Nov/Dec 2016 Volume 1 Issue 3
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Things Every Church Leader Should Do in the New Year! By Tom Cheyney
Executive Director of Missions Assess Church Planting: Craziness or a Calling? By Mark Weible Church Planting Director
www.MissionsRising.com www.GOBA.org
As an association of autonomous Southern Baptist churches, exists to more effectively fulfill the Great Commission as described in Matthew 28:18-20. MISSION: GOBA is Southern Baptist member churches working together to impact Central Florida and the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. VISION: GOBA is a family of healthy growing churches loving, serving and reaching Central Florida and the world by developing and multiplying disciples, leaders, and churches.
The Renovate Conference is developing a group of leaders committed to the work of church growth by revitalizing and renewing churches and church leaders. Key conversations regarding the need for church revitalization and how to incorporate church revitalization into the local church takes place during these crucial days of collaboration. RENOVATE seeks to influence, train, and equip, a group of church revitalizers that multiplies rapidly across the west with effective principles, ideas and solutions for the enhanced reproduction of church renewal in America. RENOVATE provides a national platform and delivery network for advocating the need of church revitalization. We seek to spotlight significant practioners and leaders in church renewal. This multi-denominational conference is designed to connect, inspire, equip and challenge church revitalizers.
ReproducingChurches.com exists - to be a catalyst for collaboration among local churches that share a passion for togetherness and sentness for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus and the reproduction of leaders who live sent daily in hopes that new expressions of the church will blossom. The purpose of G.O.A.L. is to develop leaders who reproduce leaders by encouraging development in the following areas: The leader’s personal life; The leader’s relational style; The leader’s ability to build an effective team, and the leader’s ability to lead organizationally. This is done through Greater Orlando Adventures in Leadership (GOAL), and through other appropriate seminar and conference venues. Our participants are asked to invest a minimum of two years of personal ministry development and growth in leadership development through the Greater Orlando Baptist Association.
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FEATURES
Sept/Oct 2016 | Vol 1, No 2
Things Every Church Leader Should Do in the New Year!
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Assess Church Planting: Craziness or a Calling?
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By Tom Cheyney
By Mark Weible
MAGAZINE RESOURCES BOOKS, STUDY COURSES, RESOURCES, & E-BOOKS!
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GOBA CONTENT CHANNELS for Pastors, Church Revitalizers, Church Planters, and Ministry Leaders
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6 REMARKABLE TOOLS TO FORTIFY
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Renovate One-Day Training
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Mission New York
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Renovate 2017 Conference
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THE PASTOR WITHIN YOU
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Welcome to the Missions Rising Magazine:
The Bi-monthly Resource Magazine from Central Florida for Pastors, Staff, and Church Leaders!
Volume 1, No. 3
Missions Rising is published bi-monthly by the Greater Orlando Baptist Association 1906 Lee Road Orlando, FL 32810 Email: goba@goba.org
PUBLISHER Dr. Tom Cheyney Associate Publisher Mark Weible Associate Publisher Circulation & Marketing Open Executive Editor & Brand Manager Tom Cheyney Magazine Designer & Format Editor Gerald Brown Director of Advertizing Open
From the staff at the the Greater Orlando Baptist Association we want to wish all of you a Very Merry Christmas! It has been a tremendous year around the association. Here are some of the highlights: The Annual Celebration in October had more than 900 guests and volunteers! It was our largest ever. Once again the Renovate National Church Revitalization Conference was a tremendous success. Please pray for us as we continue to tweak the conference to make it even better. Throughout our ministry area we planted eleven new churches and trained church planters in ten church planting center events. More than 1,000 pastors and church members were equipped in our monthly Renovate One-Day Trainings and Conference. Our GOAL Leadership training coached and mentored planters, pastors, and church leaders in seven significant leadership one-day trainings. We assisted 22 churches in individual equipping events. As your mission partner and GOBA family it is a great blessing to be able to provide you such a cutting edge resource on a regular bases. Stay connected, more is coming...
Stock images from ISTOCK Photo or where otherwise noted. Š Copyright 2016 Greater Orlando Baptist Association
This issue is focused around: Things Every Church Leader Should Do in the New Year!
Dr. Tom Cheyney is the Executive Director of Missions for the Greater Orlando Baptist Association and serves as the Executive Editor for the Missions Rising Magazine.
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BOOKS, RESOURCES,
, E-BOOKS!
STUDY COURSES
&
Did you know that GOBA and Missions Rising offers pastors and church leaders an array of resources through our GOBA Bookstore? You can order books online, download free eBooks, find helpful tools for leading the local church, and discover just-in-time resources to help you as a pastor or lay leader.
Church Revitalization 101: Seven Pillars of Church Revitalization and Renewal: $49.95 Value (FREE)
GOBA offers you study courses that can help you learn how to strengthen and grow your church!
