Leadership & Market Place Ministry

Friday, February 24, 2017

The Brain and Successful Church Change: 11 Insights you need to know

by Charles Stone

Wise leaders carefully manage church change. Healthy church management includes not just the bird’s eye view (big picture implications) but also considers the individual view, what’s going on inside the individual church member or leader when you, as the leader, present change. Neuroscience offers helpful insight about unconscious processes that go on inside our brains when people face change. Consider these insights and suggestions the next time you plan change for your church.

People appreciate certainty and autonomy because the brain craves both. David Rock, one of the leader proponents of applying neuroscience to leadership (neuroleadership) suggests an acrostic called SCARF that represents five essential brain processes that influence motivation and change management. See my blog here that explains SCARF. The ‘c’ and the ‘a’ stand for certainty and autonomy. I’ve listed 5 insights below that relate these two components to change management.

People naturally assume the worst. Our brain is actually wired to pick up threats and negative possibilities around us more than the positive. 2/3 of our brain cells in the flight-fight part of our brain, the amygdala, are wired to pick up on the negative.
People naturally fill in knowledge gaps with fear. Uncertainty about the future (and change) breeds this fear.
Ambiguity creates more fear than measured risk. That is, the more people have to fill in the knowledge gaps, the greater the fear about and resistance to change. Measured risk, however, fills in some of those gaps and lessens anxiety.
Undoing a wrong impression is harder than creating a good impression. It’s the old adage “you don’t have a second chance to make a good first impression.” That’s not just a quaint saying. Neuroscientists have shown it to be true.
People understate their ability to ride out difficult future events. Uncertainty causes us to poorly forecast how well we can face difficulty. The term is “affective forecasting.” When you present change, people will initially assume that the church will come out worse than expected, although the opposite is often true.
Emotions play a very important part in decision making. Just presenting the facts is seldom enough to move people forward.

So, in light of these insights, what are some positive steps you can take to most effectively manage church change?

Build in small, short-term wins along the way. These wins will give a greater sense of certainty. Remember, people (and their brains) love certainty.
Fill in the knowledge gaps with truth. In other words, communicate, communicate, communicate. Keep people in the loop about your progress with the change initiative.
Provide a feedback loop. Give people in your church a real, tangible way they can give feedback to you about the process. Simply knowing they have that ability to communicate to you and that you are really listening will decrease their anxiety about the future.
Within reason, provide people small ways they can choose about how the change will look. Although the leadership will have decided the big picture change, providing options and opportunity for people to hone what those changes within the big change will look like increases autonomy. Remember, people love autonomy.
Fill in knowledge gaps with Faith. Preach and teach on faith. Keep verses like Hebrews 11.1 often before the people.

Heb. 11.1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. (NLT)

What have you done that has helped smooth church change?

What Is The Difference Between Winning Organizations And Losing Ones?

Everyone wants to be part of a winning organization. You want to be part of a church that is winning. You want to be part of business that is winning. Same with a non-profit, educational or athletic organization. No one wants to be part of a culture of defeat. No one wants to be a loser. This past fall I really enjoyed the commentary of Mike Lombardi while he was part of Fox Sports. If you are unfamiliar with Mike, he is to my knowledge, the only person who has worked for each of these football legends – Bill Belichick, Bill Parcells, Bill Walsh, and Al Davis. In fact, he is currently writing a book on lessons learned from each. I will pre-order it the first day available. You can follow Mike on Twitter by clicking HERE.

The following is the wisdom of Mike Lombardi as he discusses The Difference Between Winning Organizations And Losing Ones. Though he is talking in context of football, you will see the leadership principles apply to any church, business, or non-profit as well.

The Herd With Colin Cowherd Sept 12th

The best time to draft a quarterback is when you have a quarterback.
Everything about a quarterback is eye-level. Where are your eyes looking? Defensive line is down. Your eye-level must be up the field and see the receivers.
Look at YPA (yards per attempt). You’re looking at throwing the ball down the field.
Teams in the playoffs are in the 7’s at YPA. That’s how you evaluate quarterbacks.

