Direction Determines Desintation

Andy Stanley explains the Path Principal: direction determines destination.

northpoint.tv

Pastor 2.0 Recommendations for ACW

This week I spent a couple of days with about 25 amazing pastors from the North Carolina Conference. During my presentation I mentioned some technology that has me fascinated and some books that I recommended would be worth their time investing in. Below are links to the books and a brief reason why I recommended it during my presentation:

• Lost and Found: Ed Setzer and the research crew at Lifeway prove again why they are on the cutting edge of church planting and culture research. This book is the result of an amazing study of unchurched young adults and the churches that are making connections with them. Through careful research, countless (well they actually did count them) interviews and insightful evaluation they extrapolate "four pillars of young adult ministry and nine trends in churches that are reaching young adults."
• Communicating for a Change: In survey after survey, one of the most often heard complaints from church attenders and those who have left church is that the messages they hear do not connect with real life. Andy Stanley and Lane Jones do a good job at explaining not only where we as speakers are missing the boat, but how to speak to the postmodern listener so that they can hear. As one who is often guilty of preaching sermons loaded with too much content and not enough connection, this book really convicted me to begin asking two important questions during my preparation--"So What?" does what I'm saying really matter? And "What Now?" what does the listener need to do to apply this scripture to their life.
• Big Questions/Worth Dreams: Focusing on intensive research, Sharon Daloz Parkes calls for the formation of three environments to best connect with young adults: Commons; Hearth; & Table. This text is an excellent combination of careful academic research and practical application for congregations that want to dig deeper into doing faithful and theologically sound young adult ministry.
  
• Strengths Finder: While discussing helping people discover their divine calling, I mentioned that we must discover our strengths and play to them. Coming up next week is a workshop in our conference based upon the Strength Finder assessment. This tool has helped me embrace who I am and what motivates me. The best part is that the book comes with a code for a great online assessment that helps you discover your top five strengths.
• Me 2.0-Building a Personal Brand: Its rare that I find a business/career book that I wish I had written, but this is one of those. Dan Schawbel writes Me 2.0 as a guide to using social media and the internet to develop a personal brand. In a world where we are all "googled" by people who know us, may want to hire us, or have an interest in our ministry, this book is manual for how to take control of that online presence. Since everything we put on the web is public, present, permanent, and has potential to re-surface, I think every pastor should take the time to understand and take control of their personal brand.
• The Kindle: I love to read. Several people were fascinated with my new Kindle 2.0. I read between 50 to 100 books a year. Recently my chiropractor said that my shoulder was always out of sorts because my bookbag was too heavy, probably because I'm usually reading four or five books at a time and want to carry them all with me. This device from Amazon lets me carry my entire library with me so I can always have plenty of reading options at a moments notice. If you read like crazy, this is a must have!
• Flip Mino HD: Okay, I must confess that I don't have one of these YET! But, the availability and technology of quick, downloadable and easily formated video is definately the wave of the future. This will be a great camera for webinars and video blogs (vlogs), as well as family videos. Lets face it, for our family videos of theme parks and the kids playing in the pool, we really don't need an expensive video camera. The other great thing is that the video is stored on flash memory, so you never need tapes, when it gets full you just pop out the USB plug, attach to your computer and download the video onto your hard drive or to YouTube. This will be my next tech purchase!

Thanks to the pastors and to Carol Dean, Tim Reaves and the Commission on Evangelism members from the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church for the invitation to share at the Academy of Christian Witness. I hope I get to come back next year. To any of the pastors there do not hesistate to call or email me if I can be of any help helping your or your church live into their divine calling! I remain:

Consumed by the Call,
Marty Cauley

State of the Church for Duke Divinity - EdStetzer.com

Ed Setzer is an acquaintance of mine and an expert researcher in the area of church planting and congregational development. He did this study for Duke Divinity School.

State of the Church for Duke Divinity - EdStetzer.com

Importance of Being Unique

A good article about the importance of being unique. Essentially be authentic!

What's So Special About You? | Slow Leadership

New ReThink Church Commercial

The question is whether we can live out the values we are promoting?

The Song of Your Heart

I love it when churches do something unexpectedly cool. This video from Southern Hills Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas caught me off guard. Watch the two minute video and then below see the three things I liked about it:




Here is what I liked:

1. It was simple--no fancy graphics or effects. Just a good idea, well executed.
2. It was fun--its something that we would all like to happen to us.
3. It was different--not what you expected.

The other thing I enjoyed is that it wasn't trying to see the church, it was just sharing the message. Well done! I remain:

Consumed by the Call,
Marty Cauley

Its All About the Choice...

I had a couple of disturbing discussions this week with two different pastors who were very frustrated that the churches they serve just does not want new people in their congregation. The believe the church exists to fill their needs and have forgotten that the church exists to serve. That evangelism is not a programmatic option, its the reason the church exists, to help people establish their connection to Christ.

It is time for we as leaders to help the people learn to break through the illusion of their reality and to discover the truth. That is why this is my favorite Matrix clip:



Go ahead, take the red pill!

Marty

A Culture of Postitive Accountability

Here is a link to a solid article on creating a culture of positive accountability based on the work of Roger Connors and Tom Smith. Here is my favorite part:

In the Emerald City book, Connors and Smith go on to outline how to create a culture of accountability. Their methodology, which can be used for any culture change, consists of the following steps:

1. Define clear results within your organization

2. Define the actions required to achieve the results

3. Identify the beliefs that produce these actions

4. Create experiences that instill the right beliefs

The book gives a lot more details, checklists, and tools to lead a group through these steps.

