5 Ways to Influence Your Church

Ever wish you could change your church? I have. While change for the sake of change itself is never the goal, sometimes our churches get stuck in patterns of activity or ministry that are no longer effective. When this occurs, sitting in the pews (or even in a seat of leadership) and observing fruitless leadership or ministry can drive a person crazy.

So how can you gain influence in your church? How can you gain the ability to speak into ministry? Check out these five suggestions:

1. Be respectful - Criticizing and pulling in the opposite direction of your current leadership is a certain way to diminish your voice. Most pastors and leaders are doing the best they can. Offer respect for their efforts.
   
2. Get involved - Want to make your voice heard? Get into the trenches first by serving selflessly and earning the right to be heard. Your voice will mean more when you're a participant instead of an observer.
   
3. Offer support - Pastors and leaders in the church are super busy, so when you come alongside them and meet their immediate needs, you'll likely have space and opportunity to offer influence as well.
   
4. Offer solutions - If you see a problem, become a problem solver. Offer viable solutions to an existing problem and you will be seen as a partner in ministry, instead of a critic.
   
5. Stay positive - While you might easily picture a better future, you cannot expect your church to change overnight. Stay helpful and positive. It's one of the best ways you can continue to encourage and motivate your leaders.

Why does it matter? You may be the one to change a church for the better...and in the process offer eternal life and connection with God to hundreds if not thousands of people. Influence is an investment. Choose where to invest yours wisely.

Vision and Art

A few months ago, I was caught driving in a thunderstorm on my way from state to state. I knew I would need to drive into it, because the radar predicted storms all night, and I had my children with me. We couldn't stay where we were and yet we knew we'd have to face a huge storm to get where we needed to be. To make matters worse, tornadoes had touched down along the road we needed to travel along. After waiting for the right moment, double-checking the radar and saying a prayer, we set out.

At one point as we drove the rain was so intense the road seemed to disappear under the dark river of water and the windshield wipers refused to keep up with the torrent of rain. My stomach knotted up as I drove, seemingly knowing it was unsafe to keep going and unsafe to stop. It's amazing how much a situation like that fosters prayer! After several hours of wheel-gripping stress-producing driving, we made it home safely and without incident.

I am struck by the fact that sometimes leading in the church can feel an awful lot like my moments of terror on the road. We know we can't stay where we are, we know we need to move forward but we fear the journey will be filled with unpredictable and somewhat dangerous events. In times like this, we desperately need vision!

"Vision," says Andy Stanley, author of Visioneering, "is a clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction that it should be." I love this definition. We need both a picture of a preferred future and a conviction that moves us to action. Our churches need this type of vision.

So what role do the arts play in vision? Put basically, a clear mental picture of the future is just that: a picture. And painting pictures is what art does so well. Art acts as a tool for bringing both the mind, emotions and spirit together as you paint a portrait of a preferred future. Art connects a mental image with the story we're all living, while adding color, life and energy to the ideas. Art has the power to influence and convey your vision.

While all visions have those scary, dark moments when it seems like we cannot see the road ahead, art gives us the ability to focus our hearts and minds on the convictions we carry that move us ahead even during the difficult times. Art also helps us see the beauty of God's plans for our lives and churches, turning storm clouds into beacons that guide us home.

Let's use our art to help our churches see the wonder of bringing souls into God's Kingdom, the beauty of fully surrendering ourselves to our Maker and the plans God has for our own hope and future. Art speaks. It feels. It breathes into us. Let's harness the power of art to help us move to the places we know we need to be and toward the people we want to become.

The Influence of Worship

Ever since I can remember, I have been inspired by attending worship services. As a Kindergartner I listened in awe to our traditional church choir sing, all dressed up in fancy choir robes. As the melody drifted over me, I wanted to sing with them! Then there were Christmas pageants, and I got to dress up as an angel (thank goodness I didn't get the part of a sheep). Then children's choirs, solos in church and a youth traveling choir.

In high school, I got a chance to contribute even more. I directed my first drama in the church at age 17. It was a full Christmas pageant. Not terribly difficult, since it was a few pre-written scenes packaged between traditional choral music, but it was amazing! I got to help people worship.

Ever since I got my first taste of what it meant to lift up God's name in holy praise, I was in! I wanted to be part of the story. I wanted to create something that would suggest the fullness and beauty of God. Singing, dancing, acting or working behind the scenes...it didn't matter. I loved it all. Still do. (Well not the dancing so much anymore. We'll leave that to people who have maintained their flexibility.)

