09.08.10
My Interview with Boyd Pelley, Small Groups Analytics II, Saving Your Ministry Money
One of my favorite guys in the small group space is Boyd Pelley. Boyd spearheads Churchteams.com, an on-line analytics website for churches doing groups. I once mentioned to Boyd just how important his role in the small group world was. I said it this way, "Without record-keeping we wouldn't know what was really going on." Over the next few minutes Boyd schooled me on the difference between "analytics" and "record-keeping." When he had finished I realized that every small group ministry that wants to flourish needs a strategic plan for gaining information about every group and using that information to reach optimal effectiveness.
Yesterday Boyd told us why analytics are essential. For many of us, if they save us money they become an essential. Check this out…
Rick: In order for a small group pastor to know what is broken and what needs to be fixed, they must first be willing to find out what is present reality. Why do you think some small group pastors are hesitant to do what is necessary to gain that information?
Boyd: Historically the logistics to collect the kind of data we're collecting today just wasn't there or it cost too much to do. Most small group pastors think the idea of trying to get weekly feedback from leaders is crazy and impossible. I know. I was one of them. We do a simple version of this for Sunday School, but the idea of doing it for decentralized ministry was overwhelming.
A second reason is that most pastors don't have the training, personality or spiritual gifting it takes to put together data in a truly meaningful way. This is where we come in. Software is really good at that stuff. Using today's technology, we automate for pastors both the logistics and the collated information they need.
Thirdly, there has always been a discussion about numbers in the church and using business systems. We've relied way to heavily on attendance and giving as spiritual indicators and intuitively most pastors know there is more to the story. So, there is legitimate skepticism that these metrics are telling the full story.
Rick: Okay, here's the deal. I'm working with hundreds of small group pastors, time is always an issue for these very busy pastors. So… how many days a week would it take for a small group pastor to gain the information, analyze the information and utilize the information that Churchteams will give them?
Boyd: The few churches that are trying to do it, with as few as 20 groups, hire part time staff just to make all the phone calls and manage their accounting-based info systems. We completely automate all of that for you by empowering leaders to communicate well and in the process provide the necessary info updates and summaries. If I were going to put a number to it, I would say you would need to hire someone an hour per group per month and provide them training in analytics to be able to put together equivalent feedback … maybe.
Rick: So you're saying then, with churchteams, that a church won't need to hire part-time staff yet they can still acquire and utilize the information as if they had taken on additional staff?
Boyd: Exactly. All the small group pastor has to do is open up his inbox and he can pray over the groups that met the night before and reply to the leader or forward to coaches and staff. We provide 4 steps to set up the system and a video on how to train leaders. Then the software is designed to run itself and to collect that information. Not only will it save them staff hires, it will also help them use their limited time most effectively.
09.07.10
My Interview with Boyd Pelley, Small Groups Analytics I, Why Analytics are Essential
One of my favorite guys in the small group space is Boyd Pelley. Boyd spearheads Churchteams.com, an on-line analytics website for churches doing groups. I once mentioned to Boyd just how important his role in the small group world was. I said it this way, "Without record-keeping we wouldn't know what was really going on." Over the next few minutes Boyd schooled me on the difference between "analytics" and "record-keeping." When he had finished I realized that every small group ministry that wants to flourish needs a strategic plan for gaining information about every group and using that information to reach optimal effectiveness.
This is the first in a series of four blog posts, my interview with Boyd. Hang on. You're about to realize a tool, that if used correctly, may take your small group ministry to the next level.
Rick: Boyd many people know you as the guy who helps them analyze their small group ministry. They may not realize that you are a small group expert. Would you tell everyone what your background is?
Boyd: For 18 years I served on church staffs in New Mexico, Nebraska, and Texas. My job titles varied from adult education to discipleship to administration to family pastor. Early on I realized the value of thinking about and organizing every ministry from a small group or team perspective. It makes administration more streamlined and brings alignment across the organization which serves both staff and volunteers well. I learned ministry in a small groups / discipleship atmosphere on college campuses and brought that experience and commitment to the church. I have had the privilege of learning from the best thinkers, consultants and authors on small groups in the last 40 years. Each one has influenced my thinking in some way. My primary spiritual gift is shepherding, not administration. This tool grew out of a pastor's heart that is passionate about doing a better, more effective job of caring for and discipling people. It became reality thanks to Mark Horan; my partner, co-founder and the software architect. He influences and owns this thing at least as much as I do.
