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In the Gospel of John, we hear the seven “I Am” statements of Jesus. Today, we hear Jesus say, “I Am the Bread of Life”.
I Am the Bread of Life
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Category Archives: Church Blog
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I Am The Good Shepherd
Following A “Legend” in Your Organization
by Are you following a legend in your organization? Whether it’s church, the office or sports, there will be a time most of us follow a “legend”. Or so we’ve been told that they were a legend.
People may receive that moniker for a numbers reasons. Maybe they increased worship attendance, productivity, or won a bunch of championships. Odds are, you are not following a legend. You are following someone who did a solid job, but did not improve the role you now occupy.
Perception is reality.
Numbers rarely lie, although they can be manipulated. Championships do not lie.
For example:
Two of the best coaches in NFL history are Bill Walsh and Jimmy Johnson. They have 5 NFL Super Bowl Championships between them, a bunch of division and championship wins, college and bowl victories and other coaching awards! They are two of the best coaches of all time.
Walsh created the “West Coast Offense”, utilizing a small ball approach to advance the chains. He drafted and coached multiple Hall of Famers, including Ronnie Lott, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. As the 49 ers head coach, he became a legend.
Johnson is similar. He left his mark on the game by assembling one of the greatest turnarounds in NFL history. His first year as head coach, his Cowboys yeilded a 1-15 record. Absolutely abysmal. But, over the next four years he went to the playoffs three times, and won two Superbowls! That is some coaching. He also had amazing players, such as Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith.
Both of these coaches are legends. But, who followed them? Interestingly, two more lesser known legends.
George Seifert followed Bill Walsh as head coach. He inherited an amazing team, put together by Walsh. Essentially, he was handed a Super Bowl team. What did he do with it? He won a Super Bowl his first year as head coach. Then, 5 years later, he won another Super Bowl with a different roster. Few coaches win one Super Bowl, even fewer have won two. Seifert is a legend, following a legend.
Barry Switzer followed Jimmy Johnson at the Cowboys. And two years after taking over, he won a Super Bowl. Amazing. He also has three collegiate National Championships, which included seven bowl wins. Barry Switzer is a legend, following a legend.
It is rare to take over for a legend, and continue the winning streak. Usually, the coach that follows the legend struggles to transition, does not make it to the Super Bowl, and rarely makes the playoffs again. Who knows why it’s that difficult, and I’m sure there are plenty of leadership books to describe “healthy transitions”, but it’s rare to win like the legend.
Ultimately, it’s how you define championships, not wins, that really matters. In business and in church, it’s fairly easy to identify a win. Whether it be profits, sales or stock price, a business can quantify a win. The church has a tendency to struggle with quantification. It used to be that wins the church were see as the ABC’s of ministry (attendance, buildings, cash). I’m personally not a big fan of the ABC’s. For many it’s worship attendance, baptisms, professions of faith and those evangelizing and serving. Those are standards I personally choose to focus on as “wins”.
Whatever you measure, you will focus on, as will those who follow and serve. The struggle though is during times of transition, it is difficult to score big victories. We are people connected through our relationships. It’s not just the playbook, the practice or the passion. We are connected.
One of my favorite coaches of all time is Marty Schottenheimer. During the 1990’s he coached the Kansas City Chiefs. He was a great coach and utilized every player to the greatest of their ability to win games. He never won a Super Bowl for Kansas City, but we were always there in the playoffs, not too far off. Was he a legend? For some, yes. For others, no.
However, it was a true joy to watch a Schottenheimer team play football together. He spent 10 seasons in KC. And he had some amazingly memorable players. Some included: Steve Deberg, Christian Okoye, Barry Word, Stephon Paige, JJ Birden, Neil Smith, Derrick Thomas, Will Shields, Marcus Allen, Joe Montana, Rich Gannon, Tony Gonzalez and Andre Rison. Now that was a walk down memory lane.
You may not be the “legend”, or even seek after it. You may be training up the next “legend” in your industry. These coaches have an amazing coaching tree under them. Coaches that trained under the legends have exceeded their legends number of Super Bowls. Not only do legends win, but they train up winners.
If you are not sure if you are following a legend, check the numbers. Don’t assume you are following a legend. No matter how many people tell you there were amazing, even if you thought it too. Search for victories. Ignore the hype, and get real. And see what their coaching tree looks like. Are there a significant amount of good leaders that have been influenced by your predecessor, or did people just tolerate them?
Victories can be had after the legend leaves, and new legends are made. It takes strength, vision and relationships to get the job done. And if you are not the legend, maybe you are setting up the next person for victory, because everyone follows someone.
