s time. They are not bad, they just aren’t as good anymore.
And yet there are those who are not willing to let go of the past. They are deeply rooted in the meaning that these things once held. They are stuck in the systems that these former “innovations” have created, unable to embrace what is now. Here are FOUR examples (of many) from our Culutre and ONE Question that each of us must wrestle with.
The Encyclopedia.
A brilliant breakthrough of the Modern Era. Knowledge for the masses! Everyone can own…26 Giant Books with Tiny Print. We had a set in our house growing up – grossly outdated and too expensive and complicated to update, they became fantastic door stoppers and forts for my G.I. Joes.
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The Phonebook.
Eclipsing the wisdom of a centralized Operator, now anyone could find a litany of phone numbers for 24 hour plumbers. They represent a centralized collection of localized limitedness that had to be updated every year with a new 18 pound 1384 page waste of paper. Not sustainable.
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The Home Phone.
The Cordless Phone simply was not enough to save the icon of a bygone era of simplicity and boundaries. ”Call me sometime…when I’m home…not on another call…and am willing to stand still long enough for our conversation.”
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The Newspaper.
An inky papery connection to the world around you…that the editors saw fit to represent. The world continues to move too fast, too far, and too wide for this iconic connection to the Greatest Generation. While the Newspaper may not die, it most certainly will not thrive in it’s current atomic state.
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Right or Wrong. Good or Bad. These are FOUR things that matter(ed) to our parents. But they simply DON’T to us anymore. They have been replaced by innovation that itself will be replaced in a matter of time.
The Question is – WHAT IS YOUR CHURCH STILL DOING THAT MATTERED TO OUR PARENTS, BUT SIMPLY DOES NOT MATTER TO THE WORLD WE CURRENTLY LIVE IN?
What are we still holding on to because of it’s unorthodox and uncritical “history” and meaning to us? What is it that we are still doing because we are too entrenched in the systems we’ve created around it? AND…WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
God Doesn’t Need You…
There is a Dangerous sort of Delusion that sets in to the mind of anyone who has dedicated their life to Following and Serving God. It is the belief that God NEEDS me. God NEEDS me to do things for Him. God NEEDS me to tell more people about Him. God NEEDS me to change the world. We somehow subtly fool ourselves into believing that God is lucky to have us. Where would He be without me? How would all of this get done if he didn’t have me?
The truth however is this - God Doesn’t Need You.
- God didn’t need you to speak everything into existence.
- God didn’t need you to rescue the Israelites.
- God didn’t need you to bring Salvation to the world.
- God didn’t need you to start the Church.
- God didn’t need you to write the Worship song that made it on to Time Life’s Ultimate Worship CD.
He simply didn’t need you to. He does however offer you something better than NEEDING you…He LOVES you.
- God LOVES you despite your unbelievable unlovableness
- God CHOOSES you against all odds
- God USES you to Join with Him in His redeeming work of love in this world
What if you freed yourself to living and loving from this beautiful truth today -
God doesn’t need you…He LOVES you.
Bow Down to Nothing But God (pt. 4 of Idol Week)
So this week we have looked at a few ministry idols.
BUSYNESS, COMPARISON, & SUCCESS being the idol you worship.
If you did not have one moment where you related to any of these idols then I invite you to please call me so that you can tell me what it’s like to walk on water! There could be many more idols that I have not mentioned and the ones that I have mentioned have lots of different forms and faces, but these are some of the ones that I have most recognized in the world of ministry because they are some of the ones that I have most recognized in myself. Many of us in ministry have invisible altars that define who and what we truly worship. The things that exist on our disguised platforms of preference are the forces that drive our intentions, decisions, and actions. We are called to a life of having no other god’s but the one true God, yet we continue to bow down to a wide variety of golden cows.
You don’t have to turn to far into the pages of scripture to see idol worship all over of the place. The very first sin of the Bible was a form of Idol worship. Adam and Eve were not content with who they were and with all that God had given to them. They selfishly wanted to be like God so they put themselves ahead of their maker and took the apple. The second they yanked that Granny Smith from the tree they made their desires more important than God and therefore they made themselves an idol. Any time we put someone or something ahead of God we worship an idol.
