Pastor. I Admire His Willingness to Take the Time to Measure What God Is Doing in the Church He Serves and to State It with Clarity

What leaders are saying

“What I like about Dick Hardy is that he does not mince words. 27 Tough Questions Pastors Ask is a very real and practical guide for any pastor looking for answers.” Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor and Best-Selling Author National Community Church, Washington, D.C. “Dick Hardy is filling the ‘ecclesiastical niche’ with wisdom beyond the pulpit. His administrative experience and advice as a qualified professional consultant is exactly what pastors need.” Wayne Benson, President and CEO Emerge Ministries, Akron, Ohio “When grappling with contemporary church issues, Dick Hardy brings experience to bear across a broad spectrum of ministry. If you are looking for honest assessment and insightful perspective, The Hardy Group will not disappoint.” David Crabtree, Retired Pastor Boca Raton, Florida “Dick Hardy brings a wealth of experience to the table for pastors and church leaders. This is not a book of theory but of practical concepts and principles birthed in experience.” Jeff Farmer, President Open Bible Churches, Des Moines, Iowa “The ‘Rules of Engagement for Pastors’—27 plain spoken answers to critical questions pastors face in ministry. A must read.” Paul Johnson, Minister of Business Administration Wilshire Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas “One of my best friends knows the local church inside and out. This book unveils the wisdom and experience of Dick Hardy, a man who is passionate about helping pastors and churches.” John Palmer, Founder and President Come Alongside Ministry, Springfield, Missouri “Dick Hardy provides sensible, relevant answers for questions pastors are asking. Combining years of experience with an insatiable desire to stay on the cutting edge, Dick hits the nail on the head time and time again in this book.” Glenn Reynolds, Lead Pastor Bethel Temple, Hampton, Virginia “Dick Hardy’s book is a practical and helpful resource for pastors in the 21st century. This useful tool will sharpen your ability to lead.” Mark Rutland, President Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma “I have watched Dick Hardy lead in my community and I know him to be a man of wisdom and seasoned practical experience. I highly recommend 27 Tough Questions Pastors Ask.” Tony Vis, Lead Pastor Meredith Drive Reformed Church, Des Moines, Iowa

27 tough Questions Pastors Ask Dick Hardy 27 Tough Questions Pastors Ask By Dick Hardy

Cover design by Danielson Design

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be used without written permission of the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts for magazine articles, reviews, etc. Some names and details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals and churches. For further information or permission, write Onward Books, 4848 Landon Court, Springfield, MO 65810. DEDICATION

I met the Michigan girl on a blind date in 1973, married her in 1977, and love her today more than ever before. She joined me in raising Jonathan and Erin to love God. She loves me, among other things, because I make her laugh. I dedicate 27 Tough Questions Pastors Ask to The Lovely Redhead, Pat Hardy—the best wife on the planet! contents

Foreword...... 13 Introduction...... 15

Section 1: LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT 1. Count Everything Do numbers really matter to God?...... 19 2. 5 Reasons Senior Pastors Don’t Lead Their Churches What can I do to improve my leadership?...... 25 3. The 3 Cultures Necessary for a Church to Grow What must become part of our DNA in order to grow?...... 33 4. The 3 Foundational Elements Necessary for a Church to Grow To have a foundation for growth, what has . to be present?...... 37 5. 5 Pastor-Driven Obstacles to Growth and How to Remove Them (The Obstacles That Is) What personal steps can a senior pastor take . to create growth?...... 41 6. Something Is Missing What crucial absences in a church must be addressed?...... 47 7. 3 Congregational Obstacles to Growth How do I overcome obstacles to growth created by the congregation?...... 53 8. 6 Reasons to Copy Another Church I’d like to use another church’s program; can I do that?...... 59 9. Music How do I help older people like younger music?...... 65 10. When Things Go Wrong! How do I deal with the media when they become involved in a church problem?...... 71 11. The 13 Things Churches Do to Plan to Stagnate What am I doing inadvertently that is slowing the . growth of the church?...... 77

Section 2: STAFFING 12. The 7 Things Church Receptionists Do to Turn People Away What can we do to improve first contact in our church?...... 85 13. You’ve Got to Have Timing How do I know when it is the right time to hire staff?...... 91 14. Interviewing a Potential Staff Member What 12 questions should I ask when interviewing a . potential new hire?...... 97 15. Dismissing Staff How do I let a staff member go when that . becomes necessary?...... 103

Section 3: CONFLICT MANAGEMENT 16. A Cranky Board Member How do I deal with an obstinate board member?...... 111 17. Staff Disloyalty How do I handle a staff member who is being disloyal . to me?...... 115

Section 4: DISCIPLESHIP 18. The Basics of Discipleship How do I develop a discipleship system for new Christians at our church?...... 123 19. The Practics of Discipleship I know there is no formula, but is there a sample system that might work?...... 129 Section 5: BUDGET AND FINANCE 20. Start-From-Scratch Budget How do I build a budget for the church I serve? ...... 137 21. Turning Adversity Into Opportunity How do I handle capital and cash flow issues during challenging times?...... 143 22. 5 Budget Realities How do I minimize the impact of economic . uncertainties?...... 149

Section 6: HOSPITALITY 23. Visitors: 8 Ways Not to Treat Them What should we not do when welcoming guests?...... 157 24. The 9 Facets of the Art of Welcoming Guests How do we create a sustainable welcoming culture?...... 163 25. 3 Types of Outside Greeters Is it really that big of a deal to have outside greeters for the services?...... 169 26. 8 Tasks and 8 Traits for Church Greeters How important are inside greeters?...... 175 27. 5 Components of Post-Service Hospitality How should end-of-service hospitality work?...... 181

About the Author...... 185 The Hardy Group...... 186 Order Information...... 189 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

his book is the result of the people in my life standing Twith me to make it happen. My first venture in the world of writing and publishing a book was met with much support—formally and informally. I am grateful to Glenn Reynolds who first suggested to me that I should start writing “How-To-Do-Church” articles for pastors. For the pastors who have utilized the services of The Hardy Group to remove obstacles to growth I say, “Thank you.” In particular, I thank my friend Stan Tharp and Dayton Christian Life Center for believing in me first and becoming my first client church in 2007. I thank David C. Crabtree for his willingness to hire a 23-year-old church business administrator back in 1978. David, you launched me on the most phenomenal ministry career a man could ever ask for. You rolled the dice on me and I am eternally indebted to you for having done so. Thank you to John Palmer, Gary Haag and Bob Stewart for serving as my accountability partners for lots of years. Can you believe it? We have journeyed through much as friends, fathers and husbands. Thank you for believing in me and giving me the privilege of being part of your lives. For John specifically, thank you for allowing me to serve with you in Des Moines and advance what God had called you to do in that great church. Thanks to my friend and my pastor, John Lindell, for his kind words in the foreword to this book. John demonstrates outstanding leadership at James River Assembly and to pastors around the country. He is a gift to our family through his preaching and a gift to American pastors and churches in his modeling the role of pastor/leader. Wayne Benson showed me what a spiritual leader looks like. Wayne is a great friend and mentor who leads by example. His faithfulness to the cause of the Kingdom marks my life and makes me want to be better. There is so much of his life that makes me want to say, “I want to be like Wayne when I grow up!” Thank you to my son, Jonathan, as he served as the very first editor of the raw manuscripts. He suffered through the initial mental zigzag of his dad’s thinking and writing. Thank you to Erin for being the best daughter in the world. I love her so much. Further, how can I say thanks enough for what the two of them did in choosing Ashley and Caleb as their life mates? On the editing side, I must thank the guy who was willing to work with a rookie. Ken Horn was the best. Any future author should contact Onward Books at www.onwardbooks. com and talk to Ken. He made me look good and will do the same for you. The most consistent thing noted about The Hardy Group is that our stuff looks great. That is because of Dave Danielson of Danielson Design. Thank you, Dave, for all you have done to this end.

10 Acknowledgments Thank you to Tiffany Applegate and X Factor Consulting. Tiffany’s coaching has enabled The Hardy Group to move past its formative stage and expand its reach. She is the reason the e-mail resource updates that come from my office look so good. She’s a marketing guru. I recommend her to churches and non-profits. When a project like this is in its formative stages there are always people who provide encouragement. Dave Kutscher and Dan and Sheri Shaffer were those people for me. Thank you for your words and support. Lastly I must thank that person closest to me in the human sense. I have dedicated this, my first book, to my wife, Pat. For 33 years she has loved me beyond what I deserve. Our friends will say, “Amen.” She is faithful, loving and kind. She is smarter, better looking and younger (barely) than me. She is spiritually sensitive. She challenges my intellect. She is a beautiful, godly woman. Can I ever forget to thank my God? I love Him more than I can express. He saved me. He loves me. He has given me the experiences that resulted in this book. I cannot wait to see what His faithfulness demonstrates to Pat and me in the years to come. Jesus, I acknowledge You and thank You!

Acknowledgments 11

Foreword by john Lindell

apable leaders don’t necessarily have all the answers up Cfront. But they know how to find solutions when needed, see challenges as opportunities, and surround themselves with people who are not intimidated by obstacles. In our fast-paced, constantly changing world, pastors face many unique challenges. The good news is often there are common-sense solutions that take place on both the spiritual and practical levels. Dick Hardy has been my friend for over 20 years. He has a passion to help churches grow and the know-how to coach pastors in achieving the goal of leading a healthy, vibrant, growing church. In this book, 27 Tough Questions Pastor Ask, Dick specifically tackles 27 game changing issues most pastors will face. From money to discipleship, from greeters to staff, from parking lots to welcome desks, this book provides solutions, along with clear action steps for improvement. You are about to be challenged to see how “church” can be done better. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide your thinking as you prayerfully read these pages. I believe God will do amazing things in your church as you endeavor to be the best leader you can be … and turn obstacles into opportunities!

John Lindell Lead Pastor, James River Assembly

14 Foreword Introduction

reaching is almost never a problem. Growing in the art of Ppreaching is normally an energizing exercise for pastors. It’s all the other stuff of ministry that does them in. In fact, in most cases it is “everything but preaching” that trips pastors up the most. In my work as a growth consultant for pastors and churches across the country, I hear questions like, “Why have I not learned about this, that or the other at some point in my ministry?” or “Why is it that I love preaching but all the other stuff eats my lunch?” These questions caused me to examine my 30-year ministry career to see if I could provide help in identifying answers for questions from pastors. The book you hold is the result of that examination. The writings seemed to flow quite naturally from my experiences of having walked with senior leadership at two megachurches and one denominational Bible college. These ministries had at their cores the imperative to reach people with the message of the gospel. As you navigate 27 Tough Questions Pastors Ask I believe you will find answers to some of your questions. This is not a book of formulas, rather one of approaches to ministry. If you apply that which you read as a whole, I believe you and the church you serve will begin to remove obstacles to growth. It is my prayer that you allow God to direct your steps in reaching people who do not know Him. The church you lead has very bright days ahead of it. Seize those days! Read, learn, pray and lead. Then watch God bring the increase. To this end, I am honored to play a small role in your development and growth as the pastor of the great church you serve.

Dick Hardy

16 Introduction S1ection Leadership and Management

1 COunt Everything Do numbers really matter to God?

few years ago I had a conversation with a staff pastor of a church of 2,000. He was of the A“numbers-don’t-matter” mentality. Quality of ministry was what really counted to him … as if quality . was more spiritual than quantity. I challenged him on this, much to his surprise. I asked him how many staff pastors they had at the church. He ventured a guess; it was substantial. I proceeded to ask how many staff pastors he thought they would have if the church slipped to 1,500 in size, or 1,200. How about 900 or 500? Did he think all the current guys and gals would still have jobs if the church plummeted to 200? Numbers matter … . big time! I am afraid that, in many cases, arguments against numbers are driven by an inability to see results. Rather than face up to a failure to do ministry at a level that will result in more lives being touched by the gospel, we get philosophical in explaining why the quality of the ministry is more important than the quantity. Sounds nice, but frankly, I’m not sure where a person gets biblical support for that argument. Quality matters. Quantity matters. Everything matters. Along those lines, integrity also matters, with others and with oneself. Recently I spoke with a pastor who relayed to me his last Easter’s attendance number—2,903. He told me that he made it clear to the staff that they should not say, “We had about 3,000” or “It looked like about 4,000.” The number was 2,903. I have to tell you that I admire the integrity of that pastor. I admire his willingness to take the time to measure what God is doing in the church he serves and to state it with clarity. Numbers are everything. When you hear someone say, “Numbers don’t matter,” feel free to tell them that numbers are everything! There is even a book of the Bible named Numbers. It is really important to understand why numbers matter. Here are a few of the reasons:

Numbers matter because people matter. If a church has a choice between having three or 30 people accept Christ, they will choose the latter. Why? Because numbers matter to God.

20 Section 1 - Leadership and Management Twenty-seven more people stepping across the line of faith pleases God. Why in the world would any pastor desire to see fewer people get saved? They would not and should not. Numbers matter.

Numbers matter because measurements matter. Every pastor should know how their ministries are tracking from one year to the next, from one season to the next. When I learn that a pastor is operating on approximate figures and that he cannot tell me what last year’s averages were on anything, I know that pastor has diminished his capacity to grow. This is true, not because of incompetence, but because he lacks knowledge of what was and what should be.

Numbers matter because ministries matter. This is where drilling down is critically important. I have had more than one pastor mention to me that everything looks fine at his church but he cannot figure out why his total attendance is flat or declining. If that pastor were to drill down into the key ministries of the church he would find the answer. The whole is the sum of its parts. If the church is percolating in children’s ministry and youth ministry but their adult Bible fellowship or small group ministries for adults are tanking, it will show in the overall attendance. This will be true of virtually any ministry.

Numbers matter because results matter. This is difficult for some in ministry to grasp. We believe because God gives the increase that somehow we are absolved of responsibility for results. I suggest we rethink results. Results matter to God. When Jesus instructed the disciples to go make disciples, do you think He cared about results?

Count Everything 21 So how do we do this? Let me suggest the following:

When tracking, key indicators should be created to measure 52-week averages. Here is how it works. Do not compare this Sunday this year to the corresponding Sunday last year. A far better way to compare one year to the previous is to average the 52 weeks up through and including the current week. When you do that you virtually eliminate any quirks that result from good weather or bad, five-Sunday months, Easters, etc.

Do the same thing on a quarterly basis. Compare the last 13 weeks of this year with the last 13 weeks of last year. This comparison combined with the first one will usually mitigate against an abnormal week that occurred in either year and give you a very current trend line.

Track your tithe giving on a 52-week average and on a year-to-date-to-budget. Giving tracks with attendance. It may track differently from one church to the next, but it is your job to know how the two relate. Do not be aggressive in budgeting your income. If you are, do not expect your tracking to give you an accurate picture compared to last year.

Develop a systematic evaluation of the quality of all ministries. That quality will be a direct reflection of the quantity shown in the measurements. Crummy ministries will show crummy results. This development will be subjective but it is necessary to ensure upward movement in the numbers generated.

22 Section 1 - Leadership and Management You need to measure all areas of ministry. Measure the total and measure the parts. You need to do so well ahead of any crisis. The more you measure the better steward you will be of that which God has entrusted to you. God wants every person on earth exposed to the gospel. So count. Numbers matter to God!

Count Everything 23

2 5 Reasons Senior Pastors Don’t Lead Their Churches What can I do to improve my leadership?

ackson wanted to be everybody’s friend. He founded Evergreen Church seven years ago and had experienced Jgood growth through the first six. He had built a real sense of family. However, the church had plateaued in year seven, and he now found himself with a lot of bosses telling him how they thought things should be run. He thought that he should become a consensus leader. After all, don’t real leaders gain buy-in from everyone and then move forward? After that failed, he tried letting the staff run the show. He wanted to simply preach and pray. Never mind that the congregation needed a leader. After a while Evergreen Church simply became an also-ran with other stagnant churches. Jackson had abdicated this role. No one was leading the church. I know this sounds like an upside down topic but bear with me. Many pastors are called senior pastors or lead pastors, but many do not have the authority to truly lead the churches they serve. The consequences of this lack of leadership at the local church level are too devastating to ignore. True, many churches are run by outstanding leaders. But too many churches forfeit leadership either because of the pastor’s own failure to lead or the church’s propensity to usurp leadership from the pastor. The church suffers in either case. Here are the five reasons senior pastors don’t lead their churches. Give consideration to the solutions for navigating to a higher level of leadership in the church you serve.

The board runs the show and the pastor lets them. Issue: Typically the smaller the church the larger the influence of a church board and its individual members. In the smaller church, the pastor can sometimes be seen as a “hireling.” He or she is hired to preach, marry, bury, visit the sick and the elderly and be at every event and personal happening of everyone in the congregation. In too many of these churches, the board directs the future of the church. Board members are not bad people. It is just that they have day jobs that are not that of leading the church. Frequently, the board is the permission-granting group for the

26 Section 1 - Leadership and Management pastor’s vision. If a real pastor/leader comes to the church, oftentimes a conflict ensues as to who is going to lead. Solution: When this is the case the pastor/leader may be in for one or more serious discussions with a board member or the entire board. I certainly suggest you determine this on the front end. However, if you discover it after you are on board, you must set the record straight. Be wise but move forward. When the culture has been consensus building in nature, the prudent pastor/leader will take his time recalibrating how the senior pastor’s leadership is viewed. The pastor/leader must spend time re-educating the board and congregation about the issue of leadership. Many board members are happy to have a real leader step forward. Those who are not will not last long on your board. Do not coddle controlling board members. If they cannot understand that the church will not grow unless the senior pastor leads, then they will need to step aside. This may be very confrontational. If you can confront and win, then your leadership is being received with respect. If you cannot, then you will not be able to make the changes necessary to move the church forward. You will either be asked to leave or you will sit and stagnate. I suggest you pick your time. Be wise, be deliberate, and be patient. Then confront the detractors to your leadership, and communicate clear and concise leadership. It had better be you!

The congregation wants to vote on everything and the pastor lets them. Issue: The stronger the congregational form of government the harder it is for the church to grow. When the congregation

5 Reasons Senior Pastors Don’t Lead Their Churches 27 needs to vote on everything from the color of carpet to whether to change the missions room into a junior high game room, the church is slated for no growth … even decline. Solution: When you face the extreme congregational leadership model, you need to slowly start turning the ship by beginning to make decisions yourself. When you do that initially, start communicating this to the congregation in a growth-excitement manner. Keep them fully in the loop so they feel less a sense of “we are not voting anymore” and more “we still are hearing the inside scoop on decisions.” This may go on for a few months until you reach a point where the congregation understands that the decisions that emanate from your office are good ones and that the church is growing. If you have this “congregation-votes-on- everything” model at your church, start turning it now to a pastor-driven model. If you do not have this model, do not let it get started. You are the leader. Act like it.

