Announcing My Fall Coaching Group

August 2, 2011 in Leading yourself with 0 Comments

When we were trying to name this blog, and pick a Twitter name for that matter, we ran into the common problems.

My first though was “Ministry Machine” but wise people talked me out of that.  It was too specific, too long of a name for twitter, and just kind of dumb to be honest.

A friend of mine asked me this question.

“What is your favorite title ever?”

About that time we had an intern who had been a swimmer for me years before.  While everyone else called me “Shef”…she still called me “Coach.”

The staff thought it was funny and cute.  I loved it.

It took me back to summer mornings on the pool deck watching the kids work hard and get better.  It took me back to swim meets where our work was put to the test.  It took me back to putting my arm around a kid who had a bad day and celebrating with others who had just done what they never thought they could do.

Her “nickname” for me made me realize the answer to my friends question.

I loved the idea of being the “Coach.”

And the name for the blog was available.  So, that’s what we did.

Since then I have been under some pressure to start a Coaching Group.

I started this summer with 6 guys and I’ve got to tell you…I love it.  I look forward to our Fridays together and catching up with our 1-on-1 phone calls.

I will be starting our next Coaching Group this Fall.

If you’re interested in joining this CoachShef Coaching Group, please click HERE

Thanks so much for all your support and encouragement.

I’ll be back Thursday with some more content.

Pressing Pause

July 28, 2011 in Leading yourself with 1 Comment

We were having a great discussion last week in my Coaching Group.

We were talking about Henry Cloud’s book, Integrity.  In it, Cloud describes the Observing Ego as “our ability to monitor our own thoughts, behaviours attitudes, feelings, abilities, choices, values, desires, talents and the like.“  He goes on to tell us that the mature among us are those who can self-observe and self-correct…ourselves.

Makes total sense when you think about it…doesn’t it?  In fact, I think there is some Biblical evidence to this whole idea.

Romans 7:15 is a very interesting verse.

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. (NIV)

If you look at it carefully you understand Paul has multiple personalities  here.  There is the Paul that wants to do the right thing.  There is the Paul that does the wrong thing.  And then there is the Paul who is watching the whole thing go down…from the inside.

I know it sounds a bit crazy.  But, Isn’t that how we all are? 

Continue Reading…

Our Lost Children

July 26, 2011 in Vision and Leadership with 4 Comments

The craziest thing happened the other day. If you don’t work in Family Ministry, you might not understand how “crazy”… how “incredible” … how “awesome” it actually was. And, to be honest, if I just lived in a bubble, I wouldn’t realize how unique it was. But the truth is I don’t live in a bubble. I talk to youth folks from other churches all the time. I hear what many of them deal with and I’m aware that I work in a unique place.

I’ll save you the details, but it basically comes down to this:

In our 2012 calendaring meeting, the ideal weekend for Walking Wisely Weekend (our version of a Disciple-Now-type weekend) landed head to head with a major event for the married adults in our church. There was no way for these events to happen at the same time. One of us was going to have to give.  And one of us did:

The leadership of the married adult ministry felt it was more important for the students to have that weekend… so they moved their event!

Some of you don’t think that is a big deal… some of you – those who have been in these meetings at other churches – just fell out of their chair!

At our church, there is simply a STRONG desire by the whole staff to reach the next generation. Now, this is not totally unique to North Point Ministries. I’ve seen this play out in a few other other churches. They are just few and far between.

I was asked the other day just what it is that drives that sort of attitude.  I think I’ve figured out the thing these churches with this attitude all have in common:

They are churches led by groups of people passionate about REACHING people… not KEEPING people.

You might ask, “What does that have to do with student ministry?” and I would respond with this:

At the end of the day, these churches know this truth – a truth that eludes many people, I think -

The largest group of “unreached” people in our church every Sunday are the children that look at us from our own back seats.

Did you ever think of it that way?

I don’t want to get into a theological debate on the “age of accountability” or any of that.

BUT, no matter where you stand on that, this belief remains for most of us evangelicals. We believe there must come a time when a child, knowingly and purposefully, must make the choice themselves to become a follower of Jesus Christ. And many of our kids have not crossed that line. As a guy who works with middle schoolers, I’m often amazed by stories of kids who have been in church all their lives and just now decided to make their faith their own.

And yet… in most churches across the country… a student or children’s event would never push an adult event to another weekend… or out of a space for that matter. (“That’s where the ladies’ Sunday School group has been meeting for 25 years, for goodness sake!”)

Why do you think that is? How do we lose touch? Why don’t we see our own kids as those who need to be reached?

 

Why the Multi-Campus Strategy Will Eventually Fail

July 14, 2011 in Management and Leadership, Vision and Leadership with 8 Comments

I’ve been doing a bit of thinking since my last posting about the multi-site strategy.  You can read that HERE.

There has been so much confusion about these ideas, and to be honest, I’ve taken a little bit of heat.

I’ve decided that all of this confusion comes down to vocabulary.  We need to get more clarity on what we’re talking about here.

The way I see it, you can take on the multi-site strategy one of two ways.  (multi-site being the bigger and more general idea here)

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Getting Back in Shape

June 28, 2011 in Leading yourself with 2 Comments

A few months ago I posted some goals for myself to achieve before I was 40.  You can read those HERE.

Here’s my news.  I got two done!

I finished Seminary in January…which was huge!

Also, I ran a Triathlon last weekend.  No kidding…the Big Boy got off the couch!

The truth is I’ve been in sort of a slump for a few years.  And though I give myself a hard time (calling myself big boy and implying that I was lazy and sat on the couch all the time), the truth is that I had a full time job, was a student in seminary, and was raising three small kids with my wife.  I wasn’t lazy…I was understandably tired.  The results though were pretty much the same.  This one time collegiate swimmer had gotten so out of shape that it was hard to get things rollin again.

I’m guessing there are a few of you out there who can relate.  I figured I would share what worked for me to get back in some sort of shape and to the point that I am in some sort of fitness routine  I hope it’s helpful.

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