Andy Stanley

You can’t have a top ten list without including a few thoughts from Andy Stanley. Andy is the senior pastor of North Point Community Church near Atlanta. Every year, he’s one of the keynote speakers at the Catalyst Conference. The #7 most popular post in 2010 captured some of the highlights from one of Andy’s talks at the conference.

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Andy Stanley Notes from Catalyst

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.

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I’m going to be at the Milton Keynes Christian Centre north of London on November 11 for a one-day event for church leaders. This will be my first event in Europe, so I’m really excited about the opportunity.

If you are in the region, I’m hoping you will join us. I’ll offer a couple of teaching sessions on:

• Leading staff and volunteers, and
• Finding clarity in your vision, strategy and message.

What I’m most excited about, though, is the conversation with church leaders in this part of the world. I’m looking forward to the dialogue about the unique challenges and opportunities you have in reaching people outside the faith. I hope you and your team will be a part of it.

Emily and I can’t wait to be with you. Register today, so you can engage the conversation.

I’m typically not a fan of interviews at conferences. This one, though, included some pretty powerful moments. I saw Andy Stanley interview Rick Warren at a Catalyst West Conference in 2009. Brad Lomenick shared a couple of video clips from that interview on his site today. Here are the clips:

I’m so excited to share this opportunity with you! On November 11, I’ll be speaking at the Milton Keynes Christian Centre in London, England. I cannot wait to encourage church leaders and pastors on a different continent. The conference will be focused on leading through your church’s mission, purpose, and values, rather than leading in reaction to problems and difficulties that arise in ministry.

Aside from two speaking sessions, I’ll be conducting a Q & A time with the attendees. While I’m at the conference, I’ve also set aside time to connect with church leaders in order to deepen my understanding of the unique challenges faced by the church in the UK.

I hope you’ll get more information and register early! Until October 1, the price for the conference is £10.00. (I’m not sure, but I think that translates to a pretty good deal.)

I’m looking forward to meeting with leaders “across the pond.” Hope to see you there.

You won’t want to miss the Catalyst Conference this year. It all starts on October 6 in Atlanta. (btw… It’s kind of Catalyst to throw a big party on my birthday right here in my home city.) As usual, there’s a great lineup of speakers including folks like Andy Stanley, Seth Godin, TD Jakes, Craig Groeschel and Francis Chan.

The best Rates on Catalyst tickets end today (Thursday, August 26), so register now. Call 888.334.6569 to speak to a Catalyst Concierge, or register online. You can use rate code FOB for an additional 10% discount off your ticket price. Catalyst will sell out, so make sure you register early!

Hope to see you there. And, please, no gifts.

The flow of culture affects the church, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The way we connect—how we give and receive information, our style and habits of living—is all a part of culture. As ministry leaders, we need to identify cultural movements, discerning which trends will help us have greater impact and which trends are dangerous, self-centered, and hurtful. Here are my observations of three cultural trends influencing ministry leaders today—it’s my list of what’s “in” and what’s “out” in church leadership.

In: Influence  Out: Power  Way Out: Board Meetings (Robert’s Rules of what?)

Our culture values people who make a difference—those who get things done with their creative ideas and powerful personal networks. For better or worse, our culture won’t value a leader for his/her respective position as much as for merit.This means simply holding a leadership position isn’t enough; leaders need to build credibility. There’s a biblical backing to this cultural movement: “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different…” (Matthew 20:25, 26). Influence is in, and power plays are out.

In: Creativity  Out: Corporate Way Out: Red Power Ties (they don’t go well with graphic Ts, anyway)

Our church is a body, a family, a bride—this is understood by church leaders. But we might even call it something else, especially today as we value start-ups and grassroots movements as much as corporate thinking and institutions. Just check out the rising number of nonprofits and NGOs in the last few years. The NGO sector is now the eighth largest economy in the world. And, dare I say, nonprofits are the new parachurch. Our society wants to be a part of something forward-thinking, creative, and at times, sacrificial. By nature, the mission of Christ is a grassroots effort (fueled by the Holy Spirit), inviting people to be a part of a better story—one they were made for. The rise of creative culture gives us an opportunity to rebrand the church as it was originally designed: as a movement.

In: Networks  Out: E-mail Way Out: Meet-Ups (this includes name badges)

Networks allow us to connect with others seamlessly and—more importantly—on our own terms. In our society, we are hyper-related but under-connected. There are some solid benefits to building strong networks (can you say global ministry?), but many of the connections we make aren’t making us better at relationships or taking us deeper spiritually. Facebook is a prime example: It’s a powerful tool that can enhance deeper connections, or just foster our lust for belonging.

I would love to hear your comments or any additional trends you feel are affecting church leadership today.  Our team is working and praying diligently to make ChurchLeaders.com something of great value for every ministry leader. On the site you’ll find over 3,000 resources—and more added daily—to help you lead better. (Check out our list of freebies).

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.

I recently finished reading Daniel Pink’s most latest book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. If you lead people, this book will probably change the way your approach leadership. The book highlights a number of scientific research projects that challenge our traditional approaches to managing and motivating employees.

Here are some of the thoughts that grabbed my attention:

If you are interested in reading more of Pink’s insights on motivation, you can pick up Drive by following my Amazon link.

Several weeks ago I was thinking about how little we talk about the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives as Christ-followers. I began to consider how I live out my life, and, I was convicted…which, by the way, is one indication that the Holy Spirit is active in our lives. I thought it might be good to consider the conversation here especially as it relates to leaders in the Church. Based on that, here are…

10 Signs that We Don’t Believe in the Power of the Holy Spirit

1. We are experiencing anxiety and bitterness in our lives rather than joy and kindness. (Galatians 5:22-23)
2. We can’t remember the last time we prayed for the people we lead. (Romans 8:26)
3. The churches we lead aren’t growing and reaching more people. (Acts 9:31)
4. The churches we lead aren’t outreach focused. (Acts 1:8)
5. We think it’s our responsibility to convict people of sin. (John 16:8)
6. We are stuck in sinful patterns rather than pursuing the things of God. (Galations 5:16:17)
7. We think we have the power to change people. (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)
8. We are more concerned about the rules than we are our freedom in Christ. (Galations 3:2-3)
9. We think we can explain the mysteries of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10-12)
10. We are creating division and aren’t promoting unity within the Church. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

It might be good to begin the week and this next season of ministry by studying and praying through this list. My prayer is that your life and your ministry would continue to experience its fullest potential in the power of the Holy Spirit.