The Principle of the Path

Direction, not intention, determines destination. That equation is true for everyone, there is no escaping it. Obvious, isn’t it? It’s so obvious that when I first read it I felt a sense of profound dumbness. Think about it. The direction you are heading in ends somewhere, and it’s the direction you’re travelling in, not your intention, that will take you there. There is a final scene for each choice we make. It’s the principle of the path.

The direction you are currently traveling—relationally, financially, spiritually, and the list goes on and on—will determine where you end up in each of those respective arenas. This is true regardless of your goals, your dreams, your wishes, or your wants. The principle of the path trumps all those things. Your current direction will determine your destination.

So, will the direction you are heading in take you to where you want to go?

As it relates to small group leadership I often say that leading a small group is not just about serving, or doing ministry. It is about becoming like Jesus in the process. Jesus would not have been satisfied to see His disciples doing what He did and not becoming like who He was. When a student is fully trained he will be like his teacher (Luke 6:40). For us, small group leadership goes beyond leading a group; even leading it well. Our strong desire is that we all come to know God in deeper ways and are continually being transformed by His grace (2 Peter 3:18). That may be your intention, even your goal. But, the question to ask yourself is--does the path you are on lead you there?

Here are some other questions to think about:

1. Are there disconnects in your life?
2. Are there discrepancies between what you desire in your heart and what you are doing with your life?
3. Is there alignment between your intentions and your direction?

The principle of the path, the quote and three questions are from a book I read several months ago. It’s one of those rare books that I think about long after I’ve read it. It’s impacted my life in a big way and I find myself continually applying its content. It’s called “The Principle of the Path” by Andy Stanley. It’s an amazing book that I wish everyone would read. Oh, and there is another essential component to the equation “direction not intention determines destination”, but I will let you discover that for yourself when you read the book.

If you want to watch a brief video by Andy Stanley talking about this book, or to purchase the book from Amazon click here.

Group Life Conference

I attended Willow Creek’s Group Life Conference on Saturday and it was amazing. Every talk in itself was worth the price of admission. Here are some highlights from a few sessions with some of my thoughts sprinkled in. Maybe one or two will hit you where you live.

David Johnson, Senior pastor at Church of the Open Door in Maple Grove, Minnesota, spoke on “Real Transformation for Real People.” Is real growth possible? Can we be and live like Jesus in the 21st century? More importantly, can the people in my small group really grow and change?

David gave three necessary ingredients to experiencing transformation in small groups. We need to be authentic, we need to be courageous, and we need to be grace-filled.

He said, “The unspoken motto in inauthentic groups and churches is this: How things look is what matters here.” This spoke to me in a big way. Groups need to know that this isn’t a show. If the Word of God is going to impact our lives it must intersect who we really are and not who we want to be. This takes authenticity…and yeah, it’s messy. How deeply are people revealing who they are in your group? David Johnson went on to say: “To authentically live in the light of what’s true about you and me is the most courageous thing you and I will ever do.” Wow. Tell that to your group.

Mindy Caliguire, Founder of Soul Care, a spiritual formation ministry serving church leaders, spoke on “Leading from a Healthy Soul.” Real growth, real change in a small group starts with the group leader. Leaders don’t need to be perfect, but they do need to be working on their own heart and life in order to help others do the same.

Mindy started off by asking: “What are the most important qualities to leading a group?” Take a second to answer that question then read her answer. She listed a bunch of qualities that she used to think were most important, and then she said, “They need to be leading from a healthy soul–a deep internal place of well-being.” She developed the idea that over time it is easy to neglect our souls. “Leadership can be dangerous, because leadership gets us moving. Too much activity too fast can damage our soul,” she said. Leading others toward authentic transformation requires us leading, not from perfection, but a healthy soul. You and I are responsible for the care of our souls.

She led us in an exercise that I thought was great. She asked everyone to write down the kind of person we were when we were in an unhealthy place with God. The list contained things like anxiety, stress, a judgmental spirit, being critical, fear, etc. She said that all those things are signs of soul neglect. After that, she asked us to write down the kind of person we were when we were in a healthy place in our spiritual journey, regardless of the circumstances in our lives. Descriptors in that category were things like faith-filled, courageous, giving, kind, forgiving, humble, purpose driven, etc. She asked, “Which would you like to experience regularly? We are always voting for one of these.” Then she said, “Only you can choose to incline your heart in the direction of God.” The most important thing we can do as leaders is to lead ourselves well.

My favorite quote of the day was from Heather Zempel. She’s on staff at National Community Church in DC. Her talk was called, “Flawed is the New Perfect.” It was brilliant. She developed the idea that community is messy because community requires people and people are messy…that includes you and me by the way. So, as leaders do we just throw up our hands and give up because things get messy? She referenced Jesus healing the blind man in John 9 and pondered how many times did God have to spit in the dirt to make enough mud to cover this man’s eyes. He probably had to spit a lot. It was messy. Then she said this, “Jesus said, ‘Go make disciples’, not, ‘Go find disciples.’” That’s good stuff! Disciplemaking is messy, but it’s what Jesus did and what He commands us to do. If there were no mess there wouldn’t be anything to transform.

