Church Leader Insights

3 Lessons Your Church Can Learn from Disney – Part 3

2013-05-20T21:35:42Z

Jason Hatley here – Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey and Founder of Worship Leader Insights.

One of the most compelling stories that I recently heard on a behind-the-scenes tour of one of the world’s most creative destinations — Walt Disney World — centers around a problem that every Worship Leader and Pastor faces each week.

Here’s the story told to us by the Disney Leadership Team:

The main attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a roller coaster called Expedition Everest that. When it opened in 2006, it featured a giant sized animatronic “Yeti” that jumped out and swatted at guest as they passed on the roller coaster. But unfortunately, the engineers who built the attraction didn’t plan accordingly for the weight and motion of the Yeti, and after a while the foundation of the Yeti cracked! As a result, if you ride the coaster today, the Yeti doesn’t move at all. Oh… and it can’t be fixed because they would have to take the entire mountain and roller coaster apart to fix it. Ugh!

So you’re thinking… “How exactly does this connect to me as a Worship Leader?”Good question… Here’s the third BIG leadership lesson from my behind-the-scenes Disney tour:

#3 – PROPER PLANNING PAY OFF IN IMPLEMENTATION

If you’ve been around Worship Leader Insights for awhile you’ve heard me teach the principle that every minute spent in planning saves you 10 minutes in implementation. That is… if you take the time to properly plan (your services, your auditions, etc.), you will reap the benefit of time saved and a better result.The Leadership Team at Disney believes the same thing. In fact, they are quick to point out their own mistakes… and learn from them. However, the problem with the Expedition Everest ride isn’t lack of creativity, but a lack of proper planning which now hinders the creative intent of the ride.

Has that ever happened in your service? You or your Pastor has a great idea about how to create a transformational moment. The idea was sound, but because your planning system didn’t allow you to begin thinking about the idea until the week of the service, the implementation of the idea didn’t go as well as it could.As I’ve said many times before… transformational moments are in every Worship Order just waiting to be discovered. But it takes time for them to come together.

For instance, this past Sunday at The Journey included an extremely powerful moment in the service.

We’re in a message series on Grace, and we’ve known for months that this past Sunday we were going to do a message on how to offer grace and forgiveness to others. In our series planning meeting back in February, we talked about the idea of building wooden crosses that would stand down front, and at the end of the service giving people an opportunity to come forward and place the name of a person that they were forgiving on the cross as a sign of surrender and thanks for how much God had forgiven them.

A powerful moment that took time to prepare for – building free-standing wooden crosses, selecting just the right song for the moment, collecting the supplies. It couldn’t have happened if the idea had come on Tuesday the week of the service. But because we had spent time planning it months ago, and then talked about it in the weeks leading up to the service we were able to use it in the service.

And as I watched people streaming forward to the crosses to forgive someone who had hurt them… some of them with 10 names written on their piece of paper… I was reminded just how powerful a small idea can be when God is in it.

How is your worship planning system working for you? Are you taking time to plan in advance so God can move in big ways in your service?

Have you implemented a preaching calendar to help you start thinking about services months (even a year) from now?

Do you have creative planning meetings in place to help you nail down specific ideas for those Sundays weeks (even months) in advance?

Do you have a weekly worship planning meeting to help you stay on track with your creative ideas each week?

Remember what Proverbs 21:5 tells us:

“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”

I don’t know about you, but I want “prosperity” to describe our services, not “poverty”. The difference between the two? Good planning (and hard work).

Let’s go to work on our Worship Planning and watch as God blesses our worship services!

Your partner in ministry,
Jason

P.S. Learn more about how to build healthy systems for your church to grow and reach more people on the FREE “Introduction to Church Systems” Webinar with Nelson.

Click here for available times this week and to register now!

3 Lessons Your Church Can Learn from Disney – Part 2

2013-05-20T21:35:18Z

Jason Hatley here – Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey and Founder of Worship Leader Insights.

Yesterday, we started a 3-part series on Leadership Lessons that I think every Pastor and Worship Leader can learn from one of the world’s most unique leadership laboratories — Disney.

After being invited to take part in a special “behind-the-scenes” tour of Walt Disney World and seeing the inner-workings of Disney in a way that few people do, I couldn’t help but share with you these THREE BIG leadership lessons that I learned along the way.

We covered the first one last week – Over-manage the Details. And today, I’ll cover Lesson #2:

#2 – WE’RE NOT PERFECT… BUT WE STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE!

One of the most surprising things I heard our tour guide (a 25-year Disney Management Team Veteran) say time and time again is, “We make mistakes. We’re not perfect. But we try.”

