My Tools for Productivity

There are a few tools I’ve come to rely on for being productive that I can’t imagine living without:

• iPhone
• iCal (synced with Google Calendar for my assistant to update.)
• My Moleskine
• Things
• Google Docs

What do you use?  What works best for you?

Basic Calendar Management

A Pastor/Leader/Manager’s schedule is most accurate view of their priorities.

Most of the time a person’s calendar doesn’t line up with their goals and what they say they value.

Planning and long term goal setting should be done at the annual and quarterly level but I believe the most effective way to manage your priorities is at a weekly view.

Schedule time with God first.

• Nothing will set the tone of your life and your ministry more than your time with Jesus.
• Give your mornings to God.
• I will meet with God before I do anything else, before any activity or meeting.
• EM Bounds “The glory and efficiency of the gospel is staked on the men who proclaim it.”

Schedule health/exercise.

• Some would say others priorities should come first.
• But if I’m dead, I can’t fulfill my mission.
• I am the steward of the body God has given me. I will take care of it.
• This is a marathon. I can’t possibly finish strong and give me best without being healthy.

Schedule family.

• Put in on your calendar. (Vacations, special events, birthdays, sports, activities, etc.)
• Set a time to leave the office every day.
• Review your calendar with your spouse once a week. Sunday night works best for me.

Schedule time for email.

• 2-3 times per day.
• Morning, Lunch, Late afternoon.
• Let people know when you’ll be checking and returning email.
• No such thing as an emergency email. If it truly is an emergency they will get in touch with you.
• Returning email is not work. It’s a useful tool but don’t let it dominate your day.
• If you have an admin, have them return as much of your mail as possible.

Set key objectives and schedule time into weekly calendar for them.

• set at least twice a week 90 minute slots of uninterrupted time for planning or action on most important goals
• big rocks theory – make time for the most important things and then the smaller less important things fall into the time remaining or not done at all. No one leaves work finished. There is always more to be done. I want to leave with the most important things done.

Schedule one-on-one’s with direct reports.

• Developing the people on your team is the primary duty of the leader.
• Before you become a leader, success is all about growing yourself. After you become a leader, success is about growing others.” – Jack Welch
• One one one meetings should be 30 minutes.
• Agenda is communication, clarity, goals, and how I can help them.

Schedule a meeting with people you are discipling or developing.

• Who are you the men who are following you?
• A meal or coffee to mentor younger Christians in their walk with Christ.
• Keeps you in touch with the real needs and questions of people trying to take steps with Jesus. Makes your preaching more productive.
• Hand off the baton of leadership.
• You can really influence when you get up close.

Schedule a lunch for building your network.

• Someone you can include in your network of co-workers, friends, mentors.
• Use the time to catch up, reconnect, ask questions, and learn.
• Look for ways to serve that person with no strings attached.
• This a no agenda meeting, meaning I don’t want anything from you other than for us to stay connected.
• May have to schedule this weeks in advance but should have these meetings each week.

Notes from Elevation Church Thr3e Conference

 

