Cool Church XP

Who are we playing for?

I ran into this tee-shirt on vacation and couldn't resist snapping a photo.

As Christ-followers we are not called to play the game for ourselves, to our benefit, to our victory. 

Jesus calls us to serve others, put others first, to love people on His behalf, to partner together as we seek not for our own glory, but to make Jesus famous.

What a great way to remember an important life principle...

Are you playing for the name on the back of the jersey (your own) or for the name on the front?

And the second question is..

What name is on the front?

Staffing Change at Abundant Life

Hi out there,

As many of you may have already heard (some thanks to the world of social networking), Jonathan Stroud was released from his staff position on Tuesday.  This is tough news for such a relational church, so please know that this decision was made with the utmost of prayer, reflection, and care.  Here is a letter from Josh Galgan: 

Dear Parents and Students,

I am writing you this letter to share with you some very important information pertaining to student ministries here at Abundant Life.  I have made a difficult decision along with the support of Pastor George, Pastor Alan and the Elders to release Jonathan Stroud from his position as Pastor of Student Ministries.

Over the last three months I have been seeking God’s wisdom and direction with all of my being in regard to what is best for the student ministries here at Abundant Life. I’ve come to realize that we needed to make this change.

Jonathan has been a great blessing to this church and to this ministry and I am thankful for the opportunity I have had to serve alongside him. We want the best for Jonathan and his family and have committed to provide extended health benefits and a severance package to aid them as they seek out God’s direction for their future ministry. We would ask that you join us in praying for God’s direction for the Stroud family.

If you have questions regarding information in this letter I want to invite you to join Pastor Alan and Myself in room B-9 at church during the 4:30 service on Saturday Dec. 7^th, or the 8:30 service on Sunday Dec. 8^th. There is no additional information to be communicated but we want to be available to answer questions you may have.

We will also be communicating this information to the students at the conclusion of their services this Saturday and Sunday and will be available at the end of those services to answer questions that individual students may have.

Sincerely,

Josh Galgan

Pastor of Family Ministries

I am thankful for Josh’s heart throughout this time.  He really loves Jonathan and this church.  We have both been increasingly aware of the difficulty Jonathan was experiencing in his role since early last summer.  In August Josh and Jonathan embarked upon a very specific path of coaching and care to help him succeed.  Over the last few weeks it has become very apparent that the demands of this role are not a good fit for Jonathan at this time.  We love Jonathan and want the best for him and the staff he lead.  Sometimes that takes tough decisions.  And it rarely feels good to any of the parties involved.

I’m sure there will be many questions that come up.  I’ll try and answer a few here, and Josh will be providing a “frequently asked question” communication a little later. 

The first that comes to mind is:  Was releasing him necessary?  This is probably the most frequently asked question when someone is let go.  As the month’s progressed and the situation was not improving, we were doing more and more damage to Jonathan and to his staff trying to “make it work.”  Those closest to him, his team and leadership, saw the need for this change.  Those at a distance probably will never understand all the details, and will have to trust those closest to the decision that the right call was made for both church health and for Jonathan’s health.

Why now?  This is a great question.  One mistake I often make is hanging on too long and not trusting God to take care of things.  Most often, the end result is missed opportunities for both parties, and painful experiences in the mean time.

Why not give him a different position?  Practically speaking, we don’t have an open position that matches Jonathan’s gifting, nor the extra resources to add a position that is not necessary.  We have provided extended pay and benefits for Jonathan, Melissa, and Kyler to allow a time of transition as they seek God’s direction over the next few months.

Do the Strouds have to leave Abundant Life?  No.  They are a part of God’s family first, of the Abundant Life family second, and a part of paid staff third.

What can I do? 

-First pray for the Strouds and trust God that He has a plan for their lives.  I truly believe God has a different plan for Jonathan.  He was ordained, set apart for ministry, and I believe God has a different spot He wants to use Jonathan to further His kingdom. 

