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371: How to Respond to Criticism   A special thanks to Dana Young for this note on facing criticism.   1st admit that you are not perfect. Jesus was the only perfect human to walk the earth, and you are not Him. Take ownership and admit that you always have room for improvement.   2nd assess whether the criticism is constructive or destructive. Is it intended to help you improve or to tear you down? Take the constructive and ignore the destructive. If the criticism was meant to harm you, ignore it and move on. Do not dwell on it. (If the criticism is from an anonymous critic, do not waste your time.)   3rd take a breath. Do not respond immediately. Take time to ponder and consider how the criticism can make you better.   4th thank the person for caring enough to offer their opinion. If they didn’t think you could improve, they wouldn’t have come to you. They could have chosen to complain to other people about you instead of coming to you.   5th ask the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) (Proverbs 15) Seek direction from the Holy Spirit. See this as an opportunity to improve. Be teachable and humble.   6th make the improvement and move forward. Do not get stuck in a negative thought pattern regarding the criticism. Focus on the good.   1 Peter 5:1-10

Episode 370: 7 Keys for Moving People from Guests to Engaged Members   Make sure you ask for contact information, remembering that less is more. You need a name and a contact method, preferably a phone number. If they put kids in your care, you can ask for more information for safety reasons. But don't overtask. Reach out quickly; the more quickly we reach out, the more powerful the statement. A quick text to say thank you, along with the promise of a phone call at a certain time later, makes a meaningful statement. Also, make sure it's more than just a pastor. Another layperson adds greatly to the conversation. When you do talk with them, ask questions, don't just give them information. Too often, we want to tell them about everything going on at the church. Let them ask you the questions. They will realize they matter to you. Be honest and unashamed about who you are. If they don't like your worship style, don't apologize for how you do it. If you don't have a large student ministry, don't apologize, but be enthusiastic about the type you would like to build. Be gracious if they are not sure; they will come back. Remind them of other churches in the area and encourage them to find the place God wants them to be. We are kingdom collaborators, not kingdom competitors. Offer a membership class. Churches with effective membership classes tend to attract more guests and see more people join. Work to connect people with a Sunday School or small group. People stick when we find ways to connect them with others.

Episode 369: Onboarding Onboarding  Most churches don’t put much thought into onboarding new paid staff or new volunteers  For all  1–Is there a written job description for the position? 2–What are the written expectations?  3–Are there any unwritten expectations- landmines  For volunteers  1–Is there a time limit for this volunteer position- ie. is there an out or not.  2–Can you explain briefly what success looks like for this position? 3–Who does this person work with and who can this volunteer go to with problems 4–Will there be an evaluation to hold this person accountable? Who will do the evaluation and how often? For staff 1–How does this person line out or set up their benefits? 2–How is this person evaluated and how often? 3–Who can this person go to if there are problems? 4–Who is this person over? (Responsible for) 5–What is the real chain of authority in the church?

Episode 368 - 4 ways we might overestimate or underestimate our preaching 4 ways we overestimate 1. We overestimate preaching a discipleship tool. 2. We overestimate preaching as an evangelism tool. 3. We overestimate our performance. 4. We overestimate our influence. 4 ways we underestimate 1. We undervalue the importance of connection 2. We undervalue the power of the Spirit to change lives 3. We undervalue the importance of our preparation 4. We undervalue our influence...  

Episode 367: Enduring Work of Pre-marital Guidance Resources: Marriage by Paul David Tripp Symbis by Les and Leslie Parrot Love and respect by Emerson Egritch Videos by Mark Gungor   Focus on the family   Marriage mentoring - seasoned with newlyweds Having couple-friends who esteem marriage - won’t let you talk bad about your spouse Marriage retreats- check up from the neck up Weekly calendaring - creating connection, date-time, and sabbath time

Episode 366: 8 Ways to Use a Budget Surplus 1. Fund a deferred maintenance account 2. Increase your mission giving. 3. Subsidize mission trips among your members. 4. Support a church plant. 5. Start a new ministry. 6. Explore staff need and staff pay. 7. Consider building improvements. 8. Begin a fund for Insurance/Self-insurance.

