Think Next Now

I got the chance to attend a one-day training seminar at Brand New Church with my friend David Farwell a while ago. I posted the notes in a draft for a blog post, and planned to come back and edit them later. The tabs and bullets were all messed up, and I thought I’d clean it up before I posted it.

Then I forgot about it. For a long time (The conference was on May 25. It’s now July 9).

So I’m posting the unedited notes. Because raw is better right? Or maybe I’m just lazy. Either way, here they are.

A big thanks to Shannon O’Dell, Tony Morgan, and Casey Graham for teaching us some great stuff!

:: Session 1 :: Tony Morgan

1. Discipleship Strategy

• Once people get connected to our churches, how do we help them take the next step?
• Let’s figure out what we want our people to look like at the end of the day.
• It’s easy to determine that people are connected. It’s extremely difficult to determine heart change.
• Taste Tests in Walmart
  • 24 varieties of jams vs 6 varieties of jams
  • Where there were only 6 options available, more people purchased.
  • Where there are fewer options, more people will make choices, and those people take action.
• Everyone who comes in our churches have a next step to take.
  • We just tend to make the choice more difficult.
• Questions To Ask for Evaluation:
  • What event or program requires a major platform announcement in order for it to succeed?
  • What would you not participate in if you weren’t the pastor?
  • Does this program reach people outside the church or just satisfy people inside the church?
    • Make a list: Inside/Outside
  • Where is the fruit? What is God blessing?
  • What would happen if we invested more of our time, resources, energy, prayer, leadership commitment into the things that God is already blessing?
• We can’t confuse activity in our church for life-change in our people!
• So we have a strategy – are we communicating it well?
  • 7 Different Ministries communicating at the same time
  • 7 Different messages spoken at the same time.
  • In order to get your message out, you have to get louder.
  • It’s painfully obvious that the messages get more gargled.
    • Imagine if Walmart communicated in the same way the church does.
    • It’s SPAM!
• Clarify our mission, vision and values.
• Develop and clarify a focused strategy.
• Be consistent in your message/communication as a church.
  • Collect all the messages that you send and put them up on the walls around you.
  • You’ll probably find that you’re communicating an awful lot.
  • You’ll also find that what you’re communicating is looking like it’s coming from multiple organizations, rather than one church.
• The Giant Inflatable Blue Monkey
  • Car Dealerships stick these out front, hoping that they sell more cars.
  • The GIBM roams the halls of your church in the forms of stage announcements, phone trees, bulletin inserts.
  • It’s everything we do to promote our churches.
  • Between 75-80% of the people who show up to a church for the first time show up because a friend invited them.
    • We need to focus on creating environments in which real ministry is happening, and where people see life change happening.
    • We need to focus on relationships.
      
      • Recommended Reading:
        • Permission Marketing by Seth Godin
        • Less Clutter, Less Noise by Kem Meyer
      • Go to other churches and learn from them.
    • The Great Commission was given specifically to disciples.
      • If I’m not living out the Great Commission, I’m not living out God’s specific call on my life.

:: Session 2 :: Casey Graham

-       I believe churches should be fully funded and church leaders should be free from financial worry.

• Fully funded and financially free – that’s the way it ought to be.
• If God has called you somewhere, God will make the provision for you to do what He wants you to do.

-       Few church leaders get into the ministry for money, but many leave because of it.

• If you think you’re gonna be broke, you’re gonna be broke.
• Don’t say “if we have.” Say “when we have.”

-       Becoming fully funded starts with asking a new question.

• “What to people really want?”
• We usually ask, “what does our church need?”
• Zig Ziglar – “You can have everything in life that you want, if you’ll just help others get what they want.”

-       People want to be:

• Needed
  • Everything looks like it’s done when people walk in, so people often times don’t feel needed.
  • Create need.
  • Reason people give: NEED
  • Needs jump start generosity (“Cast a need”)
  • When you get people to give, you’re getting them to take a spiritual next step in their life – that’s worship!!!
  • We’re a cashless society and we pass a basket every week.
  • Create opportunities for people to feel needed financially.
• Inspired
  • Reason people give: VISION
  • Times: New Year, Pre-summer, Summer, Fall
  • Vision increases generosity.
  • Help people find their vision and they will fund yours.
• Financially Free
  • But most people are broke.
  • Reason people give: EDUCATION.
  • Broke people think they can’t give.
  • Provide one-on-one help.
    • Get your car/house insurance requoted every year.
    • JoeSangl.com
• Loved
  • Reason people give: RELATIONSHIPS
  • People who volunteer and attend small groups give more.
  • Create environments to build trust with key donors.
    • Lack of trust is a silent killer of generosity.
    • Build relational currency before you make the ask.
    • Just hang out with them!
    • Make them feel like stakeholders and insiders.
    • There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
• Pleasing to God
  • Reason people give: OBEDIENCE
  • Lead the way – how generous of a person are you?
  • Generous leaders produce generous followers
    • People smell it.
    • Preach the Bible.
• Be proactive – quit asking like stuff is just happening to you.

:: Session 3 :: Shannon O’Dell

-       Psalm 141

-       The most effective that I will ever be is based on my walk with Jesus Christ, period.

-       Nothing will be effective in your organization that does not transpire out of a relationship with Jesus Christ, period.

-       Transcending from knowing to growing takes place in this margin.

-       You either react or live in action to what God has called you to do.

-       Most people don’t know God because they can’t hear God.

-       If you want to go to the next level, apply Psalm 141 in your life.

-       I bomb regularly. I suck as a leader. But I can follow God.

-       If we are called of God, then we have a scent.

• “may my prayer be before you like incense.”
• If your marriage sucks, your relationship with God sucks.
  • Groom and Bride
• What type of scent are you putting out?
• People want to see life out of their pastor more than hearing a message about having life.
• The body odor’s coming through. You can’t fake it very long.

-       If we are called of God, then we have a natural bent.

• “let my heart not be drawn to what is evil.”
• If you will create a culture of vulnerability, the people in your congregation will be set free to be vulnerable.
• The moment you say that you’re OK is the moment you’re going down.
• Leader = houseband
• Submission = support the mission
• Why do we expect more out of our church than our home church?
• The most free you’ll be is when you start getting honest about your bent.

-       If we are called of God, then we have a dent.

• “let the godly strike me. It will be a kindness.”
• People are gonna dent you.
• If you’re in rural America, you have GOT to be about the mission.

-       If we are called of God, we need to have time to vent.

• What’s your frustration in ministry?

-       We believe that God created the world, Jesus was virgin-born, and that He rose again 3 days later.  Why don’t you believe that He’s gonna take care of you?!