Bring 'em Back!

Why don’t guests come back to our church?

Good question! I am glad you asked.

I have been in the business of church for 30 years and this subject has no simple answers. However, there are some principles of which I would like to make note that might be helpful in your consideration of this issue for your church.

Are you doing things well? Of course all of us say “Yes, we are a church of excellence.” That question, by the way, is tantamount to someone asking a person if they keep their kitchen clean. Almost everyone says “Yes” to that one as well. But the reality is that “clean” for one person is “not clean” for another. The same is true in churches.

I have been to plenty of churches where there is no other way to describe it other than just plain sloppy. It has a “home” feel for the home folks but for the guests it is a mess. So let’s start here.

• The restrooms should be spic and span. I mean really clean. You should be able to eat breakfast in there. Well, that might be an extreme. SPOTLESS! CLEAN! No exceptions!

• Be better than Wal-Mart and Disney! The hospitality must be superb. You say, “But we live in the North or Northeast, and our people are not as warm as those folks from the South.” That is a lousy excuse. Get friendly and do it from the minute the guest enters your parking lot. Why not? Examine your hospitality and be willing to ratchet up your efforts with change. This is where everyone has the capacity to be better than everyone else…better than Wal-Mart, better than Disney, better than anyone!! Be the best in hospitality.

• Visitation. One of the things you must do is visit those who visit you. You might say, “We don’t do that in our area of the country because it is culturally unacceptable to do so.” Nice excuse but you asked the question above or at least clicked on this article for some advice. On Monday, immediately following Sunday services, mobilize your troops, including the senior pastor, and get out and say thanks for coming to your church. That is the least you can do. Take your guests a small gift from the church while you are at it. You are not forcing your way into people’s home. You are simply knocking on the door, giving a gift and saying thanks. If they invite you in that is fine. Who knows, in that case you might even be privileged to lead them across the line of faith to Jesus.

• Develop a turn-key guest system. You must have a complete process to take people from their thought of attending your church all the way through to them coming onto the parking lot and entering your building. Then everything from deciding to come once, twice, three times, etc. to making a profession of faith, moving into discipleship and community, experiencing the joy of giving and moving into full membership must be on your radar screen.

In addition to these core areas of church appearance and hospitality, be sure the three fundamental “sales” components of the church are in place; preaching, ministry in music, and ministry to children.

• Not Billy Graham. The preaching needs to be good. People want to hear Bible messages that are relevant to their lives. It does not have to be Billy Graham but it has to be well-prepared, well-thought out, and well-delivered. It might even be nice if it was anointed of God.

• Hillsong? The ministry in music has to be good. It does not have to be Hillsong but it has to be good. Whether you like it or not, you are competing with some great music on the market today. So be good, well-prepared, and fully directed by the Spirit. If your church is still stuck in worship wars you need to determine a way to whip that one. The new guest to your church who does not know God does not care which style of music is up for this week. It just has to be good music.

• The ministry to children has to be good. The age group of adults with young children is one of the most fluid in ministry today. If you can minister in a meaningful way to a child age two or age ten, you will capture the hearts of parents. Once a family buys into your children’s ministry you create an automatic feeder for your youth ministry in the years to come.

To answer your question as you think it before you ask it, “No, you don’t have to wait until you have full-time staff to do these things.” The issue is good preaching, good music, and good ministry to children. You can handle the good preaching and good qualified lay persons can do the other with your leadership.

So these are just a few starter-kit thoughts. Use these to zero in on the fundamentals.

• Make the place as neat as a pin.
• Do hospitality better than anyone else.
• Preach good, relevant Biblical messages.
• Present good, current Christian worship music.
• Have a children’s ministry second-to-none.

If you do these things, guests will come once and come again. Do them and you will be glad you did!

Have You Heard From God?

If you feel confident that you can accomplish what is in front of you with no problem at all…then you didn’t hear from God.

If no one is angry at you…then you didn’t hear from God.

If you don’t have to ask anyone to sacrifice to make the vision come true…then you didn’t hear from God.

If religious people are not steaming at you, blogging about you and/or leaving your church…then you didn’t hear from God.

If you have the money in the bank to do what God has asked you church to do…then you didn’t hear from God.

If every step is perfectly designed and nothing happens to totally throw you off along the way…then you didn’t hear from God.

If someone doesn’t try to talk you out of what you are about to attempt…then you didn’t hear from God.

If you don’t stay up at night thinking about the vision…then you didn’t hear from God.

