Kidmin Take Over!

Kid Nation at South Hill's Church

For the past two weekends our Children’s Ministry (Kidmin) has taken over our church…and it has been fantastic.  Last weekend Pastor Justyn Smith and his team took over our extended campus and this weekend they took over the main campus. From the Kid’s worship team leading songs with bubbles and confetti, to Pastor Jesse and the comedic antics of Cowboy Curley Joe bringing the point home. From the story telling sound effects of  Timmy to the powerful message from Justyn… it was truly amazing!

Why would we do that? Why would we allow the Children’s Ministry to take over the main service. The primary reason… Kids are important! Very important!  The two secondary reasons are one, to highlight what an amazing Kidmin team we have, and to allow everyone to see what their kids get to experience every week. Second, volunteer recruitment. When people see what an amazing ministry this is, and how exciting and rewarding it is to help in that area, they are much more likely to come on board than with the typical “sign up table” or announcement in the bulletin.

I know what many of you are thinking “that’s great for you, but we don’t have those kinds of resources.” Even if you are at a smaller church, you can still have a fantastic Children’s Ministry. There are great resources available too, if you just know where to look. Join a Celera Kidmin group, check out the blogs of the Kidmin Coaches, many of them have free resources and great ideas. Kidmin should never be an after thought, it should be at the top of the list. When a Children’s Ministry is strong healthy and growing, then chances are much better that your church is strong, healthy and growing.

Until next time,

Chris Sonksen

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“If I could relive my life, I would devote my entire ministry to reaching children for God!”

-Dwight L. Moody

Celera Roundtable 2011

Roundtable Conferences are Highly Beneficial to Personal and Organizational Growth

I have had the privilege over the years to attend several Roundtable type events. These events have been among the most impactful training/teaching times in my life.  The opportunity to sit in a room with a small number of other participants and glean knowledge and insight from great leaders is one I will continually take. I always learn so much more in these kinds of settings rather that in a room full of hundreds or thousands of participants, as you are able to look the coaches in the eye and interact with them, asking questions and getting answers.

On May 12th and 13^th Celera hosted our annual Roundtable event. We had approximately thirty pastors and church leaders in attendance and two fantastic coaches. For those of you who were there, you know how amazing it was. Dave Stone and Mark Cole were phenomenal; we all (myself included) took pages of notes. Here are some comments from a few of the participants from this year’s event…

That was one of the best leadership events I have attended. Loved the openness of all three, Dave, Mark, and Chris. The most impactful part was just the atmosphere and genuineness of the time. Loved the stories of family and friends. Loved that there was no sense of “we want to impress you”, but a very genuine humility. I told my staff we are all going next year.   – Brad Grams

 

I enjoyed the transparency and honesty from both Dave and Mark.  They opened up their personal lives and shared their struggles, which made the sessions very relative.  All the points of topic were great and it moved fast. I was thankful to be there and felt very uplifted when I left.  Thanks again.  – Johnny  Hodges

 

All of us from our church LOVED it!!  Best part was the small intimate setting with only a handful of leaders in attendance.  It allowed for such incredible depth to the discussions.  The coaches were both unbelievable.  God really spoke to us through them and challenged us.  Celera did a great job of blending the coaches.  This should definitely be repeated.  Mark had more of a pure leadership/organizational leadership edge to him while Dave had the ministry/pastor edge to his leadership.  Great stuff! – Randy Sherwood

 

Thank you for all you did to put together last week’s (Roundtable) meeting. I found it very helpful.  How often do those happen?  I’m in for the next one! – Mark Oberbeck

I highly encourage you to seek out Roundtable type training events.  Don’t get me, wrong large scale leadership/personal growth events are great, and I attend those as well. There is just something about a Roundtable environment that breads growth. Personal growth, leadership growth, organizational,church growth; all of these things and more are given mega nourishment in Roundtable environments. Continually seek to better yourself through books, audios, and coaching of various kinds, and be sure to add Roundtables to your repertoire of learning tools.

Until next time,

Chris Sonksen

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.