And God spoke all these words:
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God
- Exodus 20:1 – 5
God made it explicitly clear, He has an issue with Jealousy. Not the kind of immature jealousy where a guy won’t let his girl-friend talk to another guy. It’s the kind of healthy jealousy that the maker of the universe is entitled too in not wanting to share His alter with our self made idols. Even though God clarified his desire for the human race you can span from Genesis to Revelation and the universal tendency to place value on something or someone in a way that rivals the love and affection that only belongs to God is stained throughout the story of humanity. From Baal to Buddha people have been bowing down to man-made gods for centuries. So who are we to think that we aren’t capable of being idol worshipers ourselves? And if we are… what do we do?
“So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.”
Colossians 3:1 – 2
Maybe today is a day to come clean with the idol(s) in your life. Maybe today is the day to start to pursue the things of Jesus – pick your eyes up, be released from the things that are absorbing you right in front of your face, confess your need for grace and bask in the freedom and truth and hope that you are free in Christ and you need to start living like it.
So if you want – leave a comment and let us know the idol that you are renouncing in your life and how you are going to live a life that only worships the one true God.
Bowing Down to Success (pt. 3 of Idol Week)
If you are even remotely familiar with “Strength Finders” than you are probably aware of what someone with the Achiever strength looks like. Acheivers live in a state of constant drive. Every day is a new opportunity for accomplishment. There’s no doubt that the Achiever has an important God-given strength and is vital to the movement of ministry. But I have found in my own life that when the desire for achievement is motivated by the personal “SUCCESS” or affirmation cleverly hidden beneath the task – the achiever begins to dabble in some good old fashioned Idol Worship.
Unfortunately it happens far too often in ministry. It can bring about great destruction, pain, and deep disapointment the longer it goes unrecognized and unconfessed. You may have experienced it personally.
- Has there ever been a moment when you have gotten to the end of your Sunday Service or Gathering and you were disappointed with the amount of people that showed up (or didn’t) and you found yourself exaggerating about or “rounding up” the amount of people that were really there (aka – “Pastor Math”).
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- Do you ever find that on the off chance you receive positive feedback from someone, your whole attitude about the ministry is good? But if (when) you get an e-mail from someone that is disappointed with a decision that you made then your general attitude about the ministry is bad.
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- Do the comments, suggestions, and opinions of others about your performance have a disproportionate bearing on your decision-making and your ability to actually listen to what God is saying to you about the ministry?
If so, than perhaps your own personal desire for SUCCESS has become an idol for you. I wonder how many of us who fall down at the feet of the Idol of Personal Success would have the guts to admit here? For those who can, you gotta remember this – You are not alone. Sadly here are far too many of us than we would ever imagine in this imaginary spiritual competition. And this is not what God created us for. But there is hope! It just means that something is gonna end up in the fire.
So, what can you do TODAY to recognize that this is you idol and throw that sucker into the fire as a sacrifice to God? That one defiant act can bring more glory and praise and delight to the one true God than you could ever possibly imagine.
NO-ing is half the battle
It was, of course, one of the first words that both of our kids learned. As much as we tried to not sound like a broken record repeatedly chanting…
- • “NO – Elijah don’t touch the hot stove”
- • “NO – Gigi do not pull on the doggy’s tail”
- • “NO – Don’t stand up in your highchair”
- • “NO – Don’t put the dead bug in your mouth”
No ended up coming out of our mouths – mostly with a good desire to protect and guide our children towards what was best for them in any given moment. Most of the moments when NO was used it was essentially used for good reason. As I find myself regularly saying “NO” to our children – I am actually learning that the person I need to say NO to more is myself.
Saying NO to good things is helping me to say YES to the best. My humanity has such an adverse response to saying NO because I hate disappointing people. I hate looking like I have human limits. I hate having to miss out on something that is fun, exciting, energizing, and where everyone else will be. I hate that NO usually doesn’t come with a smile. I hate that NO often disappoints. I hate that NO doesn’t always meet expectations. I hate that NO might cause me to be left out on something in the future. But I am beginning to rejoice over the greater things that NO is bringing to my life.
