History Is Screaming – As Two Young Leaders (Twins) Bridge the Gap Between Generations

in /by

Nicole and Alexandra Hutchenson, the co-founders of Collage Ministries aren’t your everyday young adults. NicoleAlexandraThey’re driven to make a difference in the lives of young women who suffer from eating disorders, depression, sex/teenage pregnancy, cutting and abuse.

Nicole and Alexandra attend Shoreline Christian Center under Pastors Rob & Laura Koke in Austin, TX.

In the summer of 2008, they launched their first event, called “Speak What No One is Saying” that attracted women from all ages from different backgrounds and circumstances. It was a successful event to say the least.

Coming up this year in August and October 2009, history is screaming and demanding for something more! A generation that refuses to be left behind as a flat-lined and forgotten people. Collage is now in the stages of producing their 2nd annual events called, “History Screams” and “Flatline.” Go visit their website for more information at Collage Ministries. ImpelMinistry.com will continue to follow and cover the evolving motion of their ministry as more exciting events continue to develop.

Watch the video below as Nicole and Alexandra share their vision behind Collage and how it’s making a difference is the lives of hundreds of hurting and desperate young people in Austin, TX.

Your Thoughts?

For more information on Nicole & Alexandra Hutchenson and Collage Ministries use the Google Search Bar on the Upper Right Hand Side and we will connect you with the correct websites.

As the Renue.me platform continues to grow and expand to reach our specific readership demographic, we intend to highlight, showcase and cover more stories, causes, ministries, and innovative  businesses and creative tools such as these that are led, produced and birthed by next generation leaders.

The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley

in /by

This month of March 2009, Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Community Church in Atlanta has released his latest book through Thomas Nelson called, The Principle of the Path – How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.

Our leadership team here at Renue.me. have just ordered several copies of it. We will be going through it together as a team. I encourage you to do the same with your staff, leadership team or small group. This book is packed full with great insight and wisdom that will help guide you to your destination. The book also comes with a built-in study guide inside the book for each chapter.

The Principle of the Path is perfect for Next Generation Leaders who are embarking down a journey with great dreams and intentions. But, sometimes there can be a tension between where we want to go in life and the path we choose to get there.

Your Thoughts?

For more information on Andy Stanley, North Point Community Church, and The Principle of the Path, you can use the Google Search Bar on the Upper Right Hand Side and we will connect you with the accurate websites.


Are You A Spiritually Plateaued Leader?

in /by

I have started to read Organic Leadership – Leading Naturally Right Where You Are by Neil Cole. This book will challenge every aspect of ministry, church and leadership that you presently know. I love reading books like this. I might not agree with everything that is written, but it forces me to start thinking more in terms of where ministry and leadership could be going 10 plus years from now, if not sooner.

I love what Neil points out in his introduction about church leaders who have become spiritually plateaued and not even noticed it or that could be in denial of it.

Here are a few characteristics of spiritually plateaued leadership:

1. A spiritually plateaued leader avoids relationships of personal accountability.

2. A spiritually plateaued leader rarely applies the truth’s of God’s Word to him – or herself personally.

3. A spiritually plateaued leader had replaced his or her joy, peace, and love with envy and resentment.

4. A spiritually plateaued leader frequently looks for greener pastures in other places.

5. A spiritually plateaued leader finds faults in others more often than in self.

6. A spiritually plateaued leader is burned-out from lots of busyness that has been substituted for simple intimacy with Christ.

7. A spiritually plateaued leader compromises on ethical principles once held dear.

8. A spiritually plateaued leader stays within safe areas of expertise rather than branching out into new learning endeavors.

9. A spiritually plateaued leader is unable to acknowledge the wisdom of others.

10. A spiritually plateaued leader has reduced the Christian to a routine.

Now, I caught myself in a couple of the above statements that Neil listed. With that I realize that I need to repent and ask God to continue to grow me in those areas. But, if you can see yourself at all in the list above, here is how it will impact and affect your leadership within the local church at any level you serve.

