After having four books published the traditional way, I mentioned a few months ago that I’m ready to try something new. I’m not a very traditional guy, so it pains me to do things the way they’ve always been done…especially when I think we could achieve better results with new strategies and systems.

With that challenge, I’ve called on Ben Stroup and his team to help me chart a new course. He’s been busy. Look what showed up on my virtual doorstep this week:

Thanks to Ben’s team and in partnership with my friends at the Leadership Network and Catalyst, I’m about ready to release three eBooks. Some of the themes may look familiar if you follow my writing. (That’s the idea.) And, because I think healthy change happens when people engage conversations and then put ideas into action, we’ve added a little spice to each resource to help you take your next steps.

In the mean time, my team has their work cut out for them. These eBooks are just the appetizer. The big enchilada is still working its way through production. We’re working on the first of a series of eBooks on a fresh new topic ready to hit the newsstands before summer. I can’t reveal any more details other than confirming that this eBooks series does have something to do with the leisure suit I dropped off for alterations yesterday.

Now it’s your turn. Which one of the three eBooks that I’ve shown above do you want me to release first? You get to decide. Vote for your choice by sharing your comment.

Then they answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you as he was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey your words, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!” – Joshua 1:16-18 (NIV)

A lot of emphasis these days is put on the need for good leadership in the church, but the reality is the church does not just need good leadership and good leaders but also good “followship” — people that can follow well.

It’s easy to point the finger at leaders that have made mistakes or not led well, but what about followers taking responsibility for how well they have followed leadership? I think this is a really interesting thought that has the potential to produce a whole lot of good and very healthy, effective churches – if we dare to think about it.

In the scripture above, we read about some great followers – the followers of Joshua. This is the second time Israel had been given an opportunity to inherit the land God had promised (as you know the first time did not go so well). Why did it all go wrong that first time when Moses was leading? If you read about that account, the problem was not actually with the leaders (Moses, Joshua and Caleb) it was with the followers. They were the ones that caused the nation to not enter in.

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You may be interested in checking out some of the ministry resources that are available. Here are the folks that are making things happen at TonyMorganLive.com in March:

faithHighway – provides total marketing solutions to attract visitors to churches

Know Hope Collective – featuring Mark Stuart and Will McGinniss formerly of Audio Adrenaline

dc – design and communication solutions that create raving fans, inspire people, and honor Christ

Bellevue Church Management System – the free, web-based and open source church management suite

Church Community Builder – a web-based church management software with multi-site capabilities

Clover – provides websites for growing churches and ministries

Ministry Marketing Group – helps churches and ministries identify and communicate their vision, mission, values and ministry events

Orange – 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

Standard Theme – the best-coded WordPress theme ever (My site is built on this theme.)

StreamingChurch.tv – provides everything you need to broadcast your services live

TheCommon.org – offers a simple way for people to get and give help to their community

I only have one remaining advertising spot open. If you are interested, email me for more details. I’d love to have you join our team!

I shared my interview with Seth Godin about his new book, Poke the Box, the other day. Here are some of the highlights from my reading:

• “Without the spark of initiative, you have no choice but simply to react to the world.”
• “No one has influence, control, or confidence in his work until he understands how to initiate change.”
• “If your project doesn’t have movement, then compared to the rest of the world, you’re actually moving backward.”
• “We have little choice but to move beyond quality and seek remarkable, connected, and new.”
• “You can’t grow by becoming even more predictable and ordinary.”
• “If you never fail, either you’re really lucky or you haven’t shipped anything.”
• “The typical factory-centric organization place a premium on not-wrong, and spend no time at all weeding out those who don’t start.”
• “If you fear special requests, if you staff with cogs, if you have to put it all in a manual, then the chances of amazing someone are really quite low.”
• “We spend most of our days waiting for permission to start.”

You can pick up your own copy of Poke the Box by using my affiliate link.

In the mean time, what have been your favorite takeaways from the book? Join the conversation by sharing your comment.

As we continue getting to know the story behind Bellevue Church Management System (bvcms), I thought this time we could highlight some key features. Here are some examples of what makes them stand out as a strong player in church management solutions.

