Category: Book Reviews

Speak like Churchill, Stand like Lincoln

By James C. Humes

 

Lincoln overcame is a voice, Martin Luther king Junior overcame being black and a white dominant world, Churchill overcame his weaknesses, etc.  Leaders overcome weaknesses or fears to do what they feel life’s calling demands.

Power Pause

Many great leaders that have dominated public speaking use the power pause to look at people and get their attention and let it sink in.

Before you speak and before you answer a question, use the power pause to look people in the eye, gather your thoughts and then speak.

Stand, stare and pause before saying anything. Make your power pause a moment to gather your thoughts before you open your mouth. It commands attention from others and speaks volumes. Stand, stare and command your audience

Power Openers

A good speakers opening is powerful and important. When you stand up, your opener will tell people who you are and what you mean.

99% of speakers start by saying thank you or hello, or something boring… This makes the rest of what you say very boring.

If you do not captivate your audience in the opening, the people will begin to daydream about other things and will be very difficult to gain back there ear.

Begin with a bang. Begin with a strong statement. If you have, start your speech off with that. The difference between a normal speaker and a great speaker is how he begins – a great speaker begins with a bang.

Attention grabbers – sit down and plan what you’re going to say and then make a singer of a good opening.

Power Presence.

Dress right. It’s not just your for a tour that will make you a good speaker, but your aura, your presence. Dress in a way that is gold and commands respect, but not flashy goofy. Many people have signs they are known for – specific hat, color, type of suit or tie, etc.

Power Point.

Speak plain and clear and to the point. What is your bottom line, what do you want the people to understand or know before you finish. When some people stand, they do not know what they’re going to say, when they are speaking they do not know what they’re saying and when they finish they do not know what they said.

What is the purpose of your message? Many people ramble, many people do not have a point or have figured out and when they begin their speech and do not figure it out until later. Stop, plan and think. No your point before you begin. What is the bottom line of your message – you focus on this first.

Yes, you need stories, illustrations and truth to help out, but you first must have the point of what you want to say.

Know your target audience

Before you speak, ask yourself what your purpose speaking to these people is, then meditate and dictate to yourself what that is.

Power Brief.

A speech that is good many times is brief. Less is more.

Les is generally better than more

Terse is far better than tedious. If your audience is expecting 20 or 30 minutes, go with 10 minutes and surprise them. That is the power brief.

Brief is better – one of the most memorable speeches was the Declaration of Independence that was about two minutes long.

Brief is also more memorable.

Shorter is sweeter.

Sometimes what you need to say to the point and brief – a Power brief can be short.

Insecure to feel they have to use up every minute of their time. It is the self-assured that knows they do not have to use up every moment of a lot of time. Great speakers speak for brief.

Power brief is the short statement that can replace the whole message.

Brief is better in short is sharper.

Listen to what others say get the meet together.

Power Quote.

Those that never quote others are never quoted.

Dig up a powerful quotation use it.

Take a picture and read the quote on the back of it – using a specific item (bible, newspaper article, envelope, etc.) on it.

Dramatize and emphasize your quotes to make them more powerful.

A quote in the middle of the speech is like a picture of this changing up his pitch throwing a curveball. It can be very dynamic.

Start collecting good quotations; make a file out of it. Use only quotations from famous people.

Put them in under specific headings like: action, leadership, help, etc.

Too many statistics for numbers can confuse people are. Reading a statistic can be good, reading many statistics is not good.

Too many slides make the audience tired. Do not become overly dependent upon slides. If the size or a projection, not mechanical projection. Let your slides be a prop, not a crutch. Keep the slides simple and do not make them confusing. If you have to explain the slide, you have destroyed the reason you are using it – nothing to explain it will cause the audience to become get in and tired. If the picture is not simple and self-explanatory, don’t try it out. Visual aids are a visual, not a substitute for speaking. Quotes are an appetizer, not a full meal.

Power Wit.

Prepare the eye with.

Not power jokes, but power wit. Humor is not only jokes. Great speakers know how to use humor.

The 3Rs in humor: make it realistic, make it relevant and don’t read it.

Power Parable.

Jesus used parables.

Parables provide pictures to abstraction.

Parable power is persuasive power.

Parable Gesture

Sometimes gestures say more than words.

