What kind of team player are you?

Re-reading some material last night I came across Glenn Parker's book, Team Players and Teamwork (Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1996). Great stuff that is still helpful to many church leadership teams. Parker sites research describing four types of team players that contribute to successful and effective teams:

1. The Contributor is the task-oriented member who enjoys providing the team with good information and data. Typically they push the team to higher performance standards and the wise use of resources. They are often described as dependable, responsible, organized, systematic and proficient.

2. The Collaborator is a goal-directed member who gets the vision, mission or purpose of the team. They are flexible and open to new ideas and are willing to pitch in and work outside their role and are willing to share the limelight with others in order to see the team accomplish its goals. The Collaborator is often describes as cooperative, flexible, forward-looking, generous, open and visionary.

3. The Communicator is the process-orinted team member who is an effective listener who facilitates involvement, handles conflict resolution, a consensus builder and helps creates an informal and relaxed climate. These people are supportive, encouraging, tactful, helpful, patient, informal and considerate.

4. The Challenger is the one member who will question the goals, methods, and even the ethics of the team. They are willing to disagree with the leader or someone in higher authority. They also encourage the team to take well-calculated risks. They are often acribed as candid, honest, truthful, outspoken, principled and brave.

As the leader resist the temptation to stack the deck with people who think, work and react just like you. Look hard for people described with these four characteristics and qualities. Your church or ministry will be better for it and the end result with be a better decision, ministry or project. The best result may just be that each of these people, having bought in because they contributed can gain the support of others who are like them. The result is quicker ownership of the new idea, ministry or product by your whole organization.

Books I re-read every year

Some books deserve to be read only once. Some are used for reference, and skimmed. Yet there are books that deserve to be read and re-read regularly. This year I plan to re-read six books, five I have re-read every year for the last several and a new one I plan on re-reading. Here are the six book I will read again in 2010:

Toward an Exegetical Theology by Walter Kaiser.

I first read this book in seminary have used it for years in my preparation to preach and teach God's Word. When I re-read this book it's like when I take my car in for a 30,000 mile check-up. Every time I read it I feel as if I am being re-tooled for rightly dividing the Word.

Good to Great by Jim Collins.

I believe this is the greatest business book of all time and has much to say to the church of Jesus Christ. If you want your church to go to the next level I can't recommend this book highly enough.

The Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren

The farther we go into the 21st century and away from a program driven church this book is foundational for ministry in the future. It was simple before simple was cool. It can help you transition to a process focused ministry and away from a program based ministry.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

Ok I confess to being an Anglophile and a lover of C S Lewis in particular. I've read and re-read this since my college days. It's like visiting an old friend you haven't seen for a while and then picking up just where we left off. A classic devotional and apologetic for good reason. The last page is worth the price of the book. It begins, "Nothing that has not died can ever be resurrected...' Great advice for these and every day.

Modern Times by Paul Johnson

An incisive analysis of the 20th century by a prominent historian. It's theme: the struggle for freedom against the forces of totalitarianism and the state. A ready reminder for our world today.

The Reason for God by Tim Keller

A great book by a leading pastor that helps Christians reclaim the intellectual high ground for a Christ-centered conversation with our culture. His book, The Prodigal God is also bless and challenge you.

Well, here's my list. Now I'm ready to get started sharpening my saw!

Is there a lesson in the Tiger Trauma?

Is there a leadership lesson we can learn from the sorry and sorid tale of Tiger Woods? Let me begin by saying that we should pray for him, his wife Elin and their family. Throughout his career Tiger has used his celebrity to make lots of money but also to raise millions in charities that make a difference in the lives of countless prople. Every public event recieves smothering coverage.

It shouldn't shock us that celebrities have personal failure. And in this day of 24/7/365 media coverage that we find out about it. What is shocking in Tiger's case is his pedantic response to the events that have dominated the news since Saturday night. Years ago I heard Bill Gates tell business leaders: 'The good news is that bad news travels fast.' In other words if there is bad news about your business, ministry or in your personal life get it out, deal with it, tell the truth, don't sugar coat it and don't try to spin it. Delay. Delay. Delay, only leads to making a bad situation worse and in Tiger's case becomes a fodder for cable news, TV talk shows and the internet gone wild.

The leadership lesson: get out in front of bad news or it may run over you.

