Archive for the 'Join the Movement' Category
Good Seasons in Your Life and Leadership
As football teams begin their final preparations for the season, optimism abounds. Whether these teams compete at the high school, college, or professional level, they are working toward a great and winning season.
Any experienced coach realizes that he must celebrate good seasons, wins, and championships with his team. Not only must he celebrate, he must celebrate big. Winning is hard, and each win is much harder than many realize.
The Same is True in Your Life and Leadership
Winning in your life and leadership is also much harder than others may realize. Quite honestly, inexperienced leaders may not understand how much of a blessing it is when your life and organization are in a winning streak or season.
Just as it is true for any team at any level of the game of football, it is true for each of us. In a moment, an injury, setback, loss of a team player, or a bad quarter can literally change the trajectory in your organization, and therefore, changes your life and leadership.
The bigger your team and your organization, the more probability for setback occurs. Perhaps you can get through it quicker due to the size, but it still cripples and complicates the road to success.
When Good Seasons Occur
When the good seasons occur, what are some helpful things to remember in your life and leadership?
1. Celebrate the good seasons
Good seasons in your personal and family life should be celebrated! Good seasons in your organization, business, church, city, or anything that affects your life, should be celebrated. Good seasons are hard to come by, so do not be so driven to the next thing that you do not celebrate the good season of today.
2. Verbalize your gratitude for the good seasons
I am thankful and blessed to pastor a local church. It is a church with multiple campuses and a large staff team that God uses to impact thousands of people weekly. We have had our setbacks and challenges. We will have them again.
But right now, we are in a good season. I am so thankful to God for our team and for our church. Health and growth are occurring. I am grateful for any good season in life and leadership.
I no longer take the good seasons for granted. I know this culture and posture that exudes health and growth can change quickly. I have learned to celebrate good seasons and verbalize my gratitude for them.
3. Remember where the good seasons ultimately come from
Good seasons ultimately come from the favor of God. Only God can work so powerfully through the affairs of our life and leadership and bring things together in a good and favorable way.
Just as Nehemiah, Joseph, and many others in the Bible were recipients of the favor of God, we have what we have and do what we do because of the favor of the Lord. By the way, Nehemiah, Joseph, and others in the Bible had their setbacks. We will also.
Remember that ultimately, the good seasons come from the hand and favor of God. Therefore, always be thankful to God and recognize that He is the Giver of His favor.
There is Nothing Like the Favor of God
Please remember, there is nothing like the favor of God. It can take the most unlikely person and exalt them with favor, responsibility, and leadership.
Just a few weeks ago, I was privileged to be interviewed by Chris Brown for his Momentum Leadership podcast. Living and leading through the seasons of life is the very subject we discussed. Yes, all kinds of seasons. It may add help and encouragement to those who may be in a tough season. You can listen to the interview here.
Now is the Time to Lead,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
*******
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the Senior Pastor of Cross Church, Immediate Past President of the Southern Baptist Convention, founder of the Cross Church School of Ministry, and host of the Ronnie Floyd on Life and Leadership Today podcast.
To request an interview with Dr. Ronnie Floyd
contact Gayla Oldham at (479) 751-4523 or email gaylao@crosschurch.com.
Visit our website at http://ronniefloyd.com
Follow Dr. Floyd on Twitter and Instagram @ronniefloyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
Our Annual Staff Advance: Development of Our Ministry Team
In this last full week of July, Jeana and I will conduct our 30th successive Staff Advance. For thirty summers in a row, we have taken our Ministry Staff Team away for several days of retreat. In our multi-campus, growing fellowship, this time has become invaluable.
Through The Years
Through the years, this Staff Advance has grown in many ways. In the initial years, it was much simpler. Now, I labor over each minute we spend together, realizing how cherished these moments are together. We are in a high-speed game day to day; therefore, to draw aside gives us the chance to wait upon the Lord together and share our hearts in how we can more effectively reach Northwest Arkansas, America, and the world for Jesus Christ.
What We Do On These Days Away
We take our Ministry Staff and their spouses away for this time together. We meet with everyone together for our initial morning session and again in our concluding session. In the other sessions, we divide the Ministry Staff and their spouses. While I lead our Ministry Staff, Jeana leads sessions for the wives of the Ministry Staff members. This time is valuable.
In our sessions together, we worship, and in the initial session, I give my major address to everyone. This sets the stage for the week; what I sense God is doing, and wants us to do in the immediate future. I also articulate a direction for our future. We worship together, led by our powerful worship ministry team. We pray together, calling unto the Lord mightily. At times, we hear from various members of our staff team.
In the sessions we have uniquely for our Ministry Staff members, we spend time hearing reports about the past year and cast specific ministry vision for the future. We also use those sessions to discuss things that we don’t always have time to talk about while we are at home. We try to make every minute count.
In the sessions Jeana conducts with the spouses of our Ministry Staff members, they pour into each other through the Word of God, prayer, and fellowship. This time is irreplaceable for them, as so many need the mentoring and encouragement of the other ladies.
Why This Annual Staff Advance Is So Valuable
1. We grow together in Christ.
Ministers and their wives need to worship together as couples and as Staff Team members. In this setting, someone is not pulling on them and their attention is not divided. We truly engage with our focus on the Lord and His power in our lives. Worshiping together, praying together, sharing our burdens together, and hearing God’s Word together is irreplaceable for our team.
2. We set our focus upon the future.
If we never took this time away, it would be virtually impossible for us to set our focus on the future. Our church runs fast and our team runs fast. Life runs fast. Our people run fast. Everyone needs to escape, remain accountable to the team for their past vision, and set our focus on the future with hope. This fires the team up for the future.
3. We spend time together.
Our Staff Advance is not about individualism, but the team. We do everything as a team. This is non-negotiable. We encourage cross-campus fellowship and cross-campus ministries to spend time with each other. Cross Church is one team with five campuses. We work hard together to create team and teamwork.
4. We cover a multitude of sins.
I fully realize that only the blood of Jesus covers sin. Being on a multi-staff, multi-campus church has some benefits, but also many challenges. Nothing happens in isolation and each decision affects the whole. This results in some misunderstandings through any given year. However, these days of investing in the team and focusing on our fellowship together results in everyone getting along much better over the entire year. We understand each other more and learn to grow in love and appreciation of one another.
5. We experience our vision uniquely.
This is an opportunity for me to relay the vision God has placed on my heart for our church for the coming year. Our team can focus together and we can spend time in vision-casting. It gives our staff an opportunity to catch the vision so they can relay it to our people at the right time. If our staff does not catch our church’s vision, how will the people?
In Conclusion
Regardless of the size of your church, lift out these principles and scale it to fit your church. Whether your team is only laypeople (yes, I have been there), your staff team is only one or two others (yes, I have been there also), your staff is a similar size, or even larger than ours (and many are), consider the basic concepts I have mentioned.
What I want you to take away more than anything is… develop the leaders around you. If you do not, who else will? Probably no one. As the pastor or leader, God has called you to lead and equip others. Friend, pour into your leaders. Nothing will bring greater dividends to the church than this.
Now is the Time to Lead,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.