Unique Gathering of Church Leaders Innovation 3 is the only place where you can hang out with more than 100 visionary presenters including Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll, Nancy Ortberg, Dave Ferguson... Geoff Surratt remembers the old-school approach to leadership development, where 30-40 participants would sign up for multi-week, classroom training. It seemed not even the strong survived. "By the 39th week, two people would be left," says Geoff, executive pastor of Seacoast Church. "And neither one of them was leading anything." Dave Gibbons experienced similar bottlenecks in moving people toward missions ventures at NewSong Church. "People were sick of having to go through the gatekeepers to get involved with a cause," recalls Dave, lead pastor of NewSong. "In the open-source world we live in, everybody wants to play." These new realities are shaping the future of the church and sparking conversations--online and offline--that are generatingministry innovation. Church leaders who want to stay ahead of the curve are responding with digital-age solutions to modern-day challenges in leadership, spiritual growth and service. Internet campuses, online leadership development and a "portfolio" approach to ministry involvement are just a few of the innovations that are emerging from church leaders and those they shepherd--with most of those discussions happening "after hours." "One of the things we noticed is that people want to engage 24/7, rather than just during a traditional Sunday service," Geoff says. "People connect when they want to connect." Webinars Available for Free Download Soul Repair: Recovery Ministry Webinar Dr. Dale Ryan, co-author of the new spiritual recovery book, Soul Repair, discusses many of the issues of recovery that people in... Engaging the 50-plus Generation In this episode of Audio Advance, Don Wilcox, director of Leadership Network's Encore Generation Leadership Community, shares with Dave Travis about innovative churches who are finding new ways to engage the older adults in their midst. LifeChurch.tv Celebrates Social Media Adoption Defines Leadership Style? Based on that trend, the multi-site Seacoast staff also determined that people want to develop spiritually in a non-linear way. Rather than follow a step-by-step development process, Seacoast shifted to needs-based
discipleship--all online at www.mynextsteps.org. Participants choose online classes they want to take based on spiritual health assessments, and then they integrate what they learn through... Could Recovery Lead to Revival in the Church? Innovating at Your Own Pace Down to Earth Balancing the Entrepreneur, Manager and Technician in Ministry The Next Big Idea Conference How do good ideas become acts of service, love and joy? Find out at The Next Big Idea Conference, February 9-11, 2009 on the campus of Baylor University in Waco, TX. Join speakers Eric Swanson, Rick Rusaw, Kay Warren, and Lynne Hybels. You'll learn how to transform great ideas into action in your ministry. "In our church, we've had to change what we measure," says Ken Fong, pastor of Evergreen Baptist Church in Los Angeles. "We no longer use size as our primary metric. Instead, we spend time and effort analyzing the compelling intangibles of the Spirit's work: devotion, love, and obedience." Read this paper to find out how some next generation pastors are focusing on more than numbers. Hungry Children in the U.S. A recent report released by the U.S. Agricultural Department stated that close to one in eight Americans struggled to feed themselves adequately even before this year's sharp economic downturn. You can peruse more than two years' worth of Leadership Network Advance feature articles, and get valuable information on a variety of ministry topics at the newsletter's Archives. Select VIEW ARCHIVES LIST for the full list of Advance archives. Church Produces "Top Ten" Movie With an all-volunteer, 1,200 person cast and crew, Sherwood Pictures-- the name behind Sherwood Baptist Church (Albany, GA)--produced the movie Fireproof, starring Kirk Cameron as a firefighter trying to save his troubled marriage.
Geoff Surratt remembers the old-school approach to leadership development, where 30-40 participants would sign up for multi-week, classroom training. It seemed not even the strong survived. "By the 39th week, two people would be left," says Geoff, executive pastor of Seacoast Church. "And neither one of them was leading anything." Dave Gibbons experienced similar bottlenecks in moving people toward missions ventures at NewSong Church. "People were sick of having to go through the gatekeepers to get involved with a cause," recalls Dave, lead pastor of NewSong. "In the opensource world we live in, everybody wants to play." These new realities are shaping the future of the church and sparking conversations--online and offline--that are generating ministry innovation. Church leaders who want to stay ahead of the curve are responding with digital-age solutions to modernday challenges in leadership, spiritual growth and service. Internet campuses, online leadership development and a "portfolio" approach to ministry involvement are just a few of the innovations that are emerging from church leaders and those they shepherd--with most of those discussions happening "after hours." "One of the things we noticed is that people want to engage 24/7, rather than just during a traditional Sunday service," Geoff says. "People connect when they want to connect." Based on that trend, the multi-site Seacoast staff also determined that people want to develop spiritually in a non-linear way. Rather than follow a step-by-step development process, Seacoast shifted to needs-based discipleship--all online at www.mynextsteps.org. Participants choose online classes they want to take based on spiritual health assessments, and then they integrate what they learn through one-on-one conversations with a mentor. "Instead of following a path of steps A, B, C and D and then you're a devoted disciple, we've taken the approach of What's a need in your life right now?' " Geoff explains. "Do you need to grow as a parent? Do you need to grow as a husband? Do you have a need in a business area? It's all based on what people think they need to grow." Seacoast also has moved all of its leadership development classes to the same website. Small group leaders, coaches, ministry directors and even campus pastors across three states get all their training material online, then discuss what they're learning with a mentor. "Just taking a course on the Internet doesn't make you a leader," says Geoff, whose church is one of the pioneers in the multi-site movement. "But we pair the material on the Internet with someone who wants to invest in you and walk through it with you." When NewSong needed a way to get motivated members involved in a ministry cause, church leaders decided to become the "Charles Schwab" of ministry investment by launching www.yangdang.com. At the site, users can peruse a "portfolio" of missions causes and go directly to the source of the opportunity. "People wanted more ownership, more say in the process of getting involved in a cause," explains Dave, who will release a ministry leadership
