loren Eric Swanson: February 2006

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Leadership Community for Externally Focused Churches



Just finished the first day of the first gathering of a Leadership Community for Externally Focused Churces here in Dallas. This group is an exceptional group of twelve churches from Texas, Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California, and Indiana. Each church has an average weekly attendance of over 2500 and is well developed in their externally focused ministry.

Each church presented their externally focused ministry model. All these churches are making a significant impact on their communities and in the world. What a privilege to be working with such quality folks! At 5:30 we broke for dinner here at the Double Tree Hotel--great Mexican buffet.

Participating Churches
  • Blackhawk Church--Madison, WI
  • Centennial Community Church--Littleton, CO
  • Christ Community Church--Greeley, CO
  • Episcopal Church of the Incarnation--Dallas, TX
  • Fellowship Bible North, Plano, TX
  • Irving Bible Church, Irving, TX
  • Northview Christian Life Church, Carmel, IN
  • North Way Christian Community, Wexford, PA (Will start w/ Gathering #2)
  • Northwoods Church for the Communities, Keller TX
  • Penninsula Covenant Church, Redwood City, CA
  • Thornapple Valley Church, Hastings, MI

Monday, February 27, 2006

Good Weekend--Cal Rugby / Dad's 80th

Today I fly to Dallas for the first gathering of the fourth Leadership Community for Externally Focused Churches. This is an exceptional group of churches that have / want ministry outside the walls--the gospel coming in Word and deed to be a part of who they are. Today also is my dad's 80th Birthday. We had a huge all-family celebration, including my brother and his wife from Australia and other relatives at my mom's 80th this summer so this was much smaller scale. I flew into Sacramento and then met up with my college buddy George Kopas to catch a Cal Rugby game against St. Marys in Moraga. Cal has won more national championships since they started keeping count but I have to say, despite the score, St. Marys played them tough and were outstanding tacklers. Talent and fitness eventually prevailed.

After the game, George and I drove to my folk's house in Stockton, went out to In-N-Out Burger for dinner with Mom and Dad and then went home and started cleaning up the new computer they got in November--just a few little glitches but with Comcast high speed, it really sings. Their old computer has info that they still would like to have but who knows how to get information off of it. The CD drive doesn't work, the UBS port isn't functioning. We bought a device to transfer info from computer to computer but one needs to load softwear on the old computer which is impossible. That chore will have to wait till next time.
Mom baked a cake in the morning while the Swedes beat the Finns for the gold medal in Hockey. By early afternoon Mom and Dad started the family traditions of fixing dinner for everyone when it's your birthday--prime rib, mashed potatoes, asparagus, french bread. After dinner we watched theDVD of Jeff's homecoming and then dad blew out the candles and opened the cards. Sister Wendy was there with her husband and three daughters. Just a fun evening to be together.

"The man's years of his life are seventy...or eighty if due to strength" (Psalm 90). Dad is a strong man who goes from strength to strength. So thankful to have him around.

Friday, February 24, 2006

Senior's Contribution will be Missed

This article was in today's UNC Paper. Really proud of my future son-in-law...

Senior’s contributions will be missed
By Remi Reverchon
University of Colordado Mirror
February 24, 2006

Bored and need something to do to kill some time? Here’s an idea: try to find someone on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado who does not like Erik Olson. But be aware that it might take you a while. At 7 p.m. on Saturday, the UNC men’s basketball team will put an end to its season by playing host to Utah Valley State at Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. Olson, along with walk-on guard Chris Gebhardt, will be honored in a pre-game ceremony. Like any other senior, the 6-foot-4 forward will probably feel a little nostalgic as he enters the court. Everyone who has had the opportunity to meet him will also feel the nostalgia. “Erik is the man,” said junior Matt Kline, one of Olson’s teammates. “From a personal standpoint, you won’t find a better guy.” Olson arrived at UNC in 2002. Back then, the Bears were still in Division II and he was also a member of the baseball team. After a promising first season, a major event would occur: the team started its transition to Division I. With better recruits coming in, tougher opponents to play and a coaching staff more demanding, his sophomore year could have been his last one. “There is an old saying that says competition brings success,” Olson said. “So I just worked even harder and tried to deserve my spot.” Not the most talented basketball player on the team, the 21-year old still managed to be one of the most important pieces in the Bears’ system during his four years. After leading the team in rebounds during his sophomore season (7.1 boards per game), Olson impressed all with his athleticism. “In everything he does, Erik is an overachieving person,” UNC coach Craig Rasmuson said. Captain of the team for the past three seasons, Olson has been the moral leader of the Bears for a long time. His performances on the court earned his teammates’ respect. “He is not very vocal, he is not going to yell, but he will make his point by showing the example,” Rasmuson said. “And believe me, in the locker room when he speaks, everybody listens.” Olson knows when it is time to loosen up, and junior guard Matt Kline is there to confirm it. “Erik is a prankster, he is always messing with people,” Kline said. Of all the experiences Olson has had over the years, his favorite could surprise some. Is it the game against Longwood last year, when he scored 32 points, shooting a perfect 12 of 12? Or maybe the opportunity to play against teams like Oklahoma, Kansas or Gonzaga? Nope. “We were on the road in Los Angeles where the hotel opened to a pool area,” Olson said. “We had a basket full of apples, and we started throwing them from the balcony to the pool, just like kids. We got caught by security, but it’s the kind of thing you will always remember.” At the end of the year, Olson will graduate with a degree in business marketing and will be marrying Kacey Swanson. “My fiancée has been crucial to me in helping me through many of the tough times that I have faced in my career,” he said. After one final game, it will be time to put the jersey back in the closet. Even if he plans on staying around Greeley, people will miss Olson’s charisma. And if you actually find someone who does not like Olson, pinch yourself. You must be dreaming.

Hoop Dreams for Autistic HS Basketball Mgr

My future son-in-law, Erik Oson, sent this link to me. It's a great story--maybe even better than the football player with the blind father!
http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?mode=2&pmmsid=1469747

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Huge Idea from San Salvador

Layo and Luchy Leiva are geniuses. This morning we heard one of the largest break-through ideas for impacting cities--especially from a Campus Crusade perspective. Layo had a chance to explain his ministry model. Let me see if I can put this in words.

Layo and Luchy work with leaders--"Leaders make things happen."

What is in the Campus Crusade box? It is WIN . BUILD . SEND as a strategy and present and future leaders as the target audience.

Layo explained that at a recent retreat with Crusade associates (non-paid staff) and staff they saw all that associates were doing that seemed to be unrelated to Crusade.

One woman has started a group for girls ages 5-12, called "Talent in Action" that will develop musical talent. She wants to be the first to direct a Salvadoran Youth Symphony and has already booked the concert hall of 5000 before she ever convened the young girls. The founder said, "Because of my involvement with Campus Crusade I now know what God has called me to do."

Another woman started a group called Leaders of the 3rd Milennium--targeting 160K youth in southern El Salvador, to help them with vocational and entrepreneurial skills.

Another adoped a village to build and model a self-sustained center of economic growth.

Another had a passion for high schoolers. He's started a website called everybody.com and developed "Wonder League" comprised of 40 soccer teams.

All of these ministries produce leaders who have not been reached in any other ways.

So where Crusade may be the center box. Each of these ministries boxes overlap with the Crusade box in the DNA of WIN, BUILD, SEND. Even Crusade itself (remember we live in a post-modern world) may venture outside the core areas of WIN, BUILD, SEND.

To conserve the fruit of the movement, they will need to think of a new way to do church, since traditional churches have shown that they are ineffective in developing leaders. Of the population pyramid in El Salvador, 60-70% are "poor," 20-30% are middle class and 3-5% are upper class. The church cuts a swath through the middle class but is built on the poor. Churches don't measure impact but numbers. The traditional church is a rural model where pastor is king, which makes this type of church unattractive to leaders.

Need to develop church for urban people...who use internet...who travel and who don't want to be under controlling leaders. They want to contribute as much as anyone else. "We want to be transformational and Win, build, send is not transformational it itself." To do this Layo noted that they had to be more associatate-based not staff based. "We are not asking them to help us come change the world but we are servants to help them change the world!"

