By Dr. Tim Spivey

Cause you can doesn’t mean you should. Just because you should, doesn’t mean you can.

Now that Easter has passed and summer is approaching, it’s a great time to do some spring cleaning. In January, many of us set big, hairy audacious goals – fine. January may be the time to resolve to have 8,000 baptisms by February, raise $2 trillion to fight world hunger, and to hasten the Lord’s return with amazing acts of righteousness.

April/May is a great time to check-in on those goals and correct course in a way that will also help your church come next January. It’s an important discipline, and as we go about it, we need to remember this important leadership principle:

Doing more doesn’t mean you’ve done more. It often means you’re simply more busy. More isn’t better. Better is better. In fact, solid ministry strategy might lead a church to resolve to do less – reducing activity/spending for the sake of its actual mission: to make disciples. Sometimes, churches succumb to a belief that if they do less of something in 2012 than they did in 2011, they’ve failed or the entire church may be heading downward.

Sometimes that’s true. But…

The problem with always hiking goals for money given to missions, the number of ministries a church is involved in, or the number of activities a church offers is it creates ministry bubbles with high expectations of perennial achievement that can’t possibly be met – and perhaps shouldn’t.

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

Of course we should have goals. We just need to make sure that doing more of what was God’s leading 10 years ago is God’s will for us this year and next. Many churches assume so. The thought process works like this: if God wanted us to support a missionary to Cambodia in the 1990s…he still wants us to, and success in missions is defined by how much money we give toward missions in Cambodia compared to years past.

Sound familiar?

There is always a point at which such a system becomes unsustainable and the forced reduction process offers an expensive lesson in humility and focus. More importantly, such an undisciplined ministry system fragments attention, resources and focus. It also keeps new ministry from being born because there’s no time, attention or resources to give to it.

When churches focus on preparing emotionally, intellectually and spiritually for mission, they find their mission clarifies and is more easily achieved because they have freed up time and resources to go after it with unfragmented vigor. They also avoid those painful days when they will inevitably have to lay people off, bring missionaries home, or shut the doors because they succumbed to the “more is always better” ministry myth.

Let me share an excerpt from Harvard Business Review: “Scott Bedbury, the marketing genius who helped build the Nike and Starbucks brands, has a funny term for this same idea. He warns big brands against extending themselves too far – entering new markets, launching new products, selling their products in new retail environments – if there’s no strategic integrity behind the moves. He calls it the “Spandex Rule” of branding. (Inspired by the insight that just because you can wear Spandex jogging clothes doesn’t mean you should, as anyone who runs in public parks can attest.) “A great brand that knows itself also uses that knowledge to decide what not to do,” he argues.”

For Christians, it’s not a matter of brand management, but of missional clarity. It’s about pursuing what God wants us to do with everything He gave us to do it with.

Many churches could (and should) stop doing one-third of their activities and ministries. In most cases, they would upset only those leading those activities and a few other devotees. The time and resources freed up could launch new ministries more on the mission mark – or increase involvement across other existing ministries. Why? There is more available bandwidth of time, resources and focus.

Why won’t churches do it? Two reasons: first, because it sounds bad to say you’re stopping things – it sounds like failure. Second, because they lack the courage.

Just as it’s true to say, “just because you can doesn’t mean you should,” it’s also true that, “ just because you should, doesn’t mean you can.
Another prevalent problem for churches is to know what they should do and not be able to do it. Why? For some, it’s because of their polity. For other churches, it might be a dysfunctional system of doing church sown over years of tolerating what shouldn’t be tolerated and allowing themselves to be forced to do what they can do but shouldn’t.

This season may be a great time for your church to take stock and resolve to do less and in doing so, become more. Sometimes doing more is the right thing to do. For most churches, however, we should be doing less better – and saving the “more” for things we aren’t already doing. Sometimes doing more is better. Not always.

So, set goals, and set good ones. Adjust the goals you set in January, and add a new one at mid-year: to discover new opportunities for ministry and courageously clear the brush to journey there.

Dr. Tim Spivey is lead planter of New Vintage Church in San Diego, CA. Tim is also an adjunct professor of religion at Pepperdine University and purveyor of New Vintage Leadership, a blog offering cutting-edge insights on leadership and theology. He is the author of numerous articles and the book Jesus, the Powerful Servant.

There’s something special in a workplace when employees enjoy their jobs and are passionate about their work. If your employees are not happy, it will show in their work.

It doesn’t take long to walk into a place and get a feel of the environment. Is this a place of a bunch of stuffed shirts or is this a place you’d like to work?

