Casting Vision: The Only Communication Principle You Need to Know

by: Church Community Builder

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Communicating in a way that captures attention and inspires action is an art. And there’s one communication principle that effective communicators understand when it comes to conveying their thoughts effectively.

Because communication can be messy. It can be complicated. And in many ways, it can’t be controlled as no one can completely anticipate how another person will hear, interpret, and respond to what you say.

Perception is reality, after all.

And communication becomes even more complex within organizations like churches. Pastors or senior leadership may be inclined to jump straight to the ‘what’ after defining the ‘why’ when casting their vision without really taking the time to strategically think through the ‘how.’

The ‘how’ is just as important – if not more – than the ‘what.’ And the effectiveness of your communication as a leader is directly related to your effectiveness in communicating your vision’s ‘how.’

Learning to communicate your vision’s ‘how’ can be difficult because people listen and learn differently, and this is where a lot of leaders struggle. They’ll communicate the same way with their staff as they do their congregation or even their family – but the way you communicate with some audiences doesn’t work with others.

There are two ways to ensure that your ‘how’ connects with each of your audiences:

1. Diversify your ‘how.’ Because people listen and learn differently, create multiple channels to communicate your message. Diversify your methods to determine which ones work best for each audience. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to casting the ‘how’ of your vision.
2. Keep it simple. You may understand your point because you’ve thought it through for a while. But it may not be that obvious to others. Break down the details to help people understand your message as clearly as you do.

By diversifying the way you communicate and keeping your message simple, you’ll be able to focus on your ‘how’ – and then the vision you communicate will start to make a difference in those who hear it.

Learn more about casting vision; connect with an Auxano Navigator today.

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Tags: Casting Vision, Church Community Builder, Church Vision, Vision

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Crafting Your Cast: From Mission to Vision

by: Church Community Builder

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POP QUIZ: In a sentence or two, can you say what God is calling you to do – or at least the direction He has for you?

If you answered ‘YES!,’ then congratulations! You have your vision. And you can skip ahead to the neat little listicle below about how to effectively cast your vision.

If you answered, ‘No. I don’t think so. But maybe? I’m not sure,’ then congratulations! You now have the opportunity to take your nebulous idea from infancy to a full-grown vision.

Your vision should take the purpose and mission of your church and reduce it down to a simple statement that guides your church. Much like an ‘elevator pitch’ in business – wherein you spark interest in what your organization does with a brief, persuasive speech in 20 seconds or less – your words act as an all-encompassing phrase that galvanizes and motivates your people in the right direction for your church.

And the right direction for your church – and the right vision – cannot be written from your will, but only from God’s because remember this as you cast your vision: Leadership is a privilege; steward it well. Yours is a privilege that can take people to where you believe God wants to go.

So as you cast, make sure your vision is …

Simple: Be clear about your vision. Over time, you’ll learn how to communicate the vision clearly and when the vision is clear to you, you are able to clearly communicate it to others.

Solid: Make sure your vision is real and tangible; it is a vision that people can touch, see and become invested in personally.

Succinct: We live in a ‘push-button-get-banana’ world. The same is true when we cast a vision. So keep it brief – because it’s not about how much you share, but that you share enough for it to be clear.

Stimulating: Your vision should inspire action. It should also cultivate a sense of ownership. If your vision can capture hearts, people will feel compelled to help you realize your vision.

If your vision is simple enough to understand, solid enough to believe, succinct enough to remember, and stimulating enough to inspire a shared ownership, your vision is ready to rally your people to a better future.

Learn more about Auxano’s Vision Pathway process.

> More from Church Community Builder.

Tags: Church Community Builder, Mission, Vision, Vision casting, better future

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From Good to Great: What Great Leaders Know About Casting Vision

by: Church Community Builder

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We all know good leaders. In fact, some of us may even be counted among those ‘good leaders’ — one that can cast vision that motivates and inspires people; one that influences people to reach worthy and valuable goals toward achieving their vision.

And these are important — invaluable — leadership traits. So why don’t they make the grade for ‘greatness?’

