Paul Clark

Wow... this is compelling

I'm going to try to finish the Skyle Jethani book this weekend, the book I previously wrote about and the one that generated a little heat among bloggers recently.  Gotta say, this book makes you think about what you are doing--what we are doing, in managing within the megachurch. I want to draw some personal conclusions that I'm drawing from the book as it relates to my own life and my ministry in my church.  If you haven't picked it up, it's a challenging read.

Your Church Blog: Top 10 Leadership Books from 2009

Your Church Blog: Top 10 Leadership Books from 2009.

Contributing Editors Board for Your Church magazine

Your Church Blog: Discerning Eyes for Church Law, Finance, and Administration.

I'm excited to be included on the Contributing Editors Board for Your Church magazine.  I've worked with Matt Branaugh and others at Your Church over the past couple years and have the greatest respect for the many ways in which they are trying to support the ministry of the local church.  They do an awesome job! It's a great organization and I hope if you're leading the church organization in any capacity, you'll be sure you're receiving the magazine, website and email resources.

A few more...

Yesterday I discussed Brian Kluth's list of ways to make giving go up in your church. It was a good list.  Besides the eight steps I have listed elsewhere on my blog (take a look), here are 8 more things that came to my mind that I think are important to creating a culture of generosity:

1. Present the budget with stories, pictures, vision and enthusiasm. Make it exciting!
2. Stay out of the weeds.  However you need to do it, move the congregation away from discussing details that are too specific to add any value.  In my opinion, you should never discuss specific account budgets in a congregational setting.  Present the vision and stay at the 50,000 foot level.
3. Be sure the tools are in place to insure that the church family can give with confidence: i.e an annual audit by a qualified CPA. When that audit happens, use it to affirm the church family and comment on your desire to be wise and trustworthy money managers.
4. Make your money, stewardship, or generosity (whatever you call it in your church) sermon series an annual, multi-week, high-impact event.  Make this series as intentional and strategic as any series you'll present all year long.
5. As you periodically report finances, connect financial information with vision and results.  Finances should never appear as disconnected from the ministry of changed lives.
6. Tell stories of impact and transformation. People need to know that their generosity is accomplishing something eternally significant.
7. Communicate to the congregation how the church is being generous to the community.  You must model generosity to inspire generosity.
8. Affirm the congregation's generosity every chance you get. People need affirmation. That's just human nature.

You can't create a cultural shift overnight, but you can move people's thinking a little at a time if you stay focused and consistent.

Top 10 ways to make giving go up

I came across an interesting article about the TOP 10 New Year's Resolutions to Make Giving Go UP in a Down Economy. As I read the list, I was encouraged that 9 of the 10 suggestions from generosity guru Brian Kluth are already present in Fairhaven's approach to stewardship and generosity. Here's the list:

1. Emphasize generosity not because of what the budget says but because of what the Bible says.
   ✓ We talk about vision for the work of the Kingdom, not the need of the budget...
2. Share a generosity Scripture verse when receiving the offering.
   ✓ No, but we do consistently connect the offering to generosity and our faithful response to God's kindness and His vision for Fairhaven...
3. Give people a Bible devotional to help them in their finances and generosity
   ✓ We've used the Kluth 40-day devotional and others...
4. Preach a sermon series on finances and generosity
   ✓ Wow, we hit this one with a hammer: we had a 6-week all-church series on money called "Financial U." Take a look...
5. Help create more ways for people be more faithful in their giving
   ✓ We offer envelopes, online and EFT options, automated check processing, stock brokerage accounts, gifts-in-kind, and estate gifts.
6. Teach our children Sunday school lessons about being generous
   ✓ The financial U series included both children's and student's curriculum, so it was an all-church experience...
7. Provide online video seminars and resources to our church members on generosity
   Missed on this one: we had it, but I just found out it's gone in the quest for a website, not an online encyclopedia...
8. Offer financial classes and seminars in our church or tell people where they can attend them in our community
   ✓ Not to be redundant, but we offered a wide array of seminars during the month of February...
9. Empower people to include God in their asset and estate giving
   ✓ We provide this information and inspiration both to the congregation and specifically to our senior adults...
10. See generosity as a vital issue of spiritual transformation more than financial transactions
    ✓ If you relate stewardship to transformation and discipleship, you won't be afraid to preach, teach and talk about it...

Not to imply that these 10 things will automatically help your giving increase, but they will certainly create an environment where generosity can grow.  Tomorrow I'll add a few of my own list...

Year-end financials: providing context

This past Sunday, we communicated to the congregation how we finished the year in our giving.  It was great  to be able to tell them that we exceeded our budgeted income by some $288,000!  It was a celebration moment, to be sure, and when you have those moments you need to take advantage of them. It's a great time to affirm their generosity and connect them to the vision for the year ahead.  David did a great job with that.

