A Roller Coaster Day

Have you had a day when you go through every emotion? Saturday, September 22nd was one of those days for me. There is a famous speech by Jim Valvano that talks about days like this. I quote:

"To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special. "

Why was it such a day? My oldest son went through surgery and come out great. I got to baptize 4 kids that are very dear to me. I also saw Kentucky win another football game and start the season 4-0. It was a day in which I cried, I laughed, I hugged, I loved, I cheered, I feared, and most of all I was loved in returned.

I hope that you have days like I did yesterday. They wear you out but life would be empty without them.

Step #1 Changing Ministry Culture: Recasting Vision

What is the vision of your ministry? Stop. If you can't answer that in less than 2 seconds then you need to change your vision. If you pause, and then ho and hum, people are going to think that you are making it up on the spot. The major problem is most of you are making it up on the spot. So let me ask you this question again, "What is the vision of your ministry?"

I have written in the past about changing the culture of the children's ministry here at Horizon Community Church. The article can be found here. I was then asked to expand on the article and tell you how I accomplished the change. If you want to change the culture of your ministry then you will have to start with the vision of your ministry. Here are the 3 major keys of a vision that I believe are the most important.

1. Your vision must be Memorable. If you can't remember your vision then no one else will. If it is to long and complicated then you have lost the battle before you started. If your Senior Pastor, church, or volunteers can't bring it to mind then you need to change it. I don't care how long you worked on it and chose just the right words and made it less than 3 sentences... Which brings me to me next point.

2. Your vision must be Repeatable. Not only do I remember my vision by I can say it in under 15 seconds. Your vision is your sound bite. Your vision is what your Senior Pastor says about you in front of the whole church. It is what your volunteers say at lunch when they talk about Sunday. You should be able to fit it into a conversation that feels natural.

3. Your vision must be Measurable. Here is a great quote for you, "What gets measured, gets improved." People want to be apart of something successful. If you can measure what you are doing then you can know if you are being successful or not. You can also improve what you are doing.

So I know you are asking yourself right now. Matt, what is the vision of your ministry? What vision do you have that helped change the culture? Here it is:

Kids bringing their Parents to Church!

What is your vision? What do you see is important in a vision?

Beatboxing and Handshakes

By the way, I think this would be a great name for a local hangout or bar and grill but that is not the point of this post.

The point is that I really wanting to post while I was in Mexico but I couldn't so I am going to this week. So here is one of the post I wrote while in Monterrey.

I don't speak Spanish. I took Spanish in high school but it all left me years ago. Basically I can say the important words like "where is the bano(bathroom)?" So how do you communicate with a teenage boy and a 9 year old boy in Monterrey, Mexico? By beatboxing and handshakes, that's how. Isn't it amazing how we can connect with one another and not say a word? The same thing works here at home. When you don't know what to say the next time you are around a bunch of kids try beatboxing and handshakes. Why does it work? These 2 things are personal experiences and kids crave interesting experiences with each other and with adults. Maybe this week you should come up with a cool handshake or learn how to Beatbox. You never know when it might spark a connection that you will never forgot.

Permission

Right now I am looking toward the fall. I am looking at what needs to change, be tweaked, and get rid of all together. I am evaluating my current curriculum and looking to try new things. The one big thing that I think most people need when they go through this process is permission. So today I give you permission to do what you are gifted to do. I give you permission to change what needs to be changed. I give you permission to make your responsibilities line up with your priorities.

Now that you have permission what is stopping you? Don't tell me your Senior Pastor... Don't tell me your congregation... Don't tell me your lack of resources... Don't tell me your lack of volunteers...

If it is fear of not being perfect and inadequacy that you can't do it alone then you are in the right place. Pray to God and I bet he too will give you permission to do make your responsibilities line up with your priorities.

By the way, here is a permission slip if you need one.

Choosing to Cheat

I had a great question asked of me this past Sunday by a guy who goes by the name Juggler for Jesus. He holds 8 or 9 world records for juggling and we had him in to do stuff for our adult worship services. The series they are doing right now is called "Family Circus". The stage looks like a big top and the music is great but that is not the point of this post. The point is to answer the question of how many hours a week should a Children's Pastor be expected to work. He is looking at taking a position at a local church and they have told him that they expect him to work 60 hrs per week. This is a great question for all of us not just Children's pastors, or ministers. How many hours a week should you work? To answer this question you have to read the book, "Choosing to Cheat" by Andy Stanley. This is one of my top 10 books that I recommend to everyone. So if you haven't read this yet go get it. Here is what the cover looks like:

This book focuses on priorities. Believe it or not but work is not at the top of that list. Andy makes the case that we are going to cheat some part of our life. We have too. There is not enough time not to cheat something and if we are going to cheat something then it should be work and not family or any other relationship for that matter. So here is what I told the Juggler for Jesus when he asked me if working 60 hrs per week was reasonable... First read the book...Second give the pastor and everyone at your church the book...Then if they still want you to work 60 hrs a week, DON"T TAKE THE JOB! By the way, I work Sunday through Thursday and get Friday and Saturday off every week. That's right... You can be jealous... Am I lazy? No. I am finally healthy and my church agrees. Thank you Horizon for letting me have family as a top priority and for still paying me like someone who knows what he is doing. How much you should get paid will be a later post. That was his follow up question.

Birthdays are like Boogers

I turned 29 yesterday. Yes I know, next year is a big one but I have a whole year before I get to where most of you are, so HA! Anyway, my brother gave me a card yesterday that said, "Birthdays are like Boogers, they more you have the harder it is to breathe." I will have to say that I really enjoyed the card. Here is a picture of the front:

When I woke up this morning it hit me that leadership by committee is the same way. So here is my card today, it says, "Leadership by committee is like boogers, the more people you have on the committee the harder it is to breathe." I guess that is why I really like working at a church that lets me lead and not by committee.

Get a Mentor!

Over the last 7 years of my life I have had a mentor. It has not been the same mentor but I have been very fortunate with the people who have agreed to such a relationship or should I say partnership. I have been given wisdom that I would not have come by without these partnerships. I have also been helped out of situations that I found very difficult. The rewards of having a mentor are absolutely amazing. It is basically putting wise counsel in your life. Believe me, everyone can use some wise counsel. So you may be asking yourself, how do I get a mentor or how do I start this process? The first thing you have to do is swallow your pride and say that you need one. Being in my 20's, that was very hard at first. I am one of these types of people who tries to take the world by storm and I don't need your help to do it. I also tend to try to impress people to much and if people found out I needed help by a mentor it may hurt my very important perception. Okay, I may not have that perception but at least let me think that I do. After you have given your pride a kick in the pants, ask someone you respect if they are willing. I know, another kick to the pride. I mean what if they say no or what if I am not good enough. By the way, I have had no one say no. That's right, not one. When I say pick someone you respect I mean someone who is the most successful person you know in their field. Don't pick someone your age. If you are in your 20's don't even pick someone in their 30's. They won't be the most successful person you know. Believe me, they are still trying to figure life out as well. Now what are you looking for in a mentor? That is the wrong question. The question should be what do you want to learn? Do you want to be a great husband, boss, or maybe even a better Christ-follower. Find someone who is the best husband, dad, manager, or Christ-follower that you can find. Notice I said nothing about money. Don't bring money into a mentor partnership. It will be the downfall of the partnership. If you are looking for someone who will help you make a lot of money or someone who will help you keep the money you have, then you need a CPA or an accountability partner. Notice that an accountability partner is different than a mentor. Don't get me wrong, accountability will happen in your partnership but learning should by your primary focus. Okay, enough about all of this. Go get a mentor.