G.O.S.P.E.L. Goal Setting
by GOSPEL Goal Setting
This model of goal setting is adapted from the (GOSPA) model
G- Goals
This is something to strive for, and something that is achievable. A goal motivates us to move in it’s direction. A church goal could be to reach 2500 people for Jesus Christ. Another church goal could be to “make new disciples of Jesus Christ.” Maybe a church would desire to feed all the homeless in Kansas City. That is a goal as well. Some call it a mission or vision, but a goal is something we are trying to achieve.
O-Objectives
An objective is measurable and deliverable within a specific timeframe. So, we will reach 2500 people for Jesus Christ by 2020. Or, we will make 50 “new” disciples of Jesus Christ every year. Quantifying the number of homeless and defining the time frame for reaching/feeding would be naming the objective.
S- Strategies
How are we going to achieve our goal? Strategy is the how. This the “doing” of goal setting. So, to reach 2500 people for Jesus Christ we need to implement a “strategy” for achieving that goal. It could be marketing, discipleship classes on evangelism or numerous other “how’s”. Ok, how are we going to make 50 “new” disciples this year? Well, we could utilize small groups, home groups or growth groups to achieve this goal.
P- Plans
This is the “how to” implemented down to specific dates and times. What do we as a church need to do in the next 30 days to move the strategy forward? If we are trying to reach people in a specific time period, we would need to get the word out in numerous ways. If we are trying to “make” disciples, a process would need to be implemented to help “make” new disciples. If we are trying to feed the homeless, we need people and food.
E- Experiences
What activities, experiences and actions need to happen to move everything forward? This is your day to day, maybe even cut down to 15 minute increments of daily experiences, movement of the goal. To achieve big goals, the vision must be brought down to the day to day, minute by minute experiences, activities and actions.
L-Learnings
Just having goals, objectives, strategies, plans and experiences does not make an expert in our field of endeavor. What is missing from much of goal setting is the concept of becoming more. If you are going to achieve big goals, you cannot stay the same. We must become more. To become more means we become the expert in our field. Knowledge will get us nowhere unless our learnings are put into practice.
And do not wait until conditions are perfect to try something new. You will be waiting forever. Someone once said, “anything worth doing is worth doing poorly at first. It’s not practice that makes perfect, it’s perfect practice that makes perfect”.
Hopefully you find this helpful and if you or your church need advice or coaching to move through some serious GOSPEL goal setting, feel free to contact me.
Multi Site Revolution
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Over the past few years several churches in the Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church have chosen to go multi-site. Meaning, offering worship services and other ministries in more than one location. Why would a church that is highly successful in making disciples in one location attempt to duplicate their ministries in another location? Is this just a passing fad or is it something more?
Grace United Methodist Church has been looking into multi-site for several years. In 2000, we helped launch Hope UMC in Lone Jack Missouri. In 2010, we helped launch Renaissance UMC in Kansas City. We ourselves are a church plant from 1990. It is in the very DNA of Grace church to plant churches.
After passing on some interesting opportunities, we jumped at the chance to launch a second campus in El Dorado Springs Missouri. Yes, it’s an hour and half from our Lee’s Summit Campus. El Dorado Springs is a “small” town and the UMC had closed in 2014. At the time of our leap, we had not identified a campus pastor.
The model we employed was to begin with worship, then move toward missions and discipleship. In the midst of all of this, we’ve learned some valuable lessons and a few take-aways from the journey. One of which required significant upfront work and a shift in focus at our Lee’s Summit Campus. So here they are:
Learning #5 (Renovations)
It takes more effort than can be imagined to renovate a church property. With our two campuses so far away (1.5 hours), we relied on some church leaders to help, which was a huge blessing. But, we had to hire out much of the larger work because of distance. It did not slow us down much, but it was unexpected, in that the normal contractors we use at our Lee’s Summit campus were unavailable to offer the same services. We worked with new folks, on a schedule we were unaccustomed to, but all in all, it was an interesting experience.
Learning #4 (Stay Connected)
Thank God for mobile phones and technology. We could not have launched a church at such a quick pace without the amazing resources of technology. Whether it’s dropbox, email or Final Cut, we are able to stay deeply connected between the two sites. And weekly, if not daily conversations with the onsite staff can provide great spiritual support and encouragement. Celebrate EVERY victory together. And through some amazing work of the Spirit, we were blessed with an AMAZING Campus Pastor!
Learning #3 (Duplication Works!)
