Video on a shoestring budget!

Ever wanted to show a video of the church picnic, outreach or special event but didnt have the "techy" person in house? Well check out ANIMOTO.COM !! fOR $30 per year, you can show videos that you will be proud of... all done with that "excellence" factor that we strive for!

I have been using this resource for our intro videos - at the beginning of service. Let your imagination loose and go for it!!

Lead Pastors set the tone!

Here is a short snippet from www.buildingchurchleaders.com.

The leader of the church sets the tone. The pastor's modeling of friendliness is critical. Ultimately, however, it comes down to love. One of the characteristics of breakout church leaders is their unconditional love for the people in their church. The pastor expresses an intense love for the members of his congregation. The members then show love to non-Christians who are visiting their church. The visitors take note of the genuineness, friendliness, and love being exhibited. They feel comfortable and welcomed. The door is then open for them to hear about the One who loves them more than anyone else.

For the rest of the article please see: Building Church Leaders

Get Connected..... Stay encouraged!

Some church planters belong to denomination. Some are part of a network of churches. Some however....for one reason or another are alone. If that's you, get connected to some life line. Rest assured, there will be times when you want to quit, when you question your calling, when you want to close the doors and nail a sign that says "closed". One way to be connected and encouraged is through social networking. Twitter for example can serve as great encouragement. Today is Thanksgiving.... Lets see some posts from Twitter:

gregsurratt Greg Surratt

Don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged & give up, 4 we will reap a harvest of blessing @ the appropriate time Gal 6:9

dinorizzo Dino Rizzo

Happy thanksgiving , so much to be thankful for ( in-laws that cook, italy jet lag, "others", my tribe , 80's music, most imp. - Savior ! )

erwinmcmanus Erwin McManus

Making good memories is like storing a healing salve for difficult times. Take time today to reflect on all that God has done for you.

Those are just a few people that I follow. If I can be of any help to you, please feel free to email me or connect....via Twitter @jeffhoglen

Marketing Mistakes by Tony Morgan

I just read a great article from Tony Morgan of West Ridge Church near Atlanta. For more of his writing you can visit his site: www.tonymorganlive.com

• Making a promise you can't keep. The world already thinks churches are filled with hypocrites, so make sure you exceed expectations on everything you say you’ll do. The easiest place to begin is with the guest experience. Are you delivering a welcoming, friendly environment? When someone takes a step to connect to your ministry, make sure your team is ready to follow through.
• Trying to be all things to all people. Yes, we want the world to know Jesus, but who has God put in your world? That’s who you need to reach. And, more specifically, what person within your world are you most likely to reach? Design your ministry to connect with him or her. That means some people may not like your church. That’s OK. God uses different ministries to reach different people.
• Thinking other churches are your competition. We are competing with today’s culture. Other churches are on our team. It doesn’t help if you distinguish yourself from another church. You need to distinguish your message from the world people live in. Clearly communicate why someone should connect with your church instead of spending their time doing a million other things.
• Publicizing programs that compete with one another. More choices create more confusion. You may have lots of great programs, but the more options you provide, the less likely people will be to take a step. I know, it’s counter-intuitive. But you don’t want a situation where your men’s ministry is competing with your discipleship classes that are competing with your home groups that are competing with volunteer opportunities. Figure out what you do well and what God is using to reach people for Jesus—and do that.
• Promoting your church instead of generating a response. No one really cares that you are First Church Such-and-Such. And, no one really cares what your building looks like. Promote a message series over the church. Promote a conversation over the church. But don’t promote the church or a specific ministry. Others will do that for you if it’s worth promoting.

6 Mistakes Leaders Make

Here are the 1st 3 of 6 mistakes as written by Perry Noble.
To read the article in it's entirety, check out www.churchleaders.com

1. Not getting the entire story before confronting someone about an “issue” that had been brought to my attention! A leader who always believes the worst about the people he leads needs to do a serious gut-check!
2. Letting emotion get the best of me and shutting down a discussion when I should actively listen. A leader is way more likely to get buy-in if the people he leads actually feel like he listens to them…REALLY listens to them.
3. Choosing “the obvious” rather than listening to The Holy Spirit.

Missions - Local and Global

Remember missions isnt just for third world countries. Also dont forget... it's not necessarily an either/or situation. I like to say it's a yes/ and :) We are to serve locally and abroad...wherever an opportunity should arise...wherever the Lord shall lead.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

More Free Resources

Need some sermon ideas? Listen to some Seacoast resources and get inspired. They do a great job and are kingdom enough to give it away freely.