Because while good leaders can set goals, build a team and cast vision, great leaders clear the way — identifying and overcoming obstacles, and allocating the necessary resources — setting their teams up to succeed.

Think of it like hiking in a dense forest: A good leader can plot out the trek, easily mapping the starting point and finish line; a great leader comes armed with a machete to clear the path, and with enough water and rations to reach the summit.

Casting vision and setting goals maps your journey, but resources and a path free of obstacles sees you through to the other side, helping you successfully realize your goals.

Ask yourself the following questions about what you need to provide before you give your team their new goals:

Team. Volunteers are the lifeblood of our ministries, and no vision can become a reality without them. Do you have the people — are they available, willing, and the right fit — to succeed?

Treasure. Every new venture — ministry opportunity, idea and program — costs money. Do you know how much it will cost, and does it fit in your budget?

Tools. You need the right tools for the job. Can you equip your team with the tools they need to succeed? 

Time. Anything worth doing takes time. Do you and your team have the time – whether it’s available time or time you’re willing to reallocate from another initiative – to dedicate to realizing your vision?

Every leader can have a lofty vision. But a great leader not only has the lofty vision of reaching the summit’s altitude, but also the aptitude to navigate and mitigate obstacles, allocate resources, and get the right boots on the ground to make even the loftiest of dreams a reality.

> Read more from Church Community Builder.

Want to know what’s next on your vision casting journey? Contact an Auxano Navigator for help.

Tags: Casting Vision, Church Community Builder, Vision casting

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Why Church Leaders Need Coaches

by: Church Community Builder

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Tags: Church Community Builder, Coaches, Coaching, Leadership Coaches

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The Secret Principle that Separates Good Leaders and Great Leaders

by: Church Community Builder

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Good leaders are, by definition, good at their jobs. They know how to motivate their teams towards a desired result. They know how to cast inspiring vision. They can get things done and set goals that move their entire organizations forward into a desired future. But even good leaders can easily forget one essential principle — and if it goes unnoticed for too long, it can have crippling effects on their ministries.

What separates great leaders from good leaders

Good leaders set goals, build teams, cast vision, and partner with people to help them be successful. But great leaders know how to clear the obstacles and give their team the resources they need to succeed.

Casting vision and setting goals are important, but we have to remember that teams need resources to achieve those goals and realize that vision. Even the most worthy of goals will inevitably end in failure if your teams are constantly battling a lack of resources.

Four ways to get your team the resources they need

If you want to be a truly great leader, you have to make sure your team has the resources they need in these four areas before you set new challenges before them:

1. No matter how many technological tools you’ve got at your disposal, you’ll always need people to turn your vision into reality. Who do you need on your teams to make it happen? If it’s existing staff, do they have the availability to do the work or are they committed to other projects? Can you wait for them, or do you need to hire someone else?
2. Every new opportunity has a cost, of either money or time or priority. Do you completely understand those costs? Conversely, do you know what it would cost your church not to do it? Make sure you’ve answered these questions, and you’ll know what resources you need to ensure your new initiative goes well. Decide whether you’ve got the necessary cash to make it happen with excellence out of the gate, or decide on a plan to spend less and implement an entry-level solution as a first step.
3. Even if you’ve determined you have the right people in place and the money budgeted to support your vision, you have to give your team the tools they need to succeed. Do you have the right technology and supplies in place? If not, can you execute with excellence in their absence or would it be better to wait?
4. Great leaders have to set a realistic pace for reaching the vision. You have to get above the daily activities of your teams to see all the moving pieces and projects that affect them, and then set an achievable timeline. How much time is needed for all the new activities? Is that time available? And here’s the big question — what will you help your people stop doing while they focus on their new goals?

Every goal you set for your ministry is going to require a significant investment of work from your team. That means they’ll need the resources to complete the work. If you’re focusing on the outcomes without putting an equal focus on the resources required to achieve them, you’re crippling your vision. Not only will you miss your goals, you’ll frustrate your staff and minimize your influence as a leader. Don’t fall into that trap — move from good to great.

Leaders, how are you clearing the obstacles for your team? What resources do they need to accomplish your shared vision?