For dinner, Layo and Luchi and son "Matt" had us to their house for dinner where we feasted on popusos--a Salvadorian staple.

Monday, February 20, 2006

El Salvador For a Few Days


Sam Williams and I flew from Denver early this morning and arrived in San Salvador via Atlanta around three this afternoon. After checking into the hotel we had a briefing meeting regarding the other three days of the gathering that will begin tomorrow morning. More or less it is a task force for Campus Crusade. We are convening around the topic of reaching cities--no small task since strategies that work in rural areas most often slide off of cities. The group is headed by Ed Maggard. Tonight Layo Leiva and his wife Luchy took us to an Argentine restaurant for dinner. Very good food. We shared what could best be described as "mixed grill"--steak, chicken, ribs, sausage, shrimp, empenadas, and grilled vegetables. Very good meal and very good company.

At the Denver Airport this morning I saw a good example of the tipping point phenomena in the numbers game that originated in Japan called Sudoku. The first time I saw someone struggling with it was a couple of weeks ago on an airplane. On the way down to El Paso My daughter Kacey was working through a book of puzzles. This morning an entire couple of shelves were devoted to the topic including Sudoku for Dummies--right in front of the cash register! Now that is viral!

New Pictures of Jeff's return

If you want to drop Jeff a line, his email is losswanson@msn.com
Jeff's Friend, Robert, took some awesome pictures of Jeff and his buddy Ben's homecoming. Link on this site to see 42 more pics. Makes me think that I need this technology. http://www.flickr.com/photos/robfuel/sets/72057594067470474/

Jeff also gave me a few more pics when we were together on Saturday.

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Welcome home!


Las Cruces Sun News
Feb 19, 2006, 06:00 am

The 182 members of the 126th Military Police Company of the New Mexico National Guard, many of whom are from Las Cruces and the surrounding area, march from an airplane to their waiting family and friends before dawn Saturday at Biggs Army Airfield in El Paso.
They are returning after being deployed about 18 months in Iraq, said Luke Elliott of the Fort Bliss Public Affairs Office.

The soldiers will be given a three-day pass before beginning debriefings, turning in equipment and getting physical examinations.
They will then go to their headquarters in Albuquerque, where the unit will spend three to five days.
The 42 soldiers from southern New Mexico will be honored with a welcome home parade at 10 a.m., March 4 in Las Cruces.

For more photos, log on to http://204.155.170.130/artman/publish/article_20190.shtml

Watching Fox News today we also saw this story on TV. The video showed a picture of the big heart-shaped sign Ashlie brought along (but cut us out).

We're still basking in the joy of having our son back safe and sound.
Cruces soldiers set to come back from Iraq
By Steve Ramirez SUN-NEWS REPORTER
Feb 16, 2006, 06:00 am

Another group of Las Cruces soldiers who have been on deployment the past year in Iraq could be coming home this weekend.
Officials with the New Mexico National Guard have confirmed that 182 members of the 126th Military Police Co. could arrive at Biggs Army Airfield either late Friday night or early Saturday morning. New Mexico National Guard members who return from assignments in Iraq, Afghanistan or Kuwait typically return to Biggs, which is located in northeast El Paso, adjacent to El Paso International Airport and Fort Bliss. "I am so excited, very excited," said Veronica Rodriguez, whose son, Esteban is among the group of soldiers returning. "It's a lot of stress (getting ready for Rodriguez's return) but a lot of stress will be gone, too."
Part of that stress will be waiting for official word that the soldiers are indeed coming home. Lt. Col. Kimberly Lalley, spokeswoman for the New Mexico National Guard, said "everything is tentative" until the soldiers have left Iraqi air space.
"It's possible that something could happen that would change the time they leave," Lalley said. "But it's been that way with every group of soldiers that has come back from deployment. Everything is still up in the air. They still haven't left country (Iraq) yet."
But orders for the soldiers' return have been issued. Of the 182 soldiers, 42 are from southern New Mexico, which includes the communities of Las Cruces, Mesilla Park, Doña Ana, La Mesa, Deming, and Animas. The 126th Military Police Co. is headquartered in Albuquerque.
When the soldiers do return, they will arrive at Biggs where they will be reunited with family and friends. Lalley said the soldiers will likely be given a pass to spend a few days with their families, but will be required to return Tuesday to Fort Bliss to begin debriefings and begin the processes of turning in equipment, getting physical examinations and slowly returning to civilian life.
"Those days will be pretty filled up," Lalley said. "They should be at Fort Bliss at least until February 25 or 26."
The unit will return to Albuquerque, where it will spend three to five days. During that time, a parade will be conducted.
For the soldiers from southern New Mexico, city officials are planning a welcome-home parade at 10 a.m. March 4. The parade will begin at Apodaca Park and would follow much of the same route that used for the city's Fourth of July Electric Light Parade.
The parade will travel south on Solano Drive to Hadley Avenue and end at Ralph Maag Park, where a ceremony, followed by a cookout, will be staged to honor the soldiers.
"We owe it to them," said Councilor Dolores Archuleta. "I am just thrilled to hear they are coming home."
Maj. Augustin Nakamoto, administrative officer of the 217th Light Infantry Brigade of the New Mexico National Guard, in Las Cruces said except for a few Las Crucens still on deployment, almost all Guard members will be home.
"We still have 12 soldiers who are in Afghanistan," said Nakamoto, referring to Guard members who are training Afghan military. "When everybody finally gets back that should be it for a while. Unless something really wild happens it should be another two or three years, at least, before any of our soldiers have to go back out."

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Jeff's Homecoming from Baghdad

We are coming off of the most wonderful days of our lives. Our son Jeff returned from a year in Baghdad. The plane touched down at 4:15 this morning at Biggs Air Field at Fort Bliss. Families were waiting in the staging area in large converted hangar. Some folks had been there for several hours being attested to by the pillows and blankets on the floor. Longtime friends, Don Wilcox and John Lamb surprised us yesterday at the airport by saying they wouldn't miss Jeff's homecoming for anything....Oh the value and treasure of such faithful friends. We all flew into El Paso yesterday then drove up to be with Jeff's wife Ashlie and their son Gentry and her family--Murnie and Jill Cauhape along with brothers Gentry and Nate. After a great Mexican food dinner at Chopi's--a Las Cruces favorite with the Cohape family, we drove back to El Paso to get a few hours sleep.

Ten minutes before touchdown, friends and family went out to the airfield to await touchdown. The plane went from Baghdad to Kuwait to Ireland and then to El Paso. As the soldiers deplaned, around 150 yards away, the army band played a number of patriotic songs, beginning with "Eye of the Tiger" and the crowd whistled and cheered. Jeff's company assembled in formation outside the plane and and with the band leading the way, the soldiers marched toward the roped off crowd. We then rushed back into the hangar and the company marched in to the cheering crowd. Jeff had the biggest grin on his face. It was so good to see Jeff! The 126th MP Company came to a halt, executed a right face towards the crowd and stood at parade rest simply to be admired. The Colonel gave a brief address, thanking the troops for their noble service and reminded the crowd that we were in the company of real heros. The chaplain prayed a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing. They were again called to attention and then dismissed. The families and friends were then given permission to hug their loved ones. Jeff had some good Christian buddies, particularly Ben Shockly--a great kid from Farmington.

Ashlie with Gentry made a bee-line for Jeff. Oh, it was so sweet to see the reunion. We got to hang out with Jeff for about an hour before they had to go turn in their weapons and get three day passes. The outprocessing will take take another week. While we were waiting for Jeff, Company Commander Ramos told us that they were returning from a difficult year of intense action and the 126th performed with excellence. His mission was to bring every man back safely and he nearly succeeded, only losing one man to a roadside mine. Their losses were minimal compared to the loses some companies suffered. After reuniting with Jeff we went to Denny's for breakfast and then drove back to Jeff and Ashlies house in Las Cruces were Jeff unpacked his treasures from Iraq--not exactly the spoils of war but great souvenirs--books on Iraq, stamp and money collections, a few silk scarfs and a bunch of dessert hats. Jeff told us a bunch of stories that he couldn't tell us when he was home on leave. Some were rather frightening and by the grace of God he returned unharmed. While we were at dinner late this afternoon, Donny arranged for a fraternity brother, 3 Star General Jan Huley to give Jeff a call. All we heard Jeff say was, "Thank you sir.....Thank you very much sir.... It was a pleasure to serve my country sir.... I learned a lot sir and had some great experiences." It was pretty cool.

