You Are Not Alone

Bill Couchenour | Monday, October 03, 2011

Is there a burning passion to see Jesus change your city? Do you find your heart troubled when you see the statistics documenting the decline of the church in the U.S. in the face of such great need? Are you questioning why it seems we’re creating consumers of “Christian” goods and services rather than real disciples of Jesus? Have you ever had that sense that something is not quite right with the way we’re doing church? Do you feel a kind of holy discontent you don’t fully understand? As Morpheus said to Neo in The Matrix:

“I know *exactly* what you mean. Let me tell you why you're here. You're here because you know something. What you know you can't explain, but you feel it. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to me. Do you know what I'm talking about?”

I talk to pastors, church leaders and everyday Christ-followers all the time that have that “splinter in the mind” - that sense that God wants to do something more, something different, something amazing. Just last week, I spoke to a pastor of a church with 1,700 in weekend attendance who was struggling with the reality that his church was producing consumeristic, materialistic, self-focused Christians. He had a sense that he might be alone in trying to figure this out. He was thrilled to hear that he was not alone.

The truth is God is working through many people to resolve the splinter. One initiative I’ve had the privilege to be a part of is Future Travelers www.missional.com. Thirty mega/multi-site churches are working right now to understand how to use the prevailing model of the U.S. church to launch a movement. To understand how to develop real disciples of Jesus. To learn how to move from simple addition to multiplication. You are not alone but, as Morpheus said to Neo, you have a choice:

“You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”

Take the red pill and live out the promise of Ephesians 3:20.
The Holy Spirit wants to take you beyond what you can ask or imagine.

If you’re looking for resources or you want to talk more, please feel free to contact me directly at wlc@cogun.com.

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How do you build Trust in your organization?

Bill Couchenour | Monday, June 27, 2011

Last week we saw how trust can significantly improve financial results, creativity, innovation and adaptability of an organization. But, how do you build trust? I remember something Warren Bennis and Joan Goldsmith wrote a few years ago that captured my attention1:

“…most of trust comes not from a particular technique, but from the character of the leader.”

Bennis and Goldsmith go on to say that, “In order to create trust you need four ingredients.”:

1) Competence – People need you to be competent at what you do. As Christ-followers we should always be striving to be the best we can be. One of my all-time favorite quotes comes from Dorothy Sayers:“The first demand on a carpenter’s religion is that he makes good tables. What use is anything else if in the center of his life and occupation he is insulting God with bad carpentry.”

2) Congruity – People need you to be a person of integrity. The word “integrity” implies wholeness. In other words, your thoughts, words, actions and intent all need to be congruent. “The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart” (Psalm 15:2).

3) Constant – People need to know what they can expect from you. They need to know that in the heat of battle you will act in a manner that’s in keeping with what they see from day-to-day. It doesn’t mean you can’t express emotion or that you can’t change your mind. It means that you won’t do either of those in a way that catches them by surprise. Live your guiding principles. “I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8).

4) Caring – People know that you genuinely care about them. They need to know that they are not simply a means to an end. The roots for this is found in one of the two most important commandments given to us by Jesus (Matthew 22:39) and the benefits far outweigh the efforts not to mention the additional strength when we knit ourselves together in a vision (Ecclesiastes 4:12).

If you have influence over anyone (including, perhaps especially, volunteers) in an organization, you are a leader. And that means we are responsible for the four ingredients above that speak to character, not technique.

“The trust factor is a social glue that binds commitment and promotes action necessary to produce results.
Without it, you can’t win.”

1 from Learning To Lead – A Workbook On Becoming A Leader by Warren Bennis and Joan Goldsmith

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Who's Your American Idol?

Bill Couchenour | Monday, May 23, 2011

I have to admit I am not a fan of American Idol. I’ve never actually watched the show so the few details I’ve gleaned come from conversations I’ve overheard between my wife and daughter, Team Members, or from brief news clips. (Although, as an old Aerosmith fan, it did pique my interest to hear that Steven Tyler is a judge now). So the popularity of the show kind of blows me away. In its 10th season, it remains a top-rated show with approximately 25,000,000 weekly viewers. Apparently, everyone wants to be an idol or at least have a say in who will be.

My role with Cogun takes me to a number of conferences where I get to hear some of the best Christian communicators in the country. Through my work with Cogun and other initiatives, I’ve had the privilege to work with pastors, speakers, authors and thinkers that some people call “the rock stars” of the Christian world. They are gifted people, most of whom are far more humble and approachable than you might imagine. They have remarkable gifts that should be respected and they, themselves, should be honored for their work in the kingdom.

What concerns me is the posture of some of their followers who, at times, seem to idolize those in the spotlight to the point of deification. Before and after presentations, some followers push and maneuver to get a few minutes or even an autograph. They tend to accept every word as gospel and parrot phrases without understanding the substance. I especially see this among young church planters some of whom deny their own gifting in an attempt to emulate someone else’s style.

First of all, the ultimate rock star, the ultimate American Idol, must be Jesus. Secondly, the names of the vast majority of the other real American Idols of the church will never be known. These are the people to emulate:

- The single mom that finds time to minister to the other women in her neighborhood

- The teenager that struggles through the mocking of his own deformity to be a source of strength for others less fortunate

- The successful businessman that sold his house in the suburbs to move to the inner city to live among the people he was passionate about reaching

- The pastor that stepped out to authentically follow God in a way that was contrary to the desires of his big givers

- The empty nest couple that chose to live on 30% of their income so they could give the other 70% away

- The young professional that develops friendships while quietly serving meals to the disenfranchised

- The elderly couple that could never have children but devote their time to tutoring 3rd graders

- The graduate that works two jobs to be able to pastor a small urban church that couldn’t afford to pay him

Who are your American Idols?

If I know the name of most of the ones that are in your top 10, then you’re probably missing some of the best right around you.

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