The staff runs the show and the pastor lets them. Issue: Multiple staff churches look like a senior pastor’s dream come true. When the right staff is in place and the senior pastor leads it can be a dream come true. However, in many cases the senior pastor is so bent on developing a collegial relationship with staff, he virtually forfeits the responsibility to lead. The staff likely has been built to include some very strong leaders. When that is the case, the staff will begin to step into the void and lead in the absence of the senior pastor’s leadership. Solution: When a new pastor comes into a culture with an existing staff, the pastor has the opportunity to learn about them while trying to demonstrate his own leadership. Never should a pastor, whether new or entrenched, forfeit

28 Section 1 - Leadership and Management his responsibility to lead. Unfortunately, there are staff members who build coalitions of people around them. They look for opportunities to lead. The pastor/leader must gain buy-in from his partners on the team while never letting go of the senior leadership responsibilities. If the pastor/leader has already allowed this to happen, he must begin a slow and deliberate turnaround, communicating the intended leadership style to the current team. There is a caution. The pastor/leader cannot be seen as a dictator; he must communicate that input is critical from staff members. However, at the end of the day, regardless of the decision or direction, the team must coalesce behind the pastor/leader. This leader gains buy-in and then steps out and leads.

Nobody runs the show and the pastor is one of the nobodies. Issue: This is one of the saddest scenarios. The church is on autopilot with everyone, including the senior pastor. No one challenges anyone or anything. The senior pastor does everything by making sure everyone is happy and that no one ever gets upset. Nobody leads. Solution: When this is the case the pastor/leader must begin to step up and make decisions. This leader cannot be tentative in his decisions even if he feels tentative. Since no one has been leading, the fact that someone is now stepping up to lead generally is received well. Nothing is worse than no leadership from anyone. The pastor/leader cannot be seen as just another “nobody” sitting by watching nothing happen. Make a small decision and then stand by it. Then make another one … and another one … and another one. Ultimately you will be able to make a larger decision, and it will stand and be good for the church. If you get resistance

5 Reasons Senior Pastors Don’t Lead Their Churches 29 to this approach then there really is someone else (likely a current or former board member) functioning in a passive leadership role. You need to find out who that someone else is and put in place the elements we spoke of relative to board leadership of the church.

The pastor leads by consensus, taking a vote on everything from everybody and until everybody agrees. Issue: The senior pastor is the ultimate consensus builder. He takes a vote literally or figuratively on everything. The senior pastor mistakes gaining buy-in for consensus building. They are very, very different. Solution: Stop trying to build consensus and start gaining buy-in. Consensus building waters every decision down to the most palatable level for the lowest level leader. Buy-in means strong staff leaders hearing, understanding, challenging, debating and owning the pastor/leader’s vision or adjusted vision. When that vision or decision is flawed, the smart pastor/leader does not dig his heels in. Rather, the pastor/ leader retrenches and moves out again with an even better vision, plan, and strategy for the future. Strong pastor/leaders must come to grips with the difference between consensus building and the creation of buy-in. When buy-in is successful, the church has the greatest potential for incremental or exponential growth.

At the end of the day, it is critical the senior pastor has the ability to lead and that he does so. A church must have strong senior leadership for it to grow. Churches that do not grow have fallen prey to one of these five reasons. Senior pastor, it is your job to lead. The stakes are too high for you to simply sit by and stay with the status quo.

30 Section 1 - Leadership and Management Your mission is the greatest on the planet. Act like it and lead your church. The church loses if you fail at this task. If the church wants to lose, then shake the dust off your feet and move on. Where the entrenchment of leadership other than the senior pastor exists, the church lacks vision. But don’t forget, when you lead there may be fireworks. If you are still standing at the end of the debate, the Kingdom wins. Do everything you can to remove these reasons from your church culture. When you do, the church will win!

5 Reasons Senior Pastors Don’t Lead Their Churches 31

3 The 3 Cultures Necessary for a Church to Grow What must become part of our DNA in order to grow?

astor Lewis was a 50-something pastor with a passion to win the lost. He was a man of prayer and he loved Phis eastern-seaboard church. Upon an examination of the church during a recent weekend consultation I uncovered that when staff and board members were quizzed about the cultures of the church it became abundantly clear that the church Pastor Lewis served did not have a culture of prayer. They prayed as groups and individuals but a true culture of prayer was lacking. I pointed this out to Lewis. He sent a note back to me defending himself as a man of prayer. “Prayer is a staple of my life,” he said. In return I did the best I could to communicate that the issue was not him personally, rather the culture of the church as a whole. No one questioned Pastor Lewis’ personal culture of prayer. Developing a culture of prayer at this church was going to take a long time. Every organization has cultures—often they are multi- faceted. In the church we see layers of culture and sometimes, conflicting cultures. In far too many cases, those conflicting cultures lead to church splits. I believe there are three cultures that are critical to the success of any church. These three cultures do not develop on short notice and they certainly do not do so by osmosis. It is critical that the senior pastor take the lead in the development of these cultures, teaching and coaching on all aspects of each. If the church is an established church, 25 years or older, the development of these cultures will take time—a lot of it. Further, the three cultures are not a magic wand to grow the church you serve numerically or spiritually. They are, however, essential to have in place if you desire to see the church grow.

A Culture of Prayer. All churches would like to think of themselves as houses of prayer. “Oh yes, we are a praying church,” would be the mantra of most pastors. But when push comes to shove, what we often find is that churches have “Prayer Ministries.” Churches have the prayer folks, the evangelism folks, the discipleship folks, etc. But we are all charged with the responsibility to do those things.

34 Section 1 - Leadership and Management It is critical that the church develop a culture of prayer. The level you can take the church to on your own pales in comparison to where the church can go when it is engulfed in an atmosphere of prayer. It is your job to develop that culture. Do not say, “Our people won’t pray.” If your people won’t pray it is in large part because you have not taught them to pray. You must lead by example. You must tout the values of prayer and the instructions of our Lord to pray. Start teaching, cultivating, encouraging, and leading the charge to possess a culture of prayer.

A Culture of Change. If there is one thing you can count on it is this. If the church you serve is going to grow it will change. How can you possibly stay the same and grow? Impossible. For many churches this becomes the breaking point. In the church world, we often confuse changes in facility, program, ministries, approach, etc., with changes in our doctrine. Let’s be clear on this. Nothing I write here suggests any change in your doctrinal beliefs. You have a set of beliefs grounded in Scripture that do not change. The Bible never changes. The manner in which the Bible’s message is communicated changes all the time. Helping the Body understand that is part of your job as the senior pastor. Can you change the Missions Room into the Junior High Game Room? When you can do that you know you have a church culture of change. In most churches that would cause a revolt. Your role as pastor is to help coach and teach the Body and other church leaders about the role of change in the life of the church. You want everyone at your place of worship to be confident in saying that the only thing constant around there is change.

The 3 Cultures Necessary for a Church to Grow 35 A Culture of Ministry to Young Families. This is the one that, when not understood, can get some of the folks at your church worked up. But hear me all the way through on this. Which demographic of people is most likely to make decisions for Christ? Any idea? Children. The younger the person the more likely it is that they will make a decision of this magnitude. The older the person the less likely it is that they will make this decision. We certainly believe that all persons are of value in God’s eyes. As church leaders, however, it is critical that you create in the minds of those both inside and outside the church a culture of strong ministry to young families. Please note, these families are usually not brand loyal. They don’t care if you are Independent, Presbyterian, Baptist, or whatever. What they care about is, “What do you have for my kids?” Our job is to be smart and create a culture for young families where they know the church really cares for them. The development of these three cultures—prayer, change, and ministry to young families—will do more to grow the church you serve than just about anything else. My encouragement to you is to be diligent in putting each of these cultures in place. Remember, this will not happen overnight but it can happen. When you do these things, over time you will see God bring the increase He desires for the church you serve.

36 Section 1 - Leadership and Management 4 The 3 Foundational Elements Necessary for a Church to Grow To have a foundation for growth, what has to be present?

here lies within virtually all organizations, or certainly those worth their grain of salt, a desire to grow. We live Tin a world of growth. Think about yourself today and at birth. Day by day from the beginning there has been growth. Cells reproduce all the time. Your kids grow! Everything grows or it dies. Pastors, more than anyone, desire to see the people they lead grow spiritually. Pastors know that if people are growing spiritually and enough of them do so, the church will grow numerically. There are three elements foundational to any church’s growth. Please know that having any or all of these elements in place does not guarantee growth. However, not having all three in place will guarantee the church will not grow. If you are in an established church, one that has been around 25 years or more, you need to plan on an extended period of time of bringing these elements to the center of your foundation. Do not expect that you can read this chapter, go to the board next week, the staff the following week, and have these in place by the first of the month. This is painstaking work, but it is the work the senior leader of any great church must do to build a successful ministry. Please note that in all these elements the operative word is “good.” All churches have these elements. However, in far too many churches they are not done well. You must turn a critical eye to each of these and determine how good each is.

Good Preaching. Let’s talk first about your own preaching. This makes a lot of pastors nervous and brings out insecurities in others. I am not suggesting you have to be Billy Graham. I am saying, however, that the preaching coming from your pulpit has to be quality. You need to be a continuing student of preaching. Listen to good preachers. Learn the art and craft of preaching. Pray hard, prepare hard, and preach hard. The preaching must be good. It is clear from virtually all the surveys I read that the non-believer of today is wide open to hearing the truth from

38 Section 1 - Leadership and Management God’s Word. The same openness that exists for all sorts of bad theology and spiritual searches is open to good biblical preaching. Avoid cop-outs like, “The preaching really doesn’t matter, it’s the other programs of the church.” Wrong! Study and pray to preach well.

Good Music. The music at the church you serve does not have to be Hillsong but it must be good. It must be very good. It is critical that those who come into your church see that you understand the culture, and like it or not, good music is central to our culture today. The most likely group to consider a change and come to the church is the under-40 crowd. Their world is filled with outstanding music. It is your job to make the music at church the best it can be. I understand the limitations of churches in the quality of musicians available for Sunday morning services. I also observe that in more cases than not, the senior pastor is afraid to place expectations on musicians because working with musicians can sometimes be a challenge. However, when challenging those with gifts in music to be the best they can possibly be, the senior pastor actually plays to their desire for excellence. Don’t settle! Go for the best in your challenge to them.

Good Ministry to Children. This is where a lot of us slip up. Get the picture? No flannelgraphs! There is ministry to children and then there is good ministry to children. Children are tech savvy and you need to understand that to capture and hold their attention. Believe me, when a young family visits the church, it means little that you are Baptist, Methodist, Independent, Assemblies of God, or Open Bible. You and I have heard it

The 3 Foundational Elements Necessary for a Church to Grow 39 from young parents for years: “What do you have for my kids?” When you have children crying because their parents have come to pick them up from the children’s ministry you are well on your way to having in place one of the greatest and most overlooked elements of church growth, good ministry to children. Noticeably absent from this list are two other things. Let me address them for you. First, ministry to youth is not included. Why is that? The answer is, first things first. Children come before youth. Churches all over the country do it backwards. When a church begins to grow, the first staff person they often hire is the youth pastor. If they were to really do it right, it should be the children’s pastor. I am amazed at the number of churches I come across that have decent youth ministries but crummy children’s ministries. This often means those kids will not go to the youth ministry when they get older. Poor ministry begets poor ministry. Never underestimate what God can do in building your church through the hearts of children who then become youth, who then become adults. Also not included in the foundational elements is discipleship. It is not at all that discipleship is not important. It is. But it starts in the pulpit. Discipleship emanates first from good preaching. Remember, putting these elements in place will take time. However, when you have good preaching, good music, and good ministry to children in place you will have the foundation in place to grow a great church. Also remember, there will be a lot of work ahead of you once the foundation is laid. Without the strong foundation, however, little that is built will withstand the test of time.

40 Section 1 - Leadership and Management 5 5 Pastor-Driven Obstacles to growth and How to Remove Them (The Obstacles That Is) What personal steps can a senior pastor take to create growth?

astor Randy looked like he had the world by the tail. But below the surface things were definitely not good. PCornerstone Church had grown flat under Randy’s leadership and Randy began an extensive period of soul searching. He had enjoyed the accolades that came his . way when the church was growing. Now, the silence . was deafening. After having spent a considerable amount of time grousing about circumstances outside his control, Randy began to come to grips with things that were within his control. He began to examine his own leadership and that of the team he had built around him. It did not take him long to realize he was not growing personally in his own leadership. Grass was starting to look greener elsewhere. He was more and more unwilling to lose people with the inevitable reduction in willingness to move ahead with appropriate risk. It was clear. There had developed at Cornerstone Church obstacles to growth that were clearly pastor-driven. Scripture is clear; the church is a living organism. As such it is true that living organisms naturally grow unless obstacles are placed in their way. Life comes as growth abounds. Death comes when growth ceases. Pastoral staff members play a significant role in the growth of the church. The decisions they make are critical to the direction the church takes and its potential for growth. When the senior pastor or any of the staff pastors are not ministering at the level God designed for them, the church is faced with obstacles to growth. The articulation of these obstacles is difficult but to ignore them is to forfeit any chance we may have to remove them and see the church move forward in reaching lost people with the gospel.

The Lack of Growth in the Leader. The church will only grow to the level the senior pastor will take it. If you find

42 Section 1 - Leadership and Management yourself in a rut and cannot find your way out, you must stop. God did not design your leadership around the “rut.” As a leader you cannot expect the body of believers under your care to move past where you are on the spiritual continuum.

Action Steps: • Be honest with yourself. Look in the mirror and acknowledge it if you have lost your edge with God. • Pray as long as it takes to reignite your flame for God. Taking other self-help steps are fine, but without prayer, their effect will be minimal and eventually for naught. • Talk with a very select few about your personal dryness. I recommend two or three people who are deeply devoted to you and understand the need for absolute confidentiality. • Exercise all of the spiritual disciplines whether you feel like it or not.

The Unwillingness to Lose People. If you are going to lead you are going to lose people. There are people in your congregation who will leave when the church grows. Are you willing to lose them? Are you willing to forfeit their tithes in order to reach new levels of growth? The leader must position his thinking to be willing to absorb loss. It is the price of leadership. It is never your intention to do things to chase people off. However, you must move forward knowing that while you reach to the unbeliever you may offend a long-term member. You will likely encroach on a deeply held tradition or conviction of one of the saints. You are not leading your

5 Pastor-Driven Obstacles to Growth and How to Remove Them 43 church to maintain tradition. You are there to remove obstacles to growth and let people who are far from God come close to Him.

Action Steps: • Spend time in the presence of God to know and understand His purpose for the church you serve. • Be willing to go the distance with what you hear from God. • Prepare the church’s budget for a potential loss in income. Do not go to the staff or board and say something like, “We’re going to move this church forward, upset a bunch of people, have them leave and lose a bunch of tithes.” Just be smart and do not put the church at risk while you are making tough decisions.

The Senior Pastor Always Sees Greener Grass. Let’s be clear on this. No matter how crummy your grass is, it will not be any greener at the next place because you are the person tending the grass. A friend created a vivid picture for me when he termed this issue “short-term fatherhood in the church.” When a mom keeps changing husbands every few years, the kids become stunted in their ability to grow, trust and understand the role of a leader in the home. The dad is here today and gone tomorrow. The same thing is true in the church. Pastor is here today and gone tomorrow. How can the church grow when a new dad is at the helm every few years? When long-term senior pastors continue to nurture, teach and demonstrate commitment to the Body, the obstacle of insecurity is erased.

44 Section 1 - Leadership and Management Action Steps: • Stay put. • Work and pray hard. • If necessary, reinvent the way you lead. • Quit telling yourself the grass is greener elsewhere.

Quality of Hires. I am amazed at how frequently I find very weak staff members in what used to be very strong churches. The senior pastor must always take the issue of staffing seriously. Never allow yourself to get in a position of just plugging holes when a staff member leaves. You should always plan to make a hire that will be with you for a very long time. That does not mean you always find lifers but you should look for the very best in all your hires. Along with this come issues of spiritual sensitivity, entrepreneurial giftings, and drive. I recommend you plan to compensate the high-quality staff member at the 75 percentile level of that position’s value, regionally or nationally. In other words, my guess is you are not looking to find an average staff member so why fall prey to the thinking that you will pay in the middle of that position’s range. You get what you pay for.

Action Steps: • Hire slow and fire fast. • Make sure chemistry, competence and character are all part of the picture. • Pay at the 75 percentile level. • Communicate to the governing board the importance of taking care of people, financially and otherwise. Get good people and keep them.

5 Pastor-Driven Obstacles to Growth and How to Remove Them 45 Constant Turnover of Staff. In far too many churches, a staff revolving door sits at the entrance to the building. All a person has to do is to examine the staff tenure of growing churches and you will see that people stay put at those places. The quality of staff hired and the length of time they stay with the church are critical. Realistically some staff members are keepers and some are seasonal role players. Not every staff member who takes you to the dance will dance the night away with you. The senior pastor must validate the role of the staff person. That is not to say the senior pastor has to cater to staff but it is to say that staff have value and the senior pastor is the one who must express that value.

Action Steps: • Hire right. • Give sincere, verbal expressions of appreciation at timely intervals to all valued staff members. • Maintain your senior leadership role. You are not necessarily to be everybody’s best buddy. • Lift staff members in the eyes of the congregation.

As the senior leader you must take responsibility for all components of your own leadership development and that of your team. I cannot overemphasize the importance of praying for God’s direction in lifting you and the team He has entrusted to you to the highest possible level.

*Special thanks go to Pastors Jerry Brooks, Larry Burton, Rob Carlson, Bobby Davis, Rod Loy and Rick Ross for their valued contribution to portions of this chapter.

