Five things I learned while fishing with Rick Warren. (yes - that Rick Warren)

This week I am speaking at a Camp and it just so happens that Rick Warren is here. 

The camp has an incredible lake stocked with bass. I know that Rick is an avid fishermen, so one morning I took a chance and asked Rick if he'd like to join me. While I stood on the bank fishing, I asked Rick questions and listened to his unbelievable answers. 

Here are a few bullet points of part of his conversation with me. 

When God wants to change a church. He always takes the leader and people through five stages of renewal. 

 

Stage One: Personal Renewal 

Renewal starts with me. It starts inside of my life when my character lines up with the teachings of Jesus. Taking up my cross and following him daily. 

Stage Two: Relational Renewal

First get right with God, then get right with each other. When relationships are renewed in the Church, conflict will go down, and joy will go up. People will sing better. Families will stick around after service. Open their homes for fellowship. The church will become one body of believers rather than a building full of individual Christ followers. 

Stage Three: Missional Renewal 

When a church discovers that it is here for a particular purpose. When a church realizes that it does not exist to simply exist, but rather to bring people to Jesus and help them live like Him. Everything changes. 

When a church gets the foundation of the first three renewals set, it cannot help but begin to grow. Everything that is healthy will grow. When individuals are inline with God and others, coming together to accomplish one purpose ...growth happens. 

Stage Four: Structural Renewal 

Far too often, this is where most churches stop on the path to renewal. However, in order to become what God has called us to become, as we grow we have to change our organizational structure.  The way things are accomplished with you are a church of 100 will not work when you are 300, 500, or 1000. At each level of growth there must be structural renewal. 

Stage Five: Cultural Renewal

Once personal, relational, misional, and structural renewal continues to take place, the church is set to change the culture. God has placed the big C church in the world today for the globalization of His glory, to spread the gospel to all the world before the end comes. 

I learned so much while standing on the bank, listening to Rick drop nuggets of pure leadership gold. 

Now to be completely honest. Rick is not here at the camp in person. I am sure that Rick Warren has other things to do with his time than fish with me while I'm speaking at a teen camp in Rushville, Illinois. However, Rick is here and yes he did talk to me. In fact he has talked to me everyday this week.

Every morning when I get up to go fishing, I take my iPhone. I listen to Ricks podcast and old youtube videos of seminars that he has put on through the years. Everyday this week Rick Warren has been at this camp. He has poured into me. Trained me and coached me. My heart has been so inspired. My mind has been racing and I cannot wait to get back home, meet with my team and apply what I've learned while fishing with my long distance (only shook hands once) mentor, Rick Warren. 

Thanks for all you do Rick! 

Who do you want to learn from? Rick Warren? Perry Noble? Steven Furtick? T.D. Jakes? John Maxwell? Don't wait to meet them in person to pick their brain. Buy their books. Download their podcast. Watch them on youtube and spend some quality one one one time, today! 

THIRTEEN TWEETS TO LIVE BY: Leadership in 140 characters or less.

1. Your talent and $4 will get you a coffee at Starbucks.

2. You deserve nothing you earn everything.

3. Small is the Big.  

4. A servants heart will take you farther than you ever dreamed

5. Nothing has ever been accomplished just by thinking.

6. People don’t listen to what you say that listen to what you do.

7. Pray or get out of ministry.

8. Follow your leader well an others will follow you. 

9. If Facebook is the first book you open in the morning, get used to mediocrity. 

10. Don’t get things done. Get things done right. 

11. We are in the people business, love, serve, and lead people to Jesus. 

12. Sometimes we succeed. Sometimes we fail. But we will never quit. 

13. The price of concealing sin is greater than confessing it.

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If I were a "great leader" I would...

If I were a great leader I would...

1. Start the day off with prayer and study of Gods word. 

2. Spend at least one hour per day studying in order to master my craft. 

3. Workout for one hour per day - 30 cardio and 30 free weights 

4. Have a hobby.

5. Eat healthy. 

6. Put my families needs before my own. 

7. Be less stressed at my home. 

8. Turn my phone completely off by 7pm every night. 

9. Keep a good calendar. 

10. Show up on time for all meetings.

11. Only do what I’m good at and delegate the rest. 

12. Say "yes" less and "no" more often. 

13. Seek to listen, not to be heard. 

14. Not speak about how things are, but how they should be. 

I think I need to make a few changes. How about you?

Three things teenagers have to see in you before they trust you.

1 - Authenticity.

Are you real or putting on a show? Teenagers hate to be lied too.  If your private life does not line up with your public persona, you are lying to them. Eventually the truth will come out and they will not trust you. Teenagers have plenty of people in their life that consistently say one then and do another. Don't be one of them!  If you are who you say you are. If you keep your word. Teenagers will love you. 

Teenagers just want you to be yourself. If you are a 34 year old Dad who likes country music, then don't act like a hipster around them. If you are really into sports, then be into sports. If you love reading then talk about the books you read. 

Teenagers are trying to discover who they are. Because of this, anyone who knows who they are and is comfortable in their own skin is very magnetic to a teenager. Just be yourself and they will love you! 

2 - Expertise.

Teenagers are looking for someone who has been down the road a little further than they have. Someone who really knows the Bible and can unpack in a way that is interesting. Someone who totally understands money and isn't afraid to share the secrets they have learned. Someone who has mastered the art of writing, teaching, photography, media and graphic design is someone that a teenager will be want to be around. 

3 - Love. 

Teenagers spell love T-I-M-E. When you take the time to get into a teenagers world, they will begin to get into yours. 

CLICK HERE -  to check out my ebook titled "12 things every Youth Pastor needs to know".

Learning to pace myself. Taking small steps toward big things.

I want us to reach a lot of teenagers for Jesus. I want us to have a strong presence in local schools. I want to build up teams that train teenagers to become leaders in the local church. 

I want what I want and I want it now! However, I know that it is the small methodical steps that will move us toward our goals, not large leaps. Because of this we are walking our way through a series of questions that will get us to where we need to be. 

Where do we want to be in the fall?

We have a very detailed picture of what our youth ministry looks like as far as team members, ministry departments, school outreaches, small groups and facilities by October of this year. 

What do we need to do in order to get there?

It doesn't do anyone any good to have an idea of where we want to go but not map out exactly how to get there. So we have come up with a six step journey to our fall destination. 

Step One - Capture a Clear Vision

Step Two - Give the students ownership. 

Step Three - Create Momentum

Step Four - Raise up a team of leaders. 

Step Five - Have strong summer gatherings. 

Step Six - Keep walking out step two through five. 

The last ten weeks we have been walking through the game plan.

Last night was a strong step in the right direction. We had very strong attendance, new volunteers meeting, kids responded amazingly well to the message on authority and everyone had a blast during our activity time. 

Next week we will take a few more steps.

We will continue our "Look at life a whole new way" teaching series.  We will get our new team members officially plugged into their host, registration, cafe, production, and activities teams. We will open our mini Cafe, as well as launch our new game room area with Fooseball, Air Hockey, 14' Video Game Screen, and board games for students to hang out and enjoy. 

We are not where we want to be. But at this pace, we will be right where we need to be when school starts back up in the fall. I'm learning to pace myself and so should you. 

Here are a few questions for you and your team.

Where do you want to be in the fall? 

What is your game plan to get there?

What do you need to start doing that you are not?

What do you need to stop doing that is keeping you from moving forward?

Who do you need to add to your team?

What is your game plan to add them?

To continue to grow as a leader and ministry be sure to check out GROWTH VIDEOS and YOUTH MINISTRY UNIVERSITY