Rick: You once said, "I believe analytics will do for ministry in the next ten years what the arts did for worship the past twenty." That's a huge statement. What has driven you to believe this statement to be true?
Boyd: When I think back to what church was like in the 70's and 80's, you could pretty much go to any church and you knew how it was going to work. There were three songs, announcements, a music special, communion (depending on the church) and then the sermon. When we opened up the church to the arts and began having worship bands with guitar solos, drama, dance, poetry, and video projectors showing printed art, media and sermon support images; worship changed. There was new life to what was happening on Sundays. Sunday began to relate to the rest of our week much better.
Of course, not everyone saw that the same way and the last twenty years have been filled with debate, discussion and a lot of change in churches. It has been a huge revolution in the church and I honestly think that analytics will do the same thing on the ministry side.
Right now, we can track and provide for staff the analytics that show the relative health of each group: healthy, normal, at-risk. This helps pastors better focus their ministry efforts where it is most needed. Very soon, we will be able to do the same thing for individuals helping them pay more attention to their spiritual growth goals and making leadership much more aware of the state of their flocks.
The discussion of the role of numbers and metrics in church life has been around a very long time. We engage in that discussion all the time. But, with the way technology has advanced, I believe we can revolutionize ministry and ministry leadership efforts. I relate it to Luke 15. The shepherd didn't count to brag. He counted so that he could clearly see the need and focus his efforts where it would make the most difference. This is our Father's heart and we should do everything we can with today's technology to reflect that same heart.
Rick: So with churchteams.com a church can actually peer into every individual group utilizing churchteams.com to know where they need to be strengthened so that that group doesn't die. Is that correct?
Boyd: Yes, it is. A quick story.
Damon is a friend of mine in Seattle using Churchteams. He's a master black belt six sigma expert who volunteered to lead a small group ministry in a church of about 250. In the summer of 2008, he called me and said, "Boyd I'm concerned about the health of my groups. Would you say that a healthy group trusts each other?"
I said, "Sure. Absolutely."
And then he asked, "Isn't trust, by definition, a function of consistency?"
I thought about that and said, "Sure. I trust you because you've consistently been there for me."
He asked, "Can you measure consistency?"
I said, "Yes, that's just attendance over time."
"So," he asked, "From your experience, what degree of consistency would you identify a group as healthy?"
Without much thought and based on 18 years of experience, I said, "I guarantee that any typical, off-campus, small group of 6-12 that averages 80% consistency is healthy."
"What about an at-risk group?"
Again, very quickly I answered, "Any group not averaging 50% probably has some issues that need to be addressed."
Well he took that, used the data we gave him and put it together for his groups. He called me up. "Boyd, I've got 12 groups. I know all 12 leaders. I know everybody in all 12 groups. What I didn't know is I have 5 healthy groups, 4 in between, and 3 are at risk."
He said, "So I decided to go to those 3 and test our hypothesis. All three of them, when I began asking the right questions, had issues that we needed to work on to restore them to health."
And he said, "Boyd I would have never known that without the analytics."
And that conversation began a huge learning curve for me and for Churchteams on how to use and present the data we had learned to collect from 2004 to 2007 in the most effective way to help pastors shepherd well.
09.03.10
Nine Things to Remember When Discipling Men
This past week my church asked if I'd do a session for our men on discipling men. I gotta tell you, it brought about a lot of personal soul-searching. When it was all said and done one of the outcomes was a list of "things to remember" when leading men. The list below may help you as you lead men in your small group, accountability group, or some other kind of group.
- Men need to see a vision. They need a mental image of the final outcome.
- Men need social time, not just meeting times. Social time on the golf course, at the pool hall, on the ball field, etc… is what will make the meeting time come to life.