Can we say we are thankful? When I think of great days in my life I think of the day Liz and I were married, the births of Andy, Jeff and Kacey, Andy and Jeff's wedding and this...Jeff--coming home in the company of other heros. Thanks Jeff. Great to have you home!
















Monday, February 13, 2006

Jeff's Coming Home...on Friday!

Yea, Jeff is going to make it back from Baghdad! Got news for sure yesterday that Jeff will leave Baghdad after 17 months of active duty...away from is wife and the past year in Bagdad...the past five months away from his son. We feel so blessed to have him return. It looks like he's going to make it. Jeff will arrive in El Paso on Friday with his unit that he's served with in Iraq. Liz, Kacey and I will drive down on Thursday to be with Ashlie, Gentry, and Ashlie's family to wait for Jeff.

Jeff's had one of the most dangerous jobs in the theatre--a gunner on a an armored Humvee. He told me the other day on the phone that they are well trained...experts in what they are trained to do. We're so proud of Jeff. He's a warrior who followed in the footsteps of both his grandpas. I'd like to put myself in that lineage but my service in the Army Reserve was limited to cooking for the troops.

Friday, February 10, 2006

Bob Buford's Reflections on Bono and Gates

So what, I asked myself, could I learn from these "Persons of the Year" -- these philanthropic "super heroes"? We ordinary mortals, after all, certainly cannot imitate them in terms of either their wealth or fame, but they teach a great deal. Here are the lessons I see:

1. Recognize the Gift - Accept the Gift - Execute the Gift. That's the manifesto that sculptor James Surls wrote on my whiteboard and which I described in my last "muse-letter." James has a remarkable ability to make art. He is also an encourager to many young up-and-coming artists. I've been with him walking around an art colony near Snowmass, Colorado. He's a pied piper. So is Bono, who has used his influence for good to encourage the G8 countries to forgive poor nations some $40 billion in largely uncollectible. Rick Warren is doing much the same. His last e-mail to me came from Rwanda. He was on his way to Davos to encourage corporate titans to help those in poverty-stricken, war-torn African nations.
2. Personal Engagement - Time noted that Bill and Melinda Gates each spend fifteen hours a week in their philanthropic activities. Bill's father is involved in a virtually fulltime leadership role. The whole family is hands-on staff. They travel. They see. They imagine what might be, just as Gates did when he imagined Microsoft. It's up close and personal, not distant and dispassionate.

3. Focus on Results - Not just on the process. The objective is not to feel good personally and to relieve guilt by giving away money. Bill and Melinda Gates want to use their vision, compassion, and entrepreneurial ability to solve a problem, to achieve a highly specific outcome. I have observed that people with excess capacity tend to ask one of two questions when someone is across the desk asking for their money:
Question #1: What's the least I can give this person and still feel OK in the morning?
Question #2: How much will it take to accomplish the outcome we're after?
Both the Gateses and Bono take a result-focused approach. The Time article noted that, when considering a proposal to put computers in libraries, the Gateses asked, "Why not do them all?" Bono was not working the rich country leaders to reduce the debt burden on Third World Countries. He wanted to wipe the slate clean to give them a fresh start in life.

4. Do It Now - There's an old expression I've heard several times recently. "I want to be givin' while I'm livin' so I'm knowin' where it's goin'." That's my approach and it seems to be that of the Gateses as well. Do it now and do it yourself. Don't dump it in the laps of the next generation. Jim Collins describes in his brilliant monograph, Good to Great and the Social Sector, what he calls the Hedgehog Concept. He describes it this way: "to attain piercing clarity about how to produce the best long term results and then to say 'no thank you' to opportunities that fail the Hedgehog test." He describes the Hedgehog test as expressing a deep understanding of three intersecting circles:

Passion is difficult to hire or to pass on to someone else years from now in a legal document setting up an "in perpetuity" foundation. Passion is personal. Passion is for now. Passion lapses if not put to work in a cause that ignites deep emotional engagement. The foundation I set up when I sold my company will be spent down in the next seven years to finance my passion. Peter Drucker was passionate about preserving our civilization through the medium of management. He told me once that the work he did to extend his legacy of ideas to the nonprofit world through The Drucker Foundation had added ten years to his life. Passion kept him alive!

5. The Parallel Career - Similar to "do it now," most all the people I see living for significance in their Life II Second Half period begin to allocate part of themselves much earlier in life. Bono is responsible to his band and his concert schedule, but everywhere he goes, he uses his celebrity and charisma to persuade presidents to help the world's poor about whom he cares deeply. Bill Gates still leads Microsoft. Rick Warren still leads Saddleback Church. All of them have vigorous careers as Social Entrepreneurs alongside their "day jobs." If they can, so can the rest of us.

I know. I know. You're not a rock star. You haven't sold millions of books. You can't make art. But you and I can learn a lot from these world beaters . a lot that can be applied to the up-close and personal situations that light us up. Give these questions some thought and let me know what you think, or better still, "Just do it!"

So What About You?
What are you deeply passionate about? Have you lost the passion in your life?
What is your gift? What if you were to recognize your gift? Accept your gift? Execute your gift? What could come of that?
What needs doing now that you are good at doing?

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Measuring What Matters

Leaders identify the metrics that matter most to them that help them identify if they are getting closer to accomplish what they are in business to do. In a May, 1999 article in Fast Company entitled “Measure What Matters,” leaders of twelve organizations were asked to identify the metrics that matter most to them. It was interesting that no two answers were alike.
Scott Neally of Sun Microsystems measures “system uptime”—how often Sun systems are up and running at customer sites.
Barbara Cassani, CEO of Go Fly LTD, measures the cost to make a seat available for sale. “I monitor costs because being low-co0st is the core of our business strategy.”
Jerre L. Stead, CEO of Ingram Micro Inc. measures customer delight—quality of service against their competition worldwide.
Gary White, CEO of Gymboree Corp measures employee satisfaction as the key to long-term success.
Reuben Greenberg, Chief of Police in Charleston, South Carolina measures the number of complaints that they receive from citizens. “Complaints provide a window into your overall performance.”
Val Ackerman, President of WNBA tracks the number of tickets sold. “Game attendance…is not the only measure that we look at…but it’s relevant, its quantifiable, and it lets us evaluate how we are doing from year to year.
Gerry House, Superintendent, Memphis City Schools, is in the business of educating children so she looks “closely at scores from the state’s standardized test. Every year, the test compares how well our children are performing with the performance of children across the country.”
Charles Digate, CEO of Mathsoft Inc. measures how many PHDs they have on their staff and the percentage of revenue that comes from e-commerce. The first indicator measures how smart they are, the second indicates “how fast they can grow.”
Ron Wolf, Executive Vice President and General Manager Green Bay Packers. “My job is to develop metrics to tell us how close we are to [winning the Super Bowl] and whether we’re moving closer to it” (This guy have taken one too many shots to the head).
John A. Quelch, Dean London Business School. “We’re not in the education business, we’re in the transformation business…. We are in the process of developing… ‘transformation-benchmarking questionnaire’ that we will give to students who have taken a program at the school.