In response to the second reader question, “What are the top 3 ways to hold people accountable?”, here’s a “simple” six step method, from the training and consulting company Communico:

S = Set Expectations

I = Invite Commitment

M = Measure Progress

P = Provide Feedback

L = Link to Consequences

E = Evaluate Effectiveness

The whole article is here.

SIMPLE accountability and SMART goals! That is a powerful combination.

The Church in a Missional Age

As many of you know I did my doctoral thesis on a powerful and effective missional church. The days of the church being primarily a self serving institution are drawing to a close. Our culture does not need one more organization that exists without regard for the world around it.

Below is a thoughtful article about the "missional age" we are living in and whether it will redefine the church.


Spring 2009 � Biola Magazine � Biola University

Granger Church Easter Intro

Granger Church does phenomenal work. Here is their Easter worship intro video. I always appreciate churches that strive for excellence!

Marty


Bittersweet Symphony from Granger Community on Vimeo.

David Crowder's Rockumentary Volume 1...

Just for fun on a Wednesday. Okay who doesn't love David Crowder. This is a hilarious piece...Volume 1 of Rockumentary!

5 Last Minute Invitation Ideas for Easter

I know its Holy Week and you are in the study laboring over Good Friday, Maundy Thursday, and Easter Sunday worship services. But what good is it if the people who most need to hear the message of hope that you will be sharing aren't there. Here is a list of five last minute invitation ideas that I have used to make sure the people who need to be there Easter morning are in worship:

1. Invitation Banners: Purchase and display a simple roadside banner. Keep it simple! The wording should be invitational and welcoming, something like “You are invited! Easter Worship This Sunday 11 am!” You can get the banner at any FastSigns or similar quick sign shop. Make sure you get the good material with wind slits and grommets so you can take down Sunday afternoon and use again next year!
2. Everybody likes to get an invitation: Mail out Easter invitation postcards you create on your computer and print on your color printer to EVERY visitor you have an address for from the past year. Sometimes people only need one more excuse to come back. If you mail Wednesday or Thursday they should get there by Saturday.
3. Reach out and touch someone: Get on the phone. Give the recent guests to your worship service a call and let them know that you are looking forward to seeing them this Sunday. A little personal touch goes a long way.
4. Get out of the office: Set a goal to invite ten people to worship every day from now until Saturday. Get out in the community and find places where the people are! Go to the coffee shop, the book store, the gym and be available for some divine encounters. This can be tough for those of us who are introverts, but this is the one time of the year when most people are at least considering going to church. Be the church with the extended hand!
5. You Can YouTube: Do a one to two minute, simple YouTube video invitation and put on your blog, your Facebook, and Twitter the link a couple of times a day. Then ask the Facebookers, bloggers and Tweeps in your congregation to include on their sites. Here is one from a small church that has had big results from their weekly updates:

At the end of the day, do something. Our culture has never been more spiritually hungry. The economic crisis has caused people to realize that they need more than a 401K and a big house to really be happy. During this season of resurrection, find ways to invite those who are seeking into your faith community to find the hope they are searching for. Sharing this Good News is why I remain:

Consumed by the Call,
Marty

Gracious God, who came to give us life, push us out of our comfort zones to go out and touch those who are also hurting. In the name of the one who came and gave, Jesus, we pray. Amen.

When Will the UMC Get It?

I believe one of my life callings is to help the UMC get it! That is, get how to leverage our amazing influence, locations, passion for social change, and evangelical roots to make a significant difference in our communities. One of the ways we COULD be doing that is through open source media and idea sharing facilitated by our denomination.

LifeChurch.TV was founded by a former UMC pastor, Craig Groeschel who left the denomination to plant a church. It is now, arguably, one of the most influential churches in America, rivaling Northpoint Community Church and Andy Stanley.

Below is their idea to help make Easter more visible online to the billions on the internet and engaged in social media. I think its time we took a lesson from churches like this and started reaching the next generation, one YOUTUBE video, on Twit, one Facebook message at a time! What would happen if UMCOM took a page from this book and asked every UMC blogger, Facebooker, and Twitter to share an extremely well done Igniting Ministry invitation to Easter worship? That is why I remain:

Consumed by the Call,

Marty Cauley

Thoughts on The End of Christian America

The news media has finally realized that the idea of "Christian America" is a cultural myth. Those of us who study culture have understood this for a long time. There has been a prevailing myth that the US was based upon Christian ideals, when in actuality its founders were largely secular deists who used the influence of the church to provide behavioral constraints upon the populace.

Now Newseek has done an article proclaiming an end even to the myth of Christian America. I believe this has three prophetic implications for the church. First, it helps us realize that we do indeed live in a mission field, not a garden waiting to be harvested. Secondly, it acknowledges that the culture will become increasingly hostile to the practice of overt faith. Lastly, the diminishing of the cultural practice of Christianity will allow for the practice of real faith or for those who attended services out of a sense of obligation to opt out since it is no longer the cultural norm.

Do not be discouraged, this is actually great news! Now the Church can be the Church and abandon its practice of being the "Holy Country Club for Christians." I look forward to the missionary endeavor. I remain:

Consumed by the Call,
Marty

Read the Newseek article here: The End of Christian America | Print Article | Newsweek.com