If you haven’t checked out our Ideas to Impact site (www.ideastoimpact.com), the theme this year is Spark.  I am excited about the spark of new things that can be added to your ministry.  This means lots of new knowledge and ideas on implementing the tools you have for broader and greater usage and impact.  Remember, all it takes is a baby spark, and it can grow.  It can even grow quickly to really add some “fire” to your ministry!

All of the ACS Technologies staff has their own spark from talking to all of our users and hearing their stories, needs, and experiences.  I look forward to meeting many of you and hearing your stories.  If you haven’t signed up already, go ahead and make plans to spark your ministry with us!

Every month, Lesley Baker shares a blog post with helpful tips and tricks for the cat herders on church staff.

This year at the Ideas to Impact Conference, I’ll be facilitating a session called Herding Cats: How to get your church staff to follow database policies. In preparation for that session I’d like to take the opportunity to maximize this month’s blog post for those who are attending the conference to give you a precursor to that session.  And for those who are not attending the conference, I still want to give you and your team an opportunity to consider these concepts and principles – they just may apply to your situation.

The problem

For the most part, churches tend to do a good job at having bylaws that spell out everything from their tenants of faith to membership requirements. However, for some odd reason churches tend to stop there as it pertains to structure. Everything else tends to not have as much emphasis and attention as the bylaws that the church was founded on.

This is, in fact, one of the most common themes I find in the churches I work with: the lack of basic structure. (Sound familiar to you?) Some staff I meet with struggle with how their database has been used and how there is no consistency. Fortunately, I can offer solid solutions to try to close those gaps. But the bigger challenge they are facing is much deeper than just how the database is being used or not being used.  The bigger problem at hand is a lack of church structure and standardization.

The solution

Structure and standardization is often viewed in church circles as constricting, when in fact it removes the limits and facilitates Kingdom growth to take place.  For those out there who have control issues you struggle with, I used to be there, let me just put this out there.  Structure and standardization is not intended to be used for power and control, it is not to be used for constricting, it is to be used a platform that all ministries under the umbrella of the church can operate from – one set way we do things for consistency purposes.

But thinking about the reality in churches, we all know that not everyone will embrace structure and standardization in the church. You may run into problems from both staff and existing volunteer leaders. But let’s face it, any time you introduce change of any kind we will face opposition from within. Let’s look at Moses for a moment. He faced opposition when he came down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments, so why do we think it’s so bad that we’ll face opposition or step on congregants’ toes or a volunteer leader’s toes if we change the way we’re doing things?  Just because it’s what we’ve always done it, doesn’t mean it’s effective or efficient and not worthy of evaluating and changing.

If you’re still uncomfortable with leading change just look at Jesus – he was a mover and shaker.  Remember the incident in the Temple?  I’m sure people were talking for days about how their table was turned upside down … thrown upside down!  The same is true in the church.  Don’t be afraid to turn some tables upside down to get some greater things right side up.

God is a God of order and as leaders of the store houses we been entrusted to shepherd His flock, we need to bring order to how we do church through the creation of policies, procedures, training, standardization and accountability. Then begin implementing these things not fearing man, but fearing what we risk or lose if we don’t implement change.

There’s so much more to this and in future posts I’ll elaborate more on this subject. In the meantime you can join me at the Ideas to Impact conference at the Herding Cats session.  Until we meet again here on the Community Site – go get geared up to be a mover and shaker in your area of influence.

Lesley Baker and the Implementation Team at ACS Technologies, a group of experienced pastors, ministers and church business administrators, are all passionate about helping churches reach their goals. Learn more about church consultations and other services our Implementation Team can provide here.

We’re getting ready for the 2012 Ideas to Impact Conference - it’s hard to believe it’s less than a month away! Here’s another guest blog post by Ideas to Impact keynote speaker Nicole Unice (read another post by Nicole here), who serves in student and family ministry at Hope Church, the fastest growing church in Richmond, VA.

Nicole is also the author of She’s Got Issues (May 2012), a book on God’s work in women’s ordinary struggles. Nicole blogs at www.nicoleunice.com.