The Learning Executive

Inc. August 1997
by Jim Collins

How would your day be different if you organized your time, energy, and resources primarily around the objective of learning, instead of around performance? For many people, their daily activities—what they do and how they go about doing it—would be dramatically changed. Indeed, despite all the buzz around the concept of the “learning organization,” I’m struck by how few people seem to have embraced the idea of being a true learning person. This came home to me during an interview with a television producer developing a documentary on Sam Walton. After about 45 minutes, she asked if I had anything else to add, indicating the end of the interview. “No,” I said, “but I’d like to ask you some questions.” She paused, obviously not prepared for my request, and then gave an uncertain, “Ok.” For the next 15 minutes, I had the great pleasure of asking her questions about what she had learned in her research. The producer had no background in business—having done most of her documentaries on historical figures like Stalin and Mozart—so I thought she might have a fresh and illuminating perspective. She did, and I learned some new information and gained new insights about one of my favorite subjects. “That’s the first time that’s ever happened to me,” she said. “I interview professors and experts all the time, but I’ve never had one turn the tables and begin asking me questions. At first I was taken aback—surprised really—but it’s refreshing to see that experts can still learn.” Stop and think about that for a minute. Here’s a bright television producer who spends her life delving into specific subjects—a walking treasure trove of knowledge—and people whose profession is to continually learn don’t pause to take the opportunity to expand their expertise further by talking with her. They act as knowers rather than learners, which, incidentally, is just the opposite of what Sam Walton did. Walton viewed himself not as a definitive expert on retailing but as a lifelong student of his craft, always asking questions and taking every opportunity to learn. A Brazilian businessman once told me that of 10 U.S. retailing CEOs he wrote to asking for an appointment after he’d purchased a discount retailing chain in South America, only Walton said yes. “We didn’t know much about retailing, so we wanted to talk to executives who knew the business,” he explained. “Most didn’t bother to reply. Sam said, ’Sure, come on up.’ Only later did I realize he was as interested in learning from us as we were in learning from him; he pummeled us with questions about Brazil. Later, we launched a joint venture with Wal-Mart in South America.” Becoming a learning person certainly involves responding to every situation with learning in mind, as Walton did. But it involves more than that; it requires setting explicit learning objectives. Look at your personal list of long-term objectives mid-term objectives, and your current to-do list. How many items fall into the performance genre and how many fall into the learning genre? How many begin with the structure “My objective is to learn X,” rather than “My objective is to accomplish Y”? Most people operate off of to-do lists. They’re a useful mechanism for getting things done. A true learning person also has a “to-learn” list, and the items on that list carry at least as much weight in how one organizes his or her time as the to-do list. Granite Rock, in Watsonville, Calif., one of the few authentic learning organizations, has institutionalized this idea by replacing performance goals for individuals with learning goals. The stone, concrete, and asphalt supplier makes the shift explicit by asking each employee to set his or her annual objectives in the format “Learn _______ so that I can _________.” Learning people also develop explicit learning mechanisms, such as “learning logs” or formal “autopsies”—time explicitly set aside to discuss or reflect on events and extract the maximum knowledge and understanding from them. Such people plant seeds of learning that will flower later. One prominent thinker I spent a day with ended our discussion with the statement, “I have a small consulting fee: you must keep me informed as to your learning and progress.” Every six months or so I send him a letter, and I imagine he gets dozens of such learning letters a year. I’ve also found the mechanism of a learning notebook to be useful; in it I keep track of my learning and observations about life, work, myself, or whatever seems interesting, much the same way a scientist keeps a lab book on any subject of inquiry. It’s a powerful mechanism for identifying not only learning but also the activities where I’m not learning (which I then unplug or redesign). I’m not yet as much of a learning person as I’d like to be. Like most Americans, I’m driven largely by an urge to perform, accomplish, achieve, and get things done. Yet as I begin to consciously shift to filtering everything through a learning lens, I find both dramatic and subtle differences in the way I do things and how I spend my time. With a “get things done” lens, I’ll leave a voice-mail; with a learning lens, I’ll seek a real-time phone call during which I can ask questions and learn from conversation. With a performance lens, I’ll try to impress the interviewer with my knowledge; with a learning lens, I’ll ask her questions. Even mundane activities like washing dishes, shaving, and walking through airports can be transformed by carrying a portable tape player and listening to unabridged books on tape. John W. Gardner, author of the classic book Self-Renewal: The Individual and Innovative Society (and a man who keeps an active learning and teaching schedule well into his 80s), captured the spirit of the learning person with his admonition “Don’t set out in life to be an interesting person; set out to be an interested person.” Learning people, of which Gardner is a prime example, learn till the day they die, not because learning will “get them somewhere,” but because they see learning as part of the reason for living. When asked for an economic justification for learning, they find the question as odd as being asked for a financial justification for breathing. The link between learning and performance is self-evident, but for a true learning person (or organization, for that matter), performance is not the ultimate why of learning. Learning is the why of learning. And until we grasp that fact and organize accordingly, we will not—indeed cannot—build the elusive learning organization.

Skiing at Winter Park

Went skiing at Winter Park yesterday with Mike Painter and Bob Horner. Mike is the new executive director of Colorado Uplift--a great organization serving the greater Denver area's youth. Mike was with Campus Crusade's Student Venture for over 25 years and is certainly the right man for the job. Bob has been with Campus Crusade since the mid 60's, pioneered Christian Music with The New Folk (they actually won a grammy), was Canadian National Director, worked in campus ministry at Oregon State, Colorado University and Denver University. He was my director for 8 years when I was director at CU. We co-taught an adult Sunday School class for over 20 years and Bob has too many qualifications to mention so I'll talk about the skiing.

Sienfeld says that riding in a car is like being outside...but inside, sitting down but going really fast. Skiing is similar. Often apparently one is using very little energy...standing still almost, yet moving down the mountain at 30 mph. Yesterday was gorgeous!--Winter snow--no icy spots but spring-like weather. After a morning of skiing we sat outside with our coats, gloves and hats off and ate burgers off the grill. There was virtually no one on the mountain. At one point, rushing down a beautifully groomed (though steep) slope we looked up and down the mountain and we were the only three who were skiing. We knocked off around 3 had a cup of coffee then had two more final runs before heading to the car.

On the way home we stopped at Beau Jo's Pizza in Idaho Springs--arguably the best pizza in Colorado. The crusts are so good in themselves that the pizza is served with honey so one can make save the crusts and have an ad hoc dessert.

We're really all to busy to take a day off to ski but last year we decided that life was too short to have the winter pass without doing something we all enjoy. So we are committed to going four times together this ski season. The best part of the day is the time we have talking about the kingdom of God and what we see God doing as we drive up and back and the time we have on the lifts together. It doesn't get better than that.

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Megachurches Growing in Number and Size

Thought I'd put in this good summary by AP writer....

By ABE LEVY, Associated Press Writer Fri Feb 3, 7:35 PM ET
SAN ANTONIO -

A new survey on U.S. Protestant megachurches shows they are among the nation's fastest-growing faith groups, drawing younger people and families with contemporary programming and conservative values.
The number of megachurches, defined as having a weekly attendance of at least 2,000, has doubled in five years to 1,210. The megachurches have an estimated combined income of $7.2 billion and draw nearly 4.4 million people to weekly services, according to "Megachurches Today 2005."
The study, released Friday, based its findings on 406 surveys from megachurches. It was written by Leadership Network, a nonprofit church-growth consulting firm in Dallas, and the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, which did a similar survey in 2000.
Leadership Network's clients are large churches in the U.S. and Canada looking to grow or maintain growth with new ideas and methods. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research is part of the nondenominational Hartford Seminary in Connecticut.
"When you add up all that megachurches are doing from books to video to the networks of connection across the nation, you can't say this phenomena of more than 1,200 megachurches is anything but really one of the most influential factors of American religion at this point in time," said Scott Thumma, researcher for the study and sociology professor at Hartford Seminary.
The South has the most share with 49 percent, including Texas with 13 percent. California led the nation with 14 percent but is part of a declining western region with 25 percent, seven percentage points lower than five years ago.
While large churches have flourished throughout history, early records show that the U.S. had about six large churches in the early part of the 20th century. That number grew to 16 by 1960 and then in the 1970s, they began to proliferate and draw public attention.
Megachurches founded since 1990 have more growth from year to year than any others and have the highest median attendance at about 3,400.
Oak Hills Church in San Antonio draws up to 5,200 weekly. Visitors have a special parking lot, are greeted there and inside the church by volunteers and invited to sip coffee at its "Connection Cafe" where video and print materials are presented about church programs.
"The main thing we work really hard at is having a good program for every age group," said Jim Dye, executive minister at Oak Hills. "We want the affluent to feel welcome and the hardworking, labor person, living payday to payday, to feel as welcome as anyone else."
The growth of megachurches in recent decades has come about because of a common historic cycle in U.S. religion: faith institutions reinventing themselves to meet the consumerlike demands of worshippers, said Paul Harvey, American history professor at the University of Colorado who specializes in U.S. religious history.
"We have a market economy of religion," he said. "Megachurches just show the instant adaptability of religious institutions. They reflect how Americans have morphed their religious institutions into the way they want them to be. Religious institutions have to respond to that."
Well-stated goals for growth, including orientation classes for new members, and a slew of programming for many demographics were a pattern for megachurches in the study. They also commonly have contemporary worship services with electric guitars and drums and frequent use of overhead projectors during multiple services throughout the week.
Their emphasis on evangelism, propelled mostly by word of mouth from enthused members, has been a constant, said researcher Dave Travis with Leadership Network.
"These large churches have figured out how to address the needs of people in a relevant, engaging way that is actually making a difference in their lives," he said.
The study also provides information about the age of megachurches, specifically that one-third reported they were founded 60 years ago or more. It also countered the notion that they are all independent congregations: 66 percent report belonging to a denomination — although most downplay this aspect in their church names and programming.
Other findings:
- 56 percent of megachurches said they have tried to be more multiethnic and 19 percent of their attendance is not from the majority race of the congregation.
- The average yearly income of megachurches is $6 million, while they spend on average $5.6 million each year.
- The states with highest concentrations of megachurches are California (14 percent), Texas (13 percent), Florida (7 percent) and Georgia (6 percent).
- The average megachurch has 3,585 in attendance, a 57 percent increase compared to five years ago

