Tag Archive - Leadership
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Church Construction – When should you build?

May 2, 2011 in Church Construction, Leadership, Money with 0 Comments

How do you know when its time for your church to build?  Here are four things to think about when you’re thinking about building.

1. Finances – obviously money matters when you’re building a new facility.  Here is blog I wrote specifically on Church Construction and Money.

2. Max Facility Use - Do you have a document that outlines how your facility is currently being used for ministry?  The least expensive ministry space you’ll ever have is what you have right now.  Before you think about building or renovating a thing, you want to make sure you’ve thought through every square foot of the current facility.  How many services are you in right now?  Could you add another one?  Could you do a video venue?   My church uses the same space on Sunday Mornings for middle school and Sunday afternoon for high school.  Do you really need all that Sunday school space or could it be repurposed for a more effective use?  (Touchy subject I know)

3. R U Ready? – This is the one thing most pastors I work with fail to realize.  This process will take more of your energy than you think.  It will take more of your time than you think.  It takes longer than you think and it will require you to spend more of your influence than you think.

Being ready means  you’ve got your hands wrapped tightly around the vision God has given you, hold on to it.   You’ll constantly need that vision to recenter you when the difficulty arises.   It means you don’t have secrets.  (I trust you know what I’m talking about).  Secrets often find a way not to be so secretive when you are trying to make a big impact for the kingdom.  Being ready means you’ve weighed the cost and you are personally ready to pay it.

IF THE LEADER ISN’T READY….THE CHURCH ISN’T READY!

4.  The “Great Deal” -  Stumbling on great deal for land, or a building does not mean it’s time for you church to build.  I met with a church a couple years back that bought 11 acres for their church because the price had dropped so much. Now they are trying to sell 11 acres in a down market because they realized, because of location, they would benefit more by renovating a building than from building a new one.  ’There is a difference between a “great deal” and a “great deal for your church”.

Facilities must move you in the direction of the vision.

 

So, are you ready?

 

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The Principle of The Path – Andy Stanley

April 19, 2011 in Leadership, Uncategorized with 0 Comments

I’ve just been listening to The Principle of The Path by Andy Stanley again and I thought I’d share with you the key principle in the book.  See my diagram here.

Our attention determines our direction, and our direction determines our destination.

Obvious stuff right? So tell me about your destination. Where are you heading? Where do you want your marriage to end up? How about your relationship with your kids? Or your church? Do you have a specific vision for the most important things in your life? Or are you on a different path?

If I really know where I’m heading shouldn’t the answer to those questions be very clear to me? When they don’t, chances are, I’m already pretty far down the wrong path.

What relationships do you need to have to get there? Who pushes you forward! Who moves you back? Who has the potential to destroy your dreams? (think about this one for a second)

What are you putting into your mind? What are you putting into your body? When was the last time you heard God’s voice?

What’s step # 1 for getting on the right path?

Is your destination driving your direction or is your direction driving you somewhere you don’t want to go?

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3 Things To Know About Church Construction Budgets

April 7, 2011 in Leadership, Uncategorized with 1 Comment

One of the first things we accomplish when we take on a new client is to nail down just how much the church can afford.  Understanding Affordability is the Critical Success Factor in any church construction project.  One of the biggest communication miss-steps is when the church says they have $3,000,000 to spend and then they begin to design a $3,000,000 building. 

DOWNLOAD THIS FIRST  New Construction Sample Budget

Today I’m going to walk you through 3 budgets you need to be concerned with during construction

  1. Construction Budget – Just like it sounds the construction budget is everything involved in the physical construction of the building.  That sounds simple and it can be.  If you’ve ever heard the phrase “good fences make good neighbors” you get the sense of how important it is to determine exactly what the builder is planning to be responsible for.  Because if they aren’t responsible for it guess what….you are.  You need to ask a million questions and make sure that both you, and the builder understand who is responsible for what items.  When they reply, if you have gaps in your understanding, ask another question.  (For more on this technique talk to a 7 year old girl and try to explain to her why she can watch Hanna Montana like everyone else, when she starts asking questions you’ll get a good feel for how you should be with your builder)

 CLARITY = GREAT RELATIONSHIP

  1. Soft Cost Budget – The Soft Cost Budget is everything related to the project that isn’t covered under the Construction Budget.  Things Audio, Visual, Lighting, Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment.  Permits, preparing the site may or may not be covered in the construction cost.   You can see from the included picture that there are quite a few items that fall into this category.  Usually between 25% and 40% of the cost is related to the Soft Cost Budget.    That means in a $3,000,000 budget $750,000 to $1,200,000 will be Soft Costs. 

 Can you see why it’s important to make sure you let the budget drive the project? 