• Help your volunteers “FEEL THE WEIGHT”. They have just as much responsibility in helping people take their next step with God as any of the pastors. Connect the dots. Show how their part is essential to the vision.
• Attention to detail is key.
• If there were 3 words your church is know for…what would they be?
• Elevation’s 3 words – Audacity, Honor, Generosity.
• Audacity is a spirit not a set of actions. 
• If you have a name, logo, website, business cards but you have no team (you can’t get anyone to step out and follow you) then you’ve missed the whole point.
• Leader has to speak into nothing and expect something…before anyone else can see it.
• I will speak it until you / we can all see it.
• Isaiah 49:6 he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”
• TOO SMALL – show me where I’m thinking too small.  Build into our team a culture that says that’s TOO SMALL.
• Audacity gathers steam; it builds credibility.
• Could we reach 10,000 at our church in the next 30 years?
• Exodus 13:19 – Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” – THE DREAMER – I believe in this thing so much I want you to take my bones with you when you leave here.
• We live in a church culture that is carbon copied and cut & paste.
• Your uniqueness is your POWER.
• Don’t imitate their miracle – imitate their faith.
• Same faith – different miracles.
• Don’t front like you have a word from God if you downloaded it or cut and paste from some book. 
• No substitute for getting alone, fasting, praying, groping, for the burden from God.
• Be yourself. David couldn’t wear Saul’s armor – said “GIVE ME MY ROCKS”.
• HONOR – respect had to be earned. Honor is freely given, and it is by honorable people.
• How can I honor my staff / volunteers.
• Culture of how can we “out honor” one another.
• You can only receive from someone at the level you perceive them. (lower the respect, trust…the lower the influence. Why it’s so important we value people – so we can learn from them. Also, why need to esteem our pastors…if people don’t see me as the man of God – then people can’t receive the word of God from me. )
• Only room for one vision in the house.
• How can I remove weight from the leader.
• Bring me solutions with the problems. I am not the solution. 
• I like multiple choice not essay questions.
• David had a corner of Saul’s rob – felt horrible…went and bowed low before him. I will not strike down God’s anointed. Yes God has promised me the crown but I will not take it like this. Some of you are walking around with a corner of a robe – dishonoring your leader – you could take it right now. But it’s not the time. 
• You don’t have to steal what God wants to give you. (cut corners literally.)
• Generosity – there will be no spirit of generosity without personal sacrifice.
• Your people are not going past your personal commitment of giving – bank it.
• LEADERS go FIRST!
• Have to have DONOR BALLS – the guts to make BIG asks of people.
• YOU need an attitude at your church – what’s yours?
• I’m not intimidated by your money.
• I don’t need your money. YOU need to give it.
• Do a giving series every year.
• DON’T sell out the vision for anyone.
• Preach an offering sermon each week – highlighting vision.
• Stop apologizing for your success. – highlight it.
• Giving is the one true revealer of worship. We can honor with our lips and even hide in community but Jesus said where our treasure is…our heart is also.
• IDEA – pay for a monthly date night for staff (babysitting/restaurant gift card) – it’s cheaper than finding new staff when they burn out / spouse gets disgruntled and bitter / affair)
• Bless back project – give away the offering.
• Partner for MISSION.  If we can’t do it better or if it distracts from our central vision by tapping out staff then find community outreach partners and resource them with money and people.
• PURGE the FEAR.
• Have I set audacious steps for people to follow me into?
• Volunteers – do I have right people in the boat?
• Just as called as staff members.
• Celebrate wins
• Have to drive down into the volunteer team…“This is how what we do impacts someone taking the next step with Jesus Christ.”
• If Monday-Saturday is poorly prepared – Sunday is a disaster. 
• The stress you / your volunteers feel on Sunday is directly related to your lack of prep / communication during the week.
• Sunday is about vision declaration not detail management.
• Think thru the Creative/Design process – (we have a 21 day lead time for each project)
• Send a vision card highlighting success along with quarterly giving statements to connect the vision of changed lives to their personal giving.
• Program for the first time visitor. See thru their eyes.
• Go over the top or scale way back – kinda is mediocre and it sucks.
• Worship leaders LEAD. You don’t mirror the audience…bring your own energy and passion. Play like its thousands.
• Copy until you can do it better. (creative/design)
• Don’t start a ministry you would have to stop if you were twice the size.
• We’re Ruth Chris not a BUFFET. We focus on doing a couple of things really well.
• Limited resource is a good thing because it forces us to ask good, clarifying questions about what really counts. It cuts the fat.
• Dress for the Wedding not the GAS station. You may look silly now but you’ll be appropriately dressed when you arrive.
• Structure for where you want to be…not where you are.
• Structure for twice the size you currently are.
• Noah – (God saw, God said, Noah did.) Building the ark is the ultimate example of dressing for the wedding.
• If I can’t do this task at twice the size it’s time to hand it off.
• Stress participation not membership.
• Growth, Groups, Gifts, Giving.
• Have people buy in before they sell out. Serve BEFORE you become a member. What if we make that a prerequisite to membership? Serve for 4 weeks before you become a member for example. Shows if they’re serious. Connects them with friends and mission.  
• Eat the fish. Leave the bones. –(can you learn from anybody or do you turn them off because of their viewpoint, denomination, etc.)
• Create a culture of intensity.
• Hard work is imperative – don’t have time for lazy people.
• I hear people saying…I don’t want to burn out…and I think dude, you have to be on fire first.
• The previous generation sacrifice their families on the altar of ministry. I’m afraid we have swung to far. We’re sacrificing our ministries on the altar of family. Or what we call family time – which is just an excuse to work 30 hours a week.
• We are all about the numbers – lives changed, missions, volunteers, churches planted, attendance
• Think inside the box – (the things I have responsibility over, the things I can change, etc.) most of the time we focus our attention on things outside of the box – if I only had… staff, volunteers, money.
• What can I do inside my box?
• If I concentrate on my box … it will expand.
• BUT there will always be a box.
• Work volunteers like dogs and pay them with hugs.
• Feeding the 5000 … what do you have?
• Moses, what is in your hand?
• Widow, what do you have in your house?
• Do what you can, with what you have, while you can.
• Limitation creates innovation.
• Momentum 