- NO is actually causing me to live with more peace.
- NO is helping me to be more intentional in my relationships instead of always spreading myself too thin.
- NO is helping me to embrace my limits and give away more ministry to others.
- NO is a regular reminder of what I value most.
- NO is a reminder that I can’t do it all – and any moment when I thought I could was a movement towards becoming more narcissistic instead of a servant.
- NO helps me remain on mission to what only I can do.
- NO now essentially allows me to be able to say YES later.
So here is to hoping you give a BIG FAT NO to some good things today – so that you can say YES to the best.
So how about it? What are some good things you need to say NO to doing that will help you say YES to the best?
Do What Only You Can Do.
“What can only I do?”
It is a mantra that I repeat multiple times throughout my day. It’s not new, but it is essential.
- It emerges when I find myself avoiding the big leadership boulder that only I can push up the hill.
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- It emerges when I find myself distracted by facebook or twitter, avoiding the vision initiative that only I can tackle.
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- It emerges when I spend time checking my inbox multiple times throughout my day – instead of setting a specific time in the morning and late afternoon to open my inbox – give it some love – and then walk away from it and attack a problem that needs a thoughtful solution that only I can bring.
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- It emerges when I find myself spending way to long thinking about how something sounds or appears instead of getting the raw meat of the idea down on paper so that I can move on to a specific task that has a time oriented deadline attached to it.
I’m only a few months into this holy and helpless calling of starting Soul City and I am already becoming acutely aware of what I have heard form my courageous friends that have travelled this road before me – There will never be a day when all the boxes are checked, the tasks are completed, the mission is finished – It just won’t ever happen. That is the beauty of being an entrepreneur. There is always something in front of you – a course that has not been charted or a new adventure that needs to be started. But if I waste all of my energy doing tasks that someone else can do – I will quickly begin to burn up my vision, insight, and energy on what is not only non-important, but non-specific to me.
So one of the things I am relearning daily is the art and skill of finding great people and developing them through the giving away of leadership possibilities early on in the process. Of course as the Leader out in front, you have given up everything. You have given up your home, your salary, your comfort, and more time than you want to admit bringing this Vision into existence. So there is going to be a part of you that thinks you are the only one that can do something since you are the only one that is sacrificing EVERYTHING!!!! And even that thought reveals a flawed perspective. You should be inviting those already on or about to join your team into that same level of sacrifice. Sacrifice is NOT something that only you should do.
Remember – This is not your thing. This is not YOUR church or YOUR vision. It is God’s. Don’t ever forget that. Don’t ever start believing that you are the only one that can lead, cast vision, implement strategies… you need to do what only you can do and give away the rest… and if that list totals more than about 8 – 10 specific things… then you are probably going to be in trouble.
Here’s 3 great questions to ask yourself when giving a task away.
- Is the task a way to actually see if the person has a skill that maybe isn’t being utilized in the church.
- Is the task a way to develop a relationship with a new volunteer.
- Is the task a way to give away more leadership – which will in turn create more authority and ownership of the vision instead of followership and implementers of the vision.
So here’s to giving things away this week! (BTW – If you’re connected to Soul City Church…look out! You’re probably getting a call this week.)
Humbition = Humility + Ambition
Humility and Ambition
Most of the time these two characteristics tend to hang out on opposite sides of the playground. They tend to have different friends, desires, and interests – yet both are essential to the health of a leader and the world desperately needs more leaders that are willing to be both. I believe that Jesus was the ultimate example of the best parts of humility and ambition. He was Humbitous in every way because at every given moment Jesus knew where his power came from.
“Knowing where our power comes from is what keeps us Humbitious.”
TRUE HUMILITY reminds us of our constant need for grace and that we really are not all that amazing outside of Jesus.
TRUE AMBITION reminds us of our constant need to live with vision, passion, and discipline towards the mission of Jesus.
When we live with True Humility & True Ambition we live HUMBITIOUS LIVES.
- But when we allow Humility & Ambition to take on their ugly false selves that’s when we forget where our power comes from and we usually get into trouble.