46 Section 1 - Leadership and Management 6 something is missing What crucial absences in a church must be addressed?

reg was a 45-year-old guy who had pastored a good church for about 12 years. The church was Grunning about 125 when he made contact with me. Although he was grateful for what God had done with the congregation, he was asking very serious questions of himself. “Is this all there is?” “Am I doing this thing called pastoring a church correctly?” “Shouldn’t there be more people?” “What’s missing?” This took us on a journey of personal and professional consultation where he and the church learned about some basic absences in the church … absences that had become obstacles to growth. These “absences” in most cases were actually “present” within him, but he had not transferred their presence to the church as a whole. Absences. What are they? How can they be identified and removed as obstacles to growth? From the point my children entered this world they needed food. Absence of food would be an obstacle to their growth. So my wife and I kept feeding them and guess what? They grew. We did not feed them and say, “Grow.” We just fed them. We removed an obstacle to growth and growth happened. After the kids outgrew baby formula, we did not have a formula for them to grow. We fed them, clothed them, sheltered them … and they grew. My son didn’t stop growing till he was 6’ 4” and my daughter 5’ 8”. My wife and I did not set out to grow them to that height. We just kept removing obstacles to growth. Church leaders often look for the latest formula to see their church grow. That can be a problem. Growing a church is far more about removing obstacles to growth than implementing a formula or making growth happen. With this in mind, I want to observe three crucial absences in the church. As a leader of the church, see what you can do to minimize, if not eliminate, the resulting obstacles from the church’s landscape. This is not an exhaustive list but it is a good start.

The Absence of the Understanding of Prayer. If there is one singular lack in our churches it is that of prayer. It is imperative that, as the senior leader of your church, you talk and teach on prayer all the time. You must help people understand

48 Section 1 - Leadership and Management that going the distance with God’s help means everything is possible. Going it on your own means all bets are off. You must debunk the historical misconceptions of prayer, things like: it is boring; nothing ever happens; nobody wants to do this; nobody ever shows up, etc. Understanding prayer and its importance to the growth of the church cannot be overstated. If you want to remove obstacles to growth you must start by regularly and systematically talking about prayer with the church. Then pray! Then continue to pray. Do not fall to the “Well, we tried that for a while” mentality. You are the leader, and you must plan to lead the church in prayer for years.

Action Steps: • Design and implement a time of corporate prayer. • Teach and pray. • Plan for the long haul.

The Absence of Actions Regarding Lost People. It is true that, for most of us, our very best friends are Christians. We see them regularly at church. That is not a bad thing in and of itself. However, an unintended consequence of these relationships is that we do not build friendships with unbelievers. Further, most of what we do in the church revolves around what we enjoy. The churches that go out on the cultural edge to talk to lost people sometimes find the saints in the church in an uproar. As the leader of your church you must systematically help the Body understand that the church service is not about them, their tradition, their music, etc. It is about lost people. A telling sign of whether your folks are about lost people is seen in how frequently they request prayer for friends who are far from God compared to prayer requests for finances or physical

Something is Missing 49 health. I believe in praying for it all, but it often seems that prayer for our own needs supersedes prayer for the lost.

Action Steps: • Teach and preach on how God views lost people. Start with Luke 15. • Make continual references from the pulpit to the fact that this church is all about reaching lost people. That is why you exist. • Create regular opportunities for people far from God to experience an understanding of Him. • Put your key lay leaders and yourself in the position to learn from a few of the most aggressive evangelism churches in the country. Willow Creek, Saddleback and North Point come to mind. They do not have all the answers but they have a bunch of them.

The Absence of a Strong Compelling Vision. This issue becomes particularly acute in two settings. First, it can seem impossible to cast greater vision when a new senior pastor follows a strong, extremely charismatic leader who had vision flowing through his veins. The second occurs when the church has seen better days and believes the best is behind them. In the first case, forget the “greater vision” part for now. You do not need to put yourself in the role of being the new guy who can top the old guy. Spend time building relational capital all the while praying for the compelling vision-to-come. In the second case, you need to spend what will seem like an inordinate amount of time teaching and preaching about the vision of Scripture. You must in both instances spend significant time with God hearing His voice for the future of the church and then picking your opportunities to cast it before the people.

50 Section 1 - Leadership and Management Do not get in a hurry thinking, I have to get this done by the end of the month. At the same time you must believe the vision God has given you for the church and share it in a compelling manner when the time is right. For example, a compelling vision is not stated like this: “We are going to do evangelism in the schools by taking lollipops to the kids.” Rather, a compelling vision may portray this: “People matter to God and because of that, they matter to us.” The vision must be bigger than we are.

Action Steps: • Pray. • Seek the word from God that is unique to the Body you lead. • Prepare to communicate God’s vision in a way that does not sound like the latest and greatest. • Make sure the compelling vision is clear from Scripture. Your personal vision will not be able to go the distance.

There you have it. Three absences that pose as tough obstacles to growth. They can be overcome. If you have more than one facing you, then start systematically by addressing only one. Do not be overwhelmed with how far you have to go. Take one step at a time. The church you lead did not plateau or start the decline overnight. It will not turn around overnight. Get started. Make these three things present and you will remove obstacles to growth. The church will turn around. It will grow!

*Special thanks go to Pastors Rob Carlson and . Darius Johnston for their valued contribution to portions . of this chapter.

Something is Missing 51

7 3 Congregational Obstacles to Growth How do I overcome obstacles to growth created by the congregation?

irst Church was facing a crisis of identity. Their rich heritage had allowed them to relocate to the fastest- Fgrowing area of town … 30 years ago! They were the hottest church in town—growing, young and vibrant. Problem—they got older and the area had begun to decline in recent years. New families moving into town were not thinking of driving all the way over to NW 43rd Street to go to church. Pastor Johnson was new to the church and sought ways to help the congregation appreciate its past while looking for the bright days of tomorrow. A sexual scandal at First Church had rocked the congregation over the previous 15 years. Pastor Johnson did everything he could think of to bring healing and cleansing to the Body. He had a vision for what the church could be but all the congregation could think of was what they had been. Compound that with a sense from some folks that a church of 1,000 was successful enough. No one would say it but, who needed more people? One of the greatest privileges a pastor has is to shepherd a body of believers called the local church. Some call them a congregation. Whatever you call them, they are people who generally really love God. Along with any grouping of people come challenges to a leader. When the senior pastor takes over leadership of the congregation he takes with it the good, the bad, and the ugly. The congregation’s past, present, and future—it’s all there in all its glory or lack thereof. Pastors never go to a new church with the intent to baby- sit it. They certainly do not go with ideas to reduce the size. However, while the pastor dreams for a bright future, the human elements of the good people he or she shepherds sit in the wings and oftentimes serve as major obstacles to growing the church. The three elements listed below confront thousands of pastors across the country. Let’s take a look at them with an eye to taking some action steps to reduce or eliminate them from the landscape of the church you serve.

The Past. Heritage is a blessing and a curse. The richness of the past makes us who we are as a body today. Clearly most of us are grateful for the past and what God did to birth and

54 Section 1 - Leadership and Management grow the church in days gone by. While heritage is a wonderful thing to have and must never be forgotten, it can become the greatest obstacle to a church’s future. When everything is about “the good old days” there is little for the church to live for. A pastor must understand the past of the church he or she serves. It is foolish for a pastor to think that simply because he or she has arrived on the scene that all the good or bad of the past evaporates. That does not happen. The senior leader of a growing church will become a student of a church’s past. He will appreciate and celebrate it. At the same time, he will lay groundwork for the bright future God has in store for the church. While doing so he must position its future as something real and of God—not just the new guy’s new vision. The older the church, the more difficult this task.

Action Steps: • Pray for the future. • Study the past but do not live there. • Carefully bring people along in their understanding of how the past of the church frames the future and, in fact, sets the church up for the greatest of futures. • Teach, preach and coach on the future. Use terms that create excitement for the future. By the way, contrary to some stereotypes, even elderly people like to be part of something that has a bright future. Get vision from God and cast it to the Body.

People in the Church Think or Say, “We’re Big Enough.” This can be an insidious cancer in the Body. It is rare that this statement is ever verbalized, although it can be. The older the church the more this attitude is likely to exist. For example, when a church has been at 300 for 30 years and the new

3 Congregational Obstacles to Growth 55 pastor ignites a spurt of growth to 400, the church can begin to feel fat and sassy. Who needs more people? The pastor in this setting must regularly indicate that until every person within the reach of that church knows God, the church is never “big enough.” The pastor needs to inculcate this into the thinking of the congregation. It may be that you will need to teach and coach the Body to an openness that has become foreign to them. Some churches are closed in their culture. They have become inward focused and quite comfortable with that. It is the senior leader’s role to unsettle that comfort.

Action Steps: • Teach Luke 15 and related passages. Jesus was clear that anything less than one more coin, one more sheep or one more son was not enough. • Talk regularly about how God loves lost people. • Help the Body look around and understand there are generally very few, if any, lost people in their midst on a Sunday morning at 10 o’clock. • Pray for the heart of God to be birthed in the heart of the Body to reach those who are far from Him.

The Changing Demographic of the Congregation. In many congregations the demographics of the church have changed. The neighborhood the church has been part of for decades may have changed around them. In areas of high immigration the church takes on a new multi-ethnic feel. In either case, the Body must be led to understand that all people matter to God. They must be taught that, for the church to continue to move forward, it has to shed the images of the past and embrace the look of the future. When congregations are unable to make this shift the church stops growing. However, God is

56 Section 1 - Leadership and Management pleased when senior leaders can teach, preach and coach to this changing diversity. God is neither red nor yellow nor black nor white. He is not American, European, African, Australian, Asian or Latino. Churches from one season to another have these varying flavors. The best senior pastors can remove this obstacle by constantly helping the Body understand the breadth of God’s reach.

Action Steps: • Pray the heart of God into the lives of the Body. • Prepare the Body for the changes it is experiencing and celebrate them when they happen. • Understand that changes in demographics do not happen quickly, but our preparedness for those changes can be put in place proactively, rather than reactively. • Express understanding with people who struggle to keep up with the changes in the look of the Body. Do not capitulate to any desire to avoid change; but do express understanding in a caring and compassionate manner.

When a pastor can effectively pray and lead the congregation he serves through the past, through the understanding that more people than ever need Jesus, and through the changing demographics of their church, God smiles. The body of believers you are blessed to lead has a bright future before it. It is your role to help those believers see it. When you do, the obstacles are removed and guess what? The church grows!

*Special thanks to Pastors George Cope, Wendell Cover and Darius Johnston for their valued contribution to portions of this chapter.

3 Congregational Obstacles to Growth 57

8 6 Reasons to Copy Another Church I’d like to use another church’s program; can I do that?

’m not sure that church will let me use their stuff,” Pastor Walt told me. I I said, “You’ve got to be kidding me. Pastor Joe would be flattered that you thought his stuff was good enough to copy. But if you are really worried about it, call him and ask. What’s the worst thing he can say? I have never heard a pastor say ‘No’ unless there were legitimate copyright issues. Even in those cases he will want you to be able to advance your mission. He’s on your side.” Pastor Walt moved forward, made contact with the church and got the “sure-thing” green light. He told me later, to no one’s surprise, Pastor Joe was flattered that Walt wanted to use their church’s ministry materials. In the end, Pastor Walt and his church had benefited because he navigated what to him was an uncertain situation. Do you have the ability to look at what another church does and discern whether it would work for you? Is it ethical to do that? What’s right? What’s not? The range of opinions can go from A to Z. In this law- suit crazy world, pastors can allow themselves to walk in fear of every possible form of litigation, thus becoming immobilized beyond belief. I see it way too frequently.

There are at least six good reasons why you should copy what other churches do: • Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. • Somebody else out there probably has the same mission you have and they are doing it well. • Think about stuff you have developed. Are you going to get upset at another church because they want to use it? Get real. You would love it that someone else found your stuff good enough to copy. • Maybe you’re like me and your creative genius is limited. So why not tap into friends and other partners in ministry who are really creative? • Very little is original under the sun. So in most cases you are copying copied material anyway. • Why would you want to keep doing what you already know to be less than the best at your church when

60 Section 1 - Leadership and Management you could be doing outstanding ministry if you simply did, in principle, what other successful churches do?

Keep in mind I do not advocate stealing copyrighted material. That is not what this is about. Anything that is registered, trademarked, or copyrighted is strictly off-limits for you to copy. Don’t even think about it. However, the vast majority of stuff in the church world is not registered, trademarked, or copyrighted. This is the stuff I am talking about. While this is extremely rare, a safe decision is to get permission first, and then start copying. Wisdom says you need to discern if it is likely to work at your church before you begin implementing another church’s ministry. The big issue for the senior pastor of Your Church is to be able to discern whether the ministry approach of First Church will work at Your Church. The church landscape is littered with copied ministries that simply did not have the goods to work at another church. Clearly you do not want to add to the heap. Further, not everything that is done at large and successful ministries is good for you. If there was a one-size-fits-all in the church world, God would have limited himself greatly. This is where discernment comes into play. You must be in regular dialogue with God to hear His voice on what you should and should not copy.

When in the discernment phase of copying another ministry, there are seven questions you should ask: • Do I really know who we are as a church? • Do I understand the culture of the church/ministry I am considering copying? • Why do I think the church/ministry I am considering

6 Reasons To Copy Another Church 61 copying will work at the church I serve? • Do I chase every new fad that comes down the pike? How do I shut that propensity down? • Has the church/ministry I am considering copying had a track record of successive imitations elsewhere? How similar is our church to those imitations? • Does the DNA of our church allow for the integration of imitations from Seattle or Miami or anyplace in between? Will a true hybrid evolve that is called “Your Church”? • Do I have the ability to package the copied church/ ministry in a brand that is our own?

Once you have successfully answered these questions, then begin your survey of the church landscape. If you want to think small, then your church will be small. However, if you want to think big, which I advocate, you have the potential to grow a church of significant size. There are no guarantees except that if you think small, you will not grow big.

Here are some places where you can start to find successful ministry resources: • Many churches have started consortiums of churches of like mind to feed off each other. Tap in. • Associations of churches like Willow Creek (www.willowcreek.com); Saddleback (www. saddleback.com); James River Assembly (www. jamesriverassociation.com); Bethel Temple, Hampton, Virginia (www.bethelleadershipgroup.com); North Point Community Church (www.northpoint.org), and others provide regular resources at nominal fees while many things are completely free of charge.

62 Section 1 - Leadership and Management • National associations of specific ministry focuses, for example, the National Association of Church Business Administration (www.nacba.net), the International Network of Children’s Ministry (www.incm.org), and Church Leader Insights (www.churchleaderinsights. com), can tune you in to what’s happening and who’s doing it.

So here’s the deal. Even if you have limited creativity, keep creating. Even if you think you cannot do it as well as the other church, you will certainly succeed at not doing anything well if you do not try. Even if you have tried before and failed, try again. Keep copying. Keep looking for new and better ways to do ministry. Always discern. Always wrap new ideas for Your Church into your DNA and brand. Never quit trying to be better. Never settle for anything less than the best for the church you serve. By the time you merge the best of ABC Church, XYZ Church or Any-Church-of-Your-Choosing into the culture of Your Church, you will find a DNA specific to you as created by God. You will be amazed at what can happen when you pool together the best in God’s kingdom. It will advance the greatest cause on earth at His microcosm of His Church called Your Church in your community. Discern first and then start copying. Make it you and make it better!

6 Reasons To Copy Another Church 63

9 music How do I help older people like younger music?

onna Mae (our family name for our beloved mother) stood while the music blared on. She was 76 and Dloving it. She couldn’t hear well and she clapped a bit off beat but she was in the height of her glory. I used to say to her, “Mom, how is it that so many of your friends get worked up and leave the church over the young music but you seem to enjoy it?” Her response to me was, “It is not necessarily my style of music. I like hymns and the older choruses. However, I just love watching the young people get excited about the Lord. I find it thrilling to see them worshiping Jesus.” Other folks of the older set seem to lose sight of what Mom had in focus. The mission of the church seems to take a backseat to personal preferences. So how does a pastor actually go about helping those good folks, older saints, learn to like younger music? Wrong question! But if you want an answer, here it is. “You don’t!” Nor do you make younger people like older music. Appreciate it, maybe. Like it and live for it, not likely. You need to reframe the question. Hopefully both younger and older can have appreciation for the other, but this question needs to be adjusted. It makes no difference what anyone’s preference is inside the church. The community of believers does not need to have music to suit them, young or old. Unfortunately, for decades we have been trained to believe that the church service is the place where we all come to be uplifted. With that comes “our” music. Let’s set the record straight. The church service is for the proclamation of the gospel. We have no reason to exist aside from this happening. Therefore, all aspects of the church service should focus on that which draws non-believers. So here is the correct question and answer. Question: What music will draw the largest number of non-believers who will have the greatest likelihood of making a life-changing decision to follow Jesus? Answer: Music which appeals to the younger set because the younger the person, the greater the likelihood of that decision. The older the person, the lesser the likelihood of that decision. The fact is we entertain the idea of appealing to the older crowd because we have trained them, and everyone else for that matter, that the worship service is for them. It is not or at least it should not be our focus. When it becomes more

66 Section 1 - Leadership and Management about our (the believers’) music and not about them (the non- believers’), we are in trouble. The philosophy of the church must shift in word and action to a focus on non-believers. We must fundamentally begin to teach that shift. This may take a long time. A related question is, “What kind of a culture do we need to create for all people to be Kingdom-minded in their entire approach to ministry?” The answer to that makes you or breaks you. Think about it. This age-old issue in the Church has done more to polarize the Body than virtually anything else. Frequently the young have little appreciation for the beauty and heritage of the past. Far too often the old dig their heels in on music they consider stylistically sinful sounding. They see this kind of music right at the center of today’s praise and worship. So what to do about it. Keep in mind, remaking a culture that has been in place for decades will not be easy or quick. This process will likely take years to completely become part of the church’s DNA. Here are four things to consider.

Determine who you are as the church. Know if you are young or old at heart. Know your capacity. Do not fight who you are regardless of the templates people in the church try to create for you. Know yourself and know the church.

One of the worst things you can do is to try to be all things to all people all the time. Few ever succeed at that. Yes, God wants all people to be part of the Kingdom, but you are finite in your ability to culturally reach and draw all people with any measure of success.

Music 67 When you can define who you are, you can then begin to redirect culture as necessary to reach lost people. Too many churches learn who they are, like it and stay that way. Don’t do that! If you are middle-of-the-road, desiring to appeal to the 35- to 55-year-old, you will be the safest. Although, who says safe is good? But this will be the safe course—providing music that appeals to both young and old. Safe … and not much growth. If you are going to just satisfy the older crowd, by and large you will not grow at all, certainly not with new believers. You may grow by older folks coming from other churches who don’t like the younger music at their place. You will be fully safe and few will ever come to know the Lord. It is not that their music is bad. It is the fact that few people turn their lives over to Christ after age 50 and almost no one after ages 60 and 70. The older crowd are wonderful people. I’m in my 50s for goodness’ sake. I love those folks. We need them from a cross-generational standpoint. However, they cannot drive the music of the church if you expect to grow. I recommend for the future you begin now to change the way the retired folks of 2020 and 2030 and beyond will view the church and the Kingdom. Work now to get ahead of the curve then.