3 Ways to Use Your Influence for Change in a Church Setting

Change. There’s something about it that we all love. We look forward to new seasons, new opportunities, new relationships. But as much as we anticipate the good that change brings, we also resist it. Change often means work. It means conflict. And it means stepping out of our comfort zone and into unknown territory. But change is also inevitable. Every leader has to grapple with their way of facilitating change in the wild and dynamic community that is a church.

When you think of change—implementing something new, shifting something existing or removing something old—what do you feel? Do you get excited? Are you hesitant or scared? Do you have a sense of dread at how these changes will be received? Here are a few ways to make change more effective in your community:

1. Be Open-Minded. When I was tasked with starting a women’s ministry in our new church, the first step was making sure that my idea of what we needed did in fact line up with the majority of women in my church. This process began with knowing about what the end goal of the ministry should be without becoming too caught up in the means of accomplishing that goal. When I had achieved consensus on what the goal of the ministry was, it became easier to dream big about the many different ways we could accomplish that goal.
2. But Not Too Open-Minded! When a leader is too narrow minded about how something can be done, they often miss the opportunity to hear great ideas and to provide a chance for others to buy into the plan. But just as dangerous is the leader who has no sense at all of what he/she is trying to accomplish. When a leader enters a meeting or committee without clarity about what the mission or vision of the change is, the group is easily sidetracked. Most of the time, we work with volunteers in our organizations, and we need to respect their time and energy. If a leader invites people to move with them but has no road map or sense of an end location, he/she will lose influence.
3. Leverage Relationships. Anyone interested in moving their organization into change needs to be aware of their current relationships and how to leverage them. To return to the women’s ministry example, the second step in the visioning process was to invite women in every stage of life to come together for a short series of meetings. These women became my “pilot group” to test ideas, brainstorm methods, and cast out a vision to see if it landed well with their needs and dreams. These same women all had influence in their own circles of life. By spending intentional time with them first, I was able to leverage my influence into multiple groups within our community.

By doing the hard work of casting vision for a ministry, being open minded about the means to accomplishing that goal, and leveraging current relationships to spread my influence, our women’s ministry continues to be a integral part of our church community, even after I stepped out of that leadership role.

Change doesn’t have to be scary! If we want our churches and ministries to be relevant and life-changing, we must be willing to ask the hard questions, open our minds about the possible answers, and move forward with confidence even when things don’t go exactly as planned.

Join us at the Ideas to Impact Conference in Atlanta to see Nicole speak in person – including a session on Managing Conflict in a Church Setting. Get more information and register at IdeastoImpact.com.

The 2012 Ideas to Impact Conference is only a month away – wow! Here’s a guest blog post by Ideas to Impact speaker Tim Beltz, the founder of 10 Talents Consulting, a firm focused on equipping leaders to achieve desired outcomes. He served as the executive pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle from 2007 until transitioning off staff in July 2011. He recently rejoined staff as the Biblical Living Pastor at Mars Hill Church – Downtown Seattle.

Tim has extensive executive experience in multiple sectors including 15 years as a CEO/COO. He was executive vice president of CRISTA Ministries, executive director of the Millionair Club Charity, and COO at a local manufacturing firm.

Developing a Leadership Pipeline for Your Church

The mission of the church is to make disciples of all nations and  teach them to observe all that Jesus commanded (Matthew 28).  To perform this mission, Ephesians 4:11-16 says God gifted us to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the work of the ministry and for building up the body of Christ (the church).

This assignment means the church must excel in leadership development. We must excel in taking people who, weeks ago, may have been hostile to the Gospel message but are now are learning what it means to become a follower of Jesus.  This progression of sanctification requires discipling, mentoring, coaching and equipping “fresh recruits” from those who made this same passage months or years before.  So “being on mission” for God’s purposes means the church has to develop core competencies in leadership development.

Leading Yourself

We see a clear progression for the person who has just become a follower of Jesus to gain maturity and to serve as we are gifted by the Holy Spirit.  These new recruits require some basic training to learn core Biblical truths, theology and doctrine as well as a few key competencies like how to read and study the Bible, live missionally, serve faithfully, etc.  This stage is something we label leading yourself.

