1. Join Rotary or the Chamber of Commerce: Business leaders are the “conveners” in the city. They know the city and have relationships and access to resources a planter needs. Business leaders are also great to have on your core or launch team. They love start ups and know how to build sustainable models.

2. Move into the neighborhood that you want to reach/change: Your church can’t be missional if you’re not missional. Not only will this increase your relational bandwidth in the city, it will increase your heart and love for the community and city you’re trying to reach.

3. Take the principal of the nearest school out to lunch and ask how can you serve him, the teachers and the school: Schools impact a majority of people in the community. Kids, parents, businesses and teachers are all connected to the school. Join PTA, serve at the school carnival, invite the teachers to a teachers appreciation lunch, etc. The longer you focus on the school the greater benefit you your church.

4. Work at or regularly visit a popular community gathering hole or place (i.e. coffee house) before and during and even after your launch phase: Spend time at the places the community gathers.

5. Visit people in your church at the work place: This is a great way to honor your leaders and meet their friends.

6. Define the area your trying to reach and focus on it and serve it relentlessly: I think we ask the wrong questions when planting a church. We ask how many people showed up? How much was given this weekend? We need to begin asking questions like is my community/city different because we are here? What specific things are we doing to serve our community? Are we focused on being the biggest church in the city or churching the city?

7. Join an organization that wants to see good happen in the community (i.e. Association board, PTA, Police Chaplin): Gather where leaders gather and go where influencers can be found.

8. Coach a youth sports team or become a team mom or dad: One of the best ways to plant a church and reach lost people is by meeting kids and families. Being visible and building credibility is a key strategy in reaching lost people.

9. Find out what big events happen in the city (parade, festival, fair, etc.) and bring your people to serve: Start with small things (i.e. pick up trash) and see them become big things over time. Find favor with the city and watch them invite you to more. Churches have one resource that community groups and government lacks and that is an army of volunteers. Get your people engaged in the city. People will notice and your people will focus more on their role in the city.

10. Find 1-2 projects a year that allow you to mobilize your people to serve others in wild and innovative ways: Pick a couple ways to impact lives and be intentional about the things you choose. I think we have a twisted view of the missionary.We see the missionary as an individual we support and send somewhere. I believe the “church is the missionary.” As Pastors, our role is the raise up leaders and mobilize our church to be the missionary in the city.

11. Map out a prayer walk that will allow you to pray for the city, be visible and meet people: Prayer changes things and changes your heart. Prayer will increase your vision for a lost world and it will open doors of opportunity that you can’t open on your own. Start walking and praying, as you do this be open to what God is saying and leading you to do.

1. How much time, energy and resources do churches spend planting one church as opposed to spending the same amount of time, energy and resources to “build” a factory that will plant many churches and faith communities?
2. What is the most effective way to accomplish our mission of planting 50 churches in 5 years?
3. What systems and infrastructure needs to be in place to best support numerous church plants and church planters?
4. What is the most effective and efficient way to plant high impact, sustainable churches that transform communities and cities?
5. What are really investing in?

Remember these are bright guys. Here is a summary of some of their observations:

Building a Factory:

• Is about economy of scale
• Puts emphasis on the process (clear beginning and end)
• Reduces costs
• Is about long-term solution and vision
• Increases productivity
• Is more sustainable
• Focuses on a specialized skill
• Produces a more reliable product
• Requires bigger vision
• Is less resilient to change and transition
• Has more flexibility and adaptability
• Involves many specialists and experts
• Involves increased accountability
• Is focused on goals and is measurable
• Makes the product easier to export
• Requires leadership

 Building a Car:

• Dependent on skill of labor
• The process tends to move slowly
• Is difficult to reproduce
• Can be more costly than expected
• Requires resources that are difficult to find
• Creates a product that is less reliable
• The builder determines the process
• Only needs small vision
• Has less risk

In my opinion there are some great observations here. Here are some of my conclusions as it relates to church planting in HI-DEF:

• Building a “church planting church” (CPC) may actually take less effort than planting one church and reproduce at a much faster more efficient rate.

• The guys in the room are vision guys, builders and entrepreneurs. When talking about the church-planting factory, they seemed way more energized about how it could impact the church and the city then planting a church.

• One Pastor noted that by planting a church we don’t need to change much of how we operate, by building a factory that rapidly produces churches we have to change everything about the current state of our church. There was energy around that thought!

