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Trouble viewing this email? Click here.   Sign up for a FREE webinar Stop Overpaying Taxes Save Thousands over the years Keep Your Housing Allowance for Life Discover what you need to know about your unique tax and retirement advantages.     The Three Major Advantages for Ministers How to maximize your Housing Allowance Social Security for Clergy & Self Employment Retirement Planning Strategies available to ministers Keep Housing Allowance benefits in retirement What expenses qualify as ministry expenses? How to lower Social Security Liability And Much More............................... For more dates or information visit us at www.clergysupport.com     Click the date for info or to attend:   Thu, Jan 12, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM MST   Wed, Jan 18, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM MST   Tue, Jan 24,1:00 PM - 2:00 PM MST                               Chances are you and your staff have been overpaying taxes for years. The “Tax Free Money For Ministers Webinar,” developed by Steve Merriman and his 35 years of experience, explains how the three major tax advantages for clergy are so powerful in a comprehensive plan. Learn how to avoid the most common mistakes ministers and church staff make when planning for taxes and retirement and what you should do. The information can literally transform your finances and provide a tax free stream of income for life. See why this advice makes so much sense and has been so valuable to thousands of pastors over the years.          © 2007 Clergy Advantage, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Monday, January 2, 2012 - Happy New Year! Finishing Well It’s always our hope to finish well. Finishing is the best part of the race. But races are not a walk in the park.  They are a race. Races are grueling, exhausting, and stretch you beyond what you think you’re capable of doing. And many people stop... midway. As the year begins, many who are reading this are thinking “I just can’t do another year like 2011″. The temptation is there for you to stop... mid-race. Don’t do it. Maybe 2012 will bring some different circumstances.  A breakthrough.  A job change. A victory on something you’ve been working on for years. Or maybe it will suck, just like 2011. Who knows. But don’t quit. Don’t end the race poorly. End the race like Paul did.  With his head held high, knowing he did his level best. But don’t just quit ’cause it’s hard.  You were warned it would be hard when you started. Persevere.  Press on.  Finish the race. Contact Me | Follow me on Twitter | Facebook | Google+   - - - - - My Predictions for 2012 OK... it’s the first of the year... time for some of my predictions for the coming year.  Some of these are no-brainers... others... well, we’ll just have to wait and see. Here we go... Todd’s predictions for 2012: Ted Haggard. Ted Haggard will again get headlines for something we wish he wouldn’t.  (And his upcoming appearance on Wife Swap doesn’t even count).  I predict that Ted will say or do something this year that will make us all want to hide under a rock. Pat Robertson. Speaking of rocks, and our desire to stone someone, Pat Robertson will sometime this year, say something that will embarrass every Christian in this country.  It could be racial, it could be silly, but it most probably will be something that will again show the world that he should have given his broadcast chair to his son a few years ago. Perry Noble. I predict that Perry will get ‘really pumped’ about SOMETHING this year. You can see some more of my predictions for this year right here...   One of my new adventures this year is starting a new website that will help you better manage your church team and career. It's called ChurchJobs.tv. I'm really excited because I am going to have the chance to work side-by-side with my son on this new venture! If you're looking for a new staff member, ChurchJobs.tv will be a great resource for you. You'll be able to advertise your open positions and search resumes from qualified staff members all across the country. Plus you'll get access to our exclusive candidate tracker software that will help you access applicants, resumes, and hiring scenarios. If you're looking for a new place to serve, ChurchJobs.tv will offer you a chance to get your resume seen by people at churches that are actually hiring. You'll be able to search open positions by church size, position type, location... even zip code proximity. The new site will officially launch in the next few weeks, but I need your help getting things going. We need to start populating the database with openings and resumes... so... If your church has an opening, please take a moment to add it to our database (its absolutely free). If you do so this week, we'll include it in our email newsletter next week... so it will get some great exposure! (This email goes out to about 10,000 church leaders!) And... if you're looking for a new position, add your resume this week (for free) and I'll include a link to it in next week's email newsletter to get you going! If you know of a church that's hiring, please pass this information on to them. I'd love to fit as many openings in next week's email as possible. Add Your Church's Free Job Opening | Add Your Free Resume Our Staff Rarely Leave When the Word Leads Your Pastoral Search Senior Pastor Average Pay 4 Types of Church Staff Members Search Committees Unite! Before You Go: A Few Sneaky-Good Questions Every Minister Must Answer Before Moving to a New Church  What to Look for in a Pastor: A Guide for Pastoral Search Committees    Fifty Churches. Fifty Communities. 25,000 Lives Changed. One Month. What if your church could change the world? Every morning, eyes slowly open to another day without hope. Children are sick and weak. There is a constant struggle to find the most basic of human needs. From the depths of each soul, a cry of despair born from generations of poverty wells up and overflows in a slow flood of tears. It is a worldwide crisis, and it stems from a lack of safe water, proper sanitation and hope found only through the message of the true “Living Water.” The crisis is real. It steals the lives of 5,500 people each day- more than war, natural disasters, AIDS or even hunger. Yet, it rarely makes the headlines in the newspaper, nor does it circulate in water cooler conversations in the workplace. It is a silent killer - one that quietly preys on the world’s most marginalized and forgotten people. Water Sunday is the start of a conversation that ties your church communities to communities around the world that lack access to safe drinking water. In the process, transformation occurs in both those who receive the water and those who are a part of the process. God is lighting fires with water. For a promo video and resource guide on March's Water Sunday or to sign-up, go to the Water Sunday home page. [If you'd like to help sponsor the website and next week's email newsletter, click here to find out what's available.]   I enjoy finding and sharing stories that I think you'll be interested in... in fact, I read a few hundred rss feeds, blogs, Christian news sites, etc. every week to find all the most fascinating stuff to share. But some of the best ideas come from people just like you that see something that they think I may be interested in... A news story about a church... Something really awesome that's happening in their own church... A funny video or controversial article... So... this year, I wanted to make it easier to send great stuff to me. In fact, as you go about your day, and you find something that interests or fascinates you about the church world, I'd love for you to immediately think, "I've got to tell Todd!" And now you can do just that. Just go to TellTodd.com and let me know all the great stuff you're reading. It only takes a minute to let me know... and I'll be eternally grateful (or at least until tomorrow)! Also, if you've written something that you think would be great to feature on ToddRhoades.com as a guest article, you can also submit that right there at TellTodd.com. I'd love to hear from you! So remember... when you find something really cool... Tell Todd!   NEW! View all of these links in a cool slideshow! New Today: Paula White: "I'm Not Asking You to Like Me" Saturation Evangelism Todd's Predictions for 2012 LEADERSHIP finishing well It’s always our hope to finish well. Finishing is the best part of the race. LEADERSHIP 5 ways to grow as a leader 5 Simple Ways to Grow in your Leadership (from Catalyst Leader): LEADERSHIP plans “If your plan will only succeed if there is no turbulence at any time, it’s probably not a very good plan (either that or you’re not going anywhere interesting.)” LEADERSHIP mark batterson on 'circles' Mark Batterson, talking about his new book, The Circle Maker:  Praying Circles Around Your Greatest Dreams and Biggest Fears: LEADERSHIP 1956 and 2012 A look at huge (and not so huge) changes in the church in the last 50 years. CONTROVERSY pcusa sues church that wants to leave Legal showdown in PA between a denomination and one of their churches. CONTROVERSY pastor hosts kissing contest Pastor Maurice Johnson of Winners Church in Queen is using public kissing contests during services to help teach married couples how to keep romance alive in their marriages. His Sunday sermons have been described as the sexiest in town... CONTROVERSY poo pooing christmas Can you imagine that some Christians didn’t used to celebrate Christmas? And can you imagine that SOUTHERN BAPTISTS didn’t always embrace Christmas as a church observance? CONTROVERSY change sucks It’s true.  Change Sucks.  Ask some of the members of The Church At Carrollton, who are none too happy about change. CONTROVERSY too gay to play Most Holy Redeemer Church, a Catholic parish in the middle of the Castro, is in trouble again with church leaders over how best to minister to its heavily gay and lesbian congregation. CONTROVERSY rob bell's goodbye letter dear  mars hill, to all the brothers and  sisters of this church... CONTROVERSY church throw down Parishioners at New Salem Missionary Baptist Church watched as a brawl broke out right in the middle of service and now the police have launched an investigation. CURRENT EVENTS guns n roses christmas True.  Stevens Creek Church in Augusta, GA...had a Christmas wish for you... CURRENT EVENTS this makes me want to become a christian Thanks for chiding me into the Kingdom. CURRENT EVENTS goodbye 2011 OK... maybe you couldn’t show this in church on Sunday, but it’s a pretty good look back at 2011. CURRENT EVENTS no school on monday Things may be spiraling out of control at Eddie Long’s church in Atlanta.  They just announced that their Christian school will not reopen after the new year... yep... closing down mid-school year, giving parents less than a week to make other schooling arrangements.  CURRENT EVENTS paula white causes protests Some members of an Orlando area mega-church spent their Christmas protesting the possible appointment of a new pastor. HUMOR stella and ella pantomime christmas Merry belated Christmas. HUMOR don't make me sing We didn’t really make you sing.  In fact, we wish you hadn’t. MONEY how transparent is your church? So... how transparent is YOUR church in the area of giving and finances? STAFFING our staff rarely leave Kevin East thinks that employees will, of course, come and go... but when they leave your church or organization, it’s much better that they be ‘launched’ than ‘leave’. TECHNOLOGY 60% of us churchgoers like to text Americans who are members of religious groups are just as likely as others to use the internet, have broadband at home, use cell phones, use text messaging, and use social networking sites and Twitter. TECHNOLOGY where should i post? Finally... some sensical reasoning for when/when/why to post to social networking sites. TRENDS facebook = 1 in 7 minutes spent online One in every seven minutes online and three out of every four minutes on social networking sites are spent on Facebook. TRENDS props to the 95% Gallup finds that of those adhering to a religious identity, Americans who considered themselves Christian made up 95 percent of respondents. TRENDS 25% of christians are charismatic or pentecostal The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life published a demographic report this week on the size and distribution of the world’s Christian population and revealed that Pentecostals and charismatics make up more than a quarter of all Christians. TRENDS 30% of americans arrested by the age of 23 Surging arrests of American youths are up at an alarming 10 percent compared to ten years ago.  TRENDS what's your ultimate purpose? do you care? A recent LifeWay Research study found that Americans with even a slight curiosity about an ultimate purpose to life are more likely to participate in worship services, while half of those who never attend church never wonder about life’s ultimate purpose.

