Category Archives: Questions Coaches Hear

Leadership, Questions Coaches Hear

What is the best soil for fruitful ministry?

RoyAllBlacksTMay2010-e1295093522512

Ministry flows along lines of relationship.

Frequently God works in and through mining your network of relationships to provide you with open hearts.  Into these hearts we sow the grace and truth we have received from God.  The fruit we long to see is a heart expressing itself in faith, hope and love.

Looking for your next assignment?  God may use your relational network.

Looking for a safe person to process your journey?  God may use someone you know or may introduce you to someone who can be a good active listener.

Looking for opportunities to help a person move closer to Christ?  Start with praying through your known and then take steps into sowing into new relationships.

MOST FRUITFUL MINISTRY FLOWS ALONG LINES OF RELATIONSHIP!

Tell me what you are learning?

Standard
Healthy Leaders, Leadership, Ministry Reports, Questions Coaches Hear, Resources

How I Serve Christ by Serving Leaders – Is there a way I can serve you?

RoyGLRetrSep2010dMaybe it is part mid-life crisis and part empty nest but I have been under a sense of deep conviction in recent weeks. The only way I know to say it is, ” I am aware that I will answer to God for what he has given me.

Am I being a faithful steward?

Where is the balance between ego driven marketing of one’s “products & services” and humbly letting people know of the assignment I sense God has given to me?

I am not sure I manage this tension well.  But I have been spending time with God seeking to get my motives right and to hear in a fresh way His assignment for me.  HERE IS MY LATEST VERSION OF MY CALLING STATEMENT

My contribution:
I assist and encourage Christ followers, and especially ministry leaders, to live vibrantly and effectively for the long haul.

HOW do I invest in this contribution: 3 PRIMARY WAYS – 

  • TEACHING is a grace gift entrusted by Jesus Spirit to me so I may contribute to Christ followers being transformed by his grace and truth.
  • COACHING is a set of skills I employ to help people get clarity and make progress in facilitating change.
  • WRITING is a discipline to grow me as a communicator and a means for sowing in other hearts what God has made alive and fruitful in me.

BEING A MAN WITH A LIFESTYLE OF:

  • TURNING to God in faith
  • REJOICING  in my Lord in hope
  • and loving God and others through HONORING and GIVING

One of the places I come alive is when I am sitting with leaders over coffee or tea!

This document overviews my ministry and should answer most questions a leader or group might have if they are seeing how I might contribute
(Click to Download)

Standard
Healthy Leaders, Leadership, Questions Coaches Hear

How Do We SEE the People We Lead?

Ministry leaders cease to be LIFE GIVING when they see people as problems rather than as God sees them.
Complaining and THANK FILLED, PRAISE SATURATED, FAITH SEEN PRAYERS do not mix together well.
Notice how these leaders describe and pray for the people entrusted to them.
Romans 16:19 ESV For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.

2 Corinthians 7:4 ESV I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.

Philippians 1:3-7 ESV I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 ESV For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.

Philemon 1:7 ESV For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

REFLECT: Would it help for you to paraphrase these biblical words into your expressions of encouragement and prayer this week?
LIFE GIVING LEADERS SEE PEOPLE AS GOD SEES THEM — AND IT LEAKS OUT SO OTHERS SEE AS WELL.
Standard
Book Reviews, Questions Coaches Hear, Resources

Recommended Book: FROM EVERY PEOPLE AND NATION: A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY OF RACE by J. Daniel Hays

Published in 2003 by IVP New Studies in Biblical Theology (series editor D.A. Carson)

This book explores a tension between blacks and whites in American in their perception of race problems. Dr. Isaac Mwase, a Black professor and pastor says the race problem is THE most important issue facing the Church today. In contrast Daniel summarizes the view of race by most white evangelicals (of which I am one) as 1) Still entrenched in inherited racism and only interested in the Bible if it reinforces their prejudiced views. 2) Many people assume the Bible simply does not speak to the race issue or 3) Many other whites are simply indifferent to the problem assuming the status quo is acceptable and the Bible supports their current practices. I was probably between descriptions two and three just 10 years ago. Reading this book is another step in seeking to bring racial issues under the authority of Scripture. I am seeking to answer the question, “How should a white man in the early 21st century express being a Christ follower?” Daniel Hays research helped me in my journey.

He confirms some things I had suspected in going back through Bible commentaries and surveys (written by white authors) that I had studied over the past 40 years..there were not only blind spots there was poor scholarship and errors being perpetuated. He also challenged me to read the Scripture with a more accurate perception of race and ethnic diversity that I had for the most part read over. His book follows a biblical flow with chapters covering sections of the Old Testament and then the New — ending with God’s vision of the kingdom found in John’s Revelation.

