Let’s face it- young leaders are the future of your organization. Whether you like it or not, they will soon take over and be running the show. Your show. My show.
So why are there certain organizations and certain leaders who always seem to attract younger leaders to their team? Whether a pastor, entrepreneur, CEO or non-profit Executive Director, there are certain leaders, certain teams and certain organizations that EVERY young and ambitious leader wants to be a part of.
What is it about THIS leader who attracts young leaders? Such a draw that young guns are willing to jump on board with them and storm the castle.
humility, combined with incredible passion and skill. Jim Collins writes about this as the key characteristic of a level 5 leader.
Unwavering commitment to reaching their desired audience and accomplishing the mission. Know the hill they are climbing and willing to fight to get to the top.
The IT factor- hard to explain, but easy to spot.
Collaboration and not competition, celebrating others victories along with your own.
Willing to give over responsibility vs. a “wait your turn” mentality- will allow young leaders to lead if they are qualified and can handle it.
Authenticity- They keep it real. Young leaders clamor towards authentic and honest leaders.
Open to change- if they are not open to change no one will follow them (thanks Shinabarger on this one)
Can have at least a little fun. Like attracts like. It’s a reality= regardless of age, demographic, and style.
Passionately create a culture that takes risks, allows for failure, and thinks outside the box.
It was our last day in The Circle City, and we learned first-hand why Indianapolis is also called "The Racing Capitol of the World!" (see pictures below :)) Today was a very full day filled with opportunities to meet with leaders from Greenwood, IN and Chilicothe & Cincinnati, OH. Be encouraged...
Dave Crandall - Friendship Church Ryan and I met with Dave Crandall (Lead Pastor) and Dustin Pead (Worship Pastor) at Friendship Church in Greenwood, IN. After enjoying a quality greasy breakfast at Bob Evans we went back to the church where Ryan grabbed the flip camera to capture something I wanted Dave to share with you. As a pastor it can be easy to feel like a failure when comparing yourself to other pastors with large churches. We've all seen lists of the 100 largest churches and the 100 fastest growing churches in America. It seems like a lot of the featured encouragement to pastors of smaller churches comes from the voices of well known pastors leading large churches, the very voices that these small church pastors compare themselves to.
Dave expressed a desire to see more enouragement to pastors who might struggle with comparison; so I asked him if he would be willing to offer a perspective from his own personal journey. Dave and Dustin saw 170 people at their church service last Sunday, and while that's not going to rank in the top 100 on any national church list, it is exciting and a reminder that the Lord is at work on the front lines! Be encouraged...
Danny Anderson & Steve Rouse - Emmanuel Church We saw the huge steeple and the red bricks that walled the church building and as we walked inside Ryan and I expected to experience a typical traditional church...maybe with an older pastor challenging for oldest person at Catalyst. It was almost shocking to meet Danny & Steve, young leaders with a vibrant passion to challenge the process and pioneer a movement for Christ in a town that has tradition written all over it. We had a blast hanging out and enjoyed hearing their story - I will post a video next week highlighting some of their story and lessons they are learning from their experience leading Emmanueal Church, stay tuned!
LEADERS GATHERING IN RICHMOND, IN Christopher VanBuskirk - Centerpoint Church (Chillicothe, OH) Scotty Neal - Origins Church (Cincinnati, OH) Johnny Ropple, Josh Strange, Nathaniel VanBuskirk, Joel Megee I'm surpised the staff at Starbucks didn't kick us out; we were laughing way too loud for any innocent bystander not to be annoyed. Amidst the laughter and jokes (both appropriate & inapporpriate, thanks Scotty :)) we were able to drill down into the stories of Origins Church in Cincinnati, a two-year old church plant, and Centerpoint Church in Chillicothe, a church to officially laungh in September.
So much to share, but I wanted to highlight one question that sparked great dialogue. Whether you are leading a new church plant or an established church with years of tradition, this question has the potential to stir fresh conversation...and quite possibly a renewed perspective on how to have influence in your community:
How do you identify the needs of people in your community?
Do you know the current social or economic needs of the people in your community? It's time to move beyond assumptions and face reality...but reality must be uncovered. it was a very healthy conversation...huge thanks to these guys for driving over an hour to meet with us in Richmond, IN!
Pictures From Today! (top row, L-R: Friendship Church, Emmanuel Church1, Emmanuel Church2 bottom row, L-R: Centerpoint Church & Origins Church, Indy Motor Speedway)
Tomorrow morning Ryan and I fly back to California...it's been an amazing trip, thanks to everyone that made our Catalyst National Tour stop in Indianapolis such a great experience! Stay tuned for more videos from Indianapolis to be posted when I get home AND an update on where we are headed next!
LV P.S. - HUGE THANKS to Ryan Sisson for being the first Catalyst National Tour Co-Pilot, awesome guy and great friend!
Posted by Catalyst Roadtrip at 08:57 PM • Permalink •
Why just Chapter 4? All the other chapters are being reviewed by other blogs - see the list here.
Chapter 4 - Why Stickier Churches are Healthier Churches
In this chapter, Larry Osborne compares the sticky church growth strategy to that of the "Front-door" church.
"Ultimately, a church grows in one of two ways: It gets more people to come through the front door, or it stops losing people out the back door [sticky church]."
Larry goes on to explain that if you're only focusing on getting people in the front door (the number of people attending services) you'll be losing people out the back, your evangelism will be harder and less natural - he gives good, logical reasons for why/how this happens. He argues that a "sticky church" strategy tries to retain people, grow thru word-of-mouth, which he explains makes Follow-up and assimilation easier.
I'm not going to share his arguments here, but he explains things very simply. It's an easy read, yet he tackles very nuts-and-bolts topics in an effective way.
If you're at all involved in church leadership, you should buy this book. Go order it now, please, for the sake of those you lead.
Another good quote from this chapter: "Whatever you do to reach people you have to continue to do to keep them." - chew on THAT.
Posted by Ashley Williams at 06:28 AM • Permalink •
We ventured outside of downtown Indy for the first time on our trip; this morning we had breakfat with Brad Ruggles in Carmel, IN before being surprised by an oppotunity to connect with Matt Odegaard from Grace Communtiy Church. This afternoon Ryan and I drove south to meet Jon Porter from Greensburg, IN...he drove an hour to meet with us and share more of his story - honest and hilarious!
Brad Ruggles - Creative Guru & Future Church Planter Matt Odegaard - Grace Community Church A Tale of Two Opposite Perspectives. Brad moved to northern Indianaplois one year ago to plant a church; Matt moved to northern Indianapolis one year ago to join the staff of a firmly established mega church...both are passionate about the church and impacting their community for Christ and have become good friends in the process.
After breakfast Brad took us to Grace to find a quiet room where we could record a short interview, and we were surprised to have Matt walk in the door and join the interview. Listen as Brad shares about the journey in preparing for the launch of their church plant and Matt shares about lessons he's learning from the front lines of ministry in Indianapolis...so good.
Jon Porter - Community Church of Greensburg Ryan said it best when we got in the car after hanging out with Jon, "Truth is the only original thing we have left." Jon told the truth today...funny at times, vulnerably honest at others.
Jon drove over an hour to meet Ryan and I today, and I was so glad he did! Ryan and I laughed so much during our time with Jon, but I don't think he was necessarily trying to be funny. He was just so honest about his story and about his experience as a church planter and senior pastor over the last 10 years.
At one point he said, "Guys, what do you do when an old lady walks down the aisle and says to you, 'Pastor, the Lord has given me a song to sing for the church.'? I wanted to look at her and say, 'Give it back!'" Line after line about his experiences invited moments of humorous honesty as well as vulnerable confessions. Jon's heart for people is clearly evident only shadowed by his pure desire to serve the Lord. I am looking forward to seeing him again at Catalyst in Atlanta.
Pictures From Today! (L-R, Breakfast with Brad Ruggles, Brad Ruggles & Matt Odegaard at Grace, Jon Porter)
(video from our time last night Lockerbie Central UMC coming next week)
Tomorrow is a VERY FULL day, more soon from Indianapolis!
LV
Posted by Catalyst Roadtrip at 05:40 PM • Permalink •
Last night Ryan and I went to Lockerbie Central UMC in downtown Indianapolis, and I found myself struggling to identify what I was experiencing during the worship service. Just thought I would share a piece from my journal as I sat during the service attempting to grasp the moment...
(from my journal, Sunday night 8/16/09) "I'm in an unexpected place tonight...its quiet, and there is space here for the Lord to move...to speak. It's uncomfortable, to be honest. My soul is opening up. I am familar with the predictable flow of church services that strive to leave people feeling encouraged and uplifted throughout the experience. But right now, there is no flow leading me towards an entertained or comfortable place. In this absence of the familiar I am facing myself, and the Lord is stirring an unsettled and convicted spirit. The fog of my world is fading, and I am coming undone as I see the Lord behind the backdrop of this facede that I so often champion. I am exposed before Him. My heart restlessly settles. And in this eerie quiet, there is peace."
Thanks to Mike, Jordan, & David at Lockerbie Central UMC for helping create a place where the Lord has space to move...
LV
Posted by Catalyst Roadtrip at 09:54 AM • Permalink •