The Herd With Colin Cowherd Sept 19th

You can’t rely on players. You rely on plays.
A good head coach embraces confrontation.
Fear does the work of reason in the NFL. They have to fear they’re going to lose their job.
Complimentary football is the critical component in winning a Super Bowl.
(Jimmy) Garoppolo is blue chip because he had time to develop.

The Herd With Colin Cowherd Sept 23rd

You scout from the inside out, not the outside in. You know what you’re looking for. You put an overlay over the player.
The most important thing about scouting is not finding players, it’s eliminating players. Do they fit our criteria?
We are not in the talent collection business. We’re in the team building business.
Bill Belichick’s definition of mental toughness – You do what’s in the best interest of the team when it’s not in the best business of you.
Sustainable values vs. Situational values. What’s good for me vs. the team to be good long after you’re gone. You have to look past the moment.
Charlie Munger Inversion Technique – Instead of telling your team how to win, tell them first how to not lose. Avoid losing first so you can setup your team to win.
Bill Walsh said, “We’re only competing against eight teams.”

The Herd With Colin Cowherd Sept 30th

The worst place to be as a quarterback in the NFL is when you are good. Because when you are good you will make excuses. When you are bad, you will go out and get replacements.
Anticipation. Only the great ones have it.
There’s design and production. When they don’t meet you have a bad team.
Organizationally, the culture inside the building wins.

The Herd With Colin Cowherd Oct 15th

They don’t build monuments to committees.

The Herd With Colin Cowherd Oct 28th

Players only respect knowledge, not age.
When strength goes against strength, the home team always has an advantage.
If you play a Thursday game you work on that game plan in the offseason.

Make Me Smarter Podcast November 1st

It’s (the NFL) a business. Players know it’s a business. When you go into a locker room, they don’t read the sports page. They’re reading the business page.
You can deal with a contract. You can’t deal with an unhappy player whose getting his play time cut back in a contract year.

The Herd With Colin Cowherd November 4th

Promote your offensive coordinator and get worse in two spots. They’re not as good an offensive coach and they’re not a good head coach.
When you (as a player) talk to the media, you talk to three people. You’re talking to your owner. You’re talking to your fans. And you’re talking to your team.

Make Me Smarter Podcast November 8th

The first rule of being a head coach, it’s called The Law of Aversion. It means we have to eliminate losing before we can win.
It’s one thing about being aggressive. It’s another to be cautiously aggressive.

The Herd With Colin Cowherd November 11th

The coach is the most important person in the organization when it comes to football.
The best way to make a trade is when people come to you asking for a trade.
The NFL has to be a paramilitary organization. The head coach has to be the central theme.

The Herd With Colin Cowherd November 15th

“The secret to all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious.” – Marcus Aerillius
You can’t see mental toughness.
They (Seattle Seahawks) know who they are. They scout inside out and he (Pete Carroll) has a philosophy. It doesn’t change.

The Herd With Colin Cowherd November 18th

When you’re rewarded with the MVP you have to get better.

Colin Cowherd November 21st

Few guys can coach the quarterback. Even fewer can evaluate them.
His (Dak Prescott) ability to lead is he’s conscientious and detailed.
You get your leadership of your football team through your quarterback.
It’s an instinctive position (quarterback). When your mom takes you from the crib you either have it or you don’t. It’s a crib thing. You see things on the field no one else can see.
You can’t play cautiously. You gotta try to win the game.
The only way to win is to keep scoring.
Great players make plays.
The quarterback is the great deodorant for all the team’s problems.
“To improve is to change. To be perfect is to change often.” – Winston Churchill
There is a difference between being creative and being divergent.

Make Me Smarter Podcast November 22

Sacks are relationship to coverage. Pressure is a relationship to turnovers. You want turnovers.
You don’t react to people after big losses or big wins.
When you start with a false beginning, you start collecting data to support your false beginning. It’s completely erroneous.
Grade what you see.
You have production and design. Once you figure out the design, you can produce around it.
The only way to evaluate any coach is each week when a problem comes up, does it get solved the next week.
Coaches’ jobs are to solve problems.
Head coaches are elected in this league. They’re not selected.
Everybody is a scout. Everybody is Sherlock Holmes. Everybody is looking for that one clue which gives them insight into something.

