The organization I lead is 121 years old. The organization has experienced many successes in its history but, like any company with a lengthy history, it tends to gravitate toward status quo. Innovation thus becomes the exception rather than the norm.
The past six years have been a journey toward greater innovation. I am still learning many lessons, but I have five key lessons I have learned thus far.
I have been a student of American churches for thirty years. In those thirty years, one of my most fascinating learning ventures has been the discovery of breakout churches. Simply defined, a breakout church is a congregation that has experienced at least five years of decline followed by at least five years of growth. While numerical growth is not the inerrant barometer for church health, we researchers must use numerical gauges for much of our objective data.
What do you see when you walk around your city? What do you feel? How will you respond? In Matthew 9:35–38, we get a glimpse of what Jesus saw and felt, and how he responded.
Jesus saw the harassed and helpless crowds of people wandering aimlessly like a sheep without a shepherd. They were harassed and they were helpless.
Every leader needs a coach. Paul was a coach to a young disciple, leader, and protégé named Timothy. From a prison, Paul wrote what is regarded as his last public letter to Timothy. It is a treatise on leadership development. Paul proclaimed the gospel and God saved Timothy. Timothy grew in his faith and Paul took Timothy under his care and they ministered together for many years.
