Showing posts with label Vision. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vision. Show all posts

Monday, May 01, 2017

Rethink Leadership - Carey Nieuwhof



Last week I had the privilege to attend Rethink Leadership a conference organised by Carey Nieuwhof. Carey is the Lead Pastor of Connexus Church– which is a multi-campus church near Toronto. You can read his thoughts on Christian leadership at his blog. The following are a few quotes from his opening session on strategy.

  • Solitude is a gift from God. Isolation is from the enemy.
  • Most of our problems in church are not vision problems but strategy problems
  • The vision of the church was handed to us by Jesus. We can’t come up with our own vision.
  • Strategy, more than your mission and vision, determines your destination
  • You don’t have a ministry problem. You have a strategy problem.
  • Vision often falls flat if there is no Strategy. 
  • Clear strategy provokes deep fear. A strategy is often divisive. For example, blended worship rarely makes anyone happy
  • Ambiguity never provokes fear. Clarity does.
  • Strategy is the execution of your mission and vision.
  • Strategy becomes divisive because it is clear.
  • Clear strategy initially divides before it unites. What initially pushes people away eventually creates unity.
  • The clearer you are on your strategy, the simpler it is, the more it is written down, the easier it is.
  • The more a church grows the more complicated it gets.
  • If you’re going to stay current, you’re going to have to reinvent your strategy.
  • It’s easy to change something someone else has built. It’s much more difficult to change something you have built.
  • Strategic is the key to attracting young leaders.
  • Yesterday’s ideas never attract tomorrow’s leaders.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

What is stopping you going on mission?

As part of our teaching series "COMMISSIONED" teaching series at MKCC, Ray Bowker tells his story.

Feeling called to work overseas for God but facing a disability which means he is almost totally confined to a wheelchair. How could he GO?


Find out more about LightForce International

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Am I limiting a limitless God


Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. - Psalm 78 v 39

This was what the song writer Asaph said of his ancestors in this Psalm of Instruction (Maschill).

They forgot everything God had done for them. They forgot the miracles, the interventions, the deliverance, the provision, the direction and the salvation.

By forgetting they turned back and THEY limited God.
God is limitless, but His people had LIMITED Him.

How many times have I limited God because forgetting has caused me to turn back in the face of the slightest difficulty or opposition.

God help me to always remember and to stay the course and witness a limitless God.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

God of this City

An unknown worship band from Belfast,Northern Ireland, Bluetree, recently penned a song God of this City. A prophetic statement that God had not finished with their city and he was going to do greater things.

The song was picked up by Chris Tomlin and included in the recent Passion album.

Newspring Church used it last week in their services and put a great video along with it showing what God had already done in their city and made it a declaration of what he was going to do in their city through them His church.

Watch the video:


Now let the song become part of us. Lets pray for our city then do something about it. We are revival to our neighbours, our street and our city.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Lessons from Apple


Read an article today about the unexpected success for Apple's venture into opening flagship stores in city centres and shopping malls. Most pundits predicted failure and Apple to be left with a pretty big bite out of it. Now after what must be classed as a resounding success other manufacturers are being tempted in. Sony has opened a number of stores.

The New York Times carried out a review of the 2 stores. Here are there findings:

They found Sony outlets virtually deserted except for inattentive salespeople and security personnel, while the Apple Store was packed with shoppers and friendly staff. The Sony stores, according to the "retail consultants" The Times later talked to, are merely "places of stuff," a condition which makes them not "shop-able," while the Apple outlets "extend an emotional connection."

Just made me think of our churches. Are they just sterile unwelcoming places that have just packaged our "product" in uninteresting bland ways that does not try to connect with people at there point of need.

The NY Times concluded was that Sony really needed a killer product. Well we have that! (Maybe killer is the wrong word) So why do the vast majority of people still think it isn't relevant to them.

Help us God to stay focused on the people that still need the worlds best product.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

God found me


Have not posted much recently. The Ultimate Event at Alton Towers is taking up much of my time. However took some time out last night to go and see the new release - Amazing Grace. The very title alone was enough to get my interest.

For those of you who do not know, it tells the story of reformer William Wilberforce and his battle to abolish the evil slave trade 200 years ago. There are many things which hit me watching the movie. You have got to see it! Apart from the main theme of the cruelty of man to man there were other slightly more unexpected messages for me.

One scene shows Wilberforce in his garden amazed at the creation and talking to God only to be interrupted by his butler. His butler acknowledged that Wilberforce had found God only for him to reply: "Its more that God has found me and it is somewhat inconvenient". I loved this description of His relationship with God. I once heard some one say that Jesus was the hound of Heaven and he is after you. We very often talk about our spiritual quest to find God but its amazing to think that God is looking for us!

In another scene William is trying to decide if he should become a preacher and follow God or become a politician to change society. The answer came back that he could change the world by doing both. Sometimes we set our sights to low. Through years and years of arguing, politicking, convincing, hardship, misrepresentation and illness Wilberforce fought to bring God's Kingdom into this world.

We are not here to do or play church. God found us so that we could find our cause and bring God's Kingdom to the earth.

Now thats a cause worth getting up in the morning for.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Mean about vision

Spent most of yesterday with our Senior Pastor preparing for a meeting with our Leadership Team later in the week. Over the last few months we have been going through much change at Milton Keynes Christian Centre. Change is always a little difficult but is always needed where there is growth.

All through our lives we encounter change. We even experience change in our relationship with our parents. As a baby we are totally dependant on them for everything. Our whole life depends on what the do and do not do. As we grow we learn to do things for ourselves they encourage us, they inspire us. We leave home and sent up home, they support us. Then as they get older we support them. One thing is constant - change.

As our church grows, and it must for all those who don't know God, relationships change, people change, methods change but vision stays the same.

In the words of Rick Warren: Bring them in, build them up, train them for and send them out.

I have been reading some exerts from Gary Lambs blog about the churchplanters.com conference he is at. He mentioned the title of the first session. Latter found out that my friend and Pastor i grew up under Roger Blackmore is at the same conference and blogged about the same thing. Being Mean about your Vision.

We are going to have a great day on Friday planning with our new leadership team. I am looking forward to making plans but our vison stays the same.

Bring them in, Build them up, Train them for, Send them out.