By Church Community Builder

Church Community Builder is dedicated to discipleship growth and equipping church leaders for modern-day ministry through software and coaching.

Learn more about building great leaders with Auxano’s Leadership Development Pipeline.

Tags: Church Community Builder, Leadership Development Pipeline, great leaders

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3 Ways Church Leaders Can Learn from Business Leaders

by: Church Community Builder

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If you read that headline and instantly checked out because ‘business’ has no place in the local church, you’re missing out. Business leaders often have key insights and perspectives that could help you reach more people with the life-changing news of the Gospel.

The work of the local church is too important for us to isolate ourselves from new ideas that could improve our ministry efforts. Business leaders — at least effective ones — are very good at getting their messages in front of different audiences, and church leaders want to do the same. Since both have the same goal in mind, church leaders can connect with business leaders and learn tricks to help accelerate their ministry impact. Here are just three ways how:

• Read business-related leadership books. This seems pretty basic, right? But there are still thousands of church leaders who only read Christian-themed leadership books. Don’t get us wrong — those books most definitely have value! But taking in business-related leadership thoughts will provide you with a whole different set of ideas and action steps to implement in your leadership role in the church. And you’ll likely find that many of the leadership principles in these books ring true with Christian philosophy, because God’s way is the most effective way. You’ll simply get another perspective on applying God’s teachings to your leadership that perhaps you hadn’t considered before. Leaders are most definitely readers. If you’re looking to get a start on some business-related leadership books that could make a tremendous impact on your ministry effectiveness, grab anything by Jim Collins, Patrick Lencioni, Tim Sanders, Malcolm Gladwell, or Seth Godin.
• Create a network of business leaders in your church that you connect with regularly. There are business leaders in your church right now who may have solutions to the issues you’re facing. They’re likely already heading up several of your ministries or volunteer efforts, as these leaders understand the importance of stepping up to lead change in any organization. These people know what it takes to effectively manage an organization and could be a source of tremendous wisdom and ideas as you work together to accomplish your church’s goals. Not only will you benefit as a leader, you’ll also help build stronger community and relationships between these leaders and create another way for your church to invest in their lives and families.
• Join a leadership development program in your community. Nearly every community across the country has some sort of local leadership development program, typically organized by your local chamber of commerce or another professional organization. This is a great chance for you to connect with business leaders across your community who might not attend church, and a way to show these leaders (and others) that you’re a church leader who understands the importance of getting outside your church’s walls to engage with your community.

What are some other ways church leaders can learn new ways to achieve ministry goals from business leaders? How are you doing this today?

> Read more from Church Community Builder.

Tags: Church Community Builder, Leadership, business leaders

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Planning Takes Too Long

by: Dave Bair

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“Planning takes too long. Let’s just get started.”

For most of us, the joy of a project is in the result: the finished product. We may even feel too busy to go through the process of creating a clear plan, wanting to ‘hit the ground running’. But how do you know if you’re running in the right direction? When we start coaching a new church to implement a change, we make a plan. Usually this is a pretty detailed plan with lots of tasks, dependent steps, dates … the whole bit. We often get feedback that this planning process takes too long and they just want to get started. But in my mind, planning equals speed. I know that sounds contradictory, but the key is whether you are in a hurry to start, or to finish. 

What’s the Hurry?

If you are in a hurry to start a project, then planning is indeed a waste and should be ignored. However, let’s first ask what is driving us to be in a hurry.  Here are some common reasons we hear: 

• I have to show ____ I am making progress.
• If we have a plan, we will be forced to follow it, and I want to be more flexible.
• I am new here and need to show them I know what I am doing.
• You just can’t plan this type of work.
• I am an action-oriented person. All this talking just wears me out.

None of those hold water in my mind; they are excuses. There is a time, when exploring a brand new thing nobody has ever done, that plans can be fairly  vague and loose. In fact, sometimes projects are entering into such an unknown territory that making a meaningful plan can be a waste of your time. However, those cases are the exception, not the rule. 

How Does Planning Make Us Faster?

There are four key benefits to a solid plan.

