Seven Keys to Achieving Your Dreams!

 

Do you have things that you want to accomplish in life?

 

You can call these dreams, goals, desires, or hopes---they are all the same. It is the thing that you desire for most out of life. It can include what job you want, money to make, house to live in, place to travel, or it can be accomplishing a great task, building a great company, winning the biggest game, or just providing a comfortable and happy life for your family. For me, faithfully doing what God wants me to do has always been the measure of success.

 

I would have been more successful and happy if I had known of these seven keys and activated them in my life.

 

First, is to allow yourself to dream. In today's world, nothing seems to be beyond the realm of possibility--especially when God is leading. I believe that God puts within us certain desires. I have often been amazed when I see a person that is so passionate about something that it seems to consume them like music or sports. When I was younger and began to think of things that I would really like to do, I would always find reasons that I should not or could not do it.

 

This leads to the second key--believe it!!! In high school, I thought I would like to be a lawyer. I was not the greatest student and knew that law school was expensive so I gave up that notion before it even took root. Later I thought about going into law enforcement, but standing just a little over 5 foot tall in high school, I thought that I was too small to become a cop. That dream died also. Looking back to my high school days, I was preoccupied with finding a career that I could do---not what I wanted to do. If I were to get the chance to do it over again, I would ask myself the question, "What in life  do I really want to do?" When the answer came, I would relentlessly pursue that dream.

 

The third key is to see yourself in the pursuit and fulfillment of your dream. This is more than "visualizing." If the dream reflects reality, then you will have an idea of what it takes to get you there. The steps may include college, finding the right mentor, or relocating to another city. Don't just see yourself on the podium holding the gold medal, see yourself training and putting in all of the hard work. See yourself in the pursuit of the dream---not just the fulfillment of the dream.

 

The next key is important---tell others about your dream. Sometimes we are afraid of those "dream squashers" that want to step on and kill our dreams. I was so afraid of them that I always killed my own dream before I would allow others to kill them for me. If you believe that your dream is possible, then you will not have a problem telling others about your dreams.

 

Dreams are not accomplished by accident. They don't just happen. They take planning. Sometimes when we hear about another's success, it seems like it "just happened" for them. But we don't see all of the work that it takes to get there. True--it does take a little bit of luck and being at the right place at the right time, but I heard one successful person say, "The harder I work the luckier I get." Set goals and milestones to get you to where you want to be in 1 year--2 years--5 years..... Make a plan!

Success takes hard work. You must work it. Get used to words like change, adapt, pivot, rebuild, innovate, and start over. There is not usually a direct line to success. Most roads wind and have many turns. Realizing a dream requires steadfast tenacity and relentless focus upon the goals regardless of the obstacles in the path to your dream. This is to be expected---do not allow these bumps in the road detour us.

Finally---and importantly---enjoy the journey. Maybe you just want to enjoy sitting on a beach sucking mixed drinks with tiny umbrellas, but you will have missed a lot if you don't enjoy the journey. If you are not enjoying the journey your family will suffer.

 

Learn these lessons now and learn them well and success will be sweeter and more rewarding.

 

----------------------------------------------------------

 

Did you know that you can financially support the Dunmis Empowerment Foundation by visiting our sponsors every time you click on their banner ads above and below this blog.

 

Please consider supporting Dunamis with a tax deductible gift. Go here to give.

 

 

 

Do you have enough power in your life?

Regardless of the vehicle, power is required to get from place to place. The greater the power, the quicker and more efficient the trip.

 

The same is true in life, we all require power to get us to where we want to go. When we do not have the power to control our situations and destiny, we begin having feelings of powerlessness. These feelings lead to depression  and anger and can lead to desperate behaviors like drug addiction and acts of aggression. People are often treated for these symptoms in counselor's offices or programs, but feelings of powerlessness are seldom adequately addressed.

The answer to these feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness is to be EMPOWERED!!!

There are four ways that every individual can be empowered: socially, structurally, psychologically, and spiritually. We will write more about each area of empowerment in future blogs or you can go to www.dunamisempower.org for more information.

Did you know that you can financially support the Dunmis Empowerment Foundation by visiting our sponsors every time you click on their banner ads above and below this blog.

 

Please consider supporting Dunamis with a tax deductible gift. Go here to give.



Three Ways to Simplify Your Life



People often get overwhelmed in life. Have you tried to cut back to make life manageable? We get more and more things, then we need more money to maintain everything in our lives. We have become dependent upon electronics and smart phones.  We are in constant communication with everyone and life seems to get more complicated and confusing.

 

Isn't it time that we simplify our lives?

 

I think so...you can empower yourself by reexamining your life, strengthening the essentials, and eliminating the waste in your lives.

 

I am in a season of life where there are simply too many things that I would like to do, but don't have the time. So I have been thinking a lot lately about how I could simplify my life and be happier and feel better about my life.

 

There are three things that will make a person's life simpler and more fulfilling. Actually, I came up with a lot more than three, but realized that I could easily make things more complicated in an effort to simplify life. (Life is full of ironies like that.) I examined all of the things that I had listed and took the three things that I feel will make our lives more fulfilling and they all begin with a realistic examination of our lives.

 

We must honestly evaluate everything that we do and be willing to make the adjustments necessary to make our lives better. I recently saw a definition of discipline and have used this definition many times.

 

DISCIPLINE 

is

choosing between

what I want most

 &

what I want now.