In his FINAL THOUGHTS he captures well what is becoming a frequent theme in my prayers:
“Most of us know the theological truth of racial equality, yet we waver and remain tentative. . . we still have strong ties to the old ways of our culture and we are reluctant to venture out in trust into new sociological areas, where all races are equal in practice and not just in theory. . . My hope lies in the next generation of Christians, aptly called ‘Generation X’. . . I am optimistic that they can sever the ties with the ‘old man’ from our culture and make some real progress toward the vision of Christian unity that the Scriptures present. . . What it needs is leadership: pastors, teachers, parents, and peers; people who will teach, challenge, rebuke, encourage, dream and weep until the church actualizes the unity that lies on the heart of our Lord.”

WILL YOU AND I BE SOME OF THOSE LEADERS?

CLICK HERE TO BUY THIS BOOK FROM AMAZON

Standard
Leadership, Questions Coaches Hear, Resources

Are You Stuck?

Lilla Grace Rumsey & Granddad

Are You Having Trouble Identifying What Is Blocking Your Progress?
These 4 ways of examining the problem can help.

One of my favorite blog authors is Seth Godin. Click Here to find out about him!

Click The Title below to visit his blog.
Which of the four are getting in the way?
Seth Godin Blog Jun 9, 2011
Here is what he posted:

1. You don’t know what to do
2. You don’t know how to do it
3. You don’t have the authority or the resources to do it
4. You’re afraid
Once you figure out what’s getting in the way, it’s far easier to find the answer (or decide to work on a different problem). Stuck is a state of mind, and it’s curable.

This past week I was again dealing with a long standing problem. It just won’t move, get fixed or get out of the way no matter how many times and with how much force I hit it. It is very frustrating because I feel it is an important foundation stone in the infrastructure of the organization where I serve.

It is not a people problem – I am blessed to work with people who care and work hard.

It is not a resource problem – We don’t have unlimited resources but from what I can see we have the right “hardware” to address the situation.

I think we know what to do – We have had many meetings and had many people at the table.

I think the drain clogs are:
1. It is unclear who has the authority to really fix it.
2. We do not know HOW to do apply the fix.

These two leadership problems are amplified because the solution will involve several departments and there is not agreement on the strategic priority of fixing the problem.

Every department director wants, on some level, to see it fixed but no one seems to have authority to get everyone to invest in a solution.

So is there a slow down or a paralyzing traffic jam in your church or ministry?
Does reflecting on these four descriptors help you unravel the obstacle?

My next actions involve describing a solution by building a model other departments can see and asking for our leadership to clarify who has the authority to fix it!

What thought does this stir up in you? Feel free to post your comments.

Standard
Leadership, Questions Coaches Hear

What are the Waves of Deep Change for the American Church to Ride?

April 11, 2011
What are the critical waves of deep change that will impact training leaders
for North American Church ministry?
Roy King

Framework for discussion:
(What follows is my attempt to recognize where change is occurring.) Below are areas or levels of change that I detect:

Change in how we organize ourselves –
Denominations will continue to fade in influence
The old categories of church vs. parachurch will not be adequate to define the structures being created as hybrids and new expressions take their place
Informal. Organic, web type networks will continue to provide platforms for partnership, training, and sharing best practices
New networks will be more global w/ much of the leadership coming from outside the church in the North America
Even within individual congregations organization, leadership, titles and job descriptions will be more unique and customized and continually adapted to address the mission and strategy.
New doctrinal groupings and labels will replace charismatic, evangelical and liberal. Etc.,

Change in how we live out congregational life —
World Evangelization will continue to decline as a personal responsibility – Churches will not consider cross-cultural, outside North America essential to being an effective church. At best it will be a footnote or specialized focus of a few within the congregation.
What has been identified as charismatic doctrine (examples: activity of Holy Spirit, emphasis on personal experience of God, Gifts, Women in leadership) is now the belief system held by the majority of Christians in the world.
A very high value by leadership on Relevance defined by Western arts, media and technology will shape how we communicate and design large and small group expressions.
One to one – coaching, counseling models of discipleship that can be organic and customized to the individual’s growth will replace large scale life stage type groups (Age graded Sunday School, Hot Topic study classes etc.,)
Large Congregations will place high priority on experiencing community and not just being a spectator crowd.
Small Congregations will adopt more bi-vocational, second career, new expressions of the circuit preacher servicing multiple congregations (ie., multi-site), and volunteer driven leadership models as economics (including benefit packages) continue to price fulltime pastoral staff beyond their reach.
Doctrinal and Practice issues will be debated within the church in such areas as:

