Leadership is influence, so the words a leader says are powerful…

Therefore, leaders must choose their words carefully…

I see leaders get excited, underestimate the power of their influence. fail to realize the heaviness of the moment…forget that what they are saying is being listened to closely…

and is always subject to interpretation…

So they say things they wouldn’t say if they had time to think about it.

(I must admit, I’ve been there…stuck my foot in my mouth…and regretted what I said many times.)

The real problem is that some leaders don’t think beyond the moment…they don’t think about the moments after the moment…

Great leaders train and discipline themselves to strategically think in the moment…

Sometimes that means they learn to not say anything at all until they’ve had time to plan their response.

It’s even okay to say “Let me get back to you on that”…or “I don’t know yet”…

Great leaders, learn to control their tongue in the moments…

Leader, have you had this problem before? Do you need to learn this principle?

I love and encourage dreaming, because I think it’s healthy emotionally and the process helps us accomplish great things personally and for God. We are told we serve a big, creative God, whose thoughts will always be bigger and better than ours, so dreaming should be natural to believers. Dreaming stretches the vision of churches and organizations, it fuels creativity, and many great opportunities develop first as a dream.  (I written previously about the subject of dreams HERE.)

The reality is that more people have dreams than attain them. Perhaps you have dreams you have yet to accomplish. I certainly do. One reason dreams never come true is that we don’t have a system in place to work towards them. I love to be an encourager for people with great dreams, so with that in mind, here are some steps to help you move towards reaching your dreams:

Identify your dream – This is where you list specifically what the dream would look like. Obviously it needs to be attainable, but don’t be afraid for it to be a stretch either. For example, suppose your dream is to be to be an author. That’s a dream you can accomplish, but it may not be attainable to be the next Max Lucado.

Make an action plan – Write down specific action steps you can take towards attaining your goal. (The writing down part is important) Sticking with the the idea of being an author, perhaps you could start with a blog for which you write post regularly to build the discipline of writing. Then move to outlining chapters. Then you might set aside a few hours a week to actually write the book. Record realistic dates to begin/complete each step.

Develop accountability - Most of us work harder when we know someone is going to challenge us to do so. Consider the success of programs like Weight Watchers. Accountability works, so share your plan of action with a few people who will continue to challenge you to completion.

Share the load - Even though it is your dream, the best ideas are accomplished when people work together towards a common vision. Don’t be afraid to invite others to help you accomplish your dream as needed. (Read my encouragement to give your vision away HERE.)

Take a risk - If you really want to succeed, you must be willing to risk failure. Every great dream has an element of risk involved and the ones who achieve their dreams are the ones wiling to assume the risk.

Stay consistent – If you want to achieve your dreams, you will have to keep at the task, even during the set backs. Push yourself to complete scheduled action steps even on days you may not want to do anything. These is how habits are developed. Many give up too soon, often just before the tipping point towards success occurs. Unless you know it’s time to try another dream, stay consistent with the one in front of you.

Get started now – The longer you wait, the more you delay achievement and the less likely you are to begin. If you know the dream is worth achieving, if you are confidant it’s a God-honoring, morally right, and worthy dream, then start today!

What is one dream you have yet to attain? Why not take one meaningful step to get started today?

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

This verse has inspired me over the years, but recently I saw it in a different context for my life.  I’ve often seen this verse helpful to remind me to build accountability and mentoring into my life, which I have consistently done.  I am a wisdom seeker, so I am continually looking for nuggets of advice to help me be a better person, leader, father, husband and friend.  I think it may have even another application for me today.

One of the biggest mistakes I see leaders make is failing to learn from the people on their team.  We tend to think the best ideas are outside our organization, so we learn from many sources, but many times the best ideas for the organization are already with us.  I love to attend conferences, I read tons of books, I follow numerous blogs of great leaders, but the fact is God has surrounded me with great leaders with whom I work. I need to make sure I’m learning from them.

Here’s a gentle reminder.  If your organization hires sharp people, which I hope it does, learn from them. Allow their “iron” to sharpen your iron.

What have you learned from the people on your team?

Prior to entering ministry, my wife and I owned a small business.  It was small in the sense of how economists measure businesses, but it was a big business to us. Whenever you have to make payroll for almost 40 people (including yourself)…that seems big.  This was my second venture as an entrepreneur.  The first was extremely successful, but this one was not. An opportunity came to sell and we quickly accepted.  We learned tons of principles from that negative experience that still help us today, but it was a very challenging time for us personally.

Looking back on that experience, I realize one of the major problems we had being successful.  There were hundreds of issues, including some of our own mistakes, but one aspect of our company and where we were in the market worked against us most. I discovered that:

We were often too large to be responsive but too small to be competitive.

Have you ever been there?

