The Strategically Generous Church

I pray your church or ministry gives spontaneously to meet needs. But if we only give spontaneously, this style of giving will limit what we’re able to give. Another way to think about giving is to be strategic.

• Abraham thought ahead of time to send gifts with his servant for Isaac’s future wife.
• The Magi planned ahead of time to bring extravagant gifts for God’s son.
• God strategically showed His love for us by sending Christ while we were still sinning against Him.

Isaiah 32:8 says, “But generous people plan to do what is generous, and they stand firm in their generosity.” (NLT)

We could say generous churches plan to do what is generous. Instead of just planning our next building project or fundraiser, we should also “plan to do what is generous.”

Unquestionably we should plan to help the poor and needy. (Most churches do this well or at least are trying to do so.) We can also plan to help and support other churches or ministries.

In our meetings, we have learned to strategically ask, “What can we give to other churches to help them?”

• Do you have a building you could offer another ministry one day a week or more?
• When you upgrade choir robes, a van, or a sound system, can you give what you had to bless another ministry?
• Can you make your sermons, outlines, or videos available to serve other churches?

When you plan to be generous, you might be surprised how many ways you can be a blessing.

How is God using your ministry to serve others?

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Generous Churches

Just as some people are more generous than others, so are some churches. This week I’ll talk about three ways people and churches can give:

1)  The spontaneous giver

2)  The strategic giver

3)  The sacrificial giver

Let’s start with spontaneous. Many people and churches often give spontaneously.

(Giving spontaneously is an important way to give. But if it is the only way we give, it will drastically limit our ability to give.)

• The Good Samaritan spontaneously met the needs of the wounded man. (Luke 10:35)
• A young boy spontaneously offered his lunch to Jesus. (John 6:9-13)
• An immoral woman spontaneously worshiped Jesus with a very expensive bottle of perfume. (Luke 7:37)

As church leaders, we’d be wise to plan for spontaneous giving. It might sound strange, but we can plan for unplanned ministry opportunities. When we see unexpected needs, we’ll have something to give.

How has God used your church to spontaneously meet needs?

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Christmas 2009

I hope you are already having a great holiday season!

If you are serving at a church, I imagine many of you are busy preparing for Christmas (Eve) Services or other Christmas events.  I’m always fascinated by the creativity and diversity of the Church surrounding the celebration of the birth of Jesus.  For some churches, it’s a time to return to long-standing traditions.  For others, it’s an opportunity to try to creatively grab the attention of their community with a large production or event.  Yet there are still others who approach Christmas like they would any other week of the year (just maybe with a few more decorations than normal).   One thing that is fairly consistent between churches is that church attendance will likely be higher at Christmas than normal.

One of the new things we will be doing this year is incorporating a unique short film our team developed into the message during our Christmas experiences.  It will definitely be something different for us.  I hope to be able to share it with you all soon.

I’m curious - what new (or traditional) things are your churches doing to celebrate Christmas in 2009?

Tags: Christmas

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Letting Go of the Fear of Failure

The fear of failure paralyzes too many people.

I’ve found one of the best gifts God can give a leader is the gift of failure.

Too many of us are not doing what we feel called to do because we’re afraid to fail.

As I observe the people around me, it seems the most effective have failed far more times than the least effective.

The people making the biggest impact seem to:

1)  Try something outlandish.

2)  Fail.

3)  Learn.

4)  Adjust.

5)  Try something that works better.

Failure is never final. It is often the first step to success.

If you haven’t failed in awhile, why don’t you try something crazy and see what happens.

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Letting Go of Old Assumptions

The world is changing faster every day. Too many Christian leaders are working off old assumptions rather than new revelations.

When we assume that our way of doing ministry is best:

• We stop learning from others.
• We rarely try something new.
• We quickly see faults in new ideas rather than seeing opportunities.

To reach people no one is reaching, we have to do things no one is doing.

If you think the way everyone else is thinking, you’ll do what everyone is doing.

It is time to let go of old assumptions about how to reach people.

What assumptions about church and ministry are you shedding?

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Higher Threshold for Chaos

When we’re entering into a new season, I always challenge our leaders to have a higher threshold for chaos.

Systems tend to produce predictable outcomes. When we are innovating and growing, we never know what the outcome will be.

Many “great” ideas bomb. Then God seems to bless some average ideas in a big way.

While we are willing to allow things to get a little messy, we also work hard to make sure we are students.

• What is God showing us?
• What did we learn from the last failure?
• What success is hidden in the last failure?

Our church is currently moving into a season of discovery. Once we discern what God wants us to know, we’ll recruit the right people. Then we’ll build systems and enjoy the ride—until God leads us into a learning and chaotic period again.

Personally, these are my favorite times!

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How Do You Change the Culture? Part 1

Although this might sound obvious, before you can change the culture, you must identify what about it needs to be changed.

When leading toward a cultural change, I suggest you, as the leader, acknowledge what about your ministry culture isn’t what it could be.

Admitting to a weak area first is one of the best ways to strengthen a weakness quickly. Too often, many leaders are unwilling to acknowledge the weakness.

Call it what it is, then work on fixing it.

What is a weakness you’d like to change?

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Fresh Work in My Family

It is hard to admit this but it’s true: I’ve occasionally been a better spiritual leader to the church than to my own family.

Over and over again I’ve made promises that didn’t last. We’re going to do family devotions every week! And my good intentions rarely converted to actions.

I’m excited to say that we are experiencing a fresh work of God in our family. Although it doesn’t appear dramatic, it truly is special.

God put two ideas on my heart:

1) We’re devoting much of our dinner discussions to spiritual things.

I didn’t expect that my kids (including the young ones) would so readily engage in these conversations. They’ve become something we all anticipate.

2) We’re spending extended time praying for specific things at bed time.

In the past, I’ve typically prayed the general, “God bless my child” prayers. By asking them for specifics and spending just a few minutes more, this prayer time has been a huge blessing.

I’d love to hear how it is going in your family spiritually. If you are flat, be honest. If you have good ideas, please share them.

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