A good plan clarifies direction, scope, and the value of a project before you begin. How many times have you started a project that seemed like a good idea, only to realize halfway through that you can’t even remember why the project was so important? Planning allows you to firm up those reasons and success criteria early. Sometimes creating a plan helps you to realize the project isn’t even worth doing. You just saved yourself and your team a ton of time! The last thing any of us needs in our busy lives is a project we shouldn’t be doing.

A good plan helps us stay focused. This is my favorite reason to make a plan, because I can get so easily distracted. I need tools to help me think only about what is relevant right now. Debating about the color of the carpet in the new sanctuary is not worthwhile when you should be focused on the location of the new building and buying the land.

A good plan helps us to avoid rework. Have you ever heard the phrase “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing over again”? While I have always enjoyed that adage, It bothers me that we behave that way so frequently. Think of the time and costs associated with having to go back and redo something — you could have avoided that rework if you had a good plan. A plan should help you do work in the ‘right’ order. Some tasks can be accomplished any time; others have steps that have to be completed first before moving to the next. A planned workflow can help you be efficient and continue to make progress toward your goal. Think of your new church building: pouring the foundation before you have decided where the electrical and plumbing go would be a real mistake. You would have to tear it out and pour more concrete later when you really had a design. In fact, I worked with a church that failed to think about how they were going to run sound and video cables between the stage and the sound booth, so had to tear up concrete in the floor to lay down cables and then come back and repair the floor.

A good plan show us progress. A plan with some milestones in it allows us to track our progress. That progress status is used to do three things that tend to increase motivation, resources, and speed. 

1. Communicate project status. Sharing with the organization, “We are 30% done on this and we estimate being complete in October” builds clarity and reminds others you are still working and progressing.
2. Celebrate your progress. Some steps are more difficult than others, and when you celebrate completing a difficult challenge, it builds morale within our team. “Yahoo — we reached the end of the design phase!” An encouraged team is more motivated  to focus on the work.
3. Compete for resources. In this world of limited time and resources, we often have to fight to keep the resources we secured at the beginning of the project. Sometimes this can be true in the capital campaign as well. “We still need Bob on our team. Look at all he has done and what other tasks are assigned to him.” Plus this is not only true for human resources but financial commitments as well. At the launch of the project, people committed to give to support it, but if you don’t keep them in the loop on the progress you are making, you run the risk of their getting distracted and putting their money elsewhere. 

Be willing to focus on the outcome you want before starting. Think of that project you are hesitating to start. Make a quick plan … just enough to get started. If this is a big project, find yourself some project management software and someone to drive it.

> Read more from Dave.

Tags: Church Community Builder, Dave Bair, Planning

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4 Areas That Drive Effective Church Assimilation

by: Steve Caton

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Every area of ministry in your church is enhanced when you focus on developing an effective assimilation process. Discipleship thrives because there’s a process in place to move people into a deeper relationship with Christ. Community flourishes because people feel connected. Overall church health improves because there’s a plan in place to help people continually grow.

While each church’s assimilation process is unique, there are certainly elements included in every process. Here are the four primary parts or processes that need inspection if you want to build an effective assimilation process in your church:

1. Hospitality

There are two elements to successful hospitality—passive hospitality and active hospitality. Passive hospitality includes directional signs and maps that make navigating the campus easier. Active hospitality involves real people who watch for ways to assist anyone entering the facility.

Are your volunteers trained and equipped to provide the kind of active hospitality needed to make first-time guests feel welcome?

2. Information Gathering

It is overwhelming when churches provide too many ways for the first-time visitor to connect. Don’t provide a catalog of options. Make it very simple and clear. Provide one or two primary options for taking the next step. As people move deeper, you can record more valuable information to increase the level of commitment.

Do you have a simple process for intentionally gathering information that helps you connect with every single person who walks through your doors on Sunday?

3. Follow Up

This doesn’t require a lot of creativity — simply follow up with your visitors and say hello. While this may seem too easy, it is important to evaluate your process regularly! Effective follow-up should help your members and visitors experience one-on-one ministry.

Is your follow-up process leading to more relational connections with the people in your church or are you letting people slip through the cracks?

