5 Leadership Investments from Genesis 2

Every other week, I send out an email to everyone in our church who is in a "leadership" position. Here is a copy of this week's email... LEADERSHIP INVESTMENTS Many leadership books and lessons have been written using the examples of biblical characters such as Nehemiah, David, Paul and more. Rarely have I seen leadership lessons gleaned from God's creative work in Genesis 2. Today, I'm going to make a couple observations about leadership which are a result of my reading in Genesis, but first let me identify a couple preconceptions about leadership: 1) Leadership is not about power or authority, it is about investing into people. That's why Jesus washed his disciples feet. 2) Leadership is not always measurable. We invest ourselves faithfully, we pray for the Spirit's work, but ultimately we don't know the results of our investment. Fortunately, God is more concerned with our investment... He already knows the return. So here are a few "Leadership Lessons from Genesis 2" (read the chapter if you need more context!). Whether you are leading a musical group, a group of volunteers in children's ministry, a project team or any other group of people; you may find one or two helpful suggestions from these thoughts. 1) Invest in people by giving them a purpose. "the LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." When you are leading others, regularly communicate the ultimate goal. Help them see it for themselves, and gently guide them toward it. 2) Invest in people by giving them freedom to work. "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden..." Nothing is more frustrating than being micro-managed. If your team members are capable on their own, let them do things on their own! 3) Invest in people by providing them contextual guidelines. "you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." We all need boundaries. However, rather than creating walls and fences, try to simply help your team identify what you are NOT trying to accomplish. The more clearly they understand what the big goal is and is not, the easier it will be for them to stay within the guidelines. 4) Invest in people by granting them the necessary authority to work. "He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was his name." Intentionally tell other people how much faith you have in your team. Few things are more empowering than knowing that your leader believes in you, so work hard to make sure your team knows you believe in them! 5) Invest in people by providing them the appropriate help to complete their work. "But for Adam no suitable helper was found...Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man." Regularly ask your team what they need. Equip them for success by ensuring they have the resources and people necessary to accomplish their goal.

SON OF GOD  The Son of God movie will open in theaters February 28. Producer Roma Downey says this about the movie, “We hope audiences leave theaters feeling they know Jesus more and also that they are reminded of how deeply he loved us,” she said. “This is a big, epic sweeping film — an exciting movie and sometimes a tense movie with intense drama and real danger.”   Beginning in March, our teaching series will correspond to this movie as we will discuss "The Truth About the Son of God." If you have friends, family members, or co-workers who aren't sure about Christianity or Jesus, this is a great opportunity for you to be MORE INVITING. Take them to the movie (pay for their tickets) and then go out for dessert and answer any questions they might have. If they seem interested, invite them to church to hear more about the Biblical Jesus.   We want to make it easy for you to invite someone to the movie, so we have made a bulk purchase of movie passes to the Greene. For $7.50 you can buy a pass (which you'll need to bring to the theatre to get your ticket) from us. If you buy 3 passes, we'll give you the 4th free! Think about the people you'd like to invite. Passes are on sale in the church lobby beginning THIS SUNDAY! MEN'S BREAKFAST AND BOWLING -- February 22 (cost $10)

The links below will take you to a variety of articles related to Christianity, the church, leadership and culture. They are not all written by Christians so you must be discerning as you read. Seek to find truths that correspond to the nature and Word of God and then consider how you might implement this truth in your life and ministry. Why I Quit Tithing Years Ago and Why You Should Too.  This article might surprise you, but it will help you evaluate how you approach giving at church. If nothing else, it's great food for thought. 4 Keys to Creating an Irresistible Church in 2014. I'm not sure "irresistible" is the first word we think of when describing our church, but this article may help you think about some things we could do better at The Gathering. I'd love to hear your thoughts after reading this article. Measuring Church Health: How Many Kids Will Attend. I've heard that 70% of all statistics are made up, so I'm not always sure how much to trust statistical analysis. However, this article presents an interesting idea. Can we predict the health of our church based on the size of our children's program? What do you think?