People should be able to see your concern or whatever by your actions – your facial or body language speaks volumes. You can bond through body language.

One gesture maybe all it takes to get your point across. Acts of the body can register more than words. Remember pilot washing his hands saying he is innocent before Christ?

Power Speech

First he read it, then you read it poorly, and then he finished it badly.

Memorize then conversational-ize. Don’t just read something.

Never let words come out of your mouth while your eyes are looking down. When you’re looking down and speaking, you’re disconnecting from your listeners.

Practice the principal see, stop, say. See something and stop for a momentous pause and then say it in your own words. Many speakers getting nervous and think that they have to keep talking instead of pausing, but a pause is good and will make it sound like it is you speaking instead of reading something. The pause is a major tool and writing a speech.

Weather forecasters are hired more because they have learned how to speak and read something then the brains they have.

Power Poetry

And article must be written for the eye but a speech should be written for the ear.

Transform a speech into poetry.

Power Line

Cream – contrast, rhyme, alliteration,

Your audience will most likely only remember one line from your speech, make it a good one.

Power Question

Sometimes the right question powers the punch of a lightning strike.

Hold the power of your speech or suggestion into a question.

Sometimes Jesus Christ posed a question two others that was very big. Many of his teachings were informed of questions.

A question forces the listener to sit down, think and react whereas a declarative statement does not. It compels someone to answer.

Know the answer before you ask the question.

If the trumpet does not make a sure sound, how will the soldiers know what to do? (Apostle Paul)

If you want to wake up and get an audience, make a power question, a simple, clear and rhetorical question that will get them to think

Power Word

Use a strong word with the power pause before or after it.

Power Active

Passive voice could mean inactive, lifeless, and unenthusiastic. Passive voice = passive mind. Most of the time, the passive voice just reveals her pushes to a passive mind. The active voice provides forced to your speech where is the passive voice sound spineless and deadens your delivery.

Power Dollar

The one I focus like on the dollar bill.

When making a speech, be direct, tell exactly how much money, exactly what you want them to do, exactly every detail.

Power Button

The power button says ready, set, listen to the audience; setting them up for the power line that is going to follow.

In your notes you may use a highlighter or underline things for emphasis, the audience can’t see that so your power button shows your audience it is coming.

The power button tells people to perk up and listen because what is about to come next is worth writing down and remembering. It is the preamble to the big news that is to follow. It is something like: “the secret is the following”; or, “the following is exactly what you need to do”, etc. this is your neon sign, your ignition switch to turn on the power.

Many great speakers throughout history have used this tactic of using a power button to set up for the power line.

Don’t overuse the power button, limited down to one for speech. And use it only to spotlight a singer that is going to burn a hole in your listeners years.

Power Closer

Great is the art of beginning but greater is the art of closing – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

A strong last impression can make your speech great.

The ending is the last impression that the speaker leaves with the audience.

Even if your speech has been flat, you can still leave the audience with a good closer.

For a good ending, you have to appeal to the emotions according to Churchill – pride, love, concern, even fear sometimes.

Your closing does not have to be a tearjerker, any powerful closing will do.

You could use a powerful closer for an inspiring plea or incisive please

Find your own it dates. The best of them come from your own experience.

A doll speech that inns of the dazzle get more applause that a good speech is flat. So remember you can always give a good, emotional or impactful closing.

Power Audacity

Dare to be different, that is what made Lincoln and Churchill stand out above the crowd. Leaders don’t play it safe.

Surprise your audience. Good speakers catch their listeners off-guard, say something, do quick moves, etc.

At times, being straightforward and blunt is exactly what is needed.

A leader can never afford to be boring.

Maybe instead of starting your speech, use silence to make everyone look at you and get their attention.

Stage your scene – steal the spotlight by doing something that will catch ever want to touch and make them respond.

Deep old. Don’t be afraid of drifting from the script if needed.

Some Things I’ve Learned

Curtis Hutson

 

The character of a man is more important than the content of the message

Worrying is using today’s strength on tomorrow’s problems

Those who have experienced the greatest success have known the greatest failures. The man who never fails is the one who never attempts anything.

You don’t attract what you want; you attract what you are.

You are what you feed on mentally; so feed on good books.

The best way to get rid of criminals is to stop raising them – John R. Rice

All your failures are prayer failures – John R. Rice

Don’t be too quick to give up. Try again and again and again. Victory may be just around the corner.

