danmastrapa.com » Leadership

From a whisper to a roar!

admin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:08:36 +0000

I’ve been thinking a lot about influence as of late and one thing is becoming increasingly apparent, you either have influence or you don’t. John Maxwell popularized the notion that leadership is influence and that is quite true. I’ve witnessed that those that we respect in leadership don’t need to incessantly demand things, yell at their subordinates, berate, manipulate and control things to get their way — No, they simply whisper and their influence sets in motion the very things they requested. That’s influence!

This is where young leaders miss the boat in their first leadership assignment. They haven’t built enough “influence capital” with others through respect, trust, listening, valuing others and collaboration. Positional influence is the weakest level of leadership. Instead of whispering, those without influence have to roar–they have to flex their muscles, they have to make themselves stand out as if screaming, “Do what I tell you to do, I’m the boss!” When you influence from a place of relationship and respect you can go a whole lot further faster. You can whisper, but it will be received as a ROAR that makes things happen.

What are you doing to build your influence capital with your team so that your whisper can be received as a roar?

Technorati Tags: leadership

The Cult of Personality in the Church

admin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:56:53 +0000

Tony Morgan posted Phil Cooke and Brad Abare’s “5 Warning Signs of a Personality-Driven Church” in his blog today. The full article they wrote is in the current issue of Outreach Magazine.

Here is a summary of the 5 warning signs they identify:

1. The pastor doesn’t go on a vacation for any significant length of time. And, when he does, it isn’t announced.
2. When the pastor doesn’t preach, the attendance drops.
3. Unspoken fear that if something happened to the pastor, the church would be in trouble.
4. The pastor is unwilling to listen to and consult other team members. The staff and volunteers are there to carry out the directions of the pastor.
5. There’s no succession plan in place; therefore, leadership development isn’t happening.

Here are some that I would add to that list:

Only the senior pastor’s books and products are for sale in the church bookstore
The senior pastor’s name must be on the marquee in big, bold letters
His/Her picture must be plastered on everything; website, bulletins, all promotion
All ministry revolves around the preference of the lead guy
Church takes out massive key-man insurance policy in case the senior pastor drops dead or has an affair to ensure that the church’s massive mortgage on the building is paid off for fear that there will be a mass exodus of tithing people
Lead pastor is treated like a rock star and every whim he has is catered to.
Small army of bodyguards and entourage surround the senior pastor

I think some would add that multi-site has taken this cult of personality to another level, however, I would disagree with that assessment. Many of the prominent names in the multi-site movement do not appear to have over-inflated personalities. Certainly not like the personalities in the distinctive I have been a part of.

Having said all that, as a lead pastor now, I do understand that your personality is wrapped up in the work and the church by nature of the fact that you are the most visible persona. You set the vision, chart the course and give direction. You and the church you lead are inseparable in the minds of people. I don’t know any way around that. That in and of itself is not a terrible thing, however, like anything else, can play to the selfish motives that are hidden and lurk deep within our hearts. Our hearts are capable of unspeakable evil when they are not surrendered fully to Jesus.

Where are the men and women who follow the example of Christ as mentioned in Philippians 2:3-11? When we are the celebrity and not Jesus we are in a very dangerous place. Everything the lead pastor does must point to Jesus as being the Head of the Church. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd, Senior Pastor and Apostle of the Church. The sheep belong to Him, not to us. Last I checked, I haven’t read of any pastor that shed his own blood, and gave his own life as a ransom for many. Any time we seek to elevate our name and personality above that of Jesus, well, I think that is referred to as idolatry.

“The human heart is a factory of idols…Everyone of us is, from his mother’s womb, expert in inventing idols.” –John Calvin

Your thoughts?

Choose Your Words Carefully!

Dan — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:22:56 +0000

I just started to read Bill Hybel’s book Axiom — Powerful Leadership Proverbs. It’s a compendium of leadership nuggets from one of the most well known pastors in America and lead pastor of Willow Creek. It will take me a while to go through this book as I am finding each proverb extremely applicable to my current experience. I’ll be going through it like a devotional and share my thoughts periodically.

In the proverb, Language Matters, Hybels shares how the best leaders wrestle with words in order to communicate their big ideas in a way that captures the imagination, catalyzes action and lifts spirits. This is something I have been wrestling with myself in articulating the vision of SentChurch. I know deep in my heart what I desire to see but I am finding it challenging to draw out the words that convey what can call people to action. Much prayer is being focused in this direction.