- When we believe that it is OUR Power we get into trouble.
- When we believe that we are the reason for success and failure we will get into trouble.
- When we shame ourselves and dwell in the land of self-hatred we get into trouble.
- When we don’t allow ourselves to live in forgiveness we get into trouble.
- When we are trying to prove something we get into trouble.
- When we are trying to be something we are not we get into trouble.
- When we try to make people happy instead of lovingly lead people we get into trouble.
- When we see ourselves as more powerful than another person our relationships with others get into trouble.
- When we believe that everything hinges on us we get into trouble.
So we must learn to hold our power with true humility and true ambition – This is part of our truest self as leaders.
Thomas Merton says “There is only one problem on which all my existence, my peace, and my happiness depend: to discover myself in discovering God. If I find Him I will find myself and if I find my true self I will find Him.
So may you find your true self in your pursuit of true humility and true ambition today – in so doing I pray that you find JESUS, the one who was completely HUMBITIOUS in every sense of the word.
So how do you need to step into true humility and true ambition in your life today so that you can be HUMBITIOUS?
Deciding to Make Decisions
“Some choices we live not only once but a thousand times over, remembering them for the rest of our lives.” - Richard Bach
One of the realties to starting a new church is the amount of decisions that need to be made. Every morning greets me with hundreds of decisions. Perhaps like you, I tend to categorize my decisions in subconscious cubbyholes of importance. I often times try to determine what is a small choice, a medium choice, and a large choice.
Small Decisions are things like what to eat for breakfast, what to read, or what to wear. Medium Decisions are things like who to spend time with, where to live, and how to spend our resources. Then the Large Decisions usually are around what God is uniquely calling us to with our marriage, our family, and ministry. For much of my life I did not allow the cubbyholes to interact with one another but I am starting to recognize the deep importance around allowing the division between the small, medium, and large decisions to fade because often times the small decisions that I make actually play a large role in helping me be able to be present when the big looming mac daddy decision comes rolling down the aisle.
So some of the small decisions that I am making right now are around simple things like when I go to bed and when I wake up. How much caffeine I consume in my day. How often I say “No” to things that I would really love to do, how much time I devote to prayer instead of working round the clock for the church as if it was dependent on me, and how I choose to be more playful instead of so structured with my kids.
All of these small decisions are actually helping me to be more of who God created me to be. These small decisions are helping to keep my life posture in a place of peace for all of the major decisions that we seem to be making every day about the inner workings of Soul City Church.
So my question to you – Is there a small decision that you can make in your life today that will actually be a benefit to the larger decisions that are facing you.
Change Your Idea of Impossible
A year and a half ago I heard Andy Stanley rip through a quote in one of the Greatest Leadership Talks I’ve honestly ever heard. He threw it out there like a Thought Grenade, gave a few thoughts and moved on…but it stayed with me. The quote is from an older Leadership Book by Joel Barker. In it, he asks,
What do I believe is impossible to do in my field…but if it could be done would fundamentally change my business (Ministry / Church)?
–Future Edge/The Paradigm Book, Joel Barker
This is a profound question that can and probably should bug you. It’s the kind of quote that cuts through our Cynical Sideline Second Guessing. It exposes our deepest fears and uproots our most shallow excuses. It’s the kind of thought that just sits there tapping it’s finger on your desk and asks – “Well…What are you waiting for?“
What’s that thing that if you’re Church, Your Ministry, Your Non-Profit figured out would unleash whole new opportunities and usher in whole new realities? What is that Obstacle that has either been Holding You Back or Keeping You Stuck? What One Thing could have the potential to change Everything. ”But it’s impossible“, you say. Sure it may seem impossible, but that’s only because you’ve convinced yourself that God needs YOU to figure it out and make it happen as opposed to Him. You forget that Impossible is a word that isn’t a part of God’s Vernacular.
What is It? What’s that Game Changer? What’s that Secret Sauce? What’s that Golden Ticket? We’d love to hear. Because odds are, someone else somewhere may have already figured it out or may be close to figuring it out and you just don’t know it yet. Someone may be asking the same question and you can begin to collaborate. Someone may know someone who knows someone who has a cousin that can actually make it happen. What is it?