Friday, February 03, 2006

Bono's National Prayer Breakfast Address

Februay 2, 2006 Washington DC

Thank you.
Mr. President, First Lady, King Abdullah, Other heads of State, Members of Congress, distinguished guests…
Please join me in praying that I don’t say something we’ll all regret.
That was for the FCC.
If you’re wondering what I’m doing here, at a prayer breakfast, well, so am I. I’m certainly not here as a man of the cloth, unless that cloth is leather. It’s certainly not because I’m a rock star. Which leaves one possible explanation: I’m here because I’ve got a messianic complex.
Yes, it’s true. And for anyone who knows me, it’s hardly a revelation.
Well, I’m the first to admit that there’s something unnatural… something unseemly… about rock stars mounting the pulpit and preaching at presidents, and then disappearing to their villas in the South of France. Talk about a fish out of water. It was weird enough when Jesse Helms showed up at a U2 concert… but this is really weird, isn’t it?
You know, one of the things I love about this country is its separation of church and state. Although I have to say: in inviting me here, both church and state have been separated from something else completely: their mind. .
Mr. President, are you sure about this?
It’s very humbling and I will try to keep my homily brief. But be warned—I’m Irish.
I’d like to talk about the laws of man, here in this city where those laws are written. And I’d like to talk about higher laws. It would be great to assume that the one serves the other; that the laws of man serve these higher laws… but of course, they don’t always. And I presume that, in a sense, is why you’re here.
I presume the reason for this gathering is that all of us here—Muslims, Jews, Christians—all are searching our souls for how to better serve our family, our community, our nation, our God.
I know I am. Searching, I mean. And that, I suppose, is what led me here, too.
Yes, it’s odd, having a rock star here—but maybe it’s odder for me than for you. You see, I avoided religious people most of my life. Maybe it had something to do with having a father who was Protestant and a mother who was Catholic in a country where the line between the two was, quite literally, a battle line. Where the line between church and state was… well, a little blurry, and hard to see.
I remember how my mother would bring us to chapel on Sundays… and my father used to wait outside. One of the things that I picked up from my father and my mother was the sense that religion often gets in the way of God.
For me, at least, it got in the way. Seeing what religious people, in the name of God, did to my native land… and in this country, seeing God’s second-hand car salesmen on the cable TV channels, offering indulgences for cash… in fact, all over the world, seeing the self-righteousness roll down like a mighty stream from certain corners of the religious establishment…
I must confess, I changed the channel. I wanted my MTV.
Even though I was a believer.
Perhaps because I was a believer.
I was cynical… not about God, but about God’s politics. (There you are, Jim.)
Then, in 1997, a couple of eccentric, septuagenarian British Christians went and ruined my shtick—my reproachfulness. They did it by describing the Millennium, the year 2000, as a Jubilee year, as an opportunity to cancel the chronic debts of the world’s poorest people. They had the audacity to renew the Lord’s call—and were joined by Pope John Paul II, who, from an Irish half-Catholic’s point of view, may have had a more direct line to the Almighty.
‘Jubilee’—why ‘Jubilee’?
What was this year of Jubilee, this year of our Lords favor?
I’d always read the Scriptures, even the obscure stuff. There it was in Leviticus (25:35)…
‘If your brother becomes poor,’ the Scriptures say, ‘and cannot maintain himself… you shall maintain him… You shall not lend him your money at interest, not give him your food for profit.’
It is such an important idea, Jubilee, that Jesus begins his ministry with this. Jesus is a young man, he’s met with the rabbis, impressed everyone, people are talking. The elders say, he’s a clever guy, this Jesus, but he hasn’t done much… yet. He hasn’t spoken in public before…
When he does, is first words are from Isaiah: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,’ he says, ‘because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.’ And Jesus proclaims the year of the Lord’s favour, the year of Jubilee. (Luke 4:18)
What he was really talking about was an era of grace—and we’re still in it.
So fast-forward 2,000 years. That same thought, grace, was made incarnate—in a movement of all kinds of people. It wasn’t a bless-me club… it wasn’t a holy huddle. These religious guys were willing to get out in the streets, get their boots dirty, wave the placards, follow their convictions with actions… making it really hard for people like me to keep their distance. It was amazing. I almost started to like these church people.
But then my cynicism got another helping hand.
It was what Colin Powell, a five-star general, called the greatest W.M.D. of them all: a tiny little virus called A.I.D.S. And the religious community, in large part, missed it. The one’s that didn’t miss it could only see it as divine retribution for bad behaviour. Even on children… Even fastest growing group of HIV infections were married, faithful women.
Aha, there they go again! I thought to myself Judgmentalism is back!
But in truth, I was wrong again. The church was slow but the church got busy on this the leprosy of our age.
Love was on the move.
Mercy was on the move.
God was on the move.
Moving people of all kinds to work with others they had never met, never would have cared to meet… Conservative church groups hanging out with spokesmen for the gay community, all singing off the same hymn sheet on AIDS… Soccer moms and quarterbacks… hip-hop stars and country stars… This is what happens when God gets on the move: crazy stuff happens!
Popes were seen wearing sunglasses!
Jesse Helms was seen with a ghetto blaster!
Crazy stuff. Evidence of the spirit.
It was breathtaking. Literally. It stopped the world in its tracks.
When churches started demonstrating on debt, governments listened—and acted. When churches starting organising, petitioning, and even—that most unholy of acts today, God forbid, lobbying… on AIDS and global health, governments listened—and acted.
I’m here today in all humility to say: you changed minds; you changed policy; you changed the world.
Look, whatever thoughts you have about God, who He is or if He exists, most will agree that if there is a God, He has a special place for the poor. In fact, the poor are where God lives.
Check Judaism. Check Islam. Check pretty much anyone.
I mean, God may well be with us in our mansions on the hill… I hope so. He may well be with us as in all manner of controversial stuff… maybe, maybe not… But the one thing we can all agree, all faiths and ideologies, is that God is with the vulnerable and poor.
God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house… God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives… God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war… God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them. “If you remove the yolk from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom with become like midday and the Lord will continually guide you and satisfy your desire in scorched places”
It’s not a coincidence that in the Scriptures, poverty is mentioned more than 2,100 times. It’s not an accident. That’s a lot of air time, 2,100 mentions. [You know, the only time Christ is judgmental is on the subject of the poor.] ‘As you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.’ (Matthew 25:40). As I say, good news to the poor.
Here’s some good news for the President. After 9-11 we were told America would have no time for the World’s poor. America would be taken up with its own problems of safety. And it’s true these are dangerous times, but America has not drawn the blinds and double-locked the doors.
