I like helping people reach their goals, so I’ve decided to launch a fun new project.

It is free coaching and mentorship from me for one year. I will give you monthly advice, encouragement, and training and maybe even leverage my resources, networks, and platforms to help you reach your goals.

Only 1 spot is available.

Click to apply.

Who is it for?
Pastors or entrepreneurs,
Churches or startups,
Kidmin or marketers,
Bloggers or designers,
My closest friends or people I’ve never met.

It is open to anyone. However, it is not for everyone. My expertise is limited.

At the moment, I provide strategic advisement to a number of nonprofits. Usually it is marketing and Internet strategy, but it sometimes includes leadership development, operations, or holistic organizational strategy. In the past, I spent 10+ years in kid/youth ministry. On the business side, I founded a graphic design, Web development, and marketing firm that transitioned from client work to its own tech startups (mostly in real estate).

If you think that experience could help you, sign up for the free coaching.

Deadline is September 7th, 2010.

In a recent interview, I gave my best advice for young leaders.

Put your benchmarks against what God says is possible and not what man has achieved.

Let me elaborate. In ministry, it is easy to look at how other churches do something rather than how the Bible literally models it. It is easy to look at what other churches are achieving and aim for that rather than what the Bible says is possible. Do not sell yourself short.

Start with the Bible. Take it literally. Model your ministry after its timeless principles. And only then look at other churches for inspiration on how to improve your church within its Biblically defined parameters.

For 9 more interview answers, head over to Ron Edmonson’s blog.

On March 25, 2010, Catalyst One Day is coming to Chicago. Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv (Edmond, OK) and Andy Stanley of North Point Community Church (Alpharetta, GA) will teach 4 sessions about momentum. It is a great place to hear respected leaders talk about current leadership issues.

Catalyst events tend to sell out quickly. So if you are interested, you need to register soon. You can get a special rate of $99 if you use the code “BLOG” when registering on the website.

In my book collection is The Class Leader. His Work and How to Do It. by John Atkinson. You can read it online or download a PDF. Originally written in 1874, it explains the methodology and importance of Methodist small group leaders. The ministry model it describes sets a challenging benchmark for effective small groups. Here are a few highlights:

The Structure

The pastor is the bishop or overseer of the entire membership of the charge to which he is appointed. It is his business to watch over their souls; to exercise discipline; to teach, reprove, rebuke, with all authority; to statedly preach the Gospel; to visit from house to house; and administer the sacraments.

The pastor, however, cannot exercise all the requisite personal oversight. The membership in many Churches is numerous, the demands made upon the pulpit are more and more stern, requiring a large amount of time to be given by the preacher to the studies and thinking necessary to the preparation of the Sabbath sermons; and with the numerous calls and interruptions inseparable from his office, it is impossible for him to give that thorough attention to all details of spiritual superintendance which the care of souls demand. The Church has made most wise and adequate provision for enabling the pastor to make his supervision complete by means of the services of Class Leaders.

All the members in full connection, and all on probation, are placed in classes, and each class is put in charge of a Leader. It is his office to see each person under his care once a week, that he may know the state of their souls. His office, therefore, is spiritual supervision.

Class Leaders in John Wesley’s Words

I called together all the Leaders of the classes, and desired that each would make a particular inquiry into the behavior of those whom he saw weekly. They did so. Many disorderly walkers were detected. Some turned from the evil of their ways. Some were put away from us. Many saw it with fear, and rejoiced unto God with reverence.
- John Wesley

Over time, the home-to-home Class Leader visits evolved into big group meetings of accountability.

How to Truly Lead a Small Group

Every Leader is in some degree a Gospel minister… The Leader, then, is to care not simply for his class collectively, but for all members separately.

If he simply hold class-meeting once a week, and look no further after his members, his knowledge of them will be very imperfect. He should know them, not simply in the class room, but in their daily life, their company, diversions, business; in their besetments, perplexities, discouragements; their temptations, falls, and uprisings. He should know their peculiarities of character, temperament, and condition, and so be able to rightly admonish, advise, and encourage them, and communicate to the pastor what it is needful for him to know concerning each.

Training Produces Results

The urgent need of the world is Christian workers who can accomplish results.

To ensure the largest success of Christian workers there must commonly be training.

These are just a fraction of the insights from The Class Leader. For more insights, read it online.

I wrote a post on Catalyst’s blog today about how to develop effective leaders. Here’s an excerpt:

Developing your team into effective leaders requires more than just explaining how to do something. You must explain the why behind the how. Understanding the science behind a method is crucial to being able to effectively lead in times of unusual circumstance.