Leading Others

As a person starts serving in the church, it isn’t long before additional responsibilities are added and their role expanded to oversee or supervise other volunteers.  This stage of leading others requires an array of new skills, abilities, knowledge and competencies.  Essentially, they shift from doing the work to getting the work done through others.  That means abilities to build trust, plan, communicate, coach, assign work, etc must be developed in addition to learning, applying and living deeper Biblical truths.  At this stage defending Biblical truth, correcting false doctrine, sharing the Gospel, modeling healthy relationships and servant leadership come into play … of skills that need to be trained, developed, and practiced.

Leading at the Upper Levels

There are two additional levels of leaders required in the church, those who are skilled and capable of leading other leaders and leading the organization.  The church simply cannot go recruit these high, executive-level leaders straight from business or the military, but must develop these skills and competencies in the raw material God gives us. It’s akin to how Jesus took 12 non-descript men and turned them into his Disciples.

Join me in Atlanta to get a fuller picture

I’ve outlined here the basics of the workshop I’ll be leading at the Ideas to Impact Conference May 29 – June 1. Consider attending this workshop.  We will share the unified, Biblical leadership pipeline we are developing for Mars Hill Church Downtown Seattle in hopes that our work can inspire you in this fundamental and essential function of the church.

Every month, Lesley Baker shares a blog post with helpful tips and tricks for the cat herders on church staff. Today, Lesley’s written something a little different. Enjoy.

This month’s blog doesn’t have any tips, tricks or how-tos. Instead this is a note of encouragement from me to you.

I was recently inspired to write this to you after an Implementation visit with a church in Maryland. As I was leaving the church building on my last day there, God dropped a scripture in my spirit for them and led me to pray for the church literally before I drove off the campus. I always pray for a church and staff from the moment I get a ticket assigned to work with a church, to the moment I go onsite with a church. This was different though.

When I got in my car I began to pray out loud for the church, their staff and their leaders. The next morning before I checked out of the hotel to catch a flight home I sent the church an email of encouragement. Immediately thereafter I started thinking about you, and determined that note of encouragement I sent that church team was also for you.

I remember the days when I was on church staff and if you’re anything like me it wasn’t uncommon to periodically find myself feeling overwhelmed, and perhaps even a bit discouraged. Not because I didn’t like what I was doing but because some of my projects and/or workload seemed like I was making absolutely no progress. Then there were other times that I felt like I was a party of one trying to set sail on a ship I was asked to captain but I didn’t have a crew to help me navigate, being asked “so how soon do you think you can reach that destination?” Seriously!

The most simplistic and most profound thing I can say to you is this, don’t be discouraged. Let that feeling of being overwhelmed just slide right off your shoulders as you kneel in prayer before the throne. Recognize what it is, a feeling. We’re not to be led by our feelings. The burden of your workload or project load is not intended for you to carry in the natural, it will be accomplished only through prayer. I speak from experience.

If you try to carry the burden on your own, and try to accomplish a goal in your own strength, you’ll burn out and at the end of the day and you’ll see that you didn’t accomplish very much. Here’s my mantra: “one step at a time, one prayer at a time.” I still recite that to myself even to this day.

I have great faith in God that the goals and projects a church has for using technology to advance Kingdom work will come to pass. I pray for you even as I write this, before this blog has even been posted, that as you read this God would send an Angel to come and refresh you and strengthen you as you release the burdens you carry as staff to the One who sent you to where you’re serving Him in this season.

The verse that I leave with you is this, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.” (Eph. 3:20-21) God is able – let that be your mantra as you move through each project … God is able. I have such an expectancy to see how God will move in your churches. Watch and see.

I’ll be praying for y’all. Remember to pray for yourselves and remember, God is able. One step at a time, one prayer at a time.

Abundant grace and blessings to each of you,
Lesley

Would you like to hear more of Lesley’s perspective? She will be one of the many inspiring speakers at the 2012 Ideas to Impact Conference, just a few weeks away.

We’re getting ready for the 2012 Ideas to Impact Conference just about a month away, and so are speakers from all over the country! Here’s another guest blog post by Ideas to Impact speaker Nicole Unice (read another post by Nicole here), who serves in student and family ministry at Hope Church, the fastest growing church in Richmond, VA.