In fact, you have double aid to Africa. You have tripled funding for global health. Mr. President, your emergency plan for AIDS relief and support for the Global Fund—you and Congress—have put 700,000 people onto life-saving anti-retroviral drugs and provided 8 million bed nets to protect children from malaria.
Outstanding human achievements. Counterintuitive. Historic. Be very, very proud.
But here’s the bad news. From charity to justice, the good news is yet to come. There’s is much more to do. There’s a gigantic chasm between the scale of the emergency and the scale of the response.
And finally, it’s not about charity after all, is it? It’s about justice.
Let me repeat that: It’s not about charity, it’s about justice.
And that’s too bad.
Because you’re good at charity. Americans, like the Irish, are good at it. We like to give, and we give a lot, even those who can’t afford it.
But justice is a higher standard. Africa makes a fool of our idea of justice; it makes a farce of our idea of equality. It mocks our pieties, it doubts our concern, it questions our commitment.
6,500 Africans are still dying every day of a preventable, treatable disease, for lack of drugs we can buy at any drug store. This is not about charity, this is about Justice and Equality.
Because there's no way we can look at what’s happening in Africa and, if we're honest, conclude that deep down, we really accept that Africans are equal to us. Anywhere else in the world, we wouldn’t accept it. Look at what happened in South East Asia with the Tsunami. 150, 000 lives lost to that misnomer of all misnomers, “mother nature”. In Africa, 150,000 lives are lost every month. A tsunami every month. And it’s a completely avoidable catastrophe.
It’s annoying but justice and equality are mates. Aren’t they? Justice always wants to hang out with equality. And equality is a real pain.
You know, think of those Jewish sheep-herders going to meet the Pharaoh, mud on their shoes, and the Pharaoh says, “Equal?” A preposterous idea: rich and poor are equal? And they say, “Yeah, ‘equal,’ that’s what it says here in this book. We’re all made in the image of God.”
And eventually the Pharaoh says, “OK, I can accept that. I can accept the Jews—but not the blacks.”
“Not the women. Not the gays. Not the Irish. No way, man.”
So on we go with our journey of equality.
On we go in the pursuit of justice.
We hear that call in the ONE Campaign, a growing movement of more than two million Americans… left and right together… united in the belief that where you live should no longer determine whether you live.
We hear that call even more powerfully today, as we mourn the loss of Coretta Scott King—mother of a movement for equality, one that changed the world but is only just getting started. These issues are as alive as they ever were; they just change shape and cross the seas.
Preventing the poorest of the poor from selling their products while we sing the virtues of the free market… that’s a justice issue. Holding children to ransom for the debts of their grandparents… That’s a justice issue. Withholding life-saving medicines out of deference to the Office of Patents… that’s a justice issue.
And while the law is what we say it is, God is not silent on the subject.
That’s why I say there’s the law of the land… and then there is a higher standard. There’s the law of the land, and we can hire experts to write them so they benefit us, so the laws say it’s OK to protect our agriculture but it’s not OK for African farmers to do the same, to earn a living?
As the laws of man are written, that’s what they say.
God will not accept that.
Mine won’t, at least. Will yours?
[pause]
I close this morning on … very… thin… ice.
This is a dangerous idea I’ve put on the table: my God vs. your God, their God vs. our God… vs. no God. It is very easy, in these times, to see religion as a force for division rather than unity.
And this is a town—Washington—that knows something of division.
But the reason I am here, and the reason I keep coming back to Washington, is because this is a town that is proving it can come together on behalf of what the Scriptures call the least of these.
This is not a Republican idea. It is not a Democratic idea. It is not even, with all due respect, an American idea. Nor it is unique to any one faith.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.’ (Luke 6:30) Jesus says that.
‘Righteousness is this: that one should… give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for the emancipation of the captives.’ The Koran says that. (2.177)
Thus sayeth the Lord: ‘Bring the homeless poor into the house, when you see the naked, cover him, then your light will break out like the dawn and your recovery will speedily spring fourth, then your Lord will be your rear guard.’ The jewish scripture says that. Isaiah 58 again.
That is a powerful incentive: ‘The Lord will watch your back.’ Sounds like a good deal to me, right now.
A number of years ago, I met a wise man who changed my life. In countless ways, large and small, I was always seeking the Lord’s blessing. I was saying, you know, I have a new song, look after it… I have a family, please look after them… I have this crazy idea…
And this wise man said: stop.
He said, stop asking God to bless what you’re doing.
Get involved in what God is doing—because it’s already blessed.
Well, God, as I said, is with the poor. That, I believe, is what God is doing.
And that is what He’s calling us to do.
I was amazed when I first got to this country and I learned how much some churchgoers tithe. Up to ten percent of the family budget. Well, how does that compare the federal budget, the budget for the entire American family? How much of that goes to the poorest people in the world? Less than one percent.
Mr. President, Congress, people of faith, people of America:
I want to suggest to you today that you see the flow of effective foreign assistance as tithing…. Which, to be truly meaningful, will mean an additional one percent of the federal budget tithed to the poor.
What is one percent?
One percent is not merely a number on a balance sheet.
One percent is the girl in Africa who gets to go to school, thanks to you. One percent is the AIDS patient who gets her medicine, thanks to you. One percent is the African entrepreneur who can start a small family business thanks to you. One percent is not redecorating presidential palaces or money flowing down a rat hole. This one percent is digging waterholes to provide clean water.
One percent is a new partnership with Africa, not paternalism towards Africa, where increased assistance flows toward improved governance and initiatives with proven track records and away from boondoggles and white elephants of every description.
America gives less than one percent now. Were asking for an extra one percent to change the world. to transform millions of lives—but not just that and I say this to the military men now – to transform the way that they see us.
One percent is national security, enlightened economic self interest, and a better safer world rolled into one. Sounds to me that in this town of deals and compromises, one percent is the best bargain around.
These goals—clean water for all; school for every child; medicine for the afflicted, an end to extreme and senseless poverty—these are not just any goals; they are the Millennium Development goals, which this country supports. And they are more than that. They are the Beatitudes for a Globalised World.
Now, I’m very lucky. I don’t have to sit on any budget committees. And I certainly don’t have to sit where you do, Mr. President. I don’t have to make the tough choices.
But I can tell you this:
To give one percent more is right. It’s smart. And it’s blessed.
There is a continent—Africa—being consumed by flames.
I truly believe that when the history books are written, our age will be remembered for three things: the war on terror, the digital revolution, and what we did—or did not to—to put the fire out in Africa.
History, like God, is watching what we do.
Thank you. Thank you, America, and God bless you all.