If you are going to grow and reach the most people who will make decisions to follow Christ, you must reach those under age 40. When you can reach even younger—teens and children—you reach the highest demographic of people who will likely make decisions for Christ. Here is the crux of the matter. Do we in the church truly want to reach people for Christ? Unfortunately, the masses of those in the middle and older demographic have settled

68 Section 1 - Leadership and Management into a form of church that does not reach lost people but does provide for a comfortable church experience for them. The younger set is just as susceptible to desiring comfort. It’s just that, for them, it’s not the praise and worship that grates on them. They have other issues.

This is where developing a Kingdom culture is critical. Do the following eight things and you will make good progress to that end. Remember, this may take a lot of time! Months and years!

Preach your mission. Teach on the highest value of the church, that of souls for the Kingdom.

Call on the people, young and old, to pray for lost people. Then call again and again and again.

In one way or another, wrap everything you do around the value of reaching lost people.

Talk regularly of the church’s desire to reach lost people and to minister to young families.

Coach the older people in understanding which groups of people from an age standpoint will most likely give their hearts to the Lord. Then tie that back to your highest value, that of souls.

Ask older people to think in terms of their grandchildren, many of whom sadly are not serving the Lord.

Music 69 Ask older people to think of what kind of music their grandchild would like. Is it grandma/grandpa music or is it something different?

Ask older people to set the example for the younger in modeling deference to one another in acceptance of the music of the young. When challenged with why the younger should not do the same, indicate that they should. But remember, none of this is about the musical preferences of younger believers and older believers. It is about the musical preferences of those vastly more likely to give their hearts to Jesus, the younger crowd. In short, your job is not to try talking older people into loving younger music. That is not going to happen. Your job is to create a culture where older people and younger people want to see the largest number of people give their lives to Christ. It is to help the older crowd celebrate music that is not their own while understanding its ability to draw lost young people. It is to help those same folks face the facts that their generation has in large measure either been reached or not reached by this station in their lives. We give up on no one, but we reach to the largest of the masses. There is no magical formula. Plain and simple, preach and teach to mission, that of reaching lost people for the Kingdom. Realize it will take time but you’ll know when the message gets through. You might be surprised to see your greatest cheerleaders coming from the gray hair in your congregation!

70 Section 1 - Leadership and Management 10 When Things Go Wrong! How do I deal with the media when they become involved in a church problem?

t was a wonderful Sunday and now you’ve settled into a good Monday with all the indications that the week is . Ioff to a great start. Little did you know that was all about to change. He was a great youth pastor. She was 15 and it began innocently enough. It wasn’t supposed to happen ... but it did. Then her dad caught them and now the phone call was waiting. This wasn’t just any dad. It was the city councilman who wasn’t that crazy about his daughter and her 16-year-old brother going to “that” church. The pastor takes the call. Damage control begins. The youth pastor is fired. The dad vows to go to the local press regardless of the actions of the church or senior pastor. Guess what? You don’t get to vote on whether the media shows up on your doorstep. Like it or not, you now have free publicity!

When Things Go Wrong. No pastor ever wants that scenario to develop. Unfortunately, we still live in a world of sin, and even with all precautions in place, you and your staff are vulnerable to sin if the door is cracked open. For purposes of this chapter I will not address what to do with the youth pastor (after you fire him and end his pay that day) or the family in bringing spiritual, emotional, and physical healing to a young lady and her disillusioned parents. The complexities of those issues demand far more than I can cover here. You did not ask for this debacle. However, you are now on point to navigate it. I admonish you to consult your attorney all along the way. You and the church live in a world of redemption. The world lives in a world of litigation. Be wise. Seek counsel. So what do you do with the media? You now have a major problem in which your local newspaper and television outlets have developed a keen interest. It’s not going away. The fallout from this could spell disaster for you and the church. You want to do everything you can to avoid landing on the front page of the paper or the lead story on the news. But you may not have a choice. The dad is angry, and he doesn’t care whether your church grows or not. Your mission and his

72 Section 1 - Leadership and Management are not in alignment. In his mind it will be just fine with him if you and the church go the way of other TV evangelists and church leaders rocked by scandal. You must be prepared for a scenario like this. When things go wrong, you had better be ready. My strongest of recommendations is that you begin today to build relationships with local media. Be kind to them. Believe it or not, they are real people with real issues. Just like you and me. You live with local media. They go to your kids’ ballgames and school plays and concerts because their kids are in the same sports and activities as your kids’. They shop at your Wal-Mart and Home Depot. Reach out to them before you need their friendship. Doing the drill the hour after the crisis hits doesn’t cut it.

Six Recommendations. John Riddle provides six direct recommendations when dealing with the media.* I affirm these observations but do so only in relationships with local media. National media are an entirely different animal with which most will not have to deal. When the local media shows up, take these six recommendations seriously.

Always keep the media well informed of all developments of a story. Like it or not, if you try to sugarcoat a public exposure of wrongdoing, you are asking for trouble. You don’t have to give gory details, and you need to follow your legal counsel’s advice, but you had better tell it straight. Media folks have brains.

Don’t make the media wait for answers to their questions; they may find their own sources for answers, and those other

When Things Go Wrong! 73 sources may not be accurate. You need to keep control of the information. Do not let the media drive the conversation. You lead the dissemination of facts and guide the discussion. Lead the media to the questions you want to answer. Be prepared to move questions to your best presentation of facts.

Use only facts. Period. Just facts. Do not give theories, conjecture, or anything but the facts. That should seem obvious for a church. Don’t lie. Don’t guess. Don’t cover up. Keep facts flowing to the extent you can guide the media’s story in the direction you want it to go.

Update the information as often as possible. In many cases, once around with the folks with cameras and writing pads is enough. However, when it isn’t, work with the media. Don’t fight them. When you do, guess what? You’ll lose!

Maintain a professional attitude. For a pastor representing an institution designed to bring life and vitality to the community, dealing with the tragic event may show the community you are the real deal. All eyes are on you. Be professional, be spiritually sensitive, and demonstrate God-honoring care for all involved. Be a spiritual statesman. Your church needs that right now. The media will be surprised with it.

Have just one person be responsible to answer questions from reporters. Two and three spokespersons spell disaster. Pick your best, put them up front, and stick with it. That person may be you, and you need to be prepared. When it is not, make sure you are not dodging responsibility.

74 Section 1 - Leadership and Management Why Do Things Go Wrong? What happened to that wonderful Sunday? Why does the media want to destroy us? Why can’t we reason with people? What was our youth pastor thinking? Each of those questions can elicit hours of dialogue. For purposes of this chapter, simply know that even with the best laid plans, things may go wrong. When they do, have your plan in place. Follow the advice above and that of your attorney. Pray that God gives you favor with the media before tragedy strikes and even in the midst of colossal missteps. He can, you know. Plan for the worst and pray for the best. You might be amazed how God can carry you through when you do your part to deal with the local media in a straightforward and God-honoring manner.

(Note: This chapter is not intended to serve as legal advice or counsel in any way. Consult your attorney when questions arise regarding this issue.) *Adapted from Consulting Business by John Riddle (Entrepreneur Press, 2001), p. 46.

When Things Go Wrong! 75

11 The 13 Things Churches Do to Plan to Stagnate What am I doing inadvertently that is slowing the growth of the church?

he economy is down.” “The economy is up.” T “Who knows where the economy is going to go?” “Whatever is happening out there, I am just going to wait it out.” These statements are the kind often made by senior pastors around the country. These good people do not realize they may be setting in place stagnation for the churches they serve. No pastor would ever plan to do that. However, that is exactly what is happening in far too many churches. The 13 things listed below are purely satire. Read them that way. I will say that I have actually seen or heard many of the things I list below in churches across the country. It is a sad commentary on the leadership of those churches. I implore you, as the senior leader of your church, to do everything you can to prevent church stagnation. Do not plan to stagnate. However, if you insist on stagnating, staying flat, or maybe even moving a few people out of the seats and parking spaces, I encourage you to follow one or more of these 13 things to successful stagnation.

1. Wait and see. With the economy in the tank, coming out of the tank, going further into the tank (pick your poison), wait and see before you do anything to advance the gospel. Certainly something uncertain will pop up so you had better wait and see before moving forward with plans to reach more people for Jesus.

2. Make an idle plan. This is sure to keep the church board and leadership convinced that you actually are trying to move the church forward. You do not even have to be excited about this plan. Just put one together that you can tout as being “the plan” and then do nothing with it. Works every time!

3. Sit back and coast. You have had some good momentum and that is sure to last you during any uncertain times. Besides that, you deserve a break. It will do you no

78 Section 1 - Leadership and Management good to forge ahead, so sit back and coast. Rest. It will be good for you. Maybe even for the church. They deserve a break today!

4. Play to the naysayers. You have a good number of very smart analytical people in the church you serve. These folks were invaluable to you during Y2K and now you should really listen to them. Play it safe and don’t make any mistakes. Something is going to go wrong. Plan on it!

5. Focus on the short term. Forget the long term. In the good times, you had the luxury of planning ahead, but now, forget it. Think only about next Sunday and maybe next month if you have to. Besides that, short-term gains, if they are to be had, are the only things that count.

6. Forget about what Bill, Rick, Ed and Andy are doing. These guys in South Barrington, Lake Forest, Dallas and Alpharetta do not have to deal with the real world of economic downturns so why should you look to any successes they might be developing. Besides, they will be there after you get done playing to the naysayers.

7. Assume technology can wait. When things turn downward Bill Gates and Steve Jobs go on really long vacations. In the same way certainly nothing of any value to the church will come down the pike while the church sits tight. Besides that you have made it into the ’90s in technology. Maybe you can get into the 21st century when everything improves.

The 13 Things Churches Do to Plan to Stagnate 79 8. Maintain the status quo. You know that a lot of churches are declining and if you have a 25% attrition rate, you actually have to grow to stay level. So do not feel so bad if you don’t plan to improve your total number over last year … because by staying even you grew anyway.

9. Just get by. You know as the senior pastor that there is a level of superior excellence, and then there is a level that is acceptable to most people. Live with the acceptable. You can get by and you should.

10. Tolerate stuff. You were so legalistic and such a stickler for detail when the church was growing and developing momentum. Ease up. Remember God is a God of grace so during this tough time you can tolerate stuff. Nobody will really notice that you are not performing at the top of your game. Tolerate.

11. Stop thinking of new approaches to ministry. For goodness’ sake, we are in a downturn. Why in the world would you try to think of new ways to reach people with the gospel? Stick with the tried and true. If that does not work, you have to know God is not ignorant of what is going on down here.

12. Allow your core values to lapse. Core values are critical to steering the ship, certainly in the beginning. Now, however, you are facing unprecedented times so you can let these values lapse for just a bit. You know down deep you will come back to them, but now is the time to operate with a different set of values.

80 Section 1 - Leadership and Management 13. Circle the wagons. Bill, Rick, Ed and Andy can do the heavy lifting. It is time for you to retrench and prevent any mistakes. Don’t take on any water. Make sure no one on the outside gets in. Just take care of those on the inside. Evangelism and missions will return when the risk is less. That is good stewardship of your resources.

So there you have it, the 13 things you can do to stagnate the church you serve. Can’t wait to see what that formerly great church you have been called to will look like after you implement one or more of these 13. Good luck!

P.S. Put a “Don’t” in front of all 13 things and see what that does.

The 13 Things Churches Do to Plan to Stagnate 81

S2ection Staffing

12 The 7 Things Church Receptionists Do to Turn People Away What can we do to improve first contact in our church?

his really happened. The other day I called a church with some two-thousand people and a nationally known Tsenior pastor. I have heard him speak; he and his church are both outstanding. So I was surprised when this happened. I was helping a smaller church look for a children’s pastor and thought of this church. I called and asked for the children’s pastor, thinking that person might point me in the direction of some good prospects. After a very long pause I was told there was not a children’s pastor at their office. “Do you have ministry to children?” I asked. “Yes,” she said, “but that is conducted at our various campuses.” “Is there a number I can call?” I asked. She wasn’t sure but she thought I might try the west campus. Instead of giving me the number she told me I could find the number on their website. What a call! Every church has a phone. Many churches even answer their phone. Some pay someone to do this; others have volunteers; still others rely on that jack-of-all-trades, the pastor. Finally, there is the answering machine. For our purposes, I will refer to all of the above as the “receptionist.” The vast majority of first-contact people are competent at what they do. But far too often the first representation of the local church is a poor one, generally by a person who was not trained or was under-trained. This is one of the worst things that can happen to a church. I’m going to give seven specific examples of things that have actually happened to me when I have called churches— and give my solutions to prevent those things from happening at your church.

I asked for the senior pastor. The receptionist asked if the pastor knew me. I said, “No,” after which there was a long pause as if to say, “Our pastor certainly does not talk to people he doesn’t know.” Good thing I wasn’t asking how to accept Jesus.

86 Section 2 - Staffing Solution: If you want the receptionist to find out if you know the person calling (or standing at the front desk), make sure she does so in a way that is open and friendly. Ask your receptionist to smile while questioning the caller or guest. If the caller or guest is evasive or reticent to respond, the receptionist should in no way make the caller feel he or she should not have made contact with the church. Help the receptionist understand the need to sincerely assist the caller, while also protecting your time. Now, certainly not everyone who calls should be able to gain access to you. We all know there are people with deceptive intent in trying to reach you, the senior pastor. Even if the receptionist knows she will not be able to meet the request, every caller deserves courtesy. Along the way, there will be people in legitimate need to talk to either you or another pastor. The last thing you want to do is chase them out the door.

The receptionist made it clear she did not know me and she wondered why I would be calling. I had to convince her that the pastor knew me, that he would be happy to take my call. Solution: Suggest to the receptionist it is not her job to know everyone who calls. Now, learning names is one thing. But pre-qualifying callers by whom the receptionist knows is unacceptable. Suggest that the more people who call that the receptionist does not know, the better the church is doing in meeting its mission to reach others.

The receptionist was a heavy-handed individual who communicated a sense of, “Unless you play by my rules, you will not talk to the person you are trying to reach.”

The 7 Things Church Receptionists Do to Turn People Away 87 Solution: There is no place in your church for heavy- handed control at the receptionist desk. You may feel good that no one is bothering you but don’t kid yourself. If the person up front is so controlling that she repulses those making contact with the church, you have people walking out the back door and people never walking in the front door simply because of that unfortunate contact. And you don’t even know it! Explain the need to screen properly. However, they need to make the caller or visitor confident the receptionist is acting to help them. This is a learned skill and when your receptionist learns it, you will find people coming your way instead of being chased away.

I got the answering machine and ended up in voice mail purgatory with seemingly no way out. Solution: Get rid of automated responses during hours you are open. We are in the people business. Act like it. Put your very best public relations person, volunteer or paid, up front on the phone and at the front desk. A professional perky person here is a must. Major ministries and large, growing churches that get it do not use an answering machine when they’re open!

I was sent to the wrong voice mail repeatedly. It felt as if the receptionist was trying to say to me, “Let’s see if I can send this caller to the wrong voice mail as frequently as I can.” Solution: Train your receptionist well on the specifics of your phone system. Train, train and train some more. Will occasional mistakes happen? Of course. But this fundamental responsibility of a receptionist needs to be done well. Until

88 Section 2 - Staffing the receptionist learns the system, keep her away from the phones.

The person who answered seemed the most verbally challenged person on the planet, stumbling over every attempt to put a sentence together. Solution: Keep people with communication difficulties off the phone. If they are paid employees you need to let them go or find a more appropriate position. You cannot afford poor communication. I understand this is a delicate subject but the voice of the receptionist is the first contact for callers. That voice needs to be clear and understandable.

The person was just flat out grouchy, not enjoyable to talk to in any way. Solution: Suggest to the receptionist that she must always have a smile in her voice and on her face. Even if she is on the phone, the words of the receptionist are softer and easier to accept if they are given with a genuine smile. If smiling is not her nature, then she needs to fake it until she makes it. If she doesn’t seem to get it, then she needs to be moved to another role or released from her responsibility. Otherwise the church is losing.

Now, here’s the drill. These seven things don’t have to happen, and, if they are happening, it is your job to make sure they are stopped immediately. Look at it this way. God has given you a vision for the church and your city. You have invested countless hours in the study of the Word and your preparation to deliver that Word. You diligently lead and inspire. Your commitment level to reach lost people is off the charts. You cannot afford to

The 7 Things Church Receptionists Do to Turn People Away 89 have all of that devalued by someone at the front desk who demonstrates one or more of these traits. Start by hiring or recruiting the volunteer correctly. If you have the luxury of filling the slot now, do not just plug a hole. Be intentional about finding the person who is the antithesis of the traits we just discussed.

As an added bonus, here is what not to say to yourself. • I cannot do anything because it will hurt the receptionist’s feelings. Look, it’s part of the tough stuff of leadership that you must deal with. Do so with spiritual sensitivity but also with resolve and clarity. • I won’t do anything because anybody else I hire will be just as bad or worse. If that is the case, you need to fix your own hiring competencies. • I can’t afford to do anything because the receptionist’s family is deeply entrenched in the church, and I will lose people if I address the issue. Take your loss and prevent bigger losses from one or more of the receptionist’s actions.

The work of the Church is the most important work on the planet. The proclamation of the gospel or your efforts should never be undermined by actions at the front desk or on the phone that undermine your efforts. It all works together. All players on the team must pull in the same direction. That includes your receptionist. Make sure your receptionist does all she can to avoid these seven things that church receptionists do to turn people away. When the receptionist gets it, you and the church win!

90 Section 2 - Staffing 13 You’ve Got to Have Timing How do I know when it is the right time to hire staff?

reenwood Community Church and its pastor were known for having a great staff. It had been that way Gfor years. I asked Greenwood’s Pastor Brad one day, “What is your secret?” His response: “Timing, Dick. Everything is about timing.” He went on to say that far too many pastors try to staff for the future and in doing so they compromise the present. Brad felt that it was his role as the senior leader to always look to the future and think about the staffing needs for the future but never get ahead of himself. He also noted that there was no quick way of doing this. It frankly was a lot of hard work and required a pastor to be on his toes spiritually. “Pastors must consider budget, other staff, and vision when looking to make another hire. I cannot emphasize enough the need to be completely spiritually in tune with God regarding the timing of staff hires.” To tag on to Brad’s opinion, if you are looking for an ABC formula for how to time your hires right, you will not find it here. Bringing in the right people around you at the right time is the art all pastors crave, and it is truly that, an art. If it were a science, there would be far fewer mishaps on the road to growing a church. Being charged with the spiritual responsibility of the church carries with it enormous leadership challenges, not the least of which is planning for and carrying out staff hires. In many organizations, that can become rather routine and cookie-cutter in its implementation. Not in the church. The church you lead is unique in its ministry to the community you serve. The body of believers there is unique. The church may be of a specific denomination, but even within the context of your particular fellowship, there is not another church like the one you serve. In like manner, you are unique … and so are your hires. Hence, the stakes are high to make the right hires and to make them at the right time.