The purpose of this email is to motivate and inform pastors and church leaders on trends and resources regarding today's church. Visit my daily blog at ToddRhoades.com for more great articles and resources for pastors. We encourage you to forward this newsletter on to any of your friends or colleagues who you think might benefit from its content.

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This organized emphasis has spread across the country.  Though we're not emphasizing it this year, like we did last year, you may want to participate yourself.  Tune in to some of the free speakers in the Virtual Conference online.

It's also an example of how internet advances have helped churches do more, better.

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An internet outfit called BigCrumbs.com sent out an email blast giving everyone on their email list a Merry-Christmas $500 gift card.  Or so it seemed.  The email "award" and the followup "apology" are a lesson in human nature (we're all sinners, so it's hard to say, I was wrong) and a reminder about the challenge of clear communication. 

Here's the first email, then the (even worse!) mea culpa from their CEO.

FIRST EMAIL:

Greetings Drew,

1. BigCrumbs members randomly selected everyday through 12/16/2011.
2. Winners announced on the BigCrumbs forums and on our Facebook page @ http://www.facebook.com/BigCrumbsFans.
3. Check daily to see if you've won.

Right now, I'm going to make sure I haven't bought stock in BigCrumbs.com.  I can forgive but I can't forget.  It's human nature. 

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Hey Drew,

Real quick - I have a special announcement that is just for a select number of Senior Pastors in the Church Leader Insights family. Right now you can pick up 99 downloadable resources at HALF-OFF with CLI's annual Thanksgiving Sale.  This only happens once a year and I wanted you to be the first to know since you've picked up other resources.  Here's just a brief list of some of the resources: -              The Evangelism Seminar -              The Ignite Seminar -              The Strategy Seminar -              The Activate Seminar -              Developing a One Year Personal Growth Plan -              Reaching Your Community Through Servant Evangelism -              Starting a Second Service -              Starting a Saturday Night Service -              The Big Day -              Planning a One Year Preaching Calendar -              Managing the Stress of Ministry -              Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough -              Breaking the 125 Barrier (65, 250 and 500 Barrier resources also available at HALF-OFF) Click this link below to view ALL of the resources: http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/thanksgivingsale This sale ends Monday, November 28th.  So pick up your resources now. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving! Your partner in ministry, Nelson P.S. Have you heard about my NEW Senior Pastor Tele-coaching Network?  The Super Early Bird deadline is coming up quick (December 31st). Right now you can receive the Super Early Bird rate and additional bonus resources ($1245.00 value) that you receive when you're accepted: * The Breaking Growth Barriers Workshop PLUS Planning Worship Services for Life Transformation ($998 Value) * Free Webinar Passes for all CLI webinars between now and February (up to $147 value) * $100.00 Visa Gift Card from me for you and your spouse Also, for those of you (like me) who like details, here's even more info on the coaching network:  WHY SHOULD I CONSIDER THIS NETWORK? Here's a powerful question for you: What could you do over the next year that would dramatically impact the growth of your church and your personal growth as a leader more than this network? Imagine for a moment, what if your church could double over the next year and so could your personal effectiveness? What if you could consistently get everything done at the office, manage your staff well, see consistent growth and still get home on time for dinner and family fun each night? What would your life and church look like one year from now if your church grew by 25% and your effectiveness increased by 50%? I can't promise these results but I can say that they are typical of results I've seen in hundreds of pastors over the last six years. I would venture to say that there is no conference or set of conferences in the world nor is there a process offered by any other organization or denomination that is as proven as my coaching process. I'm not teaching you theory or stuff that I've only read about. I'm coaching you as a fellow practitioner who is in the trenches day after day leading a growing church in one of the most difficult cities in the world. In addition, the coaching process that I will lead you through is a proven process that has been effective with over 1,000 churches from 60+ denominations. ** Please keep reading for even more info, but if you are ready to apply now, click here to download your application or apply online: http://www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/telecoaching   WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY TELE-COACHING? Instead of you flying to my office in New York City or any other location where I'm doing an 'in person' coaching network, you will participate in this coaching network via your telephone and your computer. Think about it, you will experience the same network experience that others have experienced while SAVING THOUSANDS of dollars in travel costs and SAVING DOZENS OF HOURS on cross-country flights.   WHAT WILL I RECEIVE AS PART OF THIS NETWORK? The short answer...I will share every church growth and personal development principle I know and give you every resource I've developed to help you implement each principle. Don't worry, it will not be overwhelming...everything will be delivered in manageable bits over the course of the year.  All that said, here's the 'official list' of all that you receive: * Monthly hands-on coaching from Nelson Searcy. * A proven coaching process that leads to growth and health. * Over $1679 in FREE resources from Church Leader Insights PLUS special discounts on any new resources. * Unlimited email access to Nelson Searcy and the CLI team. * A monthly coaching environment where everyone is focused on a Kingdom agenda. * MP3s of each session for your review. NOTE: Even if you miss the exact date, you can listen to the network at your leisure. * FREE attendance at all live or web CLI training events during your network (up to $2550 value). * Private "call-in" times with Nelson Searcy to have your specific questions answered in more detail.  * A private day-long meeting with Nelson Searcy, exclusively for tele-coaching participants (location to be determined, a $2100 value). * The chance to grow and take your church to the next level * Plus much, much more As you can see, just the tangible benefits you will receive as part of this network will far outweigh you monthly financial investment. ** Please keep reading for even more info, but if you are ready to apply now, just complete the attached application or click here to apply online: http://www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/telecoaching   HOW LONG DOES THE NETWORK LAST? Each phone call is 90 minutes and we will meet monthly for one year. This is a big commitment but I want to make sure that we fully cover all 8 Church Systems and each of the 9 Growth Barriers I've outlined in my resources. You will complete the network with a personal library worth of church growth materials and personal development insights. Dare I say that this network is the equivalent of a doctorate in church leadership but I'll teach you the 'practical, will work tomorrow' stuff they don't teach in seminary!   WHAT WILL WE COVER? We will cover each of my eight systems of a healthy church plus issues related to personal development, time management and growth barriers. As a reminder, the eight systems are: Worship Planning - "How we plan, execute and evaluate the weekend service(s) at our church" Evangelism - "How we attract unchurched people to our church and mobilize our people for evangelism" Assimilation - "How we move people from first time guests to members at our church" Small Groups - "How we fill and reproduce small groups at our church." Stewardship - "How we develop extravagant givers at our church." Ministry/Volunteers - "How we mobilize people for significant ministry at our church." Leadership - "How we develop leaders at all levels at our church." Strategy - "How we constantly evaluate and improve our church"   WHAT ARE THE DATES AND TIMES OF THE CALLS? Each tele-coaching call will be from 11:00am - 12:30pm Eastern Time. Literally, you could call in to the network from anywhere in the world. Cool, huh? All the calls are on Thursdays. My research tells me this is the best day of the week but I also understand that you may have to adjust your schedule. Remember, each call is 90 minutes so even if you have to step out of a meeting or call in from home, it will not consume your entire day. Here are the dates: February 23, 2012 March 15, 2012 April 19, 2012 May 24, 2012 June 21, 2012 July 19, 2012 August 30, 2012 September 20, 2012 October 18, 2012 November 15, 2012 December 13, 2012 January 17, 2013   WHAT IF I CAN'T MAKE ALL THE DATES? I strongly encourage you to make every date a priority but I also know that ministry is messy and uncertain so I will record every session and you will receive the complete MP3's of each session within a day or two of meeting. If you attend, the MP3 is for your library and for your review. If you are unable to attend, you will still be able to gain the full experience.   