THE CHURCH BUILDING CYCLE. (ALC Network Day)@StephenMatthew_

 Stephen Matthew has become a friend whose wisdom I appreciate greatly, he has been very generous with his time and encouragement, mentoring me individually through numerous conversations over in Bradford and also coming across to meet with some of our leaders at Ivy recently as we prayed and planned into our future. He is a surveyor by background and combines theological acumen, practical skills and a pastoral heart through 25 years of ministry to be a man with a brain worth picking for anyone who wants to build a prevailing church. Here’s my notes on his talk at the ALC Network day this week:  There are only two kinds of churches: The church everybody wants to build (It’s there in Acts 2, and the ideal church, it inspires us). The church God wants you to build. If you try and copy the church ‘out there’ you’ll always fail. God wants to speak to YOU about YOUR people and place. It’s always bespoke. You work the process and start to build from scratch or reinvent what’s been built so far. What […]

TALE OF TWO BROTHERS: Charlotte Gambill: @CharlGambill – ALC Network Day

GREAT TALK from a fantastic Network Day! All our team who attended were blown away. Well worth looking over and praying through in your teams etc. Psalm 133: 1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! 2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, 
running down on Aaron’s beard, 
down on the collar of his robe. 
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon 
were falling on Mount Zion. 
For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. Have we accessed this blessing to its full extent?1 We can INSTIGATE this, bring it in ourselves. If… we can figure out how to be united. And that’s not about standing up and all hold hands. That can be purely external. We need this REAL unity. In our teams, churches, cities. In our marriage and with our kids is where it starts. Where has this gone wrong? Go and look for brothers in the Bible that got along – there weren’t many! Cain and Abel Jacob and his […]

GOD’S GREATEST SERMON. Judah Smith. Catalyst #cat2011

GOD’S GREATEST SERMON: Judah Smith at Catalyst 2011 Exodus 33 Consider the glory of God. its implications in your life. 12 Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”  14 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”  15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”  17 And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very […]

Core Principles you need to Lead. Dave Ramsey at Catalyst 2011

His focus – how to handle your money God’s way. Take back the marketplace and win it for Christ. Business people can be evangelists with our excellence so people will want to know who we know. How do you run your business God’s way? WWJD style? Leadership matters – core philosophies. People Matter. Don’t take that as read. In the middle of a transactional culture you have to be relational. Your ability to relate to others matters massively. Never see people as units. You need to hear their stories. Everyone has a story. STOP and go relational. Value the person. Doesn’t mean I’m a pushover or have no boundaries. Jewish rabbis teach – your opportunities come through people. An incredible team and a culture of Excellence matters. Christians have to shine – because we’re not expected to. Excellence isn’t just an option. If you’re going to put a fish on the car you’d better drive it right. Team selection? You won’t win the Derby with a donkey. You have to get a thoroughbred. If you put someone in the wrong […]

Jim Collins – GREAT BY CHOICE. Catalyst 2011

Anyone who’s a student of Leadership will be familiar with Collins. In this talk he gave us a synopsis of his new book – GREAT BY CHOICE. Buying it was a no brainer. Good is the enemy of Great. Systematically, what separates the two? He takes an empirical approach to that. Compare those that became great, with those that didn’t – in the same field and circumstance. Greatness is not about circumstance but discipline and choice. Rate the world you’re in, 1 to 10. 1= Nothing can hurt you, it’s moving slow. Stable. 10 – There are consequences to messing up, things can hurt you, turbulent. Question – why do some organisations and leaders THRIVE in the face of change and still perform very well? You get Great by Choice. The answer is not what happens to you, but the choices and actions that separate some from others. What have they found? LIFE IS PEOPLE. It all begins with people. As he said in Good to Great – you need to ask Who should be on the bus, then get […]

Andy Stanley: DO FOR ONE – Catalyst 2011

Be Present. The more successful you are, the less accessible you’ll become. This is not good or bad, it’s just true. The more people become part of what you’re doing, the less available to everyone you’ll end up. But we think, ‘I don’t want that. My door will be wide open…’ But if we refuse this truth, the more you’ll burn out by trying to be accessible to everyone. You’ll do life spreading yourself razor thin, not accessible to those you’re with really anyway. Distracted. The hard thing is, we come into ministry because we’re all about people. OR we may use our success as an excuse to be more inaccessible than necessary. People will come up in your own church and say, ‘I know you’re busy, but…’ You’ll hide form them. Unawareness is bliss! Because the more people’s needs and problems you’re aware of, the more you’ll know there’s no 15 minute solutions. That will wear you out. The more need we’re bombarded with, the less able to handle it we feel. So much cancer, so much debts and […]

BE AVAILABLE – Jon Acuff at Catalyst 2011

Quitter – Jon Acuff at Catalyst 2011 A diamond is just a rock we’ve assigned value to. Do we assign value to the wrong rocks? How do we BE PRESENT to the things God is doing? Be available. To what God has in motion. One sign of how available you are is how much you feed to social media. When you give life to the mobile phone rather than the people you’re actually with. Hang up before you arrive. We are the first generation that has to have a Twitter/ Facebook conversation about what they put online etc. Let the family be your family, not your content. Don’t document for strangers what your family are relating to. It makes them feel like silver medal. Another sign? You don’t have real friendships. Who are your heart friends – those you’d really miss? Hang out with some people. Spend time with a few. Build it. Another sign? You get drunk on what’s next and new, and miss NOW. Just sit there, and grow. Culture feeds us to think next. We want what’s […]

DON’T LOSE HEART. Michael Hyatt at Catalyst 2011

Michael Hyatt Don’t Lose Heart.  The people who don’t stay the course, are those who lose heart. Most Christians – 80%? lose heart and become ineffective by the age of 55. You can get your heart back – and lead from the heart. You will maximise your influence as a leader when you embrace 5 truths about the heart. Your heart is the essence of your identity. The Bible uses the word heart over a 1000 times. Matt 5:8, 6:23, 15:18, 22:37 – love God with your heart. Your heart is YOU. Who YOU are. The inner sanctuary where you connect with God and others from. The world ‘s focus is external image, but the Lord looks at the heart. Why? Because it matters most. The big question is not how’s your family/ career – but ‘How’s your heart?’ Your heart is your most important and valuable leadership tool Prov 4:23 – above ALL else! (It’s not your knowledge, your skills that counts) – your heart is the WELLSPRING of your life. If you stop up springs, the streams stop […]