Church Leader Insights

The Shortest Distance – A Saturday Quote

2012-05-23T14:51:47Z

“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people”

Victor Borge, Humorist and Musician

Want to Learn How to Read More? Join Me Online Next Thursday

2012-05-23T15:11:21Z

When people hear about the number of books I read each year and that I can currently read a 250 page book in about 90 minutes, they often question if or how that’s even possible.

And as you might imagine, many pastors over the years have asked me to help them learn how to read more.

So, if you’re looking to make reading a larger part of your ministry and read more each month, I’d like to invite you to join me for one of three identical webinars next Thursday.

THURSDAY, MAY 31

11:00am – 12:15pm Eastern

2:00pm – 3:15pm Eastern

7:00pm – 8:15pm Eastern

My team has finally twisted my arm enough and I’ve agreed to reveal my (closely guarded) secrets about:

- How to find time to read (without robbing time from the more important things)

- How to know what to read (and what NOT to read)

- How to increase your reading speed (hint: its not by becoming a speed reader)

- How to retain what you read

- How to get everything you can from a book

- How to stay motivated to read (and not to feel guilty if you aren’t)

- Plus much more.

I’m a firm believer in the old adage that “all leaders are readers,” but you might be surprised to know that I never completed a book from start to finish prior to age 17? And today I typically read five to seven non-fiction books a week.

I like to say “God just gave me a passion to read” and while that’s true, I’ve also developed a system (imagine that!) for reading that improves recall and keeps me focused on what is most beneficial and helpful to my ministry as a pastor and leader of leaders.

Don’t miss this very practical and game changing webinar.

11 am Eastern Read More Webinar

2 pm Eastern Read More Webinar

7 pm Eastern Read More Webinar

Who Should Attend?

This webinar is for Pastors and Church Leaders who want to read more.

How does a webinar work?

During this webinar, I will be speaking to you and sharing my slides over an internet connection – you just have to log in to a special website, watch my notes and listen over your computer speakers (or headphones). No phone call required.

See you on the webinar!

Nelson

P.S. Don’t miss this great chance to grow as a leader and as a result, see growth in your church! Register now!

11 am Eastern Read More Webinar

2 pm Eastern Read More Webinar

7 pm Eastern Read More Webinar

8th Anniversary Sale – More Resources Added

2012-05-22T14:50:44Z

This week, Church Leader Insights is celebrating eight years of ministry!

On Tuesday, I shared about the BIG 8th Anniversary Sale going on right now.

Today I want to let you know that my team and I have selected 8 additional resources (get it, eight – 8th anniversary?) and added them to the Sale at 50% OFF. This sale ends TOMORROW.

Over the past eight years, these resources have proven helpful in hundreds of churches just like yours:

And they’re HALF OFF – ONLY ONE MORE DAY!

Click the Link Below for ALL 20 Resources at 50% Off:

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/AnniversarySale

Hurry! Ends TOMORROW at 11:59pm Eastern!

Your Partner in Ministry,

Nelson

The #1 Obstacle to Leading Your Worship Team

2012-05-23T10:53:27Z

Jason Hatley here . . . Pastor of Worship Arts @ The Journey Church and Founder of www.WorshipLeaderInsights.com.

Today we wrap up the 3-part series on Leading a Growing Worship Team, and I think today’s topic is one of the most important leadership principles for doing just that.

Two weeks ago we talked about how Personal Growth ALWAYS Precedes Ministry Growth.

Last week I talked to you about the importance of Raising New Leaders to help you carry the load of a growing team.

And here’s #3 . . .

#3 – Remove Obstacles to the Growth of Your Team.

Every leader faces obstacles. Some are hard decisions that we spend weeks praying over. Others are tough seasons of personal growth. These are challenges that you will get through in time.

However, there are some obstacles that, if we don’t do something to change them, they will stick with us for many years and actually KEEP us from experiencing God’s best in the ministry we’re called to lead.

