10 Questions for Leaders: Tom Shaw

Tom leads the City Church, Canterbury and Mobilise, the students and 20’s ministry of Newfrontiers. He has a well deserved reputation for being the worlds most enthusiastic person!

Who is your leadership hero? Why?
More than one single person, different guys have influenced me at different times: Simon Petit, who as a young Christian was someone I aspired to be like. Mike Betts was quite formative. Joel Virgo has helped me to grow. PJ Smyth has been like an older brother type.

How long have you been in leadership?
Been a Christian eleven years, and started leading a small group after two years, the Canterbury student work after three, became an elder after five, and lead elder two years ago.

What was your first leadership role?
See above!

How long have you been in your current role?
Two years

How long has your church been established? Did you start it?
20 years. It was started by Chris Smith.

What has been the growth curve of your church?
The church started with 50 people, grew quickly to 150 within a couple of years, then to about 250 by the early 90s, then took a bit of a dip and now is approaching 400.

What has been your biggest leadership challenge?
Myself. Dealing with huge dreams of city impact and seeing growth but not ‘big-G’ growth. Reconciling the dream with reality. Handling the disappointment of not seeing more while celebrating all that God is doing.

What has been your greatest leadership success?
Getting the church on mission, getting them on church plant mindset. Seeing new elders come through who are different from me, but secure and loving their role and having clarity about their roles. Heaven on earth!

How are you developing new leaders?
First of all we have opportunities for younger guys to teach/preach. We have a preaching team that meets regularly, made up of elders and emerging teachers. The church has a huge emphasis on discipleship, which means, for example, that every student is being discipled and is expected to disciple someone else. The really strong leaders invest in emerging strong leaders, while group discipleship is more for “followers”. This is on top of the regular small group system. Discipleship of the adults is more sporadic and complex, and we are looking at the best way to disciple non-students (students make up about 50% of the church).

How are you continuing to develop your own leadership gifts?
By visiting other churches, meeting with guys further ahead than me (iron sharpening iron), reading.

Being an Inspirational Leader

John Maxwell writes:

The Sahara plays tricks on the eyes of its travelers. As the desert sun beats down on the sand, heat waves rise from the ground. Light bends as it passes through the superheated air, painting illusory pictures on the horizon. To thirsty travelers moving through the Sahara, it often appears as if an oasis looms in the distance. However, as the voyagers journey on, the oasis proves to be nothing more than a mirage.

Unfortunately, the ranks of leadership are inhabited by a host of mirages: people who look impressive from a distance, but end up being disappointments. After being fooled by a few mirages, followers become jaded about leadership. That seems as true now as it ever has been. Our trust in leaders has been shaken as politicians have reneged on promises, CEOs have squandered money entrusted to their firms, and managers have advanced self-interests above all else.

To restore society's confidence with those in power, leaders have to be able to inspire. I'm not talking about inspiring someone to buy into the corporate vision statement, to meet quarterly sales goals, or to work more efficiently. These aren't bad things, but right now, people are looking for a leader attuned to their personal needs. They want leaders who will encourage them, believe in their potential, and help them grow.

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Making Ministry Fun

A helpful article from Rick Warren...

I realized that you have to do ministry with what I call relaxed concern. It sounds like a contradiction, but it’s not. We realize that heaven and hell hang in the balance when you talk about the ministry of the church. Still, you can’t do ministry tightly wound all the time. The quickest way to burn out a staff is to not economize energy, to not ever relax. I’ve talked to a lot of pastors and been in a lot of churches throughout the years. There are a lot of burnt out staff people out there. The problem isn’t that they aren’t dedicated enough. They’re too dedicated! Their dedication is not tempered by the ability to relax.

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10 Questions for Leaders: Steven van Rhyn

Steven leads Jubilee Church, Cape Town, South Africa, and is a regular speaker at the annual Newfrontiers Leaders Conference. He is a passionate supporter of the South African rugby and cricket teams, and takes delight in highlighting their alleged superiority over other sides.

Who is your leadership hero? Why?
Simon Petit (the former leader of Jubilee Church, and of Newfrontiers in Africa). He exhibited a passion for God and love for people. I found him very inspiring. Knowing Simon both publicly and privately I don’t have a bad story to say about him which is pretty amazing considering the amount of time I knew him.

How long have you been in leadership?
23 years; church leadership 16 years.

What was your first leadership role?
Captain of school cricket side, aged 12.
First church leadership role – youth leader.

How long have you been in your current role?
5 years.

How long has your church been established? Did you start it?
It was started in 1983 by Graham Ingram.

What has been the growth curve of your church?
Up and down! The last three Sundays we have had over 1,000 people with us.