Some might ask: if you’re having fun at work are you really working? All work and no play makes for _____ (you fill in the blank). The reality is, if everyone takes themselves too seriously, they could end up seriously ill. Proverbs 17:22 tells us “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

Is having fun at work a part of your culture? It doesn’t happen by accident, you need to be intentional about it.

So how do you create an atmosphere of fun in the workplace?

Develop a plan of having fun with your staff. Don’t just jump in one week and do something fun and then nothing for another six months. Start out slow, by doing something once a month. Find out what your staff would consider to be fun. If you have a large staff, break it down into teams of fun.

Lead by example. You’ve heard this said a hundred times. Then do it. If you’re not willing to participate, neither will your employees. If this is something that is not normal for you, it may take a little time to relax and let loose.

Creating a culture of fun can take time. Be patient. Things don’t just change because you say so or you have one fun day. Change takes time. Celebrate the opportunities as they present themselves.

I recently had new business cards printed. One that says Chief Operating Officer and another one that says Chief of Stuff. The reality is that the second one tells what I really do.

All work and no play, doesn’t work for me. I want to have fun at work. Really.

Mike Klockenbrink is chief of staff at Lakeside Church, Folsom, CA. www.lakesidechurch.com

The younger generation is not the church of the future. They are the church of today. What are they looking for in a church leader? How can you equip them to lead today? Allow me to offer 10 insights.

1.      They desire integrity among leaders. Our research has shown that young adults don’t drop out of the church because of large-scale moral failures of leadership. But they’ve seen enough duplicity – they are attracted to leaders that stand firm and are people of principle.

2.      They look for transparency in leaders. A lack of transparency at the top is frustrating to anyone who follows. The younger generation tends to follow transparent leaders over distant, detached leaders. And they want to know that they are not alone in their struggles. They want to hear the leader’s story, valuing personal impact over steps-to-success in a message.

3.      They want leaders to be mentors. Mentoring to the younger generation comes in a more informal relationship. It’s not about the program or process; it’s more about the relationship.

4.      They crave opportunities from leaders. Most young adults do not want to sit on the sidelines. In fact, a growing front door to the church is missions. A church without opportunity to serve is boring at best, disobedient at worst. Give young adults an opportunity to serve and watch them succeed with the mission.

5.      They need leaders to shoot straight. With life. With biblical depth. Young adults do not come to church to wade in the shallows. They do not follow leaders that soft peddle. They desire leaders to shepherd them through the depths of Scripture and the valleys of life.

6.      They are attracted to team leadership. The younger generation deplores autocratic leaders. Leaders that attract the younger generation show everyone how their ministry link is a critical one. These leaders reveal the big picture to everyone rather than keeping the vision black box locked. They equip the saints and empower the laity to join God on His mission.

7.      They want to be corrected by leaders. One way to confuse the younger generation is to set expectations and then hold no one accountable. Much of the younger generation has a desire for strong spiritual guidance and the corresponding discipline when they stray.

8.      They seek examples in leadership. Missional churches have missional pastors. Evangelistic churches have evangelistic church leaders. Churches that meet the needs of the community have leaders that champion the cause.

9.      They need to hear a message of forgiveness from leaders. Many younger adults carry a burden of guilt. Many of them have no concept of true forgiveness. They need to hear leaders tell them plainly what the atonement of Christ means. They need to hear the how the debt of sin has been cancelled.

10.  They look for joyful leaders. Young adults gravitate towards a worship experience that represents the joy of Christ. They want to hear from leaders that live Philippians 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! They quickly recognize manufactured joy, but they value leaders with true joy.

Sam S. Rainer III is president of Rainer Research and senior pastor of First Baptist Church Murray, Murray, KY. www.rainerresearch.com, www.fbcmurray.org

By Ken Behr

I have a number of friends that are entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs run in our family and that is likely why I have an appreciation for people of like mind.  While we often think of entrepreneurs as people that risk capital to start their own businesses, there are other types of entrepreneurs that are looking to transform people, not just their personal economic conditions.

We need more people to consider becoming spiritual entrepreneurs. Spiritual entrepreneurs desire to be personally involved in the fulfillment of both the Great Commandment (love one another) and the Great Commission (make disciples). This has been the general charge given not to an institution called the church but the people that are followers of Christ.

Entrepreneurs are not satisfied with the status quo; they have an emotional desire to innovate, to change, to challenge. They are also highly resourceful, finding innovative ways to do more with less; they create enterprise, they build teams and organizations and grow-grow-grow!