What I didn't realize at the time is that I have a heart of worship. And specifically, I have a heart to use creativity and the arts to help others experience and respond to God. That's what worship is all about. Worship is our response to our experience of God. It's our way to tell our Savior that we love Him, that He is good, that He is trustworthy and powerful. Worship is my way to reach out to God in the same way He's reached to me.

The life-giving power available to us as we breathe in the influence of our own worship and the worship of others changes us. It makes us more aware of our sinful and broken nature and the sacrifice God made to cover all our failings and separate them from us forever. It makes us more able to find freedom at Christ's throne. It helps us connect in relationship to our Maker. Worship cannot help but influence us.

Whether you express worship in music, service or simple prayers, I challenge you to embrace your own heart of worship and connect with the living God. It'll change you from the inside out. And if you're a leader of worship in the church, don't diminish the importance of your role. You help people respond to their experience of God! That's a high calling worthy of a well-spent life.

Inspiration

Did you know that one of the meanings of the word inspire is "to breathe into or upon; infuse with life by breathing?" That means when we're inspired by something we're actually changing at a deep level. We're taking life from that which gives us inspiration. Inspiration is breath that gives us life.

It feels empowering to be inspired: to have something sparked deep within that offers creativity, ideas, energy and growth. If you're not sure, consider what it feels like to be uninspired. Dead, unenthused and lifeless are words that come to my mind; being uninspired is energy draining. Inspired is just the opposite; it offers you new life.

So today, my challenge to you is to figure out what inspires you. The arts have significant influence in our lives. We are moved by drama done well, by a song that stirs our soul or by a video that captures our human experience. Combining both intellect and emotion, art activates both sides of our brains and helps us discover things about ourselves, our Maker and our human experience. How can you allow yourself to be captivated by inspiration today?

Check out Cultivate

Lately, I've been doing a bit of writing for Cultivate, an online community for Worship Arts Leaders. The Willow Creek Association launched this site in June of 2009 in hopes of creating an online resource to empower arts leaders to lead their teams to increasing spiritual health and meaningful ministry. If you're not already a member, take time to sign up and read through a few articles or engage in one of the groups.

When we get into the trenches of ministry, we can quickly allow the importance of our own personal growth and development to be pushed to the side while we advance the cause of urgent ministry. But I challenge you to take care of yourself. Leading others drains our creative and spiritual tanks. You can't give what you do not have. So take time today to fill your tank.

http://www.cultivateonline.org

Where Healthy Church Begins

Books on healthy church abound. They contain references to relationships, emotions and workloads. They talk about ministry, programs and balance. With simple or radical methods of building church health, they each expound upon the idea that God desires the church to be a place of unity and community.

So why doesn't the church thrive on unity and community?

Sin is the obvious answer. We are all sinful people. And the church is made up of sinful people just like you and I. As Paul says in Romans 7:17, "For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time."

We hurt when we should help. We lie when we ought to offer truth. We hide when we should be exposed. We doubt when we should hope. We insist when we should desist. Our desire to do good is hindered by our sinful nature; we are broken.

Where does that leave the community of God?

It seems clear to me we have a choice. Every day we can choose to surrender to our sinful nature that seeks to hurt and deflect OR we can choose to believe in the power of God within us to create a healthy community filled with love, optimism and unity.

We choose our direction, for what we believe will inform our actions. And our actions will create the community of our mind's choosing. A healthy community of God begins in the minds and hearts a leader and a congregation who will not succumb to the failings of man's limited sight, but who will rely on God's presence and supernatural vision. It is only with godly, humble dependence on Him that healthy church begins.

Healthy Creative Team Culture

As passionate as I am about creatively crafting church services and vision to express the love and grace of our Savior, I am equally passionate about creating a safe and synergistic place for creative people to flourish. It irks me to no end when those of us in church leadership expect artists to produce moving and holy moments in an environment of open relational hostility or creative utility. Artists cannot be expected to lovingly lead our congregations in worship if when they are experiencing a lack of the same from the church.

Well, hardly any church sets out to alienate and dismiss the needs of artists. But at the same time, few understand how to meet the unique needs of the creatives in their culture. So they don't try. Or they try and come up short. A healthy team culture doesn't exist without a few key elements. We must work at it. In Organizing Genius, Warren Bennis suggests, "The most exciting groups...resulted from a mutually respectful marriage between an able leader and an assemblage of extraordinary people. Groups became great only when everyone in them, leaders and members alike, is free to do his or her absolute best."