• It’s easy to stop after planting one church, but building a factory to plant many churches keeps you focused, accountable and productive, therefore the results are greater.

• It’s hard to plant more than once church at a time without a system in place to multiply rapidly.

• Factories produce a more sustainable product, they can endure change and in the end they are far more cost efficient.

• Factories have way more resources to get the job done.

In closing, on my street there are 2 houses with custom cars in the garage and one house with a kit airplane. We have lived on our street for over 10 years and in that time the cars and airplane have never left the garage. I know the owners and at one time they had dreams of what they might produce and someday drive or fly. Their dreams have become places to store boxes and barriers to walk around in the garage. I asked one of my neighbor’s when and why he decided to give up, he said years ago! It was hard work, I’m not a specialist and I don’t have all the resources I need to finish the project. I thought it would be easy and it wasn’t. I keep it because someday I plan to finish what I started. Interesting perspective form a guy who thought he could build a car but hasn’t.

100% of your tax-deductible gift will go where you designate it. You can give directly to the city of Long beach or to the South Bay/Peninsula (San Jose). You can also designate your gift to Vision360 California. Gifts focused on Vision360 California will help launch new cities and fund expenses needed to accelerate the mission, including a portion of my salary and cost needed to start a new city.

There are two ways that you can give:

• If you would like to contribute online to a specific city, then please go through our Global Vision360 secure site by clicking HERE. In the drop-down menu section labeled “in support of,” please select either Long Beach or the South Bay/Peninsula. In doing that 100% of your tax-deductible gift will be applied to the efforts in the city you select.

• If you would like to contribute to our overall efforts in California, then please go through our Global Vision360 secure site by clicking HERE. In the drop-down menu section labeled “in support of,” please select Global Advancement and in the comments box write Vision360 California. In doing that 100% of your tax-deductible gift will be applied to our efforts in expanding our work in California.

• To give by check, please make your tax-deductible check out to Vision360 and write either South Bay/Peninsula, Long Beach or Vision360 California in the memo and mail to: Vision360/Chris Lagerlof – 4122 Old Mill – Irvine, CA 92604

Thank you for your partnership in the Kingdom!

More on Vision360

1. Collaborate and focus on “churching the city” and not just being the biggest church in the city.
2. Take Genesis seriously when it says “be fruitful and multiply.” When we read that passage we often apply it to families and kids, however, this also reflects God’s heart for producing disciples, churches and movements.
3. Engage in every domain in the city by focusing on asset driven ministry through releasing every disciple into every domain (education, economics, governance, arts, etc.) of the city. It’s really about the church being the missionary and releasing its people to serve, love and disciple the domain they best fit in and spend most of their time in.
4. Creating an eco-system for planting in the SBP so church planters can thrive and succeed.
5. Almost all great movements happen through migratory movements. People who come to work and live in the SBP from other nations take home those things that have impacted them most. By planting churches that reach migratory workers, we reach nations!

My biggest take away was the reality that more than ever Influential cities, impact the world. The SBP is one of the most influential regions in the world, possibly the most influential region in the United States. The SBP produces innovation, technology and startups that quickly transform the world. Not only is there great influence in the SBP but there are thousands of individuals who work and visit from different countries. If we reach these individuals, then they return to their cities and countries as missionaries and disciples. Like in Acts when people are reached new churches emerge. The reality is that what happens in the SBP transforms the world. The truth is the Church in the SBP is many years behind the culture of the SBP. If anyone can create start ups (plants) that transform lives, communities, cities and the world, it’s the SBP. To me this is a picture of Acts 1:8 and the Gospel going out into the world!

Here a few ways to find out more about Vision360 South Bay/Peninsula and the recent kickoff:

• Check our web page out at www.vision360sbp.org. There you can find out more about us, watch the kickoff, find information about future gatherings, check out the video that shares our vision and introduces our team and give to the mission of Vision360 SBP
• You can also follow us on Facebook by CLICKING HERE. This will help you stay connected and informed with us and each other.
• CLICK HERE to watch the video of the Vision360 SBP kickoff. Feel free to share this with others who missed the gathering where pastors in the SBP and Bob Roberts spoke.
• We had an illustrator capture key thoughts and recorded them on a whiteboard during the event.  Below are pictures of his work. Hopefully it gives a taste of where Vision360 SBP is going and what we hope to see happen in 500 Global cities.

