Transcript Engaged Church - Larry Hammond

Building the Engaged Church
Larry Hammond
Building An Engaged Church
What is a Strength?
– How Can You Identify Strengths
– How to Manage Non-Strengths
What is Engagement?
– Why Does It Matter?
– What Drives Engagement?
– How to Develop Engagement
Why Am I Here?
• Background
• Passion
• Values
• Legacy – “Want to Impact Lives”
Humor
What is a Strength?
A strength is the ability to provide
consistent, near-perfect performance in
a given activity. This ability is a powerful,
productive combination of talent, skill
and knowledge.
What are Talents?
Talents are naturally reoccurring
patterns of thought, feeling or behavior
that can be productively applied.
Unlike skills and knowledge, talents
naturally exist within you and cannot be
acquired.
What is a Spiritual Gift?
• Spiritual gifts are gifts that are bestowed on
Christians, each having his or her proper gift
to strengthen the church.
• Spiritual gifts are God-given graces meant for
works of service, to benefit and build up the
body of Christ as a whole.
Focus on Strengths
Strength
Strength
Strength
Strength
Strength
Strength
Strength
Strength
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Strength
Strength
Strength
Focus on Strengths
“The gift you
have received,
give as a gift.”
- Matthew 10:8
Focus on Strengths
Skill
(Ability to perform)
+
Knowledge
(What you know)
Strength
+
Talent
(God-given gifts)
=
What are Skills?
Skills are basic abilities to move
through the fundamental steps of a
given task.
They can be acquired and developed
through formal or informal training.
What is Knowledge?
Knowledge is, simply, what you know.
You can acquire knowledge through
education or training.
Creating a Strength
When you enhance a talent by adding the
right skills and useful knowledge, you have
created a strength.
Five Clues to Talent
• Yearning
• What kinds of activities are you
naturally drawn to?
• Rapid Learning
• What kinds of activities do you
seem to pick up on quickly?
• Flow
• In what activities did the “steps”
just come to you automatically?
Five Clues to Talent
• Glimpses of
Excellence
• Satisfaction
• During what activities have
you had moments of
subconscious excellence,
“How did I do that?”
• What activities give you a kick,
either while doing them or
immediately after finishing
them, “When can I do that
again?”
Putting It Simply
People don’t change that much.
Don’t waste time trying to
put in what was left out.
Try to draw out what was left in.
That is hard enough.
First, Break All The Rules
Leadership
Leadership is a process whereby an
individual influences a group of
individuals to achieve a common goal.
“A leader is someone who can get
things done through other people.”
Warren Buffett
Leaders
Leaders stay true to who they
are – and then make sure they
have the right people around
them.
Non-Talents
• Always seem to be a struggle.
• Practice does not make it perfect.
• Harmless if does not play a role in your life.
• Becomes a weakness when you try to use it.
Non-Talents—What do you do?
• Manage, don’t FIX
– If you can avoid using them, then do so!
– Use support systems
– Complementary partnering
– Leverage your talents
The “Weakness-Prevention”
Assumptions
• “You can learn or do anything if you just
try hard enough”
• “You have the greatest room for growth
in your areas of greatest weakness”
Weakness
A lesser talent becomes a weakness only
when you try to use it.
Whenever possible, avoid using your
areas of lesser talent.
Strengths-Building:
The Right Assumptions
•
Some behaviors can be learned. Many are nearly
impossible to learn. There are differences
between talent, skills, and knowledge.
•
The best in a role delivers the same outcomes, but
can use different behaviors.
•
Weakness-fixing prevents failure. Strengthsbuilding leads to success.
Spiritual Gifts
Your spiritual gifts help you find what
the ministry is that God wants to see
you accomplish.
Your talents are God’s way of
showing you how you will accomplish
it.
Discovering Spiritual Gifts
Help your congregation discover
their individual Spiritual Gifts and
their talents.
Doing so will create a powerful
combination as discovering
Spiritual Gifts defines the
outcome and discovering talents
defines the steps.
Invest in Your Strengths
If you spend your life trying to be good at
everything, you will never be great at
anything.
While our society encourages us to be
well-rounded, this approach inadvertently
breeds mediocrity.
Find Your Leadership Strengths
“I’ve never met an effective leader
who wasn’t aware of his talents
and working to sharpen them.”
Wesley Clark
NATO Supreme Allied Commander (former)
Focus
When we focus on our talents,
we are more effective at our
tasks and roles.
We are also more successful,
happy and fulfilled.
StrengthsFinder® Themes
Achiever
Activator
Adaptability
Analytical
Arranger
Belief
Command
Communication
Competition
Connectedness
Consistency
Context
Deliberative
Developer
Discipline
Empathy
Focus
Futuristic
Harmony
Ideation
Includer
Individualization
Input
Intellection
Learner
Maximizer
Positivity
Relator
Responsibility
Restorative
Self-Assurance
Significance
Strategic
Woo
Harmony
I hope no one
has a disagreement
Harmony
Individualization
I am intrigued by
the differences
Communication
Relator
between people
What stories
IndividualizationI hope I
do I have?
get to spend time
with a person
Empathy
I know well
How is
Communication each person
feeling?
