Study Shows Religious Shift

The results of a new survey released this week show that half of American adults have changed religious affiliation at least once during their lives.

The study, "Faith in Flux," which was conducted by Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, is a follow-up to the "U.S. Religious Landscape Survey" that was based on research in 2007 and then released in 2008. Between Oct. 3 and Nov. 7 of last year, 2,800 people, who were among the 35,000 who were originally surveyed in 2007, were re-contacted.

The results also reveal that:

• Most people who change their childhood faith do so before age 24.
• Fifteen percent of Americans who were raised Protestant are now affiliated with a different Protestant denomination.
• Nine percent of Americans who were raised Catholic are no longer affiliated with the Catholic faith. Five percent are now Protestant and four percent are not affiliated with any church.
• Seven percent of Americans who were raised Protestant are no longer affiliated with any religion.
• Sixteen percent of Americans say they are now unaffiliated with any religion.

To read the full report, which includes analysis of why people change churches or leave the faith, CLICK HERE.

Today's Quote

"We don't go running away from our values. We go drifting away, and one day wake-up in a place we never meant to be, drifting in a direction we would have never chosen." - John Blumberg

Compassionate Leadership

Leadership is all the rage these days. Professors of leadership and management define, analyze, and propose models of leadership, and business sections of bookstores are filled with leadership/mentoring books. Political candidates routinely assert that they (alone) will provide leadership. Church authors have jumped on the bandwagon too, sifting history for role models of leadership and for lessons to cultivate more effective leadership. New members of Congress attend special seminars in effective leadership, as do new university presidents. It’s boom time for taking notes about leadership.

Yet two paradoxes immediately raise concern. First, one of the few realities that link the world’s leaders across the millennia is that they never studied leadership. Many of the truly profound people we now saddle with that label wouldn’t have recognized themselves as such — they were simply doing what they understood God, family, nation, or simply decency, demanded of them. The flip side of this paradox (that leaders don’t study leadership) is that the people who teach leadership are generally not, themselves, leaders.

The second and greater paradox is that leadership involves complex ethical dilemmas at every turn. Despite the ethical perils, we need good leadership and we crave great leaders. There is far too much abuse today by the hands of leaders who only know the tactics of fear and intimidation. If you question them, they equate your actions as questioning God (them). They leave behind a landscape of wounded laborers who will die with their hurts. As is so often the case in life, the best safeguards we have to preventing abuse is robust conversation — frequent, thoughtful, passionate, open, and inclusive.

About what do we need to converse?

1. About the need for and the danger of leadership based on inspiration and charisma
2. About the need for a compelling vision, and for forcing ourselves to notice our vision’s blind spots
3. About the tension between affective leadership versus transformational leadership
4. About the temptation to reduce leadership to management, or to consider leadership above management and ignore the details and the methods of implementing leadership vision

We need to consider the nature of group responses to leadership — the tyranny of the majority, and the nature of herd mentality. We need to look at structures to channel and contain leadership.

Finally, we need to think long and hard about the issue of character and compassion as a cornerstone qualification for true leadership. It is not so much running with the wolves, but intuiting and protecting the sheep that defines the ideal greatness of leadership.

What say you?

[Based on comments by Bradley Shavit Artson]

Bankhead Cemetery Memorial Day Service

Don Brock speaks at community Memorial Day service in Mentone, Alabama.

Happy Memorial Day

When looking at the headstones at Arlington, I was stuck by the fact they do not tell you whether or not the people buried there were rich or poor. They make no distinction regarding their race or the circumstances resulting in their death. They simply stand, each of them, for one American. Each reminding us that we are descendants, whatever our differences, whatever our faith background, of a common creed – "unbeatable when united, one nation under God."

More Truisms?

1. You can't put fire in your work unless there is fire in your heart.


2. Two things cannot be imitated; God's sunset and man's sincerity.


3. It is better to establish a solid precident than to follow a poor one.


4. It is better to lose a good fight than to win a bad one. And --


5. Always be content with what you have, but never with what you are.

[Dr. William Barrett Millard]

Bishop E.C. McKinley Gives Invocation at Tennessee House

Global Day of Prayer - May 31

On May 31, Pentecost Sunday, the whole world will be praying.

Currently, 219 nations have declared their intent to participate in the annual Global Day of Prayer. Isaiah 56:7 is the theme: "These I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations."

Around the world, believers will be gathered, irrespective of race, ... READ MORE.

Also click HERE.

Pastoral Evaluation Process

Chuck Olson writes: Over the past 20 years, I’ve developed this love-hate relationship with ministry evaluations (aka, performance reviews). On the one hand, I “hate” them because they annually intrude on my calendar pleading for time and attention. And on the other, I “love” them because I have come to realize that they are one of the most significant contributors to leadership development and ministry momentum. Throughout the years, I’ve attempted to become a student of the ministry evaluation process, desiring each year to platform an approach more robust than the one before, and in that endeavor have started my own personal ‘collection’ of things that I have learned. Take a look.

