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Hurry, Hurry, Read All About It!
by Ken Glassmeyer
 I was standing in line the other day in the checkout aisle at Kroger's getting ready to do my usual candy/drink outreach for the person running the cash register, when my eyes drifted from the gum and candy bar aisles and landed on the wide array of tabloids screaming for attention with bomb-dropping headlines. Oddly, most of them in January had to do with Bible secrets, predictions, and prophecies. I began to chuckle until I looked around at the lines and saw how many people were actually buying this stuff that would be better served to catch pet droppings. Sadly, many them had obviously just come from church, given that it was a Sunday afternoon, and I doubt these folks were getting this dressed up to buy snacks and go home to watch the Steelers beat the Ravens.
 I glanced over those headlines and began to wonder if all of the current uncertainty in political, economic, and social world today has created a niche for these ominous doomsday headlines. It made me wonder what was being said from the pulpits that weekend that left people so empty that they felt compelled to seek leadership from a tabloid.
Perhaps we need to take a pause as church leaders and get our act together in January. It is imperative that we know what direction we are headed before we attempt to lead others. After all, you can't lead someone to a destination if you don't know what the destination is. We should not focus on the "how" until we have clearly explained the where, when, and why. We have to be sure we have done a good job of vision casting, lest our staff and volunteers start looking for guidance from murky sources. Before we work on management, we need to focus on leadership and make sure we have driven the vision home in such a way that it stays alive in the hearts of our followers.
Given the current pressures, there will be great temptation to cut corners on the vision and dwell on questions of strategic planning and achievement. Keep in mind that there is a huge difference between wisdom and stewardship and fear and pragmatism. When we begin to let feasibility drive our leadership, we are doomed for failure--we might as well be taking our cues from tabloid headlines. Continue reading the rest of this article...
Are You Stuck On An Escalator?
by Janie Sjogren
Some leaders get caught in a quandary when it comes to recruiting and keeping volunteers. It is just like these poor folks in this video:
See part of the problem is that we forget that we are not locked in elevator, we are on an escalator. Being able to identify, recruit, train, and retain volunteers is a key factor in becoming a great leader. It seems like such a daunting task that sometimes we get caught in the sheer size of it that we forget to take the first step. We can't afford to assume that the escalator will just magically turn on for us. At some point we have to look down at our feet and realize we are standing on steps that are very easy to climb, even if they aren't powered up. We can't afford to wait around for others to come and fix the situation for us. Here are a few things to help you get started as you move past inertia and start improving your approach to volunteers. Let's start with a goal:
"We want to serve our cities into relationship with Jesus Christ- one person at a time!"
That statement is a BHAG-a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Our goals should be so big that it will require people to work together to accomplish them. If you could do it all yourself, your vision is too small.
So we agree - we need to invite others into the joy of serving. How do we find people?
Look for people who are F-A-T. Yes, there is a deep well of people around you, who are wanting their lives to count, wanting to be of service, and looking for excuses to meet and get to know others better. How can we find them? Look for people who are Faithful, Available and Teachable... Continue reading the rest of this article...
 REAL CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL!
Depending on your budget you can give away cans of soup or premium soup mixes (Pampered Chef) or just individual dry soup mixes like Lipton or Knorr. If you already have mugs or bowls with your church logo on it it makes a long lasting connect card of sorts that is practical to boot. You can buy resources in bulk and do this quite cheaply, or you can pull out all the stops and really bless folks in a ridiculous manner if that is your preference. There is nothing like a hot bowl of soup on a cold day. This is a great way to spread kindness that folks will remember for a really longs time.
 "GO AHEAD AND JUMP!"
With apologies to David Lee Roth and Van Halen, this is a great song to play really loud before heading out on an SE event to get folks pumped up. A great cold weather outreach is to set up Vehicle Sammaritan Teams. When foul weather strikes, Roadside Emergency Services like AAA are usually swamped and often times folks are stranded waiting for a rescue. If you have a few people in your church that are great with cars you can roam around and look for people that need a jump start. By the way it should be obvious what kind of analogies and metaphors you can use to communicate the gospel as you spread this type of kindness.
 PLOW, BABY, PLOW!Here is one you can do without driving all the way over to church to get started. The next time you get a bit of snow, BEFORE you shovel your walk and driveway, take care of your neighbors. If you are a youth leader this is great way to teach your kids SE and also serve the families of your church. Parents are usually swamped when there is an unexpected snow day, and knowing their kids are engaged in a structured event where they are expanding the kingdom (as opposed to sitting around playing video games or getting into trouble) creates a win-win situation. All you need is a shovel and some sweat equity. By the way, if you weren't aware salt has become a precious mineral and it is very difficult to come by. If you have extra supplies, you will be surprised what making a small gift bag of this wonderful substance will do. Handing them out to folks that have no way to keep their walkway or driveway safe is an incredible gesture.
Continue reading the rest of this article...
The Buzz In My Ear
by Steve Sjogren
Heard Any Good News Lately?
 Some
time ago I stirred up the early services at church by reading the most
interesting headlines from the Weekly World News. At first, my strategy
for enlivening things worked, but after a month or two the resistant
ways of that 8:30 AM group won over. It seemed no matter how bizarre
the headlines were I couldn't get a rise out of the early morning
attendees.
My
theory is the folks at these weekly papers make up their headlines by
choosing random words from various piles of activating words. How else
could one get the headline, "Rabid Batboy Found In Downtown Wheeling,
West VA." In my trips to Wheeling I've seen some odd sights, but never
that kind of a batboy.
We
don't need to stoop to those same shenanigans in the church world to
get people's attention. It is enough that we are doing the will of God.
In walking out the will of God there is a headline each day. I have
discovered long ago that the truth does not need to be exaggerated one
bit when we are walking in the Spirit. God shows up as we synchronize
our hearts with his. As there is a hearkening unto him that goes on
between us and God, there is never a need to stretch the truth. All we
need to do is to serve as scribes of what God is up to in our midst.
I
am excited to be involved with this magazine with you. I hope you send
us reports about your encounters with the power of God's kindness and
generosity. |
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 More Articles In This Issue
Cover Story
By Ken Glassmeyer
Do you ever wonder about all those tabloid headlines in the checkout lane?
Editorial
by Steve Sjogren
Serve! Spotlight
Field Notes
Winter Outreach Ideas
By Ken Glassmeyer
Ken shares some of his favorite winter outreaches that you can do as a church, small group, or even as an individual.
Bluto's Campus Outreach Hints
Got Wings?
By John 'Bluto' Blutarsky
Bluto helps a reader figure out how to to do an outreach for the "big
game" without facing litigation from the NFL and he shares his best
football recipes!
Ask Dr. Savant
Billy Bob's Movie Reviews
It's A Wonderful Death?
By Billy Bob Briggs
"No were not zombies. Zombies feed on human flesh... and that's offensive."
Deep Thoughts
Living On A Prayer
By Camey Gravley
Too many times we let the comment "I'll be praying for you" become
little more than a casual platitude. Camey Gravley gives us some
suggestions on how to mesh prayer and SE into a very important
spiritual weapon.
Servant Evangelism: Advice From a Pro
Serving Schools
By Dave Gold
Pastor Dave Gold shares his experiences putting together great outreaches for school districts. |
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Featured Servant Evangelism Resource
1000 cards with your church's info on the back for $120
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