The #1 obstacle we face is the limitations of our own thinking and faith.

I know, I know . . . that seems a little intangible, so let me explain.

Do you remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 9:29?

He said, “. . . According to your faith let it be done to you.”

Wayne Cordeiro taught on this passage to a small group of leaders I was a part of a few years ago and this is what he said:

“If you think it will be hard to achieve a goal for God, then God will say, ‘Ok – for you this will be hard.’ But if you think, ‘We can do this,’ then God will say, ‘Ok – for you this will be possible.”

In other words, if you think leading a growing team will be hard, then it will be hard. According to your faith will it be done to you.

But if you have a mindset of being “more than a conqueror” (Romans 8:37), of being able to “do all things through Christ who strengthens you” (Philippians 4:13) and have the faith that God is able to “do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3;20) then you will be able to do for God what others may not.

If you look at the challenge of leading a growing team and say, “I don’t exactly how to do this, but I’m going to trust God, go to work on myself, and see this through”, then God says, “Ok – you will be able to do this.” According to your faith will it be done to you.

For many of us in ministry, the difference between who we are and who we want to be may lie in the faith we have in ourselves and our God to become all that he has called us to be.

Here’s the challenge . . .

Remove the limiting thoughts and faith from your life.

Don’t think, “It’s too hard.”
Believe, “With God’s help we’ll get through this.”

Don’t think, “We’ll never see that happen here.”
Believe, “God, make me into the person I need to be to see this happen here.”

A change in thinking can change your ministry!

Your partner in ministry,

PS -Want to learn the audition process that worship pastors have been using to grow their Worship Team and the leadership tactics for how to deal with the new leadership challenges that come with it? Check out the How to Double Your Worship Team in a Day resource.

And if you try the auditions system, give it an honest run and do it just like I teach it, and it doesn’t work for you . . . return it to us within 365 days of purchase for a full refund.

We’re Celebrating Our 8th Anniversary – And You Get the Gifts!

2012-05-22T12:29:02Z

Eight years ago, just as our young church in New York City was breaking through the 500 barrier, I received a call asking me to teach the Church Planting track at Rick Warren’s annual May conference.

I was humbled and excited… not sure if I could do it, but I said “yes.”

The conference was to be six hours over three days and I was to teach everything I had learned about launching large and starting a new church from scratch.

One week before the conference I received a call saying that the schedule had changed and instead of six hours, I would only have four hours to teach my sessions. With over 400 church planters registered, I simply didn’t know what to cut.

After much prayer, I decided not to cut anything. Instead, I would record the content I didn’t have time to teach live and share it with the participants. It’s been eight years now, but I recall that I recorded the following CD resources:

Am I Called to Be a Church Planter?

Funding Your Church Plant

Launching Large

Is My Husband’s Call My Call (with my wife Kelley)

The night before the conference (literally) I was up duplicating CDs on my computer and sticking labels by hand. It was crazy… but it worked! Thankfully, I was judged by the content on the CDs and not the design.

That conference came and went, but I started receiving calls and emails afterwards asking if those CDs were available for purchase. In fact, another large church planting conference that July wanted to offer the CDs for purchase at their conference.

From this humble start, we began making my resources available for purchase at various conferences, at my own speaking events and we put up a basic online store.

Why am I sharing this? Because it was this week eight years ago that all this happened and it was out of these “accidental” beginnings that Church Leader Insights was born.

Since 2004, I have had the incredible privilege of developing over 100 church growth resources. From that handful of church planters back in 2004, Church Leader Insights has grown to impact 90,000+ church leaders a year. And eight years later, I’m still humbled and excited!

Today, I give away those early church planting resources on our Web site. We give away over $3,000.00 in free resources to church planters around the world each week. Not to mention thousands of dollars in free e-books, international downloads, free books and audio resources.

One ministry leader recently estimated that we give away over $45,000.00 in free resources each month to 3,000+ church leaders around the globe. God is good!

