West Ridge Church is mixing up their plan for this Fall’s session of the School of Church Planting. The six-month program includes interactive learning processes with successful church planters and coaching from ministry experts. The School encourages participants to form close relationships with other church planters and their families, as well as mentoring relationships with leaders and instructors.

Because every church plant is unique, the West Ridge School has created an environment for leaders and planters to learn from one another, and cultivate attitudes of teamwork, creativity, and vision to challenge and encourage planters. Sessions are held one Saturday a month for six months. Attendees will hear from folks like Brian Bloye, Pastor of West Ridge Church, Mac Lake, Director of the Launch Network and successful planters like Mike Lukaszwski and JR Lee.

Interested in becoming a part of the School? Register online today for the Fall 2010 session.

One of my strategic partners, William Vanderbloemen, the founder of Vanderbloemen Search Group caught up with me recently to talk about succession planning. William has been using corporate search techniques and his knowledge of church operations in order to connect churches with great senior leaders. I think you’ll enjoy and be challenged by this conversation.

TONY: What is succession planning?

WILLIAM: Succession planning is a simple term with a complex solution. It’s creating a plan for what happens once you need a new leader. And all organizations face that.

In the corporate world, which in my estimation is ahead of the church world on this issue, succession planning is a requirement for nearly all publicly traded companies. Facing a season where you don’t know who’s in charge is just too risky.

At our firm, probably the most frequent call we get right now is from churches that need help making a transition from a long-time Pastor to the next generation. And with the number of baby boomers that are heading toward retirement, I suspect those calls will only increase over the coming decade.

TONY: Why is it necessary for churches?

WILLIAM: The short answer is this: We are all interim pastors.

Unless we are the pastor when our church closes, or we happen to be the pastor when Jesus returns, we are all only in our churches for a temporary stay. And I believe the most critical task for a church leader is to do all he can to secure the long-term future of the church.

TONY: Doesn’t succession planning disregard God’s sovereignty and his calling on a specific pastor?

WILLIAM: I guess I would answer with a question: “Does God want us to plan and implement processes for His church or not?”

We plan when we build God’s house (our campuses). We plan how we will use God’s offerings (our budgets). Identifying the person God has anointed as your next Pastor requires all the prayer AND all the process you can muster.

TONY: What kinds of succession plans are out there?

WILLIAM: One plan everyone needs is an emergency plan. What would happen if your key leader were suddenly unable to be in their position anymore? It’s not only responsible planning, but it eases minds: from the board, to your donors, to any financial institution your church might use. And it’s relatively inexpensive to have someone help you form that plan.

The longer-term plan is a more complex matter. Some churches try to place a potential successor on staff well ahead of time, and others keep a short list of names for consideration. Every church is different. We’ve identified about eight key variables that help us craft a plan for clients. Every time one of those variables is different, the plan is different.

TONY: What can folks do to learn more about succession planning?

WILLIAM: I tell all of our clients to look at what Bob Russell and Dave Stone did at Southeast Church in Louisville. It’s one of the rare cases of smooth transition in a mega church.  Bob’s got a new book, Transition Plan, coming out later this month. It is an excellent resource for the church.

Sooner or later, the time will come to draw up your own plan. I believe an objective set of eyes is needed for the task. At our firm, we are studying under folks who have done this sort of thing for the corporate world for years, and we’re applying our experience in church work to form a process that’s tailor made for each of our clients.

Is your church in need of a succession plan? If so, email me and I’ll put you in touch with William to help you learn more about the process.

I have a couple of openings for a new coaching network that will begin next month in Atlanta. Here’s the scoop:

Who will participate?

This network is designed for leaders and strategists who serve in a local church. Typically, that has included lead pastors, executive pastors and leaders who report directly to one of those positions in larger church settings. This new group looks like it’s going to include folks from Ohio, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. The network will be limited to no more than 12 participants. In the past, partipants have been from churches of all shapes and sizes — churches ranging from 200 to over 20,000 in attendance. I’ll try to create an environment where you can experience the coaching but also learn from your peers. And, frankly, I’m looking forward to being challenged and learning from all of the participants as well.

What will you receive?

• Six days of coaching sessions beginning September 2010 (9:00 am to 3:00 pm each day)
• Focused training on a variety of ministry strategies topics including staffing, leadership development, communications, financial stewardship, volunteer team development, weekend services, ministry structure, discipleship, multi-site and more
• Tools, exercises and best practices to implement after every session
• The opportunity to network with and learn from like-minded leaders
• Dedicated time in every gathering to talk through the pressing issues you are facing
• An invitation to join an online forum limited to network participants for continuing dialogue between sessions
• Several free resources and books including a copy of Killing Cockroaches
• Plus other fun surprises and guest appearances!

What are the expectations?

• Attend all six coaching sessions on the following dates: Sep 24, Oct 22, Nov 19, Dec 17, Jan 21 and Feb 18
• Invest $200 per session
• Cover your own travel expenses as needed
• Commit to reading a book and completing exercises between sessions

What’s next?

Complete the coaching network application by Friday and submit it for review. If you are accepted into the network, we will notified next week.

Questions? Contact me.

Next month I’ll be speaking at the 2010 Influence Conference in Springfield, Missouri. Influence is a one-day conference geared towards, pastors, ministry leaders, and church attendees that takes place on September 16. The conference is designed to encourage and train others to use their influence to impact their churches and communities. We’ll be talking about community outreach, leadership, avoiding burnout, integrity, and leading from the second chair.

The conference also features some of the nation’s top speakers, like Anna Jackson, Rodger Patterson, Scott Wilson, and Jonathan Acuff. The Influence Conference is unique in two aspects: attendees will be able to interact with every presenter during a special Q & A time, and Influence will be streaming every session live and responding to questions and messages sent via Twitter and texts. Did I mention the live streaming is free?

If you’re in the Midwest, (or even if you’re not) I hope you make plans to attend the conference. It will be an encouraging time for pastors and leaders to connect, network, and learn from one another. Even if you cannot attend in person, look into streaming the conference live.  Here’s the link for more information and registration.

If you follow me on Twitter, you may be aware of the crazy adventure I’ve been on the last couple of days. Thanks to my friends at Catalyst and Different Drummer, I had the opportunity to attend a private screening of the new Disney film Secretariat. The film will release this October. Here are some highlights from my experience:

• I arrived at my hotel in Hollywood to police cars and a lockdown because of bomb threats.
• I finally had the opportunity to stay in a W Hotel. And, if you’re going to stay at the W for the first time, you might as well choose the W Hollywood.
• We saw Secretariat last night at a small theater at Disney Studios.
• Randall Wallace, the director of Braveheart, also directed Secretariat. He introduced the film last night. Randall is a quality guy. Loved hearing him share stories.
• The film was very good. It’s a family flick. My kids will love it, but it’ll also certainly keep adults engaged. There aren’t any horses with blue faces, but the intensity of some of the race scenes was very well done.
• This morning I had the opportunity to interview Randall Wallace on video. I’ll be sharing that with you in the coming days.

Now I’m sitting in the airport with Brad Lomenick from Catalyst. We’re waiting on our flight back to Atlanta. Brad’s a good guy, but he’s no Randall Wallace. :-)

Is it possible to be more in love with someone the last time you see them, rather than the first time? Kerry and Chris Shook think so. These two authored One Month to Live, and they’ve just released their new book Love at Last Sight:30 Days to Grow and Deepen Your Closest Relationships. This isn’t just a book about marriages. Rather, the Shooks encourage readers to choose three important relationships to focus on and create a “love at last sight” lifestyle.

Using Biblical truth and practical application, the Shooks reveal that most of us enter into relationships with an “upside-down” mindset. Love at Last Sight challenges readers to stop expecting a perfect, fulfilling selfless love from others and a magical, easy relationship, and instead dares readers to love their spouse, friends, children and parents just as they are. The principles laid out are just as relevant to a teenager as they are to a couple that has been married for 50 years.

Love at Lat Sight reads like a 30-day devotional, with daily challenges that encourage the reader to take action in order to deepen their relationships. Here’s some of the wisdom that stuck with me:

• “Each of my relationships has the potential to be better the next time we’re together than it was the previous time so that the last time we see each other on this earth we’re closer than ever before.”
• “In the end, you don’t hold your commitments; your commitments hold you.”
• “Faith is forged in the place of in-between, because in the quiet waiting rooms of life, we can sometimes hear his voice best.”
• “God not only gives you the desire to risk loving; he will also give you the power to love.”
• “Even the best relationships have rough edges, difficult moments, and embarrassing confessions.”
• “It takes a commitment to risk, a willingness to be uncomfortable at times, and real action if you want to see a transformation…”
• “…in relationships we all tend to give what we wish we could get.”
• “I’m not suggesting this is easy, but understand that revealing is healing. Revealing your heart is the first step to living from your heart.”
• “Love at last sight says that our feelings were never meant to be the engine of our lives.”
• “Even when the other person has caused the problem in the relationship, we still have the choice to act on our feelings or our commitments.”
• “We seek to control because otherwise we are scared we won’t measure up  or be accepted.”

He’s my Amazon link for Love at Last Sight if you’d like to pick up a copy. And, check out the Shook’s Last Sight Challenge website for more ideas on improving your relationships.

I know a number of you (over 7,300 to be exact) follow the conversation through email and RSS feed subscriptions. In case you haven’t been to the site recently, you may want to check out these ministry resources. Here are the folks that are making things happen at TonyMorganLive.com this month:

igniteCRM – powered by faithHighway, this is a web-based church management software to empower your leadership for healthy growth

We Still Believe – the newly released album from Kathryn Scott and my friends over at Integrity Music

Clover – provides websites for growing churches and ministries

Collision Media – a creative design studio that provides web design and other media related services for churches

Connected Church Conference 2010 – tools and tactics to increase connectedness with the highest possible return on energy and the lowest possible load on staff and leadership

Outreach Events – specializes in dynamic, outreach-oriented events with people like Scott Rigsby that create opportunities for sharing faith

Rockbridge Seminary – 100% online program for earning your seminary degree without leaving your current ministry assignment

Shelby Systems – supplies the information technology tools needed to help ministries and organizations around the world thrive.

StreamingChurch.tv – delivers everything you need to broadcast your services live on a web campus

I just had a couple of advertising spots open up. If you are interested, email me for more details. I’d love to have you join our team!

In case you weren’t able to participate in the Leadership Summit this past week, here are all my notes from the sessions I was able to engage. I also included a personal reaction for each speaker.

• Bill Hybels – The concept of leaders first explaining why “we can’t stay here” is simple but so true. People won’t engage a new vision, unless they feel the tension and the urgency to move beyond the comfort of the status quo.
• Jim Collins – I wish churches embraced this philosophy: “Do we have all of our key seats filled with fantastic people? If the answer is no, we must resist growth until that happens.”
• Tony Dungy – “I wasn’t there to be their boss. I was there to help the players get better.” Leadership is not about telling people what to do.
• Adam Hamilton – Every leader in ministry will eventually have to deal with this issue. I recommend you purchase the DVD and hold on to it for the wisdom you will need when this crisis happens.
• Andy Stanley – Great perspective on managing tensions rather than trying to solve all of them. Though, I don’t think I’d go so far as he did to say that, “If it’s a problem that keeps resurfacing, it’s a tension to be managed.” Many times that’s the case. Other times, we may just be delaying a decision that needs to be made.
• Terri Kelly – Her statement about the limits of coaching and mentoring when it only flows through the top leader was profound. It should provoke us to consider how much weight we put on the Sunday message versus group and mentoring relationships for discipleship in the church.
• Dan Pink – Dan comes at the topic of motivation and drive from a scientific research perspective, but there are so many parallels to what Scripture has to say about equipping God’s people to use their gifts to do the work of God.
• T.D. Jakes – Disagreed with his statement about leaders not being able to develop close relationships with people on their staff. It can work, and it can be healthy. Obviously, though, it depends on the personality of the leader.

What were your big takeaways or new questions?

Here are the highlights from the final Leadership Summit talk from T.D. Jakes, the senior pastor of The Potter’s House.

• “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 then 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.”

These are the key thoughts from Dan Pink’s session at the Leadership Summit that grabbed my attention. Dan is the author of Drive, a book I’ve highlighted here and here in recent weeks.

• “If-then rewards work really well for simple tasks. However, they don’t work very well for more complicated creative tasks.”
• “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.”