The Church Revitalizer As Change Agent
Preaching Towards Church Revitalization
The Nuts & Bolts of Church Revitalization
Tom Cheyney
Tom Cheyney Larry Wynn
Tom Cheyney Terry Rials
Visit: GOBA.org/resources for the most up to date set of resources designed to help the local church. 38 Church Revitalization Models For The 21st Century Tom Cheyney
The Healthy Church: Practical Ways to Strengthen a Church’s Heart Bob Whitesel
Building A Healthy Multi-ethnic Church Mark DeYmaz
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GOBA RESOURCES & CONTENT CHANNELS
for Pastors, Church Revitalizers, Church Planters, and Ministry Leaders
Delivering Quality Thinking, Strategic Thinking, Leadership Practices and News
Go to Missions Rising.com for the latest news, podcasts, blogs, articles, just-in-time resources, and suggested books from the Greater Orlando Baptist Association and our content channel architects.
CHURCH PLANTING OrlandoChurchPlanting.com 6
GOAL OrlandoLeaders.com
RENOVATE CONFERENCE RenovateConference.org
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Greater Orlando B
GOBA
OBA
Baptist Association
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REPRODUCING CHURCHES ReproducingChurches.com
RENOVATE ONE DAY RenovateConference.org/One-Day
RESOURCES RenovateConference.org/ bookstore 7
Things Every Church Leader Should Do in the New Year! The beginning of a new year allows individual churches and individual Church leaders the opportunity to rethink the previous years’ work and begin on a new note with renewed vigor and ample time of reflection. New Year’s Day has always served me as a day of reflection and anticipation. One of the things I do each New Year’s Day is look over my very first sermon I ever preached and sense the humbling and appreciation that I did not stay at that level. A moment of humbly thanking God for His blessings is a great way to begin the New Year. A day of anticipation for the upcoming year of ministry opportunity is also a good way to spend the day. In a few days, I will begin my new year and I am so excited about the opportunities it brings for ministry and my individual growth. I could go on, but the emphasis of this edition of Missions Rising Magazine is to share some specific things everyone working within the areas of church vitality, growth, health, and revitalization. New years are a time for newness and the passage in Revelation 21:5, which says: “Behold, I make all things new,” is a strong reminder of whom we serve and follow. Here are a few verses to begin reflecting upon as all of us begin our new year: Be Hopeful “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” -Jeremiah 29:11 Let Your Light Shine “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” -Matthew 5:14-16 Be Strong “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” - Deuteronomy 31:6
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Do Not Worry “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” -Matthew 6:25 God Gives Us Self-Control “…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” -2 Timothy 1:7 Do Not Be Afraid “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” -John 14:27 Be Grateful “Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.” -Psalm 136:26 God Loves You “For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.” -Psalm 117:2 Love, Goodness and Gentleness “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” -Galatians 5:22-23 In a few days, we will start seeing lots of people wearing the new clothes they have received as Christmas gifts. Some will have a new coat; others will have ipads or laptops. Things are new in the New Year. Perhaps the greatest opportunity for you is that the New Year offers a chance for a new you as a pastor and church leader. So here are some things everyone working within the areas of church vitality, growth, health, and revitalization, should do in the New Year:
Find Yourself Some Faithful Friends
In every church, there are people who make it their ambition to be the friend of the pastor. Do your best to discern which are interested in genuine friendship (and which are interested for more self-serving reasons). Times will come when you need a close friend in your congregation, or you will need a place to start when explaining yourself for a dumb move you have just made. Maybe this person likes to take the pastor hunting, or fishing, or they just like having a pastor
An Opportunity for a New Beginning
New things give us an occasion to start over. Wise church leaders challenge their churches early in the New Year to see a compelling vision of what the church could become if everyone decided and committed to work together for the cause of vitality, health, and renewal. Could there be some things you as the minister could do better than last year? The New Year provides all of us second chances to do something better. Starting anew with a hope of a new beginning. Clean the slates, start over a few things, and learn from previous mistakes. I heard about a son who called his parents to wish them a happy New Year. The dad answered the phone was asked, “Well dad, what’s your New Year’s resolution?” He answered proudly, “To make your mother as happy as I can all year”. Then his mom got on the phone and he asked her the same question, “What’s you resolution, Mom?” She replied, “To see that your dad keeps his New Year’s resolution. Our Lord gives all of us when we enter into a personal relationship with Him a new beginning. Though the passage speaks of the great gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus, 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Even those outside of Christ are offered new beginnings and at one time in our lives as believers we were given the greatest gift of salvation through Christ Jesus. But I believe this verse to be an encouragement to all of us as
church leaders of the special blessings we are given through new beginnings.
Pray for God to Give You a Mentor
One of the most important decisions that a pastor can make is to obtain a good pastoral mentor. Ministry is a craft. I am unperturbed when new pastors sometimes say, “Seminary never really taught me actually how to do ministry.” I think seminary is best when it instills the classical theological disciplines and exposes to the classical theological resources of the church, not so good at teaching the everyday, practical, administrative and mundane tasks of the congregational ministry. One learns a craft, not by reading books, but by looking over the shoulder of a master, watching the moves, learning by example, developing a critical approach that constantly evaluates and gains new skills. Selecting a mentor can be your greatest challenge as a pastor. Few experienced pastors have the training or the gifts for mentoring a colleague. The “Lone Ranger” mentality afflicts many lonely pastors and their work shows the results of their failure to obey Jesus’ sending of the Seventy “two by two” (Luke 10:1). Some senior colleagues are often threatened by one’s youth, or idealism, or one’s talent, seeing their own failures and disappointments in the light of your future promise. You will encounter those experienced pastors whose main experience has been that of accommodation, appeasement, and disillusionment with the meager impact of their ministry. They have a personal stake in robbing you of your energy and expectation for ministry. Yet in asking someone to be your mentor, to look into your life, to show you how to do ministry as they have done it, is one of the most flattering and affirming things you can do for a senior colleague. The Christian ministry is too tough to be done alone. There is something built into the practice of Christian ministry that requires apprenticeship from Paul mentoring young Timothy to Ambrose guiding the willful Augustine, to John Meek putting his arm around me and saying, “Here’s what a kid like you has got to watch out for.” In my experience, one of the most revealing questions that I can ask a new pastor is, “Who are your models for ministry? Whose example are you following?”
