1.  Start small

Sometimes we fail because we plan too big.  Start with a small goal with the disciplines, understanding that the Christian life is a growing process that takes time.

2.  Put together a plan

Once you have set some goals concerning the practicing of the disciplines, put together a plan of how you are going to get there.  Take into consideration, when, where, what, and how the disciplines are going to look in your regular life.

3.  Find an accountability partner

Find someone who will hold you accountable to be faithful in practicing the disciplines.

4.  Pray

I know it may sound like a given but we often forget the reality of the spiritual world we live in.  More than anything, Satan does not want you to develop disciplines that will strengthen our relationship with God.  Make it a practice to wake up every morning and begin your day praying that God will help you be faithful in your relationship to Him.

5.  One last thought—ENDURANCE! 

Remember that the disciplines wouldn’t be considered disciplines if it didn’t take hard work, determination, and perseverance in putting them into practice.  It also wouldn’t be considered “practicing” them if it didn’t mean we weren’t going to fail every once in a while.  Don’t let failure throw you completely off course.  God so deeply wants a relationship with you that He desires that you move past the failures and keep going!

7 Non-Negotiables for Effective Spiritual Leaders

Perry Noble

As I have been thinking through my personal leadership journey lately and trying to figure out who God has called me to be and what He’s called me to do…I have narrowed my focus down to seven areas that I believe are essential for effective leadership in the church.

#1 – Passion

I’m not talking about false excitement over an event that you would not attend if you were not on the payroll at the church!

But rather raw, unfiltered, emotional and unapologetic passion…a white hot fire inside that consumes, controls and configures us into who Jesus has called us to be and what He’s called us to do!

Be warned-passionate people make for easy targets because no one has to guess what they stand for! However, passion, if handled correctly, can be one of the best friends a leader can have.

#2 – A Desire to Please God

One of the first verses I ever memorized was Galatians 1:10. I remember reading it and feeling like it literally jumped off the page…and something inside of me kept screaming, "You are going to need this verse for yourself if you are going to be truly successful in ministry."

A true leader in church would understand that God is our Leader…and in a passionate pursuit to please Him you and I will often disappoint people.

We can’t please committee’s and Christ-a choice must be made.

#3 – Wisdom

James 1:5 has been a verse that I have also had to cling to as a leader! What a promise!

God has called us to wisdom…so…as leaders I feel that we need to be doing as much as possible to learn…that means going to conferences, reading books…and not being afraid to meet with and learn from people who "aren’t like us!"

What are you personally doing right now to grow and develop yourself as a leader? To add to your wisdom?

I am in the process of connecting with other church leaders…in the past several weeks I’ve been involved in numerous learning environments with people who know SO MUCH MORE than me…and God has used each experience to shape me in an awesome way.

If all we tell our people is what we know…and we lead out of our limited knowledge, never seeking wisdom from others or God-then we will raise up some very shallow people.

#4 – Courage

I don’t think the tag "leader" should be put on anyone who hasn’t had to make tough decisions on a consistent basis.

I once heard Andy Stanley say that a leader isn’t necessarily the first person to see an opportunity, but rather the first person to act on what they see.

So true! There are lots and lots of people who see what is wrong with the world, church, etc…however, very few are actually willing to do anything about it.

Leaders step up and make the hard calls…even when it’s unpopular.

On a side note-courage is NOT the absence of fear! There have been so many situations in my leadership journey here at NewSpring that have just about caused me to pee my pants!

However, courage is KNOWING what God has called you to…and then DOING it…not knowing the outcome…but KNOWING who is in control of the outcome!

#5 – Humility

This is a tough one because…well…one cannot actually brag that they are humble!

Too many times in the past I know that this was a quality that was NOT in me! I wanted the credit for all of "my ideas!" If something went right and I was involved-I wanted people to know about it. If an element of service programming went well and it was my idea…I took the credit.