It’s not just about creating catchy slogans or meaningless jargon to be hip, trendy and cool. Too many churches do that in an endless stream of cheap copycats and cheesy campaigns that don’t rally anyone around the cause. A quick viewing of Christian television, if you can stomach it, reflects how little effort is put in to choosing the right words. They all sound as if they hired the same dated, campy marketing agency. Consequently, they sound the same and fewer people are listening to them.

Choosing the right words is about crafting a story that excites the heart, appeals to the mind and causes the spirit to soar to new heights of possibility. Carefully and prayerfully chosen words that are inspired by the Spirit, elevate a group of common people to do uncommon things, make the ordinary extraordinary and move people from the mundane to the realm of the miraculous. That’s how powerful words are.

What words excite you and catalyze you to take action? I would love to hear some of those. Have you given careful thought to how you communicate your dream and vision?

Exponential Conference Reflections: Part 4

Dan — Mon, 04 May 2009 21:20:48 +0000

It’s hard to put in to words the closing session of Exponential. I felt like I was part of UCF smackdown. Francis Chan brought the sledgehammer to this session. He pastors Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California. He is the author of Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

I first heard Francis at Catalyst ’07 and his message there rocked my world. Francis has a unique way to call you back to the simplicity of the Gospel and following Christ passionately, radically and intensely.

Some notable points:

“When was the last time you were astonished by someone’s boldness?” – Acts 4:13 “God wants to astonish people”

“If I could start all over I would start with more boldness and start with the scriptures.”

The problem today is that most people do eisegesis instead of exegesis. If we just read the text and interpreted it without our bias, would we really come up with most of the expressions and ways that we do church today? Probably not!

Francis closed the session ministering to those that were called to church planting. His sincerity and passion is most definitely contagious.

Exponential Conference Reflections: Part 3

Dan — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:00:24 +0000

What can I say, Craig Groeschel, lead pastor of LifeChurch.tv, has got to be one of my favorite speakers. LifeChurch.tv has been on my radar for about 6 years now and I have been following their multi-site strategy for some time now. We had two back to back sessions with Craig and it was like drinking from a fire hydrant. I’ll outline both messages here:

Reflections on Movements

What I believe about church will determine how I do church.

Remix of Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to the pattern of the American church”

A movement will never be safe, predictable and clean. We must become dangerous again. Our churches today are too safe. We are asking people to come to Jesus for a better life. Preach a dangerous message, preach Christ. Lukewarm pastors build lukewarm churches.
A movement will never be about your ministry, it will be about His kingdom. Build your church on what your church is about, not on what it’s not about.
You will not lead a movement based on the old measurements of success. The scorecard has changed. The old measurements of “nickels and noses” are not valid. Your identity cannot be wrapped up in the numbers or you will be tempted to do things to bring people in rather than bring glory to God.

“What if” questions on Leading a Movement

Dare to ask the questions no one else is asking. What if…?

To lead a movement you will have to SEE what no one else is seeing. Ask God, “what’s coming?”
To lead a movement you will have to DO what others won’t do. Revolutionaries break the rules.
To lead a movement you will have to HURT like others don’t hurt. You will be misunderstood, criticized and maligned. The difference between where we are and where God wants us to be, is the pain we are willing to endure. You will be broken.

Exponential Conference Reflections: Part 2

Dan — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:15:18 +0000

Erwin McManus has been a big influence in my life. His writings and teachings have expanded my understanding of God, life, culture and what it means to be a Christ follower. His church, Mosaic, is largely considered one of the most innovative churches in America. Erwin is a futurist, I would dare say, a modern day prophet. He is articulate and has a unique gift of communication.

His message at Exponential was taken from his Wide Awake series at Mosaic and is based on Acts 17:16-34. I had heard the podcast of that message and this seemed to be a slight variation of it. It is still very powerful.

Some notable points:

What exactly are we trying to move when we talk about a movement.

There are three spaces we need to be aware of: 1st space, 2nd space and the 3rd space.

The 1st space is our place of comfort, it is the space that we try to invite others into to — the church. Paul went immediately to the synagogue to reason with the Christians.

We need a church planting movement motivated by love, not self interest.

The 2nd space is the marketplace. Paul engaged those outside of the church also. We need to engage this space because people are looking for those with the undeniable presence of Jesus.