I’ve been to a lot of conferences designed to help the church grow, change and expand. Most conferences I’v been to say similar things, present similar models using similar speakers. Well, this conference wasn’t the flashiest and hippest but it certainly presented many ideas and realities that you don’t here anywhere else. In many ways it was the most refreshing and practical conference I’ve been a part of. It was also lead by guys who are experience exponential growth in the midst of incredible challenges, most of which we never experience in the west.

So instead of dumping all my learning’s into one blog, I thought I would share a learning a day for the next couple weeks. Enjoy!

LEARNING #1 HOLY SPIRIT LEAD US 

One of the Pastors from Africa said it best...”If we aren’t lead by the Holy Spirit, then we are only pleased by what we can produce ourselves.” In many ways that statement tugged at my heart over and over simply because I have been guilty of producing ministry built on my on skill and strength. Most of the Pastors there talked          A LOT about the leading and working of the Holy Spirit, much more than we hear in the west. It makes you wonder when it became okay for the efforts of man, money, facilities, programs, past successes, etc, to run the church. It’s clear from these 12 leaders that the one common denominator for sustainable growth, expansion and movement is the Holy Spirit. Agree or disagree its hard to argue with.

In fact, if you look at the Great Commission in all 5 Gospels (M, M, L, J and Acts) there are only 2 things present in all 5. The Nations and the Holy Spirit. The book of Acts clearly shows that the work of the Holy Spirit as the church grows and expands is central and non-negotiable!

It seems the Church in the west has lost a lot of ground with how the Holy Spirit works. We have worked so hard on producing models and process we have forgotten how to let the Holy Spirit produce.

I was really challenged to rediscover the Holy Spirit. To focus on the Holy Spirit in new and refreshing ways. For growth and movement to happen the Holy Spirit must lead the charge and we must not be afraid of him.

First, you must know, I’m a raving fan of the church and I love the church! Second, my thoughts are aimed at looking at the current state of the church through a different set of lenses…I will get to that shortly. I’ve been captivated by the book of Acts lately. As I’ve read Acts and focused on it, I’ve realized that Acts says nothing about planting and building churches, however Acts is the blueprint for church growth and church planting. What I’ve really focused on is a simple model for church growth that Acts presents. Ready? Here it is…Reach lost people, disciple them and new churches will start and churches will grow. Acts doesn’t present a church planting strategy…It only presents a transformation strategy. It’s that simple. It’s not linear, built on several purposes and it’s pretty cost effective. Acts presents more of a “hear and obey” model as opposed to a “learn, grow and go” model. Which brings me to my next point, have our western models, paradigms, processes emerged as the greatest barrier for expanding and strengthening the church? Maybe another way to ask it since the Holy Spirit is a common denominator in all church growth movements, especially in Acts. Have western models, paradigms, processes become a barrier for the Holy Spirit to do his greatest work?

Now to my point, It seems obvious the western model of start a church, service or campus, reach lost people and then “disciple” them isn’t effective and we’re losing obvious spiritual ground. Well, Acts presents a model that is working in many places globally. It’s simply; convert and disciple people and churches and faith communities will naturally get started. In fact, in places where the church is exploding and expanding there is no real church planting strategy, the strategy is to basically see people come to Jesus and disciple them. When this happens, churches just start and churches just grow, much like we see in the book of Acts. Here is another way to look at it; Kingdom, Disciple, Society, Church. Let me briefly capture what that looks like:

Kingdom: Having a better understanding of the difference between a “church framework” and a “Kingdom Framework”? How do you plant, start, lead a church based on Kingdom principals and not “church” principals?

Disciple: Disciple, not the preacher, is the lowest common denominator.  How do you make disciples who make disciples?

Society: Every society, no matter how tribal or advanced, is built with common domains. Every church mobilizes their members locally and globally into these domains to transform society. In doing this the church becomes the missionary.

Church: Producing disciples that engage in society leads to the church emerging. It is a natural result.  The models are multifaceted.

Interesting isn’t it? So, here are 5 simple things to ponder and questions to ask:

1. Change your focus from being the biggest or best church in the city/area to churching the city/area.

2. Learn from the global church. Unfortunately most books, conferences, etc. focus on western models of church growth. Put on a new set of lenses and your learning hat and discover how the church is expanding and growing globally.

3. Look at your current model of discipleship and ask tough questions about its ability to produce disciples who produce disciples.

