Leadership

Consumer Christianity

On April 5, 2011, In business, Church Life, Leadership, Spiritual Growth, by Jeff Calloway

There is a cancer that has been around the American church for decades that needs to be addressed by pastors, ministry leaders, seminaries, denominations, and the person in the pew. That cancer is what is known as Consumer Christianity. I will try to give a simple definition explaining as best as I can. The word [...]

There is a cancer that has been around the American church for decades that needs to be addressed by pastors, ministry leaders, seminaries, denominations, and the person in the pew. That cancer is what is known as Consumer Christianity. I will try to give a simple definition explaining as best as I can. The word consumer is pretty self explanatory in that it is a verb that describes someone who consumes. Being a consumer means that you take and take, and take and rarely ever give back. Take for example the retail segment of our economy. That industry is a consumer driven industry where the retailer has a product and the consumer buys it for their consumption or use. There would be no product unless there were a consumer and there would be nor consumer unless there were a product. A two-edge sword, one creates the other.

In churches across America today we have the same dilemma. A cause/creation factor of the consumer wanting from the church and the church offering up a product that meets the needs of it’s consumers. We want to Live Our Best Life Now with Joel Osteen and find out how to live a Purpose Driven Life with Rick Warren. Our children are fed a diet of Veggie Tales, then when they’re old enough they move onto whatever the coolest current Contemporary Christian Music offering is. Our church culture is filled with church shoppers looking for the best bargain, the best services, the best programs to meet their needs. What in the name of Napoleon Dynamite have we come to?

The problem for the church in America is that it has acquiesced (for you guys in the south, that means to comply/give in) to the consumer and given it what it wants at the sake of the gospel. I know you may be thinking you know where this going. I am going to slam guys like Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Ed Young, Andy Stanley etc… The answer is no. I planted a church that is considered contemporary/edgy/different. Let me warn church planters that you will face this more quickly than you imagine. There will be those who come in with their ideas and agenda as to what your church should be and look like.

What I am talking about is not the church, but the people who are attending. They are shopping for the best product to meet their need, bottom line. What is the problem with that? The problem is that pastors, under pressure to be successful, keep people, increase the finances are willing to acquiesce to keep people from leaving. I am all about reaching people, ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I focus on reaching people more than I should. I am also about making sure that people have opportunities to grow, serve, and make an impact in their world. What I am about, is not stroking and petting those who want to have their needs met. Don’t be afraid to lose people. I never want to see people go, but there are times when people need to leave and there are times when I was too afraid to lose people that I kept around people that needed to leave.

The damage that is being done here is not to pastors or churches, but to the gospel. Everyone, pastors and congregants both need to realize, be taught that everything is about Jesus. Churches do not exist for pastors or for people to come get their needs met. The church exists for Jesus. It is there to make him famous so that he will be looked at as special, as holy, as the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. Christianity is not about the next greatest Christian novel or the heart touching worship song. It is not about cool buildings, large budget, or the unbelievable children’s programs. Christianity is about Jesus. Church is about Jesus. It is for him and by him!

Self Determination – Seth Godin

On March 9, 2010, In business, Leadership, by Jeff Calloway

…are we stuck in High School? I had two brushes with higher education this week. The first was at a speech I gave in New York. There were several Harvard Business School students there, invited because of their interest in marketing and exceptional promise (that’s what I was told… I think they came because they [...]

…are we stuck in High School?

I had two brushes with higher education this week.

The first was at a speech I gave in New York. There were several Harvard Business School students there, invited because of their interest in marketing and exceptional promise (that’s what I was told… I think they came because they had heard that Maury Rubin would make a great lunch!).

Anyway, they asked for my advice in finding marketing jobs. When I shared my views (go to a small company, work for the CEO, get a job where you actually get to make mistakes and do something) one woman professed to agree with me, but then explained, “But those companies don’t interview on campus.”

Those companies don’t interview on campus. Hmmm. She has just spent $100,000 in cash and another $150,000 in opportunity cost to get an MBA, but…

The second occurred today at Yale. As I drove through the amazingly beautiful campus, I passed the center for Asian Studies. It reminded me of my days as an undergrad (at a lesser school, natch), browsing through the catalog, realizing I could learn whatever I wanted. That not only could I take classes but I could start a business, organize a protest movement, live in a garret off campus, whatever. It was a tremendous gift, this ability to choose.

Yet most of my classmates refused to choose. Instead, they treated college like an extension of high school. They took the most mainstream courses, did the minimum amount they needed to get an A, tried not to get into “trouble” with the professor or face the uncertainty of the unknowable. They were the ones who spent six hours a day in the library, reading their textbooks.