-Second, feel free to contact the family with words of love and support. 

-Third, be encouraging to those around you, including Josh and the other leadership.  This is not a trivial event and is very hard for Jonathan and the leaders who needed to make the call.  People tend to take sides and declare the leaders made a bad decision, or that something is wrong with Jonathan so he had to go, instead of realizing the leaders needed to do their job, and the decision is ultimately helpful to everyone involved, and that everyone is OK, just not in the right spots.

George loves to say “the right people in the right places at the right time for the right reasons equals the right results.”  Apply this with a kingdom mindset, not just an Abundant Life mindset, and you’ll be able to embrace that God gets to move people around.

Pastor's Retreat 2009

This last week was our annual Pastor's Retreat.  We spent four days together as a pastoral staff studying, praying, serving, and playing.  This year we welcomed Scott Miller to the mix, and he fits in like he's always been with us. 

One of our church families donates their house at the beach for us, and as soon as we arrive in town, we go grocery shopping for the week's meals.  Throughout the week we take turns serving one another with meal prep and clean up and simply do life together.

This year we spent time each day learning about each others' strengths and how they complimented each persons role on staff, and praying together.  We played bocha ball on the beach, went bowling, played games at the house, watched some movies, and just hung out and talked.  Jeff and I did some strategic planning during a beach walk and then met some of the others out on the jetty for a little rock hopping.

One of the tests we used was Myers-Briggs.  I am an ENTJ.  The description that goes along for this type is titled "The Executive."  Go figure...

We have a great team.  And we genuinely love each other and the church we've been called to serve.  Thanks for letting us get away to build our team stronger for you!

A Worldview of Transition and Legacy

We're visiting our son and his family in Pennsylvania right now.  They have lived and worked here in a community for learning disabled young adults for three years now, and are in their last two months in this role. 

The campus/community is made up of 30 rolling acres, eight homes, various learning facilities, and a combination of about sixty 18-25 year old students and about half as many volunteer coworkers.  It's a 24/7 job running a household with special needs students and his own family.  As this time comes to a close for them this summer, and they prepare to move back to Portland, there are lots of "short term" and "what's next" kinds of decisions to be made. 

My son was explaining it was hard to think about painting a wall in the house they live in, for example, when he was just going to leave it behind.  I shared my worldview that I'm always passing through and the best I can do is leave things better for the next person.

Yesterday my wife, Cynthia, and I refinished the top of the large dining room table in the house they run here on campus.  It had become a sticky, peeling mess.  We knew that we would probably never use it again, but lots of people will.  We refinished it joyfully for all those who would follow.

As my son and I went for a walk down a country lane past some beautiful homes with expansive properties, we reflected over the four houses our family has lived in through the years.  The Morrison Street house, the Fourth Street house, the Birchwood house, and now the Dunbar house.  Each named after the street they are on.  They were our homes, yes, but none of them were ever "the Clother house" to us.

And we know there will be other places we live.  And every place we live, we fix up, decorate, landscape, knowing that we'll enjoy it, and that someone else later on may be happy about it, or make it there own by changing it if they don't.  That's how it works.  And that's how I've approached my "day jobs," including my role as executive pastor.

What if everything we did, we did with excellence for those who will follow, rather than for our own purposes or gain?  What if we held everything loosely, remembering it all belongs to God and we are simply stewards for a time?

As leaders in a growing church, so much of our perspective has to be paving the way for others.  Paving the way for others to do many of the things we now do, paving the way for others to take our role some day.  That's thinking transitionally and with the intent of leaving a legacy that outlives us. 

I guess that's one form of selfless thinking.  It reminds me that Jesus came here to earth to pave the way for us.  For our gain, not his.  He was here transitionally and definitely left us with something that is timeless.  The ultimate legacy.

Behind the curtain, under the hood...

