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Confidence, Uncertainty and Spiritual Leadership

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Confidence, Uncertainty and Spiritual Leadership



Leading with confidence is highly valued. The 1984 TV commercial for Gillette’s Dry Idea antiperspirant ended with the famous ad slogan: “Never let them see you sweat.” In recent days, Duck Dynasty’s Jase Robertson deadpanned: “When you don’t know what you’re doing, you might as well do it quickly.”

Most people and organizations value leaders who exude confidence at every turn. Hesitation indicates flawed thinking and indecisiveness marks weak character. For those reasons and more, young leaders learn early in their careers to push uncertainty aside and project an air of confident decision making. It’s a key character trait that usually leads to positions of status and influence.

But do leaders always have clarity and confidence about their decisions and plans? The honest answer has to be no. Don Moore’s Harvard Business Review article sums it up well:

In the long term, honesty is the only sustainable strategy. Rather than fooling themselves, or us, we should want our leaders to represent the truth, even when it makes their jobs harder. That is, after all, one of the great missions to which we entrust them: to take the complex information and broad vantage point to which they have access and convey it to the rest of us in a useful way. Doing so represents authentic and courageous leadership, even if it means being less certain.

Courageous leaders find a way to embrace confidence and uncertainty together as key characteristics of humble and honest leadership. What are the appropriate moments to be less certain about the future? Be honest when:

  1. You don’t have enough information.
  2. The pace of change—with positive and negative outcomes—is too rapid for accurate forecasts (and decision making).
  3. The opportunity cost for a decision isn’t clear.
  4. Sharp disagreement exists on your team.

None of this means that a leader should stop leading or making decisions. In fact, these are the times when honest leadership is most needed. Communicate with others that uncertainty exists. And recognize that there are times when God calls you to pause and wait. That’s not a comfortable place for many leaders, but it may be your calling for a season.

For leaders who find it difficult to practice uncertainty (and I count myself in this group), consider a few ideas for more honest and open leadership:

  • Wait on the Lord. Waiting is not easy in a culture of doing, but it’s a God-called place for every believer. If you spend too little time considering what God is saying in the quiet moments, then the watch word is “wait”—create some space in your day to pray, study the Word and worship. Read more
  • Expand your prayer habit. Make prayer part of your daily routine for greater effectiveness in every area of your life. Expand that principle to your family and church to appropriate divine power for living the everyday mission of God. Most of all, believe in the power of prayer. Read more
  • Practice humility. Demonstrate “serve first” leadership at every opportunity. Serve your leader with humility. Encourage a “serve first” attitude in the people you lead. Seek a “serve first” attitude in potential hires. Read more
  • Listen to learn. Discuss key challenges and decisions with team members at all levels of the organization. Collaborate with team members and listen to what they have to say.
  • Protect yourself from over-confidence. Check your motivations, your knowledge and your heart when you have a high level of confidence in a decision you’re about to make.
  • Conduct due diligence. Analyze the situation and research the facts impacting a decision. If you don’t have enough information to proceed, then it’s time to wait on the Lord.
  • Pause before big decisions. Plan an intentional pause before making an important decision.

So what’s the Big Idea?

Courageous leaders find a way to embrace confidence and uncertainty together as key characteristics of humble and honest leadership. Communicate with others that uncertainty exists. And recognize that there are times when God calls you to pause and wait.

Resources


Source

“Smart Leaders Are OK with Seeming Uncertain” by Don Moore, Harvard Business Review (February 10, 2015), https://hbr.org/2015/02/smart-leaders-are-ok-with-seeming-uncertain.

Ministry Planning with OGSM

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Ministry Planning with OGSM



“Oh Great, (just) Shoot Me!” Those OGSM words have been heard more than once when a new strategy planning process is about to begin. Born in the fear and anxiety we feel about increased accountability and evaluation, that’s a natural response.

Of course, OGSM isn’t an abbreviation for “Oh Great, (just) Shoot Me!” It’s an acronym for classic strategy planning in four steps: Objectives, Goals, Strategies and Measures.

Start with the strategy planning pre-requisite—vision and values. Vision answers the question: WHY does the organization exist? A model vision statement is the one adopted by Willow Creek Community Church:

Willow Creek exists to turn irreligious people into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

Values are an outgrowth of ministry vision. They are a set of PRIORITIES that govern everything that happens in a ministry. Everything that you do—every event, program or initiative—will somehow address these priorities.

For example, a church might have values that clarify its priorities like this:

  • Prayer – Prayer is our foundation.
  • Worship – Worshiping together is important to us.
  • Missions & Evangelism – We actively share our faith with neighbors and nations.
  • Discipleship – We grow spiritually in small groups.
  • NextGen – Faith at home matters for the next generation.