In the 1950s a number of great men came on the scene and began a revolution within the church. Bob Pierce started World Vision; Bill Bright started Campus Crusade; James Rayburn started Young Life; and Billy Graham began his crusades. They were all entrepreneurs. Under-resourced and passionate, they were driven to change not only a nation but the world. They succeeded beyond what others could have even hoped. They operated outside of the traditional denominational walls and created a movement.

Today, when a pastor decides to start a church from scratch, or a church announces a new campus and appoints a campus pastor, an entrepreneur fills the role.  These small, struggling and modest beginnings are not only led by entrepreneurs but also need individuals, couples and families to join them as spiritual entrepreneurs. These pastors need people that can come alongside them, sometimes even pick up and move their residence and find creative ways to do ministry and to challenge the status quo.  Our communities are full of people that don’t know they desperately need God, don’t know there is so much more to life than what they are experiencing, don’t know that there are only two options that are available to them: life and death.

It’s likely more comfortable to fit in to growing churches, to follow well-established pathways and rely on contemporary but still conventional growth strategies.  The spiritual entrepreneur, however, will find great satisfaction in challenging conventional thinking and will need to rely on the power, wisdom and strength of God.

Ken Behr is an executive pastor at Christ Fellowship, Palm Beach Gardens, FL. www.gochristfellowship.com

By Mike Klockenbrink

It’s been two years since you were hired and your job has evolved. The original job description you were given no longer fits the job you’re doing. This raises several questions that need to be addressed. How can you be properly evaluated on your job performance if you’re not doing what your job description dictates? How did this happen?

I can tell you that it doesn’t happen overnight, but gradually over a period of time. We are in the process of evaluating all of our current job descriptions. Many of them are up to date and truly reflect the job description with the performance expectations. Several are outdated and need a lot of work.

Almost everyone likes the current role they’re in and the job they have. Of course they do. It’s changed or evolved over a period of time and they’ve had time to grow into it. The question is does it match their job description? We end up doing things we like to do or have a passion for. But these things may or may not have anything to do with the job we were hired for. If this goes on long enough, we start to believe that this is our job. It may or may not be.

On several occasions I’ve had to ask employees why they are doing a particular task. The answer is usually the same – it’s my job. I don’t ever remember this being a part of their job description when they were hired. Again, over time it has crept in and becomes a part of our routine.

As I reevaluate and update current job descriptions, I ask several questions. Does this change reflect the need for that position or department? Are we doing this because the employee has outgrown the position? Do we still have a need for the current job?

Sometimes we need to take tasks or responsibilities off of someone’s plate to be in line with their job description, while others need to actually have their job description changed. In order to succeed, people need to know what’s expected of them. An up-to-date job description can help to accomplish this. I recommend that you review your job descriptions every other year at a minimum. Even if it’s not your job.

Mike Klockenbrink is chief of staff at Lakeside Church, Folsom, CA. www.lakesidechurch.com

By Sam S. Rainer III

A problem with organizations is the larger they become, the more layers of complexity are added. More people equates to more information. More information leads to greater complexity. The larger the organization, the greater the potential for information to get misconstrued or lost. Like someone who is deprived of oxygen, a lack of clear communication can choke an organization. The same holds true when there is a large amount of erroneous information. Without good information flow, uncertainty is bound to build. By nature, larger organizations must work harder to avoid this dilemma of ambiguity.

Even in “flat” organizations – where information flows through fewer layers – the sheer number of people can make an otherwise simple message confusing. Top-down or side-to-side, it does not matter. Lateral communication filters through people like vertical communication; it just moves in a different direction.

Here’s the issue for church leaders: growing a local church inevitably means planning a strategy to communicate. One difficulty of leading a church is growing the Kingdom without choking the body. When information bottlenecks form in the church, these pinches asphyxiate – depriving  the body of much needed communication, choking it with ambiguity and uncertainty.

Ambiguity almost always begins at the top. It’s more than (but includes) a lack of transparency. Most of the time, leaders with good intentions simply do not strategize about how to communicate differently as the church grows. Let me share with you some key signals – or statements – of ambiguity in a church, as well as what happens when these signs are ignored:

“We might have a problem, but we are not sure where it is.” Something’s wrong. You know it intuitively, or some obvious symptoms are emerging. But you don’t know where the problem originated. You can’t pinpoint it or tell if it is perceived or real. Not talking with your team about potential problems means they will each seek a variety of individual solutions, and they might move in opposing directions to solve the same issue, compounding the problem.

“We’re growing, but we are not sure how to gauge success.” Ministries are booming. God is working. It is clear the church is growing. But you are not measuring anything, and you aren’t sure what metrics are relevant. Not communicating relevant metrics means people make up which ones they believe are important.

