Treasures

My parents are in final packing mode for moving from their old house to a new house. They have lived in their old house for over 25 years and all of us (with the exception of my sister Laura) are total packrats. So there is a lot of cleaning, purging, and packing to do.

While I was home for Thanksgiving, I worked on my room. My room had changed very little since the day I left for college, so it took several days to work through the bookshelves, cabinet, dresser, chest of drawers, under the bed, and the closet. I found some hilarious stuff, including hundreds of silly notes passed amongst my friends in high school, every middle school and high school research paper I had ever written, and a notebook of "stories" and "poems" I wrote in elementary school (there was even a musical, complete with book and lyrics). I even found $45 in old birthday cards!

The boxes in the garage took several hours, as well. Those were full of college and grad-school related items, including my senior design notebook, a paper entitled "Determination of Kinetic Parameters of Swine Waste Under Anoxic Conditions," and design drawings for an alligator feeder. Apparently, I made the highest grade on my CE7145 Aquaculture Filtration mid-term exam.

At the bottom of one box, underneath piles of binders, a dusty old notebook was buried. I tossed it without looking inside. Luckily, my dad looked in it before tossing because it was full of old baseball cards.

I found the NASA application that I began to complete but never finished and submitted.

I found a church bulletin from Easter 1998 with a phone message scribbled on it, "Call Mr. Sessions." That's the call that landed me in Washington, DC to work on Capitol Hill.

Four boxes and half a dozen bags of stuff was thrown out. And several boxes more were stacked in a corner for the planned garage sale. Some of it was junk. Some of it represented hundreds of hours of work. Some of it reflected the friends and family members that have most influenced my life. Typically, I hate cleaning. But this experience was more like a treasure hunt.

Thanksgiving Reflections

I spent a week back home in Mobile, Alabama for Thanksgiving. Here are a few things I realized I was thankful for:

My Gran's cherry pie. I ate it for breakfast on at least 3 mornings.

My Mom's macaroni and cheese. This year's was the best.

My Dad's tendency to do crazy things, like wear two belts to work.

My Gran's pecan pie.

Fried turkey and Dad's turkey frying abilities.

Turkey sandwiches.

College football and LSU's victory over Arkansas.

Carpe Diem.

Great teachers like my mom, Barbara Barber, Cathy Mason, and Charlotte Ferguson.

Guitar Hero- I played this at my friend's house and now I can't wait to play again.

Funny movies.

Wireless internet access.

My Gran's chocolate pie. (Yes, I love pie and I ate a lot of it)

Taking a Break

I'm taking a break for the Thanksgiving holidays. I just got down to Sweet Home Alabama, and I'm looking forward to a week relaxing with friends and family, eating fried turkey, and watching football.

I'll be back next Tuesday with plenty of commentary on family quirks (like this one), the LSU-Arkansas game, and the great food I am consuming. Oh yeah, and we'll get back to discipleship visioneering as well.

Have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

FAQ: How often do you meet with your leaders?

As I mentioned in the previous post, How do you train your leaders?, we officially meet with all of our leaders as follows:

• Once a year at the Leadership Retreat
  

• Three times a year at Leadership Summits

Then, our zone leaders and team leaders meet with their small group leaders monthly for a team/zone meeting and at other times individually as necessary. I meet with the zone leaders every other week. I also meet with many of our leaders individually.

A lot of small group-based churches meet with their leaders for a monthly summit or gathering for vision-casting and training. We tried that for a while, but we found that we could pour more time and creative energy into one semester-based gathering. And leaders have been much more responsive to attending a gathering once a semester as opposed to once a month.

Creative Music: Millennium Celebration

Last week, I posted on one of my favorite study CDs- the Kingdom of Heaven soundtrack. When I'm in more of a brainstorming or creative endeavor, I need a different type of music. So I created a playlist on iTunes for creative music.

One of the albums currently on there is the soundtrack from Disney's Millennium Celebration at EPCOT Center. It's kinda cheesy, but who is better at imagineering than Disney? I wonder what the real Imagineers listen to when they are creating?

Casey at Bat

Gotta give a shout-out to the newest blog in the neighborhood: Casey at Bat. Casey is my awesome brother-in-law. Three years ago, he was kind enough to marry my crazy sister, and we've loved having him in the family ever since.

Casey will be posting about life, faith, politics, and sports. And if I know him well, there will probably be some talk occasionally about sci-fi and computer geek stuff.

