Tuesdays with Tom

Over the past several Tuesday mornings, Tom Kilgore, who recently retired from his position as Chief Executive Office of the Tennessee Valley Authority, has conducted leadership training with our church staff. Being a member of our church, Tom is a widely respected leader in the energy industry, throughout the Southeast, as well as at Sevier Heights where he serves in a variety of roles including that of Bible Fellowship Group leader.

Combining Biblical knowledge with leadership and business principles, Tom is helping us improve how we serve, lead and conduct ministry.  Here is some of what he's shared:

If you can't address concerns, you're not a person of convictions.

Positive change doesn't usually feel good in the beginning.

You can't really make positive change without effective communication.

Real communication only occurs face-to-face.

In moments of crises, turn up the volume on communication, both speaking and listening.

Accessibility is not necessarily "open door", but there must be some clear process.

Great Quote Thursday

Instead of asking, "WHAT should we do to compete?" the questions must be asked, "WHY did we start doing WHAT we're doing in the first place, and WHAT can we do to bring our cause to life considering all the technologies and market opportunities available today?"- Simon Sinek, Start With Why (page 51)

Fun on Friday- More Parkerisms and Turnerisms

Raising two sons, 9 and 5, means we have lots of fun conversations in our home. Here are some more:

Me: I'm really proud of you for participating in festival (a process where he was graded on his piano playing by piano teachers other than his own).
Parker: Thank you. But technically, I had to.

Based on his performance in festival, we wanted to take Parker out to dinner to celebrate at the eatery of his choice-
Me: Where do you want to go to dinner to celebrate?
Parker: Subway
Me: No, I mean to go to a nice place.
Parker: Well, if I can't go to Subway, I might as well go to Aubrey's.

Turner: Your mouth is your enemy when you say bad things.

Great Quote Thursday

Jesus will not be domesticated. But people still try. There seems to be something about this Man for everybody. So we pick and choose in a way that shows He is on our side. All over the world, having Jesus on your side is a good thing. But not the original, undomesticated, unadjusted Jesus. Just the revised Jesus who fits our religion or political platform or lifestyle- John Piper (Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ: page 117).

Drive Conference Notes- Breakout: Leading Through Organizational Change

Gavin Adams led a breakout session called "Leading Through Organizational Change".  Following are some session notes:

People want you to articulate where the change is going as best you can.

Honesty leads to trust and trust leads to influence.

Big change should take place through incremental steps.

Accept "no" well.

Organizational change is inevitable and necessary for ongoing success.

Drive Conference Notes- Breakout: Spiritual Formation Through Small Groups

Bill Willits led a breakout session called "Spiritual Formation Through Small Groups". Here are some notes: 

Spiritual growth is a journey, not a destination.

Salvation occurs at a point in time; growth continues over time.

You never graduate from the school of discipleship- Howard Hendricks

Challenge people to be owners of their spiritual growth, not just consumers. Grow muscle, not feed fat.

Great Quote Thursday

Your greatest contribution to the kingdom of God may not be something you do but someone you raise- Andy Stanley

Drive Conference Notes- Breakout: Confessions of a Problem Solver

Rick Holliday led a breakout session called "Confessions of a Problem Solver".  Here are some of the notes from that session:

An unsolvable problem is one that no amount of money, time or resources can solve.

A leader must determine if the situation is a tension to manage or a problem to solve.

When volunteers under perform, it is usually due to a lack of training.

If people understand your vision, they're more likely to understand your decision.

Great Quote Thursday

In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless but planning in indispensable- Dwight Eisenhower

Drive Conference Notes- Main Session #2

Some members of our church staff recently attended the Drive Conference, a conference for church and ministry leaders, held at North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA. In this and several upcoming posts, I will share some notes from that conference.

Andy Stanley led another main session titled "Creating a Come-and-See Culture: Three Essential Ingredients". Here is some of what he shared:

The 3 essential ingredients are: an appealing setting; an engaging presentation; and helpful content.

In all our ministry environments, there are things that are blind to us but obvious to guests.

Never let an org chart determine what people do, especially publicly.

You must be engaging; what you say can't simply be true.

People stop attending because they disengage not because they disagree.

Attention span is determined by the quality of the presentation.

Drive Conference Notes- Main Session

Some members of our church staff recently attended the Drive Conference, a conference for church and ministry leaders, held at North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA. In this and several upcoming posts, I will share some notes from that conference.

Andy Stanley spoke in a main session titled "Rules of Engagement" where he shared some of the ways North Point prepares for weekend worship services:

Ask the Holy Spirit to bless the preparation as well as the moment

A goal is something to be accomplished; a win is something to be experienced

Your template is perfectly designed to get the results you are getting

Get the most out of the limitations (finances, space) you've been given

The Gospel is offensive but nothing leading to the Gospel should be

Don't assume too much knowledge or theology

The more time you give to planning, the more time you have to make things personal

Just doing something different is not strategic