What has been your biggest leadership challenge?
Pastoring the church through Simon’s death. I had been leading the church for just one year, and this had huge ramifications for everything we were doing. Another challenge has been growing locally but also planting out and being involved in the wider work we do – mixed with the challenge of building a non-racial church in post-apartheid South Africa.

What has been your greatest leadership success?
I would say remaining in good standing with whoever I have worked with closely. An ability to retain good relationships with people I’ve worked with over a long period of time, even those that have moved on.

How are you developing new leaders?
On two fronts. 1. The local church level, which involves personal discipleship, intentional leadership recruitment at all levels of church and focussed potential eldership development. 2. On the wider level (in the Western Cape), looking to launch a leadership school geared towards upskilling existing elders as well as training potential elders.

How are you continuing to develop your own leadership gifts?
By exposing myself to leaders that are further ahead than myself, by reading, and by exposing myself to new ideas and thoughts.

Delegate!

Here's a fun article about the stupid mistakes leaders make:

One of the most challenging aspects of working with leaders is seeing an otherwise brilliant leader making a stupid mistake. The most common stupid mistake I see is when a leader tries to do most of the work of the ministry themselves.

To read the rest, click here.

Leading Like St Patrick

For St Patrick's day, a leadership lesson:

Lost in the midst of shamrocks, green-clad partygoers, and leprechauns there is a story of a tremendous leader - Saint Patrick. That we celebrate a holiday bearing his name 1,500 years after his death attests to the greatness of Ireland's patron saint. Saint Patrick's life teaches valuable lessons about the power of forgiveness.

Click here to read the whole article.

10 Questions for Leaders: Chris Wienand

Chris leads Southlands Church International, in Los Angeles. I met him at the Acts 29 Boot Camp in Seattle in March ’09. Chris is a South African, and founded Glenridge Church International in Durban, now led by Rory Dyer.

Who is your leadership hero? Why?
In terms of a person who affected my life it would be Dudley Daniel because he believed in me when I was a raw, hot off the press church planter. When I was 24 he gave me a break, gave me opportunity. He walked with me, discipled me, slapped me on occasion. He trusted me when others were a little nervous because we were a bit wild. He never tried to curtail the wildness – he just directed it for the kingdom.

How long have you been in leadership?
25 years in church leadership.

What was your first leadership role?
Captain of the school ruby team, then an officer in the army – I have been leading since I was a kid.

How long have you been in your current role?
12.5 years

How long has your church been established? Did you start it?
It started in the late 60s, out of the Jesus People movement in Southern California. It was an independent charismatic church, and we were invited in to give leadership and transition it to a more apostolic model. Also, since 1984 I have been working trans-locally serving churches.

What has been the growth curve of your church?
Up and down. I’m a passionate planter – we’ve planted/released 14 couples to lead churches plus people with them. We’ve seen two or three occasions when people from an independent background found it too costly to buy into an apostolic structure and left to go elsewhere. And then three years ago we felt God speak about moving the church from one city to another (10 miles away) which meant we sold 15 acres of land and moved from a suburban mindset to a more urban area and meeting in a warehouse. Some people were not able to make this move. Currently we number about 400.

What has been your biggest leadership challenge?
In the 12.5 years of leading Southlands it would be being effective in exegeting our culture and context. Southern California is the pinnacle of rampant individualism, insatiable materialism and the pursuit of pleasure – these are the three idols that drive Southern California culture. Our “culture” is America, our “context” is Southern California and the question is always to what extent you allow Christ to confront culture and Christ to reign supreme over culture. And coming in as a foreigner, its often nuanced as “Its ok for you – you’re a South African.” Americans want to be led by Americans – they say “this is your foreign culture” when you are trying to be biblical! Americans are not used to following non-Americans. In the early days I made many assumptions based on misperceptions. The early mistakes I made were all about failing to exegete culture and context.

Replanting is a huge need in America and we need to train people who can do this. There are different challenges to doing this than in planting from scratch. The overwhelming number of churches in the US have peaked and are declining – they need people who can come in and fashion a new culture in the church and reverse the decline.

What has been your greatest leadership success?
Recognising, raising up and releasing leaders – that is my passion. And included in that has been church planters. I don’t really know what we do that is different but from a relatively small church we have been able to produce a fairly chunky number of church planters.

How are you developing new leaders?
It needs to be a culture not a program. You need a leader developing lens in leading a church. If its merely a program in the life of a church I don’t think you’ll multiply rapidly enough. From the earliest inception of someone coming to Christ we believe that every believer is a leader – because Jesus is the greatest leader of all time when he comes into someone’s life the leadership quotient in their life is going to go up. The leadership tide has to rise by the work of the Holy Spirit in them.