When it comes to systems, most rules have exceptions, but you can’t appropriately identify these exceptions unless you understand the principles behind the rule. Teaching rules alone creates carbon copy robots. Teaching principles creates leaders.

read more >>

For the full post, check out Catalyst’s blog.

Andy Stanley of North Point Community Church (Alpharetta, GA) closed Catalyst Conference’s last and 10th session by discussing how to create a healthy work culture at your church.. Here is what he said:

I think that your church and your church culture should be the healthiest organizational culture in your city. I think that business people in your city should stop by during the week and say, “Wow! I have never seen an organization run so well!” I am not talking about on Sunday. I am talking about your church’s weekly work culture.

Think about this.

In the local church we have so much going for us culturally (if we follow the Bible… love, harmony, work as though unto the Lord) that we should have the best work cultures. Yest some of the meanest people I have met are on church staffs. Some of the laziest people I know are on church staffs. Some people think it doesn’t take much competency to work at a church because they lazy people who work at a church. And that is a shame.

Healthy people are drawn to healthy cultures. Healthy people don’t stay in unhealthy cultures. Unhealthy people thrive in unhealthy cultures.

Occasionally, there are gaps between what we expect people to do and what they actually do. As leaders, we choose what to put in this gap. And what you as a leader choose to put in that gap will shape your culture. And what you put into that gap, will also be what your staff puts in that gap. You will either assume the worst or expect the best.

There are a couple of things that determine what I put in that gap:

1. What I see
   If someone consistently brings you poor quality, you will always assume the worst.
2. Who I am
   Your past hurt and betrayal will influence what you put in that gap. We like certain types of people. And we dislike others.

Developing a culture of trust is critical to the health of your organization. Trust fuels productivity. The message of trust is this… I think you are smart enough to know what to do, and if you make a mistake, you will tell me then fix it.

A culture characterized by trust attracts healthy people.  You will never know who you can trust until you trust them. The longer you refuse to trust people, the longer that untrustworthy people can hide in your organization. The moment you feel to tightly manage someone, you might have made a hiring mistake. And if you don’t address the hiring problem, you might create a culture where everyone distrusts each other. You will never know who you can trust until you trust them. Trusting is risky. Refusing to trust is riskier.

Trust enables an organization to move faster. In an organization of trust, the culture is fluid. When their is a high level of trust, I am going to act/email/write/communicate as if I believe the best. Teams use trust as currency. The development of trust then becomes a significant leadership strategy. It feels 100% relational and 90% emotional.

Developing a culture of trust begins with a leader. Trust and suspicion are both telegraphed from the leader throughout the organization. We must learn to choose to trust.

When you choose to trust, you must choose to confront. The moment there is suspicion in a person, everything he does is tainted. When you and I sit on our raw assumptions, and it leaks out to our family and organization, the energy makes our suspicion grows bigger and uglier. And then all of a sudden, a handful of offense gets a huge response. If you want to build a culture of trust, you must confront fairly and quickly and refuse to sit on it. Before I assume the worst, I should at least ask for the facts. The consequences of concealment are far greater than the consequences of confrontation.

To develop a culture of trust, leaders must be trustworthy. Worthy of trust does not mean perfect. It means when I create a gap where your expectations don’t line up with the experience I give you, I talk to you about it.

5 Essential Commitments of Trust

1. I will believe the best.
2. When other people assume the worst about you, I will come to your defense.
3. If what I experience begins to erode my trust, I will come directly to you to talk about it.
4. When I am convinced I will not be able to deliver on a promise, I will come to you ahead of time.
5. When you confront me about the gaps I’ve created, I will tell you the truth.

The gaps are the opportunities… the gaps are the litmus test… for you to choose what culture you will have.

Questions to Ask

1. Are there people in your organization you have a hard time trusting.
2. Is it your issue or is it theirs? (if you have never chosen to trust it is still your issue)
3. What can you do about your part?
4. What do you need to address with them about their part?
5. Who do you sense having a difficult time trusting you?
6. Why?
7. What can you do about it?

If you choose to trust, you will create an organization that is more nimble and effective.

Louie Giglio of Passion City Church (Atlanta, GA) discussed how everything in life is about Jesus during Catalyst Conference’s 9th session. Here is what he said:

I don’t know much about leadership but I do know this:

It is all about the person Jesus Christ.

There is nothing going on that is not about the person Jesus Christ. Leadership is about knowing and following Jesus Christ.