4. Read the book of Acts and ask questions like how did the church multiply? What do I learn about church growth? What happened in Acts that’s not happening in my church?

5. Personally and corporately shift to a model of hear and obey. Observe how your existing model creates barriers form this happening in your life and the life of your church.

I hope this helps and my heart is to help you. Let me know how I can serve you as you digest this stuff!

Yesterday was amazing as we kicked off Vision360 Long Beach! In fact, I’ve been giddy the last 24 hours as I’ve reflected on one my greatest moments in more than 20 years of ministry. What made it memorable was that I left with a healthier picture of what the Kingdom of God looks like. For many years the Sunday morning experience at church, a well produced pastor’s conference and a feel good mission’s trip defined my view of the Kingdom. Well, yesterday that changed again as over 260 people who love Long Beach gathered to celebrate what God is doing in their city. Don’t mistake me…I’m not celebrating the number I’m celebrating what the number represented. Here is a view of the picture I saw from a room with a view of downtown skyline:

• 50+ churches of all denominations and tribes from the same city committed to collaborate to accelerate the transformation of Long Beach
• A room that looked like the city ethnically, economically and socially
• 20 young, urban and ethnic church planters preparing to plant in Long Beach
• Over 100 business and domain leaders from Long Beach who want to do more than go to church, they want be the church
• The Mayor of Long Beach honestly asking if we really believe the Church can help transform Long Beach – More on this in my next blog  post
• A Vision360 Long Beach Board that is passionate and committed to seeing the Church in Long Beach strengthened and expand as well as the city transformed

Our Vision360 Long Beach Board was joined by Rick Warren, Lead Pastor, Saddleback Church and Miles McPherson, Lead Pastor, The Rock. They came to share about their passion for the Church and the City. We were honored and inspired as they help bless the city of Long Beach and the efforts of Vision360 Long Beach to plant 50 churches in 5 years.

I’m fired up and can’t wait to see the story unfold. I saw a lot and learned a lot at the kickoff. Here are few reminders and things I learned as we gathered.

1. Be collaboration driven…Not competition driven: The church grows best and healthiest through collaboration.

2. The city MUST need the church MORE than the church needs the city: Pretty powerful when you think about it, is it true in your city?

3. The church must have a long term vision for the city and for itself: The church must put a stake in the ground and take responsibility for what their city will look like in 10, 15 and 20+ years.

4. Stop mistaking participation for transformation: The church growth movement has “mythed” us into thinking attendance is how we measure success.

5. The Church was never designed to be a luxury for the rich: The greatest danger in the western church is that we continue to pour resources and funding into suburban churches and not the city.

6. Society isn’t on the grid of the church…Church is on the grid of society: We must produce disciples that impact the domains of society and transform cities. The church must be the missionary!

7. The future of the world is urban, young and ethnic: Our strategies, resources and vision must also be this way.

8. The church is still the greatest method of transformation: Not money, politics, technology, etc. People, cities, and the world are best transformed by the church.

It’s Simple math, but successful collaboration isn’t as simple as it sounds. I meet a lot of entrepreneurial leaders, lead pastors and influencers in society. I do this with the goal of bringing existing and entrepreneurial leadership within a city together to catalyze a collaborative church planting movement focused on accelerating the transformation of that city.

The reality is churches don’t collaborate well, in fact many other sectors of society (business, education, health care, military etc.) due a better job of collaborating than the church does. There is a lot we can learn about collaboration form the various models that exist.

So what does true collaboration look like? Simple, here are 7 key indicators of true and successful collaboration

#1 Successful collaboration only happens when there is commitment to the same vision and mission. Collaboration is about a unified cause. For collaboration to happen the mission and vision must be clear and understood by all who participate.

#2 Successful collaboration only happens with Great relationship! I always say vision only gets accomplished with great relationship, the same is true for collaboration. Collaboration isn’t easy, our ideas, opinions and ego surface and cause memorable conversations and battles – Great relationship allows us to work through our differences. Great relationship also keeps us coming back, we all want to do great things with people we love and enjoy being with.

#3 Successful collaboration only happens if people are personally invested. A lot of people get together, network and share ideas and best practices. This isn’t collaboration. Collaboration only happens when it cost us and the organization something. In fact, having “skin in the game” is key to successful collaboration, with any idea, mission or project. Why? Simple, when people put their time, treasure and talent into something they begin to take ownership, they care more and they are invested. For collaboration to work people need to own it and be invested in it.