“We’ve got a great team, but we’re not sure where to put people.” You love your team, but you do not know their true strengths and weaknesses. They are competent wherever you place them. They are passionate. They support you. But you do not have a strategy to place them in a position that best fits them. Not communicating with your team about where they sit on the bus means they will choose their own seats—or worse, compete for the same seat.

“Something’s happening, but we’re not sure what.” Growth occurs. People in the church are excited. What exactly is fueling the excitement, however, remains elusive. Not communicating with the people about what God is doing in their personal lives means you are a disconnected leader doomed to overlook the one thing people are excited about.

“We have a vision, but we’re not sure how to implement it.” Everyone is on board and they’re cheering. They can’t wait for the ship to head out. The captain knows where to go, but can’t figure out how to start the engine (or who to give the start key). Not asking for help or communicating a need means no one goes anywhere.

Here’s the ultimate problem of ambiguity: What people do not know, they make it up. Most people do not settle for long periods of confusion.  If you do not communicate with them, then they will fill the gaps of uncertainty with their own ideas, strategies and execution. Leaders are responsible to casting a vision, setting the tone, but also planning a strategy of how to communicate with everyone.

Sam S. Rainer III is president of Rainer Research and senior pastor of First Baptist Church Murray, Murray, KY. www.rainerresearch.com,  www.fbcmurray.org

I’m sitting here trying to look ahead to next year and what it potentially holds. I go back to my “Popeye moment” (Holy Discontent by Bill Hybels) of supporting and growing the local church. It is not only my responsibility; it’s what I’ve been called to do.

My oldest son has joined me on our annual men’s retreat on several occasions. On our last retreat we had a great time together. On the way home I told him that at the age of 18, God had gifted me with total knowledge of everything, or so I thought. Since that day, He has slowly been taking that knowledge away. I know a lot less today than I did back then. It’s what we call wisdom.

As a chief operating officer for a local church, I am limited to what I know within these four walls. It is only when I step outside and tap into the vast resources of the local church that I believe I can do my job here. To know that I am not alone and that I don’t have to have all the answers lifts a tremendous burden off my shoulders.

Now I don’t know where everyone else is, but I can only imagine that many of you have similar thoughts and feelings in your current role. So as I look to next year and what it holds, let me tell you what I envision. I see men and women working together to further the Kingdom, and coming together with authenticity to tap into the power we have to make a difference in the local church. Through humility and vulnerability we can take the necessary steps to put action plans into place to support and encourage one another. I am willing to go there, and I would like you to join me on this adventure.

Mike Klockenbrink is chief of staff at Lakeside Church, Folsom, CA. [www.lakesidechurch.com]

By Sam S. Rainer III

I am a planner. Much of my life is organized around a schedule. I think of my daily activities as timeslots in a column on my computer calendar. For the most part, it helps me stay timely and keeps me from procrastinating. And yes, I’m that guy who plans out an entire vacation. My wife, Erin, likes to joke that I enjoy planning our vacations more than the actual vacation time.

Erin and I laugh about our different personalities. She’s usually in the here and now. I’m always thinking way ahead. She’s action-oriented around what needs to be done today. I’m visionary for the next 20 years. She embraces spontaneity, and I have to plan when I’m going to act on a whim. Perhaps such is the reason that we make a good team.

One of my personal struggles as a pastor is maintaining an eye for the here and now. I can have church far-sightedness at times, seeing the future but being fuzzy on today. In reaching the culture for Jesus, a grand vision is important. But just as important is a grand appreciation for the moment at hand. God can greatly use people who take hold of the power of right now. Let me share with you five lessons I learned by loosening the grip on my calendar and joining God’s work in the moment.

Life becomes illustrative. People can make a right-now moment an urgent crises or an opportunity for fun. Some of my favorite stories about friends and family come from life’s spontaneous instances. When God’s people live in the moment, their lives become lights for the world to see His joy.

Levity is let loose. A good laugh helps strengthen relationships. Christians can be salt by adding a little unprompted humor into the mix. And Christians who laugh and joke spontaneously can be accepted as more genuine, authentic and enjoyable.

Creativity is encouraged. Many of my most creative moments come by accident, when I experience something unplanned or unexpected. Living in the moment can encourage and stimulate creativity. And believers who utilize their creative gifts for God’s glory can inspire and motivate people around them.