What things should be considered to help you time a hire right? Here are a few thoughts for consideration:

92 Section 2 - Staffing Think about what a new position would look like far in advance of its time. Do not walk into February and suddenly begin considering hiring a new staff position in March. You need to think way, way ahead of your current size of church and demand of ministry.

Consider staff configurations far in advance.What will it look like? How will the new hire fit? To whom will the person leading the ministry report?

Prepare your budget for the impact of the new position. Do not get to the point of need and then expect money to magically appear in the church budget. Plan for it. Set money aside. Act like you are paying the new position well before you actually do so.

There are three times to make a new hire: too early, too late, or on time. Here are how these three look:

Too Early. This happens to the pastor who is way too spontaneous. He sees a need in month one and hires in month two. He does not plan. In failing to do so, he plans to fail in the hire. He will have a good chance of making a selection that does not resonate fully with his philosophy of ministry, one that is not fully researched. He hires on emotion, focuses on the candidate that makes him feel the best, and/or simply does not ask enough questions. This kind of hire can work but generally does not. Often it will be flat out disastrous.

You’ve Got to Have Timing 93 Too Late. This happens to the pastor who is gun shy. He always plays it safe … too safe. Sometimes he lacks enough leadership capital himself to make the call. He knows he has a need. He knows what to do about it but just simply cannot bring himself to make the call. The ministry suffers as a result of this indecision. For the church, a delay in this kind of needed hire can have grave spiritual consequences. When the senior leader of the church has determined a ministry opportunity has presented itself, he must act. To not act in hiring is spiritually sluggish at best and irresponsible at worst. You can hire late, save money, play it safe, and grow slower or not at all.

On Time. This does not have to be a dream. This is the closest you come to a formula to hire on time: • The pastor who hits this mark is a pastor of prayer. He is regularly on his knees seeking God’s direction and God’s timing. God is not averse to good timing. To hire on time is the spiritually aggressive and right thing to do. • The pastor must be sensitive to the winds of change in his community and church. • He must act in an entrepreneurial manner. He must think in a sales-and-growth mindset, not an establishment and play-it-safe way of thinking. • He must be prepared to act as he senses momentum building for a ministry. • He must have leadership capital in his pocket to pull the trigger on time. • He must not be jumping here and there willy-nilly on hires. At the same time, he cannot fall prey to the paralysis of analysis so common with late hires.

94 Section 2 - Staffing The ministry demands your attention to timing. It is not easy, but it is fulfilling when done right. Seek God, plan, prepare, think, look, and then hire. From there you can watch God do what only He can do as your ministry expands right on time.

You’ve Got to Have Timing 95

14 Interviewing a Potential Staff Member What 12 questions should I ask when interviewing a potential new hire?

ey, Dick, how in the world am I supposed to know what to look for when I’m hiring a children’s pastor?” HI have heard that question, in one form or another, more often than I care to remember on various staff searches across the country. Pastor Jon comes to mind as a guy who had stumbled making some previous hires and he could ill afford to mess up the next one. When he called me there was a sense of . “Just help me because I can’t afford to do this one wrong.” Jon needed help. In his case, he was looking for a new . music pastor. Have you ever said to yourself after you made a hire, Wow! I should have asked that question. How did I miss . that one? When a senior pastor hits the point of hiring staff, unfortunately, he will likely ask that at one time or another. Most candidates present themselves accurately and with full disclosure. However, there are some situations where the senior pastor’s due diligence in asking the right questions and looking under every stone will prevent problems down the line. Think about this. If there was something less than flattering about your character, life, or ministry, and you were presenting yourself to a prospective church, what is it you would rather they not ask?

In general, you should ask behavioral questions. For example, don’t ask a candidate whether he or she is a people person or a task-oriented person. Most will say “people person.” The fact is, in the real world, there are people who major in relationships and those who excel in tasks. Both are needed. It is your job to make the distinction. Have the person tell you a time when he had to choose between hanging out with friends and doing a project. Which was the priority? Which gave him the most satisfaction and why? Way down deep, beyond what people think he is like, what specifically gives him the greatest fulfillment? Almost all candidates will regularly shift to pat answers when asked to describe their behavior. The question “How

98 Section 2 - Staffing do you handle conflict?” will illicit the finest in Matthew 18 descriptions. The response to “Tell me about a specific time you had to handle conflict” will get you far better and usable information. When answering the conflict question, do not let the candidate slide into Matthew 18 mode (although that chapter should be at the center of his actions). Require him to tell you about a time in 2006 when he was at odds with Joe and Mary over how to handle the summer youth outreach at Smith Park. What happened and why? What specific steps did he take to resolve the issue with Joe and Mary? Or was it ever resolved? Would Joe and Mary respond the same way?

The following should not be construed as an exhaustive list but it will help you go below the waterline in learning all you can about people who desire to serve under your leadership. Be sure to check with your legal counsel to verify that you are on sure legal footing before digging into some of these subjects. . Get a very specific answer as to why he is leaving his current position. Force him to talk beyond “I just feel God is moving me on.” In 99% of the cases, there is something there you need to know. . Ask current and former employers if, given the opportunity, they would rehire the candidate. If they hesitate, pay attention. . Ask for permission to do a criminal background check and credit check. Get the response in writing. If they hesitate at all, pay attention. . Ask references about what they consider the weakest character trait of the candidate and the candidate’s spouse—something which they could afford to shore up.

Interviewing a Potential Staff Member 99 . Contact people who know the candidate and who are not on their reference list. Tell the candidate you are going to do so, and ask for any names where confidentiality is an issue. In other words, whom should you not contact and for what reason? . Push the candidate to tell you in what ways his greatest weakness could slow his ability to be his best for you. Have him tell you in what ways that weakness could destroy his ministry. Listen up. They have a weakness that they need to identify and be able to articulate its ability to do harm. . Find out how far from the candidate’s and the spouse’s family they have lived in the past. Where do they spend holidays and how frequently do they visit both sides of the family. Measure that against your location and its proximity to their families. Distance to parents and in-laws can play a major role in the decision to come on staff with you. As well, it has the ability to shorten the staff member’s stay if they long to be close to Mom and Dad. Don’t pooh-pooh this. Take it seriously. . Gather specific debt information. This should include beginning loan amounts, current outstanding balances, and monthly payment amounts. Ask if they have ever been late on a payment and for what reason? . Gather specific credit card balances. If they are beyond nominal monthly charges or if there is a running balance that is not paid off monthly, ask the reason. . Have the candidate and spouse describe a specific conflict in their marriage and what they did to address

100 Section 2 - Staffing it. Do not allow them to get theoretical. It must be a specific date, location, circumstance. . Have the candidate tell you about two specific instances where the actions of the senior pastor ticked him off. Listen up. . Have the candidate tell you about two specific instances where the actions of people either on staff or volunteers in his departments ticked him off. Listen up again.

Some may view the preceding list as invasive. It is not. It is your role as the senior leader of the church to do all you can to protect the ministries of the church and the families you lead. You must fight the desire to simply go through the motions with a candidate. You may want this person so badly you start to overlook warning signs. Candidates almost always look good at first. Most will still look good at the end. It is the others that require your due diligence. In the final analysis, the church, its mission, and its future are more important than the feelings of those candidating for staff roles. Staff members are the engine that moves your mission forward. Disregard the list above and you leave yourself open to mediocrity and regret. Ask the right questions, keep feelings in the right perspective, and you will find the best and be a happy senior pastor.

Interviewing a Potential Staff Member 101

15 Dismissing Staff How do I let a staff member go when that becomes necessary?

knew Barrett when he was in college. Now he was pastoring a great church in Colorado. The church had Igrown to well over 500 in attendance in four short years. Barrett had the world by the tail. Until Carter, the youth pastor, began to make mistake after mistake after mistake. Barrett told me he tried everything to salvage Carter. He really liked what he had been able to do with the kids. At the same time, parents were fit to be tied with Carter. The straw that broke the camel’s back was Carter’s failure to gather parental permission forms (the issue for which he had been repeatedly corrected) for the ski trip to the students’ slope- of-choice 130 miles away. This evoked a typical “It’s not that big a deal” response from Carter. Fortunately, Barrett had documented everything, every step of the way with Carter. He oftentimes felt guilty for doing so but now he was glad he had the document. The pain of this termination had Barrett in knots all the way through the process. I just groan when I think about having to let somebody go, don’t you? You start thinking of the spouse and the kids. Sympathy pangs reach your heart. Maybe he isn’t as bad as I have made him out to be, you think. The next guy I hire to replace him could be as bad or worse. Here’s an initial assumption. I assume you have done all the things necessary to be a good leader. You have communicated expectations. You have provided an adequate job description. You genuinely have reached out to this employee. You don’t run a grind-them-into-the-ground factory at the church. You are generally a sensitive person relative to your employees and their families. You want to get along with your co-workers and you want to get things done. You’re not perfect but you are competent. Let’s think about this. Regardless of what went wrong or why it went wrong, you now feel you need to release an employee, maybe a pastor or staff member. It is never fun, no matter how bad the employee was or how terrible the offense. It’s just not fun. Let’s be sure we have all the bases covered. You should have had multiple conversations with the employee to make sure they clearly understood what you expected of them.

104 Section 2 - Staffing Here is one of the places where a pastor often makes a misstep. He tells the employee what he or she did wrong. Then he tells the employee how he wanted it to be done correctly. After that he tells the employee what will be the consequences of that continued errant behavior. Finally he says, “Do you understand what I just said to you?” The employee responds with the answer, “Yes, I understand.” Then the pastor says, “Good.” The end. Wrong! “The end” occurs when the pastor asks the employee to recite back everything the pastor just said, including the consequences of the errant behavior he just described. The pastor, doing all the talking and explaining, is doing nothing to assure the employee hears and properly understands everything. The employee must recite back the actions and the consequences. Then you must document.

Document everything. I mean everything. Write down the results of each meeting including what you told the employee about his or her actions and the potential consequences of continuing with that errant behavior. But you say, “I feel like such an untrusting sneak when I do that.” Okay, then feel like a sneak. The fact is you are dealing with one of two types of employees. • One who hears what you say, repeats it back to you, and then follows through. In this case you ultimately won’t need the documentation and can just leave it in their file. • One who hears what you say, repeats it back to you, and then doesn’t follow through. In this case you will need all of your documentation. It may be appropriate in your last meeting before the potential dismissal meeting, that you bring another leader

Dismissing Staff 105 along with you. This helps solidify the seriousness of the issue and provides verification of the actions you have taken to bring this employee back in line with the conduct you expect.

How many times do I have to warn this employee before I terminate? That is certainly a judgment call, but my experience has been to talk to them at least three times before dismissal. In each case, you need to raise the ante on the seriousness of the infraction and the reality of the consequences. Be cautioned not to change consequences as you go along. Correct behavior is expected and the consequences of errant behavior don’t change simply because you gradually become more and more frustrated. Set the consequences and stick with them. Did I mention to document?

Finally, when dismissal is the only answer, do the following: • Be sure to consult with your legal counsel. • Call the person to your office; do not go to theirs. • Have another leader with you. • Quickly notify them why they are there. Let them know within the first 30-60 seconds that they are in your office to discuss how they have failed to meet your expectations. This meeting is for the purpose of talking about your need to make the change and transition them out of the organization. Make it clear to the employee that you are not meeting to negotiate their behavior and continued employment. It is over. • Do not try to be warm and fuzzy, communicating something like your parents used to say before you were paddled, “This is going to hurt me more than

106 Section 2 - Staffing it is you.” You did not believe it as an eight-year-old. They won’t believe it now either! • Do not be harsh. Do be direct. Have your documentation ready if needed. • Override your emotions and sympathy. I know you hate to do this. But the employee made the choice with repeated violations. It has to be done and you know it. • This meeting need not be long. It can be longer but it can also be as short as three to five minutes. Some suggest that making the actual dismissal meeting short with a follow-up meeting to iron out transition details makes sense. It is up to you. • Whatever you do, do not back pedal. Your decision is made. If you have followed all the steps above, including documentation, then your decision is final. Any negotiation the employee wants to do at this point is for naught. They should have thought of this after meetings number one, two, or three. But they didn’t.

Remember, as senior pastor, your primary obligation is to the church and not to a friendship. I know that sounds cold and harsh. We all have friends, and many times those we dismiss have been our friends on the team. However, the overall mission of the church and your responsibility to protect that mission and move it forward necessitates this action of dismissal. Your primary responsibility to the church is to pray, prepare, preach, cast vision, and develop leaders. How does continuing to allow this issue to hang around your neck advance those responsibilities? You know the answer. It only hurts them.

Dismissing Staff 107 If you choose to ignore these suggestions, you and your church will pay a dear price. Better to take care of it. It is never fun. And don’t get me wrong. I do not feel that these decisions are always black and white. They are not. It hurts every time I do it or even think about doing it. But this comes with leadership, and the stakes are high when a pastor has to make the call. You advance the Kingdom by releasing a person who has failed to respond to corrective action. Make the call and the Kingdom—and ultimately that person—will be better for it.

Note: This chapter is not intended to serve as legal advice or counsel in any way. Consult your attorney when questions arise regarding termination.

108 Section 2 - Staffing S3ection Conflict Management

16 a cranky board member How do I deal with an obstinate board member?

enny was a Democrat on a Republican board. Everybody knew Second Church was not about Lpolitics but the church board certainly looked right of center politically. Lenny really was a good guy and frankly had a better understanding of the compassion of our Lord than the other six board members, or even the pastor and administrator. The problem was Lenny was on serious medications and he could not express himself well. In one board meeting he took the administrator apart verbally. “This man [the administrator] is the reason anything and everything is wrong with our church,” he said. Everyone was stunned. Reconciling the situation was difficult. At the end of the day, everyone liked Lenny, but he was seen as an obstacle to progress—someone who had to be cajoled to appropriate levels of cooperation. Do you ever wonder why some of God’s people are so obstinate? Do you ever ask yourself, Does this person really love God? This problem becomes particularly acute when the obstinate person serves as a member of your governing board of deacons or elders. If this chapter has your attention, it may mean you have let something get out of hand. So now, what to do about it. Unfortunately, none of us work for perfect churches. We lead them yet they are still not perfect. Surprise, surprise. In this case, let me suggest a few things you can do in dealing with an obstinate board member.

Pray. Don’t think of this as an afterthought. Prayer must be a forethought if you plan to successfully navigate this relational challenge.

Confront the issue. We’d rather punt than do this. But the problem will not go away on its own. Confrontation involves the following: • Have all your facts available, verified, and in order. • Arrange to talk privately with your board member. Follow the principles of Matthew 18:15-17. There is a reason it is in the Book. • If you are unable to come to a resolution with just the two of you, then bring a fellow board member with you.

112 Section 3 - Conflict Management • If that doesn’t work, take the issue to the leadership board on which the person serves. You may have to be selective here if the person serves on something other than the top governing board of the church. Frankly, if this person serves on some lesser board or committee, maybe you should not get so worked up over the conflict. Unless your church is different from the ones I’ve served, you are always going to have obstinate people. Pick your battles wisely. • Unless it’s a moral or ethical issue, you probably are going to stop there. As you exercise wisdom, if you have the ability or boardsmanship capital to remove this person from the board, you may want to do just that. The operative words in this case are “exercise wisdom.” • In most cases, however, wisdom expressed by leadership would say do not blow the situation out of proportion. Yes, it is annoying, but as a leader you need to be able to effectively deal with annoyances. You may have to live with it.

In the future, do your homework. There really is no reason to get in a spot like that. The longer you serve at the church, the more you need to exercise influence on board selection. After all, you are the CEO, responsible for moving the mission of the church forward and for the development of leaders. Do not let the obstinate folks of this world deter you. King David had his in 2 Samuel 16. You are a leader, and you are going to have yours too. Take the high road. Do everything you can to prevent that type of person from moving into leadership. When they do, however, deal with their actions forthrightly. You can

A Cranky Board Member 113 hope it will go away on its own. It will not. So exercise your leadership and act. You will either gain a trusted friend or you will move the problem out of leadership. Maybe you’ll do both. The church wins in any case.

114 Section 3 - Conflict Management 17 Staff Disloyalty How do I handle a staff member who is being disloyal to me?

ill was the youth pastor at First Community Church. Everybody loved this guy. He was smart, spiritually Battuned, and loyal … sometimes. The youth group was growing, students were coming to know God and parents were elated that the lead pastor two years earlier had chosen Bill to lead their children. The lead pastor began to sense that something was not right when he began to hear reports that Bill’s words spoken to lay leaders and other staff members were not matching up with what he said around the staff meeting table. The situation was slippery. It was hard to pin down anything specific. Some staff relationships began to show signs of wear. In all cases, there was a connection to Bill. Then some in the congregation began to elevate Bill’s influence to a position of challenge to the lead pastor. Bill dismissed this as people getting overly zealous about things he had said. The lead pastor felt stuck. He asked God for wisdom and resolution.

Loyalty! Wow, that is a big subject. If there is anything a pastor needs from his staff it is loyalty. By definition, loyalty is the quality of being faithful to those persons or ideals that one is under obligation to defend or support. The business of being totally committed to someone else is something with which some pastors and staff members struggle. The negative actions of disloyal people will stifle any hope you might have for church growth. You may have a person on your staff right now who is disloyal. So what should you do about it? Who’s the boss? You must ask yourself if you are secure in who you are as a pastor. The issue of staff loyalty becomes very fuzzy if you are not secure as the leader. You must know beyond a shadow of a doubt who you are as the pastor of the church … and as this person’s supervisor. You are the leader, and you are God’s man for this time in this place. Staff work for you. Blind loyalty is not true loyalty. No employee should ever accept any wrongdoing by any leader or senior pastor. This is a delicate line. A staff member is not disloyal when the staff member is not supportive of a pastor who acts wrongly. All members of the staff, senior and subordinate, must maintain the

116 Section 3 - Conflict Management biblical standard of conduct. In short, loyalty cannot be blind. Part of the difficulty in determining loyalty is what you hear from the grapevine may be in conflict with what the staff member actually said. The grapevine can twist things. Disloyal people don’t spell out their disloyalty to you in clear, concise memos. Deception is part of disloyalty. They may confide in a close personal friend something that breaks a confidence they had with you. They also may speak in terms that undermine your leadership. Though you may suspect that has happened, you can’t be sure without taking some important steps.

