DreamBuilders Ministry in Motion (DBMIM) Ezine, November 17, 2007

-- "Purpose-Filled Ministry: Attracting, Retaining, & Returning Part III: Retaining People for the Long Haul," Part 3 of 3, by Teena M. Stewart

-- "Broken Stained Glass Windows: Personal Change, Part 4" by David Chivington.

-- Book Review: "Leveraging Your Leadership Style: Maximize Your Influence by Discovering the Leader Within,"

Visit our bookstore page and compare prices at three different Christian online bookstores.

You have managed to get people in the church doors, but how do you move them from visitor status to becoming connected members who stay for the long term?

One of your key tools is the visitor form you provided them in your printed bulletin which I talked about briefly in my last column. Now is the time to utilize that information. The form should indicate whether they are first-, second-, or third-time visitors, what type of information they are looking, and whether they wish to be placed on your mailing list. They should also indicate whether they are interested in growing spiritually, as well as their interest in the youth group or children’s ministry, or perhaps others offered by your church.

First-time Visitors: First-time visitors should be handled differently than those attending for the second or third time. Make phone calls to the visitor to welcome them, tell them more about your church and its ministries, and offer to answer any questions. Also send out a welcome letter addressed to the visitor and signed by the senior pastor. Include a pre-stamped feedback card they can complete and return to give you feedback on your church.

Second- or Third-time Visitors and More: These visitors have returned more than once which may indicate a serious interest in your church. They most likely want to know more about your church and may already want to connect. Your Visitor’s form should indicate an option to join the mailing list and request more info on small groups, baptism, or new member’s classes, etc. Be sure to enter their info into your database and pass on the information to key ministry leaders who can contact them to invite them to the indicated ministry areas of interest.

With each contact, be sure to emphasize Bible study/small group ministry opportunities because these groups are crucial for helping people to become a part of the church family. Most people who join small groups stay for the long term.

Two months ago I introduced the concept of the broken stained glass window theory based on the writings of Rudoph Guiliani and Michael Levine. (Check out www.ministryinmotion.net/MIM_July_4_2007.html) The broken window theory is so named because in the beginning it was about how fixing broken windows can be used to reduce crime. The theory holds that apparently trivial things like broken windows in abandoned buildings directly leads to serious deterioration of neighborhoods. Someone who wouldn’t normally throw a rock at an intact building is more easily tempted to break a second window in a building that already has one broken window.

Let me use my last entry to focus on how the broken window theory helps us make personal change. John Trent (The 2 Degree Difference: A Story of How Changing Little Things Changes Everything, B&H Publishing Group, 2006) gives a picture of the people who are likely to take this process seriously. “They’ve prayed and planned; they’ve read books and gone to seminars; they’ve attended every focus group at work and small-group meeting at their church; they have faithfully filled out every handout they were given, and still they feel like their lives are stuck at the starting line.” (119)

Many people become discouraged and defeated when they try to make personal changes. Think of the many broken New Year’s resolutions. All the energy, clarity, emotion, and conviction at the start never seems to translate into real change. The reason for this is that people do not see success quickly enough. That’s the power of making small changes. By encouraging us to think in terms of small changes we are able to become more successful. Trent notes that by encouraging small steps, reaching goals is self-reinforcing until visible, tangible changes become obvious,

It’s that time of year again when it has become necessary for me to switch from shorts to pants, and I couldn’t be happier. I had almost forgotten the comfort, warmth, and security that wearing pants provides. It’s just like getting a hug of sunshine, but without the searing heat and life-threatening melanoma.

The reason I’m writing about pants, though, is to address the looming danger concerning them. In view of current global hostilities, I feel it is only a matter of time before some nut somewhere learns how to make a bomb out of pants, and then the TSA agents out at the airport start asking us to place our pants on the conveyor belt to be screened.

This is exactly how the revolution will begin, because under no circumstance will I willingly surrender my pants. It might get ugly. They might beat me. They might drag me off to jail, but, by jingo, I’ll have my pants on.

My friends, we must not let them take our pants. Our civilization depends on it. Without pants, our society comes crashing down.

Just look at what happened to Rome. You may well argue that the Romans created a successful empire wearing togas (which, in the original language translates literally as “man-skirts”), but if that form of apparel was so great, why didn’t their civilization last?

The answer is obvious. No pants. That’s right. They went prancing around in their togas for years, and their enemies didn’t take them seriously anymore. If you don’t believe me, put on a dress, pick a fight with someone, and see what happens.

Ministry in Motion has launched a new blog for readers just like you at http://ministryinmotionnet.blogspot.com/. It is a place to ask questions, exchange ideas, and encourage other ministry leaders in our growing network.

This month Tom Hanover will check the blog posts regularly to respond to questions and share ideas on strategic leadership. Stop by and let us know how ministry is going for you!

Leveraging Your Leadership Style: Maximize Your Influence by Discovering the Leader Within,

by John Jackson and Lorraine Bosse-Smith (2007, Abingdon Press, ISBN-13:978-0-687-64516-9, 112 pages)

What is your preferred leadership style and how do you use it to provide effective leadership? Bosse-Smith and Jackson have developed a useful profile and description to equip leaders to answer those questions and more.

John Jackson is the founding and Senior Pastor of Carson Valley Christian Center in Minden, Nevada, and the President of VisionQuest Ministries. He has also worked as an associate trainer with John Maxwell and is the author of several books. Lorraine Bosse-Smith is President of Concept One, Inc., a corporate training and consulting firm as well as The Total You, a wellness and fitness center. She has many years of experience in corporate America and is the author of several books.

Bosse-Smith and Jackson compile their leadership experience in this quick read booklet to highlight some key principles that will benefit every ministry leader. While the idea of leader profiles is not new, their profile (included in the book) will give the ministry leader some vocabulary for understanding and describing various styles of leadership.

There is no one style of effective leadership. Their examples and illustrations help the reader to grasp that different styles of leadership have wonderful advantages and important limitations. Learning to work from and communicate with diverse leadership styles enhances the success of a leader.

The BIT (Behavior Individuality Traits) questionnaire sets up the reader to explore the various dynamics of relating to various dimensions of an individual’s leadership style. The following chapters not only describe each trait in deeper detail, but also identify effective means for communication and relationship building. This is how the authors teach the reader to leverage their unique distinctiveness into effectiveness.

This is an easy-to-read book written in common everyday language. While it is brief, I still burned through several yellow highlighters marking key concepts. At times, it can sound like a series of clichés strung together. However, they do work to illustrate the deeper discoveries behind those sound bytes that illumine truth for the leader.

If you’d like to examine your leadership style from fresh eyes, check out this newly published book.

Attention: Churches, Small Groups & Non-profits. Are You Paying Too Much for Books & Resources?

If you or your organization normally orders multiple copies of books and Christian resources you can save money by applying for a special discount coupon via DreamBuilders Ministry in Motion's online bookstore. The coupon is absolutely free with no strings attached. Email Teena Stewart at smartwords@sbcglobal to apply for this discount coupon.

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DBMIM Ezine November 17, 2007