James Allen

Handshake excerpt – Sally Kristen Ride

Sally Kristen Ride achieved her dream through persistence and personal development

Here is an excerpt/preview of Chapter 3 of Handshake. Thanks for the comments. Please, keep them coming!

Sally Kristen Ride and the Choice of Personal Development:

In April of 1982, Sally’s years of personal development had a giant pay off when NASA announced that she was selected to be part of the crew for the STS-7, or seventh shuttle flight, on the Challenger space shuttle.

This announcement made history!  Sally Kristen Ride would become the first woman to ever journey into space.  Her years of hard work, late night studying, and pursuit of personal growth had paid off in a way that maybe she had never imagined.  Dr. Ride’s choice to pursue personal development placed her in the history books and opened the door to a journey that most will never experience.

Her six day, two hour flight into space in June of 1983 was a giant success! All that NASA had hoped to accomplish was completed. Although the journey into space had ended in just six short days, the journey of personal growth and development for Sally had just begun…

… Personal development will open doors for you just as it did for Sally Kristen Ride.  It will open the doors of opportunity and allow you to walk through them.  When you realize that learning and growing is a life long journey you will see that along the way opportunity will knock and you will be prepared for it.

IN THIS CHAPTER YOU WILL LEARN THESE BENEFITS OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT:

Personal development…

1.    Prepares you for future opportunities
2.    Keeps you ahead of the game
3.    Creates other avenues for success

Until next time,

Chris Sonksen

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow.
– Doug Firebaugh

“What are you Learning?”

 

Leaders Keep Learning

 

I have said it many times, and I will keep saying it… if you want to be a great leader you must be a great learner.  I personally love to be stretched by learning something new. I find it boring to do the same thing over and over, never adding new knew knowledge or setting out on new adventures. Learning and doing new things keeps life fresh interesting, and exciting. It keeps your brain alert, and your body invigorated. Below is an article from Dan Reiland regarding continual learning, and while his focus is on church leaders the principles apply to anyone who wants to grow as an individual or as a leader.

“What Are You Learning?”

A couple days ago, I changed from a PC to a Mac. I didn’t get any younger or cooler, and maybe became a little slower, for now. But I have increased what I’m learning – and discovering a new way to do things. That alone has great value.

Going to a Mac after a PC is not like learning to ride a horse for the first time, it’s more like learning to ride bareback after being very comfortable in your favorite saddle for a long time. It’s a wild ride a first, a lot of slipping and sliding, with potential to fall, but there are some new freedoms that are pretty cool. (Not to mention I haven’t hit a blue screen or had a freeze up of any kind.) I suspect that in time, I may find myself in a comfy “Mac-Saddle” if I don’t continue to learn, so that’s what I intend to do. That’s the secret. It’s not PC or Mac, contrary to the propaganda, it’s whether or not you keep learning.

I think we all like comfortable saddles, and learning takes us out of our comfort zone. After 25 plus years of leadership I could slip into a zone that allows me believe that this is the season of my life to invest what I know in others. Part of that is true and good, but if I don’t continue to learn, I will quickly become of little value to any leaders I pour into.

Three important questions about learning:

1. How you are learning?

I live in a suburb about forty miles northeast of Atlanta and there are several ways to get there from my house. Its difficult to say which route is best because a number of factors affect that choice. Anything from time of day/traffic patterns to special events like a Falcons game can have a huge impact on my ability to get to Atlanta. So I like as many options as possible. The same is true for how you and I learn. The more options the better.

In the context of this article, I’m not referring to your preferred learning style such as visual, auditory or kinesthetic. I’m talking about the ways you approach and experience learning, and the life contexts within which you learn.

Do you resist or embrace learning? Don’t answer too quickly. I talk with church leaders on a frequent basis that say they love to learn, but when I ask them what they are learning new today, they fumble for an answer. I’m won’t say these leaders openly resist learning, but they resist by default. They haven’t created time and space to learn, so therefore, in effect, they have resisted learning.

Here are some ideas to help you learn.

• Get pushed.

