Leading in a New Reality: Bill Hybels
I'll be posting my unedited notes each session. Enjoy!
A ship captain checks the weather report, he checks the wave height.
Waves predicted to be 3ft in height (1m). No problem.
Another forecast of 6 feet waves (2m) No problem.
Another forecast of 9ft waves (3m) Still doable.
Believe it or not, you can still make the voyage at 9ft.
There is one set of conditions that keep every captain at the dock...the rogue wave. 80ft (24m)
Ferocious is the word Jim Collins uses to describe our new reality. We are in the time of rogue waves.
"People like me who grew up in the post war period are not practiced in the volatilities, the turbulence and the uncertainties that will probably define the second half of my life."
Jim Collins
We are leading in a new reality.
Bill's Meeting with Large Non-Profit, "How much longer will we have to put up with this and get back to normal?"
Bill's answer, "I'm not sure we will experience the old normal anytime soon...if ever."
Leaders are energized by being in these uncharted waters. For gifted leaders there is a perverse exhilaration in all of this. Non-leaders see how fired up leaders get in times like this and they suspect crack.
Rogue waves and outright storms provide the perfect conditions for greatness to emerge.
Howling winds demand the kind of focus and dispassionate decisions that calm seas never call forth.
In the middle of all of it, the God anointed leader hears whispers, that say, "This is why I gave you the leadership gift. We will talk about this chapter of our lives, the rest of our lives."
Leaders know that these are the conditions that produce our steepest learning curves, our deepest faith memories, and our strongest bonds with our team members that we lock arms with.
Bill What are you learning at Willow in these storms?
Storms require a constant stance at the helm, not time for interviews. Four lessons (philosophical, financial, relational, personal)
Philosophical Lesson: The Economic Rogue Wave Happened in Oct 08
The stock market crashed, hundreds were notified they had lost jobs, calls to help with groceries and house payments, the turning point came when I business called me to let me know he wasn't able to make his usual Xmas gift of 300,000. He said, Not only can I give, I think I will lose my house, can you pray for me.
I realized, we were in a rogue wave. Let's put current series on hold. We need to plan a different service and we need to speak into this situation and people lives. We need to tell them what we are going to do. We started praying, animated conversations, reminded each other of key scriptures. No matter how bad it got, we were going to challenge our people to be the church for our community...NO MATTER WHAT.
Especially how radically they loved one another, they were willing to sell homes and possessions to provide for everything.
It wasn't a pragmatic decision, it was a philosophical decision: Do we still believe that the Church is the hope of the world? Do we still believe that God will intervene and provide for us?
What Can We Learn In a Downturn: We spoke to all who had already faced lose. God will teach you many lessons, he will prove faithful. I hope you learn the beauty and potential of the local church. Humble yourself and let the church help you Trust the generosity of those around you, expand our efforts inn all the practical ministries that apply. some of you have never been on the receiving end. Let the church be the church to you. I addressed another group of people: Many of us have not been effected. We need to step up and be the church for those who need it. Step up your serving, praying, and step up their generosity. We didn't mince words.
The guy with the business do well. I thought you were nuts to call out for people to call for help. Then you talked about the beauty of the local church. I said ,"That's the church I want to be elbow deep involved in." He came back next week with at church, he gave me a check with so many zeros I had to count them twice. That night as I was drifting of to sleep...
When leaders make bold choices to make sure the church is always being the church, the church will rise. Advocate for the poor, hold the powerful accountable for what they should be doing.
We have seen God working in amazing ways. Record numbers of people being saved, baptized, serving, etc. I think it was a result of the philosophical choice to call the church to be the church.
Over the course of the last year, people who are coming to our weekend services, are coming with abnormal stress and anxiety. We start our services before the beginning, we blur the ending and serious church in the middle.