Welcome to Abundant Life's "coolchurchxp" blog.  "XP" is an increasingly common abbreviation for "executive pastor," the person who typically overseess the staff and operations of a church so that the senior pastor can focus on vision, teaching, and leadership.  My role as XP is to put hands and feet to the mission, vision, and values of Abundant Life.

My prayer is that this blog can be another tool for sharing ideas about church purpose, leadership, and management for staff, our body, and other church leaders God has called us into contact with or along side of.

So much of what happens in a larger church to keep it running smooth, on mission, and growing toward the greater vision for the ministry, happens behind the scenes.  Behind the curtain, if you will.  Well defined ministry purposes, well planned communication, well placed staff and volunteers, well defined systems and policies, well budgeted finances.  These are some of the mechanics, the stuff under the hood, like with our car.  They are so vital, so important, but also so overlooked at times. 

If well kept, these mechanics serve us well for many miles ahead, and our focus is on the journey.  If our alignment is good, it's easy to stay on course (and our tires don't need replacing as often!).  If our brakes are good, we can slow or stop when God has a different plan for us.  If our engine is tuned, the oil has been changed regularly, and our fuel tank topped up, we are good to go for the long haul.  Regular attention assures our journey to be the best possible.

Unkept, these mechanics will eventually fail us.  Bad alignment will make it hard to stay on course and wear out tires.   The brakes will fail us when we should have stopped and we will crash into things and people.  The engine will sputter to a stop, no matter how strong the vision or desire for a destination.  And then there comes a choice.  Take some time for an overhaul or look for a new car.  It's never as much fun to get to this point.

Last fall my daughter Laura's Volvo wagon (she calls it "Paul") got to this point.  I gave her my car, and started riding my bike to work.  I was going to junk the car, and shop for a new one.  But then, I had a change of heart.  I kind of liked that old Volvo, and with a little work, I thought it could be nice again and serve us well. 

I started by cleaning things up to get myself excited.  Inside, I took out the empty water bottles, packaging from previous purchases, random pieces of clothing, and deep cleaned the interior.  I had a box of things Laura might want to keep, and the rest went in the trash.  I fixed several interior panels that were coming apart, and reset the stereo speakers into the panels.  I fixed seat belts that didn't work right and washed the windows (several times).

Outside, I scraped off bumper stickers of past causes.  I sanded out rust spots and stopped the decay with a little primer.  I washed, polished, and waxed the paint.  I replaced missing pieces of trim and broken lenses.  I straightened the dents that I could, including the bent front bumper.  I went to the hub cap store and bought some new wheel covers.  From the outside things were looking pretty good.  For me, this car was starting to look worth saving.  My neighbor, who'd been watching the process for days, asked me if I wanted to do his cars.

Then I opened the hood.  I degreased the engine compartment so I could see what I was working on. My other neighbor came by to see what was going on and we looked at things together.  Then the dirtier work began (my neighbor headed back home!).  I changed the oil, changed the plugs and wires, replaced the filters.  I was filthy.  I added some windshield washer fluid, too. Under the car, I replaced the exhaust, and looked for oil leaks.  I fixed the transmission overdrive.  I pulled the wheels off and changed the brake pads, including getting the rotors remachined at a local shop.

And the Volvo became my daily driver.  Folks were amazed at the transformation, including my daughter.  It still needs a little work, but things are far less urgent.  I think with 180,000 miles, Paul has plenty of life in him.

I find these same principles true about the church, and about my personal life.  When I have daily time for planning and solitude with God, when I'm spending priority time with those most important to me, and when I'm planning my days and staying ahead of my responsibilities at church, not just reacting to urgent things needing my attention, things run smoother. 

That doesn't mean things don't whirl out of control at times from things both within and outside of my control.  That's when I remember God forgives me, and so I should too, and then I start over.  With a little elbow grease and God's greater purpose, things can be back on track and looking pretty good again.  I try to enjoy the process, and maybe, possibly, I might just inspire others by the transformation.