Paul is a Ministry Consultant with The Unstuck Group. Paul has more than 20 years experience serving in the local church, the last 15 of which have been on the Sr. Leadership Teams of some of the nation’s leading mega-churches. Currently, Paul is serving as the Executive Pastor at Sun Valley Community Church, a large multi-site church located in the Phoenix area.
Having too few volunteers is one of the most frequent complaints I hear from church leaders. Most of the time, it’s not due to a lack of effort or trying. It’s usually due to taking the wrong approach towards volunteerism in the church.
Conventional wisdom tells us that when things get difficult we just need to work harder, work smarter or somehow upgrade the quality of our work. But what do you do when trying harder doesn’t work? It probably means it’s time for you to stop doing the same old thing with more effort, more efficiency, or more quality and to start implementing new strategies. It’s time to try something entirely new.
Having too few volunteers is one of the most frequent complaints and pressure points I hear from church leaders. Most of the time it’s not due to a lack of effort or trying. It’s usually due to thinking the wrong way about volunteerism in the church.
It would be easy to think that multisite is more cost-efficient than church planting. However, there’s more to consider than meets the eye.
It’s commonly said that you can tell if a church is insider-focused or outsider-focused by how they make decisions. Do they make decisions based on whom they’re trying to keep or whom they’re trying to reach? Oh, if it were only that simple.
Recruiting and hiring a new team member can be exciting! Hire the right person and the whole team benefits. When you invite the right person to join your team, not only is there an infusion of new talent, but also new ideas, fresh eyes, and a new well of experiences to go to. On the other hand, hire the wrong person and the ministry at your church could be set back for years. Here are 5 principles to keep in mind when it’s time to make the next hire at your church.
If you lead long enough, eventually you’re going to hit a leadership lid. It happens when you reach your capacity in a particular area. But what you do next has the potential to make or break your leadership future. If you ignore it, deny it, make excuses about it, or refuse to acknowledge and deal with it, you’ll undermine your impact. If you face reality, you’ll create a window of opportunity to grow and break through your leadership lid.
That’s usually how blind spots work. They show up at work, at home, in our casual friendships, and in our most meaningful relationships. Everyone sees them but us. That’s why they’re called blind spots. But just because you have them, doesn’t mean you can’t bring those blind spots into focus. Here’s a couple tips to try out this week.
We had a great experience going to the game; the outcome was just disappointing. It was like the Gators were trying to phone this one in. They didn’t look like themselves. It’s like they didn’t even get off the bus! I don’t mind losing if they leave it all on the field, but they just didn’t play up to their potential. Ever been a part of a team like that? A team that doesn’t play up to their potential? Here are some of the reasons why it happens.
When you love a strategy more then you love the mission you’ve got the right recipe for a declining church. When the strategy stops working it’s not time to give up on the mission, it’s time to employ a new strategy. The mission of the Church is not to get a bunch of people in a big room at one time for a great show. The mission of the church is to help people meet Jesus. Don’t get those two things confused.
Simply put, firing people who work at your church sucks. It’s no fun for anyone, and there’s rarely a win. That being said, there are times when it is the right decision. When those moments come along, here are some principles to keep in mind.
I’ve never met anyone who likes to be micromanaged. Unfortunately I’ve observed many church staff teams who confuse micromanagement and accountability. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a young church staff member express frustration and cry out about the injustice of being micromanaged when their supervisor was simply holding them accountable for basic results.