Includer
Empathy I wonder if anyone
is feeling
left out?
Includer
Relator
Responsibility
I will complete this
by Friday
Responsibility
Command
• Clear it
Competition to resolution
• Positivity
•• Confrontation
Maximizer
• Command
• Maximizer
• Polish the pearl
• Developer
• Woo
• The very best it can be
Developer
• Help others grow
• Their growth is your fuel
Achiever
• Inside out push
• Everyday starts at zero
• Achiever
• Self-Assurance
• Keeps you moving
Self-Assurance
• Activator
• Inner
Adaptability
certainty
Belief
•• Robust
• Belief
Focus
• Be of service
• • Significance
• Restorative
Altruistic
Significance
Work must matter
• • Discipline
• Outside in pull
• Craving for significance
• Keeps you reaching
Analytical
Context
• “Prove it”
•
Analytical
•
Learner
•
“How
did we get here?”
• “Show me the numbers”
• Back
to the blueprints
Futuristic
• Arranger
• Ideation
• “There’s got to be a better world”
• Deliberative
• Always
projecting Input • Input
• Connectedness Ideation
• Intellection
• “Wow
that’s interesting”!
•
Inquisitive
In
love
with ideas
Arranger
• Consistency
• Context
•A
Like
collect things/ideas
newtoperspective
• The present is precious
• Futuristic
• Strategic
• A new
connectionThinking
• “There’s
got to be a better
way”
• A new concept
Humor
The Power of Being Called
When you discover your
talents and link those talents
with your passion, there is
no telling what God can
accomplish through you.
Leadership that Lasts
Perhaps the ultimate test of a leader is
not what you are able to do in the “here
and now” – but instead what continues
to grow long after you’re gone.
Why Do We Need a Formal System to
Identify and Communicate about
Strengths?
• Helps identify and quantify attributes that can
be considered subjective.
• Provides a language / tool to discuss strengths
and weaknesses.
• Creates a science to support or deny
self-perception.
Present or Engaged?
Present…
or
Engaged…
From Doing to Being
To become healthy again, the Church
needs to stop doing and start being.
We need to stop focusing on
institutional preservation and instead
focus on the basics and what it
means to be the church.
Involvement and Engagement
Involvement is not engagement.
Involvement is what you do, in and for
your church.
Engagement is how you feel about
your church. Engagement is all about
emotions.
What is Engagement?
Engagement is the “emotional bond” or
“attachment” that members develop with
the church during repeated, ongoing positive
interactions. This bond goes beyond a single
moment in time and is instead, defined by
the enduring behaviors, attitudes, actions
and heart of the church and its members.
Or, simply put, when members are engaged,
they are emotionally connected to the
church, passionate about its mission and
service, as well as seamlessly aligned with
the church’s purpose and direction.
What is Engagement?
Engagement describes a sense of belonging
to a “family” that stems from one’s
experience of making a meaningful
contribution to an organization and
realizing the value in it.
Church engagement is typically expressed in
four themes:
1. life satisfaction
2. willingness to invite a friend to church
3. community service
4. financial giving
Three Member Types
“What a great
experience,
how do I get
more involved”
29%
ENGAGED
“Let’s hit the
door as soon
as the pastor
has finished”
54%
NOT ENGAGED
“Our church
is really
going in the
wrong
direction”
17%
ACTIVELY
DISENGAGED
Engaged Members
These members are loyal and have a
strong psychological connection to their
church.
They are more spiritually committed,
more likely to invite friends, family
members, and coworkers to church
events and give more both financially
and in commitment of time.
Not Engaged Members
These members may attend regularly, but
they are not psychologically connected to
their church.
Their connection to the church is more
social than spiritual. They give
moderately but not sacrificially and they
may do a minimal amount of volunteering
in the community. They are less likely to
invite others and more likely to leave.
Actively Disengaged Members
These members usually show up only
once or twice a year, if at all.
They are on the membership rolls, and
can tell you what church they belong to
-- but may not be able to name the
pastor.
In general, they are unhappy with their
church and insist on sharing that
unhappiness with just about everyone.
Why does Engagement matter?
Spiritual
Commitment
+
Member
Engagement
=
Spiritual
Health
Indicators of Spiritual Health
Life Satisfaction
I am completely satisfied with my life.
Inviting
In the last month, I have invited someone to
participate in my congregation/parish.
Serving
How many volunteer hours a week do you give
to help and serve others in your community?
Giving
How much have you given to further the
church’s mission?
Why does Engagement matter?
Engaged members:
• are nearly three times as likely to be extremely
satisfied with their lives.
• are more than ten times as likely to invite friends
to their faith community events.
• volunteer more than two hours per week in their
communities.
• give up to three times more money to their faith
communities.
• don’t burn out; they only become stronger, more
energized and more engaged.
Why does Engagement matter?
Engaged churches:
• Engaged churches reach out
to people and make them feel
valued. Provide clear
expectations for members
and clear expectations on
what they can expect from
their church.
• They let members know their
opinions count and that their
participation is important.