#4 Successful collaboration only happens when people come to the table open handed. There is a curse and a blessing, or catch 22 in successful collaboration. The reality is, one must come to the table willing to lose a lot and gain nothing. Collaboration isn’t about the individual or organization, it’s about moving an idea or dream forward. For this to happen, all those involved must come to the table with open hands. In some ways, this is one of the biggest differences from collaboration and other gatherings of people with a common cause, i.e. networks, prayer gatherings, conferences, etc.

#5 Successful collaboration only happens when there is diversity. Simple, collaboration in its purest form is when people work on mission together from different organizations and various backgrounds. To say it another way, if everyone is from the same organization/company, it’s called part of their job. For example, we just launched Vision360 San Jose with 9 churches as a part of the city board. Vision360 helps serve as a sand box for these 9 churches to play in. In the sand box you have six different denominations represented. My friends, that is true collaboration and in my opinion, an expression of the Church with a capital “C.”

#6 Successful collaboration only happens (within the Church) when there is a Kingdom Mindset. It’s not about the part or individual but the whole or Kingdom. For collaboration to work, the focus must be on the Kingdom and Great Commission.

#7 Successful collaboration only happens when patience and endurance persist. Collaboration takes time, it doesn’t always happen quickly.

Those are some of my learning’s and thoughts about Successful Collaboration. If you’re not familiar with Vision360 and what I spend most of my passion and energy on, then take a moment to read a brief description of who we are below.

The mission of Vision360 is to serve and empower a collaborative church planting community in the largest 500 global cities. We do this by bringing existing and entrepreneurial leadership within the city together to catalyze a church planting movement in their city. Vision360 seeks to serve this movement with providing best practices in assessment, training, coaching, resourcing and connecting. Our objective is to capture and catalyze local ministry, business and domain leadership in the city and to help empower them to move the vision God has for church planting in their city forward. In the DNA of every Vision360 church is a commitment to being kingdom minded, globally connected, city engaged and local church multiplying. The effectiveness of Vison360 is largely based on unleashing the skills and resources of Christian business and domain leaders who come alongside spiritual leaders and churches committed to taking spiritual responsibility for their city.

Disney’s stock is way up in the last six months (nearly 50%). I’m intrigued with the brief explanation of why from the President of Disney. I think there is a lot to chew on here as it relates to 1) Innovation of product, brand and technology. 2) Vision for new markets and unknown territory 3) Commitment to reaching new customers. 4) Not compromising on mission and values. 5) Risking for growth and not settling for status-quo. 6) Being aggressive and finding new opportunities. 7) Sharing vision and moving forward with the power of story?

“Our performance again shows the value of our relentless focus on three core strategic priorities: creating great entertainment; using new technology to enhance the quality and reach of that entertainment; and growing our businesses in promising international markets. Nothing epitomizes our commitment to quality, creativity and future growth like the recently christened cruise ship, the Disney Dream. The Dream demonstrates how we successfully build on our legacy of great storytelling, technological innovation and first-rate service to create a truly amazing guest experience as only we can. The impact on bookings for the entire fleet has been tremendous.”

There is a lot to take from Disney’s approach during a time where there is a lot of anxiety, uncertainty and fear. if you lead a business, Non-Profit or Church, then what is Disney doing that inspires you?

After dinner, we watched the World of Color, which in my opinion is one of Disney’s most amazing achievements. If you haven’t seen it, then think the Bellagio water show on steroids. Disney has a way of moving and connecting people with story, music and creativity, or as they say, Imagineering. If you haven’t experienced World of Color you probably should.

Like everything at Disney, there is a story behind the World of Color. When Disney built California Adventure the place where World of Color currently sits was simply a lake that the paradise pier and boardwalk wrapped around. The lake was dead space and only served as a backdrop to the pier and boardwalk. Well, Disney felt California Adventure was lacking the “Disney Magic” and attendance needed to justify its existence.  So, a few years ago Disney decided to invest $1 billion into what the Disney guest will experience in the future. The Disney Imagineers went to work and have redesigned a park with several new features, attractions and experiences. Phase by phase they are constructing and introducing their work to the Disney customer. The World of Color is the first of many new features planned for the new California Adventure.

