Jonathan Herron

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Leading Through Change - When Staff Members and Church Members Leave

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WHEN STAFF MEMBERS AND CHURCH MEMBERS LEAVE

  1. STAFFING IS A KEY DECISION
  • 1 Timothy 5: “Do not lay hands on a man suddenly.” Any staff hire is a very important, sobering decision. Be slow to hire.
  • You want to hire someone who is focused on the TOWEL, not the TITLE. You are here to SERVE.

2. HAVE A PROCESS IN PLACE FOR EVALUATING STAFF AND KEY VOLUNTEERS

You are giving people significant responsibilities; have a system for evaluating:
  • Character — Not just about morality. Look at their work ethic, faithfulness, integrity.
  • Competency — Are they all hat, no cattle?
  • Culture — Do they fit well within your existing culture?
  • Chemistry — Likeability Factor. Do you enjoy being around this guy?
  • Calling — Look for the fingerprint of God on the hire of that person.
  • Capacity for Leadership — Can they grow with the role and the growth of the church? Can they reproduce themself and become a multiplier, not a maintainer?
 
 
 
3. UNDERSTAND + ACCEPT THAT SOME STAFF + CHURCH MEMBERS WILL HAVE TO TRANSITION
  • Understanding this will save you a lot of heartache.
  • Think of your church like a bus with stops along the way. What happens at a bus stop? Some people get on and some people get off.
  • There will be significant transition points as your church grows.
  • When this happens, remind yourself that this is just all part of the process of church planting.
  • Don’t lose perspective. Your “loss” may actually be a huge win!
  • Some folks need to get off the bus.
  • Why do people leave your church?
  • Sometimes staff will leave you because the responsibilities have grown beyond their capacity to grow with the role.
  • They may outgrow the responsibilities. Your job is to always make sure your staff are being challenged.
  • They may lack the character / competence / chemistry required to stick with it.
  • They may not want to do the spiritual and emotional work in order to grow.
  • Unexpected circumstances arise in life. Think seasons. Life happens in seasons.
 
 
 

4. REMEMBER THAT ALL STAFF AND MEMBERS NEED TO BE HELD LOOSELY.
Anything you hold tightly you suffocate.

5. PROMOTIONS TO KEY LEADERSHIP ROLES SHOULD BE CAREFULLY CONSIDERED THROUGH PRAYER.
  • Faithful in the little before being faithful with much.
  • Make sure they have been tested.
  • This doesn’t always work: people fool you. Potential staff will lie to you to get a job.
  • Be very careful in giving out titles… You can’t take it back.
  • It doesn’t feed your ego, it fits your function.

6. CELEBRATE THE STAYS AND POSITIVELY RELEASE THE GO'S.
  • For some churches the only time the Staff has a party is when someone leaves. When is the last time you had a party with the people who STAY?
  • Sometimes God calls you to go but often God calls you to STAY!
  • Sometimes someone goes and it’s a good thing. Sometimes someone goes and it’s painful. Sometimes people go when they shouldn’t and you can see the truck that’s about to hit them, but they won’t listen to you.

7. BE PREPARED FOR + POSITIVELY PROCESS THE EMOTIONS THAT WILL ACCOMPANY THE EXIT OF PEOPLE.
  • Loss leads to Grief, which can confuse people. Be prepared for the grief. You love the person, you’ve invested in them for years.
  • When you feel grief, don’t beat yourself up about it. Allow yourself to experience and feel.

8. GIVE CLEAR GUIDELINES TO DEPARTING STAFF ON YOUR EXPECTATIONS REGARDING COMMUNICATION.
  • Information Void can crank up a church gossip grapevine: “What’s happening behind the scenes?”
  • This happens when there is too much of time that passes between their decision and the communication.
  • It is foolish to allow departing staff to announce their departure.
  • Provide information to fill any potential void. SOMEBODY is going to tell ‘the story.’ You need to protect the health of your church as it continues moving forward.

9. EXPECT EMOTIONAL RESPONSES TO ANY STAFF MEMBER’S DEPARTURE.
  • Help them process, give them assurance.

10. LEARN LESSONS FROM DEPARTURES THAT CAN MAKE YOU AND YOUR ORGANIZATION BETTER.
  • How can we improve for next time?
  • What can I learn from this?
  • How can this make me better?
 