Are you willing to let God lead you through it? Are you willing to lead others through it? Are you willing to look foolish? Are you willing to fail? Are you willing to succeed? Do you know what IT is?
Try not to forget – God is quite comfortable with what we consider Impossible, so go ahead…bring it to Him (and us) right now. And for God’s sake…Lead.
Cynicism, the Luxury of the Bored
It happens often. Someone will mention something that a Church, or Pastor, or Author said about something that I disagree with. They are looking to me for a response. They are looking for that response because so many times, that’s exactly what I’ve given them. Some cynical remark about how crazy that Pastor is or how I couldn’t make it 5 minutes in that church. Some condescending joke about how they write or the way they preach or how bright their teeth are or whatever. This is cynicism. And it is nothing more than a luxury of the bored.
Cynicism is the snot nosed off spring of Criticism and Sarcasm. The only thing it has actually done is tear down what others have done. It offers no value, no alternative, no originality. It is weak. It is destructive. It moves nothing forward. And it reveals size of the vision of the one who utters it.
Those of us who have committed ourselves to the Cause of Christ, to the Vision of the Kingdom are battling quite litterally against the forces of Hell itself…and we’d rather make jokes about a churches we’ve never even been to.
We are combating sin and resistance around every corner…and we spend our time and energy judging someone because we disagree with their theology.
We carry the Hope and Love of Jesus into a Hurt and Hopeless World….and we choose to make fun of Mega Churches or Mainline Churches or Our Own Church.
The Capacity and Veracity with which you can tear down one of our own with some cynical remark reveals how small our vision is and ultimately just how bored we really are.
It’s one thing to be Critical. It’s one thing to have Opinions. It’s entirely another to be Cynical and Sarcastic. If we were ever truly aware of the mission God has put us on, the only thing we would be Cynical of would be Cynicism.
I Confess – I’m a quick Cynic. I’m quick to pass judgment through sarcastic comments of people I’ve never met and churches I’ve never set foot in. To all my brothers and sisters I have judged, mocked, and made fun because I assumed I knew better, I am sorry.
Maybe you feel a little confession coming on too. We’d love for you to share it here…or, if it’s easier, you can just be cynical of this post.
No one can use my name to do something good and powerful, and in the next breath cut me down. If he’s not an enemy, he’s an ally. Why, anyone by just giving you a cup of water in my name is on our side.
Mark 9:39-41a
If you had just NINE minutes to say anything…
It has been so cool to be a part the NINES today – an innovative FREE conference hosted by Leadership Network and Catalyst. Around 10,000 people are “attending” from all over the world. It is my hunch that conferences Will and SHOULD look like this more in the future.
The NINES gives Pastors and Thought Leaders the opportunity to share ONE thought for Church Leaders in just NINE minutes. There’s a TON of great stuff, all of which will be available free for download later this week.
So, our question for you is this :: If you had NINE minutes to share ONE thought to Church Leaders – What would it be?
go ahead…the clock is ticking…
Success is the Enemy of…(fill in the blank)
We’re not gonna lie, we hope to be incredibly successful as a church. We want the work that we do with God to have the highest SROI (Spiritual Return On Investment) possible.
That being said, we know that Success defined the wrong way and measured by the wrong standards can be one of the worst things for a Church, Organization, and Individual. Here’s a few examples of what we mean.
- Success can be the Enemy of DEPENDENCE
- It doesn’t take long for us to look at all that God has done and begin to say, “Look at all that WE have done.” Our Successful Systems subtly become what we put our faith in. And the more that people think we know what we’re doing, the more we think we do as well.
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- Success can be the Enemy of CLARITY
- The more you successfully accomplish, the more you begin to believe you can and should do…more. Before long you’ve added so much to your vision that you’re not even sure what it is you’re supposed to do other than spinning the impossible number of plates that occupy your thoughts and efforts
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- Success can be the Enemy of INNOVATION
- There is a living graveyard of Companies and Churches that made their mark 10, 20, 30 years ago doing something truly innovative for a time. For whatever reason, they made “that thing” – “their thing” and continued to do what once worked well until it no longer worked at all.
