Leadership Questions?

Its 3:38am Thursday morning and I am wide awake. I’m asking myself why I’m up so early?

Got me thinking about some questions leaders need to ask themselves in order to check whether they are consistent in their vision and passion.

What keeps you up at night? It  is either something you are excited or nervous about.

What makes you cry? Your passion! Is it still the same?

What annoys you? Usually its a call to action!

What are the things that nag at you?  hint!! hint!! – Procrastination kills passion and vision slowly.

What must I do today that no one else can do but me?

Help me Lord!

 

What are your Goals as a Pastor?

This question came from a total stranger a few weeks ago at a cafe. He probably overheard my conversation with another pastor friend of mine. When he left, this stranger approached me, sat across the table and fired some questions at me. He was very genuine, not a church goer but believe in the role of church in the community!

I have many goals. I remember making a long list the other day. Most pastors have similar goals but here is the one that I am passionate about at this stage of my life and leadership.

Raise Leaders:

I personally believe that this is one of tasks of every leader, is to raise more leaders. Leaders in the Church, leaders in the market place and leaders in the community.

I think it was Bill Hybels who said: “If you change a church leader, you change a church. When you change a church, you change a community, and when enough church are changing you can affect a region, a country and eventually the world with Life-Changing power of Jesus Christ”

In our Vision Statement as a church, we say “………. We see a church that is raising, training, empowering, and releasing a generation……………”

My heart is to see new, godly, wise, spirit filled, young, humble, courageous, vibrant and dynamic leaders released to their full potential to impact the world with the Gospel.

Why are young people IN church?

Some feedback on Facebook from some of our young people (and some not so young ones)…..Switch is our Youth Ministries at www.LifeChurch.co.nz

• Rachel hey pastor,
• M0ki and i are new to switch but wat drew us was
• #1. It was real , th word, th people, not phony
• #2. It was relatable, to our age groups , yous dnt pretend to knw our faults u do knw becos difrent ones have ben thru them. & it helped us open up n0t feel always like th ‘evilest new sinner’ etc
• #3. Theres so much on & always exciting having non repeditive games, music, fun , activities, chats, word time. Always fresh. So 4 me personaly
• Because th heart of switch is dedicated to serving our generation th attractivenes was fully God in people without their pride geting in the way. X
• Pam……..adding to that is ACCEPTANCE, FUN & THE WORD….from the youngest SWITCH member hehe,….
• Rachael i remember you saying that pastor… other churches stay years back but you want to be with God right next to him so you move with the times… that is one thing i will always remember you saying and i think thats what pulls youth into the church… you keep it pumping, fun and modern and you and your family also make it easy to respect and love you all… you never introduce yourself as Pastor but as Lui…
• Nesi hha yea i remember the first time I came to church you introduced yourself and I didn’t realise you were the Pastor til the sermon started lol!…. to answer your question Pastor EVERYTHING is relevant. The sermons are delivered with truth even when the truth is harsh lol. You know your church and the people in it. Seeing other young people on fire for God is also attractive =D makes me want to know God even more because of the changes which are evidently happening in their lives.
• Lina….. Um the thing that attracted me to Lifechurch was the fact that it was fun as well as being relevant and also very current to young people and the issues we face in our everyday lives
• Carol…….i think also that the youth are made to feel as tho they cn cme as they are..not worrying abt wat to wear. That helps them to be cmfortable, to be who they are..i reckon thats kool coz thats exactly how God takes us..THE WAY WE ARE..
• Nesi Finau Too true! Theas freedm n our church..2 display our individuality..I KNOW WHO I AM! Lord you are my identity! Shot Carol

to see more youth comments go to:  http://www.luiponifasio.wordpress.com/2009/02/11/1450/

No Vision No Passion No Direction

Vision – the most powerful weapon that a Leader can use to lead people or an organization. It is absolutely crucial for a leader to have a clear picture of where he/she is going and where he/she is taking the organization to. People like to be lead.

People like follow someone who knows where he is going. It is natural. No one wants to follow a blind leader. Hellen Keller, a well known visionary leaders once said: “The greatest tragedy to befall a person is to have sight but lack vision”. Keller of course was blind physically.

Vision is a picture of the future that produces passion NOW. You can tell a leader with no vision, he or she has no passion for anything, just go with the flow.

No way I’m following someone like that!

Leadership Questions every leader must ask!

Every leader must regularly ask himself / herself tough Leadership questions. Here are some questions I’m currently asking myself?