 

I love this definition because it sums up our lives well. We may want washboard abs, but are we willing to diet and exercise to get them. I believe that we all have ability to be healthy and fit if we are willing to do what is necessary.

 

Three things that will help us to simplify our lives and become more satisfied:

 

1. Determine what thing or two is most essential for personal growth and do them every day.

 

If you are not developing personally or professionally, you are declining. Ask yourself what are the most important things that I should do everyday that will help me become the person that I want to be? Things like exercise, Bible reading, praying, mediation, listening to sermons or development experts, or blogging. Make these things a priority and do them daily.

 

"If everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority."

 

2. List all of your daily activities, then label them as:

1. Essential
2. Useful
3. Enjoyable
4. Wasteful

Then focus on the essential and eliminate the wasteful.

 

Obviously, the things that essential and useful should be prioritized and strengthened. We should examine those things that are enjoyable--like watching TV for two hours every evening--and determine if we should exchange that activity for a more useful one.

 

But the thing here is to identify and eliminate those things that are wasteful in our lives.

 

3. Eliminate dead weight (i.e. things that hinder us).

 

We have all seen the movies where items were thrown out of a plane or over the side of a ship to lighten the load to prevent a horrible tragedy. Americans want to live outside of our means. I saw a movie years ago where a couple crash landed on a island. They had to walk to the other side of the island so that they could be saved. When the couple started out, the woman insisted that they carry her bags. By the time they reached the other side of the island, they had discarded all unnecessary weight. Her priorities had changed. Things that seemed important actually were hindrances.

 

WE WANT TO EMPOWER YOU AND HELP YOU EMPOWER OTHERS. LEARN MORE HERE.

 

Please support us by subscribing to this blog and by visiting our sponsors. We are supported every time you click on the banner ad above and below this blog.

 

Thank you for empowering us so that we can empower others.

 

 

 

Declining Churches Need Empowered Members

The young shepherd boy, David, went to battle against the giant enemy. David took charge of the battle and did not wait for the generals to sound the charge.

When Christians begin looking around it appears that Satan, our enemy, is winning the war. He has certainly won many of the battles.

 

Why does it look like the enemy is winning on many fronts? Doesn't the Bible declare the Church victorious? Why has the church reached a plateau and started to decline?

 

To be fair, not all churches are declining, however, most of the churches that are growing are getting bigger at the expense of other churches--transfer growth is not growth. When we begin to realize this, we will all be more motivated to do something about it. Many pastor's whose churches start syphoning off others members use the excuse, "Its not my fault that they prefer go to my church than their old one." I have heard pastor's us the phrase unchurched or under-churched to describe people that may attend a church, but are not fully engaged into the body and mission of the church. The truth is, it is just easier to attract Christians to church than non-Christians. If non-Christians were easy to reach, then all churches would be growing.

Psychologists have a term for when a person has conflicting values and try to reconcile them--cognitive dissidence. The conflict that pastor's have is that in their heart they do not like the notion that they are stealing members from other churches, but they also want to grow a church and more members means more resources. They are seduced by the thought that they are preferred to the others. It plays into their pride. They say to themselves that when my church grows large enough, then I will have the resources we need to evangelize.

Back to my question--why are churches declining?

 

I want to make several observations from my experience, from what the Christian leadership literature says, and from personal discussions with pastors and church members.

 

1. Churches decline because they have lost their ability to impact their community.

 

Many churches are not impacting their community and don't seem to know how to make a difference in the lives of the community. This is a leadership problem. In my opinion, one of the problems is that most of our churches are led by men whose primary gift is pastor. If a church is led by a man whose primary gift is pastor, they should surround themselves with men with other gifts. Pastors whose churches are growing have done this either on purpose or by accident. We need church leaders with strategic insight that can target and impact their communities, many pastors lack this strategic ability or are too busy shepherding the flock. The lead person (usually called pastor) must put together a team of gifted individuals to lead the church.

2. Churches decline because we are not training leaders that can impact their communities within their areas of gifting.

For all of the literature and discussion on Ephesians 4:11-13, it seems few churches are actually good at it. The current teaching says that the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher are given to the church to train workers to build up the body of Christ. If this teaching is correct, I know of only a handful of churches in my community that does it well. If those with the gift of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher cannot impact their community, how then can we expect those that they train to do much better?

Am I saying that we should never change churches?

Glad you asked...that is NOT what I am saying.

Assuming that the doctrine of the church you are attending is acceptable to you and there are not obvious signs of heresy, discord, or immorality, then you should stay and make a difference. "I am not being fed," is the most common excuse that I hear for a Christian to change churches. When I hear that, I really hear, "I am not satisfied at this church and this is the only excuse that puts the blame on the church and not my dissatisfaction."

The only good excuse for changing churches is for an opportunity to use your gifts for the glory of God. Some churches have enough people with your gift that you may not have a place to be used. If that is the case, there are many churches that need mature Christians that know what their gifts are and how to use them--go there, they would love to have you.

What is the Lord saying now?

Don't wait for the generals (church leaders) to lead you into battle. Be like David and take the fight to the giant.

Empower Your Dreams

 

Do you know what it takes for you to be able to achieve the dreams that you have for your life?