Create a reason that forces you to learn. I asked Tony Mimms, our IT Wizard at 12Stone Church, to cut off my life-support to my PC and force me into the deep end of the Mac learning pool. I was trying to tip-toe into the shallow end and learn my new Mac when I had a few minutes here and there, but I never had time. Once all my files were transferred to my Mac, it was show time! I had to learn! In this case I pushed myself, but I also have a couple guys on staff that are eager to teach me the secrets of the dark side – I mean, how to navigate successfully in Mac World!

Coaches are needed to push you in areas you need to learn, especially in leadership. Do you have a leadership coach? Is there someone or several people you can, on occasion, have coffee with, call or email, who can “push” you in your leadership so you have to learn? Lot’s of people can simply answer your questions, and that is helpful, but you don’t learn as much that way. Being pushed to learn (required / held accountable, challenged) by someone who knows how to guide you is transformational and truly invaluable.

• Try something new.

Experiment. It can be as simple as taking a new route to drive across town or eating at a restaurant you’ve never eaten at before. You will always learn something new if you have your eyes open. The experiment can also be complex, such as launching a new way to connect new guests to your church or a new approach to small group ministry. Driving new routes and eating at new restaurants can be done randomly and spur of the moment. But obviously something like a new method for doing small groups must be done with strategic attention and planning. But all these things are, essentially, experiments. In other words, you aren’t locked in for life if it doesn’t work. The key outcome is what did you learn? Success is the goal, but whether success or failure, what you learn is what matters most.

• Rub the right shoulders.

This isn’t about giving someone a back massage. Rub shoulders with people who love to learn and continually learn. One of the things I love about John Maxwell is that is he is a voracious learner. When John travels, from current business culture to ancient history, he’s learning all the time. John is always asking questions, reading, absorbing, and processing. I love it when he comes back and asks me, “Did you know” questions, and then of course tells great stories. I enjoy the stories, and love learning from what he’s learning.

You know the difference between leaders who continue to do things the same way year after year after year; and the leaders who are constantly doing research and development, trying new things and learning daily. Rub the right shoulders!

2. What you are learning?

My family has played trivia pursuit for years. It’s fun but after awhile there is a limit to how many useless factoids we can endure. At some point we all want to connect with information that matters. The literal content or substance of what you are learning makes a difference. You have limited amounts of time, and I’m sure that you, like me, want to make it count.

• Strategic focus.

What are you learning that aligns with achieving your goals? What are you learning that helps you become a better leader? What are you doing that is new and improved in such a way that advances your church and helps those around you become more effective leaders?

• Creative energy.

What are you learning that is fun and keeps the creative juices flowing? I’m taking guitar lessons, something I’ve been doing off and on for a long time. One teacher popped off toward the end of a frustrating lesson (I just couldn’t get it) saying: “I sure hope you preach good!” OK, so I’m not a gifted musician, but it allows my creative side to stay fresh and alive. It’s a creative learning outlet that is fun and allows me to think in a very different realm.

• Intentional effort.

What are you learning that requires intentional effort, but it’s not mandatory that you master it? In other words, it’s not a required part of your job. For me, its technology. When the 12Stone staff read this part, they will snicker and make tons of wise cracks. Technology is not my specialty, but I’m going after it! The interesting thing about any learning pursuit is that you quickly demythologize the subject. When you look behind the curtain you realize there is so much that is attainable if you will make the effort. There are, of course, profound and complex levels of technology that I will never understand, but I don’t need to. Guys like our Tony Mimms, Steve Gimbert, Matt Haff, Doug Irvine and Josh Cash can lead the way! These guys, and others, are the wizards behind the curtain, and help the rest of us learn!

3. What you do with what you learn?

This is where the rubber meets the road. Application is everything. If you don’t use it, even by a lateral connection, what’s the point? When you attend a conference, for example, how did you learn, what did you learn and how are you applying it? Let’s be candid, if you are not applying it, why did you go? We live in an age with overwhelming amounts of information, but you don’t need it all. Here’s my suggestion. Try a little less input and a little more application and experience the difference.