1. What am I doing as a leader that is counter productive?
2. Who in my team is the weakest link?
3. Will I continue to do what I do if they cut my salary?
4. How much time do I give to developing myself as a leader?
5. The evidence of leadership is followership. Is there evidence?
6. How wide is my sphere of influence?

 

Random Thoughts & Update!

After a month or so of not blogging, I feel its time to come back.  So much has been happening and I can’t believe we have 9 more months to go and then its Christmas all over again.

This is totally Random………… !

• Love what God is doing right now!!. Seriously exciting! watching people stepping up in their faith, love and passion for God is amazing!
• Funny seeing the people who used to frustrate you, grow in the Lord and now really moving forward as God continue to change their lives……..a BIG AMEN & THANK YOU LORD…..for his Grace!
• Church theme for this year is ‘Faith at another level’. This is going to be one year I will never forget as I push myself to be where God wants me to be.
• Church Camp this year was definitely at a nother level! There is another camp coming up next year.
• Been preaching on stepping out of the comfort zone and into the ‘Faith zone’. That’s where God wants me to be.
• FacetheBook Challenge. This year we are encouraging everyone at church to ‘facethebook’ – the Word of God daily.  I use Facebook a lot to communicate with church and other friends. It’s a very effective tool. But let me be honest with you, it can be a big distraction and I can end up spending more time on facebook rather than reading the Word. So here is the 2011 challenge: FACEtheBOOK!! And seriously If I want to step in the ‘FaithZone’, there is no way that will happen with out the WORD. Faith comes by hearing the WORD!
• Baby Dedication Sunday.  Blessed with many new babies at church and a few more on the way. One last week and hopefully one next week – God willing!
• Baptism: a real joy for me personally to see people come to the Lord and baptised, especially seeing whole families go into the water.
• Met an intercessor the other day, a lady in her 70-80s. She laid hands on me and prayed heaven on me. wow! it was an experience.  Nothing like having an elderly woman of God pray for you.
• I am blessed with a group of leaders who are committed to the Vision and Gods House, keeping a kingdom perspective.
• Vision Sunday 2 weeks ago. The challenge to the church was to present the Full Gospel of Jesus. In Words, Signs and Deeds – Acts 10:37-38
• The last 4 weeks we have focused on our Volunteers, Training and Equipping leaders, launching new ministries and new leaders. Reshuffling and re-strategizing as we accommodate growth.
• Harvest Auckland June 2011. Starting to pick up momentum. Pray for a great move of God in bringing people to a relationship with Christ.
• Servolution is just around the corner! 46 Churches coming together 14-20 April to show the love of God through simple acts of kindness.
• Still blown away by the fact that NZ was largely evangelized by Maoris in the mid 1800′s. do it again Lord!!!
• 5 Days of Fasting: God there are some things we can’t do unless we pray and fast.
• Prayers and condolences to the victims of the CHRISTCHURCH Earthquake. Pray -God to shake up the CHURCHofCHRIST. Cause us to pursue you relentlessly and to love others through eyes of Christ.
• We had 5 weddings and a Funeral last year. I am planning to officiate more weddings this year. Not planning to bury anyone!!
• After 18 years of marriage, I am still madly in-love with Ane. She is an amazing woman!

 

Stop Being Normal!

…………following from last Sundays Sermon…………………..

You can not be a follower of Jesus and stay normal.

“When anyone is joined to Christ he is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come”. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17

The dead old, boring, gutless, purposeless, normal you is GONE! You are now a new person, fueled by the power of Christ in you. Someone is going to take notice of the change and say ‘Something has happended to you. You are not the same person you used to be. If your boss at work doesn’t know that you are a Christian you are probably not.

You are new person. You are now radical and willing to do whatever it takes to live for Jesus and follow him, to love God and love people. It takes guts to follow Christ. Jesus said “If you want to follow me take up your cross and come follow me”.

You can’t follow Jesus and still try to live a normal life.

Cefas was a normal, everyday fisherman. But when Jesus called Cephas to leave everything and follow him, he did and he was not the same again. First his name was changed to Simon Peter. He never went to any preaching school but when he spoke on the day of Pentecost 3000 people gave their lives to Christ. Now thats not normal for a fisherman!!

Paul was a normal Pharisee doing what normal Pharisees do. At the time he was killing new converted Christians. But when he encountered God on the Road to Damascus, he wasn’t the same again. He reached the Gentile world with the gospel.

