On a recent Wednesday evening, my wife put on one of her famous "Wednesday Night Outs." It's a full meal, preceding our evening Bible Study to help folks who might not normally have time to leave work, go home, eat supper, and then come to the building, or just make it easier on those who do. I was at the building most of the day.
During the meal, I asked one of our members: "Did you see if the lights in the parking lot were on when you came in?" She looked at me and said: "I never notice those things. I've been coming here for so long that I just don't see stuff like that."
Getting up from the meal, I checked. No lights. Evidently, our power had been off and it had put our timers several hours behind. A flip of the switch, and a twist of the timer dial, and all was well, but at the time -- when we were really trying to make things easier for people who come -- the way to an open door was as dark as pitch.
I understand, I really do. You do something long enough, and you tend not to notice the scenery. But what you and I might excuse as familiarity, others, particularly newcomers, will see as inattentiveness. When my son went to college, he spent a good bit of time looking for a church home. He went to one church, noticed the time of their assemblies on their sign, and returned the following Sunday evening at the appointed hour -- an hour late. Assembly was just ending. The members seemed glad to see him and welcomed him in, but when he mentioned that the sign had the wrong times on it, one of the church leaders said: "Really? Let me see." Confirming the inaccurate information, the leader said: "We need to get that fixed." The last time I checked, the sign had never been changed. That church is a wonderfully warm spiritual family, but it's not growing, and one of the reasons is simply inattentiveness. If they aren't paying attention to the things outsiders see first, they will never get a second chance to make a good impression.
Bob Iger is the Chairman and CEO of Disney. A while back they decided to revamp their stores and Iger called Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple), whose stores are always full of customers, to give them some advice. Jobs said: "Create a statement . . . Ask yourselves what you want the stores to say to people when they walk in."
A church is people, not a building, in the same way that Apple is a product, not a store, but the two, product and store, church and building, are inseparably linked. If your building smells of mildew, if paint is peeling, if the sign outside is in disrepair -- or, heaven forbid, just wrong -- it won't matter what the people are like on the inside, chances are, folks will just keep driving. Additionally, if the building is perfect, but folks don't seem to notice new faces, nor are they welcoming, people still won't be back.
With every meeting of the church, leadership and followship needs to be asking: "What impression do we want people to get who visit with us?" Then, leadership and followship needs to open their eyes to what might blunt that message, and do something about it.
If you cannot see yourself, or at least try to see yourself as others see you, you will be wholly ineffective at casting a vision for the future because you won't know where you are, or where you need to go. Familiarity is like blindness, and both are the enemy of a successful church.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
MBWA
I confess, though I feel it is not a flaw, that I have always had a keen interest in business. My undergraduate major was in accounting and even in High School remember reading books about entrepreneurs and major American corporations. In college, Andrew Tobias’ (of “The Only Investment Guide You Will Ever Need” fame) the “Funny Money Game” and Paul Erdman’s “The Billion Dollar Sure Thing” (which he wrote in a Swiss Prison if I remember correctly) captivated me.
None of this means anything really – as my bank account will readily attest. I am, at heart, a preacher. But some recent conversations reminded me of a business management idea first coined at Hewlett-Packard and later made famous by Tom Peters (“In Search of Excellence”). It’s acronym, MBWA, stood for “Managing By Walking Around.”
It seems to me that in the Church, far too many leaders want to lead from their desks or conference tables, with their email or blackberrys. The result is leaders, in a position to make a difference in the congregation, become isolated and increasingly lack influence – in other words, become unable to lead.
Church leaders have suggested all kinds of ideas to me about how to press their vision upon the church: catchy slogans on banners, articles in the bulletin, sermons (everybody wants us to push their issue), fancy bulletin boards, etc., etc. But if you want to lead, you have to do so by being in contact with those you are trying to influence. That means, MBWA. For the church, it means the following (I’ve adapted this list from Oliver Serrat’s article found at http://www.adb.org/documents/information/knowledge-solutions/managing-by-walking-around.pdf):
1) Be among the people as often as possible - especially those on your ministry team. If you head an education department for example, drop by a teacher’s class. Take an interest in how he or she is doing.
2) Be relaxed
3) Share and invite good news.
4) Talk about their interests: family, hobbies, vacations, and sports.
5) Be sincere in your interest.
6) Watch and listen without judgment.
7) Invite ideas and opinions to improve operations and services
8) Be responsive to problems and concerns. Nothing is so damaging to a ministry as a leader who doesn’t seem to care about a follower’s concerns.
9) Look for people doing stuff right and take note of it to others.
10 Project the image of a coach, not an inspector
11) Give people on the spot help.
12) Use the opportunity to talk about your vision and dreams for the church.
13) Make it fun.