Instead of using side screens for announcements, 5-7 minutes, we creatively prepare peoples hearts and minds for the services, we blur the end, if you dont have to leave immediately, I would invite you to select on of the following options: vocal team that will sing over you for 30 minutes, they are inn so much pain, they need someone to sing the promises of God over them. I invite people to a new prayer area, some of you won't make it unless you get extra prayer power, go right there now, let someone pray strength in you, you don'[t have, the teacher/preacher stay sin bullpen until the last person leaves, we pour as much ministry as we can into each person, we are having serious church: every song, every word, every second must be anointed by God, no one is coming to have a mediocre...all killer no filler. They are coming to meet with God: stretch them intellectually, theologically, and spiritually.
Are modifications to our weekend services: have help every single segment make progress. You can move everybody closer to Christ when you are serious about the church being the church.
KINGDOM ECONOMICS: Being the church is complicated from financial perspective
We are forced to walk more by faith, then by sight.
Revenue lines go down and Need lines go up.
Planning becomes like guess work. We have multiple models of forecasting financially...
Pastors feel unqualified or inadequate to address, we'd rather work with souls than spreadsheets.
But Jesus said we must count the cost..
Cash Reserves
Jack Welsh, "In a crisis, cash is king. It is absolutely king." I do believe Christ is King, but Jack's point is a good one. When an org is hit broadside by a rogue wave, it's healthy to have cash reserves. Why? so you don't have to be dependent on God. Not! Cash reserves give leaders what they need in a crisis. Time. Time to assess. Time to decide about staff levels. Time to decide about new plans and new decisions. It's not about money at all, it's about time.
I've talked with 100s of pastors who are dealing with issues seminaries never taught them. How much of budget should go in long term cash reserve. Many orgs have never wrestled with this question.
Senior Pastors are very bold when speaking with individuals on cash reserve...you need 3-6 months of salary in savings. You may need the time to find work. Many orgs have no cash reserves to ride out these difficult times. We want to have 25% of revenue in long term cash reserves. Let's push this further...
The Bucket exercise: Bucket A Bucket B Bucket C
Every ministry initiative: If our revenue were to drop fifty percent, worse case scenario, which ministries would we stop doing first? Put all those ministries in bucket C. Let's say it went down further, say 75%, what would the next round be? What would never stop doing? What would we go out and work nights to keep doing? Put those in bucket A.
Staff Reductions:
Lots of notice to the whole organizations. Not weeks or days, but months.
Be very clear what is the cause of these staff reductions. Financial, reorganizations...don't mix messages.
Be generous: Be Xian about it. Let the church be the church to it's own community.
In downturn, wouldn't be great to start with a blank sheet. What do we want our resource pie to look like?
Our Goal
50% cap on staffing. This forces the mobilization of volunteers.
10% give away. We will give it to the poor, church planting in toughest places.
10% Winds of the Spirit. You are part way through a year, something is gaining speed, God is igniting, but you have no margin. What if we plan for ten percent to be winds of the Spirit.
15% Ministry Budgets: Money for on-going ministry
15% Facilities and Utilities, Debt Service
When people are on financial hards times, people are more open to hear about how to handle money God's way.
People will still give generously to a white hot Kingdom vision in a financial crisis...even more so than in good times.. We want to restock the food pantry for the whole year. They slam dunked it. We decided to spend three full weeks challenging our congregation to give to global poverty and AIDs, drank tap water only for five days, ate substance diet, ...our people gave so generously...in the Celebration of Hope. (Water Missions International: solar power water filtration device) Take care of a village of 5000 people. 25,000. Business owner says, "I want to pop for one of those." I told that story. After service, five people came and said, "We will pop for one of those two." At the end of the weekend, 22 of those were popped for. Don't lose heart, people will be generous.
RELATIONAL: STAFF RELATIONS
Habakkuk 3:2 Lord, I have heard of your fame, I stand in awe of your deeds, renew them in our day, in our time make them known.
We know of the miracles...I agree with the prophet. I'm looking for God to do great things in our day. It's the expectancy of that keeps me going.