Steps to Take … when dealing with a perceived lack of loyalty. • Gather all the facts you can regarding the alleged expression of disloyalty. • Verify all you can about those expressions. • Arrange to meet with the staff member to confront him or her. That’s right, you must confront! • Do all you can to keep your emotions in check while discussing the allegations. • Explain the research you have gathered, and then say to the staff member, “If you were me, what would this information make you think? How would you interpret this research?” Have the staff member respond to your research. • If he denies any wrongdoing and insists on staying in employment with you, he must show you convincing evidence as to why the research you have points you in one direction, while his version goes in an entirely different direction. Keep in mind, as difficult as it is to comprehend, the possibility you have

Staff Disloyalty 117 arrived at an incorrect conclusion does exist. If you have information that has, in fact, created a false impression for you, then you need to be convinced of this by the staff member. • If the person does not own up to his actions, then grounds for dismissal may exist. • Fight the inclination to downplay how bad it is, particularly if the person seems repentant. You don’t have to beat him up over the issue. At the same time, you should never just let up and say, “That’s okay. Just don’t let it happen again. I love you and you love me.” You must express the seriousness of the offense. Trust has been violated, and consequences exist for having broken that trust.

How to Navigate Correction. If the staff member confesses to his expression of disloyalty, then I suggest you take these steps. • Express deep sorrow for what has happened. • Communicate your most sincere hope that reconciliation can happen, assuming the staff member is truly repentant. • Communicate that the infraction is very serious and grounds for termination now exist. • Indicate that you want to give your working relationship another try (assuming this is the first infraction) but the responsibility for this to work rests on the staff member who demonstrated disloyalty. • Make sure he understands that since trust has been broken, it will take significant time for it to be restored. • Arrange a time for confession and forgiveness with

118 Section 3 - Conflict Management others affected by the disloyalty. In other words, if another staff member, spouse, or volunteer is somehow involved, then forgiveness must be sought from them as well. • Create appropriate discipline for the offender’s actions. That may include but not be limited to the following: o Time away from the office/church without pay. o Seeking the help of a professional Christian counselor at his own expense. o Removal of one or more privileges of employment, e.g., reducing the employee’s freedom to spend budgeted monies without tighter restrictions. o Forfeiting the right to attend a continuing education conference. Caution: Be careful that your discipline of the employee doesn’t actually become harmful or less advantageous for the church. In other words, if a conference will make an employee better, the church still does want a “bettered” employee.

Nip it now! It is absolutely critical that, whenever you hear of disloyalty, you nip it in the bud. Problems like this don’t just go away. Deal with it right now!

Culture of Disloyalty = No Growth. You will never find a growing body of believers where a culture of disloyalty is tolerated. The church will not grow when this exists in the rank and file of the organization.

Staff Disloyalty 119 One hundred percent loyalty is needed. So know who you are, that you are God’s man for this time in this church, and that all who are called to serve the Lord under your leadership at this church must do so with 100% loyalty. To do anything less undermines the mission of His church.

120 Section 3 - Conflict Management S4ection Discipleship

18 The Basics of Discipleship How do I develop a discipleship system for new Christians at our church?

hen Jason made a profession of faith in the fall of 2009 he wondered what it all meant. He was one Wof the fortunate ones who attended The Network Church. Network had worked diligently with its new believer disciplers. They had been trained and retrained on every subject and nuance related to walking a new believer out . of the birthing room into the growth of infancy, childhood, and adulthood. Jason had few preconceptions. He was pretty much a blank slate. That was good in one sense, but in another it posed a whole set of other issues—not the least of which was language. Josh was his discipler and Josh understood that the language of a brand new Christian was different from that of a seasoned churchgoer. Josh guided Jason every step of the way in a warm and genuine manner. The connection they made in The Network Church’s discipleship class would set them on course for a lifetime of friendship. What about you? You say people are accepting Christ at your church, but you need an effective system to bring them along in their faith. Great problem to have! Just think of the poor guys out there who have long ago forgotten that their mission is to help people step across the line of faith in accepting Jesus. In your case, you obviously have that part clearly in focus. You will always feel you should do more in terms of discipleship. That is a good thing. Never relax on this issue. You should have a serious and intentional effort in place. Keep in mind, however, it is the Lord who births the baby Christian, and He provides for their spiritual growth. You certainly need to do what you can to provide opportunity for that to happen. Discipleship is important, yes, but I am just saying, “Relax!” Do not allow feelings of “not doing enough” to prevent you from doing “something.” This chapter is not about endorsing one system over another. There are many good growth series and systems available in your local Christian bookstore and on the Web. Check them out and get started today! But in terms of the nuts and bolts of getting this started, why not consider the following when discipling a new believer?

124 Section 4 - Discipleship Talk simple. Remember, they are not familiar with our Christian jargon so you need to do all you can to talk in plain language, encouraging your new believer to start walking through the growth process.

Talk in terms of the birth of a baby. Go ahead and take the opportunity to communicate to the new believer that they are a new baby Christian and that, in order to grow, they need to start by taking baby steps.

Make 24-hour contact. Follow-up contact should be made with the new believer within 24 hours of their profession of faith. Do not fall prey to the “We’ll talk to you next week” mentality. You may very well lose them. Babies can’t lie around for a week without attention. These first few hours and days are critical.

Point immediately to baptism. Scripture indicates that a person should repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38). Communicate that this is the first step of obedience as a Christian. If you do not baptize frequently, consider adding more baptism opportunities.

Have an intentional discipleship process. The new believer needs to move into your discipleship class, group, time-together, breakfast, weekend, whatever you want to call it. In short, you need to be sure something happens on a regular basis.

Trained leaders = successful discipleship. Obviously if you plan to have something happening on a regular basis you need trained leaders to guide this effort. It is critical that

The Basics of Discipleship 125 you bring alongside you persons who possess the strengths of administration and organization. As well, they should have a “stick-to-it” nature. The person who wants to help but doesn’t always stick with it may not be the best equipped to do the long-haul work necessary to be successful. In this role you need faithful, organized, relational, dot-the-i-cross-the-t servants.

Be sure your discipleship effort is continual. Make sure that anyone can jump in at any time and not miss a beat. For example, if you are running a seven-week class, be sure a person can start in week one or week five or week seven and simply cycle through for a total of seven classes. You do not want a person to have to wait three or four weeks to start the discipleship process.

Have multiple discipleship venues. If you have the manpower you can run individual classes that start weekly. If your system does not allow a person to jump in mid-stream then you need to have new classes starting all the time. Whatever happens, do not make a new believer wait to start in the development of his/her faith. Do not!

Meet consistently. Where you meet may be an issue. If meeting at the church makes sense, then do so. Some find that meeting at a more neutral location works better for them. Either way is fine. Just make sure the location is available a long period of time and that you meet at the same time every week.

Assume nothing. You will experience the temptation to assume because they live near where you live or you think they have the similar background to yours that they

126 Section 4 - Discipleship understand more than they do. Whether you live in the Bible Belt, Seattle, San Francisco, or New York, it makes no difference. You must assume the new believer knows nothing of their new faith. Start from scratch. If they happen to know something you communicate, then you are simply reinforcing these truths.

Just do it! For purposes of this chapter, I am not really too fussy about what you do to disciple new believers. The “what” is certainly important. But my purpose here is to encourage you to just do something. Follow the guidelines above and get to it. Of course, you would not have read this far if you planned to do nothing. Hats off to you and your effort to develop new believers in the faith. Trust me, for your having done so the Lord will say, “Well done!”

The Basics of Discipleship 127

19 The Practics of Discipleship I know there is no formula, but is there a sample system that might work?

ne day Pastor Abe called me from Mountain View Church in Idaho. This was a great church and OAbe was having the time of his life pastoring that wonderful congregation. However, he talked to me that day of his growing concern for the lack of discipleship for new converts in the church. I told him he was not alone. Pastors from coast to coast feel this lack. So we talked about what he could do to retain more new believers. He was seeing only about 3% of the people who made a profession of faith during his altar calls stick with it three months later. The disciplers at Mountain View were continually discouraged. They were frequently rebuffed with everything from lack of returned phone calls to no-shows for scheduled meetings. Abe was an extremely optimistic guy but this issue of . new convert discipleship was eating his lunch. His question: “How do I develop effective new convert discipleship at Mountain View?” The answer to this great question lies not in any sort of science, rather the art of listening to the Holy Spirit guide you in ways that work for the church you serve. At the same time, I believe there are some universal principles which, when applied, make for healthy, systematic discipleship at the local church level.

Here are six primary things to have in place when developing a discipleship system at your church. . Pray. . Get a plan and work the plan. . Widen the funnel at the top. Provide more opportunity for more people to accept Christ. . Maintain proper expectations. . Have the goods. Do not do sloppy church. . Do not quit!

Once you have addressed these six things, here are some questions you need to ask regarding discipleship:

Does our church possess a culture of discipleship? Most churches like to see themselves as caring for and teaching the

130 Section 4 - Discipleship saints. Far fewer churches build a culture with those saints which says the primary focus is on those new in the faith.

Do the primary and ancillary functions of the church contribute to that culture of discipleship? Preaching, ministry in music, ministry to children and youth must be good. Hospitality, prayer and change must exceed expectations. If these are low in quality, you are barking up a difficult tree.

Have we effectively communicated reasonable expectations to our disciplers? Most of those who make some sort of a profession of faith do not follow through with discipleship. That is extremely difficult to swallow. But the discipler must understand this. It is not the discipler’s fault when a new believer does not return phone calls or does not show up for meetings.

Does the Body understand that the parking lot is the gateway to discipleship? In short, if you have crabby people in the parking lot, at the entrance to the church, as ushers, or in the junior high classroom, you can forget about new believers feeling like the church is the place for them.

Are you widening the funnel for people to accept Christ? Expand the opportunity for people to make a commitment to Jesus. Regardless of whether you have many altar calls or none, whatever you do, add more opportunities. Get creative and vary it at your place.

Do you do church well? This requires serious examination. If you cannot make the determination, you need to have an outside set of eyes come in and see the church the way guests see the church.

The Practics of Discipleship 131 Do you have a plan and do you work that plan? Aim at nothing and you’ll hit it every time. Everyone asks for a system, a formula. There is no ABC formula with guaranteed results. However, there are systems out there. Here is a sample system for you to consider, just one option among many. Remember, your job is not to get the perfect plan but to get one and work it. We will call this one The New Life System (use any name that describes discipleship in your church).*

. Joe the non-believer comes to the altar. Do not let fear of people being unwilling to come forward keep you from asking them. Ask them to take that step. This increases your retention rate. . Bill the discipler (altar worker) meets Joe, walks Joe through the basic principles of salvation, and leads Joe in the sinner’s prayer. This should be done at a place aside from the altar where there is some privacy and less distraction. . Bill encourages Joe to get baptized as the first step in Joe’s walk. You need to have frequent baptism opportunities, i.e., weekly, monthly, or whenever someone accepts Christ. . Bill tells Joe that Bill will call Joe later in the day or the next day to see how he is doing. Disciplers need to be trained to be appropriately persistent, have proper expectations and not allow the enemy to discourage them by any lack of response from the new believer. . Bill invites Joe to a New Life Breakfast the next Sunday. . During the week, Bill reinforces his invitation to Joe to join him at the breakfast.

132 Section 4 - Discipleship . A letter comes from the senior pastor and New Life Breakfast leader to Joe reinforcing the invitation to the breakfast. . Bill meets Joe at the New Life Breakfast the next week. (By the way, make sure it is a good breakfast— more than just donuts and juice.) . During the breakfast, Joe is introduced and invited to the New Life Class that meets the following Sunday. . Before the next Sunday, an invitation goes to Joe to attend the New Life Class. The letter may come from Bill but needs to emanate from the church office. . Bill meets Joe at the New Life Class. . Bill continues to walk with Joe through the class. This should be a continual class so that people can jump in at any time. The ideal length might be between four and 10 sessions (weeks). . During the class Joe is being prepared to move into the church’s small group system and a ministry position.

Do these things and God will do His work! Pray. Get a plan and work the plan. Widen the funnel. Maintain proper expectations. Have the goods. Do not quit!

*Some portions derived from The Hardy Group’s discussion with Pastor Tim Keene at James River Assembly, Ozark, Missouri.

The Practics of Discipleship 133

S5ection Budget and Finance

20 start-from- scratch budget How do I build a budget for the church I serve?

udgets aren’t all that important, are they?” Pastor Bill was on the phone asking this big question. Is an Bofficial budget really necessary for a church? First Church had been doing quite well without one. They had faithfully tracked their income and expenses every month to make sure they did not overspend. First Church had never done a budget, Bill said, because their church was so unique. Offering amounts were always uncertain and frequent surprise expenses were more the . norm than the exception. I could see him deflate when I broke the news to him—his church was more the norm than . the exception. Every church has the challenge of predicting tithes and projecting expenses. First Church was not unique. Bill had to come to grips with the fact that budgeting is necessary hard work and not for the faint of heart. He did just that, and he is now the proud pastor of a church with a budget—an invaluable asset to any congregation. One of the most fundamental elements for a church to have in place is a well-planned budget. But it doesn’t come together without effort. “I don’t even know where to start,” you might say. “We have never had a budget at our church.” That’s okay. Everyone has to start somewhere. Here are some steps to help you pare the process down to size.

Determine what your income will be for next year. Don’t start with expenses. “But how in the world should I know what our income will be?” Relax! Follow these simple instructions and you’ll be amazed at how much better you can manage your money and how you will even be able to reasonably project your income. Start by having your bookkeeping/accounting person give you the Statements of Income from the last three years. If you don’t have these, have the bookkeeper add up all the deposits that flowed through the church’s bank account(s). That should include all sources of income: tithes, building fund, missions, designated special projects, gifts, and so on. Then lay each of the sources of income beside each other.

138 Section 5 - Budget and Finance Look for the pleasant surprise! For the general fund or operations fund, the only monies you can really budget are the undesignated tithes. For example, you might show that $200,000 in tithes were received in 2008, $212,000 in 2009, and $220,000 in 2010. It might be reasonable to create a budget of $225,000 in 2011. Or if you want to play it safe, budget $220,000, the amount of tithes you received the preceding year. You should never plan for an aggressive increase in tithes based on expected growth. Always project conservatively. It is always a pleasant surprise to receive tithes in excess of your expectation.

One way to do a precise calculation for 2011 is to evaluate the increase from ’08 to ’09 and from ’09 to ’10. Example: • In ’08 to ’09 the increase was $12,000, or a percentage increase of 6.0% [($212,000 - $200,000) ÷ $200,000]. • In ’09 to ’10 the increase was $8,000, or a percentage increase of 3.8% [($220,000 - $212,000) ÷ $212,000]. • Hence, a reasonable budget figure could be an average of those two years of 4.9% [(6.0 + 3.8) ÷ 2]. • Option 1: For ’11 a 4.9% increase over ’10 would be $230,780 [$220,000 + ($220,000 x .049)]. • Option 2: For ’11 a 3.8% increase over ’10 would be $228,360 [$220,000 + ($220,000 x .038)]. • Option 3: Play it safe and go with an arbitrary, conservative figure, $225,000. • Option 4: If you have lower expenses than the ’10 income, I would really play it safe with the ’10 actual of $220,000.

Start-From-Scratch Budget 139 You then would follow the same process for other funds. In these cases, however, you have more volatility because the members of the church are giving as needs are presented to them and as the life of the church demands. For example, people may have given heavily to the building fund in 2005, 2006, and 2007 because the church was building an addition to its facility. Then in 2008 the giving dropped off dramatically. Hence, projections should not be used for 2009, 2010, or 2011 on any building fund giving in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Base giving on more typical years.

Be careful with missions budgets. Missions giving can be more consistent if the church has regularly scheduled missions conventions and emphases. In this case, it is best to err on the conservative side so the church does not over- commit to missionaries and/or missions projects. In all cases with missions, you must budget your expenses lower than your income. If you don’t you may have the wonderful joy of calling missionaries and telling them you have to cut their support. I think you know how fun that will be! The expense side of the ledger is a different story. This is an area where a pastor may say, “I am clueless where to start.” That’s okay. Don’t worry. Let’s walk through it.

Keep your expectations low. You may or may not come up with an expense budget that hits the mark in year one or even year two of this process. The important thing is for you to begin to track where the money goes. In year one, you have a lot of unknowns because you didn’t track prior to that year.

Have your bookkeeper or treasurer do the following for our fictitious years of 2008, 2009, and 2010. This is all done to create our new budget for the year of 2011.

140 Section 5 - Budget and Finance • Total all the monies that were spent out of the general fund for those years. In other words, have the bookkeeper or treasurer tell you all that was spent that was not from restricted giving. • Remember, restricted giving is that which is controlled by the donor not the church. You want to minimize restricted giving to the general fund. • Then break this down into detailed lists of your spending categories. Some simple ones would be: payroll, insurance, building maintenance, office, youth, children, music, adults, utilities, telephone, postage, travel/conferences, debt retirement, etc. • For now, anything that does not fit in any of those categories can go into an “Other” category. This category will probably be very large at the outset. The “Other” category will get smaller and smaller as time goes on because you will identify more and more categories for which you can track expenses. • Total the expenses in all categories. When added together, they should equal the amount determined in the first bulleted point of this section. Again, do this for each of the years. • Do the same averaging of expenses per category as you did on the income side described earlier. For example, if your utility expenses for those three years were $80,000, $87,000, and $97,000, then average those increases (not amounts) and place them over the last year ($97,000) and that will be your utilities budget for 2011. a. 2008-2009 calculates at (87,000 - 80,000) ÷ 80,000 = 8.8%. b. 2009-2010 calculates at (97,000 - 87,000) ÷ 87,000 = 11.5%.

Start-From-Scratch Budget 141 c. The average of the two: (8.8 + 11.5) ÷ 2 = 10.2%. d. However, for utilities, use the higher of the two: 11.5%. e. You generally can contact your utility company and find out their projected rate changes for the coming year. You may be better advised to actually calculate the amount of usage in each of those years and then multiply it by the new rate the utility company gives you. The same thing will apply in any other expense category where price hikes will affect your next year’s budget.

When both the income and the expense projections are complete, you should show more income than expenses. If that is not the case, then you need to go back into the expense budgets and start making reductions.