The best part of college is that you could become whatever you wanted to become, but most people just do what they think they must.

Is this a metaphor? Sure. But it’s a worthwhile one. You have more freedom at work than you think (hey, you’re reading this on company time!) but most people do nothing with that freedom but try to get an A.

Do you work with people who are still in high school? Job seekers only willing to interview with the folks who come on campus? Executives who are trying to make their boss happy above all else? It’s pretty clear that the thing that’s wrong with this system is high school, not the rest of the world.

Cut class. Take a seminar on french literature. Interview off campus. Safe is risky.

Why ask why

On January 7, 2010, In business, Leadership, by Jeff Calloway

The secret to creativity is curiosity. We often forget to teach kids to be curious. A student who has no perceived math ability, or illegible handwriting or the inability to sit still for five minutes gets immediate and escalating attention. The student with no curiosity, on the other hand, is no problem at all. Lumps [...]

The secret to creativity is curiosity.

We often forget to teach kids to be curious. A student who has no perceived math ability, or illegible handwriting or the inability to sit still for five minutes gets immediate and escalating attention. The student with no curiosity, on the other hand, is no problem at all. Lumps are easily managed.

Same thing is true for most of the people we hire. We’d like them to follow instructions, not ask questions, not question the status quo.

Yet, without “why?” there can be no, “here’s how to make it better.”

Seth Godin

Navy Seal Creed

On April 28, 2009, In Leadership, by Jeff Calloway

One of my best friends sent this to me as an encouragement today. If you are a leader in organization who truly cares about the people you lead and are willing to serve them, I hope this will be an encouragement to you as well. The Navy Seal Creed “My loyalty to country and team [...]

afghanistan_p011 One of my best friends sent this to me as an encouragement today. If you are a leader in organization who truly cares about the people you lead and are willing to serve them, I hope this will be an encouragement to you as well.

The Navy Seal Creed

“My loyalty to country and team is beyond reproach. I humbly serve as a guardian to my fellow Americans, always ready to defend those who are unable to defend themselves. I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions. I voluntarily accept the inherent hazards of my profession, placing the welfare and security of others before my own. I serve with honor on and off the battlefield. The ability to control my emotions and my actions, regardless of circumstance, sets me apart from other men. … In the absence of orders I will take charge, lead my teammates and accomplish the mission. … I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight.”

Be A Cheerful Leader

On April 24, 2009, In Leadership, by Jeff Calloway

Leaders are to be encouragers, not discouragers. The job of leadership is to give people a lift not to let them down. This is why cheerfulness is an important characteristic. If you want to be a leader, then you’re going to have to work on this. Some of you by nature are not naturally cheerful. [...]

Leaders are to be encouragers, not discouragers. The job of leadership is to give people a lift not to let them down. This is why cheerfulness is an important characteristic. If you want to be a leader, then you’re going to have to work on this. Some of you by nature are not naturally cheerful. Some people get up in the morning and say, “Good morning, Lord!” Others getup and say, “Good Lord! It’s morning!”

Some of you are just not naturally cheerful. But you can work on it. You can develop it. I would encourage you, if you want to be a leader, practice smiling. I do this every time I get in the car on Sunday morning. And I don’t feel like it at all! I’m still stiff, not woke up, but I start smiling. But you can smile yourself into a good attitude. The doctors tell us that there is actually a biochemical change when you start smiling, hormones are produced in your body.

How do you be a cheerful leader when you work with the kind of people you work with? How do you be a cheerful leader when you’re tired and worn out? Nehemiah in the Old Testament is a good picture of how. What is the secret of this leaders life? He says it in a simple phrase in chapter 8, “This day is sacred to the Lord. Do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah was cheerful in spite of all the opposition he had. Joy is different from happiness. Happiness depends on happenings. Joy is internal. It is not based on circumstances. You can have joy in the midst of tragedy. You can have joy when you’re absolutely fatigued. “The joy of the Lord is my strength.”

Nothing Happens Until Someone Provides Leadership

On April 22, 2009, In Leadership, by Jeff Calloway

That is a law of life. Look at history. The Civil Rights movement was nothing until a man came along named Martin Luther King and said, “I have a dream” and he provided leadership. The NASA space program was nothing until a guy named John Kennedy said, “We’re going to put a man on the [...]