Today I found iPhoto and Photo Booth on my Mac – next is Garage Band . . . soon I will be dangerous!

Until next time,

Chris Sonksen

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.  ~Chinese Proverb

Things I learned in Ghana

Inspiration from Ghana

Last week I returned from a week long whirlwind trip to Africa. I had the opportunity to go to Ghana, Africa with a group called Meaningful Life International. A few months back the group approached me to speak at a conference for Pastors and Missionaries from across Africa. So on August 25th I left the comforts of America to journey to Ghana and joined Pastor Godwin Ahlijah where I spoke sixteen times over 7 days. I even had the chance to give a 30 minute message on a radio station that has over 5 million listeners. The trip was an exhausting, exciting privilege.

At the conference I was surrounded by courageous, intelligent men and women passionately serving Christ. They were eager to soak up any information I could give them. No matter the topic from leadership to time management, and from church growth to personal growth, they listened intently to everything I had to offer. It was humbling to have been given this opportunity, and I was reminded of how blessed I am to live where I do with such tremendous resources at my finger tips.

Also while in Ghana I had the opportunity to visit Cape Coast Castle, one of the Slave Castles along Ghana’s coast.  Ghana was a primary source used by the English to capture slaves. After trading for the slaves from the local chiefs the Europeans used the castles as a holding place before shipping them around the world.  As I went through the castle it was a somber awakening of how bad the African slave trade really was.  I encourage you to visit the website.  Being there reminded me of the scripture in Jeremiah 17:9 that says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Although we likely can’t see ourselves doing something as bad as torturing, raping, murdering, and enslaving another human being, we still do things or think things that are “desperately wicked.”  I encourage you to take a moment and examine your heart. I know I have these past few days.

Another interesting and unexpected thing that occurred while I was in Ghana was the potential expansion of Celera Group into Ghana. I shared with the leaders there that Celera was created to “raise the national average of church attendance” in America. They were very interested in the program and would like to start a network group in Ghana. (I guess now we will need to change the Celera creed to “raising the international average of church attendance!”) I believe that God is opening an amazing door for us to be a greater assistance to the pastors in Ghana, and to help them to grow personally and to reach their country for Christ.

One final thought… It was a big challenge to me how the Ghanaians wanted to grow and how so often we in America take the opportunity to grow for granted. They really challenged me and I want to challenge you to become even a stronger student of leadership.  Read, Listen, attend events…take every opportunity to grow.

Until next time,

Chris Sonksen

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Part 2

As leaders, are we smarter than a 5th grader?

Are you smarter than a 5th grader?  A game show produced by the Fox network in which adult contestants attempt to answer questions that are found in the textbooks of elementary age students (1st–5th grade).  The game show has a humorous approach as adults realize that they are usually “not” smarter than a 5th grader.

In leadership this idea can be humorously approached as well.  Are we smarter than a 5th grader?  Do we find ourselves making foolish mistakes and unwise choices that shouldn’t be made?  Do we not understand basic principles that all leaders should know?  Like the adults in the game show, are we realizing that we have forgotten some “Leadership Basics?”

In our last article we discovered that if you are smarter than a 5th grader you will:

Focus on more than yourself
Praise publicly and reprimand privately
Be clear about the process and purpose of your organization

Here are some more leadership basics that will help you to be smarter than a 5th grader:

1)  Leaders never stop learning
As individuals our learning curve comes to a stop or at least to a very slow crawl when we stop attending high school or college.  This is a big mistake if you are a leader.  Leaders should never stop learning.  You must continue to learn and grow from every resource possible.  I am continually “discouraged” as a motivational speaker and life coach to discover that many leaders have not made it a priority to continue their leadership development.  How can you stay on the cutting edge and expect your organization to grow, if you don’t grow yourself?

2)  Leaders are strategic about the future, not just reactive
Most leaders make the mistake of becoming more reactive than strategic.  They enter their day or week reacting to the problems and situations that come their way.  Although this is part of being a leader, it is not the only part.  A leader must also be strategic.  They must lead by being strategic in their thinking and planning.  True leadership sets the course!  Ask yourself, “do I know where the organization is headed in the next 2-5 years?”  Then ask yourself, “do I know what kind of resources and staff I will need?”