Do not go into the income projections and change them upward! You are only fooling yourself if you play that game. What you established as income is set. Period. At this point you should only maneuver your expense items. You can cut those line items and make it work. In fact, you must do so to be fiscally responsible. Do not set a budget with more expenses than income. Never!

If you will follow these guidelines for the next two years, you will begin to see an improvement in your ability to control expenses, reduce debt, and improve savings. Your first year will be hit and miss. The second year will start to be predictable. In year three, you will be good to go! God wants us to manage our money well. Setting a basic, well-planned budget does just that.

142 Section 5 - Budget and Finance 21 Turning Adversity Into Opportunity How do I handle capital and cash flow issues during challenging times?

astor Schultz got an adrenaline rush from taking his congregation from start to finish through a building Pcampaign and the ensuing construction. While many pastors dread building and raising cash, he thrived on it. To no one’s surprise, his 24-year tenure at the church left a remarkable campus as part of his legacy. But, there was a problem. Schultz did not give attention to the funding of subsequent upkeep of the aging facilities. Further, while he was a great promoter and fund-raiser, bumps in the road had a tendency to throw him. He felt minor details or cash management were beneath him. He had a number of young staff members and he failed to demonstrate for them how a church navigates tough economic times. Adversity was just that to Pastor Schultz and everyone around him knew it. His mindset was, “Let’s plan for the good times and maybe the bad times will go around us if we really plan well.” Adversity can be your ally. For those senior pastors who look for the donut rather than the hole, tough economic times provide challenges and opportunities perhaps greater than at any other time. They thrive under these conditions! The ability to teach and guide young staff and board members is one of your greatest opportunities when money in the church gets tight. The Great Depression is history. However, your youngest staff members do not even remember the interest rates of the early 1980s much less any other significant financial strains that have faced the country and the church over the last couple of decades. Senior pastors need to seize the opportunity to teach how adversity can be an ally. The church does not close up shop when times get tough. Vince Lombardi’s statement “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” is never more true than when spiritually attuned pastors lead their churches through tough times … and do so with a glint in their eyes. Three seemingly disconnected issues can work short- and long-term to a pastor’s advantage during economic downturns. The first is to help staff and board members come to an understanding in the area of cash flow. When there is no cash-in there had better be no flow-out. Staff members

144 Section 5 - Budget and Finance who have been raised on credit must come to grips in real terms with this issue. It is the senior pastor’s role to help them and the church do so.

Cash Flow: Pay attention. Even when you are able to budget to a black margin, it is critical that you monitor income and expenses each month. Staff members need to be attuned to the variances in giving patterns throughout the year. In other words, just because something is budgeted for the year doesn’t mean it can be spent in January or February. This is where you need to budget income per month as well as expenses. Regularly communicating progress on the budget is critical for the staff to understand how and when budgeted expenses can be incurred. You can win in managing cash flow well. You can lose big time if you fail to pay attention to the nuances of when income arrives and when expenses are incurred. Pay attention.

A second area where churches need to make special provisions is in the area of capital repairs. When a church falls into living hand-to-mouth, the issue of preparing for repair eventualities seems like fantasyland. However, senior pastors need to teach this preparedness at all times. If you think you can wait on this until the tough times pass, think again.

Capital Repairs: Reduce all other expenses. For churches with older facilities this can be an extremely tough issue. When the roof springs a major leak, you have a problem that needs to be fixed pronto whether or not you have cash on hand. Forward thinking dictates that you establish a “capital repairs” budget. Plan every month to set money

Turning Adversity Into Opportunity 145 aside for those roofing, air-conditioning, heating, and other repair realities. If you have not prepared for these realities, you should begin immediately to put something—even the smallest of amounts—aside. Other budget items must be held or reduced in order to make this happen. In short, start today.

The third issue is the venture into building programs and capital campaigns. Adversity says, “Sit tight.” Opportunity says, “Go and cast vision.” More than one pastor has noted to me that efforts like this in tough times provide the greatest of opportunities to teach and preach stewardship. Be smart but get aggressive!

Building Programs and Capital Campaigns: Get off the defensive mode. This can seem like the craziest of ventures for churches in the midst of downturns. However, pastors understand that the Lord does not take a break from drawing lost people to himself when the economy goes upside down. For that reason, accommodations for growth must be put in place. The church should continually position itself for the next phase in facility growth whether in the immediate- or mid- to long-term. In short, a church should move out of a defensive posture relative to their budget and growth, and move aggressively toward reaching more people—even with reduced per capita resources. There is nothing like a capital campaign for the pastor to create opportunity to cast vision for the future. Talking about giving for multiple weeks in preparation for a campaign strengthens donations and tithe giving.

146 Section 5 - Budget and Finance These three issues are among those that many senior pastors can address when the economy and money are tight. When far too many churches look to circle the wagons and batten down the hatches, the spiritually discerning senior pastor will see everything in tough circumstances as opportunity masquerading as adversity. Manage your cash well, prepare for future capital repairs, and look for your first opportunity to do a capital campaign. In doing so you will lead your church through some of the greatest times of stewardship and opportunity.

*Special thanks go to Pastors J. Don George, Bob Ona, Carl Stephens and Steve Warner for their valued contribution to portions of this chapter.

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22 5 Budget Realities How do I minimize the impact of economic uncertainties?

he economic meltdown in the last quarter of 2008 drove home some tough realities to Pastor Jerry. In TJanuary 2009, he told me the expected extra 2008 year- end giving was non-existent but it looked like they were going to be okay for the year ahead. Then the fall of 2009 hit and, wow, was he surprised and shocked! He called to tell me that it had taken one full year for the impact to be felt at his church. He really could not explain it. They were looking to cut and slash everything within sight. Ministries were struggling to come up with needed funds to advance mission. Jerry’s church would survive the tough economic time because he had planned well over the previous five years. But other churches had not planned well and the crisis hit them hard. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” That, in one form or another, has become the mantra of many pastors when leading their congregations through challenging economic times. Pastors are called to pray, prepare to preach, preach, develop leaders and cast vision for the churches they serve. Dealing with budgets is noticeably absent from that list, yet many pastors ask, “Why does this budget stuff occupy so much of my time?” For those pastors navigating the very difficult reality of any downturn, it is now your time to shine. This is not for the faint of heart. It is for those who believe deeply in the mission of the church and are willing to do the tough things, the right things to accomplish it. There is a whole litany of issues related to church budgets which take time away from the senior pastor’s high-value roles. The following five issues are generally near the top of any pastor’s budget realities list. Understanding them, working hard to solve them, and minimizing their impact on the church are critical to the forward movement of the mission of the congregation. Here are the five issues, and what to do to overcome them.

Issue: Fear Solution: Counteract what the secular media is saying. The senior pastor has the attention of the Body for an hour

150 Section 5 - Budget and Finance or two each week; CNN, Fox and other networks own much of the rest of the time. Fear sells for them and it is your role to counter it. The church must communicate that we are not operating off the world’s economy. We are on God’s economy. While not ignoring current realities, it is critical that the church talk about the economy not in positive or negative terms. Talk in terms of what the Bible says relative to our source and security. The Dow is not referenced in Scripture. You must clearly communicate faith over fear.

Issue: Reduced Giving Overall Solution: Preach tithing. This is fundamental. One board member told his senior pastor that an economic downturn is the last time to be short-changing God. He is right. At the beginning of each year the senior pastor should preach a message or series of messages on stewardship. When that happens, the Body increases in its understanding of how God uses our finances to advance the mission of the church, downturn or no downturn. Understanding the laws of giving is also central to discipleship. Always preach and teach from an understanding of where the Body is at, while never compromising the truth of stewardship.

Issue: Reduced Giving Per Capita Solution: Get more people. I know this sounds simplistic—and I understand it is not easy. The reality is, with unemployment, higher debt, tightened credit and downsizing, it is possible your giving per capita will decline. When that happens, you certainly can teach on giving, as you should. But you also need to look outward to more people; don’t circle the wagons with the existing folks. If you try to figure out how to pay for everything you have been doing without

5 Budget Realities 151 looking for new people you will probably be slated for no growth and declining attendance. This will exacerbate the issue. Don’t forget your mission.

Issue: Staffing and Compensation Solution: No growth, no raises. When tough times come, clearly one of the church’s greatest assets is its staff. Hardworking pastors and support staff can carry a church through some of the most challenging times. However, the investment the church makes in its staff is usually also the single largest line item in the entire budget. Because of that, when the church is not growing there should be minimal or no increases in compensation granted. For one thing, staff members are in place to advance the mission of the church— and that includes growth. When lack of growth or decline occur, the staff may even need to accept across-the-board reductions in compensation in order to save the positions of some of their peers. However, if enough income decreases or attendance is lost, then it will be necessary to reduce staff size. This is never pleasant but if you are going to be responsible with the resources God has given you, tough decisions will need to be made.

Issue: Unemployment Solution: Scale back and forge ahead. You can whine and moan about the fact that folks in your church and community have lost jobs, or you can move ahead to help them and reinforce the mission of the church. Jesus did not wring His hands when faced with feeding 5,000, and neither should you. Encourage the Body as a whole to rally around those in need. Do not deny their reality. Preach and teach an understanding of our source while intentionally reaching in tangible ways to

152 Section 5 - Budget and Finance those out of work. Adjust your budget downward to match the income you are receiving. Look for ways to advance the mission while encouraging those without work to look outward beyond their circumstances. Do not deny reality. Preach and teach faith and trust in God and His Word.

Final Recommendation: Always prepare for the worst and when it happens you will not be caught off guard. It sounds so simple but it takes a massive amount of work to make this happen. Be smart and exercise aggressive conservativism in the management of your budget. When tough times hit, you will be glad you did. For some pastors this recommendation does not solve the current financial issue at their churches. However, if applied, they will find themselves money ahead when the next bump in the road occurs. More than one pastor has indicated that their resiliency in one economic downturn had as much to do with their constant preparedness in the previous two years.

To this point if you have not practiced this recommendation as well as the five above, there is no time like the present to start. It may be painful but your mission is too important for you to not take steps like these to advance it. Start today, one step at a time and over time you will see a strengthened financial position. When that happens, the Kingdom wins!

*Special thanks go to Pastors Scott Erickson, Dave Gross, John Hershman, Todd Hudnall, Josh Kang, Steve Perea, Jack Risner, Scott Thompson, Ron Traub, Randy Valimont and Bobby Wilson for their valued contribution to portions of this chapter.

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S6ection Hospitality

23 Visitors: 8 ways Not to Treat Them What should we not do when welcoming guests?

pastor friend of mine once told me of his visit to a church while he and his family were on vacation. AHe was particularly alert to how he felt visiting the church for the first time. This church had a very strong reputation in my friend’s denomination. When the family arrived at the church, there were parking lot attendants who met him at the entrance to the property. They pointed him to the guest parking. Nice touch, he thought. When they entered the building, two greeters met them. One was very courteous, the other extremely overbearing. My friend had no interest in signing away his firstborn to the church and yet the greeter wanted every piece of personal information possible. Finally my friend said, “We are just on vacation and wanted to stop by for a service.” That seemed to be enough to get the “too-much” greeter to back off. The service seemed fine but nothing in terms of their hospitality sent signals that this church might actually be a place they would like to attend if they lived there. They had a little gathering for guests after service that was mediocre at best. His hospitality ranking for that day on a 1 to 10 scale was a 5. It’s about removing obstacles to growth. It fascinates me how pastors from coast to coast view their hospitality efforts. A few feel they are on target; most do not. Here are eight things which generally do not work well in churches.

Putting guests on the spot. Today’s culture dictates that to single out people in services may not be as appreciated as it was 30 or 40 years ago. Guests visiting a church often crave anonymity. That is why some guests do not make themselves known to the church until after multiple visits. They are checking you out at first and do not want you to know much about them until they feel comfortable with you. Build trust first and then they will trust you.

Pouring it on. One pastor noted that the minute he and his family walked into a church on vacation they were given a jar of honey with a glad-to-have-you-here-and-hope-you-

158 Section 6 - Hospitality come-back attitude. On the surface that sounds okay but the presentation by the greeter was too far over-the-top. My pastor friend and his family were just visiting on vacation. Give your guests some space.

Appearing to have a hidden agenda. Nobody likes to be hoodwinked into anything. The old days of Evangelism Explosion showing up on the guests’ doorstep with an attempt to get in the door and share the gospel are long gone. EE was great. I was in it and learned how to share my faith. However, the world is now different. That is not to say showing up on one’s doorstep is bad. I advocate home visitation, but you should do so only with a gift and a thank you for coming to church. There should be no other agenda!

Expecting guests to show up on another date to receive guest information. Not going to happen. Those who are starting to get serious about the church may do that but the casual “I-just-dropped-by” kind of guest is not coming back next Wednesday night for one of your “church introduction” classes. You must provide opportunities for guests to learn of the church and meet you on the day they visit.

Baiting and switching. If you say you will do something, then do it. If you communicate to a guest that you will not use the information they give you for any reason other than A-B-C, then only use it for A-B-C. Don’t switch. Don’t sucker punch people.

Expecting guests to seek out the regular attendees. This seems almost ridiculous to mention but the actions of many church members and their leadership seem to expect just that.

Visitors: 8 Ways Not to Treat Them 159 No one would ever admit to such a thing but I suggest you sit back and take a serious look at how your regulars interact with guests. In too many cases, they do not interact at all or their interactions are surface-only in nature. The regulars at the church must be trained to reach out and touch guests in real and tangible ways.

The senior pastor remaining absent from guest contact. The laity should be involved in ministry to guests but not to the exclusion of the senior pastor and staff. It must be your focus as pastor to initiate contact with guests. These are prospects for the church for goodness’ sake.

Demonstrating a lack of concern for the appearance of your building. Most of us know that at home, family and close friends can come into the house through the garage. Guests come through the front door. Further, when family are coming over for dinner you generally are not cleaning top-to-bottom and polishing everything. When guests come over, you do. Your church needs to prepare your building every Sunday with guests in mind. Do not accept any less-than-pristine presentation of your facilities. Just remember how many times you get to make a first impression. It’s not just another Sunday.

In the final analysis, the business of welcoming guests is a classic in applying the age-old statement “Do unto others what you would have them do unto you.” What are your chances of returning to the church that exhibited one or more of the eight characteristics listed above? Think about how you like to be treated and think about people in general. As senior pastor, you should have a fairly good clue as to what should work well at the church you serve.

160 Section 6 - Hospitality Treating guests well is both an art and a science. It is critical that you give attention to the technical details of hospitality. It is as important to feel what the guests feel. Do everything you can to avoid the eight actions on this list when welcoming guests. Remember, it is about removing obstacles to growth. When these are removed you open the door to guests returning and ultimately becoming part of the body of Christ at your local church.

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24 The 9 facets of the Art of Welcoming Guests How do we create a sustainable welcoming culture?

know of a church that is definitely doing this one thing right. They have truly succeeded at creating over-the-top Ihospitality. They have people in the parking lot, on the sidewalks, at the entrances to the building, at the Welcome Desk, at the doors to the sanctuary … everywhere. Then after service they have a gathering place with Starbucks coffee and homemade goodies. The only thing they do not have is the lead pastor in back welcoming guests. They will probably adjust that within a year or so. Welcoming guests to the church? Sounds like a simple question but according to most senior pastors it is extremely complex. Doing it well has become an art form for many. For all, it is a journey of trial and error. It is a journey of continuing growth, looking for more and better opportunities to reach guests—those who are looking for a church home and those who are looking for God. Here are nine considerations in welcoming guests to the church.

Create an atmosphere of genuineness. New people to your church can smell this a mile away. When people are genuine, your guests can sense it immediately. This becomes a real challenge, particularly for churches that have been around awhile. People in the congregation, regardless of size, get comfortable with one another and the sense of welcoming new people to the family gets harder and harder the longer the church exists.

Develop a culture of evangelism. Frankly, there are not many good reasons to encourage a guest to come back if you do not present the gospel in some way. You need to have the goods. If you do not, then you are simply building a crowd. Building a culture of evangelism starts in the pulpit—it must be seen as your heartbeat. It must be regularly ingrained into the thinking and psyche of the Body. When members are regularly inviting their non-believing friends to church, then you are one step ahead of the game. That person already has a connecting point to the church. Develop a culture of evangelism and guests will return because of relationship.

164 Section 6 - Hospitality Develop a culture of giving. This may seem odd, but think about it. Do you want Scrooge standing at the front door passing out bulletins? If the people in the congregation are regularly in a mindset of giving, financially and otherwise, then they will be interested in giving to people who are looking for a church home, those looking for God, and those who have no clue what they are looking for. The stingier those in the Body become, the less guests will feel welcomed. Believe me, there is a connection. When people give of their time and resources their arms are open. When arms are open, guests feel it.

Create a specific area for guests to meet you and leaders of the church after service. It is vital that weekly opportunities be given for new friends of the church to gather information about the church and to find connecting points with people. That is best done right after services on the weekend. The best bang for this has you as the senior pastor there to meet them for a few minutes. Communicate from the pulpit that you personally want to meet the guests. Believe me, the largest number of guests will show up if you do so. Do not fall prey to “I’m too busy on Sunday to meet with guests.” I understand your No. 1 priority of being ready in the pulpit. However, not meeting guests is analogous to a senior sales manager saying he is too busy directing things to meet with a new prospect who shows up on the showroom floor. Remember, these guests are prospects for the church.

Give to the guest. Whatever you do make sure you provide the very best for your guests. Serve them the best coffee around. Have the highest quality donuts or cinnamon rolls. Nothing but the best goodies for your guests. Do not

The 9 Facets of the Art of Welcoming Guests 165 communicate “cheap” or “We are too poor to give you something nice.”

Go visit your guest. This must be done right. In an age of high tech, it is critical that the church maintain and accelerate high touch. In the sales culture when a prospective client makes contact with you, you reciprocate. In doing so with a church guest, the church must be genuine and operate with no hidden agenda. Some churches take pre-packaged popcorn, specialty cookies, etc., to deliver to guests at their homes. Make sure there’s a nice note attached. No effort should be made to enter the house. It is purely, “Thank you for coming; this is our gift to you.” And then be on your way. If the guests are not home those delivering the gift should simply leave it in a safe place at the door. In most communities this works very well and has good retention results.

Provide a Sunday welcome lunch. For guests who have attended a few times, a Sunday lunch once a month affords them the opportunity to get one step closer to the church without a heavy commitment. You will get smaller attendance than your monthly guest count, but those who attend will be the most interested in the church. This is a great place for guests to meet the senior pastor and the team. The larger the church the more important this becomes.