What is one thing you learned from Mike which will make you a better leader?

Click HERE or on the image to the left and as a free gift for subscribing to this site, you can receive my new Ebook 1269 Leadership Quotes: Timeless Truths From 2016’s Top Christian Leadership Conferences. Featured are the Johnny Hunt Mens Conference, ReThink Leadership, Orange and Leadercast Conferences among others. If applied, these insights will make you an exponentially better leader. Enjoy!!!

Do You Want To Get Better As A Leader? Read 16 Leadership Lessons From The Golden State Warriors

Do you want to get better as a leader? Since this is the NBA’s All-Star weekend, I wanted look back at some of the reasons why the Golden State Warriors were the league’s champion in 2014-15, runner-up to the Cleveland Cavaliers last year, and have the league’s best record this year.
The following are 16 Leadership Lessons From The Golden State Warriors:
Sports Illustrated – February 23rd, 2015

The Team’s Leaders Are Continual Learners – In the summer of 2013, head coach Steve Kerr attended the Aspen Institute to learn sports leadership philosophies. It was there he learned to document everything – everything he learned, everything he thought, and everything he would change when he became a head coach.
Leaders Want Options So Offer Them Better Ones – That summer Kerr was offered the head coaching position for New York Knicks as well as the Warriors. He chose the Warriors because of their superior roster, organizational structure, and proximity to Kerr’s family.
The Warriors Value Versatility – When constructing their team, general manager Bob Myers felt traditional positions were becoming irrelevant.
Great Organizations Are Filled With People Of Great Character – When referring to Steph Curry, Myers said, “It’s like having a CEO that exhibits the highest character. Everybody else falls in line.” For more on Curry’s character, click 16 Quotes On Faith And Leadership By Steph Curry.
Great Leaders Make Others Better – After getting the head coaching job, Kerr told Harrison Barnes in their first meeting, “I don’t think you were used last year in a way that was best for you. But if you buy into what we’re saying, you have a change to be successful.” Kerr was right. Barnes was a member of a NBA Championship and then last summer signed a 4-year $95 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks.
Great Leaders Are Birthed Through Pain – On January 18, 1984 while a freshman point guard for the Arizona Wildcats, Kerr’s dad was tragically killed by gunshot wounds to the head. He was serving as president of American University of Beirut.
Great Leaders Have Great Expectations – Draymond Green said of Kerr, “He doesn’t let us settle for mediocrity in anything.”
Great Leaders Have Great Humility – Jeff Van Gundy said of Kerr, “Usually winning breeds arrogance, but her’s a rare guy. Very few people I’ve known in coaching would have this humility with this success.”

Sports Illustrated – June 22nd, 2015

Great Teams Place Great Importance On Fundamentals – Then Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton said of Andre Iguodala, “He has always value the little things: the rotations, the reads, the footwork. The you care about all that, plus have crazy length and athleticism, you’re dangerous.”
Great Leaders Let Their Teams Utilize Their Unique Talents – Former Warriors assistant coach Darren Erman said, “You have to let special players use special talents. Andre is probably the most instinctual defender in the last 10 years.”

Sports Illustrated – December 21st, 2015

Great Teams Have Great Chemistry – A league scout noted, “The chemistry is like clockwork. I don’t see how anybody beats them.”
Great Teams Perform With Great Joy – During her The Joy Of Parenting Seminar, Susie Walton told her class, “Watch the Warriors. Whether they’re ahead or behind, whether they have five fours or no fouls, they don’t have coaches going crazy. They don’t get on each other’s case. They play through mistakes. They keep the joy. That’s what you want in a family.” An opposing general manager added, “I sometimes wonder why Golden State’s main guys never seem to miss a game that matter for injury. I used to think it was luck. I’m not sure anymore. Something about the way they play, the joy they have, brings good things to their lives. It breeds positive events.” One positive event having a culture of joy brought the Warriors was the addition of Kevin Durant. Make sure you read 12 Reasons The Golden State Warriors Got Kevin Durant. This leads to my next points.