  1. Total Construction Budget – When a church tells me they have $3,000,000 for construction, this is usually the number they’re talking about.  Most churches think in “soup to nuts” terms when it comes to money.  Like I wrote at the top, it is incredibly important to determine just what the Total Construction Budget is as early in the process as possible so it can be used to make every decision that adds or takes away cost from the project. 

 I like to manage these three budgets as independent parts of the whole.  When a church decides to add $50,000 to their audio budget I want them to have to make a decision about where it comes from in another part of the budget.  Does it come out of the furniture budget or are we giving up square footage for it?  This is exactly how we manage our personal budgets right?  We don’t spend money and then go and ask to have our budget increased.  We try to get as much as we can for what we have.

If you have any questions about putting your budget together shoot me an email at rwchancy@cogun.com.  I’d love to help!

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7 Ways Smart Churches Are Using Social Media

April 6, 2011 in Leadership, Uncategorized with 4 Comments

What is your church doing to leverage Social Media?  Here are just a few things to think about as you move into the age of technological evangelism.

  1. Podcasts – If you don’t do anything else here, do this!  Podcasts are too easy for people to share with their friends.
  2. Blogging – Here’s how Athens Church (A North Point Strategic Partner) is using their blog to keep their congregation up to date on our renovation project.  Click Here and make sure you scroll down to see the pics.  Feel free to vote for the T-Shirt as well.  
  3. Vlogging – (Video Blogging) If people see that you’re a real person they’re more likely to connect with you.  Click Here to see my latest. 
  4. Twitter – 7% of Americans are on Twitter (the real influencers like you and I).   This is an easy way for you to add value to people every day.  If you do it well people will feel more connected to you.   FYI –Tweet stuff that matters. 
  5. Facebook – 42.3% of Americans are on Facebook.   4 OUT OF 10 PEOPLE YOU ARE TRYING TO REACH ARE ON FACEBOOK.    Somebody needs to be on this at your church.   Click Here to like my Facebook Fan Page.  (Keep in mind I have acceptance issues if you decide not to “like” me) 
  6. Youtube – My church (North Point Community Church) does this well.  Click Here to see what I’m talking about.   See how easy that is to share?
  7. Be Human – Our biggest challenge in reaching the “lost” is to stop thinking of them as lost people and start thinking of them as “my neighbor Todd”.   Using technology to bridge the gap between the people who love Jesus and “Todd” is THE most effective use of social media.

 

How is your church using social media to reach people?   Even if you never comment on blogs, don’t be stingy with your ideas.  Share the love Man!!!  If you’d rather send an email and have me post it, you can get me at rwchancy@cogun.com

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Andy Stanley On Confession

April 5, 2011 in Leadership, Uncategorized with 2 Comments

 These are my notes from 3.27.11 at North Point Community Church.  Andy Stanley and Jeff Henderson are in 6 part series call Life Apps.  With so much pressure against us is so easy to fail morally.  Confession is the key to prevention.  So here are my notes.

James 1:22 (NIV)

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.  Application is everything.  Listening is nothing.  Doing is everything.

 Life app 1 is forgiveness

Forgiven people forgive people.  who can hold us accountable

 Life app 2 is Confession

In every religious system there is some sort of ploy where we try to outsmart God.  But trying to outsmart God IS A SIN.

 Somewhere along the way we began to believe that confession was about relieving our guilt.  Emptying out sin bucket.  Genuine confession serves as a first step towards repentance and reconciliation.  Change is the ultimate goal of confession.

 Genuine confession leads to genuine change.  Confessing our sin to God is almost always attached to confessing our sin to those we’ve offended and to those who can hold us accountable.

 Numbers 5:6-7 (NIV)

“Say to the Israelites: `When a man or woman wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the Lord, that person is guilty [7] and must confess the sin he has committed. He must make full restitution for his wrong, add one fifth to it and give it all to the person he has wronged.

In the Old Testament confession was attached to restitution

 Luke 19:8-9 (NIV)

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” [9] Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.”

Genuine confession leads to genuine change.

 James 5:16 (NIV)

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

 Genuine confession leads to genuine change.  Let the light of God’s truth shine in.  Secrets are like splinters, the longer it’s in there the more it hurts.  The best thing to do is get it out.  If you have a secret sin an you’re in the habit of saying to God I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry, there is a word for that.  Hypocrite.  If you have a routine worked out with God and you continue to sin confess sin confess YOU ARE A HYPOCRITE.

 Genuine confession leads to genuine change.

 If you think “I got a thing worked out but I’m not going to change.  I’m not ready to change.”  ATLEAST PRAY HONEST PRAYERS

Pray honestly and tell God you’re going to keep on doing what you’re doing.  Be honest without yourself and be honest with God.  Admitting things to God that he already knows is worthless.  Just tell him you aren’t willing to quit.

 If You’re Ready

 If you are ready you just tell the person you’ve hurt, and maybe someone you know who can help you defeat it the sin and hold you accountable.