The Impact and Affect of Spiritually Plateaued Leadership:

1. Poor leadership needs to control all ministry.

2. Poor leadership needs to filter God’s voice.

3. Poor leadership promotes upper class Christianity.

4. Poor leadership emphasizes knowledge at the expense of obedience.

5. Poor leadership sees church as a worship service, more than a service of worship.

6. Poor leadership is lured by fame and fortune.

This will be a great book that you must get and have your whole staff and/or small group read. It will challenge the status quo of church and leadership and help prepare you for what is coming!

Your Thoughts?

For more information about Organic Leadership or Neil Cole, use the Google Search Bar on the Upper Right Hand and we will connect you with the correct websites.

Servolution Goes Way Beyond Volunteering in a Church

in /by

Today, many churches throughout the country have started their own teaching messages to encourage their parishioners on why it is spiritually healthy to serve their local church through volunteering. I couldn’t agree more! Serving is how you build relationships. It’s through the act of serving God can make you more usable to impact hurting people. God can’t use people who are not willing to serve and who are all focused on themselves. That’s why we must continually have a heart that chooses to give our lives away for His Glory!

However, with this message on serving, I want to caution some pastors and church leaders out there that might take it to an unhealthy and unbalanced extreme. The reason why I make this caution is because I know pastors. I grew up around many of them all my life and I know how they think and the temptation they might have with a message like this.

A true servolution is NOT only about you trying to recruit more ushers, greeters, nursery workers, small group leaders, or musicians for your worship team. Yes, we need people to serve and fill those areas, but by making people feel guilty from the pulpit for not volunteering to be on your worship team or pass the offering plate as an usher every week doesn’t mean that certain people don’t have a servant’s heart.

If your definition of serving is all about trying to get people to volunteer inside your church bubble…then you have missed the point all together. A true servolution is not just about recruiting people to volunteer in church world, but rather mobilizing people to serve their community and the world. It’s about serving someone or something that’s outside of your church.

I love what Craig Groeschel, pastor of LifeChurch.tv says, “If your church shut their doors today, would your community even notice? Would your community even care?” If you can answer that question truthfully, then you probably should stop worrying about the people who do or don’t usher in your church, but rather focus on the  culture and DNA of your leadership that should passionately move the people to serve outside the church’s four walls.

When you look at the scriptures, the Bible says that God’s heart is with the needy and the broken. When you weigh the costs of the need in your community  vs. church tasks, the mobilization of people should be set to meet and reach the needs of the community that are important to God’s heart. The tasks of your church should come secondary.

Your Thoughts?

To know more about the Servolution Movement – Enter in the Search Bar on the Upper Right Hand side “Servolution.” Go to our bookstore right now and get a copy of the book “Servolution“. Prices have just been marked down but the impact of this message by Dino Rizzo (pastor of Healing Place Church) is of great value.

Delegate Authority, Not Tasks!

in /by

We’ve all heard of the 80/20 rule in churches. 20% of the people do 80% of the work. And, it’s always the same 20% until they get burned out and you have a turnover of the next upcoming 20%. But, in real honesty its more like 15% that does 80% of the work. Why is it so hard for church leaders to recruit and maintain strong and passionate volunteers?

I don’t have all the answers to that question, but I do have one thought to throw out there. When you recruit volunteers, are you recruiting so you can delegate tasks that you don’t want to do yourself or are you trying to delegate authority so a volunteer leader can grow and develop an area of needed ministry? There’s a big difference between the two.

Let me be real blunt with some church staff volunteer recruiters I know in church world, if your only delegating tasks, your average time period of keeping a faithful volunteer will be around three to six months, if that! When you recruit task-driven volunteers, you train people to follow, not lead. When you delegate authority, you train people to lead, not follow.

When a volunteer steps back and disengages themselves  in your ministry, it’s not because they don’t have a heart to serve. And, it’s not because they don’t love to be involved or called into the ministry.