Have proper signage. There is not much worse to a guest than to show up and not be able to navigate around the facilities. Make sure your signage makes sense to those on the outside, not just the folks on the inside.

166 Section 6 - Hospitality Be consistent. Once you have achieved a sense of genuineness, make sure you are consistent. Some people may feel you are a very friendly church, others that you are not. In some cases, guests may even have varying experiences on separate Sundays. It is critical that the church develop consistency in all the contacts with guests from the parking lot into the building, the lobby and the sanctuary. The same level of consistent friendliness and openness must pervade your church culture. Whatever you do to welcome guests, be sure to keep your expectations in check. Guests are like you. They kick the tires and make sure they test everything before they gain a sense of trust. The church needs to earn that trust by paying attention to the considerations listed above and avoiding missteps. The church must genuinely want to minister to as many people as possible. Excellence in church hospitality is a journey well worth taking. People who do not know God today will someday rise up and say thank you for reaching to them through the gift of hospitality offered by the church you serve.

*Special thanks go to Pastors John Bascheiri, Ron Bontrager, Jerry Brooks, Ron Crum, Tim Harris, Phil Krist, Rob Leacock, Kent Mankins, Bob Pruett, David Stepp, Jon Wegner and Scott Wilson for their valued contribution to portions of this chapter.

The 9 Facets of the Art of Welcoming Guests 167

25 3 Types of Outside Greeters Is it really that big of a deal to have outside greeters for the services?

ary and Jeanette were new to their Minnesota town and decided to look for a church. They were nominal GChristians but knew their five- and three-year-old daughters needed church. So off to Highway Church they went. Once they arrived they looked for parking as close to the entrance to the building as possible. The problem was they could not tell where the entrance was. No one was on the lot to direct them so they took their best guess at parking their minivan on the north side of the building. Once inside they found out they had entered the back of the building and had to walk to the opposite end to get started with locating a place for the girls. Casper and Irene, now in their 80s, had been part of Highway Church for over 45 years. They were there the same Sunday as Gary and Jeanette, or almost there. The January Sunday, although sunny, still showed the after effects of a snow storm on Friday and Saturday. Most of the snow had been removed from the lot and sidewalk, but not all of it. It was icy and Casper was concerned that Irene would not make it into the building without falling. After a few tries at parking the car as close as possible and observing the patches of ice and snow on the lot and sidewalk, and with no one to help them, Casper determined that his wife’s well-being and safety would override their commitment to church that day. They went back to the car and headed home. It’s all about how you treat people and treating people well starts at the beginning. For weekend services, that means when cars enter the parking lot. I regularly hear pastors and lay persons speak of how friendly their church is; but when I drive onto their parking lot there is nobody there. It seems the church is very friendly with itself. However, in far too many cases, friendliness to guests is sincere but often short-circuited. That happens not because the church folks are bad people or selfish. It happens because the church normally does not create enough waves of hospitality to engender a genuine lasting sense of welcome to newer people to the church.

How does a pastor go about rectifying that situation? Where does the guest arrive first? The parking lot. I suggest

170 Section 6 - Hospitality creating your first wave of hospitality on the parking lot. Let’s start there. Churches have a tremendous opportunity waiting for them at the driveway, the mass of asphalt or concrete with white or yellow lines, and the sidewalk. However, many do not understand the valuable marketing component of how the church is perceived by guests and the community. To be sure, a discussion about your parking lot is not going to catapult you in growth beyond your wildest imagination. However, hospitality for weekend services starts on the parking lot. It is one of the building blocks of great hospitality. Let’s take a look at how that could look at your church.

Parking Lot-Entrance Greeters. I recommend you place two people at each of your entrances to welcome all the cars. These folks are there simply to smile and wave. They are not stopping cars and talking. They are not shaking hands and holding up traffic. They are practicing a common courtesy of waving and saying “Hi” through the windshields as cars drive onto the lot. This is a great place for high school- or college- age students to serve. Others can as well.

Car Parkers. You will be amazed at the people who will enjoy serving in this capacity. Normally they are men that are worker-bee types, but some women enjoy it as well. They don’t mind the rain, snow, wind or other weather niceties that come their way. The car parkers are servants. Car parkers take their ministry role seriously. One of the things you need to do is to make sure they remember “service” and not “boss-man-on-the-lot.” When people don’t park within the lines, car parkers are encouraged to relax and enjoy life. They are there to guide the parking lot, to help, not

3 Types of Outside Greeters 171 to place John and Mary’s minivan in the third space of the second row. Believe it or not, people want to park where they want to park. So make sure your car parkers understand they can give guidance on the lot but they are not moving cars through as if parking at the state fair or a big concert. Car parkers will regularly look for first- and second- time guests to the church. It is recommended that the church provide special up-close parking for those potential new friends of the church. When appropriate, the car parker can briefly tell the guests about whatever hospitality expression the church has following the service, e.g., a place to meet the pastor, a place to have some coffee or goodies, a place to mingle with leaders of the church, etc. They are to be very friendly, smiling at all times. They should wave and say hello. If possible, they should be connected by radio in some way. They can have umbrellas ready for people when necessary. They are particularly helpful to women with small children and to the elderly.

Sidewalk Greeters. You will be amazed at how your folks and guests to your church will respond when they are greeted by someone before they expect it. I recommend that at strategic points on your property you place sidewalk greeters. These people are assigned the responsibility to wave at cars as they drive by to their spots. Sidewalk greeters are not in the lot. They are on the sidewalk outside the entrance to the church. When people walk from the lot to the sidewalk before they enter the building, the sidewalk greeters say “Hi” and welcome them to church. In that role, they are always smiling and certainly not asking for anything. Sidewalk greeters send the signal that the pastor is really glad people are coming to

172 Section 6 - Hospitality church. Please note for churches with colder winter settings, providing an outside space heater for greeters makes it a whole lot easier to recruit for this important role. In the snowy north, it is essential.

Here is what outside hospitality will do for you. . Create warmth in the hearts of people … even in the northern states in January! . Identify guests quickly. . Make people glad to have arrived at church. . Send people into the building with smiles on their faces. . Create a sense of security. . Provide the first face for the church at the weekend service. . Solve small problems before they become big problems. . Serve as an extension of the pastor on the lot. . Save you a lot of headaches when the parking lot is tight. . Provide you with magnified goodwill. . Send people off the lot with smiles on their faces.

I encourage every senior/lead pastor to find ways to create hospitality outside the building. You will be amazed at how that step alone will energize the body and increase your opportunity to touch guests quickly and effectively. Parking lot-entrance greeters, car parkers and sidewalk greeters … you can’t live without them!

3 Types of Outside Greeters 173

26 8 Tasks and 8 Traits for Church Greeters How important are inside greeters?

hile serving as church administrator at First Assembly in Des Moines, Iowa, I was always on Wthe lookout for how to save a buck. I thought that the utilities budget was a great place to save money. One Sunday my good friend, senior pastor and boss, John Palmer was talking with a guest as he was entering the building before service. Greeters were present and someone had propped open the inside set of doors to the main lobby. As anyone knows, this is highly inefficient and we were losing money by heating areas that were open to the outside in the middle of winter. So like any good church administrator I simply kicked the props out from underneath the doors. Smooth move … except for the fact that the guest John was speaking with was in the doorway and the door clunked him right on the head and shoulder. He was startled and John was not happy. I apologized profusely but the damage was already done. There are traits you look for when recruiting people to stand at the doors to your church. I demonstrated none of those traits that day. Virtually every church I have ever known has greeters. These are the folks who stand faithfully at the doors to the church and hand out bulletins. In most cases, greeters are friendly people who like to welcome people to church and make guests feel particularly at home. Greeters are frontline faces for your church. They can make you or break you. It is critical when you place greeters in that role that you effectively train them for the task. Do not assume that everyone knows how to greet. They don’t. Once you have trained your greeters, then you must build in regular times to retrain and retrain again. Here are some functions of greeters. You should train to these ends. When these are done well, you and the church win.

Open doors for people. The greeters should stand right at the door and open it for people as they enter the building. They should not stand back away from the doors and make people open the doors themselves. We are talking frontline here and that means opening the doors.

176 Section 6 - Hospitality Provide handouts/bulletins. Churches generally have some level of printed material they want to give to everyone, typically the bulletin. Believe it or not, there is a real art in this task. If done in a perfunctory manner it sends a message to the receiver that the greeter really does not care about the person and is just doing a job. When done right it conveys warmth and a courtesy few organizations exhibit. When passing out bulletins the greeter should always give a genuine verbal welcome to the church.

Make physical contact when appropriate. When not in a flu season, the firm handshake is appropriate. Some have fun with waving at those coming through the doors. Make sure greeters have plenty of hand sanitizer nearby and that people coming to church know they do. For whatever handshaking does occur, at least those on the receiving end know that the church has done all it can to be healthy and sanitary while welcoming friends to the church. If your church chooses to not have greeters shake hands, then you as the senior pastor need to communicate that at some point from the pulpit. Always communicate!

Look everyone in the eye. Greeters need to sincerely look directly in the eyes of everyone walking through the door. I am not suggesting an interrogation kind of look, rather a genuine look that says, “I am really glad to see you today.”

Avoid looking past people. This is a real challenge for greeters. There always seems to be someone behind the person the greeter is talking to who wants to wave and grab the greeter’s attention. The greeter needs to avoid at all costs looking past the person they are greeting in that moment.

8 Tasks and 8 Traits for Church Greeters 177 Looking past someone says to that person that you, the greeter, are just doing a job and you really don’t care to say hi in a sincere way to him or her. Greeters need to stay on task with the person in front of them.

Focus on guests. Greeters should always look for guests while greeting. It is important that greeters not get caught up in the fun of weekly reconnecting with friends to the exclusion of identifying guests. When a guest is identified the greeter should be prepared to answer any questions the guest might have. Greeters should also be prepared to take guests to wherever they need to go … the nursery, the sanctuary, etc.

Provide extra care for women with small children. When young families enter the building, greeters should be the first to ask if they need any assistance. Further, when assistance is needed a system needs to be in place for care to be provided. Greeters should not ask if they can help, receive an affirmative answer and then say something like, “Well, I wonder if anybody is around here to help you with that.” They need to have the plan in place for any eventuality.

Provide extra care for the elderly. Depending on the culture of your church, welcoming older people to church can be one of the greatest joys. Oftentimes, these folks invested far more into the church than we can imagine. When they are in the latter triad of their lives and coming to church, the greeter should always express honor to them. If assistance in the form of a wheelchair is needed, the greeter needs to know where to get one. In simple terms, welcoming the elderly is generally a highlight for greeters.

178 Section 6 - Hospitality A question that often crops up is, “Where do I find people who are good at doing all of the things listed above?” Believe it or not, God has placed them in the Body at your church. Here are eight traits I look for when recruiting for greeters. You may not get all of them but you need to have most. . Engaging . Hospitable . Friendly . Diligent/Faithful . Warm . Smiling . Sincere/Genuine . Helpful

Here is a major caution. Because greeters are so prevalent in churches, a pastor can see putting people at the doors as just “something you do.” It cannot be that! I urge you in the strongest possible way to take the filling of these positions seriously. Do all you can to put your best foot forward. Then train, train and retrain those folks to be all they can be for you and for the church. When you do, God will smile!

8 Tasks and 8 Traits for Church Greeters 179

27 5 Components of Post-Service Hospitality How should end-of-service hospitality work?

’ve been to what I call “my Wal-Mart” on North Kansas in Springfield, Missouri, a zillion times. But I will never Iforget the Saturday when Russ, the Wal-Mart greeter in the garden department, went over-the-top. I am serious. When my wife and I left Wal-Mart that day, Russ was the most helpful person I’ve seen in years. He wasn’t pushy, just helpful. While loading 12 poinsettias and a bunch of other stuff in the car at the door to the store, he gave us a hand. I should have written Wal-Mart and told them the guy deserves a raise. Russ demonstrated effective hospitality when we were leaving Wal-Mart. He actually said to me, “Come back and see us again.” I always do. I know that can be a throwaway line, but that day it was meaningful to me. It is one thing to say “Hi” to folks when they walk in the doors of your church. It is something wholly different to express hospitality to them when they leave. This is not easy. In a day and age when people live by the clock, many who leave church just want to get out the door, in the car and on the road. There are some things to consider when expressing hospitality while people exit your services and the building. They need to know you are genuinely glad they came to church and that you want them to come back. Guests, in particular, need to know that the church is as real at the end as it is at the beginning. Remember, how you start a race doesn’t matter if you do not finish well. Here are five components of effective end-of-service hospitality.

Greeters open doors. As simple as this sounds, I recommend that the same greeters who said “Hello” just an hour or so ago should now say “Goodbye” and do so with sincerity. They should hold the doors open for people to leave and make sure the last image they have of the building is that of the greeter smiling.

182 Section 6 - Hospitality Sidewalk greeters say, “Goodbye.” Sidewalk greeters should be flat-out friendly. Sidewalk greeters should help everyone leaving know the church and the pastor are glad they came.

Car parkers direct cars. Depending on the density of your lot, car parkers who helped people navigate the lot on the front end can be of great help as people leave. As needed, they can guide people to exits and do what we always want them to do—smile and be friendly.

Parking lot-entrance/-exit greeters wave, “Goodbye.” Does this sound cheesy? Don’t worry about that. Just note that this touch point does much to enhance the person’s experience at church. The pressure in the car may already have started to build. In some vehicles kids may be acting up. Why not give them the best greeter smile possible as they drive onto the street and head home?

A fifth component of end-of-service hospitality is focused on the guests of the church. With this group the church needs to be strategic in its approach to serving them. This is the beginning of your long-range follow-up process. For those guests who want to know more about the church, it is important that an opportunity is afforded them to gain that knowledge. I suggest the following.

Create a church hospitality space. Churches look at this issue from a variety of angles. A few are very structured in this process. Most others are highly informal. Relaxed seems to be the order of the day for most. I recommend that the church find a space to meet with guests right after the service where the guests can meet with

5 Components of Post-Service Hospitality 183 the pastor and other leaders of the church. This needs to be a consistent gathering place. It does not work to offer this for three weeks and then because somebody forgot to bring donuts in week four, cancel it. Be sure to note this. Many guests will not come to your church hospitality space the first time they visit. In fact, they may not come to the space until weeks or months after the first visit. Here again is why I emphasize consistency. It needs to be a regular occurrence of weekend services. Further, whatever happens at the church hospitality space needs to be done very, very well. If you are serving coffee make it Starbucks and not generic. If any printed material or promo says church leaders will be there then they had better show up. End-of-service hospitality for guests is of the highest value. It cannot be done in a slipshod manner. Beyond creating the hospitality space, I don’t see many churches doing these kinds of things at the end of the service. So why not start a very good church trend in your community? Try your hand at creating over-the-top end-of- service hospitality. Make it a building block in your total hospitality strategy. You want everything you do at the end of the service to connect with what was said from the pulpit and what occurred in the service. There is nothing like end-of- service hospitality to do just that.

184 Section 6 - Hospitality about the author

ick Hardy is an ordained minister with a rich history of service to the church. For 30 years he served as DChief Operating Officer and Administrative Pastor to two megachurches as well as Vice President to a flagship denominational Bible college. He founded The Hardy Group in 2007 providing growth consulting for senior pastors, removing obstacles to growth. Born in Sioux City, Iowa, he is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa. He served as a public school board member for nine years and was active in Iowa politics. He was actively involved with the National Association of Church Business Administration, filling numerous board roles. He served for two years as the organization’s national president. He and his wife, Pat, live in Springfield, Missouri and are the proud parents of son Jonathan, daughter-in-law Ashley, daughter Erin, and son-in-law Caleb.

185 A Note From the Author

There comes a time in the life of every pastor when it seems like no one has ever walked this road before. You know that’s not true, but it feels like it. You have wondered whether it might be time to call in outside help to walk with you. That time may be now.

The Growth Consulting Services of The Hardy Group explore and develop universal principles and cultures of “doing church.” We give a critical analysis of how the principles are applied to the culture. We talk of the need to minister to children, reach young families and corporately worship in a way that is relevant to those you want to reach.

Do you lead change? You do not have to walk that leadership road alone. Your next level awaits you. Call or e-mail and let’s start on the road to get there.

Dick Hardy THE HARDY GROUP Everything But Preaching

Growth Consulting for Senior Pastors The Hardy Group has developed resources and services which include but are not limited to the following:

n 12- & 24-month Growth Consulting n Board & Staff Leadership Development n Church Secret Shopper n Hospitality Coaching & Resourcing n Pastor/Board Retreats n Leadership Coaching n Compensation Evaluations n Budget Evaluations

Call or text at 417.576.5492 or Let’s Talk Today e-mail [email protected]. www.thehardygroup.org

TO TO BOOK BOOK BOOKTO BOOBOOKKTO BOOK Web Resources Podcasts Book Reviews HOW Webcast & Articles HOW HOW @@ @

Resources for Pastors

o order more of this book or receive more information about how The Hardy Group can assist your church, Tcontact: Dick Hardy The Hardy Group 417-576-5492 [email protected] www.thehardygroup.org twitter.com/thehardygroup www.facebook.com/people/Dick-Hardy/1362245381

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For information about Onward Books, Inc.:

Onward Books, Inc. 4848 S. Landon Ct. Springfield, MO 65810 (417) 425-4674 Or visit our Web site at: www.onwardbooks.com What’s this book about? Everything But Preaching

Preaching is the fun stuff for most pastors. It’s everything but preaching that eats their lunch. This book tackles the ministry stuff that keeps pastors up at night. Dick Hardy provides clear, frank answers to 27 of the toughest questions pastors ask. Got questions? This book has answers!

“What I like about Dick Hardy is that he does not mince words. This book is a very real and practical guide for any pastor looking for answers.” Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor National Community Church, Washington, D.C.

“Dick Hardy’s book is a practical and helpful resource for pastors in the 21st century. This useful tool will sharpen your ability to lead.” Mark Rutland, President Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma

“Dick specifically tackles 27 game changing issues most pastors will face. You are about to be challenged to see how ‘church’ can be done better.” John Lindell, Lead Pastor James River Assembly, Ozark, Missouri

For 30 years Dick Hardy has served as Chief Operating Officer and Administrative Pastor to two megachurches and as vice president to a flagship denominational Bible college. An ordained minister, he founded The Hardy Group in 2007, providing growth consulting for senior pastors—removing obstacles to growth. He and his wife, Pat, live in Springfield, Missouri, and are the proud parents of two married children, Jonathan and Erin.

ISBN: 1-880689-25-1 $14.95