On Point with Dr. Tom Cheyney
over for Sunday dinner. Consider how much you will need them - and quickly befriend them. You may never survive without them. This is not merely self-serving. God has given the church variously gifted people, and some are perfectly placed there for encouragement. Find your Barnabases and receive them as the gift from God that they are. Get some good ministry friends and love them generously. Peers will help you sort out your head space at different moments in ministry. They will talk to you straight and with kindness. They will help you keep things in perspective when things go wrong, plus they will be a safe place when you need to vent.
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Things Every Church Leader Should Do in the New Year! Create a Sense of Urgency
Our communities all around us are changing and as the church leader you can ill afford to grow complacent. We are living in a time of rapid change and only the church, which keeps pace with, its ever-changing cultural environment will advance. As a church leader, you must have a sense of urgency to assure that your God given vision stays ahead of the demands of community. Far too many pastors working in churches that need to be revitalized believe that business is equivalent to urgency. Creating a sense of urgency is more about activating volunteers and lay leadership into the cause of revitalization and its tasks. Strategies must move forward. Objectives must be advanced. Methodologies must be always evolving and executed in a timely manner. Simply, church leaders must begin the New Year keeping themselves and their followers on their toes by training the church to look for God’s unexpected and then act upon His opportunities. You as the leader will have much to learn in the New Year and your people will need to embrace the attitude of daring so your renewal efforts might be accomplished.
Do Not Bend to Your Critics
The critics can be so loud at times; it feels overwhelming. No matter the season of the year, there are disappointed expectations, and therefore people from all over the map who want you to do things their way. This year, don’t bend to the critics. Listen to the spirit. Don’t allow the critics to define you, or what you do. Let Jesus do that.
Be Transparent
Being transparent doesn’t mean you push your problems or your emotions onto other people. It simply means being honest and inviting others into your space in an appropriate way. This year, be transparent with your staff, with your congregation, with those you lead, and with your family. When we are humbly transparent we invite the Holy Spirit in to do his transforming work.
Speak with Your Actions
You have heard it said that actions speak louder than words. Nowhere is that more true than in church leadership. If you say one thing, and do another, people will lose respect for you. Worse than that, they’ll actually start doing as you do, rather than as you say.
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Don’t forget. Actions speak louder than words. Let your actions speak loud in 2017.
Take the Occasion to Set New Goals
Healthy churches and healthy pastors set goals, which will provide barometers for how the church is doing in the new year. Church leaders understand that individual drive and a list of goals are key to the renewal innovation. It was the late great Zig Ziglar that said, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” At the beginning of my first calendar year here in Central Florida, I asked my staff to turn in individual goals for the upcoming year for their area of ministry. You would have thought I had tortured them. It was like pulling teeth. I scratched my head in disbelief. Have they never been held accountable for their area of work? Had a laze fare been allowed with no accountability? We work for our network of churches and don’t they deserve goals set and worked towards reaching. Every one working in areas of ministry should set goals for his or her ministry area and then be willing to share them with the rest of the team. I have learned a wonderful lesson, which is that I am (and you are) more likely to accomplish my goals, if I can see other people also working on their individual goals. As a Church leader, if you have 10 volunteers working in ministry areas, make a goal to get to 20 volunteers. If you are poor with communication, make it a goal to communicate better this New Year. Remember what people are not up on they are usually down on. If you are bad with member follow up and prospect assimilation, make it a goal to make a certain number of visits, send out letters, send emails, and make phone calls this new year each and every week. Set new goals to grow spiritually and professionally.
Carry a Journal Everywhere You Go
I usually have a journal with me where ever I go and if not I have one in my iPad. The reason I journal and write things down is because I am often bombarded with not one good idea but many and if you do not write them down they will be lost. Great ideas often are pushed to the surface by a series of really good ideas but not great ones. Ideas are fragile, and our memory does not always work. So, I write them down. Poor writers are seldom journal writers.
This was made so clear to me when the space shuttle exploded on re-entry that horrible Saturday morning. I had just left my house after having breakfast with my wife and children before driving 310 miles to preach in Savannah, Georgia the next day. My Bible was in the front set along with my sermon notes and my journal, as I was prepared for what I thought was a typical Sunday of preaching. Not ten minutes out of my garage as I was listening to the shuttles landing on the radio, I heard from the reporter of the horrible crash. Journaling my thoughts, over the past year had many things useable to allow the Lord to change my message and provide incredible insight and comfort to those church members I would preach to the next day. For the next five plus hours of driving while listening to the tragic event I was able to add to my journal thoughts from the various reporters and when I arrived at my hotel later that day in a few short hours I was able to develop two timely messages for morning and evening of the following day. Had I not carried a journal with me everywhere I go I would not have had the tools and ideas God had given me over the past months to fashion such timely messages.