There are sin habits you can’t break by telling God about it.  The genuine change comes when you open you’re soul and confess.

 We fear the consequences of confession more than we fear the consequences of concealment.

 Ultimately the consequences of concealment are far worse than the consequence of confession.

 At the end of the day Genuine confession leads to genuine change.

 What do you need to tell and who do you need to tell it to?

Click Here to Download the message from Andy Stanley on Confession.  Or click play below to listen to it here.

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Personal Board Of Directors

March 23, 2011 in Uncategorized with 3 Comments

I meeting with my Personal Board Of Directors this morning and thought I let you take a look into how I plan to engage these guys, who are my closets friends and most trusted advisors.  I’ve got to brag on them a bit

Brian Cole – Catalyst Conference – Handles all things production for the conferences

Brad Scholle – Orange Conference Operations guru – Husband to the Amazing Jenn from Atlanta Mission.  (no shame promoting that orginization)

Reggie Goodin – CFO of Rethink and the Orange Confernce founded by Reggie Joiner

Mark Cole – Business Manager for The John C. Maxwell Company and Dr. Les Parrott (You gotta check his video channel on marriage relationships when you’re done here)

Yes I’m bragging.  I’m incredibly blessed to have this group of guys keeping me straight.  I grew up in a small town and for much of my early years I was the “slow kid”  now I’m the slow adult and God’s over compensating for me.

Here is my outline for my Personal Board meeting:

Life – Intimacy With God

  • 9.5% Body Fat  – See Appendix A
  • Connect Daily with the trinity

 

Family – Live Love

  • 6 Life Memories in 2011 – See Appendix B

 

Marriage – Deep Emotional Connection

  • 4 Overnight Dates With Kristy – 1 Completed (Cruise in June)
  • 20 Dates – 4 Completed – need focus here

 

Work – Worship

  • Make a significant investment in 12 churches – See Appendix C
  • Write and Publish “Church Construction Quick Start Guide” – See Appendix D

 

Church – Serving

  • Missional Community Weekends 1 down 2 to go
  • High school Boys Small Group Leader – Begin May 1

 

Finance

  • Goal of Giving 10% this year net income – Currently Up to date.  Wrote a 950 check last night
  • Save 10% – Lord Help me
  • Live on the rest

 

Opportunities

  • Rest where I am while looking for ways I can be used

 

Threats

  • Investing in churches unwilling to move

 

Appendix A

Body Fat Plan

  • Paleo Diet for 30 Days
  • Assessment at the end of 30 Days and then every 30 days until goal is reached
  • Join Bodyplex with Todd before April 15th
  • Write down everything
  • Update my wardrobe as a reward
  • Date is Jun Goal e 30th

 

Appendix B

6 Life Memories

  • March 11th Miss Com
  • Project x
  • DC trip with Jordan in the summer
  • Camping trip

 

Appendix C

12 Churches

  1. LFBC – In Process
  2. Crosspoint – In Process
  3. BMBC – On Hold
  4. FSDA – In process
  5. AC – In Process
  6. HBC  – In Process
  7. Tulsa Matt – To re-engage
  8. SBC – Meeting Today
  9. TBD
  10. TBD
  11. TBD
  12. TBD

 

Appendix D

Quick Start Guide Schedule

  • Outline with sub-headings completed by April 15th
  • Blog each Title and subtitles
  • Publish by June 30th
  • Blog and Social Media Shock and Awe campaign beginning August 15th

To some of you this probably seems like overkill, and it may in fact be.  But I’ve walked with these guys for 8 years and much of what I am today I give them alot of credit for.   God moves me through them.

Who is moving you?

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3 Leadership Lessons From Tough Economic Times

March 4, 2011 in Leadership, Uncategorized with 2 Comments

1.  No matter how bad things are You can always make them worse.

This is a big lessons I’m learning from the current economic crisis.    We borrow a little more and a little more and later say “hey, maybe that wasn’t a good idea to spend that debt there….lets spend it over here”.  We, the USA, and WE, the church, can’t spend our way out of debt.  As leaders in the church we have to do 2 things really well.  1. Be efficient with the resources God puts us over.  Thats money, but its also people.  2. Cast vision well.  Not because people give to a vision, which we do, but because getting us to rearrange our finances to be part of what God is doing is one of the best thing you can do for us.

2. The on most Dependant on the things of this world…loses!

Today’s Drudge Report headline reads “Hugo To The Rescue”.  The greatest nation in the history of the world is at the mercy of a handful of dictators because, instead of heading the signs 50 years ago, we have chosen to be dependant on people who won’t be inviting us to Sunday lunch anytime soon.

