Tag: Leadership

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2008 Orange Conference Session 4

The 2008 Orange Conference

Session 4

Reggie Joiner and Andy Stanley

  • Tensions – There is a lot of similarities in the life of believers and non-believers. Christians are of the mindset that we have a lot of differences in our lives, but on everyday levels we all face the same stuff.
  • If you create irresistible environments, people will come.
  • When you capture “the tension” you have everyone’s attention.
  • Churches have to define what spiritual growth is. – Ask yourself, how did you grow spiritually?
  • 5 Elements of Spiritual Growth Identified by North Point:
    1. Practical Teaching
    2. Providential Relationships
    3. Private Disciplines
    4. Pivotal Circumstances
    5. Personal Ministry
  • Small Groups are Pivotal to living out these 5 Elements.
  • Do what God calls us to do without criticizing other models and other churches. That is not the way to get traction for your ministry.
  • Jesus, “Who do people say that I am?” – “Who do you think that I am?” – Peter responded that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God” – Jesus said that he was going to build his church on that…
  • Compassion, Missions, Social Justice, Etc…are all great, but at the core of all these movements, and what we do to answer those issues have to come back to Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Evangelism cannot be removed! – The hope of the world is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
  • Choosing to Cheat: Your only Unique role is a Father/Mother and Spouse. Your church work was probably being done before you got there and will be done by someone else at some point. Don’t trade what is unique to you for something that is common and average.
  • If our marriages are in trouble then we become a part of the problem in our culture and society.
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Do

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziOG_GHNVq0]

I’ve been thinking about this commercial for a while now. I have had the privilege of attending some of the greatest conferences in this Country for church leaders, yet it seems that year after year we discuss some of the same issues with ministries in the church and in the Christian culture as if nothing is changing. Research data shows that nothing much has improved. This is in no way to take away from what a lot of churches are doing, trust me, there are a lot of churches who are rocking it for God! However, we as an “unified” body are doing nothing, and it bothers me.

This post or video is not to take away from what I am learning at the Orange Conference. Some of the key words reminded me of this commercial today. “ReThink” “Programs” “Processes” “Innovate” “New Ideas” – All great terms, but meaningless unless there is substance to back them up. There was one breakout that confused me today, but that is not to take away from the conference as a whole, everything will not be 100%, but it seemed that people were sharing a lot of their Ideation, but no solid “hows” to move the Church and Christian culture in a direction to answer these issues that we are focusing on. I think there has to be a time and place to quit discussing and thinking and start doing.

I think it is time that we as the “Church” stop Ideating and start DOING! I am passionate about this, but feel I do not know what I can do to influence people to ‘do,’ except post this on my blog. Will you start doing with me? Maybe if a few of us join together we will see some changes. I heard Rick Warren say this past week that he wants to be a part of starting the 2nd Reformation of the church. The first Reformation was about Creeds (we know what we believe now) so the 2nd Reformation will be about “deeds.” – If your ministry, or if you are doing something personally to “Do” versus “Ideate” please share with me what you are doing…If you are Ideating and not doing, please share with me what you are praying God will use you to do – Then we can do it together…

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2008 Orange Conference Session 3

The 2008 Orange Conference
Session 3

Donald Miller:

On Leadership…

  • How Donald sees Leadership: A person who gets to know you in such a way that makes you want to take ownership or part in their vision.
  • Jesus influenced many, but led 12.
  • A leader gets to know people.
  • A leader invites people to own their vision and to take part in the vision…gets people involved in fulfilling the vision.
  • Leaders need to be following someone, if they are not being led, we need to be cautious about following them.
  • A leader’s ambition should be huge and absurd.
  • Attempting BIG things will emulate a process of thinking big in those that we follow (I.E. Our Children)
  • Leadership does not allow people to watch “the vision” happen, but to be a part of “the vision.” (Donald told of a story with an annual San Diego Parade and how it began…great story!)
  • Leaders speak something into nothingness.
  • God has asked us to lead; he has invited us into the vision.
  • Eventually when you have an idea, you give it away to the place where people don’t even know that the original vision and idea came from you, it grows and expands because of ownership.
  • My Challenge: To lead like Jesus led.
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Challenge the Process – (Quote of the Day)

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This is my dad…
This is me…

Funny, because I swore up and down when I was younger that I would never be like my dad. He was strict or at least I thought so at the time. I now find myself calling him often for advice and his opinion.

I am skimming through the Catalyst Groupzine, volume 1. (Its one of the items I picked up yesterday at STL.)

Here is Andy Stanley’s opening quote for which I relate:

The instinct to challenge the process is a fundamental quality of every leader. When God created leaders, He equipped them with an unsettling urge to unpack, undo, and unearth methods. This explains your tendency to question everything around you. It’s the reason you have such strong opinions – And such a strong desire to share them. God wired you that way.

I can’t wait to read through it…right now I’m just skimming.

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Steven Furtick: Courageous Leadership

I have said it before on my blog that Steven Furtick, Pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte NC, is a huge inspiration to me. Steven is 28 and launched the church when he was 25, he is young but he has stayed steadfast to what God has called him to do, and God is blessing him and his ministry in a huge way. His church just turned 2 years old and they are running around 4,000 people between 2 campuses!

My pastor passed his message “Courageous Leadership” along to me. It is awesome! I uploaded it to Media Fire so I could share it with the blog world. I hope I am not breaking any copyright laws or anything like that. I just thought that other pastors and church leaders would get something out of the message.

CLICK HERE to download the message audio file.