Grace church leadership and pastors have consulted in over 10 congregations and mentored/coached numerous pastors. We’ve experienced the negative side of structure and poorly led leaders. Being a healthy and vital congregation has helped us duplicate much of what we have done these past ten years in another location. Our daily practices and routines translate well and have allowed us to be ready to launch.
Learning #2 (Video Venue)
I was not sold on a video sermon in another location. In 2012 we began live streaming our worship services. This was a radical change for us, especially our pastors. We went from talking to folks in a small room, to reaching anyone who would listen. The shift was a good one. And as the livestream grew, we saw the blessing of folks all over the world joining us in worship.
In can take up to 20 hours to write one sermon. So, if you take the pressure off a multi site pastor, they can focus on discipleship, missions and evangelism. What a huge blessing for a gathered congregation. Instead of stretching pastors in every direction, each pastor can focus on their context. In a world of distractions, time matters more than ever. We’ve given our Campus Pastor time to connect with people.
Learning #1 (Culture Matters)
A fruitful, healthy and joyful culture of “church” can be exported. When the focus is on being a light in the darkness, loving God and neighbor, it makes room for new people. If we focus on shame, judgement and guilt, that can be exported too, but will eventually fail. We choose to focus on the love of God, not the sin of sinners.
That simple focus allows us to reach new people for Jesus Christ. We are able to stand out in a community and show people what we care about and who we love. It is transformation and sometimes a bit shocking that we focus so much on the needs of others, instead of the needs of a church building.
Final Thoughts
If your church is thinking about branching out into a new community with multi-site, may God richly bless you. It is not for the faint of heart. It will stress you and the church leadership out. But, you can nearly immediately see the fruit of your labors. If you are willing to risk big, then go for it.
And for those congregations that might be considering closing and giving up, call us. It doesn’t matter where you are, we want to talk. Due to technology, distance is no longer a barrier. If you would like to join the multi-site revolution with us, contact us today.
Grace United Methodist Church, Lee’s Summit Campus
2400 SE US 50 Hwy, Lee’s Summit, Missouri 64086
816-246-5764
[email protected]
www.grace4all.org
El Dorado Springs Campus Launch
by Grace Launches our El Dorado Springs Campus
Grace United Methodist Church (El Dorado Springs, MO) Oct 26, 2015
Over 130 joined us this past Sunday to celebrate the launch of our second campus in El Dorado Springs, MO. At 10 am, our worship band (Psalms Prophet) opened the service in song. The Grace Choir, led by our Director of Music Sharon Owen, sang two songs. Pastor Kevin led the service and Pastor Jeremy preached. After the service, we gathered in front of the building and prayed together for the future of the new congregation and over the absolutely amazing food from County Line BBQ. We are thankful for the amazing leadership provided by so many to help launch our second campus. Especially, we would like to thank Rev. Bob Farr, Director of Congregational Excellence in Missouri and District Superintendent Rev. Mark Statler. Without their out of the box thinking and visionary activity, we would never have considered launching a second campus one hour and thirty minutes away from our first campus. Great things are happening in El Dorado Springs and we ask for your prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness to help continue the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ.
Summer Camp 2015- Central Methodist University
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Summer Camp significantly changed for Grace Church this summer. We’ve camped at Galilee forever. Since 1991 (the year Grace came into existence) we have led, counseled and camped at Galilee. This past year, due to decisions from the Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church Camp Board, Trustees, Mission Council and the Annual Conference, Galilee was no longer an option.
Some counselors and campers skipped camp at CMU with us because they were busy, working or still upset about Galilee closing. But a few brave souls (91) chose to do something new. We jumped way outside the camping box in Missouri and tried “camping” at CMU.
It’s difficult to put into words the feelings of loss and confusion during this time of transition. We could have focused on the experiences or things that CMU did not have compared to Galilee. What was normal to us at Galilee was completely foreign and just different at CMU.
But, we chose to focus on God, the children and youth. We left our baggage at the door and jumped into something completely new and exciting. And to put it simply, CMU is an extraordinary place to host and lead a summer camp!
We used the same schedule we’ve used for 10 years. Only a few adjustments were needed to fit the site. New Scriptures, daily themes and activities were changed or updated, but the Spirit was still with us. I’ve led and counseled at camps for nearly 20 years. This was one of best weeks of camp I’ve ever experienced.
From the facilities to the staff, CMU did an amazing job. Their high level of professionalism blew us away! And facilities were in awesome shape. Even when we identified areas of concern, they were taken care of within the hour. We had access to nearly everything we needed, and are already making plans for next year.