TELL ME ABOUT THE GUARANTEE YOU MENTIONED? As I mentioned earlier, this network is not for everyone but if you choose to apply and you are accepted, I would like to offer you a no-hassle, no questions asked guarantee. Here it is: I'm so confident that you will find this Network beneficial that any time prior to the fourth monthly meeting (May 24) you can call my office and tell me that this network isn't benefiting your church or your leadership ability and I will refund everything you have invested, including any long distance costs you might have incurred. Plus, you can keep any of the resources, MP3s or seminar materials that you have received to date. In other words, I want to remove any fear you might have in joining this network. You can try it for three months with absolutely NO RISK!   WHAT IS THE FINANCIAL INVESTMENT? I have tried to keep the monthly investment in this network as low as possible. But remember, you are receiving thousands of dollars of resources, free passes to my seminars, email support and private consulting. At the same time, you are saving thousands of dollars in hotel, flight costs, rental car expenses, gas, etc. That said, the Super Early Bird monthly investment is $247 per month (save $1,200.00!) Once you are accepted, your credit card will be charged for the first two months. Most people tell me that the network pays for itself within 6 months. Imagine what it would mean for your church if your offerings increase 10% a week or even 25% a week - most see this type of increase in the network . . .many see their offerings increase by more. Think of this network as an investment . . . you invest the monthly amount on faith and in return you position yourself for much greater increase. ** Please keep reading for even more info, but if you are ready to apply now, just complete the attached application or click here to apply online: http://www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/telecoaching   WHAT WILL WE DO EACH MONTH? In addition to the monthly call, you will be assigned to read or listen to one of my resources plus another book (generally, a business book with clear application to ministry). While the network will stretch you to grow, study and read, it will not be overwhelming. I'll help you prioritize so you can get the most from the network. At the same time, there will be opportunities for you to share your ideas and learnings from the network plus you'll be able to submit prayer requests and ask questions to me and everyone else in the network.   WHAT HAVE BEEN THE RESULTS OF PAST NETWORKS? While I certainly can't guarantee that our network will in any way produce the same fruit as previous networks, I can share what I've seen God do in the past! I've seen: *Churches that have been declining for years to start growing *Churches double in a year *Churches set baptism or evangelism records *Pastors become so effective that they never miss a day off again *Pastors wives write me letters and emails thanking me for helping their husband I could keep going but let me allow some of my coaching alumni pastors to share their results: "I can be a tight wad and was very reluctant to join. Our church had gone no where in years, really lacking the systems to get from point A to point B. Since I joined our church has been totally transformed, we have a strategy and systems that are getting in place. Our attendance has probably doubled, our finances have grown and people are excited about what is going on. It has brought a tremendous clarity in my leadership and people can see where we are going. I would highly recommend giving yourself a year of super charged growth." - Devon Davoux, Cornerstone Church, Vermillion, SD "The tele-coaching network has proven to be very valuable tool. First, walking through the eight church systems has helped me not only improve existing systems in our church, but also completely recreate some systems that simply were not working. The material covered is immensely practical and applicable to church of any type. Simply being in a coaching network has encouraged me to set aside more time for strategic planning and vision casting for our church, something that too often was pushed to the back burner during the business of the week." - Jeff Smith, Real Life Community Church, Bel Air, MD "My time in Nelson's tele-coaching network has been a gift from God in helping me understand the systems of our church and areas that need help and change. The information is always valuable and practical. At times it can be overwhelming as I try to take it all in at once. But over time I know that much of what I am learning is sinking in and bearing fruit. I look forward to the rest of my time in the network and to being part of another one in the near future." - Jon Beyer, First Lutheran Church, Hot Springs, AR "Nelson's coaching has helped crystallize several leadership principles into hands-on, step by step actions. Our church has seen growth in leadership depth, volunteerism and risk taking. I would recommend this coaching network to anyone who wants to see their church grow and flourish." - Jon Quitt, Vineyard Community Church, Tuscaloosa, AL "I know this sounds exaggerated but this network literally saved my ministry. I was about to quit the pastorate after 24 years but I decided to give this network a try. It was my last hope. We have seen an explosion in growth the past four months of this network and our giving is at record highs. We have even hired on a new staff member since beginning the network. This network is a MUST!." - Sheldon Boyd, Cornerstone Community Nazarene, Chino, CA "This seminar has taken me to another level of leadership as a senior pastor. It has given me a stronger, birds-eye view of what is necessary for our church to be healthy. It has also taught me how to implement changes that will facilitate health in each key area of our church. This seminar will grow you and provide you will invaluable resources you can share with your whole team." - Chad McCartney, Grace Bible Church, Laredo, TX   WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS NETWORK? As you've probably heard me say, I believe that God has called me to help 100 church leaders reach 1000 people over the next 10 years. This is one of the ways I believe God wants to accomplish this vision. Can you imagine what it would look like for you to grow by 20%, 30% or even 100% or more over the next few years? This network is not about me, I've struggled long and hard about whether or not I should invest the time in doing it, but I believe God is up to something so I *have* to do it. I hope you'll join me in what God is doing.   WHAT ARE YOUR CREDENTIALS? Nelson is the Lead Pastor of The Journey Church of the City in New York City, a multi-site, multicultural church that he started in 2002 which in four years grew from 2 people to over 1200 attending each weekend with over 1400 in small groups. In addition, over 700 people have been baptized! He is the author of 6 books and over 75 church growth resources. An in demand church growth coach, he has coached over 800 pastors since 2004, many of which have seen their church double in size and several that have grown from a few hundred to over 2500+ in attendance. Nelson is gifted to coach pastors from a variety of denominations . . . from Baptist to Non Denominational to Vineyard. 60+ Denominations have experience results from his coaching. His coaching networks fill up fast and often have long waiting lists. Prior to coming to NYC, he was the founding director of The Purpose Driven Network at Saddleback Church with Rick Warren.   HOW DO I PARTICIPATE? Please complete the application and return it to my office ASAP. I am reviewing applications right now and will review your application and let you know as soon as possible but please bear with me. We are receiving greater response to this network than any other network I've offered. ** If you are ready to apply now, just complete the attached application or click here to apply online: http://www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/telecoaching Let me know if you have any questions - just reply to this email or call Scott at 800-264-5129 ext 4.   Nelson Searcy, Lead Pastor The Journey Church of the City Founder, www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com