Sports Illustrated – July 18th, 2016

Great Teams Are Great Recruiters Of Top Talent – Myers said about the recruitment of Durant, “It’s orchestrating from a distance…Steph, give him a call so he’s more comfortable. Andre, he might want to hear from you. I encouraged all of them…we wanted to feel like if he said no, it wasn’t because we didn’t show him who we were.”
Great Teams And Players Focus On Achievement – Curry was insistent he cared more about winning championships than scoring titles or shoe sales.
Great Players Are Willing To Pay A Great Price To Be Part Of A Great Organization – Durant said, “We live in this superhero comic book world where you’re either a villain or you’re a superhero…I trusted my gut. I trusted my instincts. It’s the unpopular decision. But I can live with it.”
Great Teams Are Places Where People Can Experience Great Happiness – Team advisor and personal friend of Durant, Steve Nash said, “I think it was much a personal move (to join the Warriors) for his happiness and development as it was to win.”

What is one lesson you can take from this list which will make you a better leader or team?

Thursday, February 9, 2017

11 Lessons From Jesus On The Relationship Between Pastors And Financial Leaders

There is much confusion in the Christian community about the relationship between pastors and financial leaders. This is because for many years pastors used financial leaders. Then, in a classic over-correction, pastors then began ignoring financial leaders. The best approach is in the middle – pastors must disciple financial leaders.
For a beautiful picture of how this is done, let’s look at how Jesus interacted with a financial leader. Luke 19:1-10 tells the story of an interaction between Jesus and someone described as “rich”. He was a chief tax collector named Zacchaeus.
As you read this account, the following are 11 Lessons From Jesus On The Relationship Between Pastors And Financial Leaders:

Your Church Has Financial Leaders – v.2 – “And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich.” Every church in the world, regardless of your socio-economic status, has wealthy people or a Top 10% of givers.
Pastors Should Know The Spiritual Condition Of Their Church’s Financial Leaders – v. 3 – “he was seeking to see who Jesus was”. Zacchaeus was searching. Similarly, many financial leaders in your church have experienced much of what this world has to offer. Yet, they have come to realize it simply does not satisfy their soul. Many have come to understand that a life without Jesus is an empty life, no matter how much money you have.
Churches Often Put Things In Place Which Can Make It Difficult For Financial Leaders To Come To Jesus – v. 3 – “but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature.” Are you placing unnecessary barriers between you and your financial leaders? Are these barriers making it more difficult for them to come to Jesus? These barriers could be financial reporting which excludes the pastor from the process or a flawed theological approach to your top givers. This leads to my next point.
Know Who Your Financial Leaders Are – v. 5 – “when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus'” Jesus knew Zacchaeus’s name. Do you know the names of your financial leaders? It is not necessary to know how much they give but do you know who they are?
Do Not Ask Financial Leaders To Come To Your Office. Go To Their Office. – v. 5 – “I must stay at your house today.” Go to their office, farm or plant. Walk around with them and listen to their story. Meet their employees. See what they produce. Do life together.
Honor Your Financial Leaders – v. 6 – “So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.” Financial leaders deeply desire authentic relationships, especially with their pastor.
People Will Misinterpret Your Intentions – v. 7 – “When they saw it, they all grumbled” Ignore them. Pastors can effectively disciple many people in large group environments during weekend messages. However, because of the type of questions they ask, financial leaders are best discipled in small group or one-on-one environments.
Financial Leaders Are Often Lonely – v. 7 – “‘He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”’ Because they are afflicted with affluence and everyone wants something from them, financial leaders oftentimes do not know who they can trust.
Financial Leaders Are A Force For Good – v. 8 – “Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor.'” Financial leaders are uniquely gifted by God to flood the Kingdom with resources. Properly discipling your church’s financial leaders can have an incredibly positive impact on the poor and under-resourced in your church and community.
Jesus Changes Financial Leaders From Being Greedy People To Generous People – v. 8 – “And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” You can tell Jesus is working in a financial leader’s life when they begin demonstrating signs of radical generosity.
Focus On Transformation Rather Than Transaction – “Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house” Be their pastor and find out if they are saved? Has their life been changed by your ministry. Generosity is what we want for financial leaders, not what we want from them.