Check your motives. When I consider the big picture of ministry evaluation, as a supervisor, I ultimately have to return to the motive of my heart. It is everything. Like a ballast to a sailboat, if your sincere desire is for the development of your direct report, then you will find the balance that will maximize this important opportunity.

Think STEWARDSHIP. Often before I sit down with a person for a time of ministry evaluation, I will reflect on the responsibility of stewardship for which it calls. I go to a quiet place in my heart and consider how blessed I am to speak into the life and leadership of another person. I envision the time like a box of fine china marked “handle with care.”

Write it down. A ministry evaluation is a very deliberate and intentional process and, as such, requires the precision that comes from writing it down. The impact of an evaluation is markedly enhanced in a carefully-worded document. As a written document, it not only has “weight” in the moment, but even more so as the person reflects on it in the ensuing days.

Emphasize affirmation. Of the 5-6 categories in the ministry evaluation document that I have developed through the years, the first (and longest) one is AFFIRMATION. This section is a bulleted list of several areas of praise that I want to call out. For example, “Steve is a man who passionately pursues his walk with God” or “Judy is a pastor who is highly effective in developing leaders.”

Be honest. It is better NOT to do an evaluation than to do one that is less than honest. As a supervisor, and more importantly, as a leader, you owe it to your direct report to speak the truth in love. A ministry evaluation is the perfect opportunity to do so because it comes with a built-in expectation of candid feedback. Don’t miss the moment. Be ready. Teeing up a tough conversation in a ministry evaluation takes concerted effort, but is well w0rth the investment. When it comes to addressing a difficult topic, thinking through and, at times, scripting your words can make a huge difference. For example, “Jim, I’d like to talk about a topic that I believe is essential to your ongoing development as a leader. I trust you will hear my heart and my commitment to you as we discuss it together.”

Invite input. In chasing down a difficult topic, often it is helpful to launch the discussion by putting a question on the table. For example, “Susan, as I read through the comments submitted by some of your ‘third party’ evaluators, there is a consistent theme about your reluctance to accept the input of other people. What’s going on here? Why do you think they would share that comment?”

Prioritize SELF-evaluation. Perhaps the most valuable lesson I have learned in my years of doing ministry evaluation is the strategic place of self-evaluation. Every ministry evaluation process begins with the person assessing their own life and leadership using a set of reflective questions. At minimum, two things will happen. First, you will discover with new intensity both the joys and frustrations being faced by this person. And second, you will find that the vast majority of the challenging topics that need to be vetted are initiated by the person himself.

Establish benchmarks. One of the many values of a ministry evaluation is the “paper trail” that it creates — a formal and written track record of one’s performance. This historical record is particularly helpful (not to mention critical when it comes to meeting HR standards) when the need arises to substantiate that there is an ongoing pattern of sub-par performance and it is time to consider some remedial steps or a change in employment status.

Keep a tight focus. Every ministry evaluation process needs to have a clear statement of what the person needs to do to continue the (lifelong) process of development. Through the years, I have found that this should be limited to 1-2 items. At least one item, because EVERYONE is a ‘work in progress’ and needs to know what their next step is. And no more than two items so that there is the ability to bring strategic attention to the area most in need of development.

Stay current. When all is said and done, a ministry evaluation should contain no “surprises.” Surprises ultimately reveal that the supervisor has not sustained an ongoing dialogue about the direct report’s effectiveness. A ministry evaluation is the time to reintroduce important themes and to mutually establish the game plan for addressing them. Look for patterns. In evaluating people, a wise supervisor will probe for patterns, not the “one-offs.” It is important to identify the actions and attitudes that are CONSISTENTLY reflected in a person’s life and ministry.

Those are the ones worthy of deliberation.

I trust these thoughts are helpful to you. While ministry evaluations take a lot of time and attention, the ROI is inarguable. And most of all, when done right, it is a gift to those God has entrusted to your care.

If you would like a copy of the ministry evaluation forms that Chuck uses in his ministry, please contact him at Chuck@LeadWithYourLife.com

[from MMI Weblog by Todd Rhoades]

Truisms?

1. Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one so that when we finally do meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift.

2. Love is when you take away the feeling, the passion, and the romance in a relationship and find out that you still care for that person.

3. When the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one that has been opened for us.

4. The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with while never saying a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.

5. It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.

6. There are things you'd love to hear that you would never hear from the person who you would like to hear them from, but don't be so deaf as not to hear it from the one who says it from their heart.

Are these true? What do you think?

[from Howtoencourage by Kay the Encourager]

Yvonne Brock Registers LDI Attenders

(Yvonne is the blond behind the desk.)

Don Brock Teaching at LDI

International Leadership Development Institute 2009 in Cleveland, Tennessee.

Church of God - Assembly of God Offer Joint Cruise

The Young Adult/Single Adult Ministries of the Church of God invites young adults, singles and single-again adults to enjoy the 3rd International Cruise scheduled for this fall.

Read More

Leadership Relevance

The discussion of relevance is like looking at a piece of classic artwork. It's so subjective. There is much that is subjective, but ultimately everyone knows what's working and what isn't.

