When it comes to leading and organizations, change is inevitable. Great leaders though are always looking ahead and changing by design as they seek to make their lives and organizations more dynamic and effective in our current world.  Leadership is such a fluid dynamic and when it comes to leading people you have got to understand that change will come.

Change is a choice. You can either initiate the change you want to be or you can allow circumstances to demand the change that needs to be made and accept the outcome that is thrown your way. Either way, change is the only path toward transformation as we travel on this journey.

That is why you need to be aware of the three types of change:

The first is change by crisis. As you begin to look at your organization or department are you going to have to change due to a crisis. Maybe it is one of your leaders or staff that come to you and say they can no longer help out. Maybe as a church you have realized that you attendance has been declining rapidly. Maybe in your life a health issue has no forced change upon you.Were you prepared or are you now having to change due to the crisis. The cost is usually high when it comes to this type of change.

The second type of change is by drift. Many churches get into this type of change. They are always looking around for the next best thing. They see a mega-church doing such and such program that has gotten them results so they drift towards that. Then they see another church doing something else and they drift towards that. Or they even go along with the latest church fads. Usually the problem with this type of change is that it does not happen fast enough. Usually when you have changed because of drift you have changed too late or it wasn’t the most ideal change for your organization or department.

The third type of change is by design. This is where being innovative leads you into the change you want. Successful leaders are looking ahead and, even though they might already be successful, see change as a chance to create new energy and momentum for growth. Changing by design is embracing change as a choice.

You can change by design and be the change you want by:

1. Charting your destination – Write out where it is you want to be in one, two or five years. Be specific.
2. Constructing a new course – Begin moving toward your new destination intentionally. Work your way backwards and set benchmarks to hit.
3. Creating the change – Begin making it happen. Be determined. Force the change.

Lance Armstrong said, “The easiest way to predict the future is to create it.“

What change to you see coming?

By Harvey Schwadron

Blogging is not gone…it’s still there and many many people still read them.  When it comes to blog length many bloggers often struggle with how long of a blog post should they write.

Personally, I try to keep each of my posts short to medium in length unless I have a more technical post.

My goal is to make my posts easy enough for someone to scan through as most are busy.

From a reader standpoint, I also look for exactly what I try to put out.  I often have about 100 plus posts a day that come through my google reader so often I scan the title and first sentence to see if its worth reading farther.

I also asked my twitter/facebook friends what blog length do they prefer to read?  Long, Medium, or Short and why?

Twitter Answers:

• @AmandaSims – Short to medium posts. Usually no more than 250 words or so.
• @johndobbs – short. medium if bullet points. 2 many 2 keep up with, if one can’t say it quickly then rewrite it….or do 2 posts.
• @KaleoPastor – I prefer shorter blog posts. If I wanna read a book, I’ll pick one up. However, short AND worthwhile posts do take talent.
• @tmadison – medium length. Enough to get the content, but short enough that I can scan it quickly
• @danalynbyers – I prefer short blog posts. It’s truly an art to communicate well with few words
• @spiritualtramp – Depends on what short/med/long mean. I prefer in the 600-1200 word range. Unless you’re a GOOD prose writer.
• @spiritualtramp – Reading more than 1200 on the screen can feel a bit long for me. Fiction is a different story.
• @markhcox – Medium. Enough content to keep me interested, but I’m not trying to pay for a class.
• @mikewhenderson – Short

Facebook Answers:

• Christopher Young – Medium, because I have such a busy day so i wanna get my information in a compact, powerful way. Blogs that are too the point and don’t turn into a commentary are the ones I prefer most.
• Jason Ewart – short. for time, straight to the point, quick takeaway that I can chew over or act upon
• Rich P. Nifong – I like blogs that meander wittily around a point for a while and then just nail you with it.
• Rod Pitts – It just depends on how i feel at the time. I like medium, well-discussed posts most of the time. And sometimes I like short, to-the-point posts. Never do I like super long posts, though.
• Plays Piano – Jason, that’s hard to answer. Different topics require varying lengths. I prefer blogs to completely cover the topic – providing sufficient support in a succinct manner. Whether it is short, medium, or long, it has to be complete. The actual length is relative.
• Dave Ingland – I like short blog posts because…they are short. Blogs posts such as Steven Furtick’s are quick bursts that help me immediately when I read them. However, as much as I like short posts, I have to say that I really appreciate some long posts I read. They show a good thought process and support of the subject as well as passion. In most cases, they are more substantive. Of course, long is a subjective descriptor. I don’t mean long as in pages and pages, but maybe 5 or 6 paragraphs.
• Allen Phillips – when i see a long blog I don’t read it. I say i’ll come back to it later and usually forget. I like a short to medium blog
• James Scott Jr – I prefer conciseness. If you can communicate fully in brief, great, but often briefly won’t be very profound. So it will depend on the topic. But even something of a full content should be concise. It shouldn’t be long unless it really requires that to say what needs to be said.

