Learnings @ Leadership Network

Links of Interest for the Week

Spoke briefly to Todd Wilson of Exponential this week. They are really gearing up on the 10-10-10 initiative for church planting. They had a big promotion this week. This looks like a really good idea and networks lots of folks interested in Church Planting.

http://101010initiative.org/

An article in Church Executive caught my eye on Women in Church Leadership:

http://churchexecutive.com/archives/churches-lose-strength-when-women-are-excluded-in-leadership

I appreciate all the articles usually in the print version of Church Executive. There is also a regular email you should check out. And they have a fairly new web site here:

http://churchexecutive.com

Apparently Ed Young Jr and my old friend Geoff Surratt were on CNN this week with some video about multi site movement:

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/07/14/virtual.preaching/

And speaking of multi site churches, an article about a church in Illinois taking over a warehouse for a new site:

http://www.galesburg.com/news/x41631636/Warehouse-to-become-satellite-for-church

This young lady is the daughter of one of our former board members. She runs a not for profit called Universal Giving. I love how she is so transparent about her own need to grow as a leader. Here is one of her recent posts:

http://pamelahawley.wordpress.com/2010/07/15/how-this-ceo-needs-to-grow-flow-chart/

I don’t normally point to our own blogs, but this post over at our books blog by Warren Bird on Hispanic Churches is a must read for understanding our shifting US landscape:

http://books.leadnet.org/2010/07/hispanic-churches-in-the-united-states.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+typepad/lnbooks+(Books+%40+Leadership+Network)

I saw a wave of annual reports from churches at the end of last year, but I love the way this church has done a six month vision check in on their blog.

http://blog.buckheadchurch.org/2010/07/15/six-months-

If you have done one for your church, I would love to see it. Please email me the link.

Old friend Doug Lawrence over at Church Central on keeping the relationship strong between pastor and worship leader: http://www.churchcentral.com/blog/3-Ways-to-Have-an-Ideal-Working-Relationship-with-a-Senior-Pastor

I am a Google Chrome user and this was really helpful to maximize the tool:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/use-chrome-like-pro.html

Our research director, Dr. Warren Bird, also sent these along to me.

“This SBC attractional evangelism study might interest you.

http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/BPnews.asp?ID=33294

Note that the used one of my favorite methodologies, which Jim Collins popularized, of comparing an A group with a B group.”

It did interest me. Thanks Warren. I always appreciate good research.

Also: note the “T.D. Jakes Scholars” model of credentialing his staff. It’s the best seminary-connection yet that I’ve read about:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/religion/stories/070810dnmetjakes.1cbf823.html

I agree with Warren and I don’t know why more of our large church clients don’t take this path for training and educating staff. I know there are lots of obstacles to clear with some seminaries but I think the results could be great for both parties and students.

OK, email me with links you think I should see at Dave (dot) Travis@leadnet (dot) org.

And finally for the week: I don’t know the band but I love this album title : What we lose in the fire, we gain in the flood. The Mynabirds.

Dave Travis

Managing Director

Leadership Network

www.twitter.com/davetravis

Links of Interest for week of June 18, 2010

OK, these are the links that I lingered over this week:

First off, I have to mention this thing Todd Rhoades, our digital sage, did this week to get input for THE NINES coming this September. The response to this pick list has generated almost 18,000 views in 48 hours AND lots of good suggestions AND almost 6800 people giving an opinion. So, if somehow you have missed it, check it here:

http://twtpick.in/4k

From Mariners Church in California, The Tithe Challenge video

http://vimeo.com/12379124

The Summer Hours idea from Tim Schraeder’s blog. How could I implement this idea?

http://www.timschraeder.com/2010/06/14/summer-hours/

Our friends at LCBC (That is a church which used to be known as Lancaster County Bible Church but is now Lives Changed by Christ) have purchased an old Saturn dealer for a new site:

http://www.yorkdispatch.com/business/ci_15300553

A report in a Canadian paper about research Leadership Network did in Europe on Multi Site churches there:

http://www.bibleleague.ca/news-detail-inter.php?id=172

From Brian Profitt’s blog a story about planting churches based on needs, not demographics:

http://preachingunleashed.com/smart-ministry/90-june-2010/172-church-plant-based-on-need-not-demographics

I thought Kevin Miller’s story over at Christianity Today on “No more don’t ask, don’t tell” was thought provoking.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/buildingleaders/ministrystaff/nomoredontask.html?start=1

Also from CT’s site, John Ortberg puts Paul Heibert’s thoughts on bounded and centered sets in layman’s language. We use this concept a lot at Leadership Network and John does a great job here.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/currenttrendscolumns/leadershipweekly/categoryconfusion.html

And a shout out to the editor over there Marshall Shelley for all his great work at producing these articles.