Connecting trumps work. One of the biggest hurdles in connecting with people is the perception that work is more important than them. Most people plan to work. Few people intentionally reach out to others. A great way to squash this perception is to accept spontaneously when people ask you to join them for dinner, coffee or fellowship at that moment.

Sharing opportunities appear. Most importantly, when God’s people embrace the power of right now, God can provide incredible opportunities to help connect people to Jesus. As believers, we should pray daily that God will put people in front of us who need to hear the only message of true reconciliation ad joy.

Life requires plans. In order for people to function, a level of organization is required. While schedules and routines keep people focused, a little spontaneity can add flavor to the daily grind. And by embracing the power of right now, we might just see God work in the moment.

Sam S. Rainer III is president of Rainer Research and senior pastor of First Baptist Church Murray, Murray, KY. www.rainerresearch.com,  www.fbcmurray.org

By Mike Klockenbrink

But whose basics should be followed?

You’ve just ended your two-week layover on Megalops 3. You’ve resupplied the ship, exchanged some crew members and you’re ready to venture into uncharted territory. The captain has set the course and handed down orders. He alerts everyone, “Warp speed ahead.”

The crew is filled with excitement on this new adventure.

A few weeks into the journey, you start to uncover some hiccups. As you look into the root cause of the issues, you find a common thread.

The problem appears to be with the majority of the new crew members. But these are all qualified people, you argue. Each one is tasked with a specific job. They know what to do, don’t they?

Everyone knows the basic standards. The question is do they have your standards down? After all, you would like to think that your ship is not a cookie cutout of every other ship. You have your specific mark on it. You do some things just a little bit different. Some would even say you’re unique.

Somewhere along the way your team has learned to streamline some processes or eliminate them completely. After all, you’ve empowered them to do their job and find ways to make things better. But now how do you bring everyone up to speed on how you do things “around here?”  And how can you hold someone accountable for doing the job as it was originally intended?

First and foremost, don’t assume that everyone does things your way. Next, check if your manuals, processes and policies are up to date. If not, I suggest you spend some time updating them. It could be a little task to do today or a major overhaul down the road.

The reality is, when you’re moving ahead at warp speed you’re going to experience some hiccups. So get your crew together once a year for a little lesson on getting back to the basics. As long as you let everyone know whose basics their dealing with, you and your crew are more likely to experience smoother sailing ahead. Enjoy your adventure this year.

Mike Klockenbrink is chief of staff at Lakeside Church, Folsom, CA. [www.lakesidechurch.com]

By Sam S. Rainer III

Much debate exists in the academic world on the difference between managers and leaders. Some say the leader position and the manager position are mutually exclusive. Managers are concerned with how things are accomplished; leaders are concerned with what is accomplished. Others see overlap between the two roles. Regardless of the technicalities of the debate, much church work must be managed. This managerial work—while important—can become a hurdle for the church leader.

Listed below are several managerial hurdles that surface in church work. This list is not comprehensive, but it shows how the management of work itself can become a hurdle for leadership.

The pace of requests is frenzied and unpredictable. Pastors and church leaders receive a ceaseless amount of requests for information and guidance. These requests range from the vitally important to the mundane. They come in the form of authorizations for critical ministry decisions or non-essential matters of church facility operations. The difficulty arises when the leader becomes so inundated with requests, that he or she can no longer discern what is primary, secondary, tertiary, or totally imprudent. In this scenario the leader ends up fixing the squeakiest wheel.

The substance of work is disjointed. The sheer variety of tasks involved in ministry can become daunting. Church leaders will go from counseling someone on serious personal issues to calling the air conditioner repairman. The disjointed nature of ministry work can make the leader lose sight of the true vision of the church.

The work can become reactive. Sometimes pastors and church leaders can feel more like firemen than gospel workers. They react to “fires” in the church because of the gravitational pull of immediate needs. Clearly, some situations require leaders to put a hold on everything. The problem, however, surfaces when this reactive management mode overtakes and detracts from the proactive planning necessary for leading God’s church.

Decision-making and planning can become too incremental. Rarely are decisions in the church made cleanly and distinctly within a specific time-frame. Rather, decisions evolve over time and across many segments of the church. Autocratic leadership seldom benefits the church, but prolonged decision processes can become an emotional drag on a leader. As a result, the leader spends an inordinate amount of time managing and assuaging the emotions of others.

Leading and ministering within the church is a privilege. And the ever-changing culture makes for exciting ministry opportunities. Lead through the challenges rather than simply managing the work.

Sam S. Rainer III is the president of Rainer Research and senior pastor of First Baptist Church Murray, Murray, KY. [www.rainerresearch.com] [www.fbcmurray.org]