Meet a Friend Monday: Brandon Grissom

Monday is for meeting new friends.
Today I want to introduce you to Brandon Grissom. He's on staff at Willow in Chi-town. I've known Brandon for around 13 years.
He is an amazing musician and writer. But he's an even better guy. Brandon's originally from Prague. That's Prague, Oklahoma. He's one of my two tallest friends. Both come out a Prague. Brian Bergman is the the other. He plays with Charlie Hall. Brian is another post.

Brandon works with Axis at Willow and was formerly the worship leader for the Jr high ministry.

Lyrically he is growing into some amazing company. There just aren't that many worship leaders who write about the Kingdom of God. Brandon is growing into this in wonderful ways.

check out Brandon's myspace. buy his music. You'll not only get amazing music you will want to sing with your church, but you'll also be supporting a genuinely great guy.

Inside the Mind of Youth Pastors - Reviewed

A review of my first book.

What I love about Lifechurch.tv

If you frequent this blog, you know that I have a lot of questions about leadership and video venues and such. Specifically I've written about Lifechurch.tv and the Lead Pastor Craig Groeschel. I don't generally talk specifics. I rarely mention the names of the churches I consult around the country for a variety of reasons. I try to talk ambiguously about churches when I have issues. But I've broken this rule when it's come to Lifechurch.tv. and it's point person. There are couple reasons for this.

I have and have had personal interaction with Lifechurch people. I know a half dozen people on staff including Craig G. Though "know" or friend may be a bit of a stretch with Craig. I hope he'd consider us friends. But we haven't talked in years. We're both pretty busy folks and haven't really had a reason to talk. My personal past is a bit sorted. I've had personal experience behind the scenes. I've had wonderful conversations with Bobby Gruenwald over coffee. He challenges my thinking and I hope I occassionally return the favor.

Regardless, I've asked a lot of question about video venues, internet campuses and such here on the blog, and used my neighbors at Lifechurch and Craig as the example of my wonderings.

I feel compelled to share a couple things with you, since I keep getting emails from people who don't understand my questions.

First. I think lifechurch.tv may be the most value based, learning church (as in systems thinking) of any church I've ever experienced. And while I don't value all the things they value the way they do, they are relentless about doing ministry and learning. This starts with folks like Craig and Bobby.

Second, They embrace risk, instead of run from it. Or at least they lean more into risk than status quo. Seldom do you find a church who risks as much, as often. In a way, their entire church is a risky project, one that might fail in a few years. That's not a shot at them. These are smart folks. They know this is true as well. I love this about them. the mission of God, as they understand it, is king. which is to say that God and his hopes for the world are what they risk everything for.

I can hear my cynical friends whispering in my ears at this point, but I'll continue. At some point it's okay to let yourself believe the best about others.

Third. I'm hearing things recently that excite me about Lifechurch and Craig specifically. I won't do into details, but I'll just say, that it takes a strong church to change your mind about things. To change values. Yes friends values can change. Go read some Chris Argyris and double loop learning. Other churches would do well to follow in their footsteps in this regard.

Fourth. And this is a not a shot. From a distance it appears as if, Craig is become more of a pastor and less of a personality. this is a tight rope he'll have to walk between himself. like we all do. But the more Craig speaks from compassion for others, the more I'm encouraged. All of our stories and messages come from our past and much of our theology is autobiographical. If that's true for Craig, then I hope to be as moldable as Craig is one day.

So, for the record. I love these guys. They have growing edges like the rest of us and I'll keep wrestling with them, not because I'm being critical of LC's ministry, but because I'm critical of my own.

I'm not sure this makes my relationship with them much less messy, but it some things I wanted to say. If you think less of me because of it, so be it.

How much will it cost? - the wrong question

Great things often cost us something. We are often worried about this kind of thing, but how we approach issues of price in the church often hamstrings us and folds us back into past behaviors and results.

When it comes to cost, we like to ask, How much does it cost?
When the church needs a new roof? how much does it cost?
When the youth ministry needs me to volunteer? How much will it cost me?
When the Senior Pastor invites people to build a Habitat House? How much will it cost?
We need to hire a coach or consultant to help us become what we believe we need to be? How much will it cost?

We like to count the cost... better said, we like to count the cost like this. We quietly think this is biblical. After all Jesus told us to count the cost, didn't he.

How much will it cost, is a question of being a good steward... right? or are we just spiritualizing our unwillingness to be faithful.

How much will it cost? is the wrong question. No matter how nice it sounds, it only leads us to repeat the past and in some cases, to ignore what God is doing in our midst.

As it turns out, asking the question, How much will is cost is subtle way in which disciples can differ responsibility to someone or something else.

Clean Water for children of the world? By asking how much, it allows us to avoid the real issue. I can always blame our budget, or the finance department for not doing something that is right.

The REAL QUESTION is What price am I willing to pay?

That gets at the root of it doesn't it.

I can ask you how much something will cost me, and be disengaged, an give personal responsibility the stiff arm.

Ingrained within "What price am I willing to pay?" is personal responsibility and faithfulness.

Tile for the new building?
What price are we willing to pay?

A dynamic of team of adults investing in local children?
What price am I willing to pay?



So much of leading people is dealing with the disparity and ambiguity between the vision you have for people and where people really are, or are willing to be.
You have hopes for the way people live, but they often let you down. Volunteers don't show up. Monetary commitments aren't met. Follow thru doesn't happen.