 

A fact of reality that comes with getting older, is looking back at our lives and seeing the things that we wanted to accomplish go unfulfilled. Sure, some of the things we wanted to do were out of our control and sometimes doors that we wanted to open remained shut. Reasons for unopened doors often remain hidden to our understanding. I also look back at opportunities I let go by and wonder. I wanted to be a foreign missionary. I had an opportunity in my twenties to work for Teen Challenge in Germany--I turned it down. Maybe I should have looked at that opportunity more closely. I was also asked to start a church in West Texas, but didn't feel ready for the task at the time. I wonder where I would be today if I had chosen another path. I choose, however, to dwell upon the things in life that I have accomplished. I can honestly say that, although I look back and wonder about paths not taken, I have no regrets and I love the place in which God has placed me.

 

I have more dreams I will accomplish in the near future and know that there are five things that will get me there.

 

1. Determination

 

Our plans for the future should be directed by God. God directs our plans if we allow Him. Once we have a direction from God, we should follow that path with determination. Often the paths that we believe God is directing stops or changes direction. These unexpected changes are usually from God. He seldom gives us the whole picture and usually the way that we envision the future seldom comes true in the exact form we imagined. We may dream of teaching in a University,  but God may have us teaching a small group on Thursday nights. We may have dreams of writing the greatest novel in the twenty-first century, but can only manage a weekly blog. I watched a video of a couple that felt from the beginning of their relationship that they were going to have a daughter and that her name would be Chloe. After years and years of trying to have children, they only had heartache. After they decided to adopt, they found that the mother of the girl they were going to adopt wanted to name her Chloe. They had thought that they would give birth to Chloe, but realized that God had different plans. We may have dreamed of marrying Veronica, but ended up married to Betty. The circumstances of the dream God gives us may change, but the essence of the dream remains in tact--having a child, having a spouse, teaching, being a missionary, etc. We need to be determined in seeing the dream God has given use come true and not necessarily the circumstances as we planned them.

 

2. Responsibility

 

Our life is our responsibility. This includes our dreams. Our life is not the responsibility of our parents, our families, our friends, our spouses, or even God. It is ours. Self-leadership and self-management are vital keys for realizing dreams. They are defined as having the ability to lead and manage yourself. Leading and managing your life means taking responsibility. If we have gotten off of track, it is important to understand that we can do little to change past decisions. However, we can repair damage that may have been done, mend or heal our current situations, and plan our future decisions. Important to self-leadership and management is making informed decisions. That brings us to the third thing.

 

3. Education

 

Education is defined as the process of receiving systematic instruction, but it is also defined as having an enlightened experience. Regardless of what your dream is, there is a level of knowledge and understanding that is needed. The old adage says that knowledge is power. In our pursuit of this power, look for mentors. Look for someone who is or was where you want to be and ask them to mentor you. I cannot stress this enough. One of the great failures of not accomplishing our dreams is not having good mentors. Many people who are qualified, do not place themselves in the position of mentoring others. When they do, they often choose others and may not think of mentoring you. That is when we need twenty seconds of insane courage to approach that individual and ask them to mentor us. If they say no or they don't have the time, don't take it personally. They can still mentor you by observation. Each boss or supervisor that I have had were my mentors. I observed them and asked questions and learned from each of them. Although I didn't always have an official mentoring relationship, they were all my mentors.

 

4. Attitude

I will never forget. I was walking down the hallway of a hospital and passed a man pushing himself in a wheelchair. The man had on a t-shirt that said, "Attitude is everything." It was clear that this man's ability to deal with his handicap was because of his attitude. The difference between this man's life and the life of someone that has lost the use of their legs and gives up on life is in their attitude. The attitude in which we approach life determines not only the destination, but also how smooth the ride getting there will be. People whose attitude is right are successful. People whose attitudes are informed by faith, trust, and belief in God are unstoppable.

5. Motivation

Motivation explains why we do the things we do. This is important. We need to have the proper motivation that will put us in a situation to accomplish our dreams. Those of us that have college degrees have them because we were motivated enough to endure everything that is required to get that diploma. Accomplishing our dreams directly relates to the motivation to accomplish that dream. The right motivation supplants every force bent on stopping our dream. Psychologist talk about intrinsic and extrinsic motivational forces. A person that is intrinsically motivated is motivated from within themselves. They have an inner desire for accomplishment. A person, on the other hand, that is extrinsically motivated gets their motivation from external forces--a paycheck, the threat of punishment, fear of being fired, or that large bonus for a job well done. Both motivational forces are legitimate. Sports athletes are internally motivated to succeed, but often need that coach in their face to insure they are doing their best. I will suggest a third kind of motivation; God-motivation. Every Christian, regardless of internal or external motivation, should be motivated by God. He is the one who designed us and knows for what we are best suited. God sent the Holy Spirit to live in us and guide us. We should be motivated by His Word and by His Spirit.

These five things can help us achieve our dreams.

Follow my Blog!

 

Will you do me a favor?

I feel that there are many people that need some encouragement. Some people have lost sight of their dreams and God's plans for them seem far away to them. I feel that God wants us to encourage them. GOD IS NOT THROUGH WITH ANY OF US YET.

 

Please re-post this blog in as many social media sites you can.

 

 

 

HOW TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE AND FULFILLED

 

 Do the little things in life keep you in the ruts?

 

Learning how to prioritize work or house tasks and accomplish them can help us be more effective and more fulfilled.

1. Prioritize the things you need to do.
 

Every task has a level of urgency and importance. There are four possible combinations. Understanding this will help us to prioritize the things we must get done.

 

• Not important, not urgent
• Not important, urgent
• Important, not urgent
• Important, urgent

2. Just start...do not procrastinate.

 

Sometimes the best thing to do is to just get started.

