Covid 19 – Carpe diem

by Gary Reinecke | Apr 27, 2020 | Leader Development | 0 comments

Last week I interviewed Brian Wilson of Access Church. I asked Brian how he is helping his congregation navigate this VUCA moment – to watch, CLICK HERE. In case you don’t recognize that acrostic, VUCA stands for:

Volatile
Uncertain
Complex
Ambiguous

As I’ve interacted with pastors and church planters over the last month they tend to fall into one of two camps as it relates to this VUCA moment.

Camp Survival (hunker down to weather the storm)
Camp Shine (leverage this season for the Kingdom)

Both camps are triggered by VUCA characteristics, or combinations of…

For instance, if a leader is triggered by a shift in power, then this season is extremely stressful. This leader may be struggling to keep things within their control that are really out of her/his control. The key question for this leader is: “How can we survive?”

In the other camp, the leader sees this season filled with opportunity to try new things. To attempt things they had hoped to do someday; but are now challenged to do now! The key question for this leader is: “How can we leverage this for the Kingdom to bless our community?”

A good example of this is taking ministry online. Delivering worship services in living rooms on devices vs. engaging the BIG room, is one significant step. This has expanded the reach of many of these congregations AND is something most congregations have done for the very first time in the last 30 days.

Releasing people to care for each other in small groups, using a variety of online platforms, is another significant step many leaders have navigated. The fruit has been impressive. What pastors and church planters are discovering across the country is that leaders:

can be trusted
can provide care
can lead effectively

Back to the two camps analogy.

Here are three questions for you to reflect on to “seize the day” during this VUCA moment!

3 Questions to “Seize the Day”

What camp do you find yourself in today, right now?
Are you content “camping” there?
Based on your response to the previous question:

- If “no”, what can you do to switch camps?
- If “yes”, what can you do to maximize this season to help your church shine?

I’ve written two blogs in the past that you might find helpful, related to the topic of VUCA:

None of us have been down this path before. If you are confident that you know the way forward – then good on ‘ya. For the rest of us, my prayer is that His light would illuminate the path so that you can take the next significant step to lead yourself and your congregation forward.

How Brian Wilson is leading Access Church to leverage Covid-19 for the Kingdom WATCH HERE!

by Gary Reinecke | Apr 20, 2020 | Leader Development, Uncategorized | 1 comment

Several years ago I met with Brian Wilson and one statement he made back then stuck in my mind. It was in response to the notion of church planting. Brian’s response went something like this: “that is so hard, I don’t think I would ever want to plant unless the Lord made it super clear”.

Three years later, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, Brian has partnered with Him to plant Access Church – a vibrant community of Jesus followers in Menefee, CA.

Brian is a member of our Leadership Collective. Last week I interviewed him to ask how he is helping Access Church navigate this VUCA moment. In case you don’t recognize that acrostic, VUCA stands for:

Volatile
Uncertain
Complex
Ambiguous

As I’ve interacted with pastors and church planters the last month they tend to fall into one of two camps. Survival (hunkering down to weather the storm) or Shine (leveraging this season for the Kingdom). Brian shared his observations as he leads Access Church through this VUCA season to Shine in the midst of adversity.

Chance for the church to shine:

Opportunity to shine brighter
Create momentum & connection
Be opportunists

Encouragement to Pastors:

Leaders shine brightest in adversity
Attend to yourself
Come out of this stronger

Watch the entire interview – CLICK HERE.

How to lead your church staff effectively during uncertain times

by Gary Reinecke | Apr 6, 2020 | Leader Development | 0 comments

Pastors, church planters and staff members have been forced to work from home in virtual offices due to the warnings, limitations and restrictions imposed on local church ministry due to Covid-19. For many this is the first time working in a virtual environment. Adding to the angst of the situation is the inability to meet with people in regulay, face-to-face meetings.

Here are some of the questions this raises for lead pastors, church planters and staff members:

How can I help my staff stay on mission?
How can I coach my staff to brainstorm solutions?
How can I support my staff when conflict surfaces in their team?