Get Your Hands Dirty by Touching the Ministry
Every church leader must see the impor tance of getting one’s hands dirty by touching the ministry. Pastors must touch the work of the Lord in a local church
as much as they are to lead it. Many declining church pastors admit that they are uncomfortable with getting their hands dirty in the work of ministry. It is sad because this allows them to appear to be unfamiliar about the changing demands and requirements for their local church to be locally relevant as well as globally relevant. Some pastors of declining or plateaued churches enjoy roaming the sidelines and observing the performance of others, rather than getting in the game and taking a more active role. As a church leader, do you immerse yourself in the things, which keep you in the office over the things that get you out with your people and prospects? Pastors much like church planters must be more entrepreneurial than ever before. As the leader of the flock one must touch the ministry enough so they are better able to anticipate crisis and manage change before circumstances force their hand. Leadership is all about people and if leaders begin to lose touch with those they lead, they will become detached and disengaged with the requirements of the community and church in which they serve.
On Point with Dr. Tom Cheyney
Jess Moody, former pastor of First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach gave me the best advice when I was a young freshman in college at Palm Beach Atlantic University. His advice to an 18-year-old ministerial student was to put aside two hours every week, even while in college, and write. He said, “Write good sermons and bad ones. Write articles and ideas because if you begin to do this while you are young, it will pay off in great dividends as you mature in the work of the ministry!” He was so right. I have discovered in my journaling journey that great ideas come in the strangest places, and if you do not write them down, you will lose the idea that could transform your church or ministry. Learn to write down your thoughts, ideas, opinions, and beliefs. Failure to do so just might cause you to regret it later.
Choose People Over Performance
As a pastor, it is easy to get caught up in the frenzy of performance. There is so much to do, and the work feels important. You want to do as much as possible in as little time as possible. The pressure continues to grow and grow. But this year, and always, choose people over performance. Those who have been entrusted to your care need love far more than they need a perfect Easter service.
Do Not Neglect Vision
Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” and I have seen this to be true in my many years ministry. When you take the time to create a vision that is both simple and meaningful, it is truly life-giving to your staff and congregation. Do not neglect creating a vision in pursuit of “getting started” with this next year. A little planning goes a long way.
Take Care of Yourself
This is one of the hardest things for pastors to do. Often we work ourselves to the point of exhaustion, telling ourselves it’s “for the Kingdom,” and justifying our sin. God does not need you to kill yourself. He already died. It is already finished. If you find yourself losing your temper, losing touch Continued on Page 14
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Things Every Church Leader Should Do in the New Year! with your family, suffering in your marriage, or growing an addiction to certain foods or coffee—chances are you aren’t resting enough. Take these as a warning sign.
Seek Balance
God doesn’t need you to kill yourself, but He does want you to bring your whole self to the table. I don’t believe God is pleased when we play games on our smartphones, or check our Facebook status a million times, when we could be working. It’s important to seek balance in all areas of your life—work, family, friendships, social life, health, etc. Finding this balance is a lifelong journey, but it’s more than worth it.
Avoid the Tyranny of the Urgent at the Cost of the Vital
There are always things, which can pull you away from the important work of the Lord. Some it is actually very good but not the best. Are you known as one who can count noses, nickel, and numbers yet lacks the time required to connect with those who long for your presence? Would you rather go to a committee meeting and enlist others or do the work yourself? Every church leader worth his salt knows how to eliminate the distractions so they can concentrate on the true priorities of ministry. I like the little ditty I heard some time ago: “Whoever invented the open-door policy for leaders never accomplished much.” There are times you must speak to the urgent, yet far too many pastors allow the seemingly urgent to push away the actually urgent and vital to the cause of Christ.
Know and Understand Who your Church is Called to Reach
International missionaries learned long ago that to reach a people group for Christ, they would need to understand their culture. By understanding the group’s beliefs, traditions, and values, they could eat, drink, and talk like them. Then missionaries could more effectively share the love of Christ within the context of the group’s culture. So, whom are you called to reach? Is it a specific people group, cultural pocket, or geographic area? First, define the target group that God has placed on your heart for your church to love and reach. Once you have defined the target group, create a profile describing them. Gather all the information available through community
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demographic studies, community history, and people group statistics. Evaluate the community to determine the flow of people’s lives, what they do on a week-to-week basis, what activities they are involved in, their priorities, musical preferences, values, and beliefs. Learn to understand how the average family thinks, their life issues, challenges, and goals. Then determine what questions people are asking that the gospel can answer. There are many resources and activities you can utilize to help you understand your community. As you understand your churches surrounding culture and become experts on your community, then you can develop a ministry plan that fits within the context of your target group’s culture. By doing so, you can increase the effectiveness of your ministry.