That is a law of life. Look at history. The Civil Rights movement was nothing until a man came along named Martin Luther King and said, “I have a dream” and he provided leadership. The NASA space program was nothing until a guy named John Kennedy said, “We’re going to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.” A man by the name of Ray Croc said, “I want fast food at a convenient price in a clean atmosphere” and he invented an entire industry called fast food. In your own family — you have family problems… nothing happens until somebody in the family assumes leadership and says, “We’re going to do something about it.” Everything rises or falls on leadership. Most problems can be traced to a lack of competent leadership. The greatest problem today is a leadership shortage. The greatest need is trained leaders.

In the book of Judges there were seven cycles — up and down, up and down. The last verse of the book Judges 21:25 “Every man did what was right in his own eyes. There was no king in Israel.” Where there is no leadership, people do their own thing. There is instability.

Principle of Cooperation

On April 15, 2009, In Leadership, by Jeff Calloway

Encouraged teamwork. Whenever you’ve got a project of any size and you need to organize it, realize that we accomplish so much more together than we do as individuals. B.C. Forbes, the guy who founded Forbes magazine said, “You spell success, T-E-A-M-W-O-R-K.” Cooperation is a key principle that’s built into good organization. “Coming together is [...]

handshakes Encouraged teamwork. Whenever you’ve got a project of any size and you need to organize it, realize that we accomplish so much more together than we do as individuals. B.C. Forbes, the guy who founded Forbes magazine said, “You spell success, T-E-A-M-W-O-R-K.” Cooperation is a key principle that’s built into good organization.

“Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, thinking together is unity, working together is success.” Together we can do things we can’t do as individuals. Geese can fly 72% farther when they’re in formation than when they fly off by themselves. Who taught them that? God did. When we cooperate together, when there is teamwork there is great growth. Cooperation is a greater motivator than competition. It lasts because you feel like you’re together on a winning team. People influence each other. They influence the people they’re next to for good or for bad.

The wisest man ever to live, Solomon wrote in Ecclessiastes 4:9-10, “Two can accomplish more than twice as much as one. The results can be much better. If one falls the other pulls him up. If a man falls when he’s alone, he’s in trouble.” Who’s going to pull him up. When you’re building an organization, a business, a church, a social club, a lay ministry you follow these principles: keep it simple, work with those who want to work, make specific assignments, allow for ownership, encourage teamwork.

Leadership Law: Good organizations provide a supportive climate of trust and teamwork. That’s a mark of a good organization. They provide a supportive climate of trust and teamwork. In the Bible, when referring to Christians in the church, the phrase “one another” is used 58 times. It’s as if God’s saying, “Get the message! Help each other!” There is no such thing as Lone Ranger Christians. We are together in this. We’re a team. There is tremendous power in cooperation. God can overlook almost anything in a church: poor facilities, no facilities, poor doctrine. The one thing God will not overlook is disunity. In the first ten chapters of the book of Acts in the New Testament, ten times it says, “they were of one accord… of one heart … unified.” When you have unification like they did in Acts you will have the power of Acts. Thee is power in teamwork. Working together in this atmosphere of trust and teamwork. “Snow is a beautiful demonstration of what God can do with a bunch of flakes.” Individually, I can’t do much and you can’t do much, snowflakes are pretty frail. But if enough of them stick together they can stop traffic. I can’t do much. I can’t make an impact on this area by myself. You can’t make an impact on this region by yourself. But together, we’re making an impact. That’s teamwork.

Leadership Can Be Learned

On April 13, 2009, In Leadership, by Jeff Calloway

If I didn’t believe this, I wouldn’t be wasting time on writing here today. Every one of you can be a great leader. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:9, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put into practice.” Leaders are made not born. There is no such thing [...]

If I didn’t believe this, I wouldn’t be wasting time on writing here today. Every one of you can be a great leader. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:9, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put into practice.” Leaders are made not born. There is no such thing as a born leader. They are made by the way they respond to circumstances. You can take two people in exact opposite situations, circumstances, one of them will end up being a leader, the other washes out because of the choices they make.

