Archive for the 'Pastors' 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
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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.
Guest Post | Ten Steps to a Better Offering, by Mark Brooks
Today, RonnieFloyd.com welcomes guest writer, Mark Brooks. Mark is founding partner and President of The Charis Group. You can find out more about Mark and The Charis Group here.
“Just as we get going in worship, we have to stop and take up the offering!” That was the comment a staff member made a few years back when asked about the offering time at their church. It might not surprise you that with that attitude, giving had declined the year before at this church. That attitude permeates the Church today. To increase giving and givers, we must recognize that the offering IS worship!
If you are a pastor, how much time did you spend this week preparing for your message? When I was in seminary, we had a preaching professor that said for every minute you preached, you should spend one hour of preparation. While I know few pastors that put in that amount of time, we all prepare and pray over our message. Why? Because it is so important.
So, let me ask you. How much time and preparation have you put into this weekend’s offering? Most would have to answer none or very little. Is the offering not important? If you struggle to make the budget, it suddenly becomes very important. Is not the offering a part of worship? Since it is worship, should we not put at least some thought and preparation into it?
Most offering times in churches are one of the most boring moments of the service. The typical church offering has become a routine that we rarely, if ever, put any thought or action into. Is it any wonder giving is declining? Here are some thoughts about how to break out of that rut and make your offerings inspiring and more impactful.
1. Elevate the importance of the offering first with yourself and then the entire staff. Work to change the attitude that the offering is an inconvenience, and see it as an act of worship.
2. Don’t be afraid to ask people to give. Never apologize for the offering. The offering is a time of worship. We never apologize for letting people give as an act of worship.
3. Plan out every offering just like you plan out every message. Spend time every week thinking through how to best present the offering.
4. Change the format and positioning regularly. Every once in a while, do something different to break the routine.
5. Always give a stewardship message before the offering is taken up. Work to craft one-minute messages that underscore the importance of giving. Use the time the ushers come forward to make a case for the offering.
6. Utilize testimonies before the offering as a means of inspiration. Laypeople expect you to tell them to give. When one of their peers talks about giving, they listen.
7. Use creative tools like video and skits to make the offering fun. There is a host of material out there. Use it. Be creative!
8. Always be positive with every offering appeal. Guilt never works, so don’t try to guilt people into giving.
9. Cast a compelling reason as to why people should give. People give to that which makes a difference. Tell them how their gift matters, and they will give.
10. Regularly tell people what their gifts have accomplished and thank them for their gifts. Blow your own horn. Link the offering to the ministries the church is doing. People give to success! People also like to be thanked. Never take your donors for granted.
I believe if you will incorporate these ten steps, your offerings will dramatically pick up. Work and plan to make your offerings anything but boring!
Mark Brooks
President, The Charis Group
No one in America has written more on giving than Mark Brooks, The Stewardship Coach, writing weekly offering talks at www.Giving365.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @StewardshipMan or check out his blog at http://thecharisgroup.org/blog/.
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.