Not the kind of humility you would expect from a company that is so well-known for it’s success. But there’s a lot to be said for owning up to our failures and learning from them.

At one point in the tour our guide said, “Right now in Magic Kingdom alone over 60,000 employees are working. And right now someone somewhere is messing up!”

True in the Magic Kingdom, and true in our churches.

You don’t have to be in ministry long to know that our churches and our teams are made up of imperfect people, and they are lead by imperfect people (us!). It’s inevitable… someone somewhere is going to mess up. But do you strive for excellence?

You see – there’s a difference between striving to do the right thing and failing, and not knowing (or caring) what the right thing to do is.

A guitar player who practiced hard, but didn’t get his solo just right on Sunday is different from the guitar player who showed up to rehearsal late not knowing the music at all.

The difference is a commitment to excellence. And guess who sets the standard for excellence on your team. That’s right… YOU!

So how do you minimize failures by maximizing excellence? Here are 3 ways:

#1 – Model excellence for your team. Remember – you recreate what you are, not what you want. If you have “striving for excellence” issues on your team, before you look out the window to see what’s wrong with them, look in the mirror and ask, “In what areas am I not modeling excellence for my team?”

#2 – Teach your team what it means to pursue excellence. At our twice-a-year Worship Arts Team training (which I call New Season Kick-off) I always do a section of our training on excellence. I let them know I don’t expect them to be perfect, but that I do expect them to do the best they can with what God has given them. I teach on excellence from Malachi 1. I come back to this core value during our Sunday morning prayer times every 4-6 weeks. By continually teaching excellence, my team not only knows it’s expected, but they begin to expect it of themselves.

#3 – Protect your culture of excellence. When a member of your team fails as a result of not giving their best, you and I have to be willing to talk with them and challenge them to step it up. If you don’t deal with it the first time, you’re setting yourself up to deal with it again! When you don’t challenge someone who is habitually late to rehearsal, don’t be surprised when other members of your team start arriving late, too. Protect the culture and values of your team.

Winston Churchill said, “Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”

So help your team understand that you don’t expect them to be perfect. But – don’t let a lazy attitude toward excellence be the reason for failure on your team. Build a strong culture of excellence that constantly calls you and your team to always give your best.

And remember… Excellence is an act of worship.

Your partner in ministry,

Jason

P.S. Looking to jump-start your church’s systems? Join Nelson for the LIVE 2-Day “Church Systems Check-up & Bootcamp” at Walt Disney World in Orlando – July 10-11.

During this powerful two-day event for Senior Pastors, you’ll get a primer on each of the eight systems, plus the latest learnings from Nelson and The Journey staff and the best practices from other successful pastors across the U.S.

Super Early Bird Registration ends on May 31- Save $145.00!

Click here to read more and reserve your seat today!

3 Lessons Your Church Can Learn from Disney, Part 1

2013-05-20T21:34:40Z

Jason Hatley here – Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey and Founder of Worship Leader Insights.

Recently, I was asked to speak to a group of pastors in Orlando and while I was there, I was invited to go on a “behind-the-scenes” tour of Walt Disney World.

Needless to say… I was excited! Sure it was going to be fun, but the real reason I love experiences like this is because I believe that God has ministry lessons for you wherever you are, if you’re looking for them.

My ears were open and my eyes were peeled. But even I was surprised by how applicable these THREE BIG leadership lessons are to what you and I do every week in leading our churches and Worship Ministries. (I’ll cover the first one today).

Here it is:

#1 – OVER-MANAGE THE DETAILS

That is… don’t assume. Go above and beyond to ensure that every detail that can be planned and examined is… well… planned and examined.

Let me explain.

Early in our tour, we found ourselves backstage at one of Disney’s “audio-animatronic” shows. It was early that morning before the show opened to the public. If you’ve been there before, you know that these robots that depict American Presidents and other historical figures are incredibly life-like.

But they’re not human… they’re robots. They run on a computer program and do the exact same thing in the exact same way at the exact same time every day (sounds like some churches I’ve been to – ha!).

The point is… they don’t have to rehearse because they always do the same show.

Yet there I stood early that morning, watching as a robot show that has played almost identically for over 30 years went through it’s daily morning test run.

No one was there to see it, but the engineers told our group, “We do this test run every morning because we want to make sure that the show that our guests see today is the very best it can be.”

To some it may seem like a waste of time, but these guys were so committed to excellence that they went above and beyond, looking for anything that might keep these robots from performing at their best.

Now – in our churches we don’t really use the terms “show” and “performance”, but the principle is right on.

Over-manage the details.