What is one thing from this list you can begin doing today to better disciple your financial leaders?

Can These Bones Live?

Feb 08, 2017 02:07 pm | Mike Glenn

Since I work in a church, you shouldn’t be surprised to learn I love church buildings. I especially love old church sanctuaries, and honestly, the older the better. My wife is always surprised (although she’s growing used to it) when we go on vacation, and I want to walk through any churches we might be passing by. There is something about the craftsmanship in the old wood and the fire bright beauty of the sun coming through the stained glass windows that fills me with awe and worship.

So, again, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that I get really emotional when I see a church building with a “For Sale” sign in front of it. Now, I understand, all kinds of things happen. The growth patterns of cities change. Traffic patterns are rerouted and communities go through transition. I get it. I also understand that churches move. They sell one piece of property and relocate to another space. Brentwood Baptist did that back in 2002.
I understand life happens, but more and more in our nation, churches are just closing. They are going out of business. On any given day, it’s not unusual to see an article about how a developer has bought an old church building with plans to turn the once sacred facility into condos or a restaurant. Too many times, a small and struggling group of church members decides, for whatever reason, they can’t make a go of it, and they vote to close the doors of the church and sell the building.
Now, let me get this straight…the building is being sold by a group of people who are sure no one will come to their building, and it’s being bought by a group of people who are sure a lot of people will come to the building if there’s something new in the building.
Why can’t the church be that something new in the building?
There’s a reason Baskin Robbins has 31 flavors of ice cream. Not everyone likes the same flavor. In the same way, not everyone likes the same style of worship, the same emphasis of service and mission, or the same process of discipleship. There are a lot of different kinds of people, and there needs to be a lot of different churches to meet the different needs of these people. One size doesn’t fit all. It never has.
Now, this may mean there’s a Caucasian church that’s now surrounded by a Hispanic community. An African-American church that finds itself in the middle of a Kurdish community—the variations and challenges are endless. If a church can be given the support and assistance to reevaluate its mission in light of its changing community, a lot of good things can happen. You may not be able to put new wine into old wineskins, but you can put a new church in an old building.
There are several advantages to this approach:

The members of the original church can see their church thriving and effective. It’s a different future than they had once imagined, but it’s still a great future to be part of.
The old building can be refurbished and remodeled for pennies on the dollar when compared to the cost of new construction.
Most of the time, the new church can avoid politically charged issues with the surrounding communities, codes, and city hall.
The neighborhood is genuinely interested to see something new going on in the church.

In the famous Bible story of the Valley of Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37), God asked the prophet Ezekiel if the dry bones could live. Of course, Ezekiel soon found out the bones could indeed live. It’s the story I think about every time I see a church building for sale. Can these bones live? I answer the same way Ezekiel did, “Yes, they can!”
The post Can These Bones Live? appeared first on MikeGlennOnline.com.

Disapproval in the Church: What a Pastor can Do

by Charles Stone

Serving as a pastor brings many joys as well as headaches and hurts. One of the biggest hurts comes when others disapprove of us. Neuroscientists have discovered that a disapproving look from a person physically hurts. A disapproving facial expression stirs up the flight-fight part of our brain and heightens anxiety, even more than an angry facial expression does. I’ve experienced those disapproving looks and have learned how to cope with disapproval.

When the emotional part of our brain (the limbic system) takes over, we lose the ability to think clearly and lead well. When that happens, these behaviors surface.

We react and act impulsively
We assume the worst
We get defensive
We lose our creative ability to solve problems
We grieve the Holy Spirit
We lose perspective
We can’t truly listen
We can’t think as clearly

These kinds of behaviors show their ugly selves when the emotional brain takes over. Constant disapproval, especially from significant people in your church, can evoke these behaviors.
In a previous church several years ago, the most influential lay leader there was once my number one supporter. His words, body language, and facial expression would almost always encourage me. I could count on him to lift my spirits when I was down. However, something happened in our relationship and his demeanor took a 180-degree shift. He now became my greatest disapprover.
His view of me carried significant weight because he held a very high status in the church. When our paths crossed at church and I saw his disapproval, my anxiety level shot up. When I saw those disapproving looks, a brain dynamic kicked in in the flight-fight part of my brain that dampened my ability to think most clearly so I could preach at my best and compassionately relate to others on Sundays. Essentially, I stifled the Holy Spirit’s work in my life. Initially I was not consciously aware of this dynamic.
However, as I began to learn how my brain worked when I saw a disapproving expression, I started to make these choices that helped me cope with disapproval, especially his.