We try to package relevance and that never works. For example, I wear jeans and un-tuck my shirt. But trust me, that does not make me relevant. (My 16 year old granddaughter reminds me of that fact on a consistent basis.) You can't buy an iPhone and become a relevant leader.

Relevance is not a product. It's not about production. It's not about a certain way to design your Sunday morning service. If you start using a table for your notes instead of a podium while you teach, you are not instantly relevant. I know Billy Crystal said "Its better to look good (marvelous) than to feel good," (Saturday Night Live, Circa 1985). But remember Crystal is a comedian. Yeah, he's funny, that's his job. Some leaders would rather look good that to be good. And that's not funny.

Relevance isn't about program or systems. I stopped calling first time guests not because "no one does that anymore" but because of the size and scope of the church. We stopped because of new ways to contact people online that are more effective with people who are drawn to a large church. In smaller church environments, calling first time guests can be highly relevant. In the case of program and systems, quality is relevant. Doing what you do extremely well at the right time with the right people is relevant.

Irrelevant leadership means what you do doesn't matter. Irrelevance is when you work hard and just spin your wheels. Nothing changes. That's irrelevant. Church leader, please get this, if you are leading people to Jesus and their lives are being changed, you are relevant!

At its core relevance is about connection. There are some things that help you connect and therefore increase your relevance as a leader. There is so much that could be said here, but let me just get things started. You can increase the list of ideas on your own.

Embrace Technology

My mom died at age 86. That was in 2007. While going through some of my files recently, I found a note she has sent me before she died asking if she bought a computer, would I come by and teach her how to use it. When she first sharted her ministry in the 1940's, all she needed was a car, a guitar, and a Thompson Chain-Reference Bible. But somehow, even in her final years, she knew that to make a difference she had to become computer literate. It's not about the computer however, its what you do with it.

It's not about the iPhone. It's what you do with it. Leonard Sweet would say I'm an immigrant when it comes to technology. My kids are natives. I've learned how to use the tools, it's a way of life for my kids. You don't need an iPhone to Twitter. As an immigrant, I didn't jump on Twitter immediately, but when I saw how it helps me connect, I was in. (Follow me on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/DGBrock). I had to experience it to understand it. My grandkids were impressed. Although my daughter says, "Dad, you have to quit stalking me on Twitter!" Now that's funny, I don't care who you are!

Jump on Facebook and Twitter because it helps you connect with people. It helps you communicate. It helps you stay in touch. And you can do so at the speed of light with huge numbers of people. That's relevant.

Listen to Young Leaders

If you are a twenty-something, this goes for you too. You need to listen to your friends and peers.

I lead a small Bible-study group near my home. This is a sharp group of young people. We were there a few weeks ago, huddled in their living room after eating egg salad and tuna fish salad sandwiches. I taught on the topic of Spiritual Gifts at their request. We had a great time. All that was wonderful, but the highlight of my evening was talking and mostly listening before we started. Listening, learning. Getting and staying connected. That is relevant.

I recently wrote about listening to young leaders, especially those on your staff. Just because they are young doesn't make them relevant. In fact, young leaders can be very irrelevant. But young people are the closest natural link to relevance because they are the closest connection to the future. That is relevant.

Be Really Good at What You Do

I'm often asked if church choirs are relevant. Choir or no choir is not the issue. Whether or not the choir is good or bad is the issue. If the choir is bad, its irrelevant! It's irrelevant because it doesn't matter. It doesn't accomplish anything. No one's life is different. In fact, a bad choir can be worse than irrelevant, it can kill a worship service. If people cringe in your worship experience, praying for a power failure so the microphones quit working, that's irrelevant. On the other hand, I listen to hot choirs that truly inspire people and lives are transformed. People connect with that. That is relevant.

You can't do everything, so do what you do really well. Less is more. It's better to extend your global mission efforts to one country and make a difference than fifteen countries and barely make a dent. That's relevant. It's better to lead a children's ministry that the kids love and can't wait to be there than to have cool videos and have the kids be bored. Cool videos may be part of genuine connection and relevance for you, the point I'm making is that relevance isn't in the video, it is doing what you do well so that you connect.

Figure Out Who You Really Are

It's important for you personally, and for your church corporately to be self-aware, but let's just talk about you. Know yourself. Be yourself. Get comfortable with that. When people sense a genuine spirit about you they can connect with you. That is relevant. You may not be the best leader, but if people like you that's a start. Not everyone will like you, but people will like you best when you are yourself.

I'm not suggesting that you don't have to grow, change and improve. We all do. I'm suggesting that it's very difficult to grow, change and improve if you have not given yourself permission to be you. You only have so much energy. Don't burn it all up trying to please everyone and replicate "stuff" you think is relevant.

I'm not suggesting that everything you currently do is relevant. I am saying that one of the first key steps is to get freed-up so you don't lose sleep worrying about what people think. Just be yourself and do your best. If you do the things that matter, and people's lives are changed by the power of Jesus Christ in your ministry, you are relevant.

[Based on an article by Dan Reiland]

Today's Humor