4. Connection

This step is the end of assimilation and the beginning of discipleship. There should be a smooth handoff to someone who can guide people to go deeper in their relationship with God and their connection to the church. If you aren’t assimilating people, you will be increasing the number of spectators rather than growing strength in the Body of Christ through active disciples.

How are you moving people from visiting your church to becoming active members?

The difference between a church that has successful assimilation and one that doesn’t is how well these parts are working individually and collectively. If any of these four areas in your church’s assimilation process need a “tune up,” check out “The Assimilation Engine.” Effective assimilation can multiply your ministry efforts and maximize your Kingdom impact.

Is your church’s assimilation engine running well? What area needs the most improvement?

Read more from Steve here.

Tags: Assimilation, Church Community Builder, Connection, Hospitality, Steve Caton

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Meet Dave Bair – Process Coach at Church Community Builder

by: Steve Caton

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If you regularly read my Vision Room content, you know that I tend to lean towards process and leadership themes. For people that know me only as a part of the leadership at Church Community Builder, that may seem inconsistent. After all, shouldn’t I be writing more practical, software focused articles?

If software alone were the answer to the challenges church leaders face when it comes to stewarding God’s people effectively, I might. The truth, however, is that software is only part of the answer. Maximum effectiveness and impact requires good tools (software is one option), solid processes, and passionate people working together in harmony. This isn’t just a theory of mine. I’ve learned it the hard way through many years of working and leading in both business and ministry.

I’ve also learned a lot from my good friend and co-worker, Dave Bair. As the guy who leads process development and Coaching for Church Community Builder, Dave understands and teaches this  truth better than anyone I’ve ever met. In short, he’s brilliant! Dave and his team have made an amazing difference in hundreds of churches who have chosen to be coached, whether it be through their software implementation or through the development of a new Connections strategy. 

Dave has a ton of insight to share about how to implement vision and strategy. So much so, in fact, that I have asked him to start sharing his thoughts and ideas here on the Vision Room. In the months ahead, you can look forward to regular articles from Dave that will really challenge your thoughts and ideas on how business-oriented themes like processes, systems and change management fit into the conversation about how we do ministry and reach people for Christ. I realize that many people don’t think those two things belong in the same conversation but they probably aren’t hanging out here on the Vision Room!

So, let’s get started by getting to know Dave a little bit.

Q & A with Dave Bair

Q: Dave, your experience before coming to Church Community Builder was really fascinating. Tell us a little about it.

More years ago than I care to admit, I got my degree in electrical engineering, with a minor in psychology. While that might be an unusual combination, I have always been interested in how stuff works, whether they be machines or people.

Straight out of college, I went to work for Hewlett Packard, helping to create software for procurement and inventory management. While I was there, I got a chance to design, build, and test software. Over time, I realized our software didn’t really scratch the itch for the customer. That was the point where I began informally consulting to the customer and helped improve their processes to the point where software could be helpful. 

I enjoyed the process work with the customer so much that I eventually moved to a consulting firm specializing in leading large change projects in heavy industry. I got the chance to consult to companies like Kraft, BP, DuPont, BASF, The Electricity Supply Board of Ireland, Total, Husky Oil, and a variety of power companies. I learned that managing the change journey was just as important, if not more important, than getting the right answer. That was a very fun job getting to travel all over the US and beyond to coach business leaders, implementing culture and process improvements.

Q: Why would a Church Management Software company be interested in someone like you?

After roughly 8 years working with church leaders, Church Community Builder realized some were getting better with the purchase our software, and some were not. After some digging, they observed that the difference appeared to be the quality of the processes the software was being asked to support. With that realization, we decided to create this coaching service helping church leaders implement better processes to better utilize our software. I think they had come to the same realization I had back at HP – the combination of people, processes, and technology is really the recipe for success.

Q: Can you tell us more about this “Coaching” service?

We like the term “coaching” because it implies someone who walks alongside an individual or organization as they seek to become better at something. That is exactly what we seek to do. In our current context, most of our coaching is done with church leaders who want to implement our software effectively and realize that technology is only part of the equation. Each church is different and has a unique culture and processes.  We’ve developed a methodology which allows our proven expertise to be customized for each church as we guide them towards their goals. We focus on five main areas: software utilization, project planning, process design, leadership coaching, and change management

Q: Working in heavy industry and the local church seem pretty unrelated. Can you help us make the leap from one to the other?