Become Impassioned Pioneers of New Possibilities
Church leader must become impassioned pioneers of new possibilities. One needs to release their passionate quest of excellence in order to challenge the status quo and seize previously unseen ministry opportunities to build sustainable momentum within the ministry area. Impassioned revitalizers are the real explorers of new potentials and possibilities. The impassioned pioneer of new possibilities is more often able to outperform those who are just trying to get it done but lack the zeal of the other leader. Your leadership as a Church Revitalizer is more about standing for something and transitioning your beliefs into action, and then taking it all the way through to the completed and envisioned end. When pastors are not exploring, and pressing forward, they are playing it safe and can over time become complacent in their role as the shepherd. I have discovered that you will learn more from a pastor that explores than from one who merely floats along. When a renewal pastor explores, they challenge everyone on the churches leadership team to get out of their comfort zones and step up their games.
Love Your Spouse
Love your spouse unreservedly and flee adultery like it was a hellish plague. My simple philosophy is no marriage = no ministry. Now that can sound harsh but the call to shepherd Christ’s flock is a significant responsibility and should never be taken lightly. Date your wife and hold those pre-determined
Practice Personal Prayer
Never forsake the place of personal, private prayer and bible study. People who practiced professional praying and Scripture study received a severe rebuke from Jesus. Give yourself to waiting on the Lord and devouring Scripture. Do not allow your time for personal intimacy in prayer and scripture meditation to be given up for things others deem more important. Business in the work of the Lord often pushes out God Times in prayer so avoid allowing such drainers to keep you from prayer.
Create a Moment-in-Time with as Many Church Members as Possible
Your presence with your flock is so vitally important and wise Church Revitalizers develop the ability to create individual moments with church members that express your interest in them. The more your church grows the better you will need to be at this ability. Your interest in them even for the moment in time often will ignite their interest in your and your cause of revitalization. Moments-in-time are mastered over time. This ability and presence requires self-trust, confidence, self-awareness and the ability to navigate the needs of other people. When you are with others your time is focused on them and not on the next thing. Creating a moment-in-time with as many church members as possible requires becoming a good listener and the ability to quickly connect the individual’s patterns of conversation in order to detect one’s personal interests, leadership style and personal needs. Moments-in-time is not about you but all about others. These Moments-in-time are about having impactful, long-lasting moments with members and prospects that inspires others to want to know more.
Create a “User-Friendly” Ministry Environment
There are many barriers that obstruct an unchurched person from hearing and receiving the gospel message. Many of these are due to negative perceptions; others are
spiritual issues of the heart. Here are four barriers that an unchurched person must cross to become a Christian: The Image Barrier—Many perceive church as being irrelevant, boring, judgmental, and disingenuous. The Cultural Barrier—For the unchurched, church culture can sometimes be as scary as it would be for some of us if we walked into a biker bar at 1 a.m. on Saturday night. Culture affects terminology/language, musical preferences, dress code, social traditions, and so forth. Some who are unchurched may not relate to church culture and may quickly decide that church is not for them.
On Point with Dr. Tom Cheyney
times and days of the week sacred. Even a nice walk around the lake holding hands is a date so stop making excuses that it is too costly. You were creative when you were dating and had little money so what has changed and why have you allowed the change to take place.
The Gospel Barrier—The Holy Spirit must convict them of their sin, so that they repent and confess faith in the resurrected Christ. The Total Commitment Barrier— Accepting that a commitment to Christ is a lordship decision involving total commitment and surrender to God. Although many churches say that they care about reaching the unchurched or lost in their communities, they are hindered by inwardly focused ministry practices, which serve as barriers to reaching the unchurched. Everything from signage, service flow, dress code, and musical style is determined based on the needs of those who are already members. Members normally are familiar with the church facilities and ministries (so they don’t need greeters or good signage), have established strong relationships with other members, and are comfortable with the current culture of the church. New families often find the church experience to be uncomfortable, awkward, and confusing. They ask themselves, “Where do I go? Where do I take my kids? What do I wear? Will they ask me to pray?” They enter the church doors with hearts racing and sweaty palms hoping to find someone, anyone with whom they can identify. When creating a “user-friendly” environment, remember to remove the barriers that may hinder a person from hearing and responding to the gospel. Continued on Page 18
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Things Every Church Leader Should Do in the New Year! Many times, people are not willing to give church a try. The barriers, for them, are too large to maneuver, people within a church have hurt them, or they do not see the relevance in attending a church service. So why not go to them? Jesus did it—and so should we. Try volunteering for community events, coaching Little League, or taking a part-time job at Starbucks. Invest in relationships with people in the community, and show them that your love is genuine and unconditional.
Become Less Isolated and Be More Integrated with Your Volunteers
Church leaders work towards increasing collaboration with volunteers. Successful pastors know that their success is highly dependent upon collaboration with others. They know they must always improve their ability to mentor, inspire and motivate others. Church health or renewal and teamwork is recognizing that leadership success comes most to those who are surrounded by people who want their success to continue. Strive to create an environment where everyone has each other’s back. Lack of this ingredient makes the chance for successful revitalization very low. If you as a pastor are a leader who has made the decision to go at it alone, this is often a no-win situation for everyone involved. It is through increased collaboration that church leaders get the opportunity to know and engage with their volunteers well enough to detect and enable their talent potential.
