JANUARY 23, 2017 BY DAN REILAND

5 Ways Leaders Grasp Momentum

Next to God’s favor, there’s nothing a leader desires more than momentum.

Momentum is a force that is greater than the sum of all your leadership energy, effort and resources combined.

Momentum is not a mystery, it contains elements such as vision and competence, but it cannot be manufactured upon demand.

Momentum is the spiritual X-Factor that propels your church forward at a rate that is difficult to explain. You work hard, but God’s hand is evident in the momentum of any real substance.

The more we understand momentum, the better we can lead toward it.

5 thoughts to strengthen your leadership grasp of momentum:1) Momentum is fueled by vision and activated by faith.This is clear evidence of the partnership we all have with God for spiritual momentum in our churches.

Vision is the source and fuel of momentum, and faith activates God’s hand toward momentum.

Without a clear and compelling vision, there is no direction to follow. Without faith, there is no invitation for God to provide a power larger than human leadership can muster.

It takes both large vision and great faith to see momentum catch traction.Momentum is not magic; it’s available to all leaders and their churches.

Momentum is fueled by vision and activated by faith.

2) Momentum is sustained by competence.When vision and faith are part of your culture, the stage is set for momentum. God is not obligated, but He is now invited. Leadership competence is then required to build and sustain momentum for as long as God’s hand is upon it.

This leadership competence comes in the form of strategy. The strategy helps sustain the momentum that vision and faith support.

Don’t over-complicate the idea of strategy. Strategy is your simple and clear written plan. That’s it. Do you have a plan? Is it clear? Are you working it? Are you adapting as required?

Stay focused on: Vision Faith Competence Strategy

Momentum is sustained by competence.

3) Momentum, or the lack of it, might skew your perspective.When you don’t have momentum, and you’re struggling to grow, it’s never as bleak as it appears.

When there is no momentum, that doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. It does not mean God has abandoned you. Sometimes (to borrow a phrase I love), you are waiting for God’s next “fresh wind and fresh fire.”

Keep praying, working hard, and making the best leadership decisions that you can.

When you’re experiencing great momentum resulting in rapid growth, it’s never as good as it appears.

Momentum covers a multitude of flaws and problems!

When things are going great, and the “big mo” is with you, it’s tempting to think that you made it happen and “this is the way it always works.” It’s easy to forget that without God’s power the momentum is over, or you begin to think that you now have all the answers.

Remember where you came from and how you got momentum. Keep at it. Momentum doesn’t remove the hard work, it multiples it.

Thank God daily, because you didn’t do it all yourself, and keep working hard.

4) Momentum can take an unexpected twist toward entitlement.Momentum and entitlement seem like unlikely partners. Here’s how it happens.

When your church is experiencing tough times, everyone is in the same boat. You are trying to survive. There is no surplus. There are no perks to compete for. There is no fame or notoriety. It’s all-hands-on-deck to keep the ship afloat and moving forward. Everyone hunkers down and works hard for solutions.

When a church finds success, it can take a very different turn. Favor brings rewards, and soon many want a piece of the proverbial pie. It might be desired recognition – a new title, a place on the org chart, more staff, a new building with nice offices. It doesn’t really matter what it is; the point is that it can cause leaders to lose focus on what got the momentum going.

Leaders can become distracted by potential rewards. This always kills momentum.

(There is nothing wrong with rewards, it’s when those rewards become the focus.)

Gratitude and hard work are the only appropriate responses to momentum.

5) Momentum never lasts forever – keep your foot on the pedal.The natural response to things going your way is to let off the gas and coast a little.

When you experience momentum, it’s not the time to coast. It’s time to push the pedal to the floor. Take full advantage of the favor God is granting. God delivers the favor, but you fan the flame!

When momentum fades, don’t panic. Focus on the small wins.

Momentum comes in different seasons and different ways. Don’t try to copy the momentum you once had. Let God grant His favor how He chooses.

Keep leading with fervor for the vision and faith that God is with you!

JANUARY 26, 2017 / BY DAN REILAND

5 Steps Toward Regaining Momentum

Momentum is a leader’s best friend.

If you’ve led in a local church for any length of time, you’ve probably experienced seasons of high momentum and seasons when momentum has faded.Good leaders possess the ability to navigate both in seasons of strong momentum and low momentum; each have their unique challenges.

In the previous post, I addressed “5 Ways Leaders Grasp Momentum.” It will provide helpful and needed context for this post.

Let’s continue the topic with a focus on regaining momentum.

5 Steps to help regain momentum:1. Take responsibility for the lack of momentum.If you are the pastor, on staff, or a board member, own the reality of your church’s situation. Tell the truth. If you are in a decline, you are in a decline.

Everyone knows it, so just say it.

Don’t panic, focus on solutions.The people will appreciate your honesty and courage. If you are plateaued, the same idea holds true.

Don’t get stuck on the things you can’t control, take action on what you can do.Great leaders take responsibility for a lack of momentum.

2. Find the mo in you first.Walt Emerson said:“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

It’s what’s inside you, what you believe, the size of your faith, and the hope in you that matters. Not the mistakes in the past or the mountains in front of you.

Only the dreams within you matter. If you lose hope, you can’t inspire a congregation. If you don’t believe, the people can’t believe.

Your faith that God is with you matters. Sometimes God asks us to wait upon His timing.

Cultivate that hope and faith within you.

If you are discouraged, find a strong leader who is a friend and get some time to talk. Gain wisdom, experience, and fresh perspective. Don’t give up.