And yes, we still offer resources for purchase… In fact, it’s because we offer certain resources for purchase that we are able to run our ministry and provide the free resources we offer (like the podcast, e-books, webinars, etc.).

Our goal is to always give those who purchase resources from us far more value than the dollars they invest. And it seems to be working – our ministry is currently expanding at the rate of 500 new church leaders a week.

I’m humbled and excited about what God has in store for the future and I wanted to share this story with you. So thank you for reading this far!

To celebrate our EIGHT YEAR ANNIVERSARY as a ministry, we have combed through our store and selected a dozen very powerful resources and made them available at a significant discount between now and this Friday, May 25… some of these resources have never been discounted before.

Check out THE EIGHT YEAR ANNIVERSARY SALE resources at a full FIFTY PERCENT OFF at:

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/AnniversarySale

Over a Dozen Never Before Discounted Items Available, but Hurry, ends THIS Friday, May 25!

As I’ve said several times already, I’m humbled and excited about the future. Thank you for being a part of the Church Leader Insights family. This ministry is truly a partnership between me and pastors like you.

God’s best to you,

Nelson

P.S. After that first church planting event back in 2004, I was asked by several planters if I would be their “coach.” I never saw this as part of my ministry but gave it a shot with 12 guys in the summer of 2004. I loved it and God blessed it! Since 2004, I’ve coached over 1,000 church planters and senior pastors.

We have measured the effectiveness of my coaching process and learned that the average pastor sees a 30% growth in attendance and a 25% increase in the offerings (among many other improvements) within one year of completing my network.

My next SENIOR PASTORS COACHING NETWORK starts in August but there are some great Super Early Bird resources you get if you apply by July 30.

If you are a Senior Pastor or church planter, I strongly suggest you check out this link and prayerfully consider my network:

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/telecoaching

If you have any questions about this network or the anniversary sale (or if you prefer to order by phone), call us at 1-800-264-5129 – we are really nice to talk to – I promise!

Don’t Live in the Past – A Saturday Quote

2012-05-15T19:05:08Z

“Losers live in the past. Winners learn from the past and enjoy working in the present toward the future.”

— Denis Waitley: A motivational speaker and writer

Improve your Preaching with a Simple Online Tool

2012-05-16T20:38:30Z

For those of you who have implemented my weekly message run-through, I have found a great tool I want to share with you.

If you don’t know what a weekly message run-through is, check out this past blog where I explain it: http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/blog/2011/04/18/how-to-make-this-sundays-service-excellent-at-your-church/

Simply stated, the way you do the weekly message run-through will greatly affect the way the message goes on Sunday morning. We try and get everything the same for the run-through as it will be on Sunday morning.

The teaching table we use at the run-through is the same. If there is a clip, we play it. We use the same teaching notes and all the Sunday slides are on the screen. We do everything at the run through identical to how it will be done on Sunday mornings with the exception of one item… a countdown clock.

On Sunday’s we have a countdown timer on stage to ensure that the service is able to stay focused on what God has called us to accomplish for each Sunday and instead of having to haul that large countdown back and forth to the office, I have begun to use a simple and free online version.

It is found at http://www.online-stopwatch.com/countdown-timer/

This gives me that ability to have a timer but keeps me from having to break my back!

So, if you are not yet doing a sermon run-through, make steps today to get it on your calendar. If you are doing a run-through, use this great online timer to make sure that your message is the length it should be!

Let me know how it goes!

Nelson

P.S. To learn more about implementing a proven message run-through strategy, starting this week, download your FREE copy of my brand new “Double the Effectiveness of Your Preaching” E-Book by clicking here.

How to Raise New Leaders on your Worship Team

2012-05-16T11:25:48Z

Jason Hatley here . . . Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey and Founder of WorshipLeaderInsights.com.