The priority of training leaders I think can be seen in the ministry of Jesus. Mark 3:14 “He appointed twelve that they should be with him and he should send them out.” Jesus had a public ministry and a private ministry. His public ministry involved preaching, teaching and healing. His private ministry involved training the disciples. Even within the twelve He had an inner circle — Peter, James, John — who got to go to the Garden of Gethsemane, the Mount of Transfiguration — they got extra attention. In Galatians, Paul said Peter, James and John were the pillars of the church. Jesus invested the maximum time with those who would bear the maximum responsibility. He fed the masses but He spent most of His time training leadership. I believe leadership can be learned

Dangerous

On March 16, 2009, In Leadership, by Jeff Calloway

No right thinking, intelligent minded human invites danger into their otherwise safe life so we have been taught. Whenever I think of dangerous, my mind pictures the unknown lurking around the corner. Danger infects with fear and immobilizes even the strongest, fearless men and women. The mantra, “Don’t take chances” has guided our feet along [...]

danger

No right thinking, intelligent minded human invites danger into their otherwise safe life so we have been taught. Whenever I think of dangerous, my mind pictures the unknown lurking around the corner. Danger infects with fear and immobilizes even the strongest, fearless men and women. The mantra, “Don’t take chances” has guided our feet along paths of safety. Danger leads us to be safe. Nothing wrong or sinful with being playing it safe, but I played it safe for too long and missed out on what God can do and I refuse to live like that. Those who know me intimately, know that I have participated in some dangerous actions like bungee jumping, Alaskan wilderness camping, and church planting.

I am sitting in the Atlanta airport waiting for my flight back home and unfortunately, every flight coming in and leaving out of Atlanta is late. As I sit and people watch, I have seen dozens of young men and women in Army fatigues possibly being deployed to a dangerous area of the world. These brave young men and women have made a choice to possibly be put in a dangerous position. They are soldiers in the United Sates military defending freedom. Let the following quote from Erwin McManus’ book Unstoppable Force seep into your thoughts. It will change your life as you hopefully begin to live as a dangerous soldier.

“When we believe that God’s purpose intention or promise is that we will be safe from harm, we are utterly disconnected from the movement and power of God. . . the truth of the matter is that the center of God’s will is not a safe place but the most dangerous place in the world! God fears nothing and no one! God moves with intentionality and power. To live outside of God’s will puts us in danger; to live in his will makes us dangerous.” – Erwin McManus, An Unstoppable Force.

I want to be “dangerous” to a dull and boring religion. I want a faith that is considered “dangerous” by our predictable and monotonous culture.” What would the world say to that kind of faith? Heck…what would other Christians say to that kind of faith? Dangerous faith is the kind that believes God can do anything….and we can do anything with Him! I want that kind of faith.¬
I have to be honest…there are times when I think I have that kind of faith….then fold like a cheap suit when the pressure proves to be too much. I hate that. That’s Pee Wee Herman faith. Oh to have the kind of faith that moves mountains, the kind of faith that achieves the impossible. The kind of faith that TRULY believes ‘I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me’. The kind of faith that KNOWS if I ‘submit myself to God, resist the devil, then he will flee’.

Dangerous faith is the kind of faith that grabs hold of the this statement by Jesus; “Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
I want that kind of faith!

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The Test Of Leadership

On March 12, 2009, In Leadership, by Jeff Calloway

If you want to know whether you’re a leader or not, simple — Look over your shoulder. Jesus said in John 10:27 “My sheep listen to my voice and I know them and they follow me.” I Cor. 11:1 Paul said, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.” We all need human [...]

If you want to know whether you’re a leader or not, simple — Look over your shoulder. Jesus said in John 10:27 “My sheep listen to my voice and I know them and they follow me.” I Cor. 11:1 Paul said, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.” We all need human models. Sure we’re to follow Christ but we need human models to follow.

John Maxwell’s parable of leadership, “He who thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following him is only taking a walk.”

Leadership has absolutely nothing to do with titles or position. It has to do with influence. This is a mistake a lot of bureaucracies make. A guy thinks, because he has a title, people are going to automatically follow and that’s not necessarily true at all. There is a big difference between having a boss and having a leader. It’s not a position or a title. Many people have authority but they don’t have leadership. I’ve been in a lot of churches where they have elected leaders but the church is really run by brother “so and so” over here who everybody knows is the real leader, the real pace setter.

If you have to tell people that you are the leader, if you have to remind people that you’re the leader, you’re not. If you stand up and say, “We’re going to do it my way because I am the leader”, guess what – you’re not! You are no longer the leader. You don’t have to remind people. Leadership is influence and if you’re not influencing anybody it doesn’t mater whether you think you’re the leader or not — you’re not. It’s all influence.

The same thing is true in your home. When you say to your wife, “We’re going to do it this way, because I am the spiritual leader, ” you ain’t. You’ve just lost it. The truth is if you’re really leading, you don’t have to remind people. How about if your kid comes to you and says, “Why should I do this?” and you say, “Because I say so”. That is a very weak position to motivate from. It just doesn’t work too good. The test of leadership is you have somebody following. You cannot force people to follow you no matter what you do.