And then one day I had a conversation with John Maxwell that ROCKED MY WORLD…he said to me,

"Perry, you are where you are for two reasons. The first is the favor of God. The second is the giftedness of God. And Perry, please understand that God didn’t owe you either of these. You are where you are because of Him!"

DANG! When it comes right down to it…I don’t have good ideas-God gives them to me. I don’t have the ability to think or act…OR LEAD…unless HE leads me!

John 15:5 is SO true…and I have no right to boast in anything that I feel like I accomplish!

If a leader doesn’t care who gets the credit…but is obsessed with God getting the glory-awesome things can happen!

#6 – Honesty

One of the things the corporate world has seen lately is a lack of integrity…and the lie that "this is my life and how I live it doesn’t really impact anyone else" has been exposed over and over and over again!

As leaders-we’ve got to be honest with…

* OURSELVES – how are you doing? Really? Can you keep up the pace you have right now? What changes need to be made?

* OTHERS – is everyone around you doing a good job? Is there a tough conversation that needs to be had-but you won’t because you are afraid of the outcome?

* GOD – Is life and ministry REALLY "all about Him?"

#7 – Simplicity

I once heard Ed Young say, "If you want to impress me as a leader-don’t tell me what you’re doing, tell me what you’re NOT doing!"

DANG!

I think a leader who is worth his (or her) salt will admit that they are not good at everything…and as a result they will stop trying to be.

Reality is that everyone of us only do a few things well…and our leadership will be maximized when we focus on what God has gifted us and called us to be rather than what everyone else in the church expects us to be!

I can’t do everything…but I can do something…and the something that I can do…I will do!!!

What is on your plate that you KNOW you aren’t good at? You hate it? Go ahead and admit it because everyone around you already knows it and are probably praying that you will stop it anyway!

Perry Noble is the Senior Pastor of NewSpring Community Church with over 4000 in attendance each week. New Spring is one of the 100 Fastest Growing Churches in the U.S

1.  My goal for this year is to live 1John 2.6, “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”  I want to walk just as Jesus walked.

2.  I am transferring degrees from Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology to a Master of Arts in Management and Leadership.  Just sense that the counseling path is the path God has for me right now.

3.  I have read two fiction/non-spiritual books in the past month (that is a record for me, since I prefer non-fiction spiritually related books).  I read, The End Is Now, by Rob Stennett.  Though it is a spiritually focused book it is fiction book.  The other book I just finished up is, Tiger Force, by Michael Sallah and Mitch Weiss.  The book is the account of a renegade group of U.S. soldiers in the Vietnam War.  This book was way out of my normal reading habits but Anna got it for me and I really enjoyed reading it.  I read it all in about 3 nights.  It taught me a lot about human nature especially in moments of extreme crisis and conflict.

4.  I am currently reading, In Common:  Catalyst Groupzine.  It is a compilation of authors discussing the importance of community among Christians. 

5.  EPIC is going well.  I really like our FUSE Nights in which parents are encouraged to attend.  Our current programming breakdown is:

1. First week of the month—FUSE Night (Dinner with families and then parents have separate discussion while students do their regular programming).
2. 2nd and 3rd week of the month—regular EPIC format
3. 4th week of the month—rotate between an outreach activity and service projects.

6.  I am excited that the Colts are in the Super Bowl!!!!

7.  I am focused heavily on The CHILL which is our High School winter retreat.  You can read about it here.

8.  My personal spiritual development has been taking me through the book of Acts.  Though I haven’t been as consistent as I should, I have been impacted about the leadership of the Holy Spirit in the early church.  The result of His empowering of Christ-followers was incredible boldness and compassion which led to incredible growth and ministry opportunities.

9.  The fam is doing well.  Isaac and Noah continually do well at school.  Isaac has been quite the Jesus-witness at school (we are waiting te get calls from the school and/or parents).  Emma is Emma—really enough said!  She is getting sweeter by the day.  I live for our nightly snuggle moments.

