Month: October 2018

Never Lose Sight of the One

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Today’s post is going to be ministry specific, but it plays a role in leadership as well.

When I think back to the influential ministers in my life, very few of them became influencers because they stood at the front of the room.

There was my youth pastor who would stay after Wednesday service for an hour or more talking with me and a friend or two about all sorts of random things, until my parents called the church to see if I was okay.

There was the pastor who saw something in me and started spending time with me each week, helping me grow in my faith.

There was my coach/youth pastor who would put in extra time with me on the basketball court, giving me tips for improving my jump shot or baby hook.

Ultimately each of those people spent that time with me away from their “stage”. As a result, when they stood on the stage (or at the front of the room), their words carried so much more weight. They cared about me, and I knew it.

The same is true for us in leadership, especially in ministry. We have to be willing to spend time investing in individuals. When we do, the words we say from the stage carry more weight.

But there’s more to it than just being able to influence someone. Investment makes a difference.

When we invest in someone, we experience compassion for what they’re going through in life. Learn how to ask questions about what is going on in their life, and take a genuine interest.

When we invest in someone, we experience frustration because people are flawed (newsflash–you’re flawed too, and that may be where your frustration comes from).

When we invest in someone, we experience hope. As we get to know someone, we get a peek into what they could become, and then as a leader we get to help them realize that potential!

The bottom line is this: in leadership, never lose sight of the one. Foster relationships that provide a greater opportunity for impact and watch what happens next!

Build Your Community

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I fancy myself a runner. Well, at least I used to be. I’ve never been fast, but a few years back I trained for a half marathon, and found I really enjoy a nice run. I’m back in it now, but it’s been a slow process.

More than the training, however, I’m part of a group of people who run and share our run stats with each other. This is not a group where we brag about how fast we are, but we all encourage one another to keep up the good work.

And that encouragement means the world.

I’m also part of what I facetiously call a “brain trust” with two fellow ministers. We get together periodically for coffee and to talk about ministry. Our primary goal is to provide each other with a safe outlet for processing situations, and to sharpen one another.

The bottom line is this: we need people who will encourage us and help us become better.

We all need accountability and encouragement. This is especially true in leadership.

Something I have noticed, though, is not everyone leans toward surrounding themselves with a group like these. I don’t think it’s a introvert/extrovert thing, because I am an introvert who values a group meeting. And I don’t think it’s a time in ministry thing, either.

I think some people are wired to ask for advice and help, and others are not. The reality, however, is the challenges we face will be significantly more manageable when we have done the hard work of creating a network of people who will encourage, correct, advocate, and brainstorm with us.

Who gives you advice and perspective? Who gives you genuine affirmation? Who wants you to become a better leader? Give those people access to your life and watch the difference.

 

Podcast Week: Quick Hits

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Okay, to finish up podcast week, here’s a special Friday post!

These podcasts vary in topic and style, so I thought they would fit together as misfits:

  1. The Tony Kornheiser Show – This is not just a “when I have time” podcasts. This is my go to listen away from Ministry and Business. I very rarely fall behind on this one, and it’s a great way to unplug from the day.
  2. EntreLeadership – I like the business side of this podcast, but it’s not in my regular rotation. I do, however, give it a listen when I’m caught up or just looking for a shift.
  3. Worship Artistry – While the topics may be hit or miss, when I listen to this podcast I feel like the hosts genuinely care for my development as a musician. It’s easily my favorite guitar-ish podcast at the moment.
  4. Revisionist History – A few months back I had a whirlwind trip coming up and wanted a break. I rediscovered this podcast, and it was delightful. It kept me engaged and was fascinating at the same time.
  5. Serial – The first season of this is absolutely remarkable. It’s a definite shift from the majority of what I listen to, but if you’re new to podcasts, definitely check this out.

Finally, let me finish podcast week with this: Audiobooks are awesome. Between Audible and our local library, I’m loving audiobooks. In fact, if you click below (full disclosure–it’s an affiliate link), you can give Audible a try. Check it out and let me know!

 

Thanks for sticking with me this week! Happy Listening!

Podcast Week: Entrepreneurship

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I’m continuing my posts sharing some of the podcasts to which I dedicate my listening. Today, I’m going to go in a little different direction and talk about a genre I hadn’t explored significantly until the past few months: entrepreneurship, specifically online business.

I know this may sound strange for a Youth Pastor in West Texas, but I actually find myself regularly being challenged by the content and ideas being presented, plus I’m a blogger, so there’s that.

  1. Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn – Pat Flynn is probably the best of the ones I listen to. Because of the nature of his expertise and mine, the overlap is sometimes spotty, but he delivers solid content and does a great job with the interview, so I’m generally fully engaged for the duration.
  2. The Soloproneuer Hour with Michael O’Neill – Michael O’Neill was my first toe in the water with this genre, so I forgive a lot of things that would drive me crazy (he’s a shameless self-promoter, which I am not). He provides good content most of the time, but he’s not a must listen in my book.
  3. Online Marketing Makeover with Amy Porterfield – Her delivery is unique. I’m not sure that she doesn’t manuscript and then read her manuscript when she’s not interviewing. As a result, I listen to her at 1.5x speed, if not 2x. In a recent episode I stumbled across a reference she made that sparked some curiosity, so I went back in her archives and found a gem, episode 149 I believe.
  4. Storybrand with Donald Miller – As with most podcasts, when you listen for a while (50+ episodes), you’re with the hosts for a rebranding. The Storybrand podcast has gone through a couple, and I’m still on the fence about the new direction. But, the early episodes are pure gold. Give them a listen!

There you go. 4 Podcasts dealing with business and entrepreneurship. I’ll be back tomorrow with a special post talking about my favorites and must listens.

Happy Listening!

Podcast Week: Church Leadership

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Confession time: I admire people who are avid readers. One of my goals this year was to read more books, but it has been a battle (one which I am certain will get blogged about before the end of the year).

But what I lack in reading, I make up for in Podcasts. There are weeks where I will listen to close to 20 hours of podcasts (and audio books are slowly creeping their way into my rotation).

Last year I wrote a few blogs I called Podcast Week. (Click here here and here to read them.) This year, I am going to do something similar, just topical.

So, today, here are my top four church leadership podcasts, all linked to iTunes:

  1. The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast: These are long form interviews, usually lasting over an hour, but can be quite fascinating. For a season, this was my running podcast because I knew I wouldn’t have to deal with intros and outros during my run. The bottom line is I usually grow as a leader because of the time investment I’ve made listening to CNLP. My recent favorites are episodes 218 (Francis Chan) and 212 (Erwin McManus).
  2. The Unstuck Church Podcast with Tony Morgan: I can’t remember how I stumbled across this podcast, but I am so glad that I did. These, unlike Carey Nieuwhof, are quick hit podcasts, usually between 15 and 20 minutes. The content is fascinating, and this has become one podcast that I feel the urge to binge listen to every episode. My recent favorites are episode 55 (Thom Rainer) and episode 60 (Andy Stanley).
  3. 5 Leadership Questions Podcast: This is my mowing podcast. The chemistry on the show is pretty solid, and they do a good job covering a range of topics I would not normally explore on my own.
  4. Youth Ministry Booster: I’m going to be honest here: I have a difficult time with youth ministry podcasts. Most of them can’t hold my attention, mostly because I feel they are way too insider (one group takes around 20 minutes to get to their content), but YMB has my attention. When I want a word on youth ministry, I turn to these guys, and I’m rarely disappointed.

That’s it for today. Happy listening!

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