I consciously took notice when his physical presence evoked anxiety in me. Instead of stuffing the emotion, I named it. I would breath a prayer under my breath, “Lord, I feel anxious right now after I saw _________. Please help me cope with this tension in my heart.”
I sought out a coach/counselor to help me reappraise the situation quicker. Taking a different perspective helps calm the fight-flight part of our brain. Often we need an objective person to help us see the situation clearly.
When I would preach, I would look for approving faces instead of his. I purposefully did not lock eyes with him in a sermon because I knew the toll it might take on my focus while preaching.
I finally met with him for breakfast, shared my concerns, and asked him how I could regain his confidence. Essentially, his view of me as a leader had changed and I could not change it back. At least I cleared the air with him. However, through this experience the Lord helped me more consistently moderate the painful distraction I often felt when I saw his disapproval.

As painful as this experience was, it became a great learning experience. Now that I know what happens in my brain when I see disapproval in someone’s face, I’ve become quicker to more proactively moderate its negative effects.
How have you managed those who disapprove of you?
Related Posts:

Source: Burklund, L., Eisenberger, N.I. & Lieberman, M.D. The face of rejection: Rejection sensitivity moderates dorsal anterior cingulate activate to disapproving facial expressions. Social Neuroscience, 2, pp.238-253.

Live Blog From Capital Campaign University: 24 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From Mike Linch

This morning I had the incredible privilege of sitting in a session conducted by the wonderful senior pastor of NorthStar Church Mike Linch. As part of an event put on by INJOY Stewardship Solutions called Capital Campaign University, Mike gave an inspirational message on how to address the giants all leaders face. Giants are those things we cannot overcome. These words will inspire you to take the next steps needed to become the leader God has called you to be.
As a special gift to everyone reading these posts, INJOY Stewardship Solutions offering a complimentary downloadable Ebook entitled “Breaking The Next Growth Barrier: Ten practical steps pastors can take to break through growth barriers.” Click Here to Download this Free Resource!
Enjoy these 24 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From Mike Linch:

We have two full-time people on our staff who do nothing but serve the community.
You’ve got something standing in front of you that’s bigger than you.
I reached a point in life where I wanted to invite a neighbor to church but didn’t want to invite them to my church.
We started NorthStar Church with 365 people.
We were in debt. The bank had become our boss.
If you attack it (debt) and lose, you’re going to look like a loser.
You can’t stay at a rented facility forever.
2008 we were at $6.8 million. It cost us $46,500 per month.
If we fail at this I’m probably going to have to move.
We didn’t dream anymore about the giant (debt). We dreamed about what was on the other side of that giant.
The hardest thing we have to do sometimes as leaders we can’t focus on what’s in front of us. We have to focus on what’s on the other side.
Do you think the giant looked bigger on the first day or the 40^th day? I guarantee he looked bigger on the 40^th
Major leaguers dig into the box sometimes and wonder if they can do.
Every person sitting in your crowd, their belief is hinging on your belief.
When you attack a giant you ignite your people.
They advanced with a shout when the giant went down.
I had become so accustomed to the giant I forgot what it was like to attack the giant.
We are in a community where 89% don’t go to church anywhere.
Today, that debt stands at $1.3 million.
We just celebrated our 20^th It’s more exciting now than the first year.
It’s amazing how many lost people don’t hang out at the church.
The last letter my dad mailed (before he died) was a check to NorthStar.
When you learn the gift of giving, it’s not about what you put in the plate. It’s about every area of your life.
You (church leaders) be the people corporately so your people can be who God made them to be privately.

When you share these thoughts with your team, let me know on my Twitter account one thing which stood out to you.