3. Learn the art of self-motivation.

 

Do not wait for your boss to motivate you into action; you may not like how it is done. If you are self-employed or do not have direct supervision, the ability to motivate yourself is a must. Give yourself rewards for accomplishing tasks. When facing decisions about what you need to do, ask yourself what will give you the greatest sense of satisfaction or relief when it is done--then do it.

4. Focus on what you are doing and stay on task.

 

Plan ahead to eliminate known distractions.

5. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

It is better to finish well with a little help than it is to not finish on you own.

 

6. Be accountable.

 

Individuals that can work well without someone to be accountable to are rare.

 

There are many more elements that help us get things done, but these six have helped me finish many projects.

Please leave a comment below and subscribe to this blog.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND FOLLOW THIS BLOG.

 

https://www.pinterest.com/jimbayes4/

Tips to Become a More FIT Church Leader

I have proposed that the term CHURCH FITNESS is a better descriptor than CHURCH HEALTH to describe the state in which we desire to see the church.

(See my article in Churchleaders.com)

A FIT CHURCH must have a FIT PASTOR, but we often see pastors that are stressed and over worked. This is especially true with pastors of churches that have leveled off or are in decline. It is very important for these pastors to be fit and strong.

Fitness has been defined as a set of attributes that people have or achieve that relates to the ability to perform physical activity or the body's ability to function efficiently and effectively in work and leisure activities. Exercise is the primary method for a person to achieve fitness.

Applying this idea to the church as a body, I have defined CHURCH FITNESS as having the life-giving breath of God in its members with the ability of each member to function together effectively toward the fulfillment of its unique God-given mission.

For a church to become FIT, it is necessary for each member to become fit--especially the church leaders. The following activities done daily will increase strength, contribute to the fitness of the whole person, and ultimately increase the effectiveness of the church leader.

1. Do a daily physical activity such as a brisk walk.

2. Do a brain exercise, such as counting to 100, then counting backwards from 100 to 1.

3. Have a positive emotional moment each day by watching an inspirational video or looking a pictures of loved ones.

4. Engage people everyday that you do not already know and shake their hands.

5. Raise your hands and worship God for a period of time each day.

These activities may seem random, but there is an explanation for each one. Exercise is an essential activity for a person to become FIT. When a person exercises, their muscles are strengthened, the ability of the heart to bring the vital oxygen to the rest of the body grows, and the whole body increases its ability to function properly. But physical muscles are not the only areas of a person that needs daily exercise. There are five "muscles" of the body. They are physical muscle, cognitive muscle, emotional muscle, social muscle, and spiritual muscle. Positive activity in each area will strengthen the leaders and give them strength to bring their church into health and fitness.

Activity in each area should be processed through what I call the Philippians 4:8 filter. Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." Therefore, truth, honor, righteousness, purity, loveliness, good repute, excellence, and praise are the standard to which all activities are held.

The first way to become a better church leader is to exercise their physical body.

Engaging in any physical activity increases fitness. Many studies have shown that physical activity helps the body in many positive ways including the prevention of insulin, it reduces the risk of cognitive decline, lowers the risk of strokes, boosts the immune system, and heightens the ability to fight off illnesses such as colds and flu. An inactive lifestyle increases the changes of colon and breast cancer, heart attacks, increases the loss of lean muscle, increased bone loss, increases the feelings of depression and makes weight gain more likely. Many hard working pastors do not have the time or the inclination to exercise daily. However, studies have shown that any amount of physical activity positively affects the body. Find a physical activity that can fit into your daily routine. Something as simple as walking around the block or your building will reap many positive results.

The second way to become a better church leaders is to exercise your brain.

Researchers have done many studies that indicating the legitimacy of brain exercise and its benefits. Brain exercise has been linked to faster thinking, better memory, greater focus, creativity, better listening, and even a better mood. A simple daily activity like counting to 100 and back again to 1, helps focus the brain and builds will power by accomplishing a repetitive task like counting. Besides this activity, there are many brain exercises which bring results. One researcher suggests practicing "mindfulness". Mindfullness is actively paying attention to your immediate surroundings as though you are experiencing it for the first time. Mindfullness helps the brain to process information through all of your senses--how things look, how they sound, how they smell, how they fool. Exercising your brain daily will help you become a better leader.

The third way to become a better church leader is to exercise your emotions.

Pastoring a church, or church work in general, can be very emotional. It is critically, important for the leadership of a church to maintain a positive emotional outlook. Finding an activity such as viewing an emotionally inspiring video, looking through a family photo album or other memorabilia  that brings positive emotional feelings helps the mind, body, and spirit feel better. As human beings, we are emotionally affected by different things. It is important that we have daily positive emotional stimuli and exercise our emotional muscle.

The fourth way to become a better church leader is to interact with people, especially those that we do not know well.

Imagine the impact it might have upon your life and the life of your church if you shook the hand of a stranger every day. This action would necessarily require social interaction with the community each day. This activity exercises the social muscle of the body. Human beings are social beings. Even introverts seek social interaction. I fear that the proliferation of social media on the internet has decreased meaningful face-to-face social interaction. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram makes us feel connected to celebrities and people that we will never meet. We know more about people, but do we really "know" them? There is nothing that can replace the physical connection we have when we shake someone's hand. The face-to-face interaction required by hand-shaking is one of the most effective ways to exercise social muscle.

The fifth way to become a better church leader is to spend dedicated time worshipping God.