Go check him out!

Roe vs. Pritzl

I have been looking forward to tonight for weeks. It was Roe vs. Pritzl at Ebenezers Coffeehouse.

In college, I was introduced to a band called the 77s. Which led me to another great band-- the Lost Dogs. Mike Roe was the lead singer for the 77s and also played with the Dogs. I gotta admit-- I love Pray Naked, Little Red Riding Hood, and Drowning With Land in Sight. I decided to be a big goober and ask for a picture.

Steph Modder was amazing, as well!

FAQ: How do you train your leaders?

First, let me share four guiding principles that frame the way we approach leadership training.

• Leadership training is an ongoing process, not a one-time event.
• Leadership is caught, not taught. That means leadership training should be as relational as possible. It also means that sharing the stories and experiences of other leaders is just as helpful (if not more so) than lecturing on nicely outlined leadership principles.
  
• Leadership training should be fun, engaging, and worth the time of our leaders.
• Leadership training should focus on fundamentals, and we should continue to communicate those fundamentals over and over and over again. And over again.
  

We approach leadership training from a number of different angles. We try to provide a good mix of lecture-based training and also smaller collaborative learning communities. Here are the primary leadership training environments at NCC:

1. Leadership 101- This 3-hour class is required for anyone who wants to lead a small group or ministry. We cover the basics of leadership and discipleship, our philosophy and structure for small groups, our discipleship map, and our vision of Be One, Make One, For One. It's just the bare bones to help someone get started. This environment is primarily platform-driven (lecture), but there is opportunity for interaction and sharing of ideas.

2. NCC Small Group Leader Playbook- We give this resource to every person who comes to Leadership 101. We have discovered that you can talk until you are blue in the face about navigating conflict and dealing with difficult people, but until a leader is actually faced with that situation in real time, the information means nothing. So we give them the Playbook so that they will have useful information right at their fingertips. Although the Playbook is currently being revised, you can see a copy of the old version here.

3. Annual Leadership Retreat- Every year, we take every leader away for two days and pump them full of vision, encouragement, and leadership training. We have high octane worship and we unveil the theme for the year. And we pick up the tab. This is the most important thing we do every year. There are elements that are platform-driven and elements that are more interactive. We share stories, highlight wins from the previous year, and prepare our leaders for the next year. For a taste of the 2006 retreat, read Mark Batterson's reflections here.

4. Semester Leadership Summits- Each semester, we meet with all of our small group and ministry leaders at the Semester Summit. We worship, Pastor Mark shares vision, and a staff pastor teaches on a leadership topic. We align the leadership topic with the theme of the annual retreat to provide continuity in our ongoing training. It's also an opportunity to get everyone on the same page and geared up to go into a new semester. The summits have become an important part of our rhythm.

5. Zone Leaders- Every small group leader is supported and served by a Zone Leader or Team Leader. Zone/Team Leaders meet with their small group leaders monthly, and they meet with individual leaders as appropriate. Most of the hands-on training happens here as leaders learn from one another and Zone Leaders navigate their people through the hurdles of small group leadership.

6. ZoneGathering.com- We have created an online environment, www.zonegathering.com, for our small group leaders to get a daily shot of leadership adrenaline. The ZoneGathering is a place for leaders to learn and share ideas. Each week, there are regular features, including a weekend summary, an interview with a staff member or leader, a Bible lesson, a leadership lesson, and an opportunity for leaders to share their "wins."

7. First Friday Podcast- This is the newest addition to our training diet-- the Zonegathering.com First Friday Podcast. This 15-minute segment allows Pastor Mark to connect with the leaders, share what's on his heart, and share what's coming up on the NCC calendar. You can check out some of the more recent podcasts here.

Amazing Leaders

At our Leadership Summit last weekend, we talked about the importance of serving. Not just the standard servant leadership kinda stuff. But the hard core, get your hands dirty kinda service.

Over 25 of our leaders signed up their groups for different types of service opportunities. Others have already gotten their groups involved in Angel Tree. Some groups are getting involved in Angel Tree. Others are helping with a Thanksgiving lunch for our friends in the homeless community. Other groups are going to don bed sheets to sing in the angel choir or pass out hot cocoa and coffee at the Live Nativity. Groups will be prayerwalking schools, assisting elderly neighbors, befriending Young Life students, and working at the Southeast White House.