3)   Leaders work hard at connecting
John C. Maxwell writes in his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, “a leader touches a heart before they ask for a hand.”  In other words a true leader realizes the value of connecting with people.  If leadership is influence, than the only way to gain influence is to connect with people.  As a leader you have to be smart enough to know that people are your greatest asset and that connecting with them is how you gain influence and build your team.  Love on people, encourage people, lift people, seek the best for them, make them better than they are and you will begin to earn a voice  in their life and connect with them at a much deeper level.

Until next time,

Chris Sonksen

QUOTE FOR THE DAY:

“You have achieved excellence as a leader when people will follow
you everywhere if only out of curiosity.”
– Colin Powell

“When you’re through learning you’re through”

Always Keep Learning

Stop and think about it for a moment.  “When you’re through learning you’re through.”  Isn’t that true?  I mean think about it for a moment.  The minute you stop learning, the minute you stop growing, the minute you stop obtaining more knowledge and understanding, you’re through.  You are making a conscious decision that this is the most I will know.  You are making a choice that this is the best you will ever get.  Once you make that decision your personal and professional future begins to plateau and often decline.  How is that possible?  Well let me explain it to you this way.

Imagine a Doctor saying “I am through learning, any new medicine or modern techniques; I don’t care to know about.”  What is going to happen for that Doctor?  Other doctors will begin to become greater in their field, they will know more and as a result be more effective. They will have a better chance of healing the sick, bringing relief to the hurting and possibly even saving lives.  They will have this chance because they have continued to learn.  The Doctor who chooses not to grow and learn will be left behind and ultimately he will suffer, his business will suffer and so will his patients, all because he did not heed to the powerful truth that says “when you’re through learning you’re through.”

Whether you are a Doctor, Salesperson, Accountant, Public servant, Pastor or Business owner the same is true for you “when you’re through learning you’re through.”  Your personal and professional life will begin a plateau and even a decline.  So how can you avoid this horrible pattern?  Here are some things that you can do that will keep you moving forward:

1)  Commit to grow
This is simply a choice that you must make.  “I WILL GROW.”  I will do whatever it takes to keep myself growing and learning every single day of my life.  Make this choice right now.  If you don’t chose to move forward with growth then you are ultimately making a choice to move backwards in your life.

2)  Create a growth plan
Don’t make a choice to grow without a plan.  I often ask people “do you have a growth plan?” and they usually answer “no.”  If they don’t have a plan to get somewhere then how will they ever get there?  You need to create a plan for growth.  Here are some things you can do:
• Read books – Find books that will help you grow as a leader and as a person.  Commit to reading one book a month.  Imagine the difference that will make over a year.
• Attend seminars – Find some conferences and seminars that will inspire and challenge you.  Sometimes these events can become costly but if you look hard enough you can keep the cost down.  These types of events have a way of keeping you motivated and on track with your plans for growth.
• Audio learning – There are so many great teachings on audio.  Imagine if you listened to teaching and training during your drive time, you could learn and grow so much just by changing what you listen to in the car.

3)  Use every available resource to grow
There are so many resources out there that can help you grow and they don’t cost anything.  Even this teaching that you are reading right now This blog and others like it are free.  You don’t have to pay for them and yet you and your key leaders can grow as a result.  There are numerous resources that are available to you through the internet that can help you grow.  Use these resources, use every resource and watch yourself grow. 

4)  Help someone else grow
Zig Ziglar once said “If you help enough people be successful you will never lack success for yourself.”  In other words, help other people grow and somehow you grow yourself.  How can you help others grow?  Give them materials that will make them better than they are.  Forward a link to this blog to 10 friends and colleagues and let them know that you want to help them grow.   Give them audio teachings, send them articles, and pay for them to go to a seminar.  If you will help others grow you will never lack growth yourself.

Until next time,

Chris Sonksen

QUOTE FOR THE DAY:

“Today is the tomorrow that you said yesterday you would get it done.”