I had the occasion to meet one of the wealthiest men in America, and he told me that he never set out to make money. That was never his aim. “I set out to have a better product,” he said, “and the money followed.”

One of the most difficult things to maintain is balance. It requires constant effort.

You are not only responsible for what you say, you are also responsible for what people understand you to say, so make sure that the message is clear.

Worrying is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do but gets you nowhere.

Worry is the opposite of faith. Faith and worry cannot stay in the same room together. When one comes in, the other must go.

It would be good to set a goal to compliment at least three people a day. People like to hear nice things said about them. It lifts them up, enourages them and makes them appreciate you even more.

A Christian once said to his friend, “I have a bad temper. I got it from my father.” His friend asked, “Have you been born again?” “Oh, yes, he replied.” “Then,” said his friend, “you didn’t get it from your Heavenly Father.”

It’s wrong to try to get a laugh at someone else’s expense.

Practicalities for Young Ministers

By I.K. Cross

The Call

Recognizing the call

Can I be mistaken?

Where does God want you to Preach

In the Public Eye

Paul told Timothy to be an “example” among the people whom he lived and ministered.  In a very real sense you begin to “live in a goldfish bowl”.  People begin to watch you – some admire, some criticize, but don’t let this alarm you.  Just look at this new situation as an opportunity to influence people in the right way and be thankful for new opportunities.

Most young ministers have a preacher they admire.  Just be careful not to pick up his bad points instead of the good ones, because these are not what made him a success.

There are two other matters that a young minister can not learn too soon – proper conduct around women and responsible attitude about finances.  Failure in these areas will damage your life and ministry, they are two things that have taken out more preachers than most anything else.

Preparation for your Life’s Work

Some things you will need in the beginning

Build your library – get good books

Concordance, dictionary,

Once out of school continue to build your library and use it – it isn’t the quantity of books you have but the kind of books you have and how you use them.

Set your library in order early and keep it organized so that you can easily find what you are looking for when you need it.

Get you a good file of some kind

Now that you have Graduated

It is interesting seeing how a man, called of God to preach, can get an education and then be content not using it.

Don’t dishonor the ministry by claiming the honor of a call from God to preach unless you intend to preach at every opportunity

If God calls you, He will have a place for you in His own good time

Nothing beats learning to do something better than doing it

If God doesn’t place you in a place the day after you graduate, don’t get discouraged, He is saving for you where you may just fit for life

You may stumble many times and make mistakes as a preacher, but stay close to God and learn from each experience.  Just remember that babies are not born walking, they have stumble and crawl – “you have to crawl before you can walk.”

Don’t let discouragement get you down, it’s a new day tomorrow.  In a few years you will be able to laugh at the mistakes you have made

Go where God sends you with confidence – but confidence that God will see you through and supply your need as you apply yourself dedicatedly to your work.  Confidence that He will do what He has promised to do.

On the Field

The Bible speaks that you are the shepherd of the flock, working under the authority of the chief shepherd Jesus Christ, to whom you must finally account (I Pet 2:24-25; 5:1-4).

You are responsible for welfare and safety of His flock

You are gentle with the sheep so they trust you

You are also firm to the flock so they will heed to you

I Tim 3:1-7 – the Bible mentions 15 characteristics

Remember that as a pastor you will be on call 24 hours

You will be faced with many happy experiences along the way, but also, be prepared to face some surprises and shocking experiences as well

If you are not willing to give it your best, you will achieve limited results.  God has no use for a lazy preacher, but He will bless the man who is faithful to his duties

You will be very wise to have some trusted deacon or other minister friend present to assist you and witness such dealings.

Always remember that your top priority is Prayer and the Study and Preaching of the Word.  Acts 6:2-4 the apostles made this very clear to the church. However there are many ways to preach the Word other than your church pulpit

There is no way to give a job description for a pastor. He must deal with both the educated and the illiterate, the saint and the sinner, the humble and the self-righteous, the “senior citizen” and the new mother with the infant in her arms for the first time.  He must be both a counselor and a good listener; he must be firm as the Rock of Gibraltar and as tender as a lamb; he must give enouragement where there seems to be none to give; he must rebuke when it hurts him worse than those he rebukes; he must visit the sick when he is in more need of a doctor than those he visits; he must be able to week with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. He is indeed a shepherd to his flock. I repeat, you must love your flock, and a good shepherd will search out the lost wherever they may be found.  The commission you must lead your congregation to carry out is a command to make disciples and the first step in making a disciple is to win the lost to Christ, then you can begin the process of development.

