Start Simple: Orange Preconference Workshop # 1

This workshop was excellent and this is a place where I have seen numerous church "fail" or not be all that they should be. Too often, we make ministry too difficult. One of the underlying themes of the workshop could be named in the following manner:

You can accomplish more if you do less

We, as churches, are very good in programmed based ministry and filling up the calendar. One of the things in the workshop that stood out was the following:

There is a gravitational pull in ministry that moves every community toward:

A Note: I think most churches do the first part and I think the last part is where we should be> Here they are:

1. Complexity when the wiser move is toward simplicity
2. More when the better default might be less
3. Yes when the more prudent answer is often no
4. Whatever when the better path is strategic

I am going to come back to "whatever" approach later because I believe that it is a vital concept to understand and grasp as we move individuals through a church enviorment.

How to Start and Stay Simple

Begin with the End in Mind

- where do you want people to end up
- how will you move them there
- what will you be doing and not doing

Think Steps not Programs

- make the things that you do easy, obvious and strategic
- move people along a spiritual journey toward an actual destination
- steps bting clarity to people
- do less not more

Get Great at Saying NO!!!

This has ro be one of the hardest thing to do, say no. I am getting better at it, but I still fail in this area. There was a great sentence that came out in the session. The sentence is the following:

Most of us are unconsciously willing to let our organizations suffer to avoid personal pain.

Let us unwrap it by the following scenario:

How often do we say yes because:

- we want to please people
- we want to be liked
- we are afraid
- we are unclear on our strategy

There was so much more to gleam from this seminar but I will end it here. If comments flow, maybe I will unpack a little more from this class. I will be giving info from the other worhshops as I allow my mind to grasp them.