10.  Anna and I have been working out.  Though it has been painful,  I have really enjoyed the experience.  I have lost about 10 pounds in the past 15 days.  My favorite snack is Steamed Sugar Snap Peas—and no I am not kidding!

So what is your Top Ten so far this year?

Here is the programming outline for Week 4 of our Outflow series:

Supply List:

• 8×14 inch paper (one per student)
• Different colored markers (lots)
• Dry Erase board and markers

Connection Game:

Students find a partner. They are given 30 seconds to share answers to the questions below. After 30 seconds, they switch to the other partner answering the question. Students will then change partners and re-do the process.

• Who was your childhood friend and why? (change partners)
• Who is your favorite relative and why? (change partners)
• Who is your wackiest relative? (change partners)
• Which family member is hardest for you to talk to about God? (change partners)

Read Acts 1.8

• What is your Judea?
• Who falls into that category?
• What is the best way for us to reach our Judea?

Video Clip—Week 3

• Where are you friends in the “process” of becoming Christians?
• How can you be there for them and help them as they go through the process?

Practical Activity—Spiritual Timeline

Hand out 8×14 paper and copies of personal timeline. Give students time to think and then construct their own personal timeline.

Divide students into pairs and have them share their personal timeline.

But sleepwalking can be dangerous.  Here are signs of sleepwalking:

• eyes open during sleep
• may have blank facial expression
• may sit up and appear awake during sleep
• walking during sleep
• other detailed activity during sleep, any sort
• no recall of the event upon awaking
• confusion, disorientation on awakening
• sleep talking is incomprehensible and non-purposeful

Spiritually speaking, there are also sleepwalkers.  People who walk through life as if they are spiritually alive and yet are still spiritually asleep.

Here are the signs to look for to see if you are a SPIRITUAL sleepwalker:

• you HEAR the Word but don’t DO what is says. (James 1.22-24)
• you sit in church service yet never look engaged to what is going on.
• you come to worship service hoping to be fed because you haven’t fed yourself any time during the week.
• you don’t recall any spiritually impacting moment in your life.
• when it comes to spiritual things, you are confused and disoriented.
• your spiritual life is incomprehensible and non-purposeful.
• your spiritual talk is incoherent and doesn’t match your lifestyle

As you read down this list does any of them point to you?  If so, you need to take a spiritual inventory of your life and ask the question, “Am I a spiritual sleepwalker?”

There was a whole folklore of water. People said a man had to make a dipperful go as far as it would. You boiled sweet corn, say. Instead of throwing the water out, you washed the dishes in it. Then you washed your hands in it a few times. Then you strained it through a cloth into the radiator of your car, and if your car should break down, you didn’t just leave the water to evaporate in its gullet, but drained it out to water the sweet peas.

But as I read this quote I was struck by how desperate times must have been and to what great lengths people had to go through to simply meet basic needs.

In my reading this morning in 1 Kings 18, Israel is faced with their own dust bowl–a drought God had placed on the land because of the wickedness of Ahab but mostly because the Israelites where worshipping between two gods.

21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

The hearts of the people wavered and God needed their undivided attention.  This recalls to my mind another verse in Scripture, Matthew 6.24,

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

I can relate to both of these verses.  I know I often waver between which god to serve–the One true living God or the god of pride, lust, money, personal preference, etc.  And yet EVERY time I find myself worshipping a god other than THE God, I always find myself in a Spiritual Dust Bowl.

Questions:

1.  Would you consider yourself in a Spiritual Dust Bowl/Desert now?

2.  If so, why?

3.  Where is your current focus?  On self or on God?

Who’s invited?  All Middle School and High School students and their parents.

