Leadership

Every time I hear successful leaders speak about their journey it leaves me inspired and challenged to press on. Their battles,victories,and willingness to break through the mediocre to see change that effects the future generations empowers me in my own journey as a leader.
Just spent the day listening to Gordon Moore who now leads a CCC church in Brisbane of 2500 people . He originally came out of this region [Palmerston North] and was leading youth initiatives in this city about the same time I got saved.He moved to Ausie,pioneered a new church with 6 people and now leads this large church while being the national director of CCC Australia-amazing what comes out of little Palmy !
He outlined why most churches don't get beyond 200 people and suggested it had most to do with leadership culture.
He shared that churches up to 200 members [general observation by him and international research findings] was that these churches [85% of churches in the western world are smaller than 200 members] are built and led around a 'ministry' model.This ministry model is based around preaching,teaching,pastoral care,couselling,seving,worship etc.This builds up individuals giving them care and preaching encouragement. However churches that grow beyond the 200 level have had to embrace a 'leadership' model and culture that is committed to 'building the church corporate', taking the individual parts and building them into the whole.This type of leadership is committed to corporate direction,vision casting,team building,and structures to facilitate growth through an empowering style of leadership.
The challenge for most leaders he explained was that we and our people are usually content with a 'ministry' model that keeps individuals at the core . The idea and mindset by many that small churches are better keeps this smaller church model in safe hands. He has observed that the key values and mindset of people who want small churches are:

1-Everyone is involved-in everything .All contributions are welcomed even if it is not at a high level.All good churches should have this happening [pastoral care,involvement etc] but only as a part of the whole and not as the whole.

2- Everyone is informed-about everything.All believe they have a right to have a say.The colour of the building to the youth leaders salary are known by all,it is everyone's right!

3-Everyone is an influence-even when not gifted for it'. The worship team is a arena where the unskilled and un-called find themselves influencing the whole church.Give it a go mentality prevails.

4-Everyone is gifted by God-Arising out of the charismatic movement a theology and practice arose that all have gifts and abilities therefore all have the right to exercise that right.

These I realised are observations I also come across as I travel and minister across this nation.

The cost and capacity to lead people beyond the 'ministry'level left me very challenged.

On the other hand Gordon observed that leaders who have taken churches beyond the 'ministry' level have learnt they have to move into a 'leadership mindset' that becomes more specialised,empowers the right people,is architectural and reflective in practice,giving its energy to building the 'big picture'.The cost of this appears to be too great for most as being 'mates' and 'peers' with all holds a greater value and cultural influence on us than we may realise.
To order Gordon's small book email glogal@c3bd.com.

My style and ministry culture are different from Gordon's but his insights and journey of faith,persistance and willingness to believe in the power of leadership to empower churches into significant growth left me inspired.

Thanks Gordon-your journey has left me encouraged and expectant.Thanks for paying the cost.

Fishing and Blokes

What is it about 'fishing and blokes' and 'barbeque's and blokes' and 'newspapers and blokes' that fit so perfectly ?


Experienced all three while fishing this last week end away with some good mates at lake Taupo So I am a happy camper today and ready to take on the world again. Didnt realise that trout could grow up to a meter long or that it can take two strong men to carry such a catch from the boat and onto the shore.In the process of cooking the trout over the two barbeque's wheeled together we had to cut off their tails in order to fit all the fish into the BBQ .Then fed half the street with leftovers and then spent the day repairing the boat from all bite marks received from the earlier trout attack.
Reading the newspaper after the fishing safari turned out to be an art form to behold-every word,picture and reference is carefully analyzed with 98% of the time spent on the all important sports page.The mighty Manawatu Turbos win added to what was close to a perfect week end-the new NPC threat has finally emerged !
So what is it about BBQs,newspapers and fishing that blokes love ? All three require minimal work,and doing absolutely nothing.

Yes a perfect week end indeed

Any Great Books?

Let me know if you have read any exceptional books in the last 12 months and tell me why.
I will then let you know my ' great book' selection after your choices are revealed.

Thanks- Fraser

An interesting day-Davids perspective

Hello everyone dad has asked me to write something on his blog as he hasn't had one person look at it and is getting a bit down. Well i thought i'd tell about me and dads mornin as it almost made me wet my pants. You see dad being the trendy dude he is went and bought some hip modern pants the other day, or at least he thought they were hip. i tell u they are they queerest and stupid looking pants, all purple and feminine. to top it of he thought to go with the hip pants you've gotta have a hip hair do (of course) so he came out with the dumbest Mohawk ever done.at this point i was rolling around on the floor trying not to wet myself when i realised that he was wearing almost identical pants to mum or so i think .so it was an interesting mornin but I'm sure il be writing again soon about our favourite NZ church leader see you soon . ps . tell ur freinds about dads blog or he could have an emotional breakdown.

David -14 yrs-very mature for my age.