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Warning! By clicking the link below you will be permanently unsubscribed from all lists and will no longer receive any resources, articles, podcasts, newsletters, etc. Proceed with caution!

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From Yahoo Answers, this sounds exactly like what an Apple tech support guy told me a couple of months ago:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20111013223248AAK8VWA

Here’s what it says at that link:

Try this... Perform a normal sync and check your iTunes to make sure everything was synced in the right places like the tabs at the top of your "summary" when you plug in your iPhone to iTunes.  If everything is there and all the right boxes are checked for the stuff you want to save, then …

Put your phone into recovery mode by keeping it plugged into your computer with iTunes still up and running.  Next you want hold down the power button AND the home key button (the big button on the bottom part of your screen) AT THE SAME TIME.  Your phone will go thru 4 different screens before you can let them go.

U will see your normal power off slider screen, then a black screen, then a black screen with an apple logo, then finally a screen with the iTunes logo and a picture of a sync cable below it. Once you see this screen LET BOTH BUTTONS GO but not before you see this screen.

Your computer will tell you that it has detected an iPhone in recovery mode, say ok. Then hit the restore button on your iTunes summary screen, it should then ask you if you want to restore from a backup and update, say yes.... And at the end of its restoring and uploading you should have iOS 5!!

You may need to re sync your iTunes media at the end of it but that's fairly straight forward... Just sync it. Hope that helps... Btw my references are that I'm Apple Product Professional certified as well as an expert in Apple for an electronics distribution company.

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Dear Pastor, We're coming up on one of the most important evangelistic opportunities of the year: Christmas Eve. Some are saying Christmas Eve is even bigger than Easter in terms of attendance in their area. I know this: Christmas is a great time to reach people. It's the only time Christian music is playing in the mall and the unchurched are singing along! But every year I hear about Pastors who missed this golden opportunity to reach people. Why? They didn't plan far enough ahead. They weren't ready for the people who made decisions. And the moment was gone. I don't want that to happen to you. That's why I'm leading 3 FREE webinars next week called, "Double your Decisions this Christmas". I'm going to show you 5 simple but strategic ways you can double the number of decisions people make in your church during the Christmas season (and especially on Christmas Eve)! The secret sauce for an explosive Christmas is to be prepared to maximize this day so you can reach the most people possible. This FREE webinar will give you the tools to do that. The webinars are happening next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (November 15, 16, and 17 @ 3PM EST). I'm going to share with you everything I know to help you make this your most explosive Christmas yet! If you're interested, hop on your sled and head to http://christmas.outreachninja.com Pick which time is convenient for you and you're on your way to having the biggest Christmas services in your church's history! Blessings, Bob Bob Franquiz Senior Pastor Calvary Fellowship www.calvarywired.com www.outreachninja.com . . .  opt out link Church Strategies 5803 NW 151 St. #207 Miami Lakes, Florida 33014 United States (305) 822-7000

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October 12, 2011 Dear Saddleback Family, We are in the midst of one of the most challenging and unusual economic climates we have ever experienced. That’s why I started a series two weeks ago on the biblical laws of money management. I am concerned about your family’s financial fitness. If you’re upside down on your mortgage, deeply in debt, struggling to make ends meet, or just concerned with managing your money well, this is a series you won’t want to miss. Watch this video to hear more about this series and why it’s so important for not only you, but your friends and family as well. We’ll see you this weekend!

Saddleback Church Purpose Driven Network P.E.A.C.E. Coalition

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Dear Pastor, As leaders we all make mistakes. That's the occupational hazard of leadership. Mistakes. Happen. But there are some mistakes that happen needlessly that inflict all kinds of damage to our church and our potential to reach people. I call them the "Buzz" killing mistakes. Here they are: 1. Thinking that "Buzz" happens by accident. 2. Not realizing the momentum that "buzz" brings 3. Missing strategic moment that create buzz for your church There are lot more. But I think you'll agree that these 3 are whoppers! This month in Outreach Ninja, we have best selling author Mark Hughes (author of Buzz Marketing) who is going to teach you the principles of buzz and how to get your community talking about your church. In short, our goal is to make your church your community's WORST kept secret. Learning the principles of buzz from Mark is like learning the ways of the Force from Jedi Master Yoda. "A great opportunity, it is" - feel free to say that in your best Yoda voice (ha!) That's why there's never been a better time to join Outreach Ninja. Here's the great part: This month, you can test drive 100% of Outreach Ninja for 50% of the investment. There's over $600 in bonuses you receive when you join as well. If you're interested, grab your lightsaber and head over to www.outreachninja.com/testdrive Blessings, Bob Bob Franquiz Senior Pastor Calvary Fellowship www.calvarywired.com . . .

 

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The Mormons are beginning a TV ad campaign to answer questions about who they are. (USA Today article:  http://bit.ly/oCsDut)

But, among the many things the Mormon ad campaign won't tell you is their wacky concept of God. (Mormons are usually fine people with really messed-up and dangerous beliefs.)

Mormonism teaches that God was, at one time, not God!

Instead, God the Father is a resurrected, "exalted" human being. He was once a mortal man on another planet. Then, through obedience to the precepts of his God, eventually attained exaltation, or godhood. They call it "eternal progression."

The Mormon God has a body of flesh and bone and thus is neither spirit nor omnipresent (everywhere, the time).

Since "God" (whom they call Elohim) progressed from a human state to "god-hood" -- we can too. Our "basic essence" is as eternal as God's and was not created by God.