Leaning into this new reality is begging leaders to lead differently. More so now than ever it is critical to raise your effectiveness as a team leader for your church staff. A number of pastors, church planters and staff members that I have worked with over the years have benefited from assessments to reveal their strengths and weaknesses.

Discover the skills you need to develop when leading a virtual team.

Below is a FREE, 5 minute quiz that will help you reflect on 8 critical skills of an empowering leader. So if you are looking for a way to effectively lead a virtual church staff team the, “How to lead your church staff effectively during uncertain times” quiz is an excellent first step. Once you submit your responses to the quiz, a report will be generated and e-mailed to you immediately with suggestions to help you grow in the respective areas.

Take the “How to lead your church staff effectively during uncertain times” by clicking on the button below.

START HERE FOR FREE QUIZ

7 Question to Innovate Creative Solutions in Ministry during Uncertain Times

by Gary Reinecke | Mar 20, 2020 | Disciplemaking, Leader Development | 0 comments

History will tell the story how the Church decided to act in faith and be the Church in crisis.

Last Tuesday Gina (my wife) and I made an executive decision for our small group. We have a wonderful host couple that open their home so that our group of 5-17 members (depending on the week) can meet on Tuesday evenings for about 28 weeks throughout the year. A number of our participants have compromised immune systems or loved ones who are at greater risk than the general population. Last weekend our church, like about many other congregations across the country, launched their first-ever online worship service.

Back to our small group. I discussed the situation with Gina and we came up with a solution. Due to the the various reasons above – we moved our small group gathering to a virtual format, using Zoom. This is not an original idea with us. In fact, this might seem old school for many. But, it was an innovative solution to a real and pressing issue.

This allowed our group to meet without concerns for the health of our people who deal with compromised immune systems. More importantly, this removed the excuse not to meet. Check-out the list of questions below to consider creative solutions to complex problems.

7 Questions to Innovate Creative Solutions in Ministry during Uncertain Times

What is influencing our decisions as we navigate this crisis?
How can we leverage the circumstances the crisis is presenting, to move the mission of Jesus forward?
Brainstorm a list of ideas that come to mind.
Narrow the list to the best 3-5 ideas.
What are the pros and cons of each idea?
Choose the best idea that you can execute within a certain timeframe.
What are the necessary steps to implement this idea.

Going to an online platform to keep your church connected might be the direction you need to move right now. This forced migration might be the best thing for your congregation. Perhaps, online isn’t something you need to do and there are other considerations that will allow you to capitalize on the opportunity?

Three COMPLIMENTARY Coaching Sessions to Innovate Creative Solutions During Uncertain Times

With the warnings, limitations and restrictions imposed on your ministry; would you like help navigating this season? With that in mind, InFocus is offering three complimentary coaching appointments, 30 minutes each. Going online with worship services, small groups or your entire ministry is innovative.

With the current restrictions the government has enforced due to the Coronavirus there was an uptick in webinars just last week to assist leaders that need to introduce online solutions for their church, facilitated by experts in the field. If you would like assistance on sorting through all the options I would be happy to coach you around the best way to address your need. Simply click on the button below to schedule a time that works for you. You determine the agenda:

Taking your worship services online
Taking your disciplemaking online
Taking your church online

…..or some other topic of your choosing!

CLICK HERE to schedule your first appointment

Want to unlock a new paradigm of leadership and teamwork?

by Gary Reinecke | Feb 14, 2020 | Coach Training, Leader Development | 0 comments

Greetings!

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Whether you are a missionary, denominational leader responsible for church multiplication, a church planter or lead pastor – empowering your team through coaching is a high priority. This is your chance to learn live from 2 of the industry’s greatest thought leaders. Peter and David are passionate about helping coaches like you develop masterful skills to handle difficult and emerging client challenges.

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Gain valuable insight into the transitions necessary to move from 1-to-1 coaching to the much more complex world of team coaching. If you’re ready to unlock a new paradigm of leadership and teamwork that’s vital to success in 2020 and beyond, join me at this session.

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