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- Success can be the Enemy of HUMILITY
- File this one under No Brainer. It is one of the most tragically inevitable outcomes of success. Too cliche to go into great detail. As soon as you believe you are as important as your success has led you to think you are, success has become your enemy.
Fill In The Blank :: Success can be the Enemey of… (and WHY?)
A Different Way of Asking
When we knew God was inviting us to start this church, one of the earliest conversations we had was about our deep commitment to doing this with a team. We have both been extremely blessed throughout the past 15 years to have served on several amazing staff teams. We’re grateful to have worked with people of high capacity, deep character, and natural relational chemistry. We would never think about trying this on our own. We believe that if we’re going to experience God’s transformational impact on the world, we’re going to experience it together, as a team.
So early on in the process we began to pray for the team that God was assembling to lead Soul City Church with us. Through the prompting of a wise member of our Personal Council (which we will talk about in another post) we were challenged to ask people to PRAY instead of asking them to COME. We know that we can cast a compelling vision – attract people towards the exciting idea of starting a new church – paint the idea of what Soul City Church can look like…but only GOD can lead them to come. We would much rather have a team that is assembled by God’s prompting vs. a team that we built through some savvy convincing and our vision casting capacities.
So instead of just asking people to COME – we have been asking people to PRAY. It has proven to be a huge step in our own development of Dependence. We have been able to put our complete trust in God to build this team. It doesn’t mean that we don’t share the vision – it doesn’t mean that we don’t lean into looking for the right people to get on the soul city bus – but we have chosen to invite our potential staff and leadership team and future soul city starter team to simply pray. To ask, listen, and respond to what God is doing through Soul City Church.
In fact, we would love for YOU to pray through the idea of joining what God is doing at Soul City Church. To ask, and listen, and respond to however God is leading you right now in your life. You can download our BE Prayerful exercise HERE.
We Need Healthy Heretics (pt.2)
In the last post we looked at how Healthy Heretics are critical to our Teams, Ministries, and Churches. (Great thoughts still brewing). In this post we’ll explore how a TEAM can embrace and even become more Heretical…in a healthy way.
- A Team Without Any Heretics will stay stuck doing what they’ve always done, missing key opportunities to improve, innovate and succeed at the Mission God has given them.
- A Team with Too Many Heretics will challenge everything while accomplishing very little.
Here are a few ideas for how Your Team can lead in a Healthy Heretical Way
- Create a list of the Top Ten ASSUMPTIONS you are currently operating on
- Write out how you have REACTED and RESPONDED to these Assumptions
- Determine whether or not these Assumptions are even TRUE anymore (or ever!)
- Ask the TOUGH Questions -
- What are we doing that doesn’t directly accomplish our Mission and why are we still doing it?
- How do we measure and determine if what we are doing is working?
- Are we measuring the right thing? Are we measuring it the right way?
- What are we doing that nobody else is doing to reach people that nobody else is reaching? (Craig Groeschel)
- What do we need to stop doing so that we can do the thing(s) that only WE can do?
Once you’ve completely questioned and challenged everything you do, go out and get yourself a nice Iced Mocha. Breath. Pray. And begin dreaming and exploring how you need to Stop doing what you no longer need to be doing, Fix what needs to be fixed, and Innovate and Create new Mission Minded opportunities and experiences.
- Don’t just jump to the New (that’s too easy, and potentially too harmful)
- Don’t base decisions on hunches, assumptions, or that “one email you got” or that “one blog you read”.
- Work Collaboratively. Believe it or not, you are not the only person who know what’s wrong or what’s next.
- BETA Change. Some New Ideas need to be lead full force, most need to be experimented, tweaked, and tried again.
The team that I’m currently a part of is 2 rounds deep into Beta Testing a Whole New Way of helping people connect in our ministry called Micro Events, as well as Beta testing a significant addition to another part of our ministry (shhh…top secret stuff). We could have just Plowed Through with our new ideas (a speed that Heretics operate at), but we probably would have done more damage than good and would be right back in the same spot a year from now.
