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Hi, my name is Jason Isaacs, and I am a control freak! I can’t help it; it’s a blessing and a curse. I love it, and I hate it. I try to worship during our services without thinking about how the sound mix could be adjusted, or how the bass player could play a different note, or how the guitar player needs to adjust his EQ, but I can’t. I can at your church, just not at mine.
At one time or another, during the last 7 years at my church, I have held every position except children’s pastor (she gets it easy because I’ve never worked that job), but I have been the student pastor, worship pastor, small group director, teaching pastor, video editor, and sound man. Today, 7 years later, I don’t hold any of those positions. I have delegated all of them. A volunteer holds every position I’ve just listed (except a small part time video position). I can't wait to be able to hire full-time staff personnel, but I can't wait for that day and have nothing going on until then. I've got to raise-up volunteers with whom God has trusted me with now. I don’t claim to be an expert at delegating, and the fact that those volunteers are still with me is more of a testament to them than to me. They
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Good luck to you and yours tonight if you are hoping to win the $640 million lotto jackpot. I didn't participate not out of any moral standard, the line was just to long at the gas station. With all the hysteria around the jackpot it got me thinking about what I would do with the money If I won it.
What I would do with $640 million
1. Give $64 million to my church.
I know, I know. I'm a pastor I'm supposed to say that, right? I believe in tithing. I don't just believe it because I'm a pastor, I believe it because God made it really clear in the Bible that he expects our "firsts". Tithing is more about a "first" thing than it is a percentage. God wants us to give him what's his first, and while you can argue about whether or not the New Testament teaches 10%, what you cannot argue is that the Bible expect us to bring to God first before we put money anywhere else.
2. Pay the taxes
Give to Ceasers what is Ceasers. Jesus made it clear that it's not spiritual to cheat the government. Nowhere to go with this one.
3. Give generously to other churches/ministries/missions
This is over and above what I tithe to my church. This would be generosity because God always blesses us
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How long have you been at the church your pastoring now? If you’ve been there for longer than a year you know the frustration of wanting and needing your church to change but no matter what you do nothing changes. Why is it so hard? It makes so much sense in your head but your people just seem stuck in their ways. I don’t think the problem is your sermons, music, facility, or your church council, I think the problem is you.
I think we underestimate our people (church attenders) and their ability to spot a fake. In your attempt to grow and change your church you have tried every method and model you could get your hands on, but you’ve yet to try the best one. What is the best model? It’s the one that’s the most like you. God made you with unique gifts, abilities, and personalities and he called you to pastor that church using those gifts he has given you. Stop trying to be Andy Stanley, Rick Warren, Rod Parsley, or anyone else. Your church isn’t changing because they know long term you’re not going to stick with this new fad much longer than you stuck with the last one. First it was small groups, then it was revival, then you started dressing “casual” and stopped doing altar
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Over the last ten years of ministry, one of the greatest challenges that I tend to face is the constant need to recruit and develop volunteer leaders for our ministry. The challenge isn’t finding the “people,” the challenge is “getting the right people, in the right place.” Honestly, I believe I’ve had just about every type of personality on my volunteer team over the course of this past decade. Some of those leaders have been with me for many, many years, but most, have gone a different direction since we first partnered together. Like you, I’m always looking to strengthen my team, but it seems like as people’s lives become busier and busier, recruiting (not just volunteers, but people who are passionate about their commitment) is becoming more and more of a challenge.
There is not just one key component that will equip you to get the right people in the right place. There are many areas to developing a volunteer staff. Areas such as: recruiting, equipping, training, maintaining and motivating. However, just like with everything in life, there is always a process and so, our process must begin with the area of recruiting.
The question can be asked how, exactly, do we
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If you follow sports at all, by now you’ve heard of Jeremy Lin. He is the starting point guard for the New York Knicks who came off the bench due to injuries to other players. Lin has since led his team on a 7 game winning streak. Shockingly enough, He was undrafted and previously cut by a few teams in the NBA. But, when the moment to shine came, he seized it and made the most of it. Now, “Linsanity” has captured New York and America. During the incredible run by the Knicks the question was asked repeatedly, “Why didn’t anybody realize this guy was any good?” This is a valid question because he’s not just kind of good, he’s really good. How did no one draft him, or why did other teams cut him?
When I was in 7th & 8th grade I played basketball for my school. I never had the chance to start a game; instead, I always got in the game substituting for a kid name Jeff. Jeff and I were battling for the starting spot at the start of the season in 7th grade, and he beat me out for it. It could have been because he was better, or it could have been because his mom ran the booster club, I’m not totally sure (still a little bitter), but in the coaches mind, Jeff deserved the starting
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The movement of God is always forward. We have been made to soar and to embrace our future as God sees it. Forwardleadership is designed to engage leaders who have tomorrow in their hearts. Thank you for visiting.