You can’t follow Jesus and continue to live life in a normal way. You can’t love with the same normal love you loved people before you found Jesus. You can not give the same way you used to give. You can not serve the same way you used to.

People who follow Christ Are not Normal. The Bible calls them ‘Perculiar people’ – 1 Petr 2:9, because with Christ they are now people of power, people of promise, more than conquerors but most of Faith in God who can do exceedingly, abundantly and above all……..Ephesian 3:20

Normal people are ‘average’ people who do average work and produce average results. No one is inspired with ‘average’.

Tell me someone who is well known because he/she was average. Show me a monument of an average leader.

Normal people don’t inspire others

Normal people don’t make incredible leaders

Normal People don’t change the world

Normal people don’t take risks

Normal people don’t face fears

Normal people die with a lot of regrets.

Step up another level today and live above normal.

Leader in the Mirror!

I wrote this quote from Bill Hybels in the front page of my diary last year. I was fortunate enough to be in a round table meeting with Bill last year when he was in Auckland. This is what he said,   “If you change a leader, you change a church. When you change a church, you change a community and when enough church are changing you can affect a region, a country and eventually the world with Life-Changing Power of Jesus Christ”.

Don’t underestimate your role as a leader. You are an initiator, an influencer, an activator. Leaders are catalysts that God plants in every community for the purpose of initiating something that will transform lives, and revolutionise society. Nothing changes if nothing changes.

Leaders make Changes. It starts with the ‘man in the mirror’

“Man In The Mirror” by Michael Jackson.

I’m Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It’s Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .

As I, Turn Up The Collar On My
Favourite Winter Coat
This Wind Is Blowin’ My Mind
I See The Kids In The Street,
With Not Enough To Eat
Who Am I, To Be Blind?
Pretending Not To See
Their Needs
A Summer’s Disregard,
A Broken Bottle Top
And A One Man’s Soul
They Follow Each Other On
The Wind Ya’ Know
‘Cause They Got Nowhere
To Go
That’s Why I Want You To
Know

I’m Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I’m Asking Him To Change
His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change
Take the lead! Make the change.

The 5 P’s

“Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance”.

This is old but goody. When you are a leader you can’t afford to be slack in preparation. I heard someone said the other day that the right formula for 100 Performance is 99% Preparation. 1% Execution. Usually you only have 1 Shot at something. It’s a make or break every time.  If you get a second chance to shoot again, you are one lucky person. Don’t stuff it up again!!

I have been following the next season of American Idol with my family. I must admit I really enjoyed the audition part of the show not the actual competition. I love getting a good laugh with the kids. (I know its bad laughing at people……cmon’ its Hollywood)! Some of them try to sing another song or ended begging the judges…..

Honestly it really challenged me to prepare well in order to execute well. I want to stand in front of people having prepared well. I want to go to a meeting having prepared well. etc….. What a Challenge!!

Now I am going through a list of the things I really need to apply the 5 P’s to, and it ouch! ouch!………and OMG!! OMG!!!…..

As a leader what areas do you need to apply the 5 p’s to?

Love to hear your thoughts

Mobilising the Next Generation!

Notes from Leaders Retreat

• ENVISIONING: Paint the Big Picture. Help people to see the possibilities for great contribution to the cause of Christ and to His kingdom. This is what Leaders do. They cast vision.
• INFORMING: Too many times we give people information without a vision and our teaching becomes stale and dry. It is even hard to swallow at times. Information – necessary – the details needed to fulfil vision.
• ENLISTING: Recruiting is what leaders do. People want to do something. People want to know what their roles, responsibilities and authorities will be. Help them by giving as many specifics as possible.
• INVOLVING: Delegate Tasks! Give people hands on opportunities to be involved. Max Capacity. When people do not sense that they are really making a valuable contribution they tend to move on to something where they can find meaning, worth and a sense of purposeful service.
• ENCOURAGING: Lit. ‘to put courage into’. 4 most powerful words from a leaders mouth ‘YOU CAN DO IT!
• EQUIPPING: Paul wrote, “Equipping the saints for the work of service for the building up of the body of Christ.” (Eph. 4:11,12) Leaders are resource suppliers as well as spiritual inspiration to help people accomplish what they are called to do.
• EMPOWERING: A continous prayer: Ask God to infuse us with His power, might and authority to accomplish everything related to His great commission.
• ENTRUSTING: “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others also.” (2 Tim. 2:2) Find a Timothy. Be a multiplier of the grace, love and truth He has given you.