I partner with a group of organizations that help resource leaders like you. Here are the folks that are making things happen at TonyMorganLive.com in October:

igniteCRM – web-based church relationship management software created to empower ministry leaders for accelerated church growth

Church Community Builder – web-based church software that actively serves over 1,600 churches in 15 different countries from church plants to multi-site, mega-churches

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

Church Art Online – the largest library of church art on the Web

Clover – provides websites for growing churches and ministries

Church Leader Insights – join Nelson Searcy for a free, 75-minute webinar where you’ll discover the eight systems of a healthy church

Injoy Stewardship Solutions – offering a free report on the “5 Mistakes that will Kill Your Church Fund Raising”

Leaders Book Summaries – summaries of the best books on leadership, management and church life to help you become a better leader

Outreach Events – specializes in dynamic, outreach-oriented events with speakers and Christian comedians 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 have exactly one advertising spot open. If you are interested, email me for more details. I’d love to have you join our team!

John Maxwell

Yesterday, John Maxwell’s newest book, The Five Levels of Leadership, was released. I caught up with John a few days ago and asked him several questions about the book. Here’s our interview. Check out the opportunity to win a free copy at the end of the article.

TONY: What prompted you to write The Five Levels of Leadership?

JOHN: In the early 1980s, I hit a wall in my productivity as a leader. I realized I needed to shift from leading followers to developing leaders. Since leadership is influence, this got me thinking about the nature of influence. What emerged from that study is what I called the 5 Levels of Influence (later renamed 5 Levels of Leadership). And I began using it to help others understand how influence works and begin developing themselves as leaders.

In almost 30 years of teaching 5 Levels of Leadership, it gradually became my most requested lesson. And that demand prompted me to go back and really dig into it, to see if it could be expanded into a book. To my delight, I realized that there was plenty of content, and I could’ve written more about it than I did.

TONY: I know that Jim Collins wrote about “Level 5″ leadership in Good to Great. What did Jim get wrong on this topic?

JOHN: I don’t think he got anything wrong. It’s just a different way of looking at leaders. His level 5 hierarchy is very different from my 5 Levels of Leadership. What he’s really talking about is five levels of contribution or individual growth. And he focuses mostly on his Level 5, but doesn’t really go into the other levels at all. His levels are also not sequential. Bottom line: I think Jim and I just happened to use the same terminology, but it’s a different perspective on the subject.

My 5 levels is not only a picture of leadership, but also the process of how leadership works: How a leader starts with a Position, then has to gain Permission to lead by developing relationships. Then they have to achieve Productivity by getting results with the team. That earns them the credibility to begin People Development so others can reach their potential. Finally, at Level 5, the Pinnacle, they develop leaders who develop leaders.

(more…)

Through my partnership with Vanderbloemen Search Group, I’m working with Harvest Church in Billings, Montana to help them find a Campus Pastor.

I’ve been to Harvest Church. It’s a great place with super people. They’re committed to reaching those far from God. They are known for a welcoming spirit, with a solid foundation of Biblical values. They offer a contemporary setting that strives to be culturally relevant. The theology of Harvest can be described as Biblical, orthodox and evangelical. They currently have four campuses reaching 2,500 people each weekend.

The Campus Pastor is the relational pastor to his campus. The successful candidate must be able to embrace the overall vision and values of Harvest Church and translate it into the context of their local community and congregation. The Campus Pastor will oversee the staff at his campus and coach key volunteers. He  will be responsible for evangelistically growing the campus, building small groups, as well as outreach to the community.

The successful candidate will have a strong, demonstrated relationship with Jesus Christ and a high level of integrity. He must be highly relational and able to interact with a broad spectrum of people. He must have a proven track record of developing and coaching staff and volunteers.

Billings, Montana, boasts a high quality of life at a low cost of living. Family life and outdoor activity are optimal in Billings. There are good schools, summer and winter sports, options for eating out and plenty of cultural opportunities for families.

Are you ready for a new adventure? If so, you can upload your resume to our secure site, or email us directly at  resumes@vanderbloemensearch.com. As always, this is a confidential process.

I partner with 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.

You may have seen the news recently that Joe Sangl has acquired the stewardship company Injoy Stewardship Solutions (ISS) – the company founded by Dr. John C. Maxwell.  Joe is a good friend of mine. He and I worked on the staff of NewSpring Church together with Perry Noble.  For the past five years, Joe has focused on helping equip people to become personally financially free through his I Was Broke. Now I’m Not. ministry.

I was able to catch up with Joe recently, and he had this to say about his new endeavor.

TONY: Why did you acquire ISS?

JOE: As you know, I have had literally hundreds of opportunities to speak and teach at churches all across the nation helping equip people to give and to win with their money God’s way.  I have been able to see how God is moving in His church and how He has given so many leaders such huge vision to reach their communities for Jesus.  Usually, the next step toward that dream will cost a huge amount of money.  I have personally worked with ISS when I was the Pastor of Financial Planning and Coaching at NewSpring Church. We were able to fund our huge next steps from 2007 to 2010 – in the midst of a tremendous recession.  I have seen the incredible results that can happen when the church is filled with people that are financially free.  Frankly, my heart skips a beat at the thought of helping leaders fund their God-given dreams!

TONY: In your work with churches, what do you believe is the biggest mistake that leaders make when raising money?

Joe: The number one mistake I have seen is when the initiative becomes all about the money or the project.  When this happens, the initiative can turn into a fund-raiser instead of a spiritual journey that focuses on what God wants to accomplish through the initiative and how many more people will meet Jesus as a result.

In fact, the team at ISS has written a free e-report called “The Top 5 Mistakes Churches Make When Raising Money.”  It literally takes five minutes to read it, and it could substantially impact the next major phase of ministry that a church embarks on.  That free e-report can be obtained instantaneously by filling out the form below.

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This is a sponsored post from Injoy Stewardship Solutions, one of my ministry partners on TonyMorganLive.com.

Big news today! We’re launching the second eBook in the Leisure Suit series. This one is called Hanging Up the Leisure Suit: How to Get Unstuck. Among other things, this resource includes strategies and practical steps for:

• making the necessary changes to get different results
• bridging the gap between vision and execution
• following God’s blueprint for fulfilling his purposes
• avoiding over-reliance on teaching to produce change, and
• creating healthy systems in your church

Like my previous eBooks, this one is FREE. (You can share it with your teammates.) It’s short. (You won’t have to invest much time reading it.) It includes exercises and discussion questions. (My goal is for you to have healthy conversations that lead to positive change.) And, you’ll get to start those conversations immediately–no need to visit the bookstore or wait for the Amazon box to show up on your doorstep. (Do people still read hardback books?)

Again, I’m grateful for the partnership with Church Community Builder. Because of their very generous contribution to Engage Burkina, this entire series will be delivered to you for free.

My primary mission in life is to help leaders and churches have a bigger impact. I don’t want you to be stuck. I’m praying this eBook helps you take your next steps in your leadership and in your ministry.

And don’t be stingy. Share this with a friend so they can experience it too.

Here are the most popular articles from September in order of traffic:

1. Getting People from Point A to Point B: Inactive to Engaged
2. 7 Reasons Why Churches Choose to Have a Smaller Impact
3. Senior Leadership Team: 7 Roles that Can’t be Delegated
4. Getting People from Point B to Point C: Engaged to Serving
5. Hiring a Worship Pastor for Church of 5,000
6. Are you a Quitter?
7. 10 Questions to Increase Volunteer Engagement
8. Be the First to Preview My New eBook
9. God is Able
10. Outspoken: a New Book on Church Communications