And for those concerned with safety, that was addressed immediately. Did you know that CMU has “blue” campus phones? They are security phones that students and campers could pick up/take off the hook and security guards would be there shortly. We also noticed at least two security guards on duty every night. Galilee certainly never had security. All in all, we were very safe on the campus.
Worship was led by our Sr. High Leadership camp, with some help from a few others. Again, the Spirit was the same, we just happened to be in a different place. It felt odd at first, but after a few days, CMU became familiar. CMU became camp to us. And once we dropped our preconceived notions about “camping”, we found ourselves in a near perfect setting to experience God in a brand new way.
All of us loved CMU. We loved Galilee as well. If given a choice, 99.9 % of campers and counselors prefer CMU. The excitement and passion we left with carried back into our churches and we are praying that we can double the number of campers next year at CMU. We’ve experienced the largest week of camping at Galilee ever (247). It may take a few years, but we believe we can reach more children and youth at CMU than Galilee.
God is good! God is with us! And we at Grace are excited about the future of camping in the Missouri Conference. Prayers for Jo-Ota as they continue to put together an amazing and ambitious plan. And prayers for our other three sites. May they end up in the hands of those who might continue our faith-filled outreach to the world.
A word of personal thanks to Jeff Baker, Scott Burdin and Tina Twenter.
A word of personal thanks to the staff at CMU, specifically Brad Dixon, Mark, Connie and the entire Cafeteria staff!
Finally, thank you to Stephanie Smith and Courtney Boedeker for your faithfulness in directing our Sr. High and Elementary Camps. And thank you to all the counselors who gave up a week with your families to serve God at camp. Thank you!!!
God in peace and go with God.
Missouri Annual Conference 2015- Tough Conversations
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We are halfway through with #MOAC15.
Discipleship: Growing in Grace
We’ve heard some amazing and inspirational speeches/sermons this weekend.
Rev. David Gilmore, Rev Willis Johnson, Rev Karen Hayden, Rev. Bob Farr, Bishop Schnase, Brian Hammons, Rev Sue Nilson Kibbey, Rev. Jeff Brinkman and Rev. Alice Fowler and many other voices.
To summarize
We Need to Reach All
We Need to Be A Presence In New Places
We Need to Pray More
Discipleship Means Being Uncomfortable
Discipleship Drives us to Focus on Others
We have some very tough conversations at General Conference. We are bracing for those tough conversations. And, we were bracing for a tough conversation about camping in Missouri.
We also sang “Are We Yet Alive”, as we do every year. Are we? Our tribe is shrinking. Our tribe seems to be divided.
If we focus on the negative, we find negative. If we focus on the positive, we see the positive.
and the Camping Board spoke…
Then a few others spoke.
Then we prayed and voted
The house was divided over the future of camping in the Missouri Conference.
61% 39%
Are we dysfunctional? Or maybe, we are just a holy blessed mess.
We don’t normally vote on resolutions, because they are usually ruled out of order.
In talking with others, it feels as if there is something amiss. It does not feel like previous AC’s. We are walking into unchartered territory. It is difficult to name. But, many of us feel it.
Almost every person on the earth avoids pain. We don’t like pain. We don’t like to be uncomfortable. The Body of Christ does not thrive when we are divided. Do we trade unity for health? Rev. Bob Farr said vision, not relationship, should be in the driver seat of the church. Our natural inclination as the Body drives us to keep everyone happy and at peace. That means more often than not that we will avoid tough conversations for the sake of the relationship.
I feel like some of us are experiencing the video below.
Remain calm, all is well.
REMAIN CALM, ALL IS WELL!!!
I don’t like going to the doctor. I will only go if it is absolutely necessary. I have to be in severe pain before I recognize something is wrong. I assume others are the As I’ve aged, it’s easier to tell when there is something majorly wrong. I listen to cues.
Going to the doctor is often a strange circumstance. They do a bunch of tests that seem unnecessary or not related to the issue at hand. But, usually, we get to the main problem. And there is a diagnosis and a prescription. May work, may not. Twelve million Americans are misdiagnosed every year. That is around 4%, which seems low, unless you are one of the 4%.
To seek health and vitality is not a bad thing. Pastors are encouraged by our health care provider to stay healthy by utilizing tests and preventative care to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Some of us are more diligent than others.
Tonight, we face continued elections for General Conference and Jurisdictional Conference. We pray for
We also face the continued camping conversation. May God season our words with grace, mercy and love. And even though we may disagree, we can seek to love each other as Christ loves us.
And remember-
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:13-14
Remain calm, All is well. God is with us.
Go in peace and go with God.
