Category: leadership

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austin stone discipleship leadership

Discipleship | The Austin Stone Summer Conference

I’m on a panel called “Making Disciples in the Church” for The Austin Stone’s Summer Conference.

Below are the questions I’m being asked (phrased from the point of a facilitator).

Section 1

  • How did you start making disciples?
  • How did you find the person you are discipling?
  • What prompted you to be intentional with that person?
  • How did you do it?
  • What did you say?
  • What were the requirements on that person? Expectations?
  • How did you ‘disciple’ them?
  • What did the actual day in and day out with that person look like? How long?
  • What was the result?
  • How do you judge the success of that?

Section 2

  • How do you identify people to be intentional with?
  • Where should I look to find these people?
  • Do I need to be in a discipleship relationship myself?
  • What’s the balance between building relationship and speaking truth?
  • What if it doesn’t seem to be working out?
  • What if they are totally different from me?
  • Where’s the line between grace and discipline?
  • What do you actually ‘do’ with them?
  • How intentional do I have to be?
  • How do you make a disciple if someone doesn’t want to be a disciple?
  • When and how do I utilize off-ramps?

What would your responses be? I’ll post mine soon…

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leadership

Tribes Thoughts | Leadership is Influence

One good insight from Tribes has been thinking through how leadership is influence, which is practically exercised through commonality of an idea and communication.

Godin’s most basic argument is that marketing has changed the rules for markets, and more concretely, the internet has changed the face of marketing to provide greater influence to individuals disconnected from institutional power structures.

Smart leadership is found in understanding the ever-changing communication landscape, and how you can continue to connect with your “tribe”.

For me, I think I’m going to make a more concerted effort to share the ideas I’ve been chewing on here, and see if some of them are actually worth pursuing.

So one simple question for you as a reader: will you help me filter some ideas I have for the future?

Picture from Badger.20

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assimilation leadership

Tribes Thoughts | Assimilation is Connectivity

In Tribes, Seth Godin talks about Senator Bill Bradley’s elements of movement:

  1. A narrative that tells the story of who the tribe is and the alternate future they are building
  2. Connection between the movement leader and the tribe
  3. Something to do, or actionable items

In my context, number two is the hardest to accomplish, and I’m thinking through how my ministry and our church can do a better job of connecting leaders and the tribe.  Assimilation ministry is essentially fostering the second point, connecting individuals to the leader.

Adapting the model for church, here’s what I come up with:

  1. Narrative and alternate future = preaching and visionary leadership
  2. Connection between leader and tribe = assimilation and “community”
  3. Actionable items = mobilization

Preaching and visionary leadership can engender actionable items, but sustainability in mission comes from the second point.

I realize this is pretty simple, but it seems to make sense to me…any challenges/thoughts?

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christianity leadership

Ministry Idolatry from Tim Keller

The following is from 3 questions with Tim Keller at Towers Online.

Q: What safeguards should 20-something pastors have in place to avoid the idolatry of ministry fame and the attitude of big numbers equals success?

TK: If you know it is a danger, that is a very important start. Additionally, when you find yourself unusually discouraged because things aren’t growing or people aren’t listening to you — you have to catch yourself. You have to realize “This is an inordinate amount of discouragement, which reveals the idolatry of justification by ministry.” Meaning, you say you believe in justification by grace, but you feel like and are acting like you believe in justification by ministry. You have to recognize you are making something of an idol out of ministry. When you do experience inordinate discouragement because things aren’t going well, you need to say, “It’s okay to be discouraged but not to be this discouraged. This is discouragement that leads to idolatry,” and you repent.

Additionally, idols create a fantasy world. You may think that you are just thinking about ministry strategy, but it could be you’re fantasizing about success. So be careful about doing too much daydreaming about success, what you would like to see happen. Because it’s really a kind of pornography. You’re actually thinking about a beautiful church and people acclaiming you: be careful about fantasizing too much about ministry success and dreaming about it and thinking about what it’s going to look like.

I think the equation with fantasizing about the future is a good correction and reminder that I need.  It’s hard to maintain a healthy dose of vision for your future, while remaining a minister in the present.

For you who are reading, how do you maintain a vision for the future without living in an alternate, fantasized reality?

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assimilation austin stone college ministry leadership

Wearing Many Hats

Through the last few years, I am becoming infinitely more aware of the necessity of adaptation and flexibility in whatever environment I am working. No matter how much I desire to have things under control, or how much I want to have the requisite skill set completely mastered for a job, I continue to find myself needing to grow and change to obey God and succeed in what He has called me to.

I think a few years ago this would have left me completely frustrated and feeling out of control. More recently, I think God has been teaching me that it is the natural course of walking in obedience to Him. Quite simply, my lack of control generally means that God is moving. Adaptability is simply the fruit of obedience and sensitivity to where God is taking me.

When I get frustrated about having to adapt or grow in my skills, it is nothing but simple ignorance to how God is shaping me more onto His image, and pruning me to bear more fruit in His kingdom. I must repent when this idolatry of comfort takes hold.