We were too large to change quickly. Our processes were too set in stone.  We couldn’t react to the changing markets fast enough. We didn’t have teams that could quickly adapt.  Our pricing structure was more inflexible because of our fixed costs.

We were too small to be competitive. We couldn’t compete with the really big guys.  They could eat our lunch at the bargaining table.  We could never match their price.  They could deliver on large projects so much quicker than we could.

My guess is that this scenario can happen at several growth points in the life of a business.  Successful businesses learn to navigate through these times to protect the company and continue to grow. Had we continue as owners we would have had to figure out survival at this critical stage in the life of the business.

My question now, as a church planter/leader is: How does this principle translate to church growth?  Are there certain times during the growth process of a church where this dynamic comes into play?

Are there times the church is too large to adapt quickly to the changing needs of the community and people it is attempting to reach? Could the church be too small to meet all it needs to do, because the church can’t afford the facilities and staff to meet the opportunities?

Could it be that church leadership needs to recognize when this dynamic is in play and figure out ways to navigate through it, so the church can continue to thrive?

For those that hate applying business principles to the church world, please forgive me, but I’m just asking questions to stir discussion.  Sometimes understanding the nature of a problem is the hardest part in addressing it.  What do you think?  Have you experienced either of these scenarios?

I was recently asked for any suggestions I have for planting a church in a different community from where you currently live and know. There is a group of 25 plus people who are leaving the comforts of home in California traveling to the state of Idaho to plant a church. I love that kind of faith.

If you don’t know, Grace Community Church is my hometown, so I am very familiar with our community, but I planted a church before this one in a city in which I didn’t know anyone well, so I have some experience in this area. Still, as I thought about these suggestions, I really believe they are shared for any church plant (perhaps even any church.)

Of course, these are given assuming you have a clear calling as to where you are to plant, but here are some of my suggestions for planting a church a another community. There are probably hundreds of others, but these were the first 7 that came to my mind:

Learn the culture – Every city, every village, and every group of people have their own unique identity. What matter’s most? What do they celebrate? Where do people live and play?  What do they do for fun?  What’s their language?  What are the traditions unique to this area?  What history do they value?

Learn the market – Are schools an option for a building? Is the community in a growth mode or a declining mode? What are the major problems, concerns and needs of the community? Who are the leading employers?  What are the demographics?

Learn the competition – Before you get too excited…it’s not other churches. It’s anything that has the people’s attention you are trying to reach besides a church.

Buy Into the Community – Immediately find ways to get personally involved in the community with volunteer investment. That could be through the Chamber of Commerce, schools, festivals, etc.  Give back…believe it or not, that gets attention.

Have a prayer team – There should be a group of people praying for this community, the church plant, and the leaders on a daily basis. Who are those people?

Develop patience - It is harder than you think it will be. It just is. Church planting…really any ministry…takes a tremendous toll on you physically, mentally and even spiritually.

Protect your family – Just as church plants are stressful on the planter, they are equally challenging for the planter’s family. This may be especially true in a relocation, since much of their support system is being replaced. Protect your family by discipling your time and not losing them as your primary focus. As much as possible, involve them in the work so they understand it’s value and get to share in the rewards.

Church planting is tough, but like all actions of faith and obedience, God uses the sacrifices to reach hurting people and change their life for His glory.

Planters, let me hear from you…what would you add to my list?

This was a heavy week of blogging, thanks to the opportunity to blog for Catalyst this year.  Thanks for reading.  I appreciate the links, comments and Tweets you are gracing me with these days.  I see this blog as an extension of my ministry and you are helping expand that vision by your support. Here are the posts you read the most this week:

8 Ways to Lead People Younger than You

Developing a Leadership Vocabulary

Grace Community Church Goes Multi-Site

Positional Versus Relational Authority

A Secret Your Husband Needs You to Know (But Won’t Tell You)

God Will Allow More than You Can Bear (Alone)

Andy Stanley – Tension for More

Is there a subject you wish I would cover on this blog?

Craig Groeschel addressed the tension of the differences between generations. It was one of the most powerful messages I have ever heard on generational differences. I believe this message is desperately needed in the church today.

Craig addressed the older and the younger generations.

Advice to the older generation

• Invest and believe in the next generation.
• Don’t resent the next generation…invest in them…
• Find it your calling to help the next generation succeed.
• They aren’t the church or the future. They are the church today.
• When you delegate tasks you create followers, when you delegate authority you create leaders.
• Give them permission to make mistakes.
• They are different, not wrong…
• When we invest in the
• Don’t try to give them the way…
• Embrace the season that you’re in…
• You do not have to be cool to lead the next generation just be real.
• Don’t underestimate what God wants to do through this generation…

Advice to Younger generation

• Honor the generation above you…
• They know more than you think they do…
• This is a generation that doesn’t honor well…
• One reason God’s not doing more in the church today is that there is no faith in
• When we truly honor God we’ll honor those in authority over us…
• If you want to be over, learn to follow…
• Respect is earned, but honor is freely given…
• Be teachable…
• We honor the men and women who have gone before us…
• You are a little bit entitled as a generation…
• You are the most cause-driven, mission-minded generation in recent history…
• You crave authenticity…
• I believe in you…
• Don’t you dare think small…
• Don’t insult God with safe living and small dreams…
• If you will come under authority and be teachable you can be the greatest generation in history…

This post will not at all do justice to this important message for the church. I hope you will get this message from the Catalyst. Click HERE to get to that site.