- While EVERY TEAM needs a few Healthy Heretics,
- ANY TEAM can begin to lead this type of Healthy Change.
How about you and your team? How are you breaking through your assumptions and leading Healthy Heretical Change?
- (In the next post in this series we’ll explore Biblical Examples of Heretics
- and why Jesus may be the Healthiest Heretic of them all)
We Need Healthy Heretics (pt. 1)
We don’t tend to have a very positive image of Heretics (someone smell smoke?) However, Heretics are absolutely critical to Churches, Organizations, and Teams being all that they could be. Heretics challenge, push, turn upside down, and ask that ever annoying question of “WHY?”
Heretics help us see what our success or assumptions have blinded us from seeing. They see through what we’re doing or not doing to what we could do, and sometimes…what we must do.
Know any good Heretics? I do. While I do on some days consider myself one, I have friends who have their PHds in Higher Heretics. My friend Doug Scott comes to mind. In the 7 years I worked with him at Axis he was constantly pushing and challenging our assumptions. He was never as satisfied as we were with our accomplishments. Like our own little Pythagoras he saw a round new world when all we saw around us was flat (to our credit, we were in Illinois – everything there is flat). He was absolutely necessary to our efforts, and his contribution to our ministry is immeasurable.
The question for you is not whether your Church or Team should have Heretics, but…ARE THEY HEALTHY?
- Healthy Heretics…
- :: Can Challenge without Personally Attacking
- :: Can back up Challenges with stories, examples, facts, and ultimately Vision
- :: Are always ultimately working to make things “better” vs. simply tearing down what they don’t like
- :: Are at their best on a Healthy Team
- :: Actually Do Something on the team (other than wax heretic)
- :: Are ultimately committed to the Kingdom of God more than Their own agenda
- :: Are ultimately committed to the Kingdom of God more than Your Church, Team, or Tradition
The evolution of the church has happened throughout history with the help of Heretics (some healthy, some not) Challenging, and Pushing us all into many times what God is already up to.
We Need Healthy Heretics.
- Do you know any? Do you lead any? Are you one?
We would love to hear about your experiences with Heretics, both Healthy and Otherwise.
In the next post we’ll look at how a Ministry or Team can seek out, listen to, and grow from Healthy Heretics.
Inspiration & Intention Can Be Friends
One of the books that we regularly read and re-read is called “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield. This tiny nugget of goodness could be read in an afternoon – but it is much better when you savor, ponder, and contemplate the challenge that lives within its pages.
Pressfield eloquently paints the tension that lives within anyone that has ever set out to reach a goal, chart an undiscovered territory, write a new song, lead a new ministry, write a thoughtful blog post, or in our case launch a new church. That tension is good old-fashioned Resistance.
Early on in the book Pressfield says, “Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands resistance.”
I (Jeanne) believe that on either side of resistance stands Inspiration & Intention. Most of the time they are billed as archenemies – ready to meet in a dark alley to prove which is stronger (ala MJ’s Thriller)… the Director or the Free Spirit. Those with intention are the ones that make a plan, stick to the plan, and never sway from the plan. Those with inspiration are able to live in the moment, savor experiences, and bounce through life with spontaneity.
Jesus took the moments right in front of him to be both Intentional and Inspiring.
- // A little boys lunch on a hillside inspired him to feed a multitude as well as intentionally communicate that he was the Son of God and capable of miracles.
- // A boat filled with doubting disciples and a raging storm was the perfect backdrop to inspire Peter to jump out into the water without a life preserver. It was also an intentional moment for Peter to be reminded that without keeping his eyes locked on his Savior he could not swim with only inspiration.
- // A mourning Martha & Mary wondered if Jesus would do anything after the death of their brother Lazarus – and Jesus intentionally waited and grieved to reveal his humanity and then invited Lazarus to come out of his tomb – inspiring all those around him that he was capable of taking that which was dead and giving it new life.
Inspiration & Intention must learn how to be friends if we are ever going to push though the resistance that exists to hold us back.