MEGACHURCHES TODAY 2005

At 7 am Eastern Time this morning Leadership Network released the much anticipated Megachurches Today 2005. The full report can be downloaded by going to http://hirr.hartsem.edu/

Eleven Misconceptions Explored**
As the introduction to this report noted, one goal of the Megachurches Today 2005 research is challenge stereotypes that may be inaccurate or inappropriate. The Megachurches Today 2005 survey instrument is based on descriptive questions and statements (see below for more details on the survey itself). However, the research findings readily lend themselves to challenging various false impressions as to what megachurches are like and how they function. The following material explores 11 of those misconceptions.
MYTH #1: All megachurches are alike.
FACT: They differ in growth rates, size and the things they emphasize.
MYTH #2: All megachurches are equally good at being big.
FACT: Some megachurches clearly understand how to function as a large institution but others flounder noticeably at being big -- and some even struggle and decline.
MYTH #3: There is an over-emphasis of money in all the megachurches.
FACT: Our data doesn’t show this. Rather it is often a low priority, except when engaged in a building or capital campaign. At the same time, most don’t shy away from occasional sermons about putting God first in individual financial priorities and preaching on tithing.
MYTH #4: Megachurches are just spectator worship and are not serious about Christianity.
FACT: Our data shows that most megachurches demand a lot; they have high spiritual expectations and serious orthodox beliefs and preaching.
MYTH #5: These large churches only care about themselves and are not seriously involved in outreach and social ministry.
FACT: Considerable ministry is going on at the megachurches from solitary outreach to the local communities, joining with other churches in an area to tackle problems, as well as contributing to efforts nationally (say in New Orleans) and internationally (such as ministry to persons with AIDS in Africa)
MYTH #6: All megachurches are major political players and pawns or powerbrokers to the Republican Party or George Bush.
FACT: A vast majority of megachurches surveyed said they are not politically active. This parallels survey data on smaller churches, most churches have an internalized separation of church and state. A few megachurches and their pastors are vocally politically active but not most, not even a majority.
MYTH #7: All megachurches have huge sanctuaries and enormous campuses.
FACT: Megachurches show widespread use of multiple worship services over several days, multiple venues, and even multiple campuses. Mega refers to attendance, not building size.
MYTH #8: All megachurches are nondenominational.
FACT: While many megachurches are nondenominational and most others often act like it, the vast majority belongs to some denomination.
MYTH #9: All megachurches are homogeneous congregations with little diversity.
FACT: A large and growing number of megachurches are multi-ethnic and are intentionally so. Likewise, many of them have considerable diversity in terms of class, education levels, income, ages, backgrounds, occupations, and even theological and political styles.
MYTH #10: Megachurches grow primarily because of great programming.
FACT: Megachurches grow because excited attendees tell their friends. They may be encouraged and helped to do so by church leadership but it is not what megachurches “do” in terms of evangelistic programs, neighborhood surveys, etc. that makes them grow. The survey did not show any significant correlations between the programmatic items and the increased rates of growth in the fastest growing ones.
MYTH #11: The megachurch phenomenon is over and on the decline because it was just a Baby Boomer phenomenon. Gen Xers and Millennials aren’t interested in megachurches.
FACT: The increased numbers of megachurches we found is shocking, and it seems there are many more on the way. We see no indication of this trend slowing. Others have pointed out that the biggest churches in all denominations are getting bigger over time, since the 70s. Likewise, the idea that youth don’t find megachurches appealing could not be further from the truth. While the megachurch phenomenon exploded with the Baby Boom, it was around before them and will be after them. Many of the fastest growing, largest and newest megachurches are full of people under 35 years old. Not all youth like megachurches, but then neither do all Baby Boomers.
** These and other myths will be explored in greater detail in Scott Thumma’s upcoming book on megachurches.

Conclusions: What Does All This Mean?
These findings of the Megachurches Today 2005 project clearly indicate that not all megachurches are alike. It is a mistake to assume that all these very large churches are monolithic and function in a similar fashion. While they do have many characteristics in common (often they have more in common with each other than they do with smaller churches), they are not all identical. The above information points to several variables such as founding data and size that affect the functioning and dynamics of the megachurches. It is likely that after additional analysis other variables such as denominational affiliation, region, and dominant race of the congregation will also be shown to have an effect on their functioning.
Second, while there is some overlap among the groupings of most recent, fastest growing and largest churches, the patterns in the data discussed above are consistent across founding periods, all growth rates and different sizes of megachurches. Therefore, the characteristics that repeated in this analysis such as adaptation to change, sense of being spiritually vital, having a clear mission as well as youthfulness of the congregation and the use of electric guitars and drums, and the rates at which members tell others about the church are significant variables in terms of growth and health of the churches.
Third, these findings indicate that much more research of a nuanced and careful nature should be done if we are to accurately understand the dynamics of these largest and influential congregations.
There are many misconceptions about megachurches, inaccuracies that this research and the activities of the sponsoring organizations hope to dispel. As explained in appendix C, our two organizations have teamed up to do this research project because we are eager to provide correct and accurate information about megachurches in the United States. Churches large and small have much to gain from a comprehensive national picture of large churches throughout the country.

If you have questions, please direct them to:
Scott Thumma Dave Travis and Warren Bird Hartford Institute for Religion Research Leadership Network Hartford Seminary 77 Sherman St. 2501 Cedar Springs, Suite 200 Hartford, CT 06105 Dallas, Texas 75200
sthumma@hartsem.edu Warren.Bird@leadnet.org Dave.Travis@leadnet.org

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Good to Great and the Social Sector

Just finished reading Jim Collins' Good to Great and the Social Sector. Having greatly enjoyed both Built to Last, Good to Great and a variety of articles by Collins I have been looking forward to reading what he calls a 'monograph"--a lean 35 page missive. Here are a few notes.

"That's when it dawned on my: we need a new language. The critical distinction is not betweeen business and social, but between great and good. We need to reject the naive imposition of the 'language of business' on the social sectors, and instead jointly embrace a language of greatness" p. 2

Issue One: Defining "great"--calibrating success without business metrics
Collins notes "the confusion between inputs and outputs stems from one of the primary differences between business and the social sectors. in business, money is both an input (a resource for achieving greatness) and an output (a measure of greatness). In the social sectors, money is only an input and not a measure of greatness. In social sectors, the critical question is not 'How much money do we make per dollar of invested capital?' but 'How do we deliver on our mission and make a distinctive impact, relative to our response?'" p. 5

Collins doesn't buy the excuse that you can't measure social sector like business. "It doesn't really matter whether you can quantify your results. What matters is that you rigorously assembel evidence--quantitative or qualitative--to track your progress. If the evidence is primaily qualitative, think like a trial lawyer assembling the combined body of evidence. If the evidence is primarily quantitative, then think of yourself as a laboratory scientist assemblin and assessing the data. To throw our hands up and say, 'But we cannot measure performance in the social sectors the way you can in a business' is simply lack of discipline. All indicators are flawed, whether qualitative or quantitative.... What matters is not finding the perfect indicator, but settling upon a consistent and intelligent method of assessing your output results, and then tracking your trajectory with rigor." p. 7

Issue two: Level 5 Leadership--Getting things done within a diffuse power structure
"Level 5 leadership (ambitious first and foremost for the cause, the movement, the mission, the work--not themselves--and they have the will to do whatever it takes...to make good on that ambition) is not about being 'soft' or 'nice' or purely 'inclusive' or 'consensus-building.' The whole point of Level 5 is to make sure the right decisions happen--no matter how difficult or painful--for the long-term greatness of the institution and the achievement of its mission, independent of consensus or popularity" p. 11

Issue three: First who--Getting the right people on the bus within socail sector constraints
"In the social sectors, where getting the wrong people off the bus can be more difficult than in a business, early assessment mechanisms turn out to be more important than hiring mechanisms. There is no perfect interviewing technique, no ideal hiring method; even the best executives make hiring mistakes. You can only know for certain about a person by working with that person." p. 15

"Great companies... focused on getting and hnging on to the right people in the first place--those who are productively neurotic, those who are self-motivated and self-disciplined, those who wake up every day, cupulsively driven to do the best they can because it is simply part of their DNA....Lack of resources is no excuse for lack of rigor--it makes selectivity all the more vital." p. 15

Issue four: the hedgehog concept--rethinking the economic engine without a profit motive
Collin's three circles now are "What are you passionate about? " "What can you be best in the world at?" and "What drives your resource engine?" "The critical step in the Hedgehog Concept is to determin how best to connect all three circles, so that they reinforce each other. You must be able to answer the question, 'How does focusing on what we can do best tie directly to our resource engine, and how does our resource engine directly reinforce what we can do best?' And you must be right." p. 22

"The old addage, 'no cash flow, no mission' [it can't be that old...I've never heard this before], but only as part ofa larger truth. A great social sector organization must have the discipline to say, 'No thanks you' to resources that drive it away from the middle of its three circles. Those who have the discipline to attract and channel resources directed solely at their Hedgehog Concept, and to reject resources that drive them away from the center of their three circles, will be of greater service to the world." p. 23

Issue five: Turning the flywheel--building momentum by building the brand
"By focusing on your Hedgehog concept, you build results. Those results, in turn, attract resources and commitment, which you use to build a strong organization. That strong organization then delivers even better results, which attracts greater resources and commitment, which builds a sronger organization, which enables even better results. People want to feel the excitement of being involved in something that just flat out works. When they begin to see tangible results--when they can feel the flywheel beginning to build speed--that's when most people line up to throw their shoulders against the wheel and push. This is the power of the flywheel. Success breeds support and commitment, which breeds even greater success, which breeds more support and commitment--round and around the flywheel goes. Peopl like to support winners!" p. 23