We do the same thing.  A few weeks ago I was with a young church leader and he asked me if it was just an inevitability that “passion dies with age”.   It doesn’t, we sell our ability to live with passion.  We sell it, and purchase the “American Dream” with the cash.  Debt kills Passion

3.  The one who collaborates best….wins!

Zig Ziglar is one of my all time favorite people.  One thing he says often is “Help enough people get what they want and you’ll have everything you want”.  I’m convinced that people are coming back to church during this time because they are hurting, and they’re looking for something more.  They need hope.  And God through His son is that hope.  Collaborating with these people means not treating them like they are “lost” but hearing what their needs are.  Then we do our best to meet their immidiate need and bring them into relationship with Jesus.  For a good example of this read the story of Jesus healing the blind man.  He met his immediate, although temporary need to see (because these bodies don’t last for every), and developed influence with him which brought him into relationship with the creator.

What are you learning from these Tough Economic Times?

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CHURCH CONSTRUCTION – DESIGN YOU FIRST

February 11, 2011 in Leadership, Uncategorized with 2 Comments

D-E-S-I-G-N: Who Am I? Part 2

This is some great stuff for you to think about over the weekend from my good friend and mentor John Woodall who is the Pastor of  Care at North Point Community Church. If you didn’t see part 1 of the series Click Here and get caught up. 

Last time we looked at the first 10 areas that make all of us unique. Here are some additional areas.

11. Our Natural Gifts: Am I an artistic, athletic, academic?  

12. Our Spiritual Gifts: Romans 12:6-8 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. [7] If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; [8] if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

13. Our education

14. Our experiences: This is our LifeMap. It is important to remember that God has been with us and leading all the time.

Deut. 8:2-3 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. [3] He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

15. Our spiritual pathway: There are many different ways to draw near to God. Some are intellectual, relational, worship, nature, contemplative, serving, and activist. (See Gary Thomas, Sacred Pathways)

Spiritual Pathways

http://www.faithbasedblog.com/2006/05/ortberg_outtakes_spiritual_pat.html

Spiritual Pathway Tool

http://www.fcogpunxsy.com/spiritual_pathway_assessment_tool.htm

16.     Our style of leadership: There are many different styles of leadership: Visionary, entrepreneurial, strategic, motivational, shepherding, role model and managerial

Finding Your Leadership Style

http://www.christianitytoday.com/bcl/areas/leadership/articles/le-8l1-8l1084.html

17.     Our style of ministry: Someone has suggested that there are different styles of ministry based on the offices of Christ.

a.    Prophetic disruptions

b.    Kingly leadership

c.    Priestly connection

18.    Our passion for ministry

19.    Our genius, highest and best use or our core competencies

20.    Our weaknesses

I believe that when we take the time to see how fearfully and wonderfully we are made, we come alive. We experience a peace and joy that is so fulfilling. Our hearts are at rest and we fulfill the purposes of God for our lives in our generation. How well do you know who you are and who you aren’t? Take some time to discover.

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FYI – Valentine’s Day is Monday.
Also, don’t forget about my Orange Conference CD giveaway. Click Here for Details.
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Orange Conference CD Giveaway

February 9, 2011 in Giveaway with 3 Comments

A few weeks ago I told you about all the resources I’ve accumulated over the years working with Catalyst Conference, Giant Impact, and the Chick Fil A Leadercast I’ve got tons of books, audio, and video lessons.  Unfortunately, what I don’t have is the space to keep all of these amazing materials.  My pain can be your gain. so here is my next giveaway.

GIVE AWAY #2

ORANGE CONFERENCE SPEAKER SESSION AUDIOS

The Orange Conference is the best children’s ministry movement happening today.  They are passionate about helping churches partner with families to reach our kids for Christ.  This video is a simple version of who they are.

 

On the cds I’m giving away, there are sessions from Andy Stanley & Reggie Joiner, Donald Miller, Louie Giglio, Francis Chan and several more.

All you have to do to win is to tweet #RCFREEBIE2 or, if you found my blog from twitter, retweet me.  I’ll pick a winner on Monday afternoon.  Tweet, retweet as many times as you like and I’ll put it all in a hat and draw a winner.

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Steven Furtick on Spiritual Bodybuilding

February 4, 2011 in Leadership, Uncategorized with 0 Comments

Unless you’ve been asleep over the last few years, you know that Elevation Church, where Pastor Steven Furtick is the Lead Pastor, is rocking and rollin all over Charlotte, NC. 

We got to know Elevation Church last year when we helped them renovate an Ashley Furniture warehouse into ministry space.  I provided a short video of the facility below.  But that isn’t what this post is about.  I wanted to take a minute and redirect you to Pastor Furtick’s Blog today.   Don’t let his age fool you, this guy is wise.  Not just in his ability to communicate the Bible to a congregation but also in his ability to understand and communicate to other pastors why he has the momentum he has.  Today’s blog is about who he is listening to.

I’ll resume the “Construction Quick Start Guide”  Sunday morning.  For now, check out some Furtick!

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