The only thing I had going for me in elementary school was that I was fast. So I wanted to race everybody. But before you race, you always have to ask a question:

Where are we racing to?

So if you are on your mark, I think we need to ask where are you going? We are all going to a common destination, and it is important that we all get our minds around this.

Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire.
-Thomas Merton

We all a have a common end at the end… the face of the Son of God. We are on a collision course with the face of the Son of the living God. From Him are all things. Through Him are all things. And to Him are all things.

And I believe that leadership is choosing wisely to see His face and to reflect His face to the world. 1 Corinthians 13:8 tells that love never fails but abilities fade away. You have to say, “I as a leader am determined to know the face of Jesus and reflect that face.” Jesus has the face that has launched thousands of churches and has raised from the grave millions of people.

Two Things We Find on Jesus’ Face

1. We find matchless beauty and significance, and it is what we were made for.
   It is what our souls were made for. A.W. Tozer says,”God formed us for His pleasure, and so formed us that we as well as He can in divine communion enjoy the sweet and mysterious mingling of kindred personalities. He meant us to see Him and live in Him and draw our life from His smile.”  If you want a heart that is beautiful, generous, and pure, it is on the face of Jesus. And reflecting His face shapes us into that. Anyone who sets out for anything else other than the face of God, will be turned into that, which is less than what God wants for your life.
2. The confidence and the courage to be the leaders we need to be.
   It is not about you. It is all about Jesus. And you know that when you see the face of Jesus. We have to rise up out of “we don’t have enough money to do that” and “that would be crazy to do that.” We must not be afraid. Jesus is the head and not you. And Jesus is unstoppable.

When the world says, “I found God on your face,” that is leadership.

Chuck Swindoll of Insight for Living discussed 10 things he has learned in almost 50 years of ministry during Catalyst Conference’s 8th session. Here is what he said:

Fifty years ago, I was a first year student at Dallas Theological Seminary. I was scared, unsure of myself, and fresh out of the Marine Corp. I did not know much about seminary.

I remember sitting in chapel, and a minister told me, “When God wants to do an impossible task, he takes an impossible person and crushes him.” I am so proud of everything you are dreaming of and doing that I hope that you remember to leave room for the crushing.

10 Things Chuck Swindoll Learned in 50ish Years of Ministry:

1. It’s lonely to lead.
   Leadership involves tough decisions. The tougher the decisions, the lonelier it is.
2. It’s dangerous to succeed.
   It is dangerous to succeed while being young. rarely, does God give leadership that young because it takes crushing and failure first.
3. It’s hardest at home.
   Nobody at home is applauding you. They say, “Dad! You’re fly is open.”
4. It is essential to be real.
   If there is one realm where phoniness is personified it is leadership. What I care about is that you stay real.
5. It is painful to obey.
   There are rewards, yes, but it is painful nevertheless.
6. Brokenness and failure are necessary.
7. My attitude is more important than my actions.
   Some of you are getting hard to be around. And your attitude covers all those great actions you pull off.
8. Integrity eclipses image.
   What you are doing is not a show. And the best things you are doing is not up front but what you do behind the scenes.
9. God’s way is better than my way.
   God is going to have His way.
10. Christ-likeness begins and ends with humility.

2 Corinthians 4:5-7 tells us that we must be willing to leave the familiar message without disturbing the Biblical message. We get that backwards. This was written in the first century, and now we are in the 21st century. The message stays the same. Don’t miss the message. As you alter the methods, don’t mess with the message.

Traditionalism is the dead faith of those still living. You will defend those things that don’t need defended.

Three Important Observations:

1. With every ministry a special mercy is needed.
2. In every ministry the same things must be renounced and rejected.
   That is hiding shameful things, doing deceitful things, and corrupting truthful things. Guard against deception. Guard against deception.
3. Through every ministry a unique style should be pursued.
   We don’t preach or promote ourselves (it isn’t about us). We declare Christ Jesus as Lord (it’s all about Him). We see ourselves as bond-servants for Jesus Christ.

Five Statements Worth Remembering During Your Next 50 Years of Leadership:

1. Whatever you do, do more with others and less alone.
   It will help you become accountable.
2. Whenever you do it, emphasize quality not quantity.
3. Wherever you go, do it the same as if you were among those who know you the best.
   It will keep you from exaggerating. it will help keep your stories true. Your good friend will tell you things that others will not. They will hold you close to truth.
4. Whoever may respond to your ministry, keep a level head.
5. However long you lead, keep on dripping with gratitude and grace.
   Stay thankful. Stay gracious.