[Now I found this particularly interesting] "I find it puzzling how people who clearly understand the idea of investing in great companies run by the right people often fail t carry the same logic over to the social sectors. In lace of the 'fair-price exchange' of the free market model, those who fund the social sectors can bring an assumption of 'fair exchange' that is highly dysfunctional: if we give you money, we are entitled to tell you how to use that money, since it was a gift..., not a fair-price exchange. Put another way, social sector funding often favors 'time telling'--focusing on a specific program or restricted gift, often the brainchild of a charismatic visionary leader. But building a great organization requuires a shift to 'clock building'--shaping a stron, self-sustaining organization that can prosper beyond any single programmatic idea or visionary leader. Restricted giving misses a fundamental point: to make the greatest impact on society requires first and formeost a great orgnization, not a single program. If an institution has a fucused Hedgehog Concept and a disciplined organization that delivers exceptional results, the best thing supporters can do is to give resources that enabel the institution's leaers to do their work the best way they know how. Get out of the way, and let them uld a clock!" p. 24

The Learning Executive by Jim Collins

Inc. August 1997

How would your day be different if you organized your time, energy, and resources primarily around the objective of learning, instead of around performance? For many people, their daily activities—what they do and how they go about doing it—would be dramatically changed. Indeed, despite all the buzz around the concept of the “learning organization,” I’m struck by how few people seem to have embraced the idea of being a true learning person. This came home to me during an interview with a television producer developing a documentary on Sam Walton. After about 45 minutes, she asked if I had anything else to add, indicating the end of the interview. “No,” I said, “but I’d like to ask you some questions.” She paused, obviously not prepared for my request, and then gave an uncertain, “Ok.” For the next 15 minutes, I had the great pleasure of asking her questions about what she had learned in her research. The producer had no background in business—having done most of her documentaries on historical figures like Stalin and Mozart—so I thought she might have a fresh and illuminating perspective. She did, and I learned some new information and gained new insights about one of my favorite subjects. “That’s the first time that’s ever happened to me,” she said. “I interview professors and experts all the time, but I’ve never had one turn the tables and begin asking me questions. At first I was taken aback—surprised really—but it’s refreshing to see that experts can still learn.” Stop and think about that for a minute. Here’s a bright television producer who spends her life delving into specific subjects—a walking treasure trove of knowledge—and people whose profession is to continually learn don’t pause to take the opportunity to expand their expertise further by talking with her. They act as knowers rather than learners, which, incidentally, is just the opposite of what Sam Walton did. Walton viewed himself not as a definitive expert on retailing but as a lifelong student of his craft, always asking questions and taking every opportunity to learn. A Brazilian businessman once told me that of 10 U.S. retailing CEOs he wrote to asking for an appointment after he’d purchased a discount retailing chain in South America, only Walton said yes. “We didn’t know much about retailing, so we wanted to talk to executives who knew the business,” he explained. “Most didn’t bother to reply. Sam said, ’Sure, come on up.’ Only later did I realize he was as interested in learning from us as we were in learning from him; he pummeled us with questions about Brazil. Later, we launched a joint venture with Wal-Mart in South America.” Becoming a learning person certainly involves responding to every situation with learning in mind, as Walton did. But it involves more than that; it requires setting explicit learning objectives. Look at your personal list of long-term objectives mid-term objectives, and your current to-do list. How many items fall into the performance genre and how many fall into the learning genre? How many begin with the structure “My objective is to learn X,” rather than “My objective is to accomplish Y”? Most people operate off of to-do lists. They’re a useful mechanism for getting things done. A true learning person also has a “to-learn” list, and the items on that list carry at least as much weight in how one organizes his or her time as the to-do list. Granite Rock, in Watsonville, Calif., one of the few authentic learning organizations, has institutionalized this idea by replacing performance goals for individuals with learning goals. The stone, concrete, and asphalt supplier makes the shift explicit by asking each employee to set his or her annual objectives in the format “Learn _______ so that I can _________.” Learning people also develop explicit learning mechanisms, such as “learning logs” or formal “autopsies”—time explicitly set aside to discuss or reflect on events and extract the maximum knowledge and understanding from them. Such people plant seeds of learning that will flower later. One prominent thinker I spent a day with ended our discussion with the statement, “I have a small consulting fee: you must keep me informed as to your learning and progress.” Every six months or so I send him a letter, and I imagine he gets dozens of such learning letters a year. I’ve also found the mechanism of a learning notebook to be useful; in it I keep track of my learning and observations about life, work, myself, or whatever seems interesting, much the same way a scientist keeps a lab book on any subject of inquiry. It’s a powerful mechanism for identifying not only learning but also the activities where I’m not learning (which I then unplug or redesign). I’m not yet as much of a learning person as I’d like to be. Like most Americans, I’m driven largely by an urge to perform, accomplish, achieve, and get things done. Yet as I begin to consciously shift to filtering everything through a learning lens, I find both dramatic and subtle differences in the way I do things and how I spend my time. With a “get things done” lens, I’ll leave a voice-mail; with a learning lens, I’ll seek a real-time phone call during which I can ask questions and learn from conversation. With a performance lens, I’ll try to impress the interviewer with my knowledge; with a learning lens, I’ll ask her questions. Even mundane activities like washing dishes, shaving, and walking through airports can be transformed by carrying a portable tape player and listening to unabridged books on tape. John W. Gardner, author of the classic book Self-Renewal: The Individual and Innovative Society (and a man who keeps an active learning and teaching schedule well into his 80s), captured the spirit of the learning person with his admonition “Don’t set out in life to be an interesting person; set out to be an interested person.” Learning people, of which Gardner is a prime example, learn till the day they die, not because learning will “get them somewhere,” but because they see learning as part of the reason for living. When asked for an economic justification for learning, they find the question as odd as being asked for a financial justification for breathing. The link between learning and performance is self-evident, but for a true learning person (or organization, for that matter), performance is not the ultimate why of learning. Learning is the why of learning. And until we grasp that fact and organize accordingly, we will not—indeed cannot—build the elusive learning organization.

Top Ten Breakthrough Books

I chose these books because each one represents a paradigm shift, great or slight, in how something is done. My thinking was challenged and changed through these concepts. My one caveat is Tipping Point and Linked are similar concepts.
Built to Last : Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (Harper Business Essentials) by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by Jim Collins
Flight of the Buffalo : Soaring to Excellence, Learning to Let Employees Lead by Belasco and Ralph C. Stayer
Leading Change by John P. Kotter
The Wisdom of Teams : Creating the High-Performance Organization (HarperBusiness Essentials) by Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith
The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
Blink : The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi
The Leadership Engine: How Winning Companies Build Leaders at Every Level by Noel M. Tichy and Eli Cohen
Managing the Non-Profit Organization: Principles and Practices by Peter F. Drucker

Quotes from February

"Those who have been impacted by grace are good at telling the truth" Rolling Hills

"The soul never thinks without a picture." Aristotle

"One must learn by doing the thing, for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try." Sophocles, 400BC (Diffusions of Innovation, p. 161)

Creativity and Innovation Bibliography

At the Rolling Hills Community Church leadership retreat we talked a lot about the creativity in every person which leads to an incredible contribution that each person can make. The following are books that have influenced my thinking on creativity. Each one is worthy.

A WHACK ON THE SIDE OF THE HEAD : How You Can Be More Creative by von Oech
A Kick in the Seat of the Pants by Roger Von Oech
How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day by Michael J. Gelb
The Seeds of Innovation: Cultivating the Synergy That Fosters New Ideas by Elaine Dundon
Lateral Thinking : Creativity Step by Step (Perennial Library) by Edward De Bono
The Art of Innovation : Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firm by Tom Kelley
The Ten Faces of Innovation : IDEO's Strategies for Defeating the Devil's Advocate and Driving Creativity Throughout Your Organization by Thomas Kelley and Jonathan Littman
Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative Thinking Techniques by Michael Michalko
Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius by Michael Michalko
Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter F. Drucker
Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne
Serious Play: How the World's Best Companies Simulate to Innovate by Michael Schrage
Why Not?: How To Use Everyday Ingenuity To Solve Problems Big And Small by Barry J. Nalebuff and Ian Ayres
Diffusion of Innovations, 5th Edition by Everett M. Rogers and Everett Rogers