Over the years, I have come to believe most organizations have the answers they need to be successful; implementation, not knowledge, creates the gap between great vision and great success. Time and time again, I have observed that success results from good processes, executed through well managed change. Those principles apply regardless of industry, whether it be maintaining a power plant or managing volunteers at a church.

Q: You talk a lot about processes but you also mentioned culture. How do those relate to each other?

Culture is the glue that makes processes more effective and sustainable. Culture must be congruent with the processes as they can sabotage each other if they don’t line up. If the leader advocates for a certain set of processes, but also supports a different behavior in the culture, both will suffer.

Q: Tell us a little about you…personally.  When you are not coaching church leaders what do you do?

I have been married to an amazing woman for nearly 19 years now. I have two kids. My daughter is a freshman in college studying chemistry. My son is a freshman in high school with a lot of his time focused on music, playing saxophone and drums. When I am not coaching church leaders, I enjoy reading a lot, hiking around Colorado, and flying hot air balloons. Ballooning has been a family hobby for us for many years and we love the camaraderie and the challenge.

Q: How can someone connect with you for a deeper conversation?

The best place to start is the Church Community Builder website. In addition, they can connect with me on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Like me, I hope you look forward to learning more from Dave in the weeks and months to come.

Has the vision for your church ever been sabotaged by ineffective processes? How did you “fix” them?

> Read more from Steve.

Tags: Church Community Builder, Dave Bair, Process, Steve Caton

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9 Numbers That Indicate Healthy Church Growth

by: Church Community Builder

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You are a lead pastor. You primarily occupy your time with casting vision, teaching Scripture, and leading your staff. But did you also know that you have a responsibility to play The Numbers Game?

If people matter to you, then numbers should too. Why? Because numbers are indicators that help leaders challenge or validate what they know to be true.

It’s more than measuring attendance and giving. It’s about leveraging every strategy, process, tool, and leadership position necessary to make sure no one falls through the cracks.

The Numbers Game—when properly measured and tracked—offers you valuable intelligence about the health and vitality of every facet of your church’s community-building efforts:

1. Attendance. Tracking small group and event attendance is equally important, and it’s recommended that you track the faces who show up, not just the total numbers.
2. Volunteers. By connecting volunteering to other factors like attendance, giving, serving, and leading, you’ll find those who volunteer tend to be more engaged overall.
3. Missional Participation. Who is getting involved and who isn’t? Who has expressed a desire in missions but hasn’t participated?
4. Online Activity. Where are people spending their time on your church’s website, and how are they using your site? This is vital to your overall Web strategy.
5. Financial Giving. What does your church’s giving report tell you about growth? Watch for dramatic variances in giving over time. It is a sign of spiritual activity …or inactivity.
6. Event Outcomes. It is necessary to connect every event to life change. What happened as a result of your investment of time, energy, and resources into an event.
7. Assimilation. We typically push people through our one-hour new members class and then tell them to call us if they need us. How can we be sure no one falls through the cracks? How do our members behave differently than our attendees?
8. Growth. Where is growth taking place? What age groups? What ministries? Why? This is important for future resource investment planning.
9. Attrition. Why are people leaving your church? Speculation isn’t a good idea. We need to be asking and recording what we learn. While this might uncover painful experiences, it can lead to some very critical changes we might not have ever considered before.

Retention is a numbers game—and one you don’t want to lose. It isn’t about keeping people from leaving by external means or manipulation. It’s better than that. Retention is about engaging people in community to create meaningful relationships and to ensure people stick.

For a detailed look at how to measure and improve each of these numbers in your church, check out our eBook, “The Numbers Game: 9 Measurements that Will Increase Your Church’s Retention Factor.”

How many of these numbers does your church measure as a way to monitor and improve your retention strategy and grow your church in a healthy way?

Tags: Church Community Builder, Measurement, Numbers

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