 
 
11. AVOID PROLONGED DEPARTURES.
  • When someone says they want to leave, let them.
  • Don’t drag it out or they will drag people down with them.
  • When they say they want to leave, their heart has already left.
  • Be generous in their transition.

12. BE APPROPRIATELY GENEROUS TOWARD DEPARTING PEOPLE WHO LEAVE WELL.
  • Err on the side of grace, not pettiness.
  • Oftentimes people who leave will talk badly about you behind your back. Be gracious.

13. EXPECT A HONEYMOON PERIOD ON SOCIAL MEDIA AT THE DEPARTING PERSON’S NEW PLACE.
  • “This new place is amazing!” Which means your place wasn’t.
  • At some point real life will kick in and they’ll stop.
  • Weather their honeymoon. You don’t need it in your spirit.
  • If it’s getting to you, delete the app.
  • Social media can feed a failure mentality.

14. DON’T GET DISCOURAGED.
  • Don’t Think You’re the Only Person This Happens To.
  • This is the secret: don’t get discouraged. Fight it.
  • People WILL leave your church.
  • Staff members WILL betray you.
  • Don’t give air to fear.
  • Pruning leads to better fruit and a better future.
  • Get up and keep going by faith.
  • Sometimes you have to wait 11 years to see someone who left in a bad way come back in repentance.
 
 
 
WISDOM FOR DEPARTING STAFF
  • If you’re leaving a church, get planted somewhere. Don’t wander.
  • When you get planted somewhere, be a son or daughter of that House.
  • Be an honorable, loyal, ethical, trusting Christian. Integrity matters. Honor your former pastor. Don’t go bush-league.
  • If you’re leaving a church, do not play the “God told me” game.
  • Don’t run from your issues! Your next church won’t change things. Geography doesn’t fix your problems.
  • Remember whose spiritual platform you have been using and you have been benefiting from. You were LOANED a platform. Never take the power and trust.
  • Never steal sheep.
  • Never steal staff. That is unethical behavior.
  • Fulfill your commitments. Don’t cut and run. That only hurts God’s people.
  • Leave your assigned area of responsibility stronger, not weaker.
  • Encourage commitment and faithfulness to the House that you’re leaving.
  • Watch your words, non-verbals and your actions on the way out… …because God is.

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Posted on Saturday, May 21, 2022 in Church Start-Up, Honor + Integrity, Leadership, MultiSite / Franchising | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Leadership & Ministry Resources for Prevailing Churches

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Revealing the secrets of popular comedians, my passion is to provide you with a fresh approach to life + leadership:
 
- Unleash contagious enthusiasm
- Equip leaders to leverage laughter and passion
- Create sustainable momentum in your life and leadership
 
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Posted on Saturday, May 21, 2022 in Church Start-Up, Leadership, MultiSite / Franchising | Permalink | Comments (0)

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AMAZON JUST SHARED ITS SECRET TO SUCCESS (AND YOU CAN USE IT TOO!)

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There is an energy and an optimism in the eyes of a startup team that's nearly impossible to replicate. Despite working ridiculously long hours, sacrificing time, family, money, and pretty much all of the things that most of us hold holy in life, a startup team produces a euphoria that only they can fully understand. If you've been there, you know what I'm talking about.

When it comes to starting something from scratch, the feeling that results is unmatchable. The attitude, the hunger, the passion, the ability to move and adapt instantly, the willingness to take risks, and the sheer energy and enthusiasm you have in a startup is as good as it gets. When you lose that, you lose the ability to grow, and that will be the greatest challenge to success and threat to innovation.

I've often struggled to put a name to the unique chemistry of a startup. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos has, and it captures beautifully all of the trials, tribulations, and magic of the entrepreneurial spirit. He calls it being a day one company. He is so passionate about the importance of staying a day one company, the building he works in is called day one!

According to Bezos, a day one company's obsessive goal should be to avoid becoming a day two company. In his own words, "Day two is stasis. Followed by irrelevance. Followed by excruciating, painful decline. Followed by death. And that is why [for Amazon] it is always day one."

According to Bezos, "Day One" means that Amazon will always act like a startup. To act like a startup, Bezos requires Amazon employees to do these four things:

  • Be obsessed with the customer

  • Focus on results over process

  • Make high quality decisions quickly

  • Embrace external trends quickly

I read this to mean always be innovating, because the alternative is to go out of business. To Bezos you either act like a startup or die.