Often we see the disparity of what our dream for a project costs and the price our community is willing to pay. This can lead to unintentional manipulation, tricks and gimmicks to try to engage people in paying the price you want them to pay.

But is also becomes an excuse one why you as a leader are unwilling to do the dreams of others. It will cost too much. We can't afford it.

People who lead would do well to ask "What price are we willing to pay?" as a starting point. What ever they are willing to do is the right answer at that time. No amount of talking, vision casting, manipulation, persuasion, dreaming, inspiration or browbeating will change that fact.

You'll find that if your cause is worthwhile, and the environment is safe, people will respond beyond your dreams, just not at the beginning.

Remember, a great leader creates a future, different from the present with people, not in spite of them. Talk about possibilities, but acknowledge reality. The disparity can kill you and others. Give voice to people and let them pay the price they are willing to pay.

Of course this kind of leadership costs you something. If you are a pastor, What price are you willing to pay to make disciples?
If you are a manager, what price are you willing to pay, to have a great team?
If you are a teacher, what price are you willing to pay, to educate kids?
If you are a parent, what price are you willing to pay, to raise your kids?

We all have limits. Somethings we'll give our life for. Others, we do for reasons other than passion. maybe it's ok to say no more often?

Ordination in a large denomination

I have a lot of great friends going through a variety of denom's ordination processes. There's a lot of position papers sent to strangers in another city. so I wrote this recently as additional steps in the process.

Have the headquarters staff and committee each do the following requirements.

1. Tell me a story about how you’ve seen me as a pastor embody the characteristics of a (your denom) pastor.

2. Based on your deep understanding of me, encourage me as a candidate in the areas God seems to use me the best. In other words, what do you as church leader in the state and authorities for ordaining me, see as my sweet spot for ministry?

3.As a person in my community, ask me about specific decisions I’ve made as a leader and how they help people follow Jesus best.

4. How have you seen me be the presence of Christ to people in my family, my friends, staff and those who have yet to follow Christ?

5. Write me a position paper (5 pages max) on how you as a leader will empower me as an ordained leader to do what God has uniquely gifted me to do and how you will protect me from the burden of unnecessary institutional expectations that are inappropriate the unique disciple and pastor that I am? Please include first hand stories and examples from my life and ministry.

Leading differently

Leaders who develop a vision by themselves and then cast it to others bore me. Not because they are boring people. most are pretty dynamic folks. They bore me because it's the lowest form of leadership. the kind of leadership that promises what it can't deliver. At it's root it's belief in the individual leader or their ideas for everyone's future. yawn. it reminds me of the church marquee. "We're praying for you" What could they possibly be praying for me about... really. and who is we? Deep down it's nice to know that there is a church leader somewhere out there targeting me to come to their church. A bit weird and creepy. but they have good intentions for me and my life.

there is a growing number of leaders who sidestep this kind of leadership opportunity and step into a leadership style that isn't... well... so arrogantly individual.

what gets my heart pumping are the leaders who help the people they lead remember and imagine dreams God placed in their lives years ago. Often but these dreams were driven out by circumstances, church leaders, or church machines that endless eat dreams of people and replace them with THE senior pastors dream for their life. these folks aren't buying into the individuals vision, so they just quietly (or not so quietly) step aside and quit, or give up, or dream somewhere else where their dreams will meet the kingdom... outside your church and it's people.

The leaders that excite me reawaken the story God has been working in people. The projects, ministries and people that drove them to place their faith and hope in God in the first place.

Good leaders drive their own vision and they build fantastic sized churches and occasionally deeply committed disciples.

Great leaders empower disciples of all ages, shapes and sizes to dream again. and dream their own dreams.

there's a big difference.

(Un)Official Church Staff Manual Review

Adam Lehman has a brief and generous review of the new book The (un)Official Church Staff Manual: Youth Pastor Edition.

Here's the Link.

Here's a taste of what Adam said.

While there is enough humorous material to make any youth worker smile... there is a deep and heavy truth laced between the quips and jokes.

Biblical Seminary Misisonal Youth Ministry Course

Todd wrote this over at his blog about the upcoming course. We're gonna take a very different look at the the ever-changing world of youth ministry. This is going to be a great course. email me if you have any questions. Mark@theriddlegroup.com

Missional Youth Ministry? Could that be a nuance on the recent trend of hyphenated expressions of Christianity? Would this simply be another way to re-invigorate ministry to youth? Maybe it is nothing more than capitalizing on the most recent buzzword to stir interest? Not if you are thinking about the issues like Mark Riddle.

Biblical Theological Seminary is offering the course Missional Youth Ministry during the fall semester. It is an online course using the new Biblical LMS (Learning Management System). Mark Riddle will be the facilitator. His recently published book, Inside the Mind of Youth Pastors, serves as catalyst to reshaping the way we think about youth ministry as it relates to the church.

Mark contends there are two models used by churches when it comes to youth ministry. Either a church views youth ministry as something of a surrogate program for which they will hire a youth minister to do youth ministry “on behalf of the church”, or a church owns its youth ministry. “Owns” in the sense the church will hire a youth minister to do ministry with the church. The differences are important. Either a youth minister works for us or works with us.

The course would be good for pastors and church administrators as well as for youth pastors.

Click over and sign up for Missional Youth Ministry at Biblical Theological Seminary (PT 570A Missional Youth Ministry).

Link

Return

I'll return from my blogging hiatus August 26. if there's anyone left visiting the site by then. :-)