Enduring Churches Podcast with Alan and Trent

Episode 82: Dealing With Sunday Morning Distractions

Episode 82: Dealing With Sunday Morning Distractions

Common Distractions:

• Personal comments
  • Complaints
  • Requests
• Technology issues
  • Screen's
  • Notes
  • Batteries
• Building issues
  • Power
  • Thermostats
• Security Issues
  • Odd behavior by a guest
  • Theft in parking lots

• Personal Issues
  • Family conflict
  • Internal conflict

Some Helps for the journey

1. Spend time preparing on Saturday for Sunday.
2. Arrive early!!!!!!
3. Shut your door for some time in prayer.
4. Ask people to come back to your later with issues.
5. Stay on the move before and in between services so you are hard to corner.

• A moving target is harder to hit.

Episode 81: How We Move the Finish Line

Episode 81: Ways We Move the Finish Line

 

A moving finish line creates

• confusion
• frustration
• disconnection

 

Great leaders communicate with clarity - right now its hard to do

 

1. In Discipleship ---

• What does a disciple look like?
• Changes from sermon series to sermon series
• Define your process
  • Purpose Driven church had bases;

In Church Membership ---

• Expectations to no expectations
• How do you determine church membership?

In Leadership Expectations ---

• Some are held accountable others are not
  • Define roles
  • Set expectations
  • Follow up

In Mission and Vision ---

• Constantly changing
  • Seminar syndrome - we copy and paste from new things
  • Give at least 3-5 years to a clear vision

October Giveaway:

 

Bringing out the best in any size church by Gary Mcintosh

email Alan@enduringchurches.consulting or Trent@enduringchurches.consulting and tell us about you and your church.   You will be entered into our October drawing!

Episode 80: The Rule of Good Starts

Episode 80: The Rule of Good Starts

• A good start requires pre-planning.

1. Free energy
2. Practice a ministry,
   1. run through the highs and lows of what you expect.
   2. COVID has revealed this is a weakness in our culture.
   3. Rate of change/marketing

• A good start requires intentional effort.

1. Mindset
2. If we don’t care about the start, it's harder to care about the results.
3. Not moving too fast or too slow

• A good start sets the right tone.

1. Out front making adjustments to keep you there
2. Prepares you to be in a hold out versus a catch up position.

• A good start sets you up to go the distance.

1. You still have the majority of the work to do
2. It’s easier to embrace pain out front than in the back.

• The good news bad starts are hard to recover from, but not impossible.

1. Pray more!

Episode 79: Budget Imperatives of 2021

Episode 79: Budget Imperatives of 2021

 

1. Plan for a shortfall

• 0-10%
• 10-20%
• 20+%

2. Protect the staff

• #1 concern is job security
• Uneasy times for people in ministry

3. Prioritize generosity

• Giving is contagious
• Our communities need us

4. Shed unneeded expenses

• Light on your feet and flexible
• What are expenses that you have that you don’t need?

5. Know your necessities

• What cannot be stopped, delayed, or dissolved

6. Expect an increase in technology expenditures

• Streaming, website, online presence, video recording

7. Plan on celebrating God’s faithfulness

• Celebrating God’s provision leads us to better awareness

Episode 78: How Are You Talking About Giving?

Episode 78: How Are You Talking About Giving?

 

1. Talk about God stories - not paying the bills
2. Start every worship service with a God story
3. Talk about generosity not tithing

• Your budget drives generosity

Talk about investing in lives

Talk about how your church or your missions are blessing people

Use videos and stories

Celebrate financial victories

 

 

Remind people of our interview with Todd McMichen

Take a piece of paper 

• on the top left - write down 3 or 4 of the most generous people that you know personally
• Now in the middle of the page draw a stick figure around that "generous person"
• I want you to write down some traits of those generous people you listed.  You should be able to come up with a bunch.  
• Now I want you to make another list.  List the words that we typically use when we talk about giving at church.  Are your two lists the same - I bet not.  Wouldn't you rather preach on the first list?

see also:

https://enduringchurches.podbean.com/e/i11-interview-with-todd-mcmichen/

Episode 77: Membership and How to Do It

Episode 77: Membership and How to Do it

 

 

Additional thought…make it very contextual to your church and your setting.

 

Why have them?

• Membership matters
• Romans 12:5 - members of one another
• Why do people resist membership?
  • Hurt
  • Lack of commitment
  • Rise of non-denoms and drift of good theology

 

Start a membership class

 

What’s in them?

• The Gospel
• Core church doctrines
• Expectations
  • Examples: small groups
  • Giving
  • Serving
  • Going

 

How long do they have to be?

• Make it right for your setting

 

When do you do them?

• Don’t have to be married to a calendar
• Try to have one 3-4 times a year

 

 

What other findings about membership classes have you discovered?

Episode 76: Your Church and Spiritual Gifts

Episode 75: Doing Ministry in Your Own Strength

Guided by a blog from Dr. Chuck Lawless. Read his blog here

 

So how are your mental reserves?

How are your emotional reserves?

How are your relationship reserves

Are you doing ministry all on your own power?

• You have a bad attitude about serving. 

 

• You pray primarily only when you must. 

 

• You tend to think you can accomplish anything. 

 

• You don’t really live a life of dependence. 

 

• Your strongest days of walking with God are in the past.

 

• You’re losing the private sin battle. 

 

• You admire people who seem to be truly walking with God, but you don’t change. 

 

• Your family knows a different you than the public you. 

 

• You just know your reality. 

Episode 74: Steps to Stopping Depression

Episode 74: Steps to Stopping Depression

 

Recognize the signs

 

• Mood: anxiety, apathy, general discontent, guilt, hopelessness, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, mood swings, or sadness
• Behavioral: agitation, excessive crying, irritability, restlessness, or social isolation
• Sleep: early awakening, excess sleepiness, insomnia, or restless sleep
• Whole body: excessive hunger, fatigue, or loss of appetite
• Cognitive: lack of concentration, slowness in activity, or thoughts of suicide
• Weight: weight gain or weight loss
• Also common: poor appetite or repeatedly going over thoughts

 

Be proactive - decide to do something

 

Call a lifeline - call on another minister you trust

 

Be a lifeline - recognize that other ministers are dealing with this 

 

Remember your staff and volunteers are having the same struggles

 

Remember your spouse -

• plan a special date for them
• write them a card or letter to let them know how much you appreciate them

 

Episode 73:Big Decisions We are glad We made