Nicole is also the author of She’s Got Issues (May 2012), a book on God’s work in women’s ordinary struggles. Nicole blogs at www.nicoleunice.com.

Managing Conflict in a Church Setting

Some of Jesus’ best known words promise “in this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Most of us prefer to focus on the second part of the verse, but the first part is also a promise: in this life, we should expect some trouble.

There is something about working in a ministry setting that can easily deceive us into believing we have finally landed in the perfect workplace. Surely, between prayers, devotions and encouraging sticky notes, the church is the best place to not have conflict at all! But then you actually get that job in the church, and your first conflict slaps you out of your lovely heaven-on-earth sentiment of ministry.

The church is a unique environment: part business, part family, with blurry lines of community and co-workers. The same leader who baptized my children also fills out my performance review. This blurring of boundaries means that we have an even higher call to understanding and handling conflict within the church. Here are a few tools to help in this inevitable “trouble”:

Embrace the Spiritual Reality

Scripture admonishes us that “we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12, NLT). When I struggle with disunity, discord and dissent, it sure feels like a flesh and blood battle! But we are reminded in scripture about this spiritual reality: Satan’s only method is to “steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10). What better place than in our relationships in ministry? We must be vigilant in guarding our unity and the peace between us. When we sense discord, we cannot ignore the fact that there are forces at work that desire our fracture. This can be a point of motivation in pain, to continue to seek peace even when you feel like giving up.

Know Yourself

When we face struggles in ministry, we want to react as spiritual leaders, not as petulant, pouting children. But we often think too highly of our ability to handle conflict. A better understanding of how you will manage your ministry relationships is how you handle your family relationships. Don’t expect to be anyone other than yourself when you handle a conflict at work. If you tend to withdraw or avoid conflict in your family or other relationships: you can expect to act the same at work. Knowing your own relational patterns can help you understand your growth areas and be aware of blind spots in the way you enter into conflict.

Seek Reconciliation

I am painfully aware that the true “end goal” in many arguments is to get my point across, prove I’m right, or make sure a decision goes the direction I desire. It is the much higher call to make the relationship between the people in conflict my number one priority. I often find that I want the problem fixed, regardless of what happens to the relationship. But I’ve learned in ministry that this is a short-sighted goal. What must come first, even if it requires compromise on my part, is the relationship with the person I’m struggling to love.

We often see conflict as a thing to be avoided and as a sign of a poorly functioning team. But in reality, much of the best growth in ministry, in our personal lives and in our relationships comes after the painful pruning of conflict. When we face conflict, we also face a choice: we can engage with trouble as inevitable and growth-producing, or avoid, withdraw, or lash out. Which choice will you make today?

Join us at the Ideas to Impact Conference in Atlanta to see Nicole speak in person – including a session on Managing Conflict in a Church Setting. Get more information and register at IdeastoImpact.com.

One key iPad app for ACS Technologies clients: The OnDemand app for iPad – which works for ACS, PDS and HeadMaster OnDemand programs.

“I’ve been using OnDemand on my iPad, and it’s great!” said David Childers, Minister of Music & Communications at First Baptist Church (average weekly attendance: 450) in Orangeburg, S.C. “It’s intuitive and simple. I love being able to access my ACS systems wherever I am, and with whatever tools I’m already using.”

Here are just a few ways churches are using iPads for ministry:

• Pastor’s sermon preparation and notes on the pulpit
• Bible study and reference
• Staff access to church management data using the ACS OnDemand app for iPad
• Check-in

More about check-in on an iPad

One increasingly popular use for Apple iPads is check-in. One advantage is that iPads are totally portable, plus they can be used for other purposes when not being used as a check-in station. Think about it: An iPad can be set up for check-in at a big event one week, and the next, it can be used for check-in at a small group. Going off-site for an event? No problem. And in between events, the iPad’s back to being a reader, a web browser, and more.

The ACS Technologies solution ACS Checkpoint is also compatible with the iPad. Here are a few resources for helping you get started:

• The ACS Technologies wiki has information on using ACS Checkpoint on an iPad here.
• Read about setting up an ACS Checkpoint iPad here.