So what gives artists this freedom? What does a healthy creative team culture look like? Here are my top ten non-negotiables:

1. Godly, visionary, creative leadership


2. A clearly defined church vision, artistic vision, style and identity


3. Senior leadership's active support


4. Well defined roles and communication processes for staff and volunteers


5. Excellent creative processes


6. Resources that match the desired outcomes


7. High doses of encouragement and constructive feedback


8. Active spiritual shepherding


9. Training and equipping opportunities


10. Shared community experiences

And bonus item # 11. A green room stocked with food and water. Seriously. It helps a ton!

So, if you read that list and thought, that's basically creating a great arts ministry, you're right. A healthy creative team culture reflects a well-thought out and intentionally implemented ministry. It is possible. And it starts with someone with a vision for creating a great artistic team. Perhaps you!

A red rubber ball helps you design a healthy creative culture for your life

Have you ever read the book Rules of the Red Rubber Ball by Kevin Carroll? If not, stop reading this blog right now, run to the bookstore and then continue reading. Seriously, I love this book. Go to the bookstore. Find it at the library. Go...

Okay now that you've got the book in your hands, page through it. Do you find yourself thinking: unique, creative...unusual perhaps? Maybe you've owned this little book for quite some time and never really gave the content much thought. Perhaps you got a bit sidetracked from the message of the material by its unique and creative form. Well, let me help a bit...

The big idea of the book is that you can live your creative dream. The book talks about designing your life - centering it around your dreams, filling it with vision, helpful relationships and a sense of passion and meaning. It's about building a healthy creative culture for your life. To accomplish this task, the author suggests you follow seven steps:

1. Commit to it


2. Seek out encouragers


3. Work out your creative muscle


4. Prepare to shine


5. Speak up


6. Expect the unexpected


7. Maximize the day

Sound easy? I don't think so. But with intentionality, strategy and follow-thru, it's possible. Now those are three words artists may find difficult: intentionality, strategy, follow-thru. So maybe you need to think about it as another form of creativity...creative life planning.

Why would you want to build a healthy creative culture for your life? Simple. Those who are healthy and creative themselves can lead others to that same place. They can fill the world with ideas, innovation and meaning that impact the world for Christ. Those who have not found a way to create this world around them settle for less. Ideas, innovation and meaning may be present, but their ability to access and implement them is compromised.

So did you get the book yet? Spend time designing a healthy creative culture for your life. Your impact depends on it.

Catalyst Conference 2009

Join The Synergy Box this fall, October 7-9, at the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, GA. This year's theme is "Make Your Mark." After 10 years of building into next generation leaders, they call their influence pure leadership adrenaline. I call it transformational.

Stop by our booth on the upper deck for more information about how creative synergy changes everything!

Check it out at www.catalystconference.com.

Where Does Motivation Come From?

Lately (meaning the past several years) I've been thinking about personal motivation. My question: how do I convince myself to do the things I want to do...or don't want to do, without a deadline imposed by someone else (or without extrinsic motivation)?

Some things I do because I like them. They're easy. They're comfortable. They flow. But sometimes I get to the end of a day or week and wonder why I wasn't able to accomplish what I had in mind or become the kind of person I envisioned. Here's what I've recently discovered: the best way to find personal motivation:

• Search your mind and heart for the feeling you want.

It seems that feelings drive behaviors. And more importantly, thoughts drive feelings. Basic psychology...yes. The way God made us...totally! If we want to do more or be more, we must discover through thoughtful discernment a desirable feeling that will drive our actions.

How do you apply this? Here's a simple two step process:

1. No matter what project, relationship or role for which you're needing more motivation, think about the feeling you're going for. Is it contentment, power, compassion, gratefulness, appreciation?


2. Match your actions to the feeling. For example, if you want to be more content in your relationship with your Senior Pastor, figure out what contentment would look like and what actions would be required of you. Do you need to ask to meet weekly for lunch? Do you need to meet your deadlines? Do you want to know what he really thinks of your art? Act on these thoughts: set up a lunch date, get clear on project deadlines and break the big ones into smaller chunks, ask your Pastor the dangerous questions about what he thinks of your creative performance.

Through these two simple steps you foster self-awareness and action. You choose how you want to think, feel and act. You do have choices. Other people do not have the power to dictate your thoughts, feelings and behaviors (though it can seem like it). Find the feeling you want and act thoughtfully. Then, watch your levels of intrinsic motivation soar.

One extremely important side note - some of the feelings we'd like to experience just aren't appropriate. Weed those out before you move to action. Most importantly, on a daily basis, ask God to align your desires with His own, and put actions to those desires. I can't wait to see what He does!