Disney realized a couple things. First, what they built and designed wasn’t working anymore. Sure thousands of people would come and enjoy their day at California Adventure, however, Disney recognized the experience they were providing people was limited and people wanted something more. Disney also recognized that what they wanted people to experience wasn’t consistent with the Disney brand and product. So, instead of hoping their past successes would bring them future success, Disney decided to blow it up and make significant changes so that guests in the future would leave with the Disney experience.

Second, Disney realized their ability to reach a new and younger guest wasn’t improving with the current model. Disney decided that the future of California Adventure depended on offering something completely different in the future. Disney saw that guest saturation was imminent and to avoid it they had to find a new way to reach first time guests and younger guests.

So, I thought about what Disney learned and thought about the Church in the America today. There are a lot of parallels between California Adventure and the future of the Church. First, statistics show that the Church isn’t growing, in fact in the last 20 years the Church in America has declined in attendance by 16% (some suggest more). Maybe part of that is because the Church isn’t providing what people want or need, maybe it’s because people are tired of the same experience, maybe it’s because everything looks the same, maybe it’s something else. Whatever it is, the greatest learning from California Adventure and World of Color is old models and experiences must constantly be changed.

Second, I love Disney’s focus on reaching first time guest. For Disney this is their future and their bread and butter. The same is true for the church. Recent studies show that only 40% of American’s are interested in the church, or product the church is currently offering people. In other words, the Church in America is “fighting” for the same 40% of people the current model appeals to while not attracting or appealing to the other 60%. Disney caught this and went after the “unreached” and first time guest by tweaking the model and paradigm without compromising their values and brand. I truly believe that the future of the Church in America rides on how well we appeal to and reach the 60%. This means that the prevailing models of evangelistic churches will likely max out at around 40% of the population, which leaves us with a couple problems. First we have a strategic problem, which is all our eggs are in one ecclesiological basket. Second and maybe most disturbing is that it seems the Church is demonstrating a poverty of imagination in the way we think about church and its mission.

So, here are some practical questions to begin asking as you think about the preferable future.

#1 Do you currently have qualified “Imagineers” leading the charge at your church? Are they in a place where they are given permission and freedom to lead church renewal and missional innovation? Are they the right people to look at the future and lead change?

#2 Play the movie forward. Simply ask, what will our church look like in ten years if we don’t begin tweaking the paradigm and model now. Another question to ask is how is our church different than it was 5 years ago? If there isn’t much difference then this blog should serve notice to you.

#3 What is our plan to reach the 60%? This is the big question and should drive the best thinking. If the only solution that emerges is changing the music, service, program, etc, then I suggest the current paradigm and the grip it has on you must to be changed.

I look forward to your feedback and comments

PS – Let me know if you want suggestions on how to learn from Disney or other great organizations. Disney is great at the following; attention to detail, future oriented thinking, customer service, reaching first time guests, excellence, leadership development, branding, design and creating memories.

For context I define momentum as a series of wins needed to move forward and vision as the ability to see forward (or into the future).

Well today, I spent a few hours consulting a church. In our conversation we talked about the things that can limit (or kill) vision and momentum. As I flew home I decided to come up with 10 vision and momentum killers.

1. Thinking vision and momentum can happen in a vacuum. Great vision only gets accomplished with great relationships.

2. Settling for the status-quo. Believing what is working today will work well in the future. So many times vision and momentum are killed by our past and present successes.

3. Living in “maintenance mode.” Personally I think this may be the greatest vision and momentum killer. Thinking we have arrived is the beginning of a long slow, painful death for any movement or organization.

4. Not inviting other’s into the journey. Vision leaks and needs to be shared recklessly.

5. Not effecitevly resourcing your vision. If vision is important in needs to have fuel.

6. Not listening. Simple, listen to God and listen to those most relationally connected to the vision. Sometimes we need to simply sit down, shut up and listen! 

7. Lack of evaluation. We need the Nehemiah complex, time to pause, reflect and evaluate.

8. The refusal to join God where is already at work.

9. Not bringing your “A” game. Vision and momentum requires hard work and excellence. Live with a Malachi 1 mindset.

10. Changing your mind. Too many times momentum and vision die because we don’t remain committed to it.

1. Transitions in a service are your most powerful weapon. Many churches miss the power of the transition. Transitions simply move people from one point to the next. Here are some ways to use transitions to your advantage; Create tension for people, tension results in growth and it causes people to think differently. Tell a story that connects people to where you want them to go. Don’t be afraid of silence. People need to think and process on their own. Make people laugh! Humor is emotion and emotion is needed for people to move things from their head to their heart. Use things that involve all the senses.