Do you remember the story of Michael that I shared with you last week? He is a fellow worship leader (and a member of my coaching network) who, after leading a round of auditions, recently found himself at the helm of a fast growing worship ministry.

Like many of us would be . . . a new level of leadership is a bit overwhelming, but he’s growing through it and doing a great job.

Have you ever found yourself there . . . under the mounting stress of leading a worship team (regardless of the size) that just felt like it was more than you could handle at the time? I have!

Wherever you are in ministry — whether you lead 20 or 200 people on your worship team — there are leadership principles that can help remove the stress and maximize the gifts and opportunities that a growing worship ministry holds.

We kicked off this 3-part series by talking about how our personal growth ALWAYS precedes our ministry growth last week.

And now here’s leadership principle #2 . . .

#2 – New Leadership Challenges require New Leaders

You can’t do it all by yourself. You need other leaders around you to help you carry the load.

There are too many “Lone Ranger” worship leaders. Their slogan is, “No one can do it as well as me, as fast as me, or the way I like it, so I’ll do it all myself.”

The problem with that thinking is two-fold:

a) There’s only so much one person can do before they’re overwhelmed and under-achieving. You will never become all that God has called you to be leading your team by yourself.

b) If you try to do it all yourself, you are robbing (yes, robbing) potential leaders on your team of becoming all that God has called them to be, too!

The truth is . . . in a growing worship ministry there is far more to do than one person possibly can, so you have to raise up leaders around you. By doing so, they grow their leadership gifts and contribute to the kingdom. AND you are able to do the things that only you can do.

I remember vividly when this principle became clear in my life. In the early days of The Journey I was leading worship 48-50 Sundays a year — I call that ministry suicide by the way .

As we added more and more services I realized I couldn’t do this alone. I started investing in a member of our worship team and he became a volunteer worship leader. And then I kicked it into overdrive and really started developing new leaders. Over the course of a couple years we had built a team of 8-10 volunteer worship leaders who were not only leading on Sunday but also helping carry the leadership load in other areas of our team as well.

It was a huge relief. And as our team grew I was able to empower them to lead more and more, so that I could focus on the things that only I could do.

Listen – If you’re overwhelmed right now by the leadership challenge in front of you, that means you haven’t raised up enough leaders to help you succeed through it.

I could go on for an hour about how to select leaders, what are the criteria for becoming a leader (we just talked about this in my coaching networks), what is the process for grooming leaders, how do you help them succeed, and on we could go.

We don’t have time to get into all of that, so let me share with you a quick system you can use to get started . . .

Step 1: I do / You watch — Before a new person can lead well they must be shown a model for what it looks like to lead well. At this stage, you demonstrate for your new leader what success in their area looks like. They watch, take notes, discuss with you, etc.

Step 2: We do together — After your new leader has seen an example of excellence in this area, now you’re ready to give them some responsibility . . . but don’t throw them in the deep end without swimming right beside them! Have them lead alongside of you . . . a song at rehearsal, a meeting with your production team members, etc. In this stage they are growing their leadership abilities and you are right beside them every step of the way.

Step 3: You do / I watch — After showing competency as a leader, you can now allow them to take the lead . . . BUT, don’t abdicate responsibility for that area. They may be leading some rehearsals now, but always under your watchful care, and with a free-flow of communication and feedback between the two of you.

Simple as it may seem . . . that’s the best way to raise new leaders on your team!

By the way — if you want to learn more about how we select leaders, develop criteria, build a system for training and development, etc. at The Journey, then it’s time to join my next coaching network. Those are the types of in-the-trenches practical strategies that we discuss in these networks.

Check out www.worshipleaderinsights.com/coaching to learn more!

Your partner in ministry,

PS -Want to learn the audition process that Michael has been using to grow his Worship Team and the leadership tactics for how to deal with the new leadership challenges that come with it? Check out the How to Double Your Worship Team in a Day resource.

And if you try the auditions system, give it an honest run and do it just like I teach it, and it doesn’t work for you . . . return it to us within 365 days of purchase for a full refund.