Mormons believe we were once a spirit and now have been given the opportunity to receive physical bodies, pass through mortality, and eventually progress to godhood. If human beings on earth faithfully obey the precepts of Mormonism they, too, can attain godhood.

Some Mormon scholars teach that our spirits are "organized" by God through "spirit birth." In this process, human spirits are somehow organized through literal sexual relations between our Heavenly Father and a mother god -- so God has sexual relations that produce "spirit children"

Since the God of Mormonism was himself organized (or spirit-birthed) by his God, who himself is a "creation" of yet another God, and so on forever, Mormonism teaches that the God over this world is one of a long line of gods.

This is why Joseph Smith said, "Hence, if Jesus had a Father, can we not believe that He had a Father also? . . . I will preach the plurality of the Gods."

Brigham Young said, "How many Gods there are, I do not know. But there never was a time when there were not Gods and worlds."

More information and documentation for this article can be found at:

http://bit.ly/oCsDut

http://www.thethreshingfloor.com/cults.htm#Mormonism

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Date: Mon, Sep 12, 2011 at 9:32 AM
Subject: It's FREE! Take Out Conference
To: drewhayes1@gmail.com

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Your community needs your church.  Your church needs your community.    You can bridge the gap!   As a church leader you are constantly facing the challenge of bridging the gap between your church and the community your heart desires to reach.  You have an incredible opportunity to face that challenge with more confidence than ever before.  We believe in your vision and want to see it become reality.     INJOY Stewardship Solutions (ISS) and NorthStar Church are proud to present the absolutely FREE Take Out Conference October 25-26.  At this event you will learn proven strategies and methods for taking ministry to local school systems, under-resourced areas, and the business sector.   Expect to leave this event equipped to: Connect with local officials Reach out to schools effectively Host epic community events Get business leaders engaged Create a culture of generosity Fund the vision  Your church and community are counting on you.  Give them hope.  Learn how at Take Out Conference.  Space is limited.  Don't miss out.  Register HERE!            Tuesday 10/25 afternoon -Wednesday 10/26 noon Click here for schedule details NorthStar Church 3413 Blue Springs Road Kennesaw, GA 30144

Forward email This email was sent to drewhayes1@gmail.com by conferences@injoystewardship.com |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. INJOY Stewardship Solutions | 3594 Baxley Point Drive | Suwanee | GA | 30024

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Your community needs your church.  Your church needs your community.    You can bridge the gap!   As a church leader you are constantly facing the challenge of bridging the gap between your church and the community your heart desires to reach.  You have an incredible opportunity to face that challenge with more confidence than ever before.  We believe in your vision and want to see it become reality.     INJOY Stewardship Solutions (ISS) and NorthStar Church are proud to present the absolutely FREE Take Out Conference October 25-26.  At this event you will learn proven strategies and methods for taking ministry to local school systems, under-resourced areas, and the business sector.   Expect to leave this event equipped to: Connect with local officials Reach out to schools effectively Host epic community events Get business leaders engaged Create a culture of generosity Fund the vision  Your church and community are counting on you.  Give them hope.  Learn how at Take Out Conference.  Space is limited.  Don't miss out.  Register HERE!            Tuesday 10/25 afternoon -Wednesday 10/26 noon Click here for schedule details NorthStar Church 3413 Blue Springs Road Kennesaw, GA 30144

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Nancy Beach poses questions to Bill that have been submitted by other WCA senior pastors.

The questions are not necessarily connected in any way, but most of the ones received could be separated into several different buckets: the economy, self-leadership, multi-site, evangelism and social activism and church growth, said Beach.

THE TALKING POINTS OUTLINE for the podcast - (Get it here: http://bit.ly/rnyoF1)

Summary in pdf here: http://bit.ly/qwfbS1

Ask Bill 

Summary 

Recently, Defining Moments contacted 400 randomly chosen pastors and invited them to submit a question 

that they’d like Willow Creek Community Church senior pastor Bill Hybels to answer. In this edition of Defining 

Moments, host Nancy Beach asks Bill their questions on topics ranging from the economic crisis to 

evangelism and leadership development. 

Outline 

The Economic Crisis 

What advice can you give to pastors who are trying to forecast (e.g. buying property, building buildings) 

during this economic climate? 

• Bill has never seen the kind of economic condition we’re in right now, and his friends who work in the 

financial industry have varying opinions on how long the crisis might last and how bad it could get. 

• Leaders can’t predict what’s going to happen, but they do have to operate in the future. 

o If you’re not ahead of where your church is going, that’s a problem for the whole church. 

o Follow the advice of Jesus in Matthew 10:16 to be “wise as serpents, gentle as doves.” 

• Certain eras of leadership call for conservatism, keeping a lot of cash in reserves so you can weather 

a storm. 

• There are other times when the Holy Spirit prompts you to launch aggressive initiatives, and He’s 

going to provide in ways that you’ll be talking about with your grandkids. 

• It’s each leader’s job to gather the team, to fast and pray, to look into the future as best you can, to 

listen to promptings, and to move as God leads. 

How do you navigate these difficult economic times when fewer resources are coming into the church while 

the need to serve “the least of these” seems to grow exponentially with each passing day? 

• We have to remind ourselves that not everybody is affected by this downturn. 

o It’s easy to listen to the news and assume that not a single person has a dime left to their 

name, but that’s not true. 

o There are some industries that are way more affected than others, but there’s still commerce 

going on and there are still people who have jobs and who have done wise investing. 

• Although perhaps not as dramatically as right now, there have been times before when more people 

were coming to the church for help because they had lost their jobs, but giving to the church had 

gone down because people had lost their jobs.  

• In those times, the challenge has to go to the people who are less affected, those who have been 

great stewards and have reserves — it’s time to ask people who have only been inconvenienced a 

little to step up. March 2009 Defining Moments Process Tool | 2 

• It’s also time to tell people who have had the rug pulled out from under them, sometimes through no 

fault of their own, that they need to have the humility to tell the church that they need help, perhaps 

for the first time in their lives. 

Multi-Site Ministry 

How do you discern if your church has grown to a point where you need to consider going multi-site? 

• Some churches cannot grow simply because they can’t park one more car or add more seating, or 

because of zoning regulations or the cost of land — yet, the Spirit of God is working in a robust way 

in their church, and they know they still have a lot of “up” left in their ministry. 

• That’s the best reason to go multi-site. 

• What makes Bill nervous is when churches with half-empty buildings want to go multi-site as a 

growth strategy. 

o If you can’t grow your congregation to the point where it’s filling the facility you’re in, you 

probably shouldn’t run out and expect that you’re going to fill four or five others. 

o Arguments can be made that the other side of town needs an expression of your ministry, 

and that may be true, but your side of town needs your ministry too. 

What are your most recent learnings from your multi-site strategy, and what would you say to those who are a 

few years behind you in the journey? 

• Willow’s recent learnings are that these multi-site venues require a committed core for r them to be 

viable, as well as a facility that will lead to growth and not instantaneous frustration. 

• Adding sites involves operational complexity that often gets underestimated, which happened at 

Willow. 

o Willow had staff and resources at their disposal, but when they launched three sites back to 

back, the complexity of all that was involved operationally just about brought them to their 

knees. 

o They put a freeze on the launch of their fourth site until they built the muscles necessary to 

know how to think with a multi-site mindset. 

o They had to figure out how to deliver high-caliber children’s ministry, junior high ministry, 

senior high ministry, small groups, and pastoral care across all the venues. 

