ReThink Leadership Wednesday Notes

These are my notes from some of the things seen and heard from the ReThink Leadership on Wednesday (4/27).  This will be updated throughout the day.  Check the headers to find out what session each is from.

Last updated: 4:30 pm 

Morning Sessions:

Jon Acuff

• Being a senior leader right now is there are a lot of opportunities but also more challenges. Thanks to the internet we are now global pastors.
• The things we say causally can be interpreted as a rule and it infiltrates your whole organization. As a leader you lose the right to say things casually.
• The enemy loves for us to be divided but at this Conference (Orange and ReThink Leadership) we get to learn together and push each other.
• Strategy causes you to not fake.
• When you do a strategy it forces you to admit you can’t do everything and it helps you see a limitless God.

Reggie Joiner

• He discovered that it’s not your vision that determines your success…it’s your strategy.
• A strategy is a goal/purpose with an end in mind.
• We believe in alignment. The most important thing is to stay aligned and work with your team.
• You don’t have to work to get misaligned as a team…what you have to be intentional about is alignment
• You can’t get your people in the same page if you can’t get them in the same room.
• Something magical happens when all your leaders are moving in the same direction.

Carey Nieuwhof

• 5 things we will work on at ReThink Leadership: strategy, momentum, culture, team, you
• We aren’t talking about vision because you probably have enough vision. Is vision everything? I don’t think vision is everything.
• When you go home your problem is not going to be a vision crisis. It’s probably going to be a strategy crisis.
• If I had to answer your question, “what’s your strategy?”, how would you answer?
• Strategy determines direction and your destination – Andy Stanley
• Strategy initially divides but ultimately unites every congregation/organization.
• When you put in the hard work, you get an aligned organizations. What you need to get through is the fear of the initial division.
• The reason you can sleep well at night is when you have a clear strategy.
• The reason people can’t support the initial cause is because you haven’t outlined the strategy right.

Leonce Crump Jr.

• Strategy is good, well written down. But sometimes strategy meets reality and you must change.
• How to change your strategy without losing your soul
  • Understanding that the church is a centrifical institution. Can you measure your center? Do you know who your core is?
  • Culture. Vision is taught, culture is felt.   You have to create a culture around everything you do.
  • Consistency. Every person wants consistency out of their leaders. Consistency will help keep your people aligned to the ultimate goal.

• Is bigger better? No, better is better.
• Ignore the wrong people, invite the right people (the right people help you get perspective and clarity)

Afternoon Sessions:

Geoff Surratt

• We are living in a post church world. So, what does that mean?
• There are churches who are wining the millennials
  • We have to be more transparent (can they get to know you. Are you the same on stage as you are at home?)
  • Collaborate more. They don’t want to just be in the loop but they want their voices to be heard. Failure always has to be an option
  • They have figured out mission in a different way. How are you on mission every day in every thing you do?
  • They learned to live in the mess. Do not be weary in doing good because God will bring the harvest.

Kevin Myers

• Soul momentum: It’s the soul of the leader. When Jesus is not just changing other peoples lives but you changing yours as well. Paul didn’t say someone else is responsible for your zeal (Romans 12:11). We are responsible for that.   We are responbile for our zeal and our soul momentum
• Smoke what you’re selling and sell what your smoking – if soul momentum is going to work you need to keep the momentum burning in you. If you are selling Jesus, you need to be smoking Jesus. 3 questions to keep my soul momentum:
  • What is my current word from the Lord? What has God been whispering to you lately? When God speaks to you it puts a fire in your soul and that word is Powerful. The lower the word from the Lord is from you the lower the fire is in your soul.
  • What’s my current obedience to the Lord (very personal)? What are you hiding when no one is looking? There can be sacrifice without obedience but rarely can there be obedience without sacrifice.
  • What is my AWE before the Lord (very personal)? God saying, if you get on my agenda, I can get on your agenda.

Jon Acuff

• Empathy = understanding what someone needs and acting on it.
• What does it look like for us to have empathy? Care about what the people you care about care about.
• If you want to know what people care about…read less minds, ask more questions.
• Empathy says I see you and recognize you and find ways to serve you.
• Choosing empathy is cheap. Losing it is expensive. Choosing it is 1 more phone call or email.   Sometimes we are so busy that we miss it.   When you work so hard and get so busy you will miss moments of empathy.
• It understands someone else’s need and then acts on it.

Kara Powell:

• The church is calibrated for a world that doesn’t exist. But we also have to calibrate ourselves to culture.
• No major Christian tradition is growing in the U.S. today. 18-29 only represent 10% of U.S. Church goers.
• 3 cultural trends every church needs to understand:
  • 5 years. Young people are turning the corners on traditional data 5 years later. They are getting married 5 years later. They are delaying financial independence. They are known as emerging adults. When we do a better job of reaching them we will impact 14%
  • 76%. Us verses Us. 76% of the lgbt people are open to returning to faith community. They wanted a commitment to conversation. The world is watching how the church is dealing with this issue. Reality is all people are made in God’s image. People do better when they brush up with Christ centered communities.  When we reach these we reach 3%
  • 1/3^rd. You may be alienating 1/3^rd of population and we don’t even realize it.  Is it possible that there are churches that are catering to extroverts and missing out on engaging with introverts. Data says so.  When we reach introverts, we will impact 33%
• When we reach these 3 cultural trends we will reach over 40% more people.
• She wants to be known for more about what the Church is know FOR and not AGAINST.

Were you at ReThink Leadership on Wednesday? What stood out to you?  Share below or on social media using #rl16 and #ymsidekick in your tweets.