I enjoyed connecting with church planters from across the country at the Velocity Conference this year. Shawn Lovejoy and the crew at Mountain Lake Church in north Georgia do a great job hosting the event and encouraging church leaders who are in the trenches and sometimes bloodied by the battle. I was invited to speak about one of my favorite subjects: how to leverage technology to build your church’s core. In case you didn’t make it, here are the slides.
People know you as the office expert, but you know the role goes much deeper. Success for you is about empowering your leaders with the data and administrative support they need to understand how people are being cared for and how God is moving in your ministry.
I just finished a thought-provoking book called Leadership and Self Deception from the Arbinger Institute. It eloquently addresses the tendency we all have to sabotage our own leadership by ignoring our "gut" and not following through on actions which will benefit those we lead, serve, or simply do life with. As Christ-followers, that "gut" feel is the Holy Spirit and we often betray or ignore it. This leads to self-betrayal, which then leads to conflict and unhealthy attitudes towards others.
For me, this is almost always an unconscious act. I have no idea I am ignoring my gut until I see the damage on the other side. James 4:1 provides some insight into what is happening here:
"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?" (NIV)
I was thrilled with the opportunity to provide a guest post on Tony Morgan's blog recently.
This blog post caught my eye: 9 Reasons NOT to Plant a Church. It suggests that the church planting movement has missed something along the way.