Here is this weekend’s agenda:

Games, Karaoke, Guest Speaker, Parent’s Meeting

Our Guest Speaker is Ken Rudolph.  Ken is the Director of Spiritual Advancement at Lake Ann Camp in Traverse City, MI

Ken joined the camp staff in June of 1999. He is a graduate of Baptist Bible College and has served as a youth pastor, pastor, and was on the staff of Baptist Bible College. He represents the camp while speaking in local churches and youth events around the country. He is the speaker for Senior High Camp during the summer, Freeze Outs, Ladies’ Retreats and Couples’ Retreats. The Rudolph’s have four married children and six adorable grandchildren.

Please mark this Sunday night as an EPIC Must on your calendar!!!!

We looked at the importance of our gifts and why we should use them using 1 Corinthians 12 as our base.

We ended our High School time by brainstorming practical ways we can implement and use our spiritual gifts.

My prayer is that we not only know what our gifts are but we also know how to use them to bring glory to God!!

This whole series stemmed from a "town hall meeting" we had with our high school students.  You can read about it here: Next Three Steps of EPIC

We had a phenomenal leader’s meeting last weekend with our AMAZING EPIC leaders.  I through out a quick question to them all.  What would you like to see EPIC accomplish this year (school year) and how can we do that? 

Here are their responses to the first part of that question:

• Connect the Unconnected.  We have a lot of students that are a part of Grace Point but not connected to the student ministry.  We want to simply make sure that they know we are here and if need anything we are desirous to help.
• Build Bridges.  Since our ministry hits 6th graders through 12th graders we feel we need to keep them separate for most of the time.  We have found though that they enjoy getting together occasionally.  We feel it is important to keep them separate for most of the time but also see the value of partnering up with activities.

• Think & Live "Outside the Box".  To use a Erwin McManus phrase, "we (as a church) have a choice, to either be a movement or a monument."  Often we choose the latter, and yet God setup the Church to be a movement.  We must not only THINK "outside the box" (our church walls) but also LIVE there as well.  We are desperately trying to figure out what that looks like and how we accomplish that.
• Become a True Spiritual Family.  Another thing we often forget is that God has created the Church to be a FAMILY–a living, breathing FAMILY.  We accomplish this by learning how to 1) love, 2) care and 3) value one another.  If we don’t work together and love one another then we will never be effective in reaching others.

We are still working toward figuring out the second part to our question, "how can we do that?"  But I am very confident that I have the most amazing team of leaders in the world and that together, this will be one of the most impacting years of EPIC.

I don’t know about other youth pastors, but for me, my team becomes my closest friends.  We do life and ministry together. 

Because of their unique role in my life I want to make sure that the time I am giving them in leadership training is not just about the students, but about their lives as well.  I want to know what they are thinking, what struggles they are going through and what accomplishments they are celebrating.

Here are simple ways I want to invest in my leader’s lives:

1.  Gifts

I want to know my leaders’ spiritual gifts.  What they are blessed with?  Are the gifts developed and been used in their life before?  Are there other gifts they have that they may not be using?

2.  Family

As a pastor, my family graciously serves alongside of me.  My wife is my partner and without her I would be completely ineffective as a minister.  God has blessed me tremendously with her.  Because of that, my children are excited about serving alongside their dad and hang out with their teenage friends.

Naturally, I want my leaders to feel the same freedom to serve as a family.  When we have activities, my kids and the kids of my leaders are running around enjoying each other and the students of our ministry.  I don’t want to take my leaders away from their family.  I want them to be together, serving together.

With that in mind, I am always trying to make sure my leaders’ family is doing well.  Are they balancing ministry and family effectively?  Do their children or spouse resent the fact they serve in the student ministry?  What can I do to help serve their family as a whole?

3.  Accountability

Though we keep each other accountable in the top two areas, there are other areas we try to make sure we are all doing well in.  It is imperative that my leadership team not only know that we are a team, but that we are a family as well.  What comes with that is expectation to live life in check with others.

There are other ways I try to invest in my leaders, but these are very important to me right now.

To my leaders, I love you like family, and in some ways even more!!!!!!!