What Engagement Creates
Engaged churches create:
• a strong feeling of belonging
• a sense that individual
member contributions are
extremely important
• a sense that the overall
mission is truly important and
worthwhile
Focus on Outcomes
Outcomes are the result of causes.
In order to affect the outcomes that are
the indicators of spiritual health,
leaders must focus on improving the
causes of spiritual health.
It does not work the other way around.
How Do You Develop Engagement?
1. Inform
5. Communicate
2. Form
6. Chart the Path
3. Take Stock
7. Focus on Strengths
4. Measure
8. Live it
How Do You Develop Engagement?
Step 1: Inform
• Become familiar with the concepts of
church engagement
• Explore the theological, systematic
foundations in embracing engagement
as a vision
• Study the available research on
engagement
How Do You Develop Engagement?
Step 2: Form
• Plant the seeds of engagement with
the church leadership groups
• Organize and participate in
foundational conversations with
church members
• Connect an engagement framework
with living a spiritually committed
life
How Do You Develop Engagement?
Step 3: Take Stock
• Take a hard look at the current state of
the church
• Actively listen to parishioners to gain
insight on their experiences
• Develop a list of positive building
blocks and a list of areas which may
require more focus
• Celebrate and cherish the relationship
that exists among parishioners
How Do You Develop Engagement?
Step 4: Measure
• Develop a way to measure success
• Explore the benefits of objective
measurement
• Develop goals and a timeline in order to
evaluate the progression
• Adapt, redefine and refocus when you hit
bumps in the road (you will as no road is
perfectly smooth)
How Do You Develop Engagement?
Step 5: Communicate
• Nurture the desire and importance of
belonging
• Share the story of engagement and its
importance
• Offer parishioners the chance to share their
own experiences
• Continually invite parishioners to become
part of the process of building an engaged
church
How Do You Develop Engagement?
Step 6: Chart the Path
• Develop the course of the church over a
series of years
• Consider the interrelated nature of the
various aspects the church plays in the
parishioners lives
• Ensure the pastoral plan focuses clearly on
engagement
• Develop a timeline that aligns the strategic
vision with tangible steps
How Do You Develop Engagement?
Step 7: Focus on Strengths
• Educate on the impact of talent focus on
parishioners
• Offer parishioners the ability to explore
their own talents
• Explore the possibilities of the talents
which exist within the congregation
• Align the people with the purpose and
then get out of their way
How Do You Develop Engagement?
Step 8: Live it
• Your actions speak louder than any words
you say
• Lead the way, as you embrace engagement
through your own actions, others will follow
• Leadership and fostering engagement is not
only contagious, its exponential
How Do You Develop Engagement?
• Discover what each member’s strengths are
• Match each member with a role that enables
them to leverage their strengths
• Explain the overall strategy & goals
•
Explain how their role fits into the overall
strategy
•
Explain the roles of the other members
•
Point them in the right direction
•
Get out of their way
How Do You Measure Engagement?
• Survey instruments are available that word questions in
a manner to attain specific response.
– Gallup ME25
• Surveys must be anonymous and participants must be
free from “expected response” or peer pressure.
Member Engagement
1. As a member of my congregation, I know what is
expected of me.
2. In my congregation, my spiritual needs are met.
3. In my congregation, I regularly have the
opportunity to do what I do best.
4. In the last month, I have received recognition or
praise from someone in my congregation
5. The spiritual leaders in my congregation seem to
care about me as a person
Member Engagement
6. There is someone in my congregation who
encourages spiritual development.
7. As a member of my congregation, my opinions
seem to count.
8. The mission or purpose of my congregation makes
me feel that my participation is important.
9. The other members of my congregation are
committed to spiritual growth.
10. Aside from family members, I have a best friend
in my congregation.
Member Engagement
11. In the last six months, someone in my
congregation has talked to me about the
progress of my spiritual growth.
12. In my congregation, I have opportunities to
learn and grow.
Dimensions of Engagement
• Opportunities to learn and grow
• Spiritual progress
• Members committed to spiritual growth
• The mission or purpose of my church
• Best friend
• My opinions count
• Encourages spiritual development
• Recognition
• Opportunity to do best
• Leaders care about me
• My spiritual needs are met
• I know what is expected of me
How do
we
Grow?
Do I Belong?
What do I Give?
What do I Get?
Spiritual Commitment’s Foundation
The foundation of spiritual commitment
is congregational engagement.
Congregational engagement describes
the emotional degree of belonging an
individual has in his or her
congregation.
The more engaged members there are
in your church, the healthier it is. Focus
on engagement and spiritual
commitment will follow.
Engagement and Outcomes
Life
Satisfaction
Serving
Engagement
Spiritual
Commitment
Inviting
Giving
Connect People to Ministries
1. What are your talents and
strengths?
2. What do you love to do?
3. If time and money were no
object, what would you do for
God?
Humor
Questions?
References
• Growing An Engaged Church.
Winseman
• Living Your Strengths.
Winseman, Clifton, & Liesveld.
• Now, Discover Your Strengths.
Buckingham & Clifton.
• Strength Based Leadership.
Rath & Conchie