Re-gaining momentum must start within the leader first.

3. Re-establish a clear vision and written strategy.Listen for God’s voice on His direction for your church.

You may need a new vision. This could be the right time for a new start. Or your vision may be solid, and your need is to find fresh and new ways to communicate it.

Don’t rush the process, take the time you need. It may take a few weeks or a couple of months, maybe a little longer, that’s OK.

Talk and pray with your key leaders. Get buy-in with your staff.Develop your strategy. Don’t over complicate the process. Your strategy is a simple and clear written plan.

Place action over analysis.

4. Make the courageous changes that are needed.I wish I could tell you that re-gaining momentum is easy, but it requires that we step out of our comfort zone and embrace change.

The change may involve more boldness in your weekend communication, a difficult staffing move, a new approach to ministry, or a major overhaul in the style and execution of your worship service. There are so many possibilities.

Keep in mind, if you make a change and no one gets upset, you just changed something that doesn’t matter.

Re-gaining momentum requires that we step out of our comfort zone and embrace change.

5. Aim for the small wins first.Let me restate something from the previous post. Momentum is fueled by vision and activated by faith.

This is clear evidence of the partnership we all have with God for spiritual momentum in our churches.

Vision is the source and fuel of momentum, and faith activates God’s hand toward momentum.

While you exercise faith and wait upon God’s timing, keep steady at your vision and strategy.

Part of this process is the art of aiming for the small wins. Go for the “little mo” while waiting for the “big mo.” This is not busyness or lack of focus; it’s more like kindling upon the fire.

There are many ideas you can implement, from short-term community compassion and outreach projects, to a 30-day fund-raiser for a special purchase that would add wind to the sails of your congregation.

There is no guarantee for momentum, but there is the promise that God is with you, and it’s His church. He cares, and He wants it to flourish.

FEBRUARY 1, 2017 / BY DAN REILAND

Are You Overwhelmed?I love the concept of “simple church” (less is more), but I sometimes wonder if there is anything truly simple about leading a church in 2017.

Compared to only 20 years ago, the complexity of local church leadership has dramatically increased. I believe the three primary driving forces are:

1. Shifts in culture2. Innovation in technology3. Transitions in leadership

Parts of the new complexity are energizing. The unknown element of the future always brings the hope of progress. Vision paints the picture of something better. The opportunity for innovation gets any leader fired up.

However, as I talk with leaders, from Boomers to Millennials, there is at times a sense of both question and uncertainty. Bluntly stated, most leaders express the feeling of “flying blind” far more now than ever in the past. “Flying blind” can be destabilizing for any leader, and sometimes flat out overwhelming.

Overwhelmed sounds like this. “I don’t know what to do.” “I have too much to do.” “I don’t know how to do it.” “I’m trying to do it all alone.

A prolonged sense of being overwhelmed can lead to discouragement, inner fatigue, disillusionment, and even depression. Sometimes being overwhelmed with a sense of “no way out” causes a leader to throw in the towel.

There is a process to conquer being overwhelmed.

1) Re-experience the truth that God is with you.Moses felt extreme complexity, overwhelmed and less than able to confront Pharaoh. And that was only the beginning of the leadership process to free the nation of Israel. Through all Moses’ objections and God’s provisions, ultimately, God said… “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14

Our ability as leaders to truly embrace that God is with us is a complete game-changer.

I don’t mean merely an intellectual knowledge that God is with us. But a profound “in the battle” soul awareness of what God means when He says: “My presence will go with you . . .“ And, hundreds of years later when Jesus said, “And surely I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

Do you have confidence that God is with you?

There is an elegance to a pure trust in God that is powerful. He reminds us that the things that are complex in leadership for us are not complicated for Him.

2) Seek wise counsel.When you are overwhelmed, you can’t think straight.

Your perspective becomes skewed, and you need a wise and trusted leader to talk it through with you.

First, explore the elements of your personal life. Sometimes being overwhelmed has little to do with your church leadership. I know leaders who are overloaded at home and simply have nothing left to give. It might be a sick child, or a troubled marriage, or extreme financial pressure. For the overwhelmed feeling to lift, your home life must be supportive not draining. Tend to things at home first.

Second, explore the elements of your professional life. What are the pressures at the church? Write out the problems and put them in order of priority. What are the ones you can control? What are the challenges and pressures you can’t control?

With wise counsel, explore the elements of your life and focus on the things you can change.

3) Make a game plan.When I was in seminary, I was overwhelmed the summer before my first semester.

Because my undergraduate work was not in Bible, theology or ministry, I had pre-requisites to make up to be an official student. The first course was Greek. An entire semester’s work in four weeks. I almost quit. It was brutal and completely overwhelming. Until one day a fellow student came to me and said: “Whenever I come upon a big rock that I just can’t move, I take a hammer and break it into pieces that I can handle.” I’ve carried that lesson ever since.

I’ve been writing down game plans in bite-sized pieces that I can do for over thirty years now, and it works. We all have faced a rock so big we can’t imagine moving it. But if you just keep swinging, and break it up into smaller pieces, then you can tackle the problem one step at a time.

Progress conquers being overwhelmed.

You begin to see blue sky, gain hope, and your inner drive and motivation kicks back into gear!

Overwhelmed is an experience that all leaders face when you tackle a big dream and God-sized vision. Being overwhelmed for a short season is normal, but you don’t want it to become a prolonged experience.

Don’t try to do it alone.

Remember God is with you. Seek wise counsel. Make a game plan.