The apostle Paul tells us one of the reasons that God's wrath will be poured out on the wicked is that they have exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served created beings rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25). Humans are designed to worship God their creator. The most significant thing we can do as Christians on a daily basis is to worship God. To tell the truth, without worshipping God, everything else seems futile. Worship is exercising spiritual muscle. Other spiritual disciplines are important for spiritual growth, but none are as important as worshipping God.

Exercising our physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and spiritual muscles are the keys to holistic personal fitness.

CHURCH FITNESS relies upon fit leaders.

I want to hear from you. Please leave a comment below about your thoughts on this post or on CHURCH FITNESS in general.

Follow This Blog

< Please go to the "follow" button at the to of the page and follow this blog (as shown here to the left). God bless you as you accomplish God's assignment He has called you to do.

The Born Leader Myth

A few years ago, I had a conversation with the Superintendent of a public school district. We were discussing leadership and youth leadership development. During our conversation he made the remark, "I suppose that you are going to tell me that leaders are made and not born?" After I responded affirmatively, he asserted that leaders were mainly born--not developed. His proof was the elementary school playground. As he explained how some boys and girls seem to attract others to them, I had a vision from my own elementary days of Freddy strutting through the playground at recess with a group of guys following him. This personal memory seemed to be evidence for the Superintendent's assertion for "born leaders." Upon reflection, I remembered that Freddy was older than us by a few years because he had been held back. There may be other explanations of this leader attraction than innate leadership qualities. We all have observed certain people who, for some reason, attract others who want to follow and/or emulate them. But are Freddy and these others born leaders?

Early research into leadership focused on the leader. It was presumed that some individuals were born with certain traits that made them great leaders. This is refereed to as the "great man" theory. After World War II, there was a deep and growing interest in leadership research. Leadership research has grown to include research on leadership skills, leadership styles, leadership situations, and the development of leadership theories such as contingency theories, the path-goal theory, Leader-member exchange, Transformational leadership theory, Servant Leadership, Spiritual Leadership, and more. Even with all of the recent leadership research, the question "are leaders born or made" is still asked.

Serious study into leadership traits has been credited to two studies done by R. M. Stogdill (1948 & 1974). In the first study Stogdill found that the leadership situation is an important factor and that a leader does not become a leader just because he has certain traits. His second study found that while the situation was important, traits are an important part of leadership. R. D. Mann similarly reported that the evidence gives impetus to the situational approach to leadership maintaining that leadership is created through the interaction of individuals. Leadership is a function of the task, composition, and culture of the group. I have often asked groups if they thought that U. S. Grant was a born leader. Most of the respondents say yes (probably based on his leadership during the Civil War). Most war generals are seen as strong leaders and probably "born leaders" (George Washington, Dwight Eisenhower, Colin Powell for example). If you were to ask the same group if Grant was a good president, they almost unanimously say no. This is anecdotal proof that the situation is an important factor in leadership. Leadership ability is not necessarily transferable from one context to another indicating that there are more variables in determining leadership that just a genetic leadership ability.

The difficulty with the trait approach to leadership is in identifying the trait or traits that leaders have in common. In an effort to identify these traits, using meta-analysis, some researchers found that intelligence, masculinity, and dominance were significantly related to how leaders were perceived. Judge, Bono, Ilies, and Gerhardt (2002) developed a chart listing some twenty-one possible traits for emergent or effective leaders from ten separate sources. Kirkpatrick and Locke (1991) determined that leadership traits do matter and identified six traits that leaders have that differ from non-leaders: drive, desire to lead, honesty/integrity, self-confidence, cognitive ability, and knowledge (specifically of business). However, they state that these traits only endow people with the potential for leadership. Additional factors, such as leadership situations, determine effective leadership. Individuals can be born with these traits, they can learn them, or both (Northouse, 2007). Yukl (2010) writes that considerable evidence shows that traits are jointly determined by learning and the inherited tendency to gain satisfaction from particular stimuli or experiences. Some traits, such as values and social needs, are more influenced by learning than others such as temperament and physiological needs. The researcher is left to answer the question of what trait or traits are inherent in the leader themselves and which traits can be learned and developed.

The consensus today seems to be that while some people possess traits and characteristics that are more conducive to good leadership, most of what is considered "leadership" is developed. An army officer once wrote that they could not wait around to identify born leaders--they must develop men and women into leaders. This directly applies to churches today. Many churches lack competent leadership although they may have good pastors. Leadership development is lacking in most churches today. Like the military, churches cannot wait around for "born leaders" to emerge; they must be trained and developed.

Sources:

• Judge, T. A., Bono, J. E., Ilies, R., & Gerhardt, M. (2002). Personality and leadership: A qualitative and quantitative review. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 765-780.
• Kirkpartic, S. A. & Locke, I. A. (1991). Leadership: Do traits matter? The Executive, 5, 48-60.
• Mann, R. D. (1959). A review of the relationship between personality and performance in small groups. Psychology Today, 56, 241-270.
• Horthouse, P. G. (2007). Leadership: Theory and practice (4th ed.), Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publishing.
• Yukl, G. (2010). Leadership in organizations (7th ed., Kindle ed.), Retrieved from Amazon.com.

I want your input!!

1. Do you believe that leaders are born?
2. Do you believe that leaders are developed?
3. Do you believe that they are both born and developed?

....post a comment below...

Is "doing church" too complicated?