Taranaki

Just got back from a weekend in the Naki-what I learnt:

-They are as one eyed as the Cantabrians but support a very average rugby team.My prophetic predictions are that the mighty Turbos will steamroll them later in the season
-They have a regional pride that is wonderful and spills over into their spiritual vision to see their region won for Christ.
-They are generous,laid back and fun to be with.

PROPHETIC WONDER:
It continues to amaze me how the prophetic word has such ability and power to break open the hearts of people.
Speaking to a combined youth event which was going well but it was only once I gave out a prophetic word that the atmosphere changed,the youth became totally silent and engaged with what I was saying[even switched off their cell phones] allowing the Holy Spirit to break in.
Because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy[rev 19:10] it should be I guess a natural thing for prophetic revelation to be at work in our daily life-its part of Jesus testimony confirming His presence and life with us.

BOY BAND
Took four guys with me to lead worship and prove it is possible to be young,good looking and in the ministry.
Thanks guys -you were brilliant and helped bring worship breakthrough that turned the combined churches event [New Plymouth,Inglewood,Waitara] into a great night.
Love the next generation.

CHURCH PLANTING:
See our Web page www.linknz.org.nz as a church planting site is soon to start to give momentum to our future goal of planting 20 churches.

Greatness

Speaking on greatness this weekend and hope to show a clip from Amazing Grace CD of John Newtons life- took real character to hang in all that time to see parliament change the laws of slavery-greatness that took 20 yrs in the making.

Just looked at Michael Jordans quote on what made him 'great' in his basketball career:

" Ive missed more than 9000 shots in my basketball career,
I've lost almost 300 games , 26 times I've been trusted with the shot
that would have won us the game and I've missed it.
I've failed again and again and again and that's why I succeed.
I just cannot accept not trying "

Looks like greatness takes along time and a lot of hard work-keep going,we need a lot of great people.

First Attempt

First attempt at this blogging business - Mike Donovan from Auckland [Edge City Church] suggested I enter the wonderful world of blogging and expose my inner most conversation to a waiting world. Might save the expense of having to see counsellors to do the same thing!

My role in life composes of hanging out with my wonderful wife Dale and my three sons, if and when they are around. The rest of the time it's conversing with church leaders in particular from across the Linknz network, visiting churches, hanging out with leaders and hopefully being a bit of good news to people.

A trip to the gym, an occasional surf and a general love for life keep me very interested in my time and space on mother earth. I generally really love life and often feel incredibly privileged to be surrounded by such great people and most of all a great God who unexplainably keeps believing in me.

8-8-07 sitting here in Palmy on a drizzly day thinking over the past weekend. Was in Gisborne at Wainui Beach Church and had a ball. Great when you feel accepted and when people are hungry for what you've got to say. The church is led by Bruce and Shirley and like most leaders they give 110%, work too hard, believe in their people who they love and expect great things for.

One neat story - a Maori lady [a young granny actually] came up for prayer and was overwhelmed by God's presence. She started to fall over so we helped her down and let her enjoy God's presence. She later spoke with people and explained she was only a week old Christian and had never seen or experienced such a thing. She said she was full of peace and joy and wondered what it was all about. She was happy to know it was the Spirit's presence and went home with a large smile on her face.

Spent some time watching some good surfers on Sunday morning and wished I had brought my board along. Something magic about those Gisborne waves.

Off to the Taranaki coast this weekend with a team so should be fun to hang around the team at City Life Church.

Oops ! Slept in this morning - need to spend a few minutes in prayer now as it really does carry me. Don't worry, like most people I would like to pray more but so easily get busy. I actually love to pray so it's not a duty in most cases but a real vital deal to me. Love to pray better etc but that's I think how it will be this side of eternity while we run around in these earthly shells.
Go well - will try to get into this

Thanks Mike-you Auckland legend

Living Missionally - July Update

Everywhere I go the challenge to live missionally as church communities appears to be the biggest agenda on the churches radar. It’s great to see so many attempting to find new ways in which to engage their communities from acts of kindness through to events with more deliberate focus.

Here in Palmy Vic Gledhill from the UK has been stirring the same pot and emphasizing the need to engage again with our peers in simple ways with acts of kindness and words of affirmation. He offers to pray for people if they have needs [work, marriage, home life etc] and to date has prayed for hundreds in this manner including many Muslims. He has never been refused when asked if people would like him to pray.

My niece Renee lives in Tauranga and recognised a simple need that her city had. Hundreds of drunk youth each weekend go partying and then drive home which in turn had caused many fatal accidents. She and a team now run a ministry called ‘life savers’ that operates on a Friday and Saturday nights offering free rides home to youth. They have now contacted and given rides to about one thousand people and in the process seen some come to Christ. Others are finding mainly music, youth initiatives and work with refugees producing great contacts into their neighborhoods.

Simple and effective - it works wonderfully.