If we don’t relate to the world we will not be effective in reaching it.

The 3rd space is the space you cannot go to unless you are invited. Paul was invited to speak at the Areopagus.

In this space we must earn the right and respect to be invited.

Erwin shared a lot of his personal story about the criticism he receives for engaging culture and he remarked that in order to enter that 3rd space we must be willing to suffer the disdain of the “Mary’s and Martha’s in order to reach Dionysius and Damaris.”

Exponential Conference Reflections: Part 1

Dan — Sun, 03 May 2009 20:46:56 +0000

This was my fourth year attending the Exponential Conference here in Orlando. I spent the last two weeks reflecting on what was unpacked during those three days so I thought I would get some of the main highlights down. Each year I get a renewed reconfirmation on my calling as a minister and further clarity as to my future. This year was no exception. Almost three thousand attended this year’s event and it is the premier conference for church planters around. It is wonderful to see all of these kingdom builders gather under one roof with no agenda other than to equip and build the church.

This year’s theme was The Art of Movements. I believe as ministers we are called to work “on” the church as much as we are called to work “in” the church. We should should structure our churches for reproduction and movement. Our founder Jesus, founded a movement, not an institution. Churches that forget that resemble a museum more than they do the vibrant, dynamic and subversive church that Jesus initiated. I’ll post the outlines of my favorite communicators in my subsequent posts.

Cutting the lines…

Dan — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:55:04 +0000

Mark Batterson shared a brilliant post here, about the need at times to “cut the lines to the lifeboat” instead of playing it safe. Sharing from the story of Paul’s crash landing in the Island of Malta, the decision to throw everything overboard, cut the lines to the lifeboat and stay on the ship, saved their lives. That story rivals anything on this season of Lost.

Mark observes wisely, “we like backup plans. We all want a lifeboat. But there are moments in life when you have to cut the lines to the lifeboat. And the very thing that seems the riskiest is actually the safest and what seems the safest is actually the riskiest. The thing that could cost your life ends up saving your life and the thing that could save your life ends up costing your life.

I have been struggling, wrestling with and resisting, a decision that would require enormous personal risk for me and my family. Our human tendency is always to play it safe. Something about our fallen nature seems to revert back to the path of least resistance. Recently, as I have been reading through the life of Christ, I am convicted about how little Jesus played it safe. Unfortunately, sanitized, Sunday school Jesus is never presented this way. Following Jesus means we follow him wherever he leads. And sometimes, where He leads, will mean a shipwreck and a snake bite — and if we dare to follow — an island-wide revival. Acts 27:1-28:10

Double the Fun

Dan — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 02:34:12 +0000

What a great opportunity I had yesterday to meet with Dr. Ron McManus of Kingdom Financial Services. Dr. Ron served as President of the Center for Church Leadership of the General Council of the Assemblies of God and was also a former President of EQUIP under John Maxwell. A humble man with great wisdom. We have been speaking with him to assist us in the clarifying of our vision as a church and to help us strategize in a faith based financing project. I am excited to continue dialoguing with him in the coming months.

And as a double treat, Pastor invited me today to a meeting with Dale Evrist, Senior Pastor of NewSong Christian Fellowship in Tennessee. It was so refreshing to hear Dale share about NewSong’s vision to plant churches. He has such a passion to engage the millenial generation and empower them to advance God’s Kingdom. What a true Kingdom builder. I was so encouraged that here was someone in the Charismatic church with a true missional heart and perspective. Down-to-earth, humble and great wisdom. I rejoice in the Kingdom partnerships that God is bringing us into.

Exploring God’s Mission – Missio Dei

Dan — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 04:50:05 +0000

Excited about the direction of our young adults ministry for the new year. It was great sitting with our core leaders and in a matter of 30 minutes of conversation, some of the haze I was encountering about the future of that ministry cleared up. This is the power of collaboration. No one person has all of the answers. In fact, the Bible is clear that we “know in part”. 1 Corinthians 13:9 This past year I learned a lot about harnessing the brainpower of those on my team and not feeling the pressure of having to come up with all of the answers. In fact, many times when I humbled myself and allowed the expression of the gifts of others on my team, the end result was far greater than what I could have come up with.

This Sunday night we’ll kick off a new series “Missio Dei — Exploring God’s Mission” that will lay the framework for the missional community we are seeking to build with our young adults. Excited about the name change also, more on that at a later time.