Here is the reason: They are burnt out being a follower. Everyone is called to lead and think like a leader. Volunteers should be leading. They should lead by thinking, coaching, acting and moving in delegated authority so they can use their primary gifts and talents to grow an area of ministry whether for the local church or an non-profit organization.

Here is another side note: I have seen this in churches time after time again. If you have volunteers who are more educated and have more experience in business/ leadership development, coaching, and ministry than your own church staff, then your time span in keeping sharp volunteers will definitely be shorter than you realize. If your staff’s leadership lid is low and your volunteer caliber is high, it will be just a matter of time until your church will only be ran by appointed staff with very little volunteer support. Or, you will have a high volunteer turnover around every six months. People will not follow incompetence, I don’t care how long a person has been on staff or how “anointed” they are. If volunteers can’t grow spiritually and in their leadership abilities under your appointed staff personnel, then they will not stay to support your cause in giving of their time.

I encourage you to read  Ed Stetzer blog on The Biggest Sin in Your Church. He points out other important information that church leaders need to know about why the 80/20 stays at 80/20 or even drops to 80/15.

Your Thoughts?

Tribes – We all have one!

in /by

I believe everyone has a tribe or niche that they are called to work in. A tribe is a community of people that thinks, works, and functions in a unique way.  I’ve noticed, even in my life, that sometimes it takes a while for some to discover their niche or better yet their tribe or community that they are like-minded with. That is not a criticism just an observation. My heart goes out for those that always feel like they are a fish out of water, or that no one understands them. I believe it’s probably because they haven’t found the niche or the tribe they are called to do life with and reach.

A tribe can be a church or business. It’s a cultural mindset of how things are done. For example, there are some churches or businesses I would fit well in, and then there are those that I would not. Not because they are bad or wrong, it’s just that I will always be attracted or drawn to a particular style of ministry, business and leadership mindset more than others. That’s why I always encourage, before you join a church or finish  interviewing with a company, make sure you know their values. Study their fruit, study their cultural and why they do the things they do. And, then ask yourself, “would I want to be a part of this tribe?” Would I grow in this culture and how?

When I look back at some of the decisions I have made in the past, there were some tribes (churches, companies, relationships, etc..) that I should have not linked up with. Not because they were bad, they were just not a place where I could grow and flourish. It was not my niche. My true giftings were not developed because I was in a context to where there was no demand put on them.

I highly recommend the book, Tribes by Seth Goodin. This book will rock your world and teach you how to connect with your tribe and discover the niche you are called to reach.

Church World vs. Corporate World: What They Can Learn from Each Other to Work Together! – Pt.2

in /by

In my experience, corporations and small businesses seem to value organizational structure and administrative systems a whole lot more than churches or non-profit organizations.

Why do we view churches that have horrible and unprofessional systems and organizational structure like its a normal thing or just check it off as if that’s the way it is in church world.  Just for the record, I will always disagree and I will never settle for that mindset. I believe the Church should have the most excellent organizational systems and structure in place in order to advance the Gospel message.

If you work in a business or company that demands high level excellence through your performance  with solid systems and administrative structure in place, the same standard should be expected if you work on a church staff or non-profit organization. If it’s not, something is wrong with the thinking somewhere at the top.

If there is one thing church leaders can learn from business leaders is how to build high level employees that can be empowered to create healthy and excellent organizational structure and systems in their non-profit organizations.

Your Thought?

Church World vs. Corporate World! What They Can Learn From Each Other to Work Together – Pt. 1

in /by

I want to do a series of posts called, Church World vs. Corporate World – What they can learn from each other to work together! There are so many different directions we can go with this topic. But, lets begin with the obvious.

Why Does the Church Exist?

  • To reach people
  • To lead and set the spiritual tone in a community
  • To give a context from where people can grow in God and each other
  • Provide a context where people can grow in their calling and purpose

Why Do Businesses Exist?

  • To make profit
  • To stimulate the economy in a community
  • To provide a product or service
  • Provide jobs for people to grow professionally

There are probably a million other reasons we could add to these lists. But, what I would like to challenge you to do is try to find the spiritual dynamic comparisons between these lists.

