- Andy Stanley

- John Maxwell

The good news of Jesus Christ gives us hope for the future! Is your congregation hopeful? Do you believe that your best days are ahead or do you think they were in the past?

One of the responsibilities we have as ministers and church leaders is to remind our people that there is hope in the future! Our hope for tomorrow gives us power for ministry today!

Thom Rainer, President and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources suggests that effective leaders possess the following personality traits:

1. Effective leaders are loyal.
2. Effective leaders are joyous and fun.
3. Effective leaders have a strong work ethic.
4. Effective leaders are self-aware.
5. Effective leaders take initiative.
6. Effective leaders love people.
7. Effective leaders are tenacious.

Read the full article here.

So far the members and friends of Saddleback have given over $2.4 million!!!

Here’s an article from USA Today. . .

Rev. Rick Warren’s staff is still opening the mail at Saddleback Church to see how much higher than $2.4 million donations will reach for the church’s service mission after last week’s “urgent” appeal from the pastor.

Meanwhile, folks were somewhat flummoxed by various reports on who gave and how much. Here’s some clarification from A. Larry Ross, a spokesman for Warren.

Although Associated Press said all the gifts came only from “members” and all were under $100, that’s not exactly on target.

The vast majority of gifts were under $100, “from individuals and families doing what they could, not from “fat cats,” according to Warren’s weekend message, says Ross.

Here are some lessons church leaders can learn from this story. . .

1. The Bible clearly teaches that money is a spiritual matter for every believer (regardless of what some people think).
2. God honors churches that are good stewards of their resources.
3. Faithful people always choose to respond when there is a need.
4. Today, more than ever, people need for churches to teach about personal stewardship and offer coaching to help people become better stewards of all of their resources.

You can read the full article here.

“Of the USA’s 100 largest churches, 67% now have two or more sites and 60% of the 100 fastest-growing churches also have multiple sites, according to the annual listings of the USA’s largest churches in Outreach magazine’s October issue.”

Chances are there is a multi-site church within 25 miles of your church. If not, chances are there will be within the next 18 months!

Here are some questions and ideas for church leaders to consider regarding the multi-site model.

1. How is or how will a multi-site church impact my church?
2. What values or principles from the multi-site church model can be applied to my church (even if we’re not considering another site)?
3. Why are multi-site churches so attractive to so many people?
4. Take your deacons, elders, or leadership team to visit a multi-site church and discuss the experience.

Read the USA Today article on multi-site churches here.

1. What do we need to stop doing?
   
2. What bothers us about our church?
   
3. What bothers us about our community?
   
4. What bothers us about the world?
5. How can we do things better?
   
6. Who do we need to be talking to?
   
7. What’s next?

These are great questions for every team or committee in your church to consider. Read the full article on his blog.

Dave Ramsey who runs a very successful, Christian-based business helping people get out of debt and become better stewards of their resources has identified five enemies of unity.

1. Poor communication.
   
2. Gossip.
   
3. Unresolved disagreements.
   
4. Lack of a shared purpose.
   
5. Sanctioned incompetence.

Read the full article here.

Questions for pastors, deacons, and church leaders…

1. Which of these enemies of unity are most prevelant in your church?
2. Which of these enemies of unity are present among your church leaders?
3. What steps should the pastor, deacons, and other church leaders take to address these issues and help your church move towards unity?