Your Fellow Ministers – learn to conduct yourself properly to fellow ministers.  You can either make them lifetime friends or you can make them lifetime enemies.

Study –

A man who cuts wood for a living doesn’t sharpen his saw or ax once and forget about it.  If he did he would soon find himself working with very dull tools and cutting very little wood.

You need to study constantly!!!  Keep your mind sharp and fresh with the study of the Scriptures.  Read every good book you can get your hands on, but measure what you read in books by what you read in the Bible – everything checked carefully with the Scriptures.

Keep your ax sharp by constant study and prayer

You can very easily become involved in other affairs that you are caught in the pulpit without anything fresh for your congregation worth listening to. Don’t let this happen to you!

Spurgeon said, “We are, in a certain sense, our own tools, and therefore must keep ourselves in order.”

Sermons should have real teaching in them and their doctrine should be solid, substantial, and abundant.  We do not enter the pulpit to talk for talk’s sake; we have instructions to convey important to the last degree, and we cannot afford to utter pretty nothings.

Selecting your Message

As a pastor, you know better than anyone else the needs of the congregation.  Yet even then there should be sincere prayer before determining what your message will be and how it will be delivered.

Matters in the church

Be sure your message is anchored to the Word and the text should be no problem.

The Bible is always right but your idea could be wrong.  When we preach the Word, God promises to bless that.  He doesn’t promise to bless everything you and I say about it.  So in reaching for a text, reach for the Bible.  There you will always be safe

The congregation does not have to be told when the pastor is prepared to preach and is not – they will know and it is very obvious to them.

A Matter of Doctrine

A pastor must guard his flock. In today’s world that means a thorough indoctrination of your membership

If you are not imparting some information every time you address your membership, you are wasting their time and yours as well.

Nothing can empty your auditorium more rapidly than you constantly entering the pulpit unprepared.

If you want your congregation to be edified, you must first be edified yourself.

Illustrations are always a help.  Jesus taught His followers using parables

Great care should be exercised in using humor to carry your point across.  The pulpit is not the proper place for a comedian

You can become a popular speaker with stories, but you may also become a failure in conveying truth by doing so.

Pressure on the Preacher

All feel the effects of the pressures of the ministry whether the show it publicly or not.

Although we do not want to show our depression in public, care should be taken not to let pressure destroy you because you want no one to know it either.

Even Jesus Himself went aside to rest occasionally (Go apart before we come apart – pastor Hill says)

A preacher of the Gospel is a man with human weaknesses.  He must never forget this lest he become over confident and fall into Satan’s trap, which is often deadly.

As a part of the Baptist Team

Be like a sponge and soak up every idea your brethren can give you.  Observe what is working in their churches and use it if you can.

Church Business Meetings

Approach all matters of church business with much prayer for the will of God to be done, teaching the church to do the same, and the Spirit of God can prevail.

To Keep Your Church Growing in Harmony

Keep an active youth program

Deal with their questions because these are important to them. Give them Bible instructions on the issues that confront them daily

Be a friend of the youth of your church and let them know you are ready to help when they need you

What you plant in their minds, both by teaching and example, will remain there for the rest of their lives, unless changed by some drastic impact.

Indoctrinate your youth before someone else does

Meet regularly with your teachers and staff

Stay close to your teaching staff.  They are the eople on whom you depend to acquaint the congregation with the Word of God.

Give them your support and know what is going on

Keep as many people involved

Give equal attention to all

Be faithful to visit the sick and shut-ins

Endeavor to prevent factions in the church. Your personal ideas, apart from the Word of God, are not worth dividing the church over.

Keep your sermons and teaching program targeted on the church’s needs.  Don’t preach without a purpose, and don’t teach without a goal

Promote your church

There are many ways to promote, but you gain little by minimum promotion – whatever approach you use, do it in a big way.  You can toss a small pebble into the water and it makes a small ripple, but if you want to make a big splash, hit the water with a big rock.