- Men are warriors and need an enemy to fight and a battle to win. This is just the heart of a man. Be certain they know who the enemy is, Satan.
- Men need a bar raised high. Boredom sets in quickly when a goal is easily attainable.
- Men don't read. Many men are not going to pick up a book and read it. You may be a book junky, they may junk the book.
- Men will dodge real life issues by deflecting and talking about facts. For instance, you might ask a guy what God is teaching him during his daily time with God. His response might be to tell you he had his quiet time three times this week. You'll need to dig deeper.
- Men need a safe place and a safe person to tell real life stuff to but they need time to know they can trust you. You'll need to open the door to this kind of transparency by revealing your stuff first.
- Men will lie to you. Every accountability list I've ever seen had as the last question something like this… "Were any of your responses misleading or all out lies?" Don't declare a man the enemy because of this, he's been taught by society to protect his influence in this way. Simply help him step into the light of honesty so God can redeem his heart.
- Men need MODELS, not INFORMATION.
09.01.10
Leadership Vacuum, the Reason Many Leaders Lose
Many church leaders find themselves in a very awkward situation. Someone else seems to have the ear of their team members. You know the story… You're the senior pastor or staff member. But when you speak people aren't listening to you but they are allowing someone else on the team you lead to give direction to an initiative. This may simply be because someone else has a longer tenure with the team. But it may be that you as the key leader have left a leadership vacuum. A leadership vacuum is a hole that needs filling... a question that goes unanswered, a task that needs assigned, or a pre-existing responsibility that was never followed up on and has been left hanging. A leader can often realize when a leadership vacuum is being created if, during a team meeting, a question is asked or a task needing to be done is suggested but the key leader of the meeting remains silent. The awkward silence that follows may be a clear indicator that a leadership vacuum has just been created and, if you're a leader leading leaders, someone in the room will probably try to fill that vacuum. Someone once wisely stated, "If there is a leadership vacuum, someone will fill it." At that point the key leader loses some level of influence with the rest of the team members. The proactive team member has trumped the level of authority of the staff member spearheading the ministry. This is why it's important for those of us who spearhead a work to be certain we don't leave room for a leadership vacuum to appear.
A Leadership vacuum is perceived to be or is a reality when….
- A key leader stops casting the vision God has given them. Cast vision at least every 30 days.
- During a team meeting, a team member begins to describe a different vision that that of the key leader and the key leader allows the revamped vision to linger without graciously renouncing and redirecting the group back to the original vision.
- A question arises in a meeting and the key leader tells the team she/he will get back with the group but doesn't.
- There is an obvious job that needs to be done and others on the team are vividly aware of it, but the key leader ignores the need and assigns no one the responsibility to accomplish the task.
- The key leader seems to go AWOL on the team. She/he gets busy with other obligations and stops contacting team members, calling team meetings, and/or loses touch with team members.
- The key leader is poorly prepared when the team meets simply having meetings with no purpose and no meaningful outcomes.
08.31.10
What All Effective Leaders Do... Five Simple Necessities
My definition of a leadership is, "The ability to obtain and retain followers, organizing them, unifying them, and directing them to accomplish a God-given vision.
There are six elements of leadership, each of them easily embraced and vitally important.
Vision… Vision is "a mental image of the final outcome." A leader being able to describe the vision God has given them is necessary for the recruitment of group members as well as the retaining of them. Vision is what gains long-term buy-in and followers will come together over the long haul working together to see the vision become a reality if progress is being made.
Obtaining Followers… Cast the vision, tell them what gifts and abilities you've seen in them, and that you have chosen them out of the crowd to work alongside you. If they seem to be hesitant due to lack of belief in themselves, remind them that you'll be there to help them and if necessary, will make sure they have the training they need.
Retaining Followers… Give them the resources they need to accomplish the work given them. Give them your time and attention away from meetings. Build a friendship with them, not just a working relationship. Honor and/or affirm them when they do well and when they try and fall short help them learn the skills they need to do the work effectively next time.
Organize Followers… Find out and utilize the pre-existing spiritual gifts and the abilities of each person you're leading. They'll do the work well and find fulfillment in it.