(via Inc.)

Posted on Monday, October 18, 2021 in Church Start-Up, MultiSite / Franchising | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Have You Considered a Church Merger?

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We Are Better Together

Church mergers have become one of the most effective strategies for struggling churches to thrive again, for growing churches to amplify their reach, and for church facilities to be better utilized to advance the Gospel in a region.

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What is a Church Merger?

When two or more churches become one through the combining, integrating, and unifying of people, structures, systems, and resources in order to better reach their community with the message of Jesus.

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Three Types of Church Mergers

  1. Rebirth
    Typically when a struggling church gets a second life by being restarted under a stronger, vibrant, usually larger church.

  2. Adoption
    This occurs when a stable or stuck church is integrated under the leadership of a stronger, vibrant, usually larger church.

  3. Marriage
    Typically when two growing churches realign with each other under a unified vision and new leadership configuration.

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Questions to Consider

  1. Could we accomplish more together than we could separately?  Would we find more ministry synergy, created by the two churches joining with common vision and purpose?

    2. Would my congregation benefit from this merger?  Would my individual congregation be better, healthier or stronger by joining with this church?

    3. Would our community be better served by us working together?
      By joining forces, can we make a bigger impact in our surrounding community?

    4. Could the Kingdom of God be further extended by us joining together? Would uniting help us make more and better disciples of Jesus?

 

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?  Let Us Know!

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Posted on Saturday, June 26, 2021 in Church Start-Up, Life Church, MultiSite / Franchising | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Top 5 Podcasts Inspiring Me Right Now

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Leaders are learners: When you stop learning, you stop leading.

Thanks to podcasts, learning is as close as a click!

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For what it's worth, here are the Top 5 Podcasts Inspiring Me Right Now:

 

  1. Building a Story Brand with Donald Miller

  2. The Pastors Collective

  3. EntreLeadership

  4. The Fearless Podcast

  5. Church Fuel

 

What other podcasts should I add to my list?

Posted on Tuesday, September 01, 2020 in Leadership, MultiSite / Franchising | Permalink | Comments (0)

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8 Powerful Questions Church Leaders Need to Ask Themselves Ahead of This Weekend

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Tips & Questions to Ask Ourselves Before Serving This Weekend:
 
  • Are we the CENTER or are we a SERVANT?

  • How do we want new Guests to feel when they drive onto our Campus?

  • How do we want CHILDREN to feel during the hour they are in our care?

  • How do we want people to FEEL during worship?

  • What do we want people to EXPERIENCE?

  • Who am I discipling/investing in at my church? The minute we stop investing in others is the inute they stop investing in us.

  • Am I chasing a PLATFORM or am I chasing after PEOPLE far from God?

  • This Sunday, what worship journey do we want Guests to go on?

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Join the Fearless Leadership Network NOW!

Posted on Friday, January 24, 2020 in Leadership, MultiSite / Franchising | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Inside Peek at Our Sunday Sync-Up for Life Church Staff & Interns

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Something new we're experimenting with on Sundays at Life Church is a 7:30am Facebook Private Sync-Up for all Staff and Interns.

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For what it's worth, here is what I live-streamed to my teammates this morning to focus everyone on making Sunday happen!

LifeChurchMichigan.com /// FearlessLeaders.net

 

Posted on Sunday, January 05, 2020 in Leadership, MultiSite / Franchising | Permalink | Comments (0)

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10 Ways to Succeed with Zero Talent

  1. Be on time.
  2. Show up and do the work.
  3. Give your best in all you do.
  4. Brim with contagious enthusiasm.
  5. Don't bring problems; bring solutions.
  6. Do everything with passion.
  7. Be coachable.
  8. Do more than is required.
  9. See a need? Fill the need.
  10. Be willing to do whatever it takes!

Posted on Monday, November 25, 2019 in Church Start-Up, Leadership, MultiSite / Franchising | Permalink | Comments (0)

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7 E's of Excellence

As a leader, you are just one prayer away from a catastrophe!

Press into prayer, plan ahead, and perspire as you pursue these 7 E's of Excellence!

PS - Discover more insanely-practical leadership at FearlessLeaders.net

Posted on Friday, August 30, 2019 in Church Start-Up, Leadership, MultiSite / Franchising | Permalink | Comments (0)

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