I have found few books more helpful than "Simple Church" (by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger) for helping churches stay on track. I suppose that when I was pastoring I felt that ministry should be complicated to be successful. I didn't consciously say this to myself, but I sure went about pastoring like it was complicated. After reading this book, I  admit that I was guilty of making ministry more complicated than it should be. 

The message of this book is "simple" yet profound. Simple is in. Complex is out. That mantra keeps running over and over in my mind as I coach pastors. It is something that all church workers should be aware of.

Simple Church is defined as a congregation designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth.

The process is simple:

Clarity  >>> Movement >>> Alignment >>> Focus

"Focus" is the area that I struggled with while I was pastoring. Focus is the commitment to abandon everything that falls outside of the simple ministry process. Leaders tend to get involved in many things that pull them away from the ministry in which they were called to do. 

"Simple Church" is an easy and straightforward read and is worth adding to any church worker's tool box.

Rainer, Thom S. & Geiger, Eric. (2006) Simple Church (Kindle ed.) Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing group.

What book or books do you consider essential for your ministry tool box? Please let me know...leave a comment below and subscribe to this blog so that you will not miss any of my updates.

Check out jimmybayes.org

The Size of the Dog in the Fight

Mark Twain said something like, "What matters is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog." There is a lot of wisdom in them there words. This is important to remember in a "bigger is better" culture that we live in (especially here in Texas). This is also true when it comes to churches. A bigger church does not mean it's better.

Churches of more than two thousand average attendees represent less than half of one percent of all churches in America. Yet, these mega-churches are often held up to be the models of ministry for all churches. I received an invitation by email to attend a church leadership  meeting sponsored by the Leadership Network (http://leadnet.org). I went online to register for the event only to find out that I could only attend the meeting if I directly worked with a church that averages over 1000 in attendance). Excluding those of us that work with churches of smaller sizes is an indication of how small churches are undervalued and underestimated.

Large churches enjoy the benefits of having more resources, but smaller churches have strategic advantages in the areas of authenticity, discipleship, evangelism, leanness, inter-generational ministry and leadership development. By their nature, small churches are more intimate and developing a sense of community comes more naturally. To capture some of the benefits of small churches, some mega-churches have opened up satellite churches.This "multi-site" approach has become more popular for mega-churches than building larger buildings to house all of their congregation under one roof. The multi-site approach enjoys the resources of a mega-church and the advantages of smaller congregations.

Data that supports the theory of a small church advantage is largely anecdotal because these advantages are harder to quantify. However, the qualitative data is present in the stories of thousands attending small churches. Although, there may not be sufficient data for me to proclaim here that small churches have significant advantages over large churches, I can say without hesitation that being small in size does not have to be a hindrance. The strongest endorsement of small over large church sizes is in the very real effort of large churches trying to emulate the the small church experience through small groups.

If you are aware of quantifiable research in the area of this discussion, I would be interested in examining it. 

Please leave a comment and/or your opinion about small or large churches and please subscribe to my blog.

Check out my webpage at jimmybayes.org

Empowered Team Development

Many pastors, writers, and consultants agree that developing ministry teams are a major key to effective ministry and building a successful church. There is, however, a big difference in a group of people working together and a team. A group is normally defined as two or more people who interact in some way, whereas teams are usually thought of as groups with shared goals and common objectives. This suggests that teams are more than mere work groups. I have been part of "teams" with conflicting interests that resulted in poor team participation, communication, and effectiveness. In reality, they were teams in name only.

A team is a collection of individuals who exist within a larger social system or organization. These individuals are identified by themselves and others as a team. They are interdependent and perform tasks that affect the other individuals and other groups.

Teams have several common characteristics. A team can be of any size, but a team of relatively few members are easier to manage and tend to be more effective.  Think of an NFL football team. Each team is allowed fifty-three players on the active roster (only forty-six can suit up for a game). The players are categorized as offensive or defensive players. They are further divided  by the position they play. A football team is really a team of teams. Each player and each team have different functions and goals, but they all share in the ultimate goal of winning the last game of the season. A church is also a team of teams with the same God-given mission.

The main characteristic that differentiates a team from a group is that teams are formed around common interests and values. Common interested and values bond the team members to one another. A shared values system creates a sense of identity and purpose. The second important characteristic of a team is their purpose. Teams are not appropriate for every church function, but they should be formed when the team is likely to outperform individuals or groups working independently. When a team is formed, their purpose should be well defined with specific goals and objectives.

Some churches and organizations have teams that meet perpetually like church boards and budget committees. Some ad hoc teams are formed for particular projects then disbanded when their tasks are completed. In either case, team building are formed in phases.

1. ORIENTATION PHASES- this is about the make-up of the team. Team members learn about the other members as they come together. They share their personal goals, values, dreams, and plans, etc.
2. CONFLICT PHASE - the ground rules are established, roles are identified, and procedures are clarified. Tension is necessary just as friction is necessary for movement. During this phase different ideas, procedures, jobs and tasks are discussed.
3. EMERGENCE PHASE - The outcomes of the group discussion regarding team structures, procedures, and relationships and the establishing of the individual roles begin to emerge. This phase ends when a consensus is reached and recorded.
4. PERFORMANCE PHASE - During this phase, the team functions are executed. If the team is perpetual, periodic evaluation of the members, their roles, and procedures is necessary. 
5. TERMINUS PHASE - Only temporary teams will come to an end. There are advantages of having teams with a predetermined life-cycle. This is especially true if the team is experiencing conflict or they are not effective.