And finally, some thoughts from Evan McBroom’s blog on focusing not on facts and figures but real lives touched:

http://evanmcbroom.typepad.com/evan_mcbroom_the_other/2010/06/facts-figures-are-boring.html

I will have more next week. Send me some if you think I should see them!

 

Dave Travis

Managing Director

Leadership Network

Follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/davetravis

Or on facebook at www.facebook.com/davetravis

Eric Swanson on THE SHOW this week

Want to learn the latest about Externally Focused Churches?

I get to interview Rick Rusaw, Pastor of Lifebridge Church, and Eric Swanson, my colleague at Leadership Network – Tuesday on THE SHOW from Leadership Network.

http://theshow.leadnet.org

Eric and Rick have written several books together over the last few years including:

The Externally Focused Church

The Externally Focused Life

and their latest book, The Externally Focused Quest: Becoming the Best Church FOR Your Community.

 

I personally think it’s the best yet in their series.

I will interview both authors on THE SHOW, 4 p.m. Eastern time on June 15th.

And there will be time for some questions and answers as well so please join us.

 

In addition to the interview I will point you to the recent video from our SAGE Conference last month featuring Eric talking about how he would share the gospel differently as opposed to 30 years ago.

 

 

And yes, he really is a giant.

Don’t forget to join us at http://theshow.leadnet.org

Dave Travis

Managing Director

Leadership Network

Multi-site Church Launch Changes

Leadership Network recently hosted Rich Birch  from Liquid Church as a resource for our Multi-site JumpStart Innovation Lab.  The churches that participated in this lab had all recently launched a new campus - from nine months to three weeks earlier.  Rich provided some excellent insights about organizational changes that have to happen as churches enter the multi-site church world. 

You can listen to the entire presentation here or check out the following notes.

According to Rich’s experience with both Liquid Church where he currently serves, The Meeting House where he formerly served and interaction with  churches he has served through Multi-Site Solutions, the following things must change as a church launches their first campus:

1.  They must move from staff driven to volunteer fueled.

2.  They must engage intentional leadership development instead of simple intuitive leadership development.

3.  They must distinguish between the nice to haves and the need to haves.

Three other random learnings (Rich’s words!) include:

1.  Multi-site should not be the sum of your vision.  Rather it should be a tool to aid the larger goal.

2.  Churches often take longer to think through “campus three” than “campus two.”

3.  Audit and adjust the eco-system – measure and compare campuses for growth and effectiveness of the parts and the whole.

What are you learning from new campus launches?  Would love to get your comments.

Greg Ligon

 

twitter - @gregligon

email – greg.ligon@leadnet.org

Missional Meets Multi-Site

One of the things that excites me about what God is doing is in the interface between missional models for church and multi-site strategies.  In Leadership Network’s interaction with both multi-site churches and externally focused churches, we are seeing more and more overlap.  Multi-site churches are reaching out to their community by using campuses to establish missional presence in neighborhoods.  On the flip side of the coin - externally focused churches are experiencing the “birth” of worshipping campuses in the areas of the city where they are serving the needs of the people they encounter.

I recently had the opportunity to interview two churches that model this growing trend. Two very different churches, each multisite, describe missional ways they’re making a difference in people’s lives in their respective communities. Each church found and met a need, doing so in a way that opens the door to spiritual conversations - one through hurricane relief and another through an aquatics center in partnership with their city.

Check out the podcast of my discussion with David DeGarmo, Multisite Director, Church of the King, in greater New Orleans, LA and Crull Chambless, Executive Pastor, Harvest Church, Billings, MT here.

Is your church engaging missional/multi-site synergies?  If so, or you know of another church that is, share the story via twitter (@gregligon) or email me.

Greg Ligon

Vice President and Publisher

twitter - @gregligon

email – greg.ligon@leadnet.org

The Greenhouse Effect – Seacoast Church and Leadership

Mac Lake from Seacoast Church is fast becoming one of the “go-to-gurus” for leadership development.  I recently interviewed him to get an update on what was new at Seacoast in the area of leadership development.  Take a look at Mac’s explanation of the latest adaptation to their model – introducing a greenhouse culture. 

You can follow Mac via twitter @maclake and also by joining the Leading Multi-site Online Community.