Bottom line: Flexibility in today’s world is centered on ease of use and convenience. To truly have a flexible ministry means creating an environment where staff can use the tools they are drawn to, and that’s increasingly going to mean tools like iPads, because of their affordability relative to other computing tools, and the fact that they appeal to the comfort zone of the user.

This post is an excerpt of the ministry guide Workplace Flexibility for In-Demand Ministries, which also has tips on lowering staff turnover, getting more out of volunteers, and utilizing the latest tech trends. Get your free copy today.

The 2012 Ideas to Impact Conference is just around the corner! Today we’re bringing you a guest post from Ideas to Impact speaker Jack Paige, Senior Director of Information Systems and Technology at the Diocese of Orlando. He’s worked with churches and organizations on software applications since the early 1980s, and today he’s previewing what he’ll be sharing at the conference.

Check out the full lineup of Ideas to Impact classes here.

Question 1: Is your domain name protected?

“HELP!  My website is gone and my email is not working!  Everyone is calling ME but I just started working here and don’t know anything about our website and email.”

This isn’t an imaginary situation – it happens. Websites and email can be down for a variety of reasons – some of those reasons are beyond our immediate control, but one cause that can certainly be prevented is the loss of your domain name. Don’t let this be you!

The fact is, losing an organization’s domain name can be devastating to your operation — and it happens more often than we think. For many organizations, your domain controls almost everything your organization does with the internet. If it’s lost, so is your internet identity. There are some simple things that you can do to make sure this does not happen to you – which, of course, I’ll cover in full in my class, Domain Name and Email Management, at the Ideas to Impact Conference.

Question 2: Are you hoarding email?

Be honest, how many emails do you have in your inbox?  10, 20, 100? 1000?  Have you ever found yourself searching back through your inbox to find a particular email, only to find 3 others that needed attention? Before you know it, you’re off on other tangent and you’ve forgotten about the email that you were originally searching for. We can be better managers of email. All you need is to know the 3 basic categories that emails fall into and a few simple techniques that can improve your productivity dramatically. Get the tips – where else? – in my class, Domain Name and Email Management – at the Ideas to Impact Conference.

Question 3: Do you know what a litigation hold order is?

Anyone who uses email in a business environment should also be aware of what a litigation order is – because not following a litigation hold order properly could cost your organization thousands of dollars.  When a litigation hold is placed on your data, it is your responsibility to take the proper action to protect it. But in order to protect your data (including your email), you must know where it is, right?  The simple process of archiving can cause email to be at risk of being lost or accidentally deleted.

Question 4: Why should we waste all this time on how to handle email?

Email is going to be gone soon right? Isn’t it going to be replaced by social networking?

WRONG!  Business environments are a long way from depending on social networking – and even farther from replacing email. But that doesn’t mean social networking can be ignored. The fact is, social networking is beginning to dominate for personal communication, and it certainly is making inroads into our business environments. Like any major communication tool, a policy should be in place to govern how social networks can be used in your organization. The use of Facebook or other mediums without a policy in place can be asking for trouble.

Get the details of Jack’s helpful tips, plus TONS more useful information at the 2012 Ideas to Impact Conference, May 29-June 1 in Atlanta. Register now at IdeastoImpact.com

From faster, more effective communication to deeper, more engaged community, the promise of online connection can seem almost too good to be true. And while it’s true that technology, itself, isn’t the answer, churches around the world are leveraging the power of social technologies to better connect, engage, equip, and mobilize their congregations for the work of the gospel.

We’re not talking virtual here – this is about real life impact.

4 Practical Steps to Transform the Way Your Church Communicates Online

1. Define your mission.

This shouldn’t be abstract. Identify the specific goals God is calling your church to work toward, then identify specific ways online communication can help you reach those goals. This will help you determine which tools you should be using.

2. Build a communication team.

Who are the key leaders of the various ministry areas within your church? Invite them to form a communication team that will work together to make and implement communication plans guided by the mission you’ve defined. Whether it’s you or someone else, be sure to appoint a project manager who will coordinate the team and ensure that the plans you make will be implemented.

