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Take a chance

“The only way you can reach someone that no one is reaching is to do something that no one is doing.” Craig Groeschel. Why would Andy Stanley think this is a huge statement?  Because it is.

We have to be ready to present an unchanging message in new ways to connect with new people groups.  What are some new people groups that you have been trying to reach this year?  Have you tried to reach the homeless?  Have you tried to reach unwed Moms?  Have you tried to reach webheads? Have you tried to reach the families on your kid’s soccer team?  How about the barrister at Starbucks that knows exactly what you want to drink?  Successful?  How are you trying to share the gospel?  It has been said that doing the same thing over and over and expecting to get different results is the definition of insanity.  Are you going crazy, or are you willing to have people call you crazy because you want people to get IT?

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Tags: Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, message, Take a chance

Catalyst 08

I didn’t make it to Catalyst this year, but am already looking forward to Catalyst 09. I’m having to get my Catalyst by reading what others are sharing about their experience. Fellow blogger Marla has some great sessions summaries you need to read. All are great, and Andy Stanley’s session is something every leader needs to read: Catalyst 08: Andy Stanley Closing Session. Check her blog, Coffee Shop Journal out at http://coffeeshopjournal.com/.

Marla, thanks for the good reporting.

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Tags: Andy Stanley, Catalyst, coffee shop journal, Great place, Leadership

Leading in the Shadow of Uncertainty

I picked up an old read off the shelf this week, Andy Stanley’s The Next Generation Leader, and stumbled across another gem from him. His insight’s were very applicable to my current world, especially coming on the heels of a staff planning retreat, the addition of new staff members, the diverse ages and experiences of staff, and current movement of our church.

Sorry for the length of the post, but it’s worth the read.

Here’s Andy:

“Leadership is all about taking people on a journey. The challenge is that most of the time we are asking people to follow us to places we have never been……There are no maps to guide us we are left to cut a trail. Yet as we move forward into the uncertainty before us, we sense the need to turn occasionally and assure those who follow.

“This is the tension every good leader lives with: negotiating uncertain terrain while casting a clear and compelling vision. There is always uncertainty. But uncertainty underscores the need for clarity.

“Think for a moment about you leadership environment. How are you managing uncertainty? As I write these words, I find myself at the helm of the largest church I have every attended and the only church I have ever pastored. None of my staff has ever ministered in a church this large. In fact, most of my staff have never even worked in a church before.

“The truth is that we don’t really know what we are doing. This is new for all of us. We have a good idea of what we want the organization to be in five years, but we are absolutely uncertain as to how to get it there. Like you, we have never been to the place we are asking others to follow us to. We will all arrive for the first time together.

“But none of that bothers me. I Have learned that my enemy is not uncertainty. It is not even my responsibility to remove the uncertainty. It is my responsibility to bring clarity into the midst of uncertainiy…that is your responsibility as well.”

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Tags: Andy Stanley, community, Leadership, post modern, Simple Church