7 Steps to Rekindle Your Vision Fire — Breaking Free in 2023

This week, we’re discussing how your leadership and organization can break free in 2023.

I’d love everyone to read this post, but I realize you’ve got PLENTY of information and communication flying in and out of your inbox (and mind). If any of the following is happening in your church, organization, or company, you should take a few minutes and read this post:

1. Many people remain present but stay mostly disengaged.
2. The people who leave catch you by surprise.
3. People offer up “good ideas” that are clearly misaligned with your direction.
4. Suggestions to add things to the organization vastly vary and compete with each other.
5. You see irritation and frustration within the staff.
6. Staff members are personally, professionally, and even theologically misaligned.
7. Team members leave for other jobs, but not necessarily better roles.
8. Leadership decisions feel more complex than they used to be.

Again, I believe vision is one of, if not THE, most important aspects of church and organizational leadership.

If you sense any of the above happening, NOW is the time to act.

In this NEW POST, I offer you 7 STEPS TO REKINDLE YOUR VISION TO RE-LIGHT A FIRE UNDER YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL FUTURE.

5 Secrets That Unleash Innovation — Breaking Free in 2023

REALLY QUICK: I’m offering a FREE WEBINAR TODAY at 2:30 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link. If you can’t attend, register anyway to receive the replay link AND 20% OFF MASTERCLASS DISCOUNT.
https://gavinadams.com/webinar-remodel-your-church-model/
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This week, I’m bringing you 4 ideas to help you BREAK FREE IN 2023.

I can’t think of anything that rhymes with 2024, so next year may be a bit tougher.

Nevertheless, we begin our series with a topic I love: INNOVATION.

Today’s post is all about getting unstuck by unleashing the power of innovation.

Here’s one thing I can guarantee: If you DON’T know how to innovate, your organization will die. Maybe not today. Or even this year. But eventually, death is the only destination for the organization without innovation.

I can’t encourage you enough to review this post.

If you find this helpful, you may enjoy TODAY’S 2:30 PM EST FREE WEBINAR: Building a Better Church Model.
https://gavinadams.com/webinar-remodel-your-church-model/

If you can’t attend live, no worries. Register anyway to receive the replay AND the Masterclass discount code.

2 Reasons We Should Expand Our Definition of Discipleship

The post advocates for a broader understanding of discipleship, one that starts even before faith and extends to those distanced from God and the church. This holistic discipleship journey begins where individuals are and resonates with their perception of the church’s relevance and likability.

How Jonathan Got 38% of His Congregation to Volunteer in One Day!

Getting more volunteers in your church requires a long-term strategy. But how do you resolve your short-term tensions? Here’s an idea!

My friend and client, Jonathan Watson, is the lead pastor at Beachside Community Church. They recently bumped into this issue.

Their kid’s ministry was growing quicker than they could keep up. So we decided to do something a bit crazy.

Read the post for all the details, but here’s a snapshot of the results: Of the 300 adults attending on Sunday, January 22, 120 took a step to serve, and 40 made a commitment to begin!

Yes. You read that correctly.

How? That’s what we discuss in this post.

4 Fundamentals of Effective Discipleship Pathways

We’re going to look at church model strategy and intentionality for a series of posts. Stay tuned and subscribe to follow along.

TO GET US STARTED: 4 Fundamentals of Effective Discipleship Pathways

If we hope to create an intentional and strategic pathway to discipleship, we need to understand (1) how to best define “discipleship” and (2) the fundamentals of the journey.

Growing disciples through a buffet of programs and events is no longer possible. Today’s world requires more intentionality.

To begin constructing our pathway, we must begin with the foundation.

If you find this helpful, feel free to pass it along to a friend, and be sure to check out the course and masterclass options, as well.

Thanks!

6 Organizational Requirements Growing Churches Embrace

I hear it from church leaders, elders, and staff al the time. “Our church is an ORGANISM!”

I understand their passion. I also know no organism can function well outside of some great organization. Take a car or your physical body. It’s all the integrated and interdependent systems that make it work.