With vision and a set of values in your pocket, strategy planning can begin. The OGSM acronym spells out a straightforward process:

  1. Objectives – WHAT will you do to accomplish each value? Typically, you will develop 2-3 objectives for each organizational value. Use WORDS for your objectives.
  2. Goals – What is your numerical goal? Develop a goal for each strategy, plan and objective. Set goals either early or late in the process. Set incremental benchmarks (short and medium-term goals) to achieve throughout the year. It may be useful to establish goals as a FINAL step in the process. Use NUMBERS for your goals.
  3. Strategies – HOW will you accomplish each objective? WHAT will you do? Develop several strategies and plans for each objective. Use WORDS for your strategies.
  4. Measures – What does success look like for each strategy? How do you MEASURE success numerically for each strategy and plan? Brainstorm several ways to measure success for each strategy and plan. Use NUMBERS for your measures.

Objectives usually have a “we will” structure. In order to accomplish organizational vision and values, your objective is what you will do to accomplish those priorities. For example, ministry values might lead to objectives like:

  • Prayer – We will seek the face of God and pray for spiritual renewal as the first step in total commitment to Jesus Christ.
  • Worship – We will give our best offering to God with a worship blend that celebrates the old and the new.
  • Evangelism – We will build relationships to introduce friends and neighbors to Jesus Christ.
  • Discipleship – We will reach, teach and care for people through Bible Fellowship and community groups.
  • NextGen – We will equip parents to raise godly kids and be spiritual leaders at home.

Strategies are the action plan for each objective. They answer the essential HOW and WHAT questions with strategic plans, tactics and details. Quantitative MEASURES help you evaluate a plan’s success or failure. Finally, GOALS are the objective stated numerically.

So what’s the Big Idea?

Establish an organizational vision and a set of values. Then write your strategic plans in four steps: Objectives, Goals, Strategies and Measures.  It’s the way you achieve more for the Kingdom personally and keep the organization aligned with the Great Commission.

Resources


Source

“What Willow Believes,” Accessed March 5, 2015, http://www.willowcreek.org/aboutwillow/what-willow-believes.

The American Church Faces Its Kodak Moment

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The American Church Faces Its Kodak Moment



Kodak is the textbook example of a successful company that failed to adapt to major changes in its core business. In a spectacular example of mismanagement and organizational hubris, it failed to anticipate the transition from photographic film to digital photography.

An organization’s Kodak moment occurs when peak success gives way to rapid changes in culture and the marketplace, producing a diminished organization unable or unwilling to adapt.

Is the American Church facing its own Kodak moment? Has it begun the inexorable slide towards ineffective witness, waning influence and spiritual complacency? Those questions hit me hard as I read John Dickerson’s book, The Great Evangelical Recession.

He documents 6 “Kodak moment” trends of decline in the American Church:

  1. We are an inflated church. – Evangelicals aren’t as big as we think we are. We likely comprise about 7% of the U.S. population or around 22 million people.
  2. We are a hated church. – It’s clear that the host culture is turning against Bible-believing Christianity in the United States. On a wide range of issues from abortion to homosexuality, Christians are seen as intolerant, bigoted and backwards.
  3. We are a divided church. – Evangelical unity has been undermined by doctrinal, political and social divisions that further marginalize and reduce our influence.
  4. We are a bankrupt church. – We are faced with the prospect of declining financial Wresources as older giving generations die off and younger generations give less.
  5. We are a bleeding church. – Millennials and other young people are leaving the church in large numbers. Many see it as irrelevant or unresponsive to their idea of a difference-making faith.
  6. We are a sputtering church. – Evangelicals are not making disciples like we should and we are unable, or unwilling, to evangelize the lost like we used to. As a result, each succeeding U.S. generation is less Christian than its predecessor.

Have we arrived at a point of no return? I believe the American Church is closer than it’s ever been to an irreversible slide to obscurity. With each year, the road back to spiritual vitality grows longer and harder.

But there is hope.

We rightly define growing Christian churches by their worship and their witness.  They are purposeful places of discipleship, ministry, evangelism and missions. They are Great Commission and Great Commandment places of authentic Christian fellowship and community.

We have to be those things again. We must:

  • Love and worship God above anything else.
  • Demonstrate unselfish love for unchurched people.
  • Value Kingdom-oriented, disciple-making outcomes.
  • Do more with less and become focused stewards of limited financial resources.
  • Address culture directly and confront difficult issues graciously.

So what’s the Big Idea?

The way back to spiritual renewal and revival begins with loving the right things. We must love Christ more than the world, love others more than ourselves, and love the Kingdom of God more than our material possessions. That’s the path to a spiritually vibrant and growing American Church.

Resources


Source

John S. Dickerson, The Great Evangelical Recession: 6 Factors That Will Crash the American Church…and How to Prepare (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2013) 21-120.

Clarify the Win

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Clarify the Win



Measuring what you do is the only way you know you’re accomplishing something important. It’s how you clarify the win and know what success looks like in every area of your life.

Consider how often you start a task or set a goal without defining a strategic way to measure the preferred outcome. Sometimes it’s a simple oversight. At other times, we don’t measure because we fear the result won’t be what we expect it to be.