When it comes to your worship service this Sunday…

Don’t assume that all the individuals on your team know they’re serving. Confirm them by phone or email to ensure it.
Don’t assume that your band knows how you want to do the song at rehearsal. Send them some notes early in the week to inform them.
Don’t assume that the video and lighting transitions will happen at the right time. Take some time to practice those in your cue-to-cue Sunday morning (more on this idea next week).
Don’t assume that the broken piece of equipment from last week will work fine this week. Have it repaired and test it before Sunday.

Charles Swindoll says: “The difference between something good and something great is attention to detail.”

Let’s not settle for a “good worship experience” when, with attention to some key details, we can provide a “life-transforming worship experience”. God has already promised that He’ll do His part. Now let’s do ours!

Be fanatical about the details. Lead your team to care about the details.

Doing so (I believe) is an act of worship.

Your partner in ministry,

Jason

P.S. Learn more about how to build healthy systems for your church to grow and reach more people on the FREE “Introduction to Church Systems” Webinar with Nelson.

Click here for available times this week and to register now!

How to Celebrate and Raise the Value of Baptism in Your Church

2013-05-18T11:42:37Z

There are very few activities as a pastor that are more exciting than Baptism.

Seeing new believers “go public” with their faith in Jesus and celebrating the change He’s making in their lives is amazing.

So to help you raise the value of Baptism and celebrate it in your church, here’s a tip…

Make a Baptism video and show it when you’re promoting the next opportunity to be baptized!

Here are just a few of the benefits of recording and showing a Baptism video:

Allows your church to celebrate those whose lives are being transformed
Reminds those who were baptized about their commitment to Christ
Motivates people who might be considering Baptism to move forward
Raises the value of Baptism throughout your church

Here’s an example of one of our recent Baptism videos from The Journey:

And don’t let the technology keep you from using this powerful tool – there’s probably a teenager or young adult in your church right now who would love the opportunity to help out on a project just like this!

Be sure to make the Baptism video a key element in your church’s Baptism strategy.

Here’s to baptizing more people this Summer than ever before!

Nelson

P.S. Want to learn my valuable five-step system that will equip you to PROMOTE, PREPARE, PREACH, PRESENT and PRESERVE every Baptism in your church?

TODAY Only – You can pick up my “Maximizing Baptism Seminar” resource for HALF OFF (Regularly $99.95).

Click here to read more and secure your copy for just $49!

Tire Kickers vs. Buyers – A Saturday Quote

2013-05-17T22:49:49Z

“Baptism separates the tire kickers from the car buyers.”
–Max Lucado, Pastor and Author

Maximize Summer By Being Creative With Small Groups (Part 2)

2013-05-13T17:35:47Z

Summer small groups are also an ideal way to raise up new group leaders, for two reasons.

Number one, many of your regular leaders will want to take the summer off. In fact, we encourage a summer break. You don’t want leaders to get burned out. And through their break, you open up the opportunity for people who have never led before to step in.

Number two, many of your potential leaders will be most interested in leading their first group during the summer. Since the atmosphere is more casual and the groups do plenty of fun activities together, summer groups are easier to lead and provide good training ground. They are the perfect initiation for brand-new small group leaders.

Remember that sweet taste of freedom that summer brought with it when you were a kid? Well, the great thing about being a church leader is that you still get a new kind of freedom each and every summer. You get the freedom to be creative, to think outside the box and try new things.

Some of the things you try will work and some won’t. That’s okay. You’ll come out of the summer heat with new ideas, new people plugged in, and huge momentum for the season to come. Summer is just around the corner! Plan now to plant, so you can reap the harvest this fall.

Learn how your church can maximize the opportunities of summer.

Sign up for your FREE Grow Your Church Webinar here:

http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/index.php/free-stuff/grow-your-church-webinar

Maximize Summer By Being Creative With Small Groups (Part 1)

2013-05-13T17:32:08Z

Many churches decide to take a break from small groups during the summer, which is a perfectly legitimate thing to do. But if your structure allows for it, summer groups can be extremely effective for getting new people plugged in… especially if you do them creatively.

The summer weather gives you and your group leaders the opportunity to plan lots of fun groups that wouldn’t work during other semesters. You can do regular groups outside, sports-themed groups, or picnic groups. You can do just about anything that combines peoples’ desire to be out in the sun with their desire to meet new friends, learn more about God and have some fun.

As you start filling these summer groups, you’ll find that new people will often join just because they are interested in hiking or biking or whatever the group may decide to center around. That interest will get them connected so you can start the process of discipleship.

Since people have fluctuating schedules during the summer, we also like to set up a few open groups in the park. These are groups that require less dedication than a regular small group. They keep the people who can’t make a true summer commitment connected by giving them a group that they can pop into as they are available.

