http://www.stephengray.org Stephen Gray Blog RSS Feed misc@bitsculptor.com (Eric Schlange) Wed, 3 Apr 2013 2:22:02 CDT Bitsculptor RSS OAF v1.0 http://www.stephengray.org/img/logo-rss.gif http://www.stephengray.org http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Life-In-The-Fast-Lane/id/79/blog.asp Leading a church requires focus, and hard work. Never a dull moment and never a moment of peace. The demands grow greater as the church begins to grow and soon we find that every waking moment is spent doing something in the church. Its our baby and we have to make sure it survives and thrives. We have invested our lives into this work and so we get busier and busier trying to make it better ... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/10-signs-your-church-is-drifting-towards-maintenance-mode%2E/id/116/blog.asp Every living organism has a life-cycle, including a local church. Often, and without obvious warning, a church shifts from being a movement toward becoming a monument. The shift is subtle, but if you are careful to observe, you can see it happening. Here are 10 signs your church has drifted into maintenance mode. 1. Your board meetings focus more on calendars, budgets and managing interna... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Five-Keys-To-Hiring-New-Staff/id/139/blog.asp Interviewing an individual to fill a new staff position is a challenge for most leaders. You gather a great deal of information, do your reference checks and feel good about the new hire. Three months down the road you begin to regret your decision and wonder what you ever saw in the person. Sound familiar? No matter how well you do your job, no one can get it right every time. However, I do thi... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/5-keys-of-Good-Interview/id/129/blog.asp Interviewing an individual to fill a new staff position is a challenge for most leaders. You gather a great deal of information, do your reference checks and feel good about the new hire. Three months down the road you begin to regret your decision and wonder what you ever saw in the person. Sound familiar? No matter how well you do your job, no one can get it right every time. However, I do thi... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/5-Mistakes-that-could-sink-your-church/id/67/blog.asp On April 15, 1912 the unthinkable happened when White Star Lines unsinkable ship, the Titanic, sank. The sinking resulted in the deaths of 1,517 of the 2,223 people on board, making it one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history. Could the Titanic have been saved? Could this disaster have been averted and what lessons can the Church learn? Many mistakes were made by those who... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/To-merge%2C-or-not-to-merge%3F-That-is-the-question/id/26/blog.asp Merging is an option many declining churches consider, especially when two or more churches of the same denominational family exist in the same urban landscape. In fact, it seems to be a growing trend. Some, like United Methodists, use mergers as a denominational strategy. Yet, rarely do mergers produce the expected results. Stories do exist of powerful instances where a merger was a saving grace,... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Unity-in-the-Church/id/126/blog.asp Jesus was sharing a last meal with the men who followed and served him for the last three years. They had little idea of what was about to happen. Jesus, however, knew that in a few short hours his life would be taken from him. The relationship he shared with his disciples was about to take a significant turn. For Jesus, this was an intimate meal with his friends and disciples. In fact, a... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Failure-is-a-great-teacher%2E/id/80/blog.asp Failure? Can we say that word? Isnt it anti-spiritual to talk of failure when we speak about the things of God? While we may not come right out and say that, we think it! A few years ago I was with a group of pastors talking about how we should handle failure as leaders. After the session was over, one of the pastors cornered me and was quite furious that I could ever claim something of God co... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Three-Big-Questions/id/77/blog.asp Every church planter, or even pastor for that matter, needs to ask three big questions about their ministry. 1. Why do people need Jesus? I know that is a simple question, but it strikes at the very heart of our faith. Your picture of Jesus will in large part determine how you answer that question. Why do we need Jesus in the first place? Why do we need what he has to offer? Why cant we be... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Stop-Saying%2C-and%2334Unchurchedand%2334%3F/id/125/blog.asp Had a very interesting conversation with a colleague today (Darrell MacLearn) about using the term unchurched to describe a person. It is a favored term among most of us in the church world. But, should we use the term to describe those outside the church? First lets set the terminology. When most of us refer to the church, in theory we mean the people of God however in our practice we of... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/The-Myopic-Church/id/124/blog.asp It has been my privilege, over the last few years, to help hundreds of churches discover how to move from plateau and decline toward growth and fruitfulness. From contemporary to traditional, missional to attractional, and large to small, every church seems to wrestle with what I call a myopic tendency. For instance: some churches have become so focused on the front door that they have... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Preparing-for-Guests/id/123/blog.asp I have a very foundational belief that no guest enters into the midst of a church, whether a conventional church structure or an unconventional gathering place, by happenstance. Rather, those who visit, are there by divine appointment. No one ever comes into your church, come by whim or without reason. Rather, those who come are wrestling with life, looking for answers and they have been pro... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Validating-The-Call-To-Leadership/id/122/blog.asp There can be no more fundamental step in the process of watching a church become healthy than finding the right spirit filled and god-gifted leader. Those called of God, prepared for ministry, and wired to plant new life-giving churches. Whether you are planting a fast-growing church or a more organic house church, who leads is often the most important issue to be determined. Too often the w... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Lead-With-A-God-Confidence/id/121/blog.asp Over the last two decades of my life as a leader, one of the labels I have consistently been given is arrogant. Maybe that is one you have considered about me as well. While I would never consider myself humble, I also would never consider myself arrogant. Unfortunately many, in the business and church world, mistake a bold God-confidence for self-arrogance. Is there as difference? Yes! M... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/School-of-Hard-Knocks/id/19/blog.asp Church planting reminds me of the Indiana Jones movies. Every plant is a new adventure full of excitement and potential doom. Indiana was always chasing the elusive prize and never knew what pitfalls he would face around the next corner. None the less, he pushed ahead and faced each problem in a new and creative way. Remember the scene in the third movie where Indiana was standing on the side of... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/How-Much-Does-It-Cost-To-Plant-A-Church%3F/id/120/blog.asp How much money does it take to plant a new church or multi site campus? I can't tell you how many times i have been asked that question. But, that question has no easy answer. Understanding the delicate balance between over-funding and under-funding is a complex question. There are many variables to consider when asking that question. Six questions you must consider when planning a plant... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Hiring-A-New-Staff-Member/id/38/blog.asp Companies are notorious for hiring based on skill and firing based on fit. The Church is no exception. Leadership is one of the most important aspects in the life of a church plant. Make one mistake and it can cost you momentum, money and credibility. Find the right leader and your ministry can take off in ways you never imagined. When it comes to the issue of leadership in a new church, few thing... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/One-More-Thing/id/99/blog.asp @font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } She wanted the wisdom it would give her Gen 3:6 The grass is hardly ever greener on the other side. What we thought would bring us joy and fulfillment really brings pain and frustration. God created ... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Small-Town-Small-Church-Leaders/id/119/blog.asp I just spent the last few days at the The Sticks Conference with a group of leaders who answered the call to do ministry in the small towns and villages that dot our country. Doing ministry in small town USA more than likely won't land you a speaking engagement at one of the major pastor's conferences we flock to every year, but these leaders are to be praised for their hard work and determination... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Reblog-What-Defines-A-Successful-Church%3F/id/95/blog.asp @font-face { font-family: "Calibri"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoListParagraph, li.MsoListParagraph, div.MsoListParagraph { margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, div.... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Drift-Happens/id/69/blog.asp Normal.dotm 0 0 1 741 4229 General Baptist 35 8 5193 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/The-Call-of-A-Thousand-Voices/id/118/blog.asp In 1976 Sally Field starred in the Emmy Award winning movie Sybil. Sybil was a young adult who suffered severe abuse as a child and as a result developed a coping mechanism that enable her to disassociate with the reality of her pain. Over the course of her young life, Sybil developed thirteen different personalities. Some of these personalities made her appear psychotic; some of them made... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Planting-Principle-Driven-Churches/id/117/blog.asp Websters dictionary defines a principle as a fundamental or primary rule, or general law from which everything is derived. Most of the debate in the church planting world centers around process not principles. How do we plant a church? Large launch, organic, missional, attractional, house church, etc.. While focusing on these issues are important, it's more important to focus on a principle-dri... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Planting-A-Church-For-Men/id/44/blog.asp A Study in 2000 from Switzerland provides insight on the importance on male attendance on the religious development of children in the country. 'In summary, if a father does not go to church, no matter how regular the mother is in her religious practice, only one child in fifty becomes a regular church attendee. But if the father attends regularly, then regardless of the practice of the mother, ... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Good-Leaders-Make-Strategy-And-Planning-A-Way-of-Life/id/91/blog.asp @font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Im sure you have all heard the adage, Failing to plan is planning to fail. Chances are you heard it at a church or business seminar, or saw it on a plaque on someone desk. Unfortunately, even though most o... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Urban-Planting-Is-Harder-Than-Expected/id/115/blog.asp Over a year ago I felt driven to look at church planting within the urban centers of our nation. After releasing my findings over two years ago on Planting Fast-Growing Churches, I felt compelled to take these findings and refine them for a more Urban setting. In the next couple of weeks I want to share with you 15 key findings of the study. The first key finding has to do with the level of diffic... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/A-Game-Changer/id/35/blog.asp Ok, I admit, I am a fan of American Idol. The Bible says confession is good for the soul. So, there it is out in the open. As I watched the show with my family, I found myself paying more attention to who was in the crowd rather than those on the stage. Every time the cameraman panned through the crowd, you would see music artists from past Idol shows. I was amazed at how many of them, even th... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Repost-Living-in-the-and%2334What-if%2E%2E%2E%2Eand%2334/id/43/blog.asp Thought this was a good repost after the Exponential conference. If Only... Those are two of the most haunting words in the English language when joined together. If only I hadn't..... If only I could..... If only it would..... If only I was able to ..... Fill in your own ending to those phrases. We all have them don't we? Even in our ministry we tend to look out over the horizon of thing... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Four-strategic-parts-to-making-the-and%2334ASKand%2334-fund-raising/id/114/blog.asp @font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }ol { margin-bottom: 0in; }ul { margin-bottom: 0in; } Today I attended a pre-conference session at Exponential 2011. It session was hosted by Generis. Lead by Jim Sheppard (Generis) and Chris Willard (Leader... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Easter-is-coming%2E-Are-you-ready%3F/id/113/blog.asp In few short days, he Christian world will celebrate Easter. The most holy of all Christian days. As Paul stated, if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith 1 Cor 15:14 On this day of days many people, who never grace the doors of the church, will come to see all the hype. They are not there by happenstance. I don't believe in chance or luck. Rather, I believe ev...