The Results are in! The Sabbath Resource has already made huge impact in the local church.

2012-05-13T21:09:39Z

It has been almost one month since I released The Power of the Sabbath resource and I am hearing many great reports of the impact it is having on the way pastors are relating to their family, the increased peace in the home, the effectiveness of their preaching and overall health of the pastor.

Let me take a moment to highlight why I am recommending every pastor in the Church Leader Insights Family to pick up this resource.

The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath so my question, are you using the sabbath?

BTW, just in case you have missed it, here’s how it is stated in the 4th Commandment:

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God . . .”

In learning to honor this commandment, by the grace of God, here’s some of the results I have experienced:

My to-do list is still large and growing (I lead a large and growing ministry) BUT its not overwhelming me – I have a ‘handle’ on what God is calling me to do.
I’ve learned to prioritize and focus on the things that matter most
I can’t remember the last time I missed a day off or had to cancel ‘family time’ because I just ‘couldn’t get away.’
My waistline has shrunk (yep – seems there’s a correlation between high stress, low rest and big pants!).
My cholesterol and blood pressure are normal (even ‘low normal’)
I’ve accomplished more over the last seven years than any other seven years in my life (Book #10 comes out this fall, Journey Church is growing with record numbers, etc.)

…And on and on I could go.

I should’ve listed this first, but my relationship with God is at a better place than it’s ever been

Quite frankly, I HAVE LEARNED THE POWER OF THE SABBATH!

I’ve taught it to my staff and the results have been incredible.

I’ve taught it to my 1000+ coaching alumni around the world – the response: Wow! (Or more often, “Why didn’t someone teach this to me years ago!”)

Listen, I’m sure you’ve heard about the Sabbath, had devotional writers challenge you to keep it, felt the nudge of God when you read Exodus or the words of Jesus on the Sabbath. Maybe you’ve always felt like there was more too it for you . . . there is!

You see I’m a nuts and bolts guy. I want to know:

What is the Sabbath for today (we live in NT times, not under the Mosaic law)
How do I really keep the Sabbath (especially with cell phones, twitter, etc.)
What do I do on my Sabbath (its always sounded a little boring)
How can I possibly take the Sabbath when I can’t get it all done anyway (you see, when you understand the Sabbath, you’ll get more done in the six days you work)
How does Sabbath differ from a ‘day off.’ (Almost every pastor I know takes a ‘day off’ but they are missing the power of the Sabbath).
How does Sabbath give me a deeper connection to God?
What can I do (or ‘not do’) on my Sabbath?

And I could keep going.

As a fellow pastor – talking to you as a fellow pastor – I want to be VERY BOLD:

- You will never be the Pastor God has called you to be until you understand the POWER OF THE SABBATH

Write me back and call me a sinner if you want (it won’t be the first time!) but its true. I cannot, in a single blog, tell you all that you are missing out on by missing out on the Sabbath (Jesus even said the Sabbath was ‘made for you!).

This may be the KEY ISSUE affecting the moral, spiritual and even physical health of pastors in the USA and around the world. When I see the rates of pastoral burnout, family trails, pastor divorce, etc., I just shake my head and wonder: Do they not know the power of the Sabbath?

Because of this, I can’t keep secret what I have learned! I must share it with you.

I have taken all that I have learned about the Sabbath personally, cataloged that with intense bible study on the subject and systematized it by presenting it over and over to my coaching alumni . . . and finally put it together in NEW resource for you:

THE POWER OF THE SABBATH
The Biblical Key to Lowering Stress, Increasing Productivity and Thriving Over the Long Haul
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

If you get this resource, listen to it asap and start practicing the biblical commandment of the Sabbath, I promise you that you’ll see results in days (not months or years…. days!).