Keep your church activities in the news: on the local radio stations, television stations, newspapers or whatever is available to you

Where do I go from Here

Never quit studying

Too many preachers have fallen into a rut from which they cannot extricate themselves because they cease to study the Word

The lack of desire to study produces a dull ministry

Your real work in acquiring knowledge begins as you begin to commit to others what you have learned.  And if you do not stay fresh with the study urged on by an inquiring mind, you will soon have committed to them all you know.  If the message from the pulpit grows dull, the congregation wither goes to sleep or simply one by one ceases to come back for the services, and you find yourself wondering why.

Sometimes they leave of their own accord, and sometimes they are asked to leave because the congregation simply grows tired of leftovers.  Never cease to study and you will not grow dull and dry in your preaching.  This will have much to do with the future of your ministry as well as how long you stay at a church and how well you build.

Stay on the Team

A final word: the call to the Gospel ministry is a lifetime calling

Retirement, with all its blessed and eternal benefits, comes when we have reached the end of life and go to be with the Chief Shepherd. There we will rest forevermore.  Until then, give God your best in whatever situation He sees fit to place you.

Whatever your course may be, its ultimate goal is to reach the souls of men. If we fail to do this, through whatever means, we forget the reason for which God has left us in this world.

Practical Principles for the Pastor

A Pastor’s Guide to Survival

Raymond Warren

 

To be stable in the ministry, you must have an assurance of your call.

If self is behind your call to the ministry, adversity will lead you to question your call and quit.

There are many positive aspects of the ministry. The rewards are many. There are also negative aspects. There will be adversity. …This is not the time you will feel like praying. Pray anyway. Character rises above feelings and does what is necessary.

Elisha relied on music. Find inspirational music and have it ready for adversity.

He (David) used the events of the past to encourage himself … keep a “blessings” diary

Soil analysis is a key source of information to the farmer concerning his crops. From a thorough examination the farmer can discern the most productive crops to plant. He can also discern where those crops are to be planted for maximum yield. The pastor must make such a soil analysis of this field. Once the soil type is identified, the farmer is instructed how to fertilize, plant, and cultivate.

It may take a pastor as much as two years to find the prime harvest time. Once that time is determined, the energies of the whole church must be marshaled.

If a farmer does not plant, he will not harvest.  If you will not plant today, do not expect to reap tomorrow. Plan your spring time so there will be a bountiful harvest. Each harvest is dependent on spring time effort.

Five “P’s” for my priorities:

People

Preaching

Pastoring

Projects

Personal

Prepare well rounded meals (talking about preaching). My “menus” have the following:

Salvation

Basic Doctrines

God

Jesus

Holy Spirit

Church

Soul winning

Separation

Service

Sin

The Home

Miracles of Christ

Parables of Christ

Heaven

Hell

Prayer

Calvary

The Bible

Trials

Obedience

Consider these questions: Does the church need stability? Does the church need motivation to win souls? Does the church need encouragement to serve? Does the church need assurance that it is doing the right things? You pastor, are the doctor who must ever be on the lookout of spiritual illnesses. Once you have made the diagnosis, send for the necessary specialist.

Never Eat Alone

By Tahl Raz and Keith Ferrazzi

 

Everyone has something that they can teach you.

Who we are is determined by who we decide to interact with.

Everything exists with relationships we cannot live in isolation.

Life is like a game and those that know the rules do the best.

You cannot get somewhere alone, or at least very far.

People who can create a network of relationships will be successful in any business.

Learning to connect is one of the most important qualities you can learn, because people do business with and help those that they connect with.

Real networking is about making other people successful. Giving rather than getting.

None of us are a self-made person; all of us are made up of other people.

We need others – and that is not just sentiment, that is science.

One magazine put it like this: the key to health and happiness is having healthy and happy friends.

Relationships are like muscles, the more you use them the stronger they become.

It’s always better to give than to receive, and remember to never keep count.

Contribute – give your time, help and influence to others.

Set goals – have a plan A and a plan B to get there. Know what you want and a plan to get there.

You will truly become popular if you can treat everyone that you meet with sincerity and kindness.

The great myth to networking is that you reach out to people when you need them; the truth is that you reach out to them way before you ever need anything.

Become people’s friends; do not just use them for networking or clientele.