1. What happens when we die? (is there conscious eternal punishment for those who do not know Christ?)
2. What is the Gospel? (Understanding of Grace, Truth, Wrath, Holiness)
3. How does the church give witness to the Gospel (relationship and priority of incarnational “holistic” serving in mercy and justice causes and the proclamation of Christ)

Change in the context of ministry will drive change within the church
Reports vary on when (2030 to 2050) but the United States will no longer be a white majority. African American, Asian American, and Hispanics will rise in leadership and influence. The number of multi-racial/ethnic people who checked more than one race category on the census grew dramatically and is predicted to continue to increase.
First generation immigration of Hispanic, African, and Asian peoples will often bring strong church leadership with them and will plant a new wave of first generation churches.
People under 40 will continue to leave the 380,000 existing congregations and will form expressions of spiritual life that are:
1. Designed out of and individuals perception of need or preference
2. Will utilize social networking through technology
3. Organic webs of relationships w/ Christians in their work, neighborhood and their children’s activities.
4. Not based on a membership level commitment to a congregational structure.
Baby Boomers will create opportunities for a wave of second half services and products related to issues of aging.
Having spiritual interests and considering one’s self as spiritual will continue as an assumption of the majority of Americans but will be less and less influenced or defined by a biblical worldview.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Standard
Healthy Leaders, Leadership, Questions Coaches Hear

Leadership Requires An Open Heart. What Is Your Level of Vulnerability?

I do not know anyone in Christian leadership that does not take some hits.
Rejection,
Betrayal,
Mistrust of motives,
Passive-aggressive resistance,
Rage filled e-mails,
Anonymous letters,
Rumors circulated masked as prayer requests are just a few examples. I find all of these and more described by Paul in his letters to the churches and leaders he was developing. And I find he had a simple principle that guided his engagement in relationships.
2 Corinthians 6:11-12 (NLT) 11 Oh, dear Corinthian friends! We have spoken honestly with you, and our hearts are open to you. 12 There is no lack of love on our part, but you have withheld your love from us.

This 22 minute video may give us some practical insight to living with open hearts. Watch it and then share with me your thoughts.
TED talk by Brene Brown.
Brene Brown: The Power of Vulnerability

http://embed.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html

What aligns with God’s truth from her research?

What is missing?

Standard
Healthy Leaders, Leadership, Questions Coaches Hear

Am I Listening For God To Speak And Expecting Him To Show Up?

I became a Christian at Explo 72 in June of 1972. I won’t tell the whole story here but the big idea was that Jesus made the reality of his presence, love and forgiveness very real and personal to me as I knelt beside a bed for several hours with a friend as we prayed out loud together. That will soon be 39 years and I am just as convinced today that He is the living God and his Spirit is known as Christ in me. Bill Hybels book WHISPERS helped give some words to how I have walked with Christ. He also encouraged me to listen more closely on a daily basis and, by faith, expect Christ to be present.

Just recently I was reading Matthew 28 again and was struck in a fresh way by how Jesus sandwiches my life mission (making disciples among all peoples who obey Him) between an assurance of His power and His presence. Apart from Him having all authority over all I could encounter and being very present with me to the end — the mission would be hopeless. And just as He repeated over and over in John 13-17 that His followers are tied to His authority because He has given the right to use His name the New Testament is a record of people who knew Jesus was WITH them by His Spirit and would return to them physically.

Enjoy this video with Bill as he answers questions about the whispers of the Spirit. Hearing And Responding To God's Whispers In Your Daily Life
What is your story?

Standard
Healthy Leaders, Leadership, Questions Coaches Hear

Sleep – God’s Gift & Essential to Life!

As I move among Christian workers, those serving in and outside their passport culture, I am amazed at the fatigue. As I reflect on my own struggles with depression through out my adult life I also see sleep as a critical part of God’s restoring me to a place where I can taste his life and offer it to others. In counseling leaders under hight stress conflict situations I often ask them to start with three to five days of just sleep and rest away from the heat of the battle.

What if you improve the quality of your leadership and other aspects of our life by 20% by just adjusting your sleep to the normative pattern designed by God?
This four minute challenge is a great summary of what I have learned about the value God wants us to place on sleep. Give me your thoughts.

In this short TED talk, Arianna Huffington shares a small idea that can awaken much bigger ones: the power of a good night’s sleep. Instead of bragging about our sleep deficits, she urges us to shut our eyes and see the big picture: We can sleep our way to increased productivity and happiness — and smarter decision-making. Arianna Huffington is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, a nationally syndicated columnist, and author of thirteen books.

Arianna Huffington – HOW TO SUCCEED. GET MORE SLEEP!

http://embed.ted.com/talks/arianna_huffington_how_to_succeed_get_more_sleep.html

Standard