Perry Noble is raw. He’s funny. He speaks his heart, doesn’t hold anything back, and, best of all, he’s passionate about Jesus.

At Catalyst 2010, Perry talked through 1 Kings 17 and God’s dealing with Elijah. God fed him by the ravens. He provided for him, but then the brook dried up and Elijah had no water. Elijah was in a period of learning to trust God completely.

Perry had so many great one-liners to share I decided to list some of them here:

• God said, “It’s about time for a dumb redneck to get up and tell people about me.”
• God is often going to lead us places we don’t think we want to go but we are always glad once we are there.
• The best ministry advice I could give you: “Do what the Lord tells you.”
• The greatest thing that’s ever happened in our ministry is unexplainable because God did it.
• If you can explain what’s happening in your church God’s not doing it.
• How many times do you drive by McDonalds and wonder if their hiring? (Referring to how tough ministry is some days.)
• If you’re here and the brook is dry, God is not punishing you. He is preparing you for greater plans.
• God was saying to Elijah, even though the brook is dry…I am never dry.
• I’m a grave robbing, water walking God and I will never run dry!
• Why do we run from situations God reigns over?
• God has never given up on you, don’t you dare give up on Him

What a refreshing talk this was! I needed this! I hope you will order this talk.

Are you tempted to quit? Please know you are not alone. I’m praying for you.

Beth Moore started by reminding us how quickly life changes but how much the Gospel stays the same.  Then she had us stand, while she knelt to pray.  (I know that because I peaked.)  What a picture of humility on her behalf.

Beth then stated that she felt awkward talking to so many men about insecurity in leadership, but that was where she was asked and felt led to share.  (Thank you for being obedient!)

She began by taking us to Proverbs.

For the Lord is your security and He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap. Proverbs 3:26

Insecurity is a snare we are usually not prepared to face.  Insecurity means, “inordinate self-consciousness, positive or negative.”  Anything that causes us to be caught up in ourselves will keep us from fully honoring God.

There has never been a time when we were more susceptible to insecurity.  We live with instant scrutiny as church leaders.  Even before we finish a message, what we said is already put to the world on Twitter or in a blog.  Everyone has an opinion and everyone has a voice.  We have all become published authors. People are passing on information before they have a chance to absorb it. All this makes us prone to insecurity.

Somewhere along the way, if we don’t deal with insecurity, we begin to rely on our own abilities and forget the things of our first love.  Many leaders come to the destruction of their ministry because of their personal insecurities and their failure to rely on the Spirit of God for security.

Thanks Beth for reminding me to place my complete trust and dependence on the person of Jesus Christ!

Reflect on this:

Do you struggle with insecurity?  Could it be a reliance problem?  Are you relying more on your own abilities than the sufficiency of Christ?

Andy Stanley kicked off Catalyst this morning with a challenging message to leaders about tension. Andy said “there is an eternal tension that all of us carry that’s associated with our appetites. We all want more…” I needed this reminder.

Andy shared how leaders are naturally wired for an appetite for success and progress, which can be used for good. The tension is not to allow that appetite to negatively control our life. Andy used a personal example of that tension by talking about his struggle to want progress, yet not wanting to take pleasure in having a large church. (I love his honesty!)

Three things you need to know about appetites:

God created them and sin distorted them – Creating things, responsibility, progress, etc…all good things…but sin gets in the way of something God created.

Appetites are never fully and finally satisfied…ever…they never go away. We wrongly think there is some achievement or responsibility that will finally fulfill an appetite. Leaders will always experience tension in this area.

Your appetites always whisper now and never later. Your pursuit of satisfying this appetite will impact every other aspect of your life.

Andy shared from the story of Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25). One powerful statement he made, “We would all give up our birthright for the right bowl of stew.” When we give into our appetites for more for the wrong reasons, we are tempted to sacrifice everything we truly value in our life for temporary satisfactions. Those appetites for more will never go away, so our only hope is to reframe our appetites in the context of what God has called us to do, then refrain from trading your future for a bowl of stew.

Every church leader needs to hear this talk. Check out the Catalyst resource center to put this in your leadership library.

Do you need this reminder?