Plus, open groups are a perfect way to get brand-new attenders involved over the summer. Say a new person comes to church one Sunday and decides to attend a movie play group the next Friday night. Then, they learn about the open Bible study in the park on Tuesdays and decide to stop by. You aren’t asking them for a big commitment yet, but you are getting them connected and setting them up to become fully involved in the fall.

Learn how your church can maximize the opportunities of summer.

Sign up for your FREE Grow Your Church This Summer webinar here:

http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/index.php/free-stuff/grow-your-church-webinar

How To Be Creative With Your Preaching This Summer (Part 2)

2013-05-13T17:33:23Z

As part of your creative summer series planning, try tying in fun events to complement your teaching.

For example, during the God On Film series, we have weekly “play groups” available where people can go see one of the featured movies with others from the church, and then grab dinner to discuss it. This goes hand-in-hand with your creative outreach. People will want to go see the summer blockbusters anyway, so why not invite them to go with you?

They’ll meet new people, have fun, engage in relevant conversation, and be more likely to attend church the day you are discussing what they’ve seen. When you can creatively tie your outreach and your messages together, you will see exponential results.

In addition to your attractional series, keep in mind that the summer is a perfect time to spice things up and draw a crowd by bringing in guest speakers. Think of the respected pastors that you would like to have preach at your church and then make the invitation. Their schedules will be more flexible in the summer, so they may just agree. Your attenders will be excited about having a fresh, new face come in and you can take your summer vacation without worry!

Learn how your church can maximize the opportunities of summer.

Sign up for your FREE Grow Your Church This Summer Webinar here:

http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/index.php/free-stuff/grow-your-church-webinar

How To Be Creative With Your Preaching This Summer (Part 1)

2013-05-13T17:18:12Z

Summer is the time to be extra creative in your message planning. You have the freedom to intentionally teach on topics that will draw a crowd. Around The Journey, we always plan this kind of “attractional series” for the summer, in an effort to reach people who may not otherwise come to church.

Each year we do a series called God On Film, where we pull spiritual themes out of the summers biggest movies and teach on them. This series always attracts new people. Especially if a movie is creating a lot of buzz in the media, people in the community want to know what the local church is going to draw from it. One of the key advantages to this series it that it is fresh every summer. The messages center on new movies, so there are always new themes to talk about.

In planning your summer teaching, make sure you structure your series so that all of the messages fall into the same theme or category, but don’t build on one another. You want your new and sporadic summer attenders to be able to connect with the few messages that they may hear, without feeling like they are missing important background information because they haven’t been around for the entire series.

Whether you are doing a ten-week series or two shorter series, let each message under the umbrella stand as its own entity. Use every one as an opportunity to bring someone new in and help them get connected. If you do, you’ll find yourself with a lot of new people who are excited about going deeper with you in the fall.

Learn how your church can maximize the opportunities of summer.

Sign Up for your FREE Grow Your Church This Summer webinar here:

http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/index.php/free-stuff/grow-your-church-webinar

The Power of a Mother’s Hand – A Mother’s Day Quote

2013-05-11T02:38:13Z

“There is more power in a mother’s hand than in a king’s scepter.”
- Billy Sunday

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Back to School | This American Life
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Meatloaf: Yes, Virginia There Is A Great Meatloaf! Recipe - Food.com - 54257
Well, I'm tryin' it. I can't say that I'm sooper optimistick, but I'm tryin' it. Made 1.65 to accommodate the amt of grd beef I had -- and it fit into my baking dish better that way anyway. Red onion, not sweet. Added some Worcestershire sauce to the sauce. That can only help. Expectation: BO-ring.... But it's DONE!
Amazon limits 3G use on Kindles to 50 megabytes a month | Technology News Blog - Yahoo! News
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The Dangerous New Era Of Climate Change: Jeffrey Sachs | Economy Watch
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While some commonly argue that wealthy countries should bear the burden of environmental concern, research suggests that the poor are more affected by climate change and thus value the environment more.
United Nations News Centre - Fight against hunger needs greater investment from private sector, stresses UN agency
“There can be no freedom from hunger – there can be no food security – without the active participation of all sectors of society, including the private sector,” said FAO’s Director-General, José Graziano da Silva.
BBC News - South Africa vows clampdown on Marikana mine unrest
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Changing rainfall boosts number of Ethiopians in need of food aid - AlertNet
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Saudi Oil Wells May Run Dry By 2030 | Green Prophet
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Another Murder on the Resource Frontier - This Time a Journalist in Cambodia - NYTimes.com
"A Cambodian journalist who exposed rampant illegal logging has been found murdered in the boot of his car, police said Wednesday, in a country where environmental activists often face violent retribution."

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03) Adult Education Center at Dhas_Thanda

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