• They’ve taken a slower growth approach than some churches that have launched far more regionals. 

o Willow hasn’t had a failed site yet, and right now they have a quarter of their total weekend 

attendance (just under 6,000) in regionals. 

o Their strategy has been consistent with the ethic around Willow and Bill’s personality as a 

calculated risk-taker. 

o When a ministry experiment goes wrong, real people get hurt. 

o Bill would rather launch well-planned-out regionals with great leadership, a strong core, and 

a good capitalization plan so they have the highest probability of succeeding long-term. 

Church Plant Boards 

I am a leader of a new church, started two and a half years ago. I am sure of the direction that God has given 

me, but the board keeps pushing me in a different direction. How do I handle this in a Christ-like manner? 

• This leader is only two years in and is already having trouble with the board, which begs the question 

of how the board was formed, and why there wouldn’t have been greater efforts to make sure 

everyone was on the same page before that point. March 2009 Defining Moments Process Tool | 3 

• Bill would have to have a longer conversation with this pastor to give wiser counsel, but in general, 

his opinion is that start-up pastors shouldn’t assign elders or board members too quickly. 

o If you put people into positions of power before your vision is stabilized and taken on its 

identity, you’re likely to end up with people in those positions who want to change that vision. 

o Bill’s general rule of thumb is to try to let a church plant be staff driven for at least two years 

and then carefully put together an ad hoc financial advisory team (not a board of directors) 

who can contribute on a project basis. 

o The pastor can also at that point put together a vision team to talk about the future vision of 

the church, but they should serve at the request of the founding pastor for a period of time. 

o When it all gets stabilized, there’s good unity, and you know who you can depend on as 

senior leaders, then you can start inviting these people into these positions that you will be 

accountable to long-term. 

o When you let the church be staff driven for the first two years, you can see who’s on board 

and who isn’t, and let the vision play out for a while so people know what they’re signing up 

for. 

Church Growth 

How should those who have ministered faithfully but can’t seem to get their own churches to grow very much 

feel in this era of mega-churches? 

• Bill struggles with this question because there are thousands of pastors in places all over the world 

who will never see what Bill has seen in his years at Willow. 

o Some of them are in rural areas with small populations, and a mega-church there would 

mean having 100 people. 

o There are other people who are in under-resourced communities where they’ll never be able 

to hire a staff or build a building. 

• The prophet Jeremiah was given a very difficult ministry from God — to try to convince a rebellious 

people to stop rebelling. 

o Every time Jeremiah would open his mouth, he would wind up in stocks or getting beaten or 

thrown in the bottom of a cistern. 

o Then, he gets hauled off to captivity and writes the book of Lamentations. 

o From what we know from the Scriptures, his life never resulted in any kind of record-setting 

ministry. 

o He wouldn’t have been a conference speaker or a book writer, and yet he was every bit as 

faithful to God as someone who gets a different kind of assignment. 

• For reasons Bill will never understand, God put Willow in suburban Chicago during its most explosive 

period of growth. 

o All they had to do to grow the church numerically was do a decent ministry in an exploding 

community. 

o There are so many people who love God as much as Bill does who get a different kind of 

assignment, and they cannot measure their success against mega-churches. 

• The ultimate measure of success is being able to answer yes to these two questions: 

o Did I hear God’s mission for my life accurately? 

o Am I carrying it out faithfully? 

• If you answer yes to those two questions, then you’re going to hang out with Jeremiah and others 

who have had a hard ministry and there’s going to be rejoicing for the rest of eternity. March 2009 Defining Moments Process Tool | 4 

Ministering over the Long Haul 

How have you kept your preaching, thinking, and ministry ideas fresh through the decades?

• You don’t stay fresh without doing twice as much reading as you’d like to do. 

• You don’t stay fresh unless you’re interacting with some very bright, thought-provoking people who 

keep pushing you toward grander thoughts and intellectually rigorous ideas. 

• You make a choice about how you’re going to spend your normal day, your normal week, and your 

normal month, and you make those decisions hoping that they will result in a consistent 

replenishment of your mind and thought life. 

• Bill goes to things he wouldn’t normally go to just to try to get a new thought. 

• He reads things late at night when he’d rather just be reading a sailing magazine. 

• Part of staying fresh is enormous intentionality. 

• Bill has never been someone who just coasts. 

o It might be from growing up in the family he did or a wiring or temperament thing. 

o If he feels like he is coasting for more than a 24-hour period, he feels unfit to live with 

himself. 

o Certain personalities are given to too much coasting, and others to too much challenging, 

and Bill is the latter. 

o A lot of this is self-knowledge. 

o If you tend to over-challenge yourself, you need to take a chill pill once in a while. 

o If you’re taking too many chill pills, you probably ought to ratchet up the challenge factor for a 

while. 

From being in ministry for a long time, what are some of the challenges of longevity? 

• For the first 15 years of his ministry, Bill thought everything was a sprint — he didn’t think about 

sustainability. 

• That thinking eventually ran its course, and sustainability became more important to Bill than 

longevity, because God is the one to determine his longevity. 

• Bill doesn’t know if he has 10 more days or 10 more years, but he has to take responsibility for doing 

ministry in a sustainable way. 

o If Bill is doing the work of God at a pace that destroys the work of God in him, that’s trouble. 

o Bill has to monitor this all the time. 

o He has to find a pace of doing the work of God so that His work in Bill can be renewed, so 

he’s leading from a full bucket rather than an empty one. 

• Bill remembers talking to a pastor of a large church who had been working at a break-neck pace for 

years, and that pastor’s deepest yearning was for the day when he would be done. 

o That seemed strange to Bill; it seemed to him that after that pastor had put all those years 

into building this fantastic church for the glory of God that he’d want to do it for as long as 

God gave him breath. 

o The pastor didn’t feel that way; he wished it would all be over tomorrow. 

o Bill challenged him and said that he thought he was doing something wrong — he had to 

delegate more or take a vacation or use different gifts — because the Bible indicates that 

living in step with the Spirit leads to life and peace (Romans 8:6). 

o He should be feeling a sense of vitality in what he does and a lower level of anxiety about 

whether or not he can keep it up. 

o When Bill starts feeling the signs of a loss of vitality, he asks himself if he’s in step with the 

Spirit and if he’s doing too much or too little. March 2009 Defining Moments Process Tool | 5 

o Bill also has to consider if he can see himself continuing with enough inner tranquility that he 

hopes he gets to continue for another five or 10 years. 

• Pay attention to the life and peace you feel in your life. 

• Pay attention to the escapist thoughts you have, because they’re communicating some message in 

your inner person that you need to hear and use to make adjustments and have a good run. 

Politics 

You were a friend of Bill Clinton; will you be a friend of Barack Obama? 

• Bill has not asked to be a friend of Barack Obama. 

• They’ve corresponded but not met personally, and it’s not something Bill intends to pursue. 

• If God wants to have their paths cross, he’s open to that. 

Learning from Churches Around the World 

As you travel all over the world, what have you learned from the churches around the world that you think 

American and Canadian church leaders should know? 

• After traveling for as much as he has for the last 25 years, Bill is still surprised how powerfully God 

speaks to him when he sees God work in another culture. 

• Bill recently returned from a trip to Central and South America where he visited some churches that 

are in deplorable conditions. 

• The lesson that hits him with the greatest frequency is that when there’s an anointing on a pastor or a 

pastoral team, the circumstances don’t matter very much. 