We Can No Longer Agree to Disagree
by I recently heard someone say, “We can no longer agree to disagree”. Does this mean that we now have to become disagreeable to each other? I’m not sure. Or are we just not going to talk about the issue we disagree on? For the sake of relationship, something must be decided or worked out, correct?
Personal opinions dressed up with facts, figures and polls does not mean someone is “more right” that someone else. It just means that people know how to use numbers to their advantage. And watching the current political scene, anyone can dress up numbers. In an age where the truth is relative to the language used and those hearing, it’s tough to find a place of agreement.
I would like to say that John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, had a phase that applies to moments of stark disagreement, but as far as I know, he did not. If he did though, it would probably look something like this:
“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity.”
I might say it this way:
In essentials, clarity, in non-essentials, charity.
I often feel like an essentialist, focusing on a few things and leaving the rest up to those with stronger opinions or louder voices. The current political views in this country seem to be split 40/60 or 55/45 or whatever other configuration pollsters can put together. I assume (and hope) the church would reflect the same diverse views, instead of standing in a silo away from that of those far from Jesus, yet embedded in the culture.
I truly believe we can value diversity, provide a place at the table for all and still have civil, well mannered and lively conversation. Sadly, as my friend stated, there are some who are ready to be disagreeable. They might take shelter under the banner of justice, righteousness or whichever moniker people might choose today. That does not devalue the view, but sadly, relationships can be harmed.
Strident divisive discourse does little for the Body of Christ. I often turn to Ephesians for advice on how to proceed in unsure waters.
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13
None of us are perfect. We are still striving for unity. We are still building. Whether at home, work or school, remember to value the relationship over opinions. It’s better to be in right relationship than to be right. And just because you disagree with someone, no matter how dearly you hold those views, does not mean you need to be disagreeable. Try listening first and you might find more in common with others than originally perceived.
Think of the last time you had a disagreement with someone. Friend? Spouse? Family? How was the relationships damaged or repaired? It’s tough to put aside differences, especially when there are hard dividing lines between each other. Don’t be so quick to judge those with different views than you. Conversation matters. It’s up to each and every one of us to choose what we truly care about, and hopefully, we can make a healthy and holy decision.
There is no way I could continue to serve at Grace without some mercy and love showered upon me by the massive amount of Tiger fans. Your candor is deeply appreciated, as is your silence during football season. We can agree to disagree, because we both think we are right! As long it does not move to assumptions of righteousness, then we are all good.
So, I choose to value the relationship. I value conversation. I value the language shared. All are invited to the table, none should ever be turned away. That does not mean we are perfect, on the contrary, it means we are not. As a busy season readies, seek wisdom and counsel in the God who shines unconditional love on the righteous and unrighteous.
Go in peace and go with God.
Hoping for the Best, but Expecting the Worst
by I am not a cynic or a pessimist. My faith in Jesus Christ gives me abundant hope, even in the face of what are insurmountable odds. Are we called to be bold, courageous and faithful? Or do we give up and give in to fear when we are uncertain about the future? Fear is a funny thing. It can drive us to change everything we believe. It can cause us to abandon our principles and choose the easy and safe path, so we think. Whether it be the church or a family, fear can seem like a mountain, keeping us from making bold, faith filled decisions. We end up taking the easy way out.
The implications of such decisions are truly sad. We give up trying to be faithful and end up making the situation worse. Even trying to just pause and wait things out can be a bad decision as well. So then, of bold or fear, which do we choose?
There is no third option, because choosing to stay the same is a choice of fear. At least trying to go for it offers some consolation, even if we fail. Giving into fear means we truly gave up. We let fear win. When fear wins, we are paralyzed to try new things, to offer ourselves to new opportunities and the world finds out that we gave up. Not that we care what the world thinks, but who follows those who peddle fear?
Friends, we are called to be bold. We are warned by the early church to stay away from safe and timid decisions. 2 Timothy 1:7 says “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” Fear should not guide us. The Holy Spirit should be our guide. Do not let worry and fear keep you from faithfulness.
In Tribes, Seth Godin explains three areas of fear we all carry with us. They are:
1- Fear of failure
2- Fear of criticism
3- Fear of pain
They have us in their grip, if we let them. Remember, Steve Jobs was fired from the company he built. People were constantly criticizing Winston Churchill. And friends, pain is temporary. It does not last forever. Wounds heal, only the scars remain.
So, stop playing it safe. Stop living in fear. Be bold in your faith. Be a light in the darkness for those suffer. We are only here for a little while, so let’s make it count!
Go in peace and go with God.