Hey, I hope this was encouraging to you in some way. You are doing an important task, and don’t ever forget the special promise of God’s presence that Jesus made to those who are making disciples. “I am with you always.” Matthew 28

One last thing, I have been blown away by the number of groups who have fully embraced “Deploying our Gifts to Serve the World and the Church.” I am asked on a regular basis, “Where can our group serve together?” I love the passion that I am seeing in groups to be a tangible expression of Christ’s love to the world around us. If you go to our LifeSupport blog you’ll notice now that at the top of the page is a new tab entitled “GroupServe Opportunities.” If you hover over that heading you’ll see some links appear. Follow those links and the content is self-explanatory. We’ll be adding to more serving opportunities in the days ahead.

With you!

Adam

Just Say No?

How do you keep from burning out in ministry? What do you do to ensure that the ministry God called you to be a part of is the one that you fulfill? Paul tells Timothy: Fulfill your ministry (2 Timothy 4:5). I love how Paul personalizes this for his young friend. Paul knows that Timothy isn’t responsible for fulfilling anyone else’s calling or ministry, but his own. And for some reason, he must have known that Timothy needed to hear those words. Maybe Timothy was a guy who felt pressured because he saw all kinds of needs, but not enough volunteers to meet those needs; so he tried doing too much and Paul knew that would end in burnout. Maybe Timothy just leaned toward taking on too much. Perhaps he was a highly driven person who tried doing it all. Or, maybe he was getting weary in ministry and Paul wanted to encourage him to continue on and steward well the ministry God called him to. Regardless, Paul clearly communicated to Timothy the importance of completing what God called him to do.

Someone said the key to leadership is staying focused. As Community Group leaders, it is essential that we have a clear vision of what God has called us to do. If we don’t, it would be easy to lose focus, take on too much, or bail before we complete the task. Listen, don’t try doing it all. Do what God has called you to do. Sometimes that means saying “No,” even to good things. Jesus was willing and able to do that because He knew what His calling was, and He wouldn’t be deterred. That doesn’t mean He didn’t go above and beyond, it just means that He was crystal clear about His mission and fulfilled His ministry.

Fulfill your ministry. That doesn't mean we silo ourselves and automatically "just say no." But, it does mean that we continually evaluate our calendars and make sure that we are giving our primary calling all it requires.

How Do I Deal with A Constant Talker?

What do you do when there's a person, or people, in your group who dominate the discussion and seemingly don't know when to stop talking? Greg Bowman, Executive Director for Adult Ministries at Willow Creek, offers some practical insights to help you answer that question. You can also see what others at the Small Group Exchange have to say by clicking the link below.

Greg Bowman :: How do I deal with a constant talker?

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What Does it Take to Reproduce a Leader?

Joel Comiskey interviewed hundreds of leaders from around the world with the goal being to find out why some leaders reproduce and others don't.

Here's what he found.

These are the factors that had no impact on reproduction:

The Leader's:

•Gender.
•Social class.
•Age.
•Marital status.
•Education.
•Personality type.
•Spiritual gifting.

None of these were factors in a leaders effectiveness at reproduction.


Here are some of the factors that did have an impact on reproduction:

The Leader's:

•Devotional time. Key finding: There is a direct correlation between reproduction and a leader spending time with God.
•How often the small group leader invites people to the group.
•The small group leader’s intercession for the small group members.
•The leader spending time with God to prepare for a small group meeting.
•Setting goals for reproduction.


In his book, Leadership Explosion, Joel Comiskey writes this:

I have researched small groups around the world. Here's what I have discovered: Small groups are not the answer...Small groups come and go, they rise and fall over time. Unless small group members are converted into small group leaders little long-term fruit remains. Churches do not reap the harvest because they have small groups. They reap the harvest because they have harvest workers.

The most important factor in leaders reproducing leaders is the time they spend alone with God. And that, makes perfect sense. We can't give out, for too long anyway, what we are not receiving for ourselves. If we are going to impart to others we must take part ourselves.

LifeSupport

What an amazing night we had together last Thursday! More than 60 leaders showed up as we unveiled our new strategy for supporting Community Group leaders…we call it LifeSupport. “LifeSupport is a community of leaders, gathering to connect, encourage, and resource with one another as they grow in life and leadership.” We have decided to move away from a traditional coaching structure, and are embracing a relational model that emphasizes collaboration among leaders.

Feel in the dark as a CG leader? We want to see CG leaders better connect with one another, the small group ministry, and the overall ministry and leadership of LifePoint. As leaders on the front line, we want you to have increased access and lines of communication to and from leadership so you can lead your group effectively.

Feeling isolated as a CG leader? Leading a small group can be discouraging at times, especially when you feel like you’re in it alone. There is great encouragement when you realize that there are other leaders who have experienced or are experiencing what you are. LifeSupport is designed to fuel the fire, fan the flame and to continue to inspire you as a leader.

You help people on their journey, who’s helping you on yours? We want you to be resourced so you can grow in both life and leadership. LifeSupport groups will be the primary vehicle used to continue to equip and train existing CG leaders.

More to come.
Since all of our CG leaders weren’t there for the big unveiling, we will be providing follow-up presentations to be sure everyone gets the necessary information. We’ll be in touch as to when these are taking place.