I don't think I've ever been this proud of my leaders.

Vote for Death Valley

I love college football. And I love Tiger Stadium. Go to ESPN's current poll and vote for Tiger Stadium as the best college football stadium!

Geaux Tigers!

Chase the Lion Small Group Curriculum

I am working on a small group curriculum to accompany Mark Batterson's book, In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day. The first phase will consist of a Bible study, reflection questions, and creative projects that go along with the book. The second phase will consist of a full DVD curriculum.

The first phase will be posted by the end of the week on Chasethelion.com

FAQ: What's the process for becoming a leader?

We have a pretty simple process for becoming a leader at National Community Church.

1. Be a committed member of an NCC small group for at least one semester.
2. Complete the Leadership 101 class.
3. Submit a Leadership Application. (**Find it at Zonegathering's Tools and Resources)
   
4. Be interviewed by a pastor or zone leader.
5. Sign the Leadership Covenant. (**Find it at Zonegathering's Tools and Resources)

I will explain some of these steps in greater detail over the next few days.

Charlie Hall and R2D2

Last night, I joined my good friends Jill and Juliet for the Charlie Hall concert at McLean Bible Church. It was really good but a little too short with a little too much yapping in the middle. But the music was fantastic.

On the way home, I demonstrated my R2D2 impression. A couple months ago, Jill and I discovered that I had the ability to do a dead-on R2D2 when he "screams" from the X-Wing fighters during space battles. Random.

Study Music

Sometimes I think I'm ADHD. For that reason, I have to be careful what music I play while trying to do certain activities. On iTunes, I have a playlist for "creative work" and a playlist for "study work."

The Kingdom of Heaven soundtrack is one of my favorite CDs to listen to as I study.

FAQ: How many of your leaders are in full-time staff positions?

We have one official full-time staff person involved in discipleship. Me.

However, all of our staff is actively engaged in small group and discipleship ministry. Most of our staff pastors and administrative staff lead groups even though it is not part of their official job portfolio.

Our zone leaders and team leaders are all volunteers.

FAQ: What are the requirements and expectations of team leaders?

Our Team Leaders are a relatively new addition to the small group leadership structure at NCC. Team Leaders serve directly under Zone Leaders and help provide leadership and pastoral care to small groups and small group leaders.

Here are the qualifications and expectations for Team Leaders.

Position Qualifications

An NCC team leader will:

• Be a qualified and active NCC Leader.
• Leadership 101
• Leadership Application
• Leadership Covenant

• Have at least 2 semesters of NCC small group leadership experience.

• Agree with and support NCC vision, core beliefs, core values, and bylaws.

• Be a Christian for at least 2 years.

• Be a faithful attender of NCC for at least 1 year.

• Be interviewed by the Pastor of Discipleship.

Position Expectations

An NCC team leader will:

• Embrace and model NCC’s small group vision and strategy.
• Attend leadership training events, including annual leadership retreat, quarterly summits, and zone leader meetings.
• Read and comment on zonegathering.com regularly.
• Maintain regular contact with their small group leaders.
• Meet with their team of leaders monthly and meet with leaders individually as necessary.
• Monitor the health of groups and give constructive feedbacks using the win sheets.
• Pray for their small group leaders.
• Encourage potential leader selection, training, and group multiplication.
• Communicate important dates and details to their small group leaders, specifically semester registration information.

Chase the Lion Trailer

This weekend, we start a new sermon series at NCC called Chase the Lion. It's based on Mark Batterson's book In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day.

Check out the sermon series trailer here.

FAQ: What are the requirements and expectations for zone leaders?

Our zone leaders at NCC are amazing. There is no way we could do what we do at NCC without them. The zone leaders are responsible for assisting me in creating and casting vision for the spiritual growth environments at National Community Church. They provide support and pastoral care for team leaders and/or small group leaders.

These are the qualifications and expectations for our zone leaders.

Position Qualifications

An NCC zone leader will:

• Be a qualified and active NCC Leader.
• Leadership 101
• Leadership Application
• Leadership Covenant

• Have at least 2 years of small group leadership experience.

• Agree with and support NCC vision, core beliefs, core values, and bylaws.

• Be a Christian for at least 5 years.

• Be a faithful attender of NCC for at least 2 years.

• Be interviewed by the Pastor of Discipleship.

