Jonathan Herron

Backstage at the AV Club

"Leadership begins the moment
someone takes responsibility for change" - Stephen Mansfield

 

I love learning from leaders. 
Its even more fun when they become your friends.

Ken Wilson is one such leader.  Heading up all things visual at NewSpring, Ken and I over the years have shared an affinity for Gen X goodness.  From Star Wars to Super Mario Bros to LOST (although we have fiercely different opinions on the LOST finale!), Ken is a great leader with an awesome family.

While I was in town for Perry's Coaching Network last week, Ken graciously took me on a backstage tour of NewSpring's visual arts department... and gave me the go-ahead to blog it (actually it felt more like an Obi-Wan-Kenobi-using-mind-control-with-a-wave-of-his-hand-trick).

The new video wing under construction greets visitors with a big whiteboard.   The method to the creative madness is simple: write down tech requests for upcoming Sundays ahead of time. 

As Ken put it, "Everything COSTS you something."  Writing down tech needs prioritizes.  Creativity pow-wows are often held in the hallway with the whiteboard:

We're totally stealing this idea.

Next Ken took me into the Nerve Center.  I think I saw this room in The Matrix once.

During each service, highly-trained volunteers direct the live cameras from this black box.  With video graphics enhancing worship and teaching, this is where the magic happens.  Notice the large red LED clock that keeps all tech cues timed out and coordinated precisely:

If I wasn't a pastor, I'd be a Secret Service Agent.
And if I weren't an agent, I'd be a Videographer
(true story: I actually went to college in Chicago on a film scholarship). 

Perhaps this is why I enjoyed visiting one of the many editing suites.  This staffer creating a piece for the I Love the 80's teaching series allowed Ken, Will Rodes, and Yours Truly to share ideas on the VH1-themed video bumper:

With caffeine running low, our tour came to a close.
Three takeaways I gained from Ken's tour:

1. Quality requires investment. 
   It costs money/takes time/requires skill to pull off quality worship experiences.  And it pays off when lost people are found.
2. Artists need self-discipline.
   Ken doesn't micro-manage; he trusts his staff's work is getting done by deadline.  This pushes artists to not only create, but also manage themselves in the execution process.
3. Fun relieves stress.
   Glimpses of personality in the office spaces bring relaxation for the mind while concentrating on work.

NewSpring Coaching Network

Incredible past few days in Anderson, SC with Perry Noble.  It was encouraging to rub shoulders with other lead pastors nationwide and hear stories of how God is prevailing through their churches.  

I was blown away by NewSpring's generosity in pouring into our staff guys one-on-one.  They even connected our crew to Chunks Corbette and the crazy-genius team at Elevation in Charlotte.

Back at NewSpring, God used Perry to really speak into where I'm at in ministry right now.  Perry said that the worst thing that could happen is if our church went through another growth spurt and I personally wasn't ready for it. 

So goes the Leader, so goes the team.  If the Lead Pastor is not healthy, the Staff will not be healthy and the Church will not be healthy.  Making sure I'm personally in a good, vibrant place is the most important lesson of all.

So true.  God has been incredibly faithful in blessing our first year with over 160 people receiving Christ, 65 baptisms, over 80 new church partners, etc.  All the attention and credit needs to go toward Jesus because He is calling the shots and He is responsible for what we're experiencing in Caro, MI.

With strong Kingdom advancement comes bogus opposition from the Enemy.  What warms God's heart (reaching the lost at any cost) brings a chill to the gates of Hell.  The greatest spiritual oppositions come before the greatest breakthroughs.

Personal health becomes paramount moving forward.  Perry's words were on-target and affirming.  A few key thoughts that impacted me:

"Senior Pastors receive tons of attention, but not much care."  Very true.  Intentionally seeking out healthy relationships (particularly with other pastors) is a must.

"To be healthy, you WILL tick some people off in your church."  No matter what, in the quest to be a healthy leader, I'm going to be misunderstood... by other Christians.  I might as well intentionally define what I will be misunderstood about, namely, making boundary choices that will keep my and my family in a healthy place.

"Your church needs your LEADERSHIP more than your PREACHERSHIP."  Establishing a sustainable preaching schedule has become a high priority in my life for the coming year.  Perry was very specific on which calendar weekends to focus on.

"Don't read what people say about you, either positive or negative.  Positive can lead to pride; negative deflates."  Dan and I spent a lot of time talking about this area.  We are now deeply committed to being deaf to critics of our church's vision and strategy.  We are rock-certain of God's leading and will not give our critics a platform going forward.

Obviously with 9 pages of handwritten notes in my Moleskin, Perry covered a ton with the Coaching Network.  This is just a taste of what all God is teaching and refining in me right now.  Going forward I am committed to realignment personally so that I am in in strong physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. Looking forward to September's coaching!