For example, #1 The Church exists to reach people. Businesses exist to make profit. The main goal for a church is to reach as many people as possible for Christ. The main goal for a business is to make as much money as possible. What would happen if the spiritual enterprise of the community and the economic engine of the community partnered together to better the life and overall function of humanity in a community?

What would happen if the church could set the tone for the leading spiritual direction in a community and the businesses could stimulate the economy to its full power of potential? What would happen if The Church and Corporate America would work together to strengthen their communities for Christ spiritually and economically?

The two most powerful resources on the planet is #1 People and #2 Money. Let the church strengthen and raise the leadership caliber in people. And, let the businesses strengthen the value of the dollar in the community.

Your Thoughts?

In the Meantime…”When in Mid-Journey…”

in /by

Last night, I had an opportunity to speak at a young adult ministry called Vertical of Faith Christian Family Church at their Wentzville campus — right outside St. Louis, MO.

I felt led to share some things from my heart to young leaders that are …”In the Meantime” seasons of their life. Here are some key points the Holy Spirit is continually working in my life that I believe is crucial for young leaders as they pursue their dreams and visions.

Message Notes from Last Night: In the Meantime …”When in Mid-Journey…”

A Word from God (dream, vision or creative ideas) + The Wisdom of God (The Bible, Council, knowledge applied) = The Will of God (The place or destination from where you are called to work and serve. The sweet spot from where you will flourish):

While in the journey towards a dream or goal, remember these things…

• Perseverance: (Rom 5:3-5) – “And, not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Remember Joseph: his dreams, his journey, his responses, his purpose fulfilled.

• Be Teachable: (Titus 3:2) – “to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.” Remember those who have gone before you; especially their successes and their failures because they are always full of great worth and value. Their journey is full of great worth because of the price paid; and full of great value because their lessons learned save time and resources when heeded.

• Communicate with Humility & Conviction: (Col. 4:6) – “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” Take notice and adjust your presentation to the audience you are addressing, whether it is those who have gone before you, your peers who walk beside you, or those younger who will follow your lead.

• Protect & Guard Your Dream: – Don’t let circumstances, religious systems, familiar family or friends underestimate your abilities… those discouragements can potentially squeeze the life out of your vision and dream. Learn to protect and guard it at all costs! Build relationships with wise counselors who can and will continually encourage you and breathe life into your dreams and goals.

Your Thoughts?

Lessons from the Trials of Ted Haggard

in /by

It has been an interesting revisit back into the life of the fallen evangelical leader, Ted Haggard.

The leadership team and the members of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, CO will always have a warm place in my heart because I went to college with a lot of friends that either attend, work or are affiliated in some way with New Life Church. I just want to go on record and say that I love the ministry of New Life Church. Pastor Brady Boyd and his team have done and are doing an incredible job.

As you all know this week is the airing of the HBO documentary – “The Trials of Ted Haggard” produced by Alexandria Pelosi (daughter of Nancy Pelosi -Speaker of the House).

This week, more news was released pertaining to Ted’s unfortunate secret life plus additional national media coverage covering the scandal and update on Ted & Gayle Haggard on The Oprah Winfrey Show and Larry King Live.

One must stop to think what can this next generation of leaders take away from this  situation that we watched back in November 2006 and now revisiting again in January 2009.

A few things come to mind.

  • Open accountability is everything
  • Transparency locks-in real accountability
  • Never let the ministry pull you away from growing daily in Christ

Will this be the last prominent Evangelical Leader to fall?

I wish I could say, yes. But, I doubt it. It’s very sad when these things happen, but the truth will always come to light. Be transparent with your close friends!

How should the Church respond to public Scandals?

The church should respond in compassion, love and acceptance to any fallen leader or person. If the world is viewed by responding in a compassionate way to a fallen leader and not the church, something is wrong. We must never forget that our main message is the message of forgiveness and compassion. Don’t let church politics in the moments of a scandal trump or fog the message or your ability to walk and live a life of forgiveness and compassion to leaders that fall.

Your Thoughts?