2. Error on causal. Create an informal, safe, I want to be there environment.

3. Learn from places like Starbucks, The Apple Store and Disney. Take a field trip and learn from those who do it best. Simply ask, what do they know about people, comfort, environment and atmosphere? I bet you will observe a lot and find many transferable learning’s.

4. Don’t over greet and make sure men are greeting.

5. Please allow coffee inside the place you meet. This not only set’s the tone but it allows people to enjoy something that makes them feel safe. The bottom line is how can we have a conversation about life if people can’t have their coffee.

6. Make sure the tempature and Lighting are right. People won”t come back if they are freezing or to hot.

7. Put young people in most visible places – Hide the more “mature” people. This involves greeters, ushers and most importantly those on stage. Always error on the side of “young.”

8. Know your end game – what are you asking people to do next – provide something concrete. Don’t just have a nice, it feels good service. Move people to action, response and next steps. This takes planning and collaboration.

9. Avoid building a consumer mindset. I personally believe churches that have this mindset will struggle to survive in a few years.

10. Learn who your audience is and what they want. Be careful in assuming what you think they want. Study them, ask them, survey them and build a relationship with them.

Recruiting in college football is simple, get the best talent and you increase your chances of being successful and winning. In many ways, we are called to recruit great talent with the right gifts and leadership to lead into the future. Recruiting is our life lifeline to be certain that leadership is the core competency of the organizations and initiatives we lead.

Here are 10 quick lessons I have observed from recruiting in college football that are transferable  to the work we do and organizations we lead…

1. Be relentless – Simple, don’t give up. If you see talent or leadership you want, then go after it, don’t take no for an answer and be assured you have done everything possible to land the individual you’re recruiting. Great college football recruiters are relentless, they constantly write, call and visit their recruits. They relentlessly use the power of relationship and the power of the ask to win someone to their program  

2. Intentionally build relationships – For the high school athlete the question of who is going to lead and coach them the next few years comes up. I think one the biggest keys to recruiting is developing relationships with those you want on your team. People are drawn to relationship. It’s not just about the tasks but who we get to do it with.  

3. Adapt to a changing world - Great recruiters use the technology and tools available to them to share their program and vision for it. Facebook, blogging, tweeting and other forms of social network “is” the new media. The best part is the recruiter controls the content, message and audience. Use these resources and adapt to new ways to get your vision out there.

4. Take some risks- Recruiters must take risks to find the diamond in the ruff. Every year a recruiter has a numerical cap on how many scholarship athletes they can take. Sure they land those that are known and those that are elite. However, taking a risk with someone who has potential is what sets the program apart from others. The learning, work hard to find a young buck, a diamond in the ruff and someone who has potential to be a difference maker

5. Evaluate both talent and potential- Do your work. Interview, interview, interview! Check references and watch those that you recruit closely. Don’t just take the words of others, see for yourself. Observation is the best way to recognize talent. If it’s an important position in leadership then use personality tests (i.e. DISC, Strentghfinder, etc…), visit them in their current enviornment and find anything and everything you can to see what they do best.

6. Sell the program - Simple, let them know what you’re recruiting them to. Not just the mission but the enviornment, people and culture. Sell them on what they will experience and how they will develop and grow.

7. Focus on character as much as skill - This is a non-negotiable! I can’t tell you how many times a college football program has been destroyed or lost it’s credibility because the recruit had great talent but little to know character. Lack of chareacter always gets exposed in any organization. It’s not worth the risk and you can’t afford the potential outcome.

8. Look for people who are disciplined - Hello, they may be good now but if there is no work ethic and motivation to get better, then you have a problem. In college football, we call these recruits a “prima donna.” Never recruit an individual that doesn’t do the following, work hard, read, learn, submit to authority.

9. Recruit people who fit the culture - Culture is so important to being a successful organization. Recruit people who fit. To gain more insight read Nuts!, Southwest Airlines receipe for success or Inside the Magic Kingdom, Seven Keys to Disney’s Success.

10. Sell your vision – In many ways this should be number one. Recruits come for 3 reasons. #1 Relationship #2 Can I fit in and make an impact? #3 Vision! Always share the vision with those that you’re recruiting.