Investigate the Internet and Social Media
The latest study indicates the average American family watches TV and surfs the Internet an average of 10 hours each day. Compared to your time in the pulpit of a couple of hours each week, who has the most influence? Unless pastors and ministry leaders learn the power of the Internet and social media and how to use it effectively, we will continue our Churches not so slow slide into extinction. Discuss movies and TV programs with your congregation, and teach them how to properly prioritize the Internet and social media. And think more about your Internet social media outreach where even the smallest church can create an effective Web site. The battle for influence in your congregation’s life has
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begun, and you had better get into the fight.
Begin Something Highly Significant for Your Personal Ministry
I talk to ministers and pastors all the time. Many share with me of something big they want to do and achieve. I am often compelled to ask of their dream its status only to find that nothing besides a thought has been accomplished. Stop dreaming and start producing. Begin right now the endeavor you have always dreamed of beginning. Tick Tock stop watching the clock because the clock is ticking, and you are not getting any younger. Some preachers have a book they want to write but lack the commitment and discipline (yes writing is a discipline) to get moving. How about that ministry you have wanted to create? What is keeping you from accomplishing that dream? Stop dreaming and start doing. There is no better time than now.
Read More Books, Blogs, and Magazines
It is interesting that many younger ministers no longer like to read. Yet for all of us who proclaim the Word of God each week lack of reading often eliminates our ability to see the power of drama. When we become avid readers and lifelong learners we experience the power of drama in our reading, which often is carried over, into our preaching. Read blogs (you can go to our web site and see ones we think are important) books, and other publications. Novels provide you the ability to utilize narrative in one’s preaching. Storytelling is an art which when well learned will compel others to listen closely.
Remember Your Calling
Do you remember why you were called into the ministry? It is so easy to get caught up in advancing technology, paying the bills, preparing sermons, and the daily grind, we often forget the reason we were called into the ministry in the first place. Chances are you had a dream and calling back then. Was that vision ever accomplished? Cut through the clutter, and get back to the heart and soul of why you do this for a living. The most precious asset you have right now is not money or even knowledge it is time. Time is the currency of the most successful people in the world, and you can always identify influential leaders
Do Not Excuse Church Members from Discipleship
Try not to listen to your parishioners when they attempt to use you to weasel out of the claims of Christ. Much of the criticism that you will receive, many of their negative comments about your work, are just their attempt to excuse themselves from discipleship. “When you are older, you will understand,” they told me as a young pastor. “You have still got all that theological stuff in you from seminary. Eventually, you’ll learn,” said older, cynical pastors. Now it’s, “Because you are a pastor, you don’t really understand that I can’t….” God has called you to preach and to live the gospel before them and they will use any means to avoid it. Be suspicious when people encourage you to see the transition from seminary to the parish as mainly a time finally to settle in and make peace with the “real world.” Jesus Christ is our definition of what’s real and there is much that passes for “the way things are” in the average church that makes Jesus want to grab a whip in hand and clean house.
Speak the Language of the People Not the Philosophers
Devise ways to learn to speak the language your people use. Laity sometimes complain that their pastor, in sermons, uses “religious” words like “spiritual practice,” “liberation,” “empowerment,” “intentional community” (this is an actual list a layperson collected and sent to me) that no one understands and no one recalls having heard in Scripture. Such “preacher talk” makes the pastor seem detached, alien, and aloof from the people and hinders his leadership.
Wrapping It Up!
Our communities are filled with people who have a need in their lives that only Jesus can fill. Deep down, most people want to connect with their heavenly Father, be forgiven for their sins, and they desire the same for their children. The stakes are high, and the need is urgent. As you plan for 2017, prayerfully consider how you can reposition your church for greater impact for loving
and reaching your community for Christ. As you head into the New Year, you should have great anticipations for your fellow ministry leaders and play a more active role in holding them accountable to step-up their game. Ministry has a way of coming at you, of jerking you around from here to there, so you need to take charge of your time, prioritize your work, and be sure that you do not neglect the absolute essentials while you are doing the merely important. If you do not define your ministry on the basis of your vision, values, and doctrinal beliefs, the local church has a way of defining your ministry on the basis of their selfish preoccupations and that is why so many clergy are so harried and tired today. Mind your habits. You will never have another chance to relive this upcoming year, so let us invest this new year in what could potentially change the world for the cause of Christ Jesus.
On Point with Dr. Tom Cheyney
by how they value their time. As a church leader use this coming year to reconsider your priorities, cut away the litter, and get back to the heart of your ministry.
Churches and church leaders must engage one’s community if it is going to survive. Are you currently addressing the needs of your community with the Gospel? What ongoing outreach events are you offering to the area where your church is located? What are the positive impressions your community has towards you and your church? The church needs to do a better job of sharing the Gospel and its relevance. Those who hear the Good News also have a responsibility to receive the news and act upon what they hear, and to follow where the Holy Spirit leads. Dr. Tom Cheyney is the Exec-
utive Director of Missions for the Greater Orlando Baptist Association and serves as the Executive Editor for the Missions Rising Magazine. He is the Founder & Directional Leader of the Renovate National Church Revitalization Conference and provides various training events designed for the local church.
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MISSIONS RISING 6 REMARKABLE TOOLS TO FORTIFY THE PASTOR WITHIN YOU.