I challenge you to get this resource, listen to it ASAP and take action,

Nelson

PS – In this three-hour seminar, I’ll help you understand what the Bible says about honoring God with the Sabbath and how you can experience the blessing and peace of mind that comes with your obedience.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE AND TO SECURE YOUR COPY TODAY

Reading Suggestions for Preaching, Leadership and Personal Growth

2012-05-13T21:07:55Z

I love hearing from pastors who take a proactive approach to their learning and personal growth. One of my Renegade Pastors, Gary Black from Clayton Christian Church in Indiana, recently asked me a question that I thought might be helpful to all of us…

Gary asked: “I’m about to go on a personal retreat, what books would you recommend for my preaching, personal and leadership growth?”

Here was my list of suggested books for his retreat:

Ken Blanchard – Leading at a Higher Level

Oswald Sanders – Spiritual Leadership; Spiritual Discipleship; Spiritual Maturity - Click the name for any of these 3 books.

Bert Decker – You’ve Got to Be Believed to Be Heard

Wayne Cordeiro – Divine Mentors

Hope this help,

Nelson

PS – My next briefing call for the Renegade Pastors Network is TOMORROW, May 15th. Join today and I can get you the call in information.

Calls like this are just one of the many benefits of being in the Renegade Pastors Network.

Here’s the complete list:

1) The Renegade Pastors LIVE MONTHLY UPDATE AND LEADERSHIP BRIEFING. At the heart of the network is a monthly update and briefing from me via LIVE Conference Call. This monthly “pastor to pastor” call (which will be recorded on MP3 for your library) will be personal, practical, packed with content and slightly irreverent (but in a good way) training where I will challenge you, enlighten you, equip you and guide you to maximize your next season of ministry

With the Renegade Pastors Monthly Update and Briefing, you’ll always be one step ahead in your planning and fully inspired and equipped to stay the course of the renegade lifestyle. ($199.00 per month value)

>> NOTE: The Next Briefing is Tuesday, May 15 at 2:00pm Eastern Time. Hurry and join today!

2) Monthly Equipping Interview/Conference Call – with me, one of my mentors, a noted author or ministry leader. Listen live and receive an MP3 recording ($195.00 per month value)

3) Private Call-In-Hours where you can talk directly to me ($295.00 per month value)

4) RESTRICTED ACCESS Online Membership Site/Blog/Resources ($99.00 per month value). You’ll have instant access to all your Renegade Pastor benefits, documents, recordings, etc. in your online Renegade Pastors hub.

5) Continually Updated RENEGADE PASTORS RESOURCE DOCUMENTS AND DIRECTORY ($399.00 per month value). If there’s a document that we use at The Journey or that is shared by someone else in the network (and I think its helpful) I’ll share it with you.

6) Members-Only 30% DISCOUNT on all Church Leader Insights Resources ($245.00 value)

7) FREE Webinar Access to all Church Leader Insights Webinars ($197.00 per month value)

NETWORK ONLY rates on Coaching Networks and Advanced Coaching Networks ($141.00 per month value). As a member of the Renegade Pastor Network, you’ll be able to enter a future Senior Pastor Tele-Coaching Network or put a staff member through one of our other networks at the lowest possible rate.

9) Lowest Event Registration for all Church Leader Insights Events ($100.00 per month value) including upcoming Renegade Pastors Conferences and Church Systems Bootcamps.

10) $595.00 SHOPPING SPREE Gift Certificate upon completion of your sixth month in the Network ($99.00 per month Value)

11) $695.00 in FREE Resources when you join today! ($695.00 value). These resources will be waiting for you in your Renegade Pastors Network Online Hub within hours after you join. AVAILABLE ONLY TO THE FIRST 250 TO JOIN!

Total value of resources and training you receive in this network exceeds $2667.00 per month.

But the network is far more than just the resources you receive. The focus this network provides for your ministry and the ideas and insights in your life are simply priceless.

Are you ready to be a founding member of The Renegade Pastors Network?

You can learn more and join right now at this link:
http://www.RenegadePastors.com