If your vision is in contradiction to God’s Word…then you didn’t hear from God. (And no, you didn’t get a “special revelation” that gave you permission to trump His Word!)

If you know all of the answers…then you didn’t hear from God.

Growing by Subtraction

Here are some things you need to understand. Change happens. People leave churches and people stop being involved in ministries. There are many reactions when this happens, but here are some thoughts on how to handle it:

1. Don't talk people into staying when they want to leave. You rarely talk an unhappy person into being happy.

2. Love people, Love people, Love people, Love people!

3. Don't take it personal even though it hurts. No matter who you are or what your leadership position, people will leave from time to time. Don't take it personal (this can be hard).

4. Always take the high road. Even if people talk bad about you or say things that aren't true, take the high road and let God fight your battles for you. (Again, not always easy.)

5. Understand that there are times when people need to leave so that the church can go forward. A church really can grow by subtraction. We've seen it happen here at OAG on more than one occasion.

The Next Level

What is it that takes a ministry to the next level? Is wishing enough? Of course not. Taking a ministry - any ministry - to the next level requires some serious investment of time and work. Here are some things that are absolute musts:

1. Quality time with God. SERIOUSLY, crank up your prayer life and Bible reading and watch what God does in your life and ministry. It's easy to allow the ministry to replace quality time with God. The best decisions I make in ministry are birthed out of quality time with God.

2. Fasting. If you need a breakthrough in your life or ministry, go on an extended fast. Fasting does wonders.

3. Give like crazy. Some ministers and leaders are stingy. I know you're not one of them :). Give offerings over and above your tithe, give your time away and invest in ministry. Give away your great ideas! God always gives me back more than I give away! If you need a breakthrough, you NEED TO START GIVING!

4. Be open-minded. Some leaders are full of condemnation towards other leaders, ministers, churches and ministries because they are closed-minded. There is nothing worse than being judgmental and critical of everything that is different from you and what you are used too. There is a whole new world of opportunity awaiting you if you would be open to it.

5. Work harder: Some leaders are flat out lazy. They use spiritual mumbo jumbo to justify their laziness. If you want to go to the next level, it will require hard work.

6. Work smarter not harder: Some leaders work harder but not smarter. They don't struggle with laziness, but they are killing themselves by working harder and stopping the ministry from going to the next level. Learn to delegate (a big finger pointed right at me on this one!), build a team, less is more, focus on only what you can do, quit micro managing and don't confuse long hours with accomplishment. Work smarter not harder!

7. Take a risk: THIS IS HUGE! If you want to go to the next level, it will require risk. You have to quit playing it safe. After all, the Bible says we should live by faith. When is the last time you took a MAJOR faith leap to get your ministry to the next level?

People Skills

One of the things that hinder people and ministries from moving forward is a lack of people skills. If you want to have a healthy organization and a thriving life, you need to have good people skills. Here are a few things I've learned regarding the area of people skills.

1. People generally follow people they like.

2. People generally follow people who have a positive attitude.

3. People generally follow people who see the best in others.

4. People generally follow people they can get along with.



How to make people like you

1. Listen to them

2. Be generous with them

3. Genuinely care about them and their family

4. Help them accomplish their dreams

5. Admit when you are wrong or make a mistake



How To Make People Not Like You

1. Be a know it all

2. Only see things from your point-of-view

3. Gossip about people

4. Tear down others

5. Talk about yourself all the time

6. Always point out the negative

7. Always tell people what they can't do

The Vision

If I had to condense my heart for OAG right now it would be this: I'm hungry to see God do something bigger and better in my life and in the life of OAG.

I just read a portion of the commencement address Steve Jobs gave at Stanford a few years ago. It was titled: Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. His words resonated with my spirit. He closed his address this way:

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewritters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along. It was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then, when it had run its course, they put out a final issue.

It was the mid-1970's, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early-morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

A New Pump Handle

150 years ago, 500 people died of cholera in just ten days in one London neighborhood, marking the beginning of another horrible epidemic. Victorian physician Dr. John Snow of London had already written a controversial pamphlet suggesting that cholera was not caused by "vapors,"but was instead a disease of the "gut," spread by contaminated water.

With the high number of deaths in this neighborhood, he studied the cases and was convinced that a pump at the intersection of Broad and Cambridge Streets was the sole source of contaminated water. In an emotional publicmeeting, he suggested removing the pump handle so no more water could be drawn from that location.