Every meeting – Sunday, small group, prayer, leaders – to me is a leadership meeting. They are all leadership training. You need to invest personally in people – look for the leadership seed, and see reasons to qualify rather than disqualify them. And then you’ve got to release them. You’ve got to take risks and look for opportunities for people to lead or it is just empty words and hope deferred makes the heart sick. Many churches are full of disillusioned nearly-leaders – tired of being trained and never released. Most guys know they are disqualified already. We have to find ways to qualify them.

How are you continuing to develop your own leadership gifts?
Listening to the voice of the Spirit because I believe God is writing new job descriptions and I don’t want to be left behind in my old one. With new job descriptions come new opportunities, new partnerships, new skills, new revelation, and all this is loaded with uncertainty – and I want to be part of that.

There is also increased study and exposure to larger men and ministries.

You need to be hungry and not become complacent. I want to tell my grandkids new faith stories, not old faith stories. The 60s were exciting, in the 80s lots happened – but I need to be getting out of the boat currently.

10 Questions for Leaders: Rory Dyer

Rory leads Glenridge Church International, Durban, South Africa, which is part of the New Covenant Ministries International network.

Rory’s philosophy of ministry is “keep it simple.” In fact, it is so simple they don’t even have a church website, yet the church gathers nearly 3,000 people! Glenridge focuses on three things: Inclusion, Intercession, and Increase. They do Sunday meetings and small groups, and that is about it. I first met Rory last July and in the times I have been privileged to chat with him have been hugely impressed by his integrity, generosity, and humility.

Who is your leadership hero? Why?
Dudley Daniel & Chris Wienand – big-hearted, humble men, who believed and saw things in the next generation. (Dudley was the founder of NCMI and Chris started Glenridge church.)

How long have you been in leadership?
In church leadership for 20 years.

What was your first leadership role?
In church life I served as a deacon. In the wider world my first leadership role was as Head Boy at my school.

How long have you been in your current role?
13 years

How long has your church been established? Did you start it?
25 years – no, Chris Wienand started it.

What has been the growth curve of your church?
There was progressive growth up until about 2002, and we then saw a big growth spurt. The church now numbers about 2,800 people. A key for our growth was moving into a new facility. The church had been renting a venue that seated 800, but then built a venue that seats 2,000. Raising the finance for this was a huge faith deal – raising finance for buildings is always more of a faith issue than a finance issue. We now have three services on a Sunday, and also a small French speaking service for guys who have come down from the Congo.

What has been your biggest leadership challenge?
The Biblical discipline of others – dealing with men who have sinned and handling the pain of walking friends through biblical processes.

What has been your greatest leadership success?
Taking chances on men who others have written off – seeing the potential in them and following up on it. Many of these guys are now powering on in their own capacity.

How are you developing new leaders?
We run leadership courses but it is mainly one on one – taking guys on trips, and having them in my home for discipleship time. We give them opportunities. For example, last week we had a 23 year-old who had never preached before preach to a thousand people at our evening service. I like to practice selective risking! I saw in him integrity, hunger, deep love for the word, and that he was servant hearted. So although outwardly he was not an obvious choice (being a quieter guy) he did really well. I believe leadership is caught more than taught. I look to lead by example and we have very few programmes in the church so its more a case of personally leading guys on.

How are you continuing to develop your own leadership gifts?
I had stagnated for a while because of busyness and then made a radical decision for personal growth. This means an intensified reading programme (E.g., at the moment I am reading through Williams’ Renewal Theology and eight different books on the Sermon on the Mount) and finding time to meet with men who are bigger in God than me. I also set aside more quiet time – I now give two days a week to preparation.

Fighting Debt

Debt is a huge problem in our society.

The irony of the current economic downturn is that with interest rates now so low debt is actually cheaper than it has ever been; but the fear generated by the economy is making people much more concerned about the debt they are carrying. In our churches we have to fight debt and help our people become debt free.

Whatever your opinion of Rick Warren, he has undoubtedly been consistent in teaching good stewardship, generosity and freedom from debt. His 10:10:80 principle is very helpful (give ten percent, save ten percent, live on 80 percent), and here he gives other pointers to getting debt free:

There’s no doubt personal debt has played a key role in the current financial crisis. Debt levels have been climbing for several decades. And pastor, more than likely, they’re climbing in your church.

You’ve got people in your church who are hurting – badly. A recent survey of Southern Baptist pastors by Lifeway Research showed that only one in four thought their parishioners were struggling with debt – well below the true national average. The average American is spending $1.25 for every $1 they make. My guess is that pastors from other denominations have the same false impressions of their congregation as well. Most of us have been clueless about the mounting personal debt among our church members.

Debt isn’t just impacting our church’s pews though. It’s impacting the pulpits as well. Many ministries are sunk because pastors are so burdened by debt they leave the ministry for more profitable work.

Debt is a problem we can’t ignore any longer. But how do we get out from under it? We’ve got to commit to these nine steps and help our congregations do the same.

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