- Communicate Jesus lists some ways that you can make it easy for people to take the first step in responding to a call to action. Once you are aware of this, you notice how badly churches often do at giving easy, accessible, basic ‘next steps’ for visitors coming to church. No wonder many of us struggle with follow up and retaining people in our fellowships: it is so hard to know what to DO next to become more involved!
- An intriguing post from Phillip Jensen on the difference between a FUNERAL, which focuses on mourning someone’s death and includes a sermon and a THANKSGIVING SERVICE, which focuses on giving thanks for someone’s life and includes a eulogy. He says we need to keep a place for the funeral.
- Chuck Lawless lists 10 characteristics of leaders who last:
- They don’t let discouragement set in
- They begin with a determination to finish well
- They share the workload
- They have a vision bigger than they are
- They take care of themselves physically and spiritually
- They invest in their family
- They treat people well
- They have genuine friends
- The learn to laugh
Great advice in here! I love the little numbered posts on Thom Rainer’s blog. They are like blog junk food, in one way, but they always have good stuff in there. So healthy junk food - like a gourmet burger bar.
- 11 Things Simone loves about being a minister’s wife. I love the honesty in this list: it’s not all pious stuff, in fact some of it is cheekily about power and perks!
When you make one decision in your ministry’s tactics or strategy, you are gaining certain benefits, but also taking on limitations. One of the most frustrating things in leadership is when people’s criticisms are really just the urging to adopt a different (perhaps equally legitimate) set of tactics and strategies that happen to be the ones you haven’t adopted. In this situation, the person rarely owns up to the corresponding weaknesses of their suggestion, and the loss of the strengths of the current option. Steve Kruyger explores this issue:
Once a decision have been made about which approach will be adopted, it’s essential to also make a decision from that point on, not to complain that the benefit of the other scenario isn’t being achieved.
via Blog - Christian Reflections http://genevapush.com/blogs/xian_reflections/mirrors-27th-september-2013 (NB: to comment go to thegenevapush.com/xian_reflections)