'They ran to the sound of the guns'

So said General Casey, US Army Chief of Staff describing the response of many of our men and women in uniform during the tragic event at Ft. Hood, Texas last Thursday. What an amazing statement. When I heard him say that on Fox News last Friday my reaction was immediate: my throat coked with emotion, my chest swelled with pride and my heart broke for the victims all over again.

Then I had a thought......"They ran to the sound of the guns." Our service men and women do it every single day in Iraq, Afghanistan and on Thursday last, Ft. Hood. Police officers, fire fighters, and nurses so it every day. Those who "run to the sounds of the guns" deserve our thanks, prayers and support.

Christians in the early church "ran to the sound of the guns." They took into their homes those who were homeless.....sick.....dying.....deserted and disaffected. The words hospital and hospitality derived from what these early Christians did.

They understood life and ministry is messy. Too many times today it is too easy to turn away or let another do it.

The next time you have an opportunity to help someone hurting, someone in trouble or whose life is a mess, what will you do?

It's your choice.

"Run to the sounds of the guns."

Can you Change your Church DNA?

In the last 48 hours I heard another report of a pastor forced to resign his church. As far as I know it was not a moral, ethical or doctrinal issue. Why then was this Bible-believing, Bible preaching pastor forced to resign after just four years?

He tried to change the DNA of a 100 year old, county seat First Baptist Church. Now anybody that knows me knows I am not against change. I believe in the maxim: 'Innovate, reinvigorate or stagnate.' But I also believe you can't change the DNA of your church. We all have DNA that is unique to us....it's how God made us. I love to golf but as hard as I try I'll never be Tiger. He has his DNA and I have mine. Some of the best advice I ever recieved was as a pastor in a rural middle Tennessee church and went to an early 'Purpose-Driven Church' conference. At the end of the conference Rick Warren said, "If you pastor an established church: Don't try this at home!"

It was and still is great advice. Most of us aren't innovators anyway. Be a reinvigorator. Reinvigorate your Sunday School (especially if your church is over 100) instead of focusing on small groups. You need to focus on one or the other but your church DNA ultimately makes the decision.

Some choices we make. Some are made for us. If we break it, we own it.

MGT

Death of a Prayer Warrior

On Friday, October 9, 2009 Winnie Norwood walked through the 'Gates of Splendor.' I first met Winnie Norwood in the summer of 1987 when I became her pastor. She was a school teacher who went back to work when she became a widow. She was a strong supporter and encourager to her young and inexperienced pastor. She was gracious and forgiving.

But the best thing Winnie ever did for me was pray for me everyday for over twenty years. That was spiritual heavy lifting! During the five years I was her pastor she prayed for me every morning at 5:00 a.m. as she started her day with the Lord.

Winnie soon joined my wife and I every Sunday for lunch. It was just Cheryl, Winnie and myself. I cherish those time of fun and fellowship. When God led my family and I to a new ministry challenge she supported our decision and continued to pray for us daily.

Through the years and several other moves to other parts ofthe country she continued to be my Prayer Warrior. We would see her every few years and talked to her on the phone regularly. I want to close this tribute to her the same way I would end our phone conversations:

'Love you Winnie. I thank God for you. Talk to you again soon.'

And so I will.

MGT

Conflict in the Church

I was reminded last week that celebrity worship in the church is not a new thing. Paul had to deal with it in the church at Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 1:12-13 Paul writes:

'What I am saying is this: each of you says: 'I'm with Paul,' or I'm with Apollos, or I'm with Cephas, or I'm with Christ.' Is Christ divided? Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul's name?'

What do we know about the conflict in Corinth?

It wasn't about doctrine. It rarely is.

Paul, Apollos and Peter didn't encourage them.

The Corinthian Christians did place too much stock in high profile leaders.

Human prestige and power was at the heart of the issue.

Social friction contributed to the conflict (rich/poor; Greek/Jew).

How does Paul handle it" Three simple questions:

Is Christ divided? Of course not! But what Paul reminds them is that Jesus is not one among many. Paul shows the lunacy of elevating one leader (or methodology, or strategy) over another when we have been called into the fellowship of Jesus Christ.

Was Paul crucified for you? No human leader is the source of our salvation. Jesus alone is our source because He alone was crucified for us. Paul affirms that only Christ can atone for sin.

Were you baptized into the name of Paul? Paul knows how absurd this question is. Once again he reminds them and us, that our allegiance can only be to Christ.

In his message at THE NINES conference by Leadership Network Rick Warren challenged us to address the spiritual immaturity of the church. Maturity is essential for unity, mission and purpose. Let's get on with it.