But especially when you exceed your budget by a significant margin, it's important to provide context.  Exceeding your budget by big margins can have a negative backlash. People need to see the figures in the context of the broader picture of people and ministry--how you used what the Lord provided.  The figure below shows how we placed our final figures in the bulletin to give people the big picture. I've heard from many in the congregation how helpful this information was to them.

What I liked about the little church

A couple Sundays ago I preached at the small church which we are acquiring as a future satellite. One of the reasons they asked us to acquire them as a satellite is that they are so small and they have been unable to grow and attract new people for several years. They are in serous decline and they want to do something completely new and bold.

As I sat through the service and later gave the message to the 40 or so people in the room, I was taken back to my years in a small Baptist church, probably 200 people on a good day. I had a great experience in that little Baptist church. And for a morning, I saw again some of the things that are good about a small church:

1. People weren’t there to be entertained.  There weren't any strings, colored lights, guitars, or haze machines.  It was a "no frills" zone.
2. Nobody cared if there was a minor technical flaw. I had to start my own video clip on my laptop, yet the 10 or 15 seconds didn't seem to bother anybody.
3. Everybody knew each other. They knew each others families, jobs and stories.
4. The music was simple and sincere. Just a nice Wurlitzer organ, like the one in my wife's parents living room. The emphasis wasn't on the music, it was on the words.
5. I could look into every eye. No speaking into the darkness.
6. People were there because of relationships. Not because it was the place to be, the hot church, the best music, or the coolest preacher.
7. Nobody was a professional. Those who led, prayed, sang or played were regular people just trying to serve.
8. There were no clocks in the back, reminding me that people have places to go.

It was a good morning...

"I do not hide... I speak"

Last week on our Executive Team retreat, we spent a couple of hours one morning talking through Psalm 40. One of the key verses we focused on was v. 10,

“I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly.”

We used some of our time together to share with one-another the faithfulness and salvation God has shown toward us in the past year and beyond. We rehearsed the many ways God has shown his favor to Fairhaven Church in 2009. We listed them on the whiteboard. Here's just a few:

• The response to the Fall Series: Unshakable
• Our growth in influence in the community
• The 2009 income significantly exceeded the budget
• Don Solin rejoined the staff
• We successfully transitioned our Children's Ministry leadership
• People within Fairhaven responded to God’s call to world missions
• People came to saving faith in Jesus
• The Job Seekers ministry had a huge impact in the community
• Imagine 3:20- WOW!
• The health of our staff is obvious
• A unanimous vote to establish a satellite in Northmont

We also talked about how our friendships on the Executive Team have been so meaningful and enjoyable. We spent time affirming the qualities in each other that have helped shape us over the past five years. We affirmed David’s wise leadership and great relational gifting and how we each are better because of the things we have seen modeled in him. It was awesome to give voice to the feeling of love and respect we have for one another.

You see, one of the big rocks we tackled during the retreat was staff reorganization. Each of our roles in leadership in the church will change in the coming months. A new leadership model is soon to be announced to the staff. We want to be more inclusive, more responsive and more effective, and the model we’ve used over the past five years won’t get us there. While change is never easy and rarely comfortable, it’s always necessary if we’re going to remain relevant.

Story of transformation

When three factors come together: a journey of faith that is growing in grace, wisdom and the influence of the Holy Spirit; a comprehension of God’s story—his plan to redeem people who are far away from him; and an engagement with the world that is authentic and redemptive-- incredible things will happen. Check out Alic's story from a recent service at Fairhaven.

My Story: Alic Brock from Fairhaven Church on Vimeo.

Pushing through the demons

I was deep into my preparations for my message last month (David was taking a one-week break before the Christmas series started), when David asked me how it was going.  I probably had a somewhat pained look on my face, which usually reflects how I feel mid-way through my sermon prep. He took me aside and gave me some great advice.

He told me that even though he preaches every week, (and in my opinion, does a masterful job with it) he still faces the "preaching demons" about mid-way in his study.  The fears and doubts that keep whispering in your ear:

• This sounds like the same thing you said last time
• This is not coming together
• This is going to flop
• You're going to let people down
• This isn't powerful or engaging
• This isn't worthy of the opportunity

He was right.  Those were exactly the things rolling around in my head.  He told me to keep praying for God's blessing, keep working hard, and push through with what I believe God wants me to say to the congregation. He said, "Those thoughts go away by the time you get to the weekend."

He was right! The weekend came and it went well and people seemed to respond to the message. I felt like I had said what God had placed in my heart and I sensed God had given it his favor.

Don't we often hear the negative voices in our heads when we're out of our comfort zone? Isn't it true that so much of life requires "pushing through."  You push through because you know you're doing what you're supposed to do.  You push through because God has given you the opportunity and he deserves your best. Doesn't matter whether it's parenting, marriage, ministry or career: perseverance is the virtue that will make the difference. The voices will fade away.  Just keep pushing (Heb. 6:12).