Episode 365: 7 Ways to Make Your Church Ready for Easter Attractional versus Attractive Make sure your property is clean and prepared. You get one opportunity to make a first impression.   Build a sense of expectancy. Talk about how significant the day is. We are celebrating a risen Savior! We should expect the power of the resurrection to overwhelm.   Train your church to greet guests, especially by inviting them to sit with them.   Greet people in the parking lot, you'll be amazed at the positive effect this can have.   Determine how you will plan to get together guest cards that day. This is a day I would encourage everyone to get a registration card and consider offering a donation as an incentive to fill it out. For instance, for each new guest who fills out the registration card, the church will give $10 to our "local mission" or Annie Armstrong…. People are glad to know they are helping a cause.   Plan your gospel presentation…as pastors, we sometimes become sloppy, but think about who your guests might be, make sure you free yourself from too much "religious speak."   Involve kids. I always loved having children in the service, and I often did a children's message or had one of our children's workers do an object lesson.

What Makes Pastoral Ministry a Question Mark after Year 10? 1. Ministry has become our occupation not our calling. 2. Our leadership and methods sometimes grow stagnant. 3. We focus too much of on energy on internal church matters. 4. We believe we have earned the right to make most of the decisions. 5. We fail to be honest about the present condition of the church. 6. We only focus on problem people - not those who want to grow Ask some hard questions: 1. Am I still growing as a Christian leader? 2. Do I have a dream/vision I can share? 3. Am I developing others? 4. Do others have a voice?

Episode363: Where Do You Find Pastors and Staff   Trent and Alan discuss finding candidates for pastoral ministry and church staff. 

Episode 362: Spaced Out   1. Assess your space constantly. 2. Look for where you are not maximizing your space. 3. Chairs over pews... 4. Creative possibilities for extra space....  - in the 70's churches had classes meeting in old buses outside the building 5. Plan Multiple services/ classes  -change everyone's schedule Communication 1. Communicate a "no ownership of spaces" mindset 2. Communicate the benefits of growth. 3. Honor the sacrifices of people and empathize with their pain.

Episode 360: Doomed to Repeat It!!   Here are some questions for you to consider ( some questions adapted from Henry Blackaby's book Flickering Lamps)   1. How was your church started - was it started from a split from another church? Or was it an intentional plant from another church?   2. What did the founders intend when they started your church? Was there a specific group they were trying to reach? Was the church to have a unique focus?   3. How is the church different from when it was established? Is that good?   4. How does your church glorify God? What are some aspects in which it does not glorify God as it should?   5. In what ways is your church making disciples?  In what ways is it failing to make disciples? Is your congregation focused at all on making disciples "of all nations"?   6. What are you doing currently to impact the nations for Christ?  What has your church done in the past? How long ago was that?   7. How is your church's presence currently making a positive impact on your community?  When it began, was it seen as a positive force? Would people miss your church if it were gone?   8. What are some sins for which your church needs to repent?  What is your plan for getting your church to do so? When and how?

Episode 359: The Trust Axis of Leadership   The diagram is for personal use; any professional or publication use requires proper attribution. Trust Axis Diagram

358: Need a Team of Volunteers? From Gary McIntosh in *The 10 Key Roles of a Pastor* 1. Look at every person as a potential team member 2. Encourage people to serve the Lord on the basis of their love for Him. 3. Don't downplay the role; magnify it. 4. Don't recruit in the hallway. (Make an appointment) 5. Introduce potential recruits to those already in the same ministry.     - in a small church, you might have to go outside your church 6. Never expect an immediate answer 7. Follow Up 8. Train Them

Episode 357: How to End and Begin a New Year!   Evaluation - By this time, the Christmas programs are usually over, and parties are wrapping up.   So take a lunch with your staff or leadership and do some evaluation.  First of all, pay for their lunch - its a good investment. Second, ask them to evaluate a few things. How do you feel that your area of ministry is handling life? How would you rate our church's health from 1 to 10? How do others you know rate our church's health? Do you feel like you matter in our ministry? How do you feel about your relationship with me, your lead pastor?

Episode 356: 10 Days of Christmas   A laid-back, fun episode 10 more volunteers - or 10 more discipled followers of Jesus 9 more ideas of how to share the Christmas story 8 less commercials each time I want to watch a ball game 7 more Christmas gift ideas for my family and staff 6 hostess Christmas tree cakes 5 Golden givers 4 deacons serving 3 more hours with my kids 2 more White Elephant parties - NOT 1 more person brought to Jesus