Okay, those are my top ten. Here are a few more quick thoughts

11. Don’t take rejection personally – It just might mean they know they don’t fit.

12. Always have a back up plan for who to recruit next

13. Recruit talent not just position – It’s easy to move very talented people into different positions.

14. Know your techniques and tactics in recruiting

15. Recruit people who can also recruit

The bottom line is simple…Who we recruit to the things we lead will be a huge factor in defining the future, so take recruiting seriously!

It has been inspiring to listen to these emerging leaders share the depths of their heart, dreams and calling. The one’s who stand out are definitely those who have their passion bucket full.

This experience has made me think about what it looks like when our passion bucket is full. Here are a few of my observations and thoughts to filling your passion bucket.

1. Make sure you have a personal mission statement that gets your heart pumping. Last year, I decided that I needed a personal mission statement, so I called and expert and friend who charges over $1000 an hour to help CEO’S discover just that. After a fun but strenuous exercise I landed on my personal mission statement. Simply stated, “I exist to help people and organizations move forward.” Just typing that makes my heartbeat and creates intense emotion within me! I have walked several high functioning leaders through the same exercise and have watched them fill up with passion as they discover their personal mission. The bottom line is simple…If what you spend most if your time and energy doing and your passion aren’t aligned then your passion bucket will be empty.

2. Make sure what you get to do each day is not only one of the first things you think about when you wake up, but what gets you up each day. I think this is the great litmus test for knowing if our passion bucket is full. Passion gets us up, it fuels us and it brings out the best in us. I believe we were created to spend each waking hour doing those things that we are most passionate about. I also believe we make the greatest impact when we operate out of a position of passion.

3. You need to discover your sweet spot and operate out of it. There are a couple things here. First, in what way does your passion best manifested in day to day experiences and opportunities? For example, if your passion is writing, then how much time do you spend writing each week? There are 168 hours in the week, if you only spend 3 hours writing, then your passion bucket is empty. Finding your sweet spot is simply taking your passion and finding the place where you can use it and experience it most. For some of us this means it’s time to find another adventure, for others it’s simply recreating and reinventing the way you currently operate. One way to explore this is by taking inventory of the things you allocate your time to and asking

4. Your passion is your filter! The things you’re passionate about should help you decide what you want to do with your life, where you want to spend your time and those things that bring you the greatest sense of value. Let your passion help you decide where you should focus your relational equity, time and energy. In other words, there are many things we should all say no to because it doesn’t bring the best out of us.

5. Spend time with people who have the same passion as you do. There are too many passion killers out there. When you spend time with people who do, like and dream about the same things you do, then you will find great energy and purpose. One thing you can do is write your passions down and then ask who shares these same passions. Once you figure that out, then you need to find ways to connect, dream and experience your passion with these people.

There are more ways to make sure your passion bucket is full. Feel free to comment and add your own.

10 years ago Jim Collins wrote the following.

Executives spend too much time drafting, wordsmithing, and redrafting vision statements, mission statements, values statements, purpose statements, aspiration statements, and so on. They spend nowhere near enough time trying to align their organizations with the values and visions already in place.

Studying and working closely with some of the world’s most visionary organizations has made it clear that they concentrate primarily on the process of alignment, not on crafting the perfect “statement.” Not that it is a waste of time to think through fundamental questions like, “What are our core values? What is our fundamental reason for existence? What do we aspire to achieve and become?” Indeed, these are very important questions—questions that get at the “vision” of the organization.

Yet vision is one of the least understood-and most overused-terms in the language. Vision is simply a combination of three basic elements: (1) an organization’s fundamental reason for existence beyond just making money (often called its mission or purpose), (2) its timeless unchanging core values, and (3) huge and audacious—but ultimately achievable—aspirations for its own future (I like to call these BHAGs, or Big Hairy Audacious Goals). Of these, the most important to great, enduring organizations are its core values.

Well, 1o years later things haven’t changed. I agree with Jim 100% So many leaders get stuck with the perfect terminology, catch phrase and vision statement instead of laboring in the process to see it actually happen.

What do I mean? Simple, executives and leaders tend to lock themselves in board rooms until with “one voice” they agree on the language they think will change the future and bring greater success to the organization. The problem is they spend 90% of their time on the process of sounding good and 10% of their time on how it will actually work.

The reality is it won’t work unless their is a commitment to alignment, process and evaluation! The easy part is creating the language and the difficult part is finding the best way to make it happen.

For me the process is so much more fun. That’s why I love these thoughts from Jim Collins.