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G!
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PASTOR JOB APP Find or post a possible pastoral or staff ministry position you are either searching for or are seeking a
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CHURCH PLANTER APP Apply to plant a church with ReproducingChurches.com Network who are one of the top planting groups in
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RENOVATE Viritual Coaching Network This monthly coaching network is designed to assist the local church needing individual coaching. You
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RENOVATE ONE DAY TRAINING EVENTS
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candidate.
GOBA.org/resumes
the nation.
http:ReproducingChurches/Apply
may inquire to the costs involved and the commitments, which need to made as to the duration of the coaching cohort. There is an 18-month initial commitment required to join the network and an additional 18 months might be granted for further coaching towards church revitalization and renewal.
RENOVATEconference.org/coaching
These one-day training events are offered locally each month on the third Thursday and as arranged annually across North America. These events train pastors, staff, and laity in the necessary skill sets for the revitalization and renewal of the local church. Anyone is welcome at these monthly events and we promote them a month in advance allowing those who want to fly in to do so.
RENOVATEconference.org/OneDayTraining
GOAL LEADERSHIP TRAINING The Greater Orlando Adventures in Leadership is a 10-month per-year leadership training designed for
both laity and ministers alike. These monthly events are one day events laser focused towards a specific leadership issue.
OrlandoLeaders.com
REPRODUCING CHURCHES CHURCH PLANTING CENTERS These one-day training events are offered locally on the first Thursday of each month and as arranged
annually across North America. These events train church planters, church planting teams, and laity of the church plant in the necessary skill sets for the planting, reproducing, and multiplying of the local church. The local Central Florida events are offered for free while some of the national one-day events have a cost associated with the event.
ReproducingChurches.com/OneDay
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Assess Church Planting: Craziness or a Calling?
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor” (1 Corinthians 3:6-8). I was talking to a young man who was interested in church planting and I asked him to tell me about his call to church planting. His answer surprised me, “I’m not sure that I am called to church planting.” My response, “Well, you have to be crazy or called to plant a church and if you plant a church without being called… you’re crazy.” Let’s face it; church planting is the most difficult thing that anyone could ever attempt. It is pure spiritual warfare and no one should ever try it unless they sure that are on a mission from God. I do more to scare people out of church planting than I do to encourage them into it. The truth is, that if I can scare them out of it, they probably are not called into it. Another question I like to ask prospective church planters is, “Would you be willing to die for this church plant?” If they answer yes then I will say, “Good, because it just might kill you.” Not everyone who is called to church planting is called or gifted to be the lead church planter. There is room for everyone in church planting, but not room for everyone at the top. Church planting should be a team effort and the team needs to be made up of people with a diversity of gifts, personalities, skills and experience. Discerning each person’s place on the team is critical to church planting success. However, successful lead church planters have a unique set of gifts and personality traits. Not everyone who is called into church planting is called to be the lead church planter. Identifying a persons’ role in church planting and serving in that
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capacity is one of the key ingredients to church planting success. This requires prayer, reflection and self-awareness. An objective church planter assessment process can be an effective tool in aiding in this process.
Pre-Assessment
The assessment process can begin with an informal pre-assessment. I recommend that anyone interested in church planting should talk to those who have tried and failed as well as current successful church planters. Included in that mix should be church planting experts who will tell you the hard truth and not glamorize church planting. A Prospective church planter should tell his story and share his vision for church planting with anyone who will listen. He should be asking those in the know, “Do you think that I could become a successful church planter?” Yesses and noes should be followed-up with paragraphs of explanations as to why or why not a person should plant a church. A pre-assessment could be as simple as having these kinds of conversations with truthful people. A prospective church planter could use this kind of feedback to help him to determine if he is going to take the next step in the assessment process.
Online Assessment
Online tools are available that specifically deal with church planting. Such as LifeWay’s church planter assessment at churchplanter.lifeway. com. This kind of resource is designed to supplement a formal assessment interview or fullblown assessment center approach to assessing church planters. Some organizations require that an online assessment be completed prior to a church planter candidate participating in a formal assessment. Other online tools may be utilized as well. Personality assessments such as DISC, Birkman, or Myers Briggs may be required by an assessing organization as prerequisites to
Assessment Interview
Another part of the church planter assessment process is the behavioral interview. Some organizations use this as their primary or only means of candidate assessment. However others may include the behavioral interview as a part of a broader approach in a church planter assessment center. Dr. Charles Ridley developed the most widely used behavioral interview process for church planting organizations. His research-based approach focuses on thirteen primary characteristics that are shared by effective church planters: 1. Visioning Capacity – the church planter candidates ability to project into the future, persuasively and enlist others to buy-into the vision and believing in God to bring the vision to fruition. 2. Intrinsically Motivated – the extent to which the candidate is a self-starter with persistence to see a project through to completion. 3. Creates Ownership of Ministry – the candidate’s level of experience in helping individuals move from non-involvement to vested involvement in ministry projects. 4. Relates to the Unchurched – The candidate’s ability to communicate outside of the church culture, build relationships with the lost, lead people to faith knowledge of Jesus Christ and assimilating new people into the life of the church.