Be nice to the gatekeeper – if someone is a secretary or the middleman to the person you need to get to, you better remember that they can open or close the door.

Have dinner parties.

Never forget the contact you gave you the contact.

Follow up with people.

Bump – intentionally bump into people to get to meet them.

Send a thank you letter, email or some form of contact after you meet someone.

The most important part in an email is the subject line.

Social media should be used with the mindset of how can I help people and what is useful to others instead of just putting whatever’s on your mind.

Before sending an email, check the grammar.

You must be distinct or you will become extinct.

Help other people and you will be helped.

Learn to ask people, you never know if you do not ask.

The key to life is your relationships that are in it.

The problem is not that we have to many people in our lives but that we have too few.

Life is about work. Work is about life. And both are about people.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to be the best in the world as long as you remember that you should be the best for the world.

Mistakes Leaders Make

By Dave Kraft

Show me a leader who never makes a mistake and I’ll show you a leader who has never made anything.

Affection for Jesus cannot be replaced by achievement for Jesus

Ministry idolatry is loving the work of the Lord more than the Lord of the work.

Ministry cannot become a mistress, taking the place of Jesus. I John 5:21 and Col. 3:4 teaches us to keep away from idols. Our hearts are idol factories. We must confess as David saying, against thee and thee only I have sinned (Ps. 51).

Don’t allow comparing take place of contentment.

Be content with who you are, where you are, what you are doing, and what God is doing through you.

So often it seems we hire people based on their competence (what they can do) and wind up letting them go based on their character (what they have become).

I find that extended time spent in serious meditation of scriptural truth changes the way I view things—especially myself!

If you really, truly believe that everything you have and are (gifts, personality, experiences, upbringing, education, capacity, limitations, intelligence, opportunities, blessing, and fruit) are sheer gifts (as The Message paraphrases it), why do you need to become prideful, compare and compete, or be envious of others?

ALLOWING PLEASING PEOPLE TO REPLACE PLEASING GOD

Making it the habit of your life to please people is a losing proposition. There is room for only one person when it comes to whom you really serve.  Luke 6:26; Gal. 1:10; Acts 4:19–20

In the West we function with a “faster, better, bigger” mind-set in most Christian leadership settings. We equate busyness with spirituality.

Good doers don’t necessarily make good leaders.

Very few leaders who honestly, gracefully, and promptly deal with conflict. Many leaders are “relational cowards.

The primary role of a leader is to develop leaders.

Moses was to select men who

• were able(competence);

• fearedGod(relationship with God);

• were trustworthy(character/relationships);

• hated a bribe(character/relationships);and

• were rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens (capacity:gifting)

You have two choices in your leadership. Do everything yourself or get others to help you carry the load.

Numbers 11:16–17

Our willingness and determination to work through others, more than anything else, may well define our effectiveness and success in ministry.

Today is the day of the team and collaborative leadership, not “the Lone Ranger.”

I’m always looking for is the one who does ministry through people, not for people or with people. Delegate or suffocate, which will it be?

(1) Inviting the right people to get on the team bus based on character and chemistry; and (2) Getting the right people in the right seats on the team bus based on competency and capacity.

That is why, if possible, it is always best to “hire from within,” so you know what a person can and has done rather than what they tell you they think they can do.

It’s not what you know, but what you do, in dependence on the Holy Spirit, with what you know that makes the difference.

Maturity is erroneously equated with how much you know, how many Sunday school ribbons you have, how faithful you are at church activities, and if you can on any and all occasions be the “Bible Answer Man.” People are admired as they spit back the right answers and information. They are wrongly assumed to be godly, mature Christians and sadly find themselves stepping into leadership roles.

Here is a good formula to remember: Information + meditation + repentance +
application=transformation.

When trust is missing, it is the beginning of the end of any relationship.

At the heart of a controlling leader might be insecurity and fear.

• Fear that someone might out shine me;

• Fear that something might go wrong;

• Fear that someone’s failure might tarnish my reputation;

• Fear that others might not do things as perfectly as I would do them.

Missions in the 21st Century

By Tom Telford

When God calls us, he usually calls loud enough that our church and friends who know us can hear it too.