The same is true for the church. In this post, I point out 6 organizational requirements growing, healthy churches embrace.
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A LOT of churches have asked me about my Church Engagement Journey Model. It’s a framework for integrating evangelism and edification, digital and physical. Learn more here: https://gavinadams.com/church-discipleship-model/

Don’t Allow Theology to Stall Ministry

REAL QUICK: So many churches are asking me about my Church Engagement Journey model. To help, I’m offering a FREE WEBINAR this Tuesday at 2:00 pm EST. Even if you can’t attend, register anyway to get the replay and a discount code for the “REMODELING YOUR CHURCH MODEL” Course and Masterclass.

CLICK HERE: https://gavinadams.com/webinar-remodel-your-church-model/

ON TO THE POST…

It’s inevitable…

You’re in a meeting. Perhaps with the staff, elders, or maybe core volunteers. Your church isn’t dying, but you know it could and should be better. It MUST be better. There’s too much at stake. Too many lives in your community lived far from God. And you have a passion and desire to do something about it.

From this place, you begin to address how you do church. Not what you do or who you do it for, but how.

How is a strategy conversation. Your strategy, ministry model, and plans represent the how of your mission and vision.

Then it happens. It’s basically inevitable.

Someone in the meeting can sit still no longer. They blurt out,

“I thought we existed for the Gospel!!! We’re not a business!!! We aren’t an organization!!!”

Happens nearly every time.

It’s happened to me from time to time.

Theology and ministry often find themselves in a church cage match. But it need not be this way. If we all this to exist, we find ourselves in church quicksand, incapable of getting out and moving forward.

Read this NEW POST to learn more about the different AND how to live with both as a church leader.

Use This “Stop” Doing List to Start Growing Your Church

POINT OF THE POST… 

Leaders spend so much time thinking about what they can DO to make things better, but they rarely consider what they should stop doing. This post gives leaders 5 things to stop doing.

1. STOP Leading in Fear.
2. STOP trying to Keep People.
3. STOP confusing theology and strategy.
4. STOP attempting to Control Everything.
5. STOP believing the old way will work in our new time.

Read the post to dig into each one.

ONE MORE THING: I love working with leaders. So much that I recently created a Leadership Toolbox Course:
https://gavinadams.com/product/course-leadership-toolbox/

The course contains 6 specific leadership tools you need to lead your team, organization, company, or church well. Check it out.

How You Can Help Your Community Trust Your Church Again

POINT OF THE POST… 

This post is focused on how people outside your church see your church and, more importantly, what you can do about it.

Here’s a quick glimpse. Check out the entire post for some solutions:

I subscribe to several research organizations like Gallup and Barna. Last week, Gallup sent an email with their year-end highlights that felt much more like lowlights. The article was titled “Highs and Lows of 2022, U.S. Edition.”

It was a synopsis of the “most momentous shifts in public opinion in the U.S. this year.”

Here are a few “highlights:”

1. Belief in God in U.S. Dips to 81%, a New Low
2. Americans Less Optimistic About Next Generation’s Future
3. Media Confidence Ratings at Record Lows
4. Confidence in U.S. Institutions Down; Average at New Low

Yikes.

These data points should terrify and encourage you if you’re a pastor or ministry leader. The terror is easier to see. We’ll get to the encouragement in the post. 

FYI: I’m working with many churches to resolve the cultural issues around reaching our community and growing our church body. I have a course I’m releasing soon, but I’m giving you access to the FIRST COURSE MODULE FOR FREE: https://gavinadams.com/product/free-module-remodeling-your-church-model/

Thanks, Gavin

5 Decisions Every Church Must Make

I believe the church’s mission is the most important mission on the planet.

Do you believe that, as well?

If so, this post is for you: 5 Decisions Every Church Must Make.

If you’re not ready to do some hard work to move the KIngdom forward, perhaps skipping this post is best. ????

Also… if you read this and want to discuss these decisions, let me know. I am launching a new COURSE and MASTERCLASS on the Church Engagement Journey soon.