5. Spousal Cooperation – Does the candidate’s spouse feel called to church planting? What will her role be in the new church? How does she help the planter connect with the community? How does the planter and his spouse build healthy barriers between family and ministry? 6. Effectively Builds Relationships – Does the candidate have a history of developing and building relationships with new people? Is the candidate a relationship initiator? How effective is he at managing and resolving conflict? 7. Committed to Church Growth – The candidate’s knowledge of and application of church growth principles. 8. Responsive to the Community – The candidate’s ability to understand and appropriately respond to community needs. 9. Utilizes the Giftedness of Others – The candidate’s history of helping Believers to discover, apply and serve God according to their Spiritual giftedness. 10. Flexible and Adaptable – The candi dates ability to respond and adjust to a changing ministry environment. 11. Builds Group Cohesiveness – The candidate’s history of building effective groups that not only get along well, but accomplish their effectiveness. 12. Resilience – Has the church planter shown that he can stick with a project and effectively deal with major setbacks? 13. Exercises Faith – Has the candidate ex pressed a conviction of God’s call to ministry, church planting and church planting agenda?
Multiplying Churches with Mark Weible
an in-person assessment interview. Prospective church planters are often asked to take leadership, strengths, marriage and financial assessments online before ever beginning a face-to-face assessment process. These are all tools that can be used to provide helpful information to assessment personal as they evaluate a candidate.
“For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers” (Proverbs 11:14).
Continued on Page 28
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Assess Church Planting: Craziness or a Calling?
Assessment Center
The behavioral interview can be used as a standalone assessment tool or in a larger church planter assessment environment known as a church planter assessment center. The center approach is a multi-day church planter assessment that involves multiple assessors and multiple candidate couples being assessed simultaneously. In the assessment center, it is common for church planters to be assessed on family health, financial responsibility, preaching and communication, group participation, team leadership, stress management, and more. The assessment center is like a life laboratory, where the candidate and his spouse are observed in as to close to real-life situations as possible. The assessors meet together and compare their observations before agreeing on recommendations for the candidates and their sending organizations. “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out” (Proverbs 18:15).
Post Assessment
A healthy assessment process helps a potential church planter and his wife to determine their role in the church planting process. A good assessment results in the candidates doing their own self-assessment, where they take in all of information provided by the assessment instruments while prayerfully considering their roles. Most church planters will leave an assessment process feeling grateful for the wisdom of others and for what they’ve learned about themselves.
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Some will discover that they are perhaps not best suited and not called to lead a church planting endeavor. They may find that serving in a supporting role is the most satisfying and effective place for them. Others may emerge affirmed in their call to be lead church planters, but having discovered areas of strengths and challenges. These candidates may learn about areas that they need to strengthen before launching or in the early days of the church plant. They may become more self-aware and more clear on whom they need to serve along side themselves. They may realize what it means to “recruit to your weaknesses” and therefore build stronger teams. As a result of an objective assessment process, a church planter can become more accountable to his sending organization and more teachable through networking and coaching.
Being Sent
It is important for church planters to have a sending or sponsor church. In Acts 13:3, the church at Antioch sent out Barnabas and Saul before they departed on the their first church planting mission trip. The two men also returned to the church, as reported in Acts 14:27, and gave an accounting of what God had accomplished through them. GOBA requires that new church plants (missions) have a sponsor church that is connected to the association. The sponsor must be a member church in good standing that faithfully supports the association and the SBC cooperative program. For a church planter, a sponsor church can provide prayer and emotional support. Some sponsor churches provide administrative and financial support to new church plants. A sponsor church may even encourage planters to recruit team and core group members from their membership.
As a result of the assessment process, a church planter should be encouraged to enlist a trained coach, if he doesn’t already have one. A coach is one who is tasked with helping the church planter to succeed at what God has called him to do. A coach in not a consultant tells the church planter what to do. The coach is not the supervisor who holds the planter’s feet to the fire. The coach is not a mentor who pours into the planter’s life. The coach is there to help draw out of the planter what God has already placed within him to succeed. The assessment process should also help the church planter to understand what additional training the planter may need in order to plant a successful church. The planter may be encouraged to pursue further theological training or to attend a church planting conference or boot camp. Assessors to point the church planter to specific books to read or workshops to attend. Most church planters will appreciate the feedback that they receive and will want to take the necessary steps to strengthen themselves and the church that they will lead. Most planters will see
the assessment process as one of the most valuable steps that they have taken toward ensuring the health and vitality on the churches that God leads them to plant.
Multiplying Churches with Mark Weible
Church planter assessors should always encourage church planters to connect with other planters through a church planter network. Effective networks allow church planters and their wives to encourage one another while offering practical assistance to other church planters. It is through networks that church planters can discover how other church planters overcame obstacles and discovered resources. Pastors and other leaders of supporting churches often participate in church planter networks to discover more practical ways to be involved in supporting church planting.
For more information on church planter assessment, coaching and training opportunities, visit ReporducingChurches.com and OrlandoChurchPlanting.com.
Rev. Mark Weible serves
the Greater Orlando Baptist Association as the Church Planting Director. He joined the GOBA team in 2002. Mark co-leads the GOAL Leadership training besides serving as our Web architect. Mark serves as the Directional Leader of ReproducingChurches.com.
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