I want to see God end stupid poverty in my day. I want to see God eliminate AIDS in our day. I want to see human trafficking end in our day.
he does his great work through people. Not just people in general. But peole who are fully surrendered, ... 2 Chronicles 16:9 those who hearts are fully His....
He is looking for people who have abandoned their own program, all they want is to further God's program in this world. We can do this! Now, that I'm back in day to day operation. I"ve been asking my staff, "Are we attracting fully yielding and fully fired up people? Are we creating an environment where they can soar and reach their fullest potential in Christ?" Are we have honest conversations with those who are not burning bright.
How the Mighty Have Fallen, Jim Collins
Four Questions:
1. How many key seats are there in our church? On our staff? How many absolute key seat positions are there in your organization?
2. If they are x number of key seats, how many of them are filled with the fully yielding, rightly gifted people? (We had to say 85%)
3. What is our plan for filling the rest of those seats with the right people?
4. Are we developing back up people for each of the key seats, in case one of them leaves?
Every single key seat is filled up with fired up, gifted person and we have a back up person in line, ready and growing.
PERSONAL: FILLED UP BUCKET
Bills conversation with a board member: I'm basically working two full time jobs to make it right now. I don't see it letting up. We sat in silence. Then God said to me later that night, "I'm worried about you. You're back in day to day operation, overseeing weekends, reorganizing staff, etc. This is the new reality." I responded with a whisper, "I'm worried about me too." My life isn't sustainable. I journaled. Talk to my inner circle. My kids expressed their concern.
20 years ago, I got so depleted, I almost left all together. I had no replenishment strategy. I said this, "The pace at which I am doing to the work of God is destroying God's work in me."
I learned some very painful and helpful lessons. These lessons served me well for the last 20 years. but, I had to admit, that I was falling back into a depleted conditin.
I saw an image: A bucket that is filled up (Romans 8:6 - when the bucket is filled - there is life and peace)
When you are 2/3rds full, 1/2 full, 1/3rd full....everyone is in trouble. Empty.
We may have been full a while ago, but due to the rogue waves, working on two jobs, the old one and what the rogue waves have called for you to do, you have a new job to. Now is time for self-leadership. It's time for self-replenishment strategies that will work in this new reality. Now, I have a planned negligence plan. There are events, activities, and even relationships that I have to say "No" to.
Exercise: I've doubled the miles.
Vacation: Guarding those days
Starting My Day Differently: Before, speed of the leader, speed of the team. I get in at 6am. I study my bible, work on sermon, then meetings all day. now, I'm starting differently. I would look at my bible, leadership papers on my desk (they are all crying out to me). The temptation of those stacks of those papers to reach out to them. It's like an alcoholic sitting at a bar. If I dabbled with those, I would cheat my time alone with God and my message. The temptation in a rogue is to work 24/7. The temptation to stop exercising, skip prayer, ignore family, and work non-stop. I started a new pattern. Instead of coming to the office at 6:00am, I set up a room in my home, I start my day more gently in that room. I read God's word, I absorb it slowly, I let it wash over me, I listen for God's voice, I listen slowly. when I listen slowly, he speaks more clearly. then I exercise. then I head in at nine am. I'm not telling you to this mimic this. It's a reminder. When you are leading an organization and you are in a rogue situation, the best thing you bring to the table every single is a FILLED UP BUCKET and a life overflowing with the life of God. That "being with God" impacts everyone around you in profound ways. They know you are on solid ground. When your colleagues see that, they feed on it, and it builds faith in them. Whatever practices you need to shake up, remake up, and experiment with to have a full bucket each day. You have to do it.
What do your team members see in you these days? A full bucket or are they worried about you.
Thanks so much for sharing your notes. These are good things to remember as a church volunteer and as a manager outside the church. Please keep sharing your notes (especially for those of us who can't be there)!
Posted by: Jon Stolpe | August 06, 2009 at 12:47 PM
Thanks for these notes Rob! I feel like I'm there!
Posted by: Amber Cox | August 06, 2009 at 01:43 PM