• Sometimes pastors in resourced countries get the “if only” complex — if only they had that sound 

system or could build that building or hire that many staff or had a bigger budget, they could have 

real ministry happen. 

• You can have real ministry happen with virtually nothing; it’s not dependent on all the stuff. 

• Bill mentors 50 of Willow’s staff members for an hour every Wednesday, and at a recent meeting, he 

asked if they’d still show up if their salaries all went away. 

o One of the senior staff members said that he would be willing to work at a convenience store 

to support himself so he could still do his job at the church. 

o It’s a calling to him, and he wouldn’t have to be paid to work every bit as hard as he’s 

working right now. 

o Bill sees that spirit around the world. 

ƒ Nancy’s husband Warren recently visited a pastor in Costa Rica whose church was 

substantially affected by an earthquake. 

ƒ The church staff has not been able to receive their salaries since the earthquake, but 

they’ve continued to serve their congregation just like when they were paid. 

• Bill loves being reminded that what we’re in is not just a profession. 

o Church work has become an industry. 

o You can earn a six-figure salary and drive a big car and live in beautiful places in this 

industry now, but there’s never been any other era of church history in which anyone went 

into it thinking that they could live even a middle-class lifestyle. 

o They chose it because they couldn’t avoid it, because the Spirit of God was on them so 

strong. 

o Things have changed, and Bill sees, for example, young worship pastors who want a high 

salary and equipment and a recording contract and time off to tour. March 2009 Defining Moments Process Tool | 6 

o That’s something that Bill wants to keep straight in his own spirit and talk to his staff about on 

a continuing basis so there’s no sense of Kingdom entitlement. 

o He doesn’t want there to be a loss of awareness about the kind of world we live in and the 

privilege it is to do ministry in a resourced world when our counterparts are doing ministry 

with as much, if not more, joy in totally different conditions. 

Strategic Decisions at Willow  

What are the three to five most strategically important decisions you’ve made in the history of Willow Creek, 

either personally or corporately? 

• The first strategically important decision was deciding on what their ministry model and philosophy 

was going to be right from the beginning. 

o They had the advantage of having a three-year youth group experience in which they 

decided they wanted to build an Acts 2 church. 

o In hindsight, having that clarity from the moment they opened the doors at the movie theater 

where they first met was strategically critical. 

o They knew they wanted to help people far from God come to faith in Christ and to grow them 

up to be fully devoted followers. 

o They wanted them to be able to experience biblical community and put a serving towel over 

their arms. 

o They had a model in their heads that came right out of the pages of Scripture, and being 

clear on that from day one and not wavering over the decades has been a more important 

decision than most can imagine. 

o Bill wonders how many churches start and they don’t really have a clearly-thought-through 

model in their mind or a picture of what they’re trying to become, so they start holding 

services and then some opinionated person bends them one way and another opinionated 

person bends them another way. 

o Bill often uses the illustration of three best friends deciding one day to start a restaurant. 

ƒ At first, they’re all excited but then they have to start making decisions. 

ƒ The first friend may want it to be a fast-food restaurant, the second wants fine dining, 

and the third wants Mexican. 

ƒ That’s where the real heartbreak happens — not in the general concept of starting 

the restaurant but in the specifics of what kind of restaurant. 

o They were clear on not only did they want to start a church, but they wanted to start an Acts 

2 biblically functioning community that helped lost people find Christ and found people grow 

up. 

• A second strategically important decision was an almost maniacal commitment to a team orientation. 

o They empowered teams of people from day one. 

o They couldn’t hire staff, so they empowered volunteers. 

o They knew it wasn’t a one-man show; they were going to play toward people’s gifts and 

strengths and let them lead and participate on teams. 

o It’s second nature for them to think of the church being built on teams, but that’s not the 

reality for many people around the world. 

• Another strategic decision they made was to empower women. 

o Willow would be very different if they hadn’t made the early decision to have woman leaders, 

teachers, and elders. March 2009 Defining Moments Process Tool | 7 

Evangelism and Social Activism  

In the 1960s and early 1970s, many mainline Protestant churches lost sight of the historic gospel and 

replaced it with a social gospel. In reaction, fundamentalism and evangelicalism in the 1980s and 1990s did a 

pendulum swing to the point of ignoring social issues. Now it seems that there is a new evangelicalism that 

embraces people’s needs for both forgiveness and food. What can we do this time to make sure that we don’t 

again allow social concerns to overshadow spiritual concerns? 

• You need the right vocabulary, because language really matters. 

• The right words can cause you to do a quick mental adjustment. 

• A phrase that Willow has used for many years is “holistic gospel” — the whole message of Christ for 

the whole person, which covers people’s redemption and the restoration of a broken world. 

• They talk about wanting to “redeem and restore.” 

• Keeping phrases like that in mind can help keep you in balance. 

• The pendulum swing is a part of human nature. 

o Say a ministry starts doing wonderful work with social justice and compassion issues. 

o People get fired up and go from one challenge to the next and one success to another. 

o It’s not failure that leads to pendulum swing; it’s often success. 

o You start getting further and further on that adrenaline rush of seeing fruit born in that area. 

o Recently, Willow baptized around a hundred people, and there was shouting and celebration 

for friends getting baptized, and it made Bill feel like all he wanted to do was evangelism for 

the next year. 

In our attempts to be relevant and missional, do you think evangelicals are doing a good job of sharing the 

gospel? 

• Bill is concerned that we’re losing our focus on evangelism. 

• One of the things that Bill has written about before is a kind of barter that some people do with God. 

o Say a believer is out there trying to share their faith every day, and they realize after months 

or years of evangelistic frustration, they haven’t seen any movement in anyone, let alone 

anyone falling to their knees and praying the sinner’s prayer. 

o So, they make a little adjustment in their head, and they tell God that they can’t live with the 

frustration anymore, that they’re just not good at evangelism. 

o They hope that if they work in a food pantry or do a short-team serving project that God will 

let them off the hook on evangelism. 

o They decide they don’t have to worry about the redemption side anymore because they’re on 

the restoration side. 

o Sometimes when Bill talks to people who are maniacs about restoration and asks them 

about evangelism, it catches them off guard — they don’t read about evangelism or pray for 

their lost friends anymore. 

o It’s quite possible to rather innocently gravitate toward something that’s more certain to pay 

off in satisfaction. 

ƒ When you serve in a food kitchen, people are fed, and you feel good. 

ƒ If you try to talk to your neighbor about God and hear his drunken tirade and 

resistance to the gospel, it’s less satisfying. 

• Christians have to have their heads in the Scriptures. 

o If Bill has any sense of equilibrium about this, it’s because he spends a lot of his devotion 

time in the Gospels. 

o Bill watches Jesus move effortlessly from the redemption side to the restoration side.  March 2009 Defining Moments Process Tool | 8 

o If Bill can stay close enough to the image of what Jesus did, maybe his swings won’t be as 

wide. 

If the church could truly become a missional organism in the coming decade, what do you think it could look 

like 10 years from now? 

• Bill believes the church is operating on a fraction of its missional potential. 

• If you have 100 people in a church, there are probably only 15 of them who are on mission, actually 

living it out outside of the church. 

• If the worldwide church only doubled its current missional engagement, you would feel like a 

revolution happened; it would take your breath away. 

• Every once in a while, Bill runs into churches that are operating at an abnormally high missional 

engagement level, and you can feel it when you walk the halls. 

• All pastors have to look in the mirror and ask themselves if they’re setting the bar of missional 

engagement high enough. 