Important principles I have discovered about what is involved in missions recruitment:

1. Recruitment requires mentoring. Jesus spent time investing is life into the disciples lives. Encourage their strengths and challenge them on their weak points. Like Jesus, a mentor also has to be willing to point out your weaknesses. Mentoring is encouraging someone’s strengths and helping that person through his or her weaknesses.

2. Recruitment requires discernment. But loving people is essential for missionaries.

3. Recruitment requires finding the Joeys. People who want to be missionaries more than anything. Churches need to recruit people who want to be involved in missions outreach so badly they can taste it. 4. Recruitment requires having to say no. Sometimes the church will not be on your side when you have to say no to a recruit, and that’s a hard one. It’s never easy to say no, but when you’re spending thousands of dollars of the Lord’s money, it’s an important part of recruiting.

5. Recruitment requires modeling. Good missions books can provide powerful models.

6. Recruitment should start at your own church. I thought to myself, if every evangelical church in America did with the Mormons are doing, we wouldn’t have twi million people going to hell! We need to be looking for and recruiting folks from our churches who want to invest their lives in world evangelization.

7. Recruitment requires prayer. We must be committed to recruiting missionaries through prayer and to supporting them through prayer.

The missions trainer should know his team – who needs a kick in the pants in who needs a pat on the shoulder.

A good missions team will be successful because of the quality of its trainer.

The bottom line in any good missions training program in the church is dependent on who is doing the teaching and training. The training is only as good as the trainer.

Qualities of a good trainer in missions:

1. Coaches model what they want done. They don’t just talk about it; they do it.

2. Coaches know how to handle people (including themselves).

3. Coaches are trainable. Willing to keep on learning. You don’t have to be original, just teachable. A good mission’s trainer needs to be always hungry to learn so he or she can coach the team with as much information and as many new ideas as possible.

Short list of the person who is going to lead and educate church members in the area of missions:

1. Missions trainers must have enthusiasm. You have to be believe 200% in what you’re doing.

2. Missions trainers must have discipline.

3. Missions trainers must have vision.

4. Missions trainers must have wisdom to see God’s heart for the world.

5. Missions trainers must be good decision-makers.

6. Missions trainers must be humble. People who train others will are humble enough to allow people to try.

7. Missions trainers must have a sense of humor.

Do missions training in preschool. Teach the toddlers about great missionary heroes of the faith.

We need to be called to stay as much as called to go. Obedience to the great commission must have top priority for all of us.

To keep improving your missions training game, you have to work hard at the basics, be a good bottle, and hunger to grow and learn yourself. For me, this means, in part, listening to people, picking their brains, learning from them, and passing it on.

It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s whether you have any friends when it’s all over!

If saving the lost world is so important to God, then the missions conference should be a highlight of the church year.

Send pastors on missions trip to open their eyes and raise their enthusiasm. I frequently get pastors books on missions.

Make the conference the absolute highlight of the church year. Even above Christmas or Easter. God is a missionary God. Jesus was his missionary son. The Bible as a missionary book. The Old Testament is packed with God’s heart for the nations. The New Testament mandate for the believer is to go into all the world and make disciples.

Why should Christmas and Easter get all the music? And bowl all the other church ministries. People will come if their children are in a missions play or if there relatives or friends are any missions drama or musical event.

Think of creative new names. So calling it a missions conference, try one of these: WorldFest, world Expo, harvest celebration, global awareness week.

I remember one missions moment during our churches Sunday morning worship. The committee had a little girls get up, say hooray it’s two weeks to the missions conference! Then she proceeded to list off from memory are 33 missionaries in the country they serve them. When she was done, the congregation cheered. Whatever you do, get the best people and do it better than any other program in the church. Make people wish they were on the missions committee because it does things so well.

About 80% of a group of retired missionaries I asked said their interest began when they were under the age of 12. If we leave out our kids, we’re missing the boat in a big way.

Although missionaries have to exercise faith, we at home can usually get by without exercising faith. That’s not fair. Why should we send missionaries out to the middle of nowhere with no visible means of support and expect them to do their job, while we sit at home knowing where every penny is coming from? A fake promise program gives everybody an opportunity to exercise faith.

Encourage people to take a vacation with a purpose – if they are going to travel anyway, why not visit Missionaries and encourage them?

Missions conferences do change lives.

I love missions conferences and I believe they are a must for healthy church. You try it. Make your opening day a winner and you’ll have a great season.