Built in Advanced Reporting Tool
What good is collecting data if you can’t use it to inform and validate ministry decisions? bvcms spent a considerable amount of time creating a powerful query tool that was so easy to use even a non-technical person can do it.  The advanced query tool included with bvcms makes it easy to get the information you need when you want it. It’s that simple.

Access via Web from any Internet Connection or Web-enabled Mobile Device
Ministry doesn’t exist within four walls and neither should your church management system. Utilize any internet connection to access the database including Web-enabled mobile devices. (Break free from your church office…finally!) This also means you will always be using the latest software version and never have to worry about potential network down time or loss of critical data.

Touchscreen Check-In and Event Registration
Eliminate the need for paper-based check-in and event registration. Improve the visitor and member experience while at the same time capturing critical data about the people attending on-campus activities. Feel free to use a kiosk or any touch screen computer monitor. (Currently, bvcms is developing the check-in process to function on the iPad.)

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We are excited to announce that LAUNCH will be hosting one of the “Best Practices Pre-session Intensives” at Exponential this year.   We will be focusing on “Nurturing Spiritual Vitality and Family Health”.

Several senior pastors and their spouses will engage church planting couples who are learning how to effectively build strong, healthy families while building strong, healthy churches.  They will discuss the questions and situations that can potentially hijack families.  How do we create and maintain “safe” friendships?  How do we protect our children from the expectations of others?  Where do we go to build relationships outside of the church?  When and how do we communicate with our children about major ministry transitions?  Who should be in our inner circles?  What are appropriate guardrails for safeguarding relationships and reputation?  Our family is our most significant ministry.  They will help you formulate a game plan for success.

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Guy Kawasaki

Guy Kawasaki is the co-founder of Alltop.com, an “online magazine rack” of popular topics on the web, and a founding partner at Garage Technology Ventures. Previously, he was the chief evangelist of Apple. (Familiar with that company?)

Today, Guy’s newest book, Enchantment, hits the bookstores. I caught up with Guy this weekend to talk about the book. Here’s what he had to share:

TONY: What prompted you to write Enchantment?

GUY: I have a naive and optimistic desire to help people improve their “game” in order to change the world. My personal mantra is “empower people.” Enchantment, the book, enables me to empower people.

TONY: What’s the book all about?

GUY: Do you know that a reporter once asked Tom Clancy this and his response was, “It’s about $26.”? What a great answer! Anyway, Enchantment is the process of delighting people and producing the outcome of voluntary, long-lasting, and enthusiastic support.

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Seth Godin

Last week, Seth Godin’s most recent book, Poke the Box, released in the wild. I finished reading it on my flight back from California, and I’ll share my highlights later this week. In the mean time, I caught up with Seth this weekend, and we discussed the new book. Here’s the interview:

TONY: What’s the big idea behind Poke the Box?

SETH: Initiative is taken, it’s not given, and it’s the scarcest resource in most organizations. Individuals who choose to initiate are priceless.

TONY: Why do you think people are so comfortable waiting for orders?

SETH: Total deniability! If someone else gives the instructions, well, then it can’t be your fault, can it?

TONY: What’s one thing leaders could do differently to get their teams to initiate change?

SETH: This is the hard one, Tony. What leaders have to do is seek out and embrace (and possibly reward) smart failure. If you’re not willing to fail, you have no chance to succeed.

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Only the courageous will engage problems that have never been addressed.

• “It’s not important to be lucky. It’s important to create awareness when fortunate circumstances occur.”
• when original business plan failed: “Ev said, ‘Go off in groups. Figure something out.’”
• on the greatest value of Twitter: “It changes every single day.”
• “Twitter is a utility akin to electricity.”
• “Twitter is a blank canvas to build whatever product you want.”
• on Twitter: “It’s amazing how people define and redefine the system every single day.”
• on teams: “You can only do so much when you’re just alone.”
• part of leadership is “removing negative elements” from the team
• “We could be doing a thousand different, but there are only 1 or 2 that really matter. Everything else needs to be shelved.”
• “There is still an offset that we need to account for.”
• “Technology is a tool. It is not an end.”
• “Twitter at it’s best connects people instantly to what’s most meaningful to them.”

Gungor just did this song at Catalyst West with the video that follows. Check this out.

I like Gungor.