SEACOAST SERMONS


Need some help with the admin side of church planting? Try this resource from Northpoint Church. Remember to "fish and bone"....take the stuff that you like and leave the rest.

NORTHPOINT ADMIN SITE

ChurchMetrics.com is a free web-based application that helps you keep tabs on attendance, giving, salvations, and baptisms at your church. Did I mention free???

CHURCH METRICS

Resources

Here is a list of resources you may find helpful as you plant your church:

1) For signage / vinyl banners
http://www.bannersinvinyl.com/

2) Outreach Ideas
http://www.onmission.com/site/c.cnKHIPNuEoG/b.4749751/k.9261/Outreach_Ideas/apps/nl/newsletter3.asp

3) Church Marketing
http://www.detailsdirect.net/templates/cusdd2005/default.asp?id=32085

4) Giveaways to 1st time guests
http://booksbythebox.maninthemirror.org/

5) Websites
http://bridgeelement.com/index.html

Character...........

When looking for a leader or potential leader within the church plant, one of the main things I look for is character.

Here are some of my favorite quotes on character:

"Character is what a man is in the dark." Dwight Moody

"No one can win a race with intermittent effort. Christlikeness cannot be reached with that kind of effort either—it is an ongoing pursuit. So Paul says, "Let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained" (Phil. 3:16). The Greek verb translated "keep living" refers to walking in line. Just as a runner must stay in his lane and keep up the same effort until he reaches the finish, you must stay in line spiritually and keep moving forward toward the goal of Christlikeness."
- John MacArthur

"No man can climb out beyond the limitations of his own character." John Morley

"God's call to be holy, as he is holy, is a general summons to live by his revealed precepts and prohibitions, as embodying the loves and hates which make up his character and which his ways with us will always express; Christ's call to follow his example is a specific summons to unlimited self-humbling, and giving of ourselves without restraint, in order to relieve others' needs and make them great, which is what true love is all about." J.I. Packer

"Mountaintops inspire leaders but valleys mature them." Winston Churchill


"The highest reward for man’s toil is not what he gets for it but what he becomes by it." John Ruskin

"Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are to some extent a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece—by thought, choice, courage and determination." John Luther

Many would think the most important trait would be competence. I believe some things are taught and other traits like character have developed over a period of time.

What's the difference between capable and competence?
Answer: Competence is when a person can demonstrate with certainty, over time, that they will succeed in or perform Capably.

Leadership

Here is a video from Larry Kreider, author and leader of Dove Christian Fellowship International. I had the opportunity to travel with Larry to the Philippines a few years back. This brother in Christ is the real deal.... walks the talk...and I'm glad to count him as a friend!

I highly recommend his books and the DCFI material. You can get more info at www.DCFI.org

Attention to Detail

John Wooden, former coach of the UCLA Bruins, has more NCAA championships than any other basketball coach in history--10 national titles in 12 years. What did he teach his players to ensure top-level performance? He taught them how to put on their socks. Each season Coach Wooden showed his players how to prevent sock-wrinkles around the little toe and the heel, and how to lace up their shoes with a double-knot. This helped his players avoid blisters. In the closing minutes of a close game, the player without blisters on his feet will perform better. This simple, basic detail contributed to a series of National Championships. Attention to detail, Wooden says, creates success in basketball, in business and in life.
Hmmmmmm.... how can this apply to church planting? (Selah:)

Thoughts on Worship

What do smoke machines, laser light shows, mechanical bulls and pizza all have in common? Not an easy one to answer, right?

Answer: They are all things that different churches have tried:
· in order to spice up their worship services,
· to make them more exciting,
· to make them more appealing to today’s worshipper.

What ever happened to relying on the anointing of God? I guess its easier to put on a show.... I good friend of mine had an opportunity to hang out with Dr Yongi Cho for a weekend. They attended a conference together. My friend drove Dr Cho to the airport so he could return to Korea and back to his church of over 1 million people. Along the route, my friend asked Dr Cho what he thought about the conference and the western church in general. The answer he gave really blew me away. He replied, "It's amazing how much can be accomplished without the Holy Spirit". He was referring to all the hype - the lasers, lighting, large sound systems, lcd projectors and multiple screens etc...

Let's take a step back and check our hearts....check our motives. Let us seek after God and then minister out of the overflow.

Those of us who have the honor of leading worship, lets seek God's anointing rather than on gimmicks.