Effective teams have a clear understanding of goals to be achieved and an enthusiastic commitment to accomplishing those goals. Recent polls have shown that the average organizational member does not have a clear understanding of their organizational goals. It can be assumed that the top leadership has a clear understanding of their overall purpose. Often this understanding is not clearly and continually communicated to the members. Many churches are guilty of the same mistake. Every Church differs in size, location, and make-up. Each church strives to accomplish God's plan in a unique way. The uniqueness should be communicated to the ministry teams.This mission keeps church leaders focused and the ministries aligned.

Teams should be developed in accordance with the various functions of the church. "24 to Double" (http://www.24todouble.org) suggests seven teams:

1. Outreach
2. WOW (First Impressions)
3. Shock & Awe (Production of cutting edge services)
4. Worship
5. Follow-up
6. Children
7. Small Groups

These represent some natural teams that leaders form. However, churches will develop teams according to their resources and what are needed to accomplish their mission.

Visiting our sponsors by clicking on their banners above and below this post helps support this ministry.

Please visit www.dunamisempower.org for more empowerment resources.

A Proud Ambivert

Everyone that knows me well would say that I would be more of an introvert than an extrovert. We live in a world that tends to see things in black or white terms (yes/no; positive/negative; good/bad; etc.). However, things are not usually as simple as this. When I was an undergraduate student I socialized with a group of friends every afternoon in the cafeteria. I was always a part of the group, but not always a part of the conversation. I felt I needed to interject myself into the conversation only when I had something of value to add. One afternoon, a new addition to the social group asked me why I didn't join the group. Her perception was that I was not a part of the group because I did not talk as much as the rest. I felt I was very much a part of the group and the conversation regardless of my verbal input. This person went on to state that "I didn't have to be shy and that I should come out of my shell." I did not agree with her assessment of myself, but it did make me realize that the perception others have of me is different than my own. I admit that I tend toward introversion, but I have never felt shy. In fact I have always felt to be more of an extrovert than introvert, but behavior says differently. Being shy and being introverted are not synonymous, but I think that extroverts would see them as being the same. 

About ten years ago, I took a personality test and I came out on the extroversion end of the scale. I felt somewhat vindicated, but felt that the scale was probably not accurate. About five years ago I was given the Myers-Briggs Personality Type assessment. The result was ESTJ. For those unfamiliar with the Myers-Briggs test, the "E" indicates the person (in this case me) is an extrovert. In two separate personality tests, I was scored as being more of an extrovert than an introvert. If this is true, then why would myself and others always assume that I was an introvert? This caused me to investigate the matter more thoroughly.

Then I read about "ambiverts". If introversion and extroversion are opposite ends of a scale (introversion being 0 and extroversion being 10), what about those that fall in the center of the scale? There is a third personality type that nobody talks about--the ambivert. An ambivert has a balance of extroversion and introversion tendencies. Carl Jung, the psychologist that developed this theory, said that there were no truly introverts or extroverts and if they were, they would be in an asylum. In fact, it has been estimated that ambiverts make up about 68% of the population. Ambiverts are the shades of gray in the black and white world of introverts and extroverts.

Understanding that I probably have as many extroversion traits as introversion traits helps me to understand myself and others much much better. One article says:

1. Ambiverts are more flexible in social settings.
2. Ambiverts are more emotionally stable.
3. Ambiverts are intuitive.
4. Ambiverts are more influential.

Consider this, you may be an ambivert! Chances are you're more of an ambivert than an extrovert or introvert. The next time you are asked whether you are an introvert or extrovert and feel uncomfortable with either label--there is a third option.

I AM A PROUD AMBIVERT!!!

I want to hear from you. Does knowing that you may be an ambivert change your thinking? I want to hear your story.

Please post a comment.

Thank you

Leadership is like an Oreo cookie

Last Thanksgiving one of the family brought Oreo cookie balls for one of the deserts. I got hooked on them. Since then I have bugged my wife and daughter to make them for me. The recipe is quite easy. You put a box of Oreo cookies in a blender and blend them. Mix in some Philadelphia cream cheese. Roll the mixture into small balls and dip the balls into chocolate. We refrigerate  them so that they will not melt. I am sure by now you are wondering what this story has to do with leadership. But first a little about the study of Leadership.

I was introduced to "leadership" as something to be studied and developed in the 90's. A pastor that I worked for gave me a couple of books on leadership. I am not sure if he was telling me that he spotted leadership potential in me that needed developing or that I was such a poor leader that I needed  help. I would like to think the former. That was my introduction to "leadership" as a topic or discipline. Today, information about leadership has exploded. Hundred's of books and thousands of research articles have been written. More about leadership is known today than at any other time in history.

I got involved in the study of leadership because I did not want to assume that because I was in the position of a leader, I knew what makes a good leader. I felt that there was something about leadership that I was missing--if there wasn't I would be a better leader and my organization would be more effective. I wanted to learn what I had been missing. Maybe I shouldn't have opened that can of worms. The more I learn about leadership, I see how much more there is to learn. Leadership will be a personal pursuit of learning for the rest of my life.

How is leadership like an Oreo cookie? 

Leadership is not like an Oreo cookie, I just thought it was a cool title! However, what made me think of the title was how a simple thing like an Oreo cookie, which I had always taken for granted, could be transformed into one of my favorite snacks. This caused me to compare leadership and oreos in three ways:

1. Leadership and Oreos are simple things, but have great potential.

2. An innovative idea can have transformational effects.

3. Don't assume that we know everything about something. That kills innovation and leads to maintaining status quo.

Three Empowering Keys to Church Fitness

The definition of health reveals two things. First is the lack of or being free of disease or ailment. The second thing is that health implies soundness and vigor.