HEY PASTORS:  If you are interested in the Exponential Pastor Mentoring Program with Bil Cornelius then you need to download the following application.

EXPO COACHING Application

Pastor Bil’s goal is to provide the insights that helped explode growth at Bay Area Fellowship to almost 7,000 in six campuses and many more to come.

If you are interested, the first scheduled day is December 8, all day. Bil will meet with no more than 15 to 20 leaders so JUMP ON THIS NOW!!!!

Here’s a sample of what you will learn:

1. How to raise money for the dream and go beyond “financial survival.”
2. How to create a buzz in your city about your church.
3. How to attract and keep a crowd.
4. How to break growth barriers quickly.
5. How to change your leadership to accommodate what is needed to sustain the growth.

Read more about the program [HERE]

I’m reading Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels and he makes a great statement in it about leadership and churches that are growing.

He says:

“What flourishing churches have in common is that they are led by people who possess and deploy the spiritual gift of leadership.  Whenever and wherever I have found a high-impact, Acts 2, prevailing church, I have also discovered a little band of brothers and sisters who were humbly and prayerfully providing the vision, the strategy, and the inspiration that enabled an entire congregation to bear fruit abundantly.  Please understand, it’s not that I believe the gift of leadership is more important than other gifts.  It’s simply that people with the gift of leadership are uniquely equipped to come up with strategies and structures that provide opportunities for other people to use their gifts most effectively.  Leaders see the big picture and understand how to help others find their place of service within that picture.”

What do you think…is church growth tied into church leadership?

With one BILLION internet users how is the church going to respond and take advantage of the future. Check out this video:

I don’t even feel the current online church is what church online in the future will be like.  What are your thoughts?

HEY CHURCH LEADERS: Do you want to double or even triple your ministry impact in 12 to 18 months?

Then you need to check out the Exponential Pastor/Church Planter Mentoring Program with Bil Cornelius.

Pastor Bil’s goal is to provide the insights that helped Bay Area double from 200 to 400, then double again to 800, then double to 1600, then again to over 3,000 and even then, double to over 6,000!

If you are interested, the first scheduled day is December 8, all day. Bil will meet with no more than 15 to 20 leaders, and will help create a customized plan for growth. Here’s what you will learn:

1. How to raise money for the dream and go beyond “financial survival.”
2. How to create a buzz in your city about your church.
3. How to attract and keep a crowd.
4. How to break growth barriers quickly.
5. How to change your leadership to accommodate what is needed to sustain the growth.

Read more about the program [HERE]

Check out this short video from Bil:

This is a great quote found on a wall at the Kansas City Chiefs.

“Losers assemble in small groups and complain about the coaches and other players.  Winners assemble as a team and find ways to WIN.”

Are you assembling around the water cooler to complain?  Are you complaining about your boss or pastor or leader? How about the next time you assemble you assemble to pray (and not those gossipy types of prayers) pray for your leaders and lets make a difference in your organization.

What crowd are you circulating in????

I found it here via @nsween

It’s no wonder Disney delivers the difference in excellence and customer service…it’s drilled down to every employee cast member.  I happened across these points in an article on excellence and think there is a huge take-away for churches and church staffs.

The Disney Difference:

• It’s what sets us apart from other companies.
• It’s the way we do things at WDW Resort for our cast and our guests.
• It’s the pride we feel because we’re a part of this special family.
• It’s an environment where people feel comfortable and welcome.
• It’s a place where people care about their jobs and each other.
• It’s that feeling of being a part of something really special.
• It’s the basis for everything we do.

These are points that every cast member at Disney is infused with as they set out to create environments of excellence that keep crowds coming back again and again.

Imagine if every church could add that kind of difference to their organization.

[ht Christian Standard]

If you want your church to grow…you will need to deal with six barriers that will hold it back:

1. Vision - Do you have a vision to reach out?  Do you have a vision to grow?  What is it that you want your church to do and be?
2. Leadership - You want your church to grow…it starts by growing yourself as a leader…you will have to become a different leader at every level to break each barriers.
3. Team - Do you have the team to break through these barriers? You either need to grow them or replace them.
4. Presentation - Hands down you will need to be a dynamic communicator.  You need to work on your communication skills.
5. Follow-Through – You must be able to follow-through with your vision and goals with your team.  Execution is a key trait to getting to new levels.
6. Community - You must find ways to connect with your community.  Most churches want the community to beat down their doors…but…are we beating our doors down to the community.

What are some other barriers you have found?  Or how do you see breaking through some of these?

Here are two great FREE resources to help you go to another level by planning out your teaching/preaching for the year:

• Developing a Preaching Calendar – This is a great series I created here at JasonCurlee.com to help get you started.  Loaded with practical tips and guidance this is a great resource to get you going. Click [HERE]
• Develop Your Preaching Calendar Training – This is a great audio resource free from Nelson Searcy at Church Leader Insights.  Nelson says that by planning your preaching calendar in advance, you can lower your stress, increase the creativity of your team and leverage the calendar more effectively than ever before! Click [HERE]