You will not find someone to serve on the benevolence committee, or work in the education program, or help keep up the building, or participate in any other area of ministry through passive management (usually characterized by a call for volunteers from the pulpit or in the bulletin). You get participants by going to people personally and asking them to help. You don’t keep people interested in ministry by assigning them to a task and then going off to pursue whatever else you’ve got on your agenda. You have to constantly touch base with your people to let them know they are important, and the work they are doing is important. They don’t feel it because you say it. They feel it because they experience your regular interest in them and what they are doing.
Yes, I know: everyone’s busy. But nothing runs itself very long, or very well. If Christ was so interested in the Church that he gave himself for it, and left His Holy Spirit to indwell each Christian, how can our leadership be anything less than engaged and sacrificial?
I confess, though I feel it is not a flaw, that I have always had a keen interest in business. My undergraduate major was in accounting and even in High School remember reading books about entrepreneurs and major American corporations. In college, Andrew Tobias’ (of “The Only Investment Guide You Will Ever Need” fame) the “Funny Money Game” and Paul Erdman’s “The Billion Dollar Sure Thing” (which he wrote in a Swiss Prison if I remember correctly) captivated me.
None of this means anything really – as my bank account will readily attest. I am, at heart, a preacher. But some recent conversations reminded me of a business management idea first coined at Hewlett-Packard and later made famous by Tom Peters (“In Search of Excellence”). It’s acronym, MBWA, stood for “Managing By Walking Around.”
It seems to me that in the Church, far too many leaders want to lead from their desks or conference tables, with their email or blackberrys. The result is leaders, in a position to make a difference in the congregation, become isolated and increasingly lack influence – in other words, become unable to lead.
Church leaders have suggested all kinds of ideas to me about how to press their vision upon the church: catchy slogans on banners, articles in the bulletin, sermons (everybody wants us to push their issue), fancy bulletin boards, etc., etc. But if you want to lead, you have to do so by being in contact with those you are trying to influence. That means, MBWA. For the church, it means the following (I’ve adapted this list from Oliver Serrat’s article found at http://www.adb.org/documents/information/knowledge-solutions/managing-by-walking-around.pdf):
1) Be among the people as often as possible - especially those on your ministry team. If you head an education department for example, drop by a teacher’s class. Take an interest in how he or she is doing.
2) Be relaxed
3) Share and invite good news.
4) Talk about their interests: family, hobbies, vacations, and sports.
5) Be sincere in your interest.
6) Watch and listen without judgment.
7) Invite ideas and opinions to improve operations and services
8) Be responsive to problems and concerns. Nothing is so damaging to a ministry as a leader who doesn’t seem to care about a follower’s concerns.
9) Look for people doing stuff right and take note of it to others.
10 Project the image of a coach, not an inspector
11) Give people on the spot help.
12) Use the opportunity to talk about your vision and dreams for the church.
13) Make it fun.
You will not find someone to serve on the benevolence committee, or work in the education program, or help keep up the building, or participate in any other area of ministry through passive management (usually characterized by a call for volunteers from the pulpit or in the bulletin). You get participants by going to people personally and asking them to help. You don’t keep people interested in ministry by assigning them to a task and then going off to pursue whatever else you’ve got on your agenda. You have to constantly touch base with your people to let them know they are important, and the work they are doing is important. They don’t feel it because you say it. They feel it because they experience your regular interest in them and what they are doing.
Yes, I know: everyone’s busy. But nothing runs itself very long, or very well. If Christ was so interested in the Church that he gave himself for it, and left His Holy Spirit to indwell each Christian, how can our leadership be anything less than engaged and sacrificial?
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The Purpose of this Blog
I have been a minister with the church of Christ for over thirty-five years. My middle son is now a minister and serves the Church in Maryland. This is his second stint as a preacher. The first was right out of college. This second comes after proving himself as a businessman. We talk frequently. One of the things he tells me is: "Every young preacher needs a mentor. I don't know how they make it without one."
I take it that this comment is a compliment aimed at me, and I am more than a little humbled by it.
But his statement is a true one. How I have made it this long is a testimony to the grace of God and the patience of good brothers and sisters in Christ, to a supportive wife who remains interested in what I am doing after all these years - and to my father, who has been MY mentor all these years.
But having spent this long in this job, I feel it is important to pass along what I have learned, and that's the purpose of this blog. This blog is for Church leaders -- specifically leaders in the Church of Christ. If you are a leader, I hope you will read and comment. There is much to do in the Lord's Church. We must do it together, and we can learn from one another.
I take it that this comment is a compliment aimed at me, and I am more than a little humbled by it.
But his statement is a true one. How I have made it this long is a testimony to the grace of God and the patience of good brothers and sisters in Christ, to a supportive wife who remains interested in what I am doing after all these years - and to my father, who has been MY mentor all these years.
But having spent this long in this job, I feel it is important to pass along what I have learned, and that's the purpose of this blog. This blog is for Church leaders -- specifically leaders in the Church of Christ. If you are a leader, I hope you will read and comment. There is much to do in the Lord's Church. We must do it together, and we can learn from one another.
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