What are you learning about leadership development?

 

 

 

Leadership Network has plans in place to launch a new leadership community focused on leadership development later this year.  If you are interested, contact Linda Stanley via twitter @lindastanley or email her at linda.stanley@leadnet.org

 

Greg Ligon

Leadership Network

twitter - @gregligon

greg.ligon@leadnet.org

Multi-site Churches and Central Support Teams

I recently spent some time with Kevin Penry from LifeChurch.tv   where he was serving as a coach/consultant for eight multi-site churches participating in Leadership Network’s Multi-site JumpStart InnovationLab.  During one of the breaks I asked Kevin to tell me about the greatest challenge for him as the multi-site ministry at LifeChurch.tv had grown over the last several years.  In this video, he shares how he and the central team stay engaged “on-the-ground” as they serve campuses literally around the world.

 

If your church has launched your first multi-site campus in the last six to eight months, you may be interested in applying to be a part of the next Multi-site JumpStart InnovationLab.  Applications can be requested from julia.burk@leadnet.org or downloaded at Multi-site JumpStart InnovationLab.  

 

Greg Ligon

Leadership Network

twitter – gregligon

email – greg.ligon@leadnet.org

How one multi-site church merged into another multi-site church

Watch this video interview with Charles Lee, Pastor of New Hope South Bay, which is a multi-site church in 2 locations, that recently merged into NewSong Church, one church in multiple locations, currently in Irvine, North Orange County, Los Angeles, Dallas, Mexico City, Bangkok, London. In the video, Charles also talks about the key issues that New Hope had to work through in this merger process. New Hope South Bay retains its church name and governance, even its denomination. So this may be one of the first multi-denominational multi-site churches.

What I find unique about this particular model of a multi-site church is how it operates as one church in multiple locations through relational connections rather than organizational management. Could this redefine and broaden the multi-site church strategy and models even further?

-- DJ CHUANG, Director at Leadership Community

Multi-Site Church Blogger’s Tour

A little over a year ago, Warren Bird, Geoff Surratt and I took a “road trip” as we connected with 15 plus of the leading innovative churches in the multi-site movement.  At each stop we learned about one of the latest innovations in the way multi-site that is being executed in the United States and literally around the world.  We reported on our exploration in our book A Multi-site Church Road Trip.  

 

On December 15, we will be taking a different kind of tour – a tour of 15 or more blogs where we will answer the questions of the following bloggers:

Story in the Making   Ben Arment   http://www.benarment.com

Monday Morning Insight   Todd Rhoades   http://mondaymorninginsight.com/

Mosaic   Eric Bryant   http://ericbryant.org/

Leading from the Second Chair   Mike Bonem http://www.secondchair.blogspot.com/

Observations   Bill Easum   www.billeasum.com

Guiding Christian Leaders   Tom Bandy   http://tgbandy.com/

BullardJournal   George Bullard   http://www.bullardjournal.org/

Consulting, Coaching and Chatter   Bill Tenny-Brittian http://www.billtennybrittian.com/

Women Who Lead   Sherry Surratt   http://www.sherrysurratt.com

LifeChurch.tv (NW OKC Campus)   Scott Williams http://bigisthenewsmall.com/

Granger Community Church (Elkhart Campus)   Jeff Bell http://livewellleadwell.com

Eagle Brook Church (White Bear Lake Canpus)   Don Graffam http://wblbehindthescenes.wordpress.com/

South Bend campus of Grace Community Church   Tim Boucher http://bouchersblog.blogspot.com/

Bay Area Fellowship   Bil Cornelius   http://www.bilcornelius.com/blog

Captain’s Blog   Chad Estes   http://chadestes.com

Please join us on these blogs and here on the Multi-Site Church Road Trip Blog and feel free to ask a question of your own.  Rumor has it that there will be a free copy of the book given to anyone who can stump Geoff Surratt!

@GregLigon – greg.ligon@leadnet.org

@GeoffSurratt – GeoffSurratt@seacoast.org

@WarrenBird - warren.bird@leadnet.org

Releasing for Reproduction

I recently spent a little time with Dave Ferguson from Community Christian Church in Naperville.  If you know Dave and you know Community Christian, you know that they are all about reproduction – leaders, artists, campuses, church plants and networks.  At a recent planning session, they realized that with reference to reproducing campuses, they were stuck. Check out this video to hear how they got unstuck and the amazing results.

Greg Ligon, Vice President and Publisher, Leadership Network
twitter – gregligon and #leadnet