These past couple of months I have been learning a ton about strategic planning at the core ministry level and its affects on multiple sites. One of my greatest learnings is the importance of having the right people in the room when the plan is laid down. That goes for first impressions, assimilation, communication, specific ministries, next steps, etc…
This is a principle that goes beyond multi-site and is very practical for the church running 50, 500, or 5,000 plus.
Sometimes we as staff in the church make decisions without having the right people in the room. Or we make assumptions that we have the right people in the room. My concern for us in this is that we make decisions we “think” are in the best interest of the organization when in reality they may not be.
And don’t think this is just a church thing. It happens in all types of organization. This past week while Stephanie was in the hospital she and I had the opportunity to talk with 2 ladies in post op about their procedures of post op care listed on the wall above Stephanie’s bed which was the acronym, “SHARED”. Now SHARED is the hospital administrations 6 steps of care that is suppose to be used by every department; however, we learned the truth by those in the trenches. The ladies shared with Stephanie and I that no one in the trenches uses those 6 steps because they are not practical and they do not transfer between departments. In fact, one of the ladies sad, “Ahh… you know how it is, some of those ivory tower decisions without knowing how things really work.”
WOW… might it be said of you and I that we have and/or are making “ivory tower decisions”. I sure hope not. I know that the team that I have the great privilege of serving alongside are working overtime to make sure we have all the players in the room. We are not prefect by any means, but we are working at having the right people in the room.
Just a thought as you look to future planning.
Ever found yourself defending a position just for, “the need to be right”. Well, I have. I was editing First Impression manuals (traffic, greeters, ushers, welcome center, security, communion, service coordinator, etc…) this week when I found myself editing them with a need to be right instead of how best it would serve the organization.
I was in the midst of standardizing the manuals when I noticed I was leaning toward positions of “being right” instead of what is best for all multi-sites. SO, I stopped and started over completely with a “right frame of mind”.
The final work up is much better when you have the right frame of mind. In addition, I turned on the “track changes” function and sent it back out to all the campuses for their input before bringing this to a culmination of the finished product in the next 2 weeks.
Sidebar: standardizing these areas of ministry in a multi-site environment is the right thing to do. It builds team, keeps DNA consistent, supports ease of enlistment/training/placement, allows cross training, and gives you freedom to share the work load among your multi-site campuses. Not to mention that it fosters communication, connection, contribution, and community.
Please forgive me for not posting in the past couple of weeks. We have been moving into our new home in Jupiter, Florida as well as landing as the new Pastor of Adult Ministries at Christ Fellowship.
I awoke this morning to a beautiful sun rise over the tall pines in my backyard while listening to my new David Upton CD, “Unshackled“. David has been leading me to worship for the past several years and recently my worship experience has been more freeing.
Thank You David! First for being a man of God unshackled by tradition or expectations. Secondly, a godly husband to your wife and children. Third, for helping me reconnect with my God.
Check David out on his website and myspace.
You will be blessed as he leads you to worship.
Let’s begin a daily chat. You can “follow” me on Twitter and “add as friend” on Facebook. These are my two favorite social media connections.
Twitter connection with me.
Anyone and everyone can follow my twitters. This is where you can see what I am doing and who I am meeting with throughout the day. I will also be providing ministry tips throughout the day as well.
Facebook connection with me.
When hooking up with me on Facebook please put in the comment section which church you are from and that you are hooking up via Street to the Seat (STTS). Facebook provides a “chat” feature that will allow me to dialog with you while I am online from anywhere in the world.
Join me!
Being raised in North East Texas there was an underlying principle that seems to have been handed down from generation to generation and I inherited it.
Walk Slowly and Carry a BIG Stick.
Now over the years I’ve learned that carrying a big stick works well in dark alleys and a few country bars I found myself wandering through in the early days; however, it isn’t successful in leading a team. When you carry a big stick you have to determine how high you want to stack them? What I mean by that is that if you carry a big stick there will be people that you run over, and stack in your wake. Over time you will be very lonely. Loneliness isn’t a leadership principle… it is a control principle.
I was reminded yesterday at Impact Leadership Network with my Pastor, Dr. Tom Mullins and John Maxwell of a great leadership principle that works much better.
Walk slowly through the crowd.
You and I know that to lead a team, listening is crucial to the effectiveness of where you are taking the team. The best leaders are listeners.
My first 90 days at Christ Fellowship I am focusing on Listening, Learning, and Loving. I truly believe this will be a healthy move for the team, the organization, and myself.
Couple of thoughts from the talk yesterday.
1. Listening is the Best Way to Learn.
2. Listening Can keep Problems from Escalating.
3. Listening Can Improve The Organization.
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