3. Make a plan with concrete goals.

Define a communication plan to accomplish specific goals and assign work to your communication team members. Remember to make sure your goals are SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely.

4. Implement your plan.

Once you’ve made your plan, assign responsibilities to team members, set a timeline, and get to work! The project manager will be responsible for keeping everyone on task and will make sure any obstacles are identified and resolved.

This post is an excerpt from the ministry guide Building Disciples Through Engagement, written by our colleagues at The City. The guide is great for those with questions like: ‘Are things like Facebook helping or hurting ministry?’, ‘How can my church connect in new meaningful ways?’ or ‘What are the most popular community tools that are working?’ The ministry guide will share tips from some of the country’s top churches, and help you learn how The City can help you engage more people more often by getting up to speed on the real power of social technologies for churches.

For more, download the free ministry guide Building Disciples Through Engagement today.

We’re getting ready for the 2012 Ideas to Impact Conference just a couple of months away, and so are speakers from all over the country! Here’s a guest blog post by Ideas to Impact speaker Nicole Unice, who serves in student and family ministry at Hope Church, the fastest growing church in Richmond, VA.

Nicole is also the author of She’s Got Issues (May 2012), a book on God’s work in women’s ordinary struggles. Nicole blogs at www.nicoleunice.com.

The Care and Keeping of Twentysomethings

It can be daunting to open up your life and your ministry to the next generation. Just when you think you’ve figured out how to run a small group or women’s ministry or even your own meeting, this lively bunch shows up, with energy and enthusiasm, zany ideas and young skin. At times they seem like peers, other times they seem like preschoolers. Pundits say they are entitled and adolescent. Yet regardless of how you feel about the next generation, they are the church of tomorrow and they are the church of today. They are our next pastors, ministry leaders, elders, writers and communicators. Working with them is a biblical mandate, as we are called to commend the works of God to the next generation (Psalm 71:8).

So how does a leader of any age work with twentysomethings? What do they offer us, and what can we offer them? In my own practice of counseling and ministry, I’ve found there are four essentials to understanding the next generation. These essentials—understanding their development, their background, their culture and how they perceive us as older leaders–can’t be programmed or checked off a to-do list. The investment can come at a high cost, but the potential payout makes it worth it—the great blessing of serving a young leader at a critical intersection in their life.

Essential #1: Appearance Check.

We call twentysomethings “young adults,” but young people after college are hurled into the vast sea of “adulthood.” They often sense that they are supposed to be ready to be grown-up yet feel shockingly unprepared. This creates the temptation to hide their true selves and offer up a more “adult” version.  Most twentysomethings I know need permission to not have life figured out. They need to know that you, at thirty or forty or fifty, is not the same “you” as you were at twenty-three.

Essential #2: Background Check

It is easy to expect a twentysomething to immediately “adopt” your culture and processes in ministry. Instead of thinking of ourselves as learning from them, we often expect conformity with the way we are already doing it. But young people bring a whole host of “learned behaviors” into the ministry setting. It is our responsibility to help this new adult in the transition time: to understand how their own upbringing, their educational background, and their experiences in faith affect and shape they way they approach the future. This can be as easy as asking a new person in your ministry about their family, about their experience in college, about their church background. This information provides excellent context for understanding how you can best acculturate a young person into your team.

Essential #3: Culture Check

In a poor economy with less opportunities for job satisfaction, twentysomethings often seek purpose and fulfillment outside of their employment. The church is the perfect place for young people to use their education and skills in a meaningful way.

Essential #4: Honesty Check

My pastor has always said “more is caught than taught,” an essential worth living. Young people want honesty from you. They want to know that you don’t have it all figured out (and you certainly didn’t in your twenties!). They want to know that you can be wrong and that you know how to apologize for it. They need to know it’s OK to not have it all together.

The older leader has great opportunity to leverage new people into kingdom work. It requires grace and perseverance, but the leader who succeeds join the Psalmist in proclaiming God’s “power to this new generation, [his] mighty miracles to all who come after me” (Psalm 71:18).

Join us at the Ideas to Impact Conference in Atlanta to see Nicole speak in person – including a session on Leading the Next Generation. Get more information at IdeastoImpact.com.