• People don’t drift into missional engagement. 

• Pastors have to challenge them and then they will respond or not. 

Cohabitation 

How does Willow treat the issue of people who are living together outside of marriage who want one of the 

pastors to perform their wedding ceremony? 

• Bill has wrestled with that question for his entire ministerial life. 

• There are two ways he looks at it. 

o If a couple comes to Bill and says that they’re living together and want him to marry them, he 

tries to discover if this is a lost couple who doesn’t know better. 

ƒ If they are, and Bill says no, they’re just going to go to the justice of the peace and 

get it done. 

ƒ They’ll probably be put off by the fact that Bill wouldn’t do it, and they’ll think that he 

thinks he’s better than them or something like that. 

ƒ Bill considers the risk of losing the opportunity to engage this couple in a process 

where they could eventually come to Christ and realize what they had done wrong. 

o If they are Christians who know better and are living in clear defiance of the spirit of God’s 

work in their lives, then Bill needs to challenge them. 

ƒ He might say that he won’t marry them unless they spend a certain amount of time 

living in separate residences and honoring God in their relationship. 

ƒ They’re asking him to put a blessing on their marriage in hopes that God will honor 

it, but how do they anticipate God honoring their marriage if they’re dishonoring God 

leading up to the marriage? 

• Bill’s sensitivity to the lost couples may be part of his evangelism gift. 

o Bill wants to be very gentle with how he has a conversation with a young couple whose 

parents lived together and all their friends are living together, who must be seeking at least a 

little because they came onto the church campus. 

• There’s a lot of room for honorable disagreement here. 

o Some pastors are more prophetic in their ministry, and they feel their role is to confront every 

one of these situations in the same way. 

o Bill’s evangelism lens doesn’t change the reality of what the Bible teaches; it changes how 

he delivers the truth of the gospel to people who are in seeking mode. March 2009 Defining Moments Process Tool | 9 

Leadership Development 

How do you do leadership development? 

• Bill calls his weekly meeting with 50 Willow leaders the “top 50 meeting,” because he wants everyone 

in that room to know that he considers them to be among the top 50 leaders at Willow. 

• Bill purposefully differentiates them from other people in the organization, and he doesn’t really care 

if that creates a little tension. 

• He wants there to be a little stir so people know that he spends an hour a week with the top 50 going 

after leadership development issues. 

• Identifying who you’re going to develop is a big deal. 

• Another important thing is having it on your calendar every single week. 

• Leadership development is essential to do, but it will fall off everyone’s to-do list if it’s not on your 

calendar. 

• Bill is as committed to leadership development as he knows how to be, but he still groans when he 

sees it on his calendar, because there are so many other urgent things screaming for his attention. 

• Still, every time he leaves one of those meetings, he tells his assistant to make sure he keeps it on 

the calendar the next week. 

• What happens in that room is more than some might imagine. 

o Many times the format is as simple as a question like: What is the most critical leadership 

challenge in what you’re leading right now? 

o As people share, Bill is assessing them — whether they should be in the top 50, their 

potential as a leader, etc. 

o Throughout the meeting, Bill is developing the future leadership development agenda in his 

mind, and after doing the meetings for a while now, he has it very clear in his mind who the 

people are in that room whom God has destined for more. 

o He also knows who’s probably at their highest level they’re going to attain because they don’t 

want to get better. 

ƒ Those people don’t come hungry to learn. 

ƒ They’re hoping they’re not embarrassed in the meeting, rather than being willing to 

pitch their ideas out there. 

o Bill has given book assignments so they can do a book reaction meeting together. 

o Around Christmas they spent a whole session on how to not forget your family when you’re 

in ministry around Christmas time. 

o All the time, Bill is thinking where a particular person might take a department if he entrusted 

them with more responsibility. 

• The larger a church gets, the less the key staff members tend to see their senior pastor. 

o The senior pastor is out raising money, preparing messages, traveling, or writing a book. 

o Senior pastors of growing churches lose face-time as time goes on. 

o For Bill, forcing this meeting on his calendar so that his top staff gets animated, unedited 

senior pastor time is very important. 

After doing Defining Moments for about a dozen years, why do you still do it?  

• Bill continues to do Defining Moments because he still gets feedback from pastors who listen to them 

whenever they come out. 

• They’ll tell him that they were in a terrible jam and had no idea where to turn, and God spoke through 

a Defining Moments and gave them some coaching or inspiration. March 2009 Defining Moments Process Tool | 10 

• Bill was in South America recently, and one night after talking for eight hours in two countries, all he 

wanted to do was sleep, but he had the opportunity to watch an interview with Jack Welch, former 

chairman of the board of General Electric. 

• Bill has probably read everything Jack Welch has written, but whenever Bill sees him in a talk-show 

environment, it challenges him. 

• Regardless of where Jack might be spiritually, he’s one of the best raw leaders Bill has known 

anywhere in the world. 

• So, Bill asked God to give him the energy to try to make it through the interview, and he got out his 

journal just in case there was something he wanted to write down. 

• Jack talked about some issues that were on Bill’s front burner. 

• One of the things he said is that the kindest form of management is the truth. 

o Be candid with people. 

o Tell them they’re doing great or not doing great. 

o Tell them you’re going to lay them off or tell them they don’t have to worry about a lay-off. 

o Tell them they have a great future with the organization or tell them they don’t. 

• That and about six other nuggets came out of that interview, and Bill actually got up and kneeled by 

his bed and thanked God for someone who is ahead of him in leadership who wants to help other 

leaders. 

• On Bill’s better days, there’s something in him that wants to help other leaders. 

• He’s been helped by other leaders, and if some of these tapings help leaders in various places 

around the world, that’s all the pay-off he needs. March 2009 Defining Moments Process Tool | 11 

Process Questions  

Bill responded to questions on a wide variety of topics, which are listed in the chart below and on the next 

page. If there are some topics that particularly resonated with you, pick two or three and take a few moments 

to jot down your thoughts, insights, and/or next steps. 

The Economic Crisis 

Multi-Site Ministry 

Church Plant Boards

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Hey Drew,

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tithe-chart.pdf Download this file

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE

What is a tithe and how is it different from an offering?

The word "tithe" means tenth or 10 percent. A tithe is the first 10 percent of your income. An offering is anything you give above and beyond the 10 percent.

Why do we tithe?

The Bible says the purpose of tithing is to teach us always to put God first in our lives (Deuteronomy 14:23). Tithing is a reminder that God is the supplier of everything we have. It is also God's personal invitation to an outpouring of His blessing in our lives—even though as Christians, we do not give in order to get blessings, but to be a blessing.

In Malachi 3:10, God says this: "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this ... and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."

This is the only place in the Bible where God tells us to put Him to the test. In other words, He's saying, "Go ahead. See if you can out-give Me!"

Is God wise? Do you trust Him? These are two fundamental questions behind the act of giving.

If God is wise, then we should listen to what He says about financial stewardship. If we trust Him, then we should trust Him with all aspects of our lives, including our finances. We can accept God's invitation to put Him to the test. Start tithing faithfully, and watch what He does in and through your life.

If the thought of tithing seems overwhelming, start by adding one percent to your current giving and then move toward the tithe -- and then beyond.

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baptism.pdf Download this file

Attached: BaptismFacts.pdf

Message from drewhayes1@gmail.com:

What the Bible Says About Baptism

Google Docs makes it easy to create, store and share online documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

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why_should_I_be_baptized.mp3 Listen on Posterous

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