It’s also true that we can have shifting definitions of success. When something doesn’t go as planned, we may be tempted to redefine the win and rationalize an unexpected (and non-vision-driven) outcome.

The right measures clarify the win in your personal, professional and organizational worlds. They also combat vision drift and misalignment in 2 strategic ways:

  • They focus on outputs vs. inputs. Inputs tell you what ingredients go in to something. Outputs tell you what comes out on the other side. Move beyond simple input measures to the more significant outcomes you’re aiming for.
  • They measure quantitative vs. qualitative success. Qualitative measures are subjective and experiential. Quantitative measures, or metrics, are objective and numerical. In most cases, quantitative measures are the best way to measure outcomes without bias.

Remember that measures aren’t goals. Measures are an objective way to express the size, quantity or degree of something. Goals are a numerical objective and desired result for the measures you set. Both are important, but goals won’t mean much if you don’t measure the right things.

Clarify the win in 5 quick steps:

  1. Define success with measurable outcomes (metrics). Measure with quantitative and objective outcomes. Use unambiguous metrics to paint a clear picture of action plan results.
  2. Select the right measures. Align measures with organizational vision and values. Think beyond inputs to outputs.
  3. Record the results. Devote time to evaluating and measuring your plans. If you complete a task or goal, plan some time to compare it against the strategic measures you set.
  4. Track data trends. Trends show where you are in relation to your past and can be a predictor of future growth (or decline). Read measures intelligently and watch for important trends indicating health, effectiveness and relevance.
  5. Make measures-driven adjustments. Honest measures indicate one of two things. Either you’ve accomplished your goal or you haven’t. Either you’re moving in an upward trend or you’re not. Make adjustments based on measured results.

So what’s the Big Idea?

Clarify the win. Measuring what you do is the only way you know you’re accomplishing something important.

Resources

Memphis Matters

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Memphis Matters



Growing up in greater Memphis, I don’t think I understood just how complicated my city was (and still is). I had a sheltered view of the city that comes from a comfortable home in the suburbs. But I still say that Memphis is “my city.” It’s the only urban center I come close to claiming. Both in proximity and sentiment, Memphis is my home.

Memphis is a great city. But Memphis is a tragic city, too. While rich in diversity and color, it is forever connected to African Americans’ struggle for equality and justice in the Jim Crow south.

Memphis is a city of widespread poverty, juxtaposed against areas of privilege and wealth. Numerous studies have shown that low income households face significant material, educational and socioeconomic challenges.

Memphis is a city with an identity crisis and a propensity to always expect the worst. As a matter of fact and routine, many expect their lot to always come up short.

As believers, we have an answer for all of it. We can offer real hope and security through Jesus Christ. We can respond to past challenges with His eyes, heart, hands and feet.

But it’s also true that we face a new challenge in our efforts to reach the city. Confront some quick facts about Memphis:

  • We are a city of over 1 million people.
  • We speak more than 45 languages.
  • More than 500,000 people do not know Christ personally.
  • There are 170 SBC churches in greater Memphis.
  • A majority of evangelical churches are either plateaued or declining.

We have less money, churches, disciples and staff to deploy against the sea of lostness we confront, and few available ministry partners ready to engage the fight. That’s a statement of fact in post-Christian America. Increasingly, it’s also a statement of fact in the post-Christian southern Bible Belt.

If there’s hope for penetrating lostness in cities like Memphis, it’s going to require a change in strategy:

  1. We must start new churches. Most experts say that we need 1 church for every 1,000 people in urban areas. If so, we need a lot of new evangelical churches in Memphis. The truth is, we need lots of new churches in every corner of North America. Memphis is no exception.
  2. We must revitalize existing churches. It’s not enough to start new churches. We can’t simply write off the 170 SBC churches that already exist in metro Memphis. We need them for the challenge we face.
  3. We must produce disciple-making disciples. Without a renewed commitment to discipleship-based evangelism, there just won’t be enough growth to keep up with the burgeoning lostness around us. Only through reproducing disciples will we have the impact needed to make a difference in the city.
  4. We must do more with less money. Less money means more volunteers and fewer paid workers. It means less full-time staff and more part-time and bi-vocational workers. Effective local associations and city groups will find creative ways to finance ministry in the face of reduced funding.
  5. We must cooperate like never before. It’s clear that while old models of cooperation are important, new models are needed to cope with lostness in the city center. Large churches, regional resources and urban ministry organizations will complement state conventions and denominational groups. That’s how cities like Memphis will be reached.
  6. We must go like never before. While we have to invest our lives in our communities and our city, we can’t do that without a vision to share Christ in other places, too. Our commission is The Great Commission, so we must go far and wide.

So what’s the Big Idea?

Penetrating lostness matters across North America and around the world, and it matters in Memphis. We must change our strategy to start new churches, revitalize existing churches, produce disciples, do more with less, cooperate and go like never before. That’s the way to penetrate lostness in greater Memphis…and the world.

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