Position Expectations

An NCC zone leader will:

• Embrace and model NCC’s small group vision and strategy.
• Attend and assist with leadership training events, including annual leadership retreat, quarterly summits, and zone leader meetings.
• Read and contribute to zonegathering.com regularly.
• Maintain regular contact with team leaders and small group leaders.
• Meet with their zone of team leaders and/or small group leaders monthly and meet with leaders individually as necessary.
• Monitor the health of groups and give constructive feedback using the win sheets.
• Pray for their team leaders and/or small group leaders.
• Encourage potential leader selection, training, and group multiplication.
• Communicate important dates and details to their team leaders and small group leaders, specifically semester registration information.

FAQ: How do you structure your leadership?

Leadership structure is one of those topics that we visionary types don't like to have to design or manage. But leadership structure is like a skeleton. The skeleton must grow with your groups and your leaders in order to properly provide strength and support.

While our small group model tends towards Free Market, our leadership structure looks a bit more like the traditional cell model or even G-12.

Zone Leaders
I have a team of 8 people who serve directly with me who are called "Zone Leaders." A zone leader is responsible for assisting me in creating and casting vision for the spiritual growth environments at National Community Church. They provide support and pastoral care for team leaders and/or small group leaders. Zone Leaders report directly to me.

Each zone leader is focused on raising up 3-5 team leaders who will provide pastoral care and support to a team of small groups leaders.

Team Leaders
The Team Leader is responsible for providing pastoral care and support for small group leaders. They are the direct line of communication between the small group leader and the zone leader and staff. The Team Leader reports to a Zone Leader.

Each team leader is focused on finding and training other potential team leaders who can also give pastoral care and support to small group leaders.

Every small group leader is assigned to a team leader and a zone leader. We try to make most team and zone assignments based on relationships (as opposed to demographics, geographics, etc). But we are beginning to organize more strategic teams (i.e., for the arts) and zones (i.e., married couples) that are based on demographics.

NCC Discipleship FAQ Update

I'm in the middle of a Frequently Asked Questions series here at Wineskins to share some of the responses I give to questions that I receive from other churches about how we do small groups and discipleship at NCC. The next set of topics will cover leadership structure and training.

Here are links to the topics I have covered so far:

Discipleship Philosophy

How do you do discipleship in rented facilities?

Why do you do small groups?

What is the "free market" small group system?

We want to start small groups in our church. How do we begin?

What if the church has a bad taste in its mouth because small groups were tried and failed in the past?

Are you a church "of" small groups or a church "with" small groups?

What is the difference between a "small group" and a "ministry?"

I've seen the "Be One, Make One, For One" slogan. What does it mean?

What is Seeker, Learner, Influencer, Investor?

Does "Seeker, Learner, Influencer, Investor" represent a linear growth process?

Semester System

Why do operate on a semester system?

What are the dates of your semesters?

Do Sunday morning ministries operate on the semester system?

What is May Term?

Discipleship Map

What is the Discipleship Map?

What's the deal with non-linear discipleship?

What are the components of the discipleship map?

Is the discipleship map implemented and followed by groups or individuals?

Can people take a non-linear path through the discipleship map?

Do you focus the entire church around one aspect of the discipleship map at a time?

What is Alpha?

What is Journey?

What is The Story?

What is Inward Bound?

What is Crown?

What is "Spiritual Experiments?"

14Six

I've added a new link to my blog-- the 14Six Network. 14Six, which takes its name from John 14:6, is an evangelical blogging network masterminded by Cory Miller and Ariel Vanderhorst. The site is focused on pooling the best resources on the internet and creating community amongst like-minded, Christ-following bloggers.

My friend and boss Mark Batterson has joined up, as well. I'm also a big fan of Monday Morning Insight and Mark Waltz. Looking forward to checking out the other folks and learning from them .

Technology has given us a tool that should be harnessed for creative thinking and synergistic Kingdom building. I launched Wineskins for Discipleship in an attempt to create a learning community for people exploring creative discipleship for emerging generations. I am super excited about the 14Six Network and excited to be a part of what they are doing.

Go check it out!

FAQ: What is "Spiritual Experiments?"

Spiritual Experiments is the Port City for the Seeker Island on the NCC Discipleship Map. In Spiritual Experiments, we strive to create a safe environment for people to try out different spiritual disciplines in a casual, encouraging, no pressure community of other experimenters.

In college, I spