In case you haven’t been to the site recently, you may want to check out these resources to help churches. Here are the folks that are making things happen at TonyMorganLive.com this month:

faithHighway – provides total marketing solutions to attract visitors to churches

Real Life – the newly released album from Lincoln Brewster and my friends over at Integrity Music

Holman Christian Standard Bible – 100 scholars and English stylists from 17 denominations translated this Bible from B&H Publishing

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

Orange Conference – a premier conference for church leaders hosted in Atlanta in April 2011

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 – provides everything you need to broadcast your services live

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!

I had the opportunity to hang out at the Catalyst Conference over the last few days. Here are some quotes from the sessions that caught my attention.

Andy Stanley – “I couldn’t name two people in ministry who have lost their ministry of bad theology.” …compared to people who have lost ministry because they didn’t properly manage appetites.

Seth Godin – “If you’re going to win, you’re going to create a movement. You can’t create a movement by demanding more compliance.”

Perry Noble – “You’re going to run from a situation that God reigns over… Don’t give up.”

Craig Groeschel – “There’s a difference between respect and honor. Respect is earned, but honor is given.”

T.D. Jakes – “Run the risk of saying something stupid, so you’ll get the language that reaches the masses.”

If you’re interested in seeing notes from sessions I didn’t attend, you may want to check out what Scott, Ron, Tim and Kent had to share.

I was at the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta last week. I’ll share the highlights in a post later this evening. In the mean time, I thought you might like this video featuring Chris Tomlin.

T.D. Jakes had the challenge of following a guy who was shot out of a cannon at Catalyst. Here’s some of what he had to share:

• “We have to change.”
• “Jesus has such a huge vision to go into all the world.”
• after the crowd was unresponsive… “You all sound like you have arthritis on your lips”
• “God is going to do a new thing in your life.”
• “I have it on divine authority that there are some planet-shakers in this room today.”
• “People who play it safe are not leaders.”
• “You have to get out front…and, yes, you will be shot at.”
• “I have an iPad…with a Scrabble game on it.”
• “Run the risk of saying something stupid, so you’ll get the language that reaches the masses.”
• “If everyone on your cell phone is just like you, this is the year to break the rule.”
• “Only the church doesn’t learn the language of the masses.”
• “Here’s the first thing you need to know about black people — black people don’t jump out of cannons.”
• “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always be where you’ve always been.”
• “Until we’re willing to be uncomfortable, we cannot grow.”
• “If you find yourself in a place where you’re the smartest person in the room, get out of the room.”
• “Every great teacher is a great learner.”
• “When you go, go nervous. Go praying. But for God’s sake, go.”
• “God will not allow sameness to procreate. Fruit is born when differences come together.”
• “I believe that you can fly.”

Craig Groeschel took the main stage before lunch. Here are some of the thoughts that grabbed my attention:

• on tension between generations… “We need each other.”
• “I’m standing on the shoulders of great men and women who have gone before me.”
• “I used to throw up before I spoke every time.”
• “I would beg you not to resist, fear or judge the next generation leaders, but instead believe in them and invest in them.”
• “Don’t resent them because they’re different. They’re supposed to be different.”
• “When you delegate authority, you develop leaders.”
• “It is much worse to be unreal than uncool.”
• “There is nothing worse than a fat 50-year-old wearing skinny jeans. That is wrong, and it’s not of God.”
• “If you are not dead, you are not done.”
• “Your age and your experience are your greatest assets.”
• “Embrace the season you are in.”
• Talking to the younger generation… “You feel very entitled.”
• “You tend to overestimate what God wants to do through you in the short run. When you don’t get it, you grow disillusioned.”
• “You underestimate what God wants to do through you in the long run.”
• “There is spiritual greatness in you. Don’t get discouraged in the short run.”
• Quoting Andy Stanley: “Honor publicly leads to influence privately.”
• “When we truly honor Him, we will honor the authority of the leaders over us.”
• “There’s a difference between respect and honor. Respect is earned, but honor is given.”
• “Be teachable. Be hungry to learn.”
• “When I was your age, we weren’t thinking about people with unclean water.”
• “I believe in you.”
• “Work together. Believe in each other.”

Perry Noble opened up the Friday morning session at Catalyst. Here are some highlights from his talk:

• “Have you ever had an ‘Oh Crap’ moment. This is mine.”
• “Every time I hear Francis [Chan], I’m not sure if I love Jesus anymore.”
• “It’s about time for a dumb redneck to get up and tell people about Jesus.”
• “If you’ve been around long enough, you’ve had this thought: Should I be following you?”
• “Do what God told you.”
• “If you can explain what God is doing in your church, then God didn’t do it.”
• “Have you ever been at a place where the brook is dry?”
• “God is not punishing you — he’s preparing you. Don’t give up when you’re by the brook.”
• “God blew the freakin’ doors off the tomb, and God is alive.”
• “I’m from Anderson [SC] and there’s a pond where ducks hang out, so we call it the Duck Pond.”
• Talking about punting ducks… “Some of you animal lovers don’t like that. I’ll punt you too.”
• “You’re going to run from a situation that God reigns over.”
• “Don’t give up.”

Seth Godin taught the afternoon session at Catalyst. Here are some of the key thoughts from his talk:

• “Professional wrestling is fake.”
• “Baked into our culture is the model that what you’re supposed to do is build an organization with interchangeable parts.”
• “The factory wants you to fit in so they can ignore you.”
• “If you are a competent youth group leader, I can find someone to do it cheaper.”
• “The problem is that if someone is racing to the bottom, you don’t want to win that race.” …on someone else doing what you do a little cheaper than you do it.
• “All that’s left is to make a difference.”
• “The factory era was along for a very long time. It created institutions that demanded compliance.”
• “Today, you win by being more connected.”
• “You cannot comply yourself to success.”
• “We have to be prepared to fail.”
• “No one joins a boring tribe.”
• “If you’re going to win, you’re going to create a movement. You can’t create a movement by demanding more compliance.”
• “The iPhone is a terrible phone. We bought it because it’s jewelry that has a function.”
• “Apple is not in the technology business — they’re in the movement business.”
• “Boring doesn’t work. Bureaucratic doesn’t work.”
• “If you’re going to be a genius, you can’t have a boss telling you what to do all day.”
• “Art is a human act that changes someone, and it’s generous.”
• “We need people who care as opposed to people who are phoning it in.”
• “Maybe you should fire the person who isn’t making any mistakes.”
• “The more change we can make, the more likely the tribe will join us.”
• “Change is made by people who eagerly accept responsibility without expecting authority.”
• “The resistance tries to keep us safe.”
• “Do you know how many people want your seat?”
• “You have a platform for your art. I’m hoping you won’t waste this revolution.”

As is tradition at Catalyst, Andy Stanley opened up the conference. This year the theme is “tension is good.” Here’s what Andy had to share on the topic:

• “We are a bundle of appetites and desires. And each appetite creates tension because it wants more.”
• “Every time you get more responsibility in an organization, you want more.”
• “No matter how many times you win, you want more.”
• “God created your appetites and sin distorted them.”
• “Your appetites always whisper ‘now’ and never ‘later’.”
• “I couldn’t name two people in ministry who have lost their ministry of bad theology.” …compared to people who have lost ministry because they didn’t properly manage appetites.
• “Appetites are powerful, and they are never fully and finally satisfied.”
• “Whatever you want, you will only want more. This tension will not go away.”
• “Your only hope is reframing your appetite in the context of what God has called you to do.”
• “Ten years from now…” Write down whatever comes to mind. This exercise will cause you to reframe your appetites.
• “The clearer and more defined the frame, the less grip our appetites will have on our lives.”
• “What is it that you’re doing that’s not illegal or immoral, but you hope no one finds out about it?”
• “You have no idea what God wants to accomplish through your life.” …and your children and grand children
• “Reframe and then refrain. Don’t trade your future.”

It’s really an honor to announce that William and I are working with Mountaintop Community Church of Birmingham, Alabama to handle their succession plan and the hiring of their future Lead Pastor.

Mountaintop is a non-denominational church with a strong vision and track record for reaching the unchurched.  Throughout its 18 year history, Mountaintop has grown consistently, and its growth has consistently been through reaching those who are not connected to church or the faith. Mountaintop reaches nearly 2,000 weekly attenders, of which roughly 70% were not Christ followers before their experience at Mountaintop. The vision of Mountaintop, “to turn fans into players,” has yielded thousands of new believers whose lives and souls have been changed forever.

I first visited Mountaintop and its founding pastor, Bill Elder, several years ago. He’s a great man, and God has used him to build a great church. Bill has determined (along with the Board of Elders) that it is time to plan for a future Lead Pastor. This is something he has been thinking of for a while, but a recent stroke has accelerated the need for a succession plan and selection of the future Lead Pastor.

The future Lead Pastor will immediately assume at least 50% of the teaching load, as well as leadership responsibilities. The succession plan we have designed will lead to a systematic, rapid transition. Details of that plan are available to potential candidates.

If you are interested in this opportunity, you can upload your resume to our secure site, or email William Vanderbloemen directly at william@vanderbloemensearch.com. We’ll keep it quiet.

I partner with The Vanderbloemen Search Group, a retained executive search firm, to help churches find their key staff. I’m frequently helping large, fast-growing churches with a focus on reaching the unchurched. If your church needs assistance in this sort of search, feel free to contact me.

We recently had a gathering at the house with friends. Both Emily and I really enjoy hosting folks in our home, and we’re constantly looking for excuses to make that happen.

While we were eating, one of our friends shared a story from when she was little. As a little girl, she would plug her ears with her fingers and then say things out loud. She thought that if she couldn’t hear herself, other people couldn’t hear her either. That gave her the freedom to verbalize her thoughts without anyone knowing…but, of course, everyone knew exactly what she was thinking.

She recalled that one time she was sitting at the dinner table with guests. She plugged her ears, and then she said out loud for everyone else to hear: “The man next to me stinks.”

We need people like this in our lives. (Not people that stink, but people who are willing to verbalize what’s obvious.) Many times we’re so afraid of hurting people’s feelings that we let people do some stupid stuff that ends up causing a lot more pain down in the long run.

I’m giving you permission. If you see me doing something stupid, plug your ears with your fingers and say what’s on your mind. I want to hear it. God may be prompting you to share something that he needs me to hear.

Many times because we do what we’ve always done because that’s all we know. Frankly, this is one of the reasons why I really enjoy consulting with churches. I’m the guy that comes in, plugs his ears with his fingers and then says what the church really needs to hear. The crazy thing is churches typically know what I’m going to say, but they’ve just been afraid to verbalize the challenge themselves.

Friends aren’t really friends if all they do is say nice things about us. Real friends are willing to speak the truth in love, and they’re careful to pay attention to that “love” part.

Who do you have in your life that’s willing to plug their ears and say what needs to be said?