Statistics say that 40% of the missionaries returning home need some kind of counseling.

The church at home can play big role in making their missionaries more effective and able to return to their cross cultural ministries with renewed energy. Take the initiative and taking care of your players and giving them a safe place to call home.

I hope that I upset and bother people, because change is needed if we are to stay effective.

10 mistakes agencies make:

1. Agencies often do not communicate well with the sending churches about personal changes.

2. Agencies are often reluctant to deal with incompetence. Ted Ward and Phil Parshall suggest that 40% of the missionary force is ineffective.

3. The agency’s board of directors may not represent the actual constituency of supporting churches.

4. Agencies often allow no input from supporting churches regarding agency strategies.

5. Agencies do not have a clear vision statement. Every agency needs a short, succinct, understandable mission statement that every Missionary knows. Mission agencies need a clear purpose statement. If they can’t tell it to you in a minute, forget it.

6. Agencies often do not cooperate with one another.

7. Agency home offices are often poorly managed.

8. Agencies encourage missionaries to raise support from individuals outside of their local churches.

9. Agencies are not addressing the growing perception that support figures aren’t justifiably high. We have to go back to the basics and teach people why we do missions. How much time do agency spend helping churches understand why they do missions?

10. Agencies apply too little effort helping churches building missions vision. One pastor said, I’ve been a pastor for over 20 years and I have never once had anyone from emissions agency call and offer me help.

How can agencies get personal and be helpful to every local church? How can they ShareVision and give specific assistance?

1. Agencies can care about the local church. Agencies need to go to churches as helpers and encouragers, not just as recruiters and solicitors.

2. Agencies can become missionaries to the churches in North America.

3. Agencies can help local churches develop their own missions vision and not force them to accept a prepackaged vision of their agency.

4. Agencies can do their best to find positive representatives who understand their culture.

5. Agencies can get back to the basics.

The Bible does not say send money; it says go

Try to read everything and anything you can about missions. The Bible will keep you focused. The Bible is a missionary book all the way through.

Four fundamental truths that keep me motivated:

1. God is a missionary God

2. Jesus is God’s missionary son. We need to give our sons in our daughters the way God the Father gave His.

3. The Bible is a missionary book

4. The church has a missionary mandate.

The biblical truth is that the more we give away, the more we will be blessed. I wish churches could see that truth.

I wonder what it would look like if every new believer understood from day one that missions is not just another program in the life of the church; missions is the church. That’s the fundamental truth.

Making Vision Stick

By Andy Stanley

 

Five things you can do to significantly increase the adhesiveness of your vision:

• State the vision Simply

“If it’s a mist in the pulpit, it’s a fog in the pew.” Howard Hendricks

• Cast the vision Convincingly

Communicate it in a way that moves people to action

• Define the Problem

To cast a convincing vision, you have to define the problem that your vision addresses.

To make your vision stick, your audience needs to understand what’s at stake.

To cast your vision in a convincing manner, you need to be able to answer these two questions: What is the need or problem my vision addresses? And What will happen if those needs or problems continue to go unadressed?

• Offer a Solution

• Present a Reason

Must be a reason something must be done, a reason for your vision.

Answer the questions: Why must we do this? Why must we do this now?

A leader points the way to a solution and gives a compelling reason why something why must be done now

To cast your vision convincingly, you need a reason for why now is the time.

• Repeat the vision Regularly

Casting a convincing vision once is not enough to make it stick. Twice isn’t either. Vision needs to be repeated regularly.

Vision should evoke emotion

We all need to be reminded why we are doing what we are doing. We need to be reminded what’s at stake. We need to be reminded of the vision.

• Celebrate the vision Systematically

To make vision stick, a leader needs to pause long enough to celebrate the wins along the way.

What’s celebrated is repeated.

• Embrace the vision Personally

Living out the vision establishes credibility and makes you a leader worth following. When people are convinced that the vision has stuck with you, it is easier for them to make the effort to stick with the vision.

Bring an unchurched friend or family to a weekend service

If you say you believe in something, live it out. And live it in a way that the people around you can see it.

Sharp people will not embrace a vision that is merely a marketing scheme for someone’s personal agenda.

Random idea:

Success lures us into taking our hands off the wheel. Failure causes us to overcorrect. Both success and failure can lead to disaster.