book in coming months entitled Monkey and the Fish. "So we let them choose and invest directly." Many current church trends are being shaped as the conversation "platform" becomes broader and more diverse, according to Greg Ligon, Vice President and Publisher for Leadership Network. While church leaders in the past got most of their good ideas by picking up the hottest best-seller at a Christian book store or traveling to a conference, leaders can now participate in a variety of forums for idea exchange--anywhere, anytime. "Conversations are happening continuously in multiple venues that are shaping the future of the church," Greg says. For instance, authors who contribute to Leadership Network's publishing arm conduct webinars that allow readers to ask questions, and Leadership Network hosts a Books blog that provides a place for authors and readers to talk about their books and others they are learning from. There are sample chapters of books available, and also links to hear each author talk about their books. Some authors also conduct seminars specifically on their book topics or host their own blogs and web sites. For a couple of examples, visit www.tangiblekingdom.com, and www.churchunique.com. Leadership Network also regularly hosts oneday forums for authors to discuss emerging trends and next-step challenges for the Church. "Our niche has always been to connect innovators with leaders who are going to advance their ideas," Greg says. "All of these new avenues are just another way to be the platform' that supports innovation and not the show." This online/offline model also fits with what leaders see as a key in an age of expanding digital conversations. "You need both," Dave Gibbons says. "You need to have an offline and an online synergy. The more you can engage the senses, the more the person being mentored will be developed." Listen to Dave Gibbons, Kevin Harney and Dave Browning talk more about the changing face of leadership and the digital nature of community in this podcast: Emerging Forms of Leadership. Listen to Matt Smay, Geoff Surratt and Dave Gibbons talk more about participation in online communities in this podcast: The Architecture of Community: Participation in a Digital Culture. Idea Exchange New Formats for Conversations that Shape the Church Post a Comment View Comments Rate this Article: Average Rating: 3 Unique Gathering of Church Leaders Innovation 3 is the only place where you can hang out with more than 100
visionary presenters including Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll, Nancy Ortberg, Dave Ferguson, Larry Osborne, Dave Gibbons, and the Robbie Seay Band- -and rub shoulders with hundreds of other leaders from the nation's most innovative churches at the same time. To see the names and profiles of the other presenters, plus the dozens of topics they'll narrate, go to: www.innovation3gathering.com Webinars Available for Free Download Soul Repair: Recovery Ministry Webinar Dr. Dale Ryan, co-author of the new spiritual recovery book, Soul Repair, discusses many of the issues of recovery that people in church struggle with. He also addresses how ministry leaders can impact people who are searching for spiritual, mental, and physical healing. A Closer Look at Internet Campuses Thinking about an Internet campus for your church to reach more people? This webinar offers a closer look at two churches that are reaching thousands through their Internet campuses. Internet campus pastors, Brandon Donaldson (LifeChurch.tv) and Brian Vasil (Flamingo Road Church) share how their Internet campus got started, and how they work. 10 Tips to Building a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church Mark DeYmaz, author of Building a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church, addresses the top 10 questions on shaping a multi-cultural congregation in your home church. Mark unpacks the seven core commitments of a multi-ethnic church, practical ideas for implementing them and how to overcome common obstacles. The Next Big Idea Conference How do good ideas become acts of service, love and joy? Find out at The Next Big Idea Conference, February 9-11, 2009 on the campus of Baylor University in Waco, TX. Join speakers Eric Swanson, Rick Rusaw, Kay Warren, and Lynne Hybels. You'll learn how to transform great ideas into action in your ministry. Hungry Children in the U.S. A recent report released by the U.S. Agricultural Department stated that close to one in eight Americans struggled to feed themselves adequately even before this year's sharp economic downturn.
The department's annual report on food security showed that during 2007, the number of children who suffered a substantial disruption in the amount of food they typically eat was more than 50% above the 430,000 in 2006 and the largest figure since 716,000 in 1998. Overall, the 36.2 million adults and children who struggled with hunger during the year was up slightly from 35.5 million in 2006. That was 12.2% of Americans who didn't have the money or assistance to get enough food to maintain active, healthy lives. Church Produces "Top Ten" Movie With an all-volunteer, 1,200 person cast and crew, Sherwood Pictures--the name behind Sherwood Baptist Church (Albany, GA)-- produced the movie Fireproof, starring Kirk Cameron as a firefighter trying to save his troubled marriage. The film opened on 839 screens and grossed more than $6 million on opening weekend. It was the highest opening weekend box office of the year for films released on 1,000 screens or less. The Love Dare, a book featured in the movie, hit No. 1 on the New York Times paperback advice best-seller list, and is No. 10 among all books on Amazon.com. "We believe good stories can have a good effect," senior pastor Michael Catt says. "This film was made by a small army of people who poured into something bigger than themselves--not just a movie, but a movement to restore and uplift marriages across the country." For a current tally of income for the film, see www.boxofficemojo.com.