Unify Followers… The vision is a unifying factor but to have a healthy unified team… A few ideas… 1) Create social time together by hosting parties, picnics, cookouts, etc… for your team. 2) Gather the team for a creative prayer experience praying specifically for the work you are doing together, 3) Go away on a retreat for brainstorming and/or long-term planning. Be sure to build in play time. 4) Establish traditions like going to a local sports team game annually. 5) When someone has a home project, get the team to come work together on it, 6) Do a mission trip together or simply spend a Saturday working on behalf of the poor together, 7) Celebrate accomplishment. When a major event or work is completed ALWAYS get the group together to celebrate the completion of the work and save evaluation for another time.
Direct Followers… Like a head coach or movie director, remember that you as the key leader are the one individual with the authority and responsibility to see that the vision is known, that co-laborers are obtained, retained, organized, and unified. You must be a proactive leader spearheading a movement, not just managing workers.
08.30.10
Visionaries, God-Inspired Visionaries, and Taking Jesus to Every Street and Cul-de-sac
Throughout Christian history there have been Visionaries and there have been God-Inspired Visionaries. Visionaries are people who dream man-accomplishable dreams. God-Inspired visionaries are leaders who see in their mind's eye God-sized, humongous, unsettling, seemingly unattainable obligations. But unlike your run of the mill visionaries, God-Inspired visionaries are unable to consider that the vision God has given them is unattainable. In fact, when others discourage, discount, or try to dismantle the dream God has given them, they move forward undaunted, like a lion already in full pursuit of her prey completely aware that she will run it down and be successful. I spent the weekend in Tracy, California with some God-Inspired Visionaries.
Church leaders from various denominations, differing doctrinal ideologies, trained in seminaries with contradictory considerations have come together with a God-sized vision, to see 1,000 small groups started and accomplishing biblical community in a town of 80,000. I am dreaming this dream with them. Why? Because the passion of God-sized visionaries spills over on anyone who gets close enough to experience the intensity and intentionality of dreamers of this caliber.
Many senior pastors and small group pastors are simply visionaries. They envision having a healthy small group ministry for their church. They organize for it, build teams made up of individuals from their own congregation to make sure the machine runs smoothly, and get paid to do so. They do what the job description says and the Personnel Committee or Elders celebrate that they have a well-oiled small group machine for their one congregation.
Would it be that more small group pastors and senior pastors could become God-sized Visionaries, willing to join other church leaders to take on the entire community, the community where those far from Christ live, on streets and cul-de-sacs, in towns and villages, and urban areas and rural farmlands?
A few characteristics that will be necessary…
- A willingness to go on the adventure of a lifetime
- The courage to discount the dissenters and traditionalists
- An awareness that you will win the war but will be covered with the scars of the battle
- The ability to journey beyond ordinariness and settle in the land of extraordinariness
- A passion so cavernous that you will sacrifice more than those in your circle of relationship believe healthy or right
We can bring Jesus to the world through small groups but only if we can kill our competitive nature, agree that all believers are the church not just those attending my church or those who make up my denomination, embrace a unity of spirit setting aside secondary doctrinal concerns, make Jesus the centerpiece of the message, and become God-sized Visionaries.
I'm praying that there will be more God-sized Visionaries like the senior pastors, small group pastors, and volunteers I spent the weekend with in Tracy, California. Why? What is now "small group ministry" just might become a movement!
08.26.10
10 Questions People Ask Before Committing to a Small Group
During this season of recruiting people to join groups, it's important to realize that some are very hesitant to join a group. If you and your small group leaders can be ready to answer the following questions you have a greater chance of getting the inhibited types to connect with one.
1. How much of my time is this going to take?
2. What are we going to do with our children during meetings?
3. Will there be homework? If so, how much?
4. Am I going to have to talk or can I just sit and listen during meetings?
5. Will I have to pray out loud?
6. Who else is going to be in the group?
7. How much do I have to know about the Bible?
8. How many weeks or months is this group going to last?
9. If I don't like it can I leave without people being angry with me?
10. What are we going to be doing during meetings?