• Too late when we hit the plateau / decline – takes way to much energy to turn it around.
• Every time there is a season of growth – have to over react
• Do wait – do something to keep the upward curve moving
• Live on the edge of momentum and initiate before you need to
• Strategic Momentum Initiative – key times/rhythms annually that are natual moments to seize on growth opportunities. Plan them well.
• Fan based marketing – sell your people on the series with video preview, print, invite pieces
• This fall what is God calling us to do?
• No harvest without skillful snowing.
• Don’t settle for the field goal. Have to push the ball across the goal line.
• Get up this Sunday and bring it. Bring it like Jesus is coming in 10 minutes.
• Cut out one of your stupid stories and give an invitation for people to come to Christ.
• Staff development is not an activity, it’s a culture.
• Developing people is an attitude. 
• An ounce of development is worth a pound of delegation.
• Every crisis is an opportunity for development.
• Greatest compliment I can ever give you is to demand more of you, to call out the potential in you.
• I can fix a mistake or I can change the system so it never happens again.
• I don’t pay people I don’t like or…that don’t like me. I have enough of those in my life not on the payroll.
• I value the vision and you too much to let you under perform.
• What do I suck at – recruit volunteers or hire for it.
• You can tell how much you value the relationship by whether or not you are willing to have the hard conversation.
• Gave lead staff a very nice ring – to symbolize their loyalty to one another.
• Have to have an open environment where you can challenge one another. 
• Have to be able to ask other team members … Are you fronting? 
• You don’t have your act together…that not your best work…you mailed that one in.
• Thick skin. If you don’t want to be challenged…don’t work here.
• Call on volunteers to lead staff positions for a season to test them
• See if they buy in and sacrifice before you sell out to them.
• I would like you to do _____________ for the next six months…if they make themselves indespensible then hire them.
• Faith in You = I believe God wants to great things through you. It’s your calling…you can’t loose this… I will always believe in you. I can believe in you on your worst day.
• Trust You = based on your character. If you lie, front, fall – you will loose my trust. Very difficult to regain.
• Confidence = is based on your performance… do you achieve your goals, meet your deadlines, do what you say … if you miss here I will be disappointed… and I will get in your face.
• You have to care about the details.
• If you get something in your GUT go with it.
• Do I lack the courage to demand the best of my people.
• Difference between where you are and where God wants you to be is the pain you’re willing to endure.
• Space between hope and change is PAIN.
• There is an element of uncertainty in everything you are certain God’s called you to do.
• On the other side of pain is change.
• Garden of Gethsemane – translation – place of the press / the squeeze. (Olive Garden)
• Jesus before the cross – the place of victory – went through the press.
• Most oil comes out of your life when you are pressed the most.
• There is a press coming. If you’re there be encouraged. 
• There are places you have to go alone. (the disciples couldn’t go with him)
• There is an emotional cost.  Moments as a pastor when your soul is overwhelmed and you can’t even explain it. You just carry the weight.  Can’t explain it to your staff or your family. 
• Revelations brings isolation. 
• I want to go ahead and tell you… you don’t have what it takes. But he does.
• You have to be squeezed for the “ONLY GOD” movement to begin.
• There is a physical cost – going a little further. Sweat like drops of blood. Has to be a rhythm to your life…a joy…a Sabbath.
• There is a relational cost – couldn’t you stay awake with me for one hour?
• Comes a time when people cannot be what you need them to be.
• You will go through a season of abandonment – going to be people who walk away that you never though would.
• Destiny NOT tied to people who can walk away from you.
• Build your ministry on the ones who CANNOT leave.
• No more phones calls trying to convince someone to stay… to convince them to believe in the vision God gave me.
• You have to get the “gift of goodbye.”
• I love what God has called me to more than I hate the thought of disappointing you.
• When people leave it usually means there is a divine upgrade in the future.
• Rehearse what God has done before. He has supplied before. He will supply again.

The Scriptures are enough

“His word is the only light in the darkness of this life, a word of life, consolation, and supreme blessedness. Where this precious and saving word is absent, nothing remains but a fearsome and terrifying darkness…” -Martin Luther

As I’ve been preaching through the Gospel of Mark, I’ve just been reminded again of the power and sufficiency of the scripture. It contains a light and power just from being read. It leads us to exactly what we need to hear and shines a light exactly where we need to go.

Principle vs. Purpose

I sent this to my staff team last week:

Principle vs. Preference

As the Lead Pastor I have to be very careful about voicing my opinion. Too often our team, in an effort to please me, will make decisions based on a casual comment I made. Most of the time, I honestly don’t care. It’s just a PREFERENCE. Other times when I make a statement it’s an item I genuinely feel very strong about. It’s a PRINCIPLE, a conviction, a value, or area of organizational culture that I feel must be a certain way in order to maintain our vision and mission. It may even be just a style thing, but it’s the way I want it. It’s a hill to die on for me. And I will tell you.

So in an effort to not drive everyone on our team crazy I would like to build this language into our Leadership Team. Please feel free to ask me “Is this PRINCIPLE or PREFERENCE?”

When it’s just PREFERENCE it truly is your decision to make. When it’s PRINCIPLE that’s the way it will be. However, I’m always open to be challenged about my position or to clarify why I think it should be this way.

In addition we will be developing a Southlink Way document that will outline our PRINCIPLES as best we can identify today. It will be a living, continuously developing document being added to as we learn and grow.

I love you all and can’t imagine doing this without you.

Consumed by the Call,

Scotty