The first aspect of health is the absence of any disease or ailment. No church is perfect, but if you have been a part of the Christian church for any length of time, you have more than likely seen churches that are sick because of a debilitating sickness. When I look at churches, I tend to look at the positive things and do not dwell upon the negative. There are, however, some churches that are obviously sick. Some church sicknesses are controlling factions, adversarial people who criticize and hinder things they do not agree with, conflicting relationships, poor leadership, and lack of vision and direction.

These are just a few of the potential sicknesses that can afflict a church. Being free from any of these or other major sicknesses does not mean that the church is a healthy church. The second part of our definition of health is that health implies wholeness and vitality. These two are separate but related. Wholeness is more than the body without a debilitating disease—there must be vitality. Vitality means that the body has all of its parts functioning properly and significant observable signs of life. As a nurse takes the vital signs of a patient--primarily blood pressure and temperature—we can also examine the church body for vital (or vitality) signs. Church leaders should be concerned about the health and vitality of their church, but how to determine church health and vitality is not always easy.

Let's look at the head, heart, hands, and feet of the body and their impact on vitality.

To determine the vitality of the church body, the head must be examined. The head of the church represents the leadership. Church leadership cannot be overestimated. I have often said that a church is what it is because of the leadership and it is not what it is not because of the leadership. That places a lot of responsibility upon the leader (usually the pastor) of the church. You may be thinking, "Yes, but what about our adversary the devil and his demons that are out to destroy the church?" Yes, we do have an enemy that is out to destroy and hinder our efforts, but have we not the promise that the gates of hell will not prevail against us (Mt. 16:18)? If this is true—and it is—then church leaders must admit to themselves that they may be the weakness of the church.

[Caveat: Church Health is not measured by attendance, membership, or money in the bank. As one pastor put it, "Church Health is not measured by butts and bucks."]

The leadership must become students of church health and vitality. I did not know about colic until I became a new father and we could not get our daughter to stop crying. Every time that our kids come down with a sickness, we have to become knowledgeable enough about the ailment to know how to respond. Poor attendance and lack of resources can be a symptom of a greater problem. Just like I had to learn to help my colicky child, pastors must learn how to treat their colicky church. Most of the time the church leaders are too close to the problem to identify it. Pastors do themselves and their churches a favor by getting someone who is familiar with church vitality to help diagnose their vitality.

Next is the heart of the body. The heart represents the spiritual vitality of the body. The spiritual heart is diagnosed by Mark 12:30-31, to love God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. In the churches that I work with, this seems to be a strong area. After all, that is what church is all about--loving God and loving others. Most churches have leaders and a core group that truly love God and show love toward others. I have had pastors of small churches point to their love of God and each other as proof of their health in spite of their size. Regardless of the atmosphere of love, acceptance, and forgiveness that exists in your church, this has to be nurtured or it will die. We make sure that our children have plenty of nutritious food. Pastors must make sure that their church has a healthy diet. Spiritual vitality is very important to the church, but it is only one organ of the body that impacts its vitality.

Next are the hands of the body. Hands represents what the church does. The hands are the functions of the church. Being active is a part of life. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, " Whatever you do, do it with all your heart. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom." Many church health experts assess church health by assessing the functions of the church. There are two aspects of the Christian life and by extension the church: being and doing. God is first interested in the "being"--who we are. Every Christian should be aware of who they are, but what we do is also important because it reflects who we are. We show our love of God by our worship and obedience--by how we respond to God's love. Being and doing are almost inseparable because they impact each other in profound ways. A coin has two sides regardless how thin or thick it is. If one side of the coin ceases to exist, then the coin itself ceases to exist. You cannot have a coin with only one side. This is equally true with "being" and "doing" as Christians. James makes a similar argument about faith and doing when he says, "Show me your faith without doing and I will show you my faith by what I do" (James 2:18). As with the head and heart, the hands represents only one aspect of church vitality.

Finally we examine the feet of the body. The feet represents evangelism. Isaiah 52:7 says, "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'" While most churches are busy "doing", many are inadequate in outreach. Outreach can be measured by the impact they are having on their community and the reputation they have in their area. Sadly, many churches are making very little impact on their community. It is logical to assume that God planted each church strategically so that they could influence and help people they come into contact with. It is also a fact that many communities are unaware of the churches in their area. It is safe to say that the churches that are known are also the churches that are making a difference in their communities. A vital church implies that they are busy working in God's fields either planting or harvesting. A vital church looks outward into their community as we as upward toward God and inward toward their spiritual family.

Church vitality can be measured by examining the head (efficient leadership), the heart (spiritual vitality), the hands (godly behaviors), and the feet (community impact) of the body.

I invite you to enter into the conversation about church health. I have been a part of several groups that dialogue and try to find solutions for ailing churches. I have noticed that church members and lay leaders have not typically been part of the dialogue. I believe that the solution for revitalizing the church will not come from pastors and leaders alone. The solution will come from every member of the body working together.

Please jump into the conversation about the state of the Church in America and leave a comment below.

Thank you for contributing your opinion.

 

 

Visiting our sponsors by clicking on their banner ad, will help support this ministry.

 

Please visit the Dunamis Empowerment foundation (www.dunamisempower.org).