The rest is history. The handle was removed, cholera abated, and huge engineering projects were launched for sanitation systems and clean water across Europe. Dr. Snow's pump handle affected all of us. It led to improvements in the areas of sanitation and purification, and dramatically improved human life, lowering infant mortality rates and increasing lifespans.

Last week (26 February 2008) Starbucks got a new pump handle.

Were you one of thousands of unsuspecting people who were suddenly faced with an unexpected crisis? Heading into their neighborhood Starbucks to get a caffeine boost, customers were met with a terrifying reality: locked doors. Starbucks had shut down.

Okay, it was only for three hours (5:30-8:30). But for some of us the mere thought that all 7100 Starbucks in North America were closed was enough to jumpstart trembling hands and throbbing heads. Not even the knowledge thatDunkin Donuts was offering 99 cent "joe" to keep up community caffeine levels was enough to calm the no-Starbucks jitters.

Why did Starbucks take a three hour coffee break? To clean up their pump handle. The pump handle that had first turned on the Starbucks phenomenon had been so changed and corrupted that the company needed a new one.

Or in the words of CEO Howard Schultz, Starbucks shut down to open up andown up to its "first
love." Starbucks shut down to rediscover and rededicate the company to the "love, passion, and commitment" of the coffee experience. Starbucks had lost its original pump handle, and the one they were using needed to be replaced.

This quote is taken from the official Starbucks "Transformation Agenda Communication #8:"
Tomorrow evening, we will come together in an unprecedented event in ourcompany's storied history. We will close all our U.S. company-operated stores to teach, educate, and share our love of coffee, and the art of espresso. An in doing so, we will begin to elevate the Starbucks Experience for our customers. We are passionate about our coffee. And we will revisit our standards of quality that are the foundation for the trust that our customers have in our coffee and in all of us.

Howard Schultz insisted that this re-plumbing was designed to reconnect the company to the "soul of the past." "This is not about training," heinsisted to his employees, looking somewhat somber. "This is about the love and compassion and commitment that we all need to have for the customer." ("Starbucks Takes a 3-Hour Coffee Break," The New York Times, 27 February 2008)

It is a concept that sounds like a contradiction. Shut down your business in order to open up your business. But the same logic has been used by physicians for years. Doctors sometimes induce comas in patients with life threatening injuries, allowing them to regulate body temperature, reduceswelling, and stabilize fluid levels. Without experiencing the pain and anxiety that put additional stress on their injured body, these patientsare able to heal more quickly. They "shut down" in order to help the body come alive to health.

Maybe we in the church, the "body of Christ," should take our own "coffee break." Maybe we should consider a 3-day, or 3-week, or 3-month shut-down to reboot our churches in Christianity's original operating system. Maybe we need to find our original pump handle.
Our pump handle has been corroded partly because of our busy-ness. Look how busy we are. Our church bulletins tell the story of our busyness . . .. our weekly schedules, our outreach programs, our missions, our schools, our choirs, our committees. We feel good about our busyness. But has our"busyness" overwhelmed our true identity? Have we forgotten why the church exists at all?

Starbucks closed down to find the "soul of its past." Maybe the church needs to "close" itself off from all its programs and pageants and plans in order to rediscover why we are what we are.
And who are we? And why are we here? What was our original pump handle?

7 Things to Avoid

A lot of ministries begin with a bang, then explode with new growth. But after the initial growth, they plateau. It happens with women’s ministries, men’s ministries, small-group ministries, children’s, singles’, on and on – that they have an initial growth spurt, then stop.

God doesn’t want our ministries to stagnate. Not only does he want them to succeed, but he also wants us to succeed as ministry leaders. To help us achieve this goal, God has given us examples of errors to avoid – seven common traps of leadership – that Satan is most likely to use to keep your ministry from becoming all that God wants it to be.


1. You stop growing.

Whenever you find yourself resisting a new way of doing something, defending the status quo, or opposing a change that God has told you to make, watch out – you’re about to lose your place of leadership.

What’s the key to overcoming this leadership trap? You’ve got to continue to grow. Continue developing your skills, your character, your perspective, your vision, your heart for God, and your dependence upon him. Never stop learning. Read books and magazines, read and re-read the Bible, fellowship with other Christians, listen to tapes, and attend seminars.


2. You stop caring.

The leader who stops having a passion for ministry won’t last long. This is one of the subtlest traps in ministry – you go through the motions of serving the Lord because you know it’s the right thing to do, but your heart is not in it. That’s no way to serve God.

If you’ve found yourself in this trap, there’s hope. Just as when you want to restore love in a marriage, you do the things you did in the beginning. In other words, start acting the way you used to act when you were first in love. Even if you don’t feel passionate, act passionate. It’s easier to act your way into a feeling than it is to feel your way into an action. If you act loving, those feelings will come back. So, do the things that originally brought you joy in ministry.


3. You stop listening.

Learn to listen and be sensitive to others. Encourage the people you serve in ministry to talk to you. Let them tell you about their problems, their troubles, their fears, their aspirations, their dreams, and their hurts. Be open to suggestions and constructive criticism and look for other perspectives.


4. You get distracted.

Many things can distract you from ministry. Personal or health problems can distract you. Competing interests can distract you. Finances can distract you. Things that you think are fun and good and wonderful can distract you. Satan doesn’t care if you aren’t sinning while distracted, because as long as you’re distracted, you aren’t doing what God wants you to do.
But God wants us to stay focused. Never forget your mission. The Bible says, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62 KJV) Stay focused. Don’t get distracted.


5. You get complacent.

Complacency is the enemy of a good leader. If God says go for it, stick your neck out! Never stop depending on the Lord. Stop coasting. Take some risks in faith. Push the envelope. Attempt something that cannot be explained in the power of the flesh. Say to yourself, “What am I going to try in my ministry this next year that I know is bound to fail unless God shows up?” Unless God is your only safety net, you’re not truly living by faith. Depend on the Lord.


6. You become arrogant.

When a leader becomes arrogant, it leads to ruin. When you think that everything depends on you, when you don’t think you need the Lord’s help in your ministry because you’ve got it all together, watch out.


7. You fail to delegate.

When a ministry plateaus, God is telling you that you’ve reached the limit of what he’s empowered you to do by yourself. You need to move from doing to delegating.

Involve other people in your ministry. Move from being a minister to a manager of ministers. Managing is a ministry in itself. D. L. Moody said it like this, “I’d rather put 10 men to work than do the work of 10 men.”

If you avoid these seven traps, you’ll go a long way towards building a ministry that lasts.

The Little Things Make a Difference

The title says it all.......so here are a few questions for all of us:

1. Do you do what you say you will do?

2. Do people trust you?

3. Do you follow through on your commitments?

4. Do you justify your behavior?

5. Do you blame others and circumstances for your lack of integrity?

6. Do you have hidden sin in your life?

7. Do you deceive people?

8. Do you lie to people?

9. Are you dependable?

There are no shortcuts when it comes to having and maintaining integrity. Either you are building your life on the firm rock of integrity or you are building your life on a very slippery slope. The little things make the difference!

7 Joy Killers in Ministry

One of the most powerful things a Christian (or any human being for that matter) has is JOY…

Scripture says in Nehemiah 8:10 that the joy of the Lord is our strength.

Yet there are many things that seem to rob us of the joy we have in the Lord - especially for those involved in ministry. Here are seven joy killers.......

#1 - Comparison - If you compare yourself to other ministries or other churches then you will always be in some sort of depressed mode–there is always someone else out there who is seemingly growing faster or being more creative. Compare yourself ONLY to the vision God gave you.

#2 - Critics - If you hyper focus on them they can seem larger than the world…my advice, don’t swim with the sharks, don’t eat yellow snow and don’t listen to people who don’t love you and desire nothing more than to tear you down!

#3 - Being Busy - There are so many people in ministry leadership who feel like all they do is spin plates…and that one day things “will just get better.” To make matters worse–we now have devices that we carry that make sure our schedule is always in front of us AND that we are always accessible.

#4 - Pride - Daniel 4:37 is so true! Trust me, I know! Anytime I’ve ever thought, “Dang I’m good,” God always brings me down a level…OR FOUR!

#5 - Loss of Perspective - Whenever I think that I am more concerned about the church and ministry than Jesus it always causes stress and anxiety, which negates joy! Remember–it is HIS church and HIS ministry!

#6 - Lack of Faith - Whenever I desire comfort more than obedience I always know that something is not right! Hebrews 11:6 is SO true!

#7 - No Growth - Whenever I stop reading, listening to other teachers and don’t network with other leaders I both feel alone AND I rob OAG of the collective wisdom of other people who are much wiser than me. When I feel the pressure of having to come up with every new idea–it ALWAYS robs me of joy!

So.....the answer?

1 - Keep focused on God and the vision He has given you for OAG and your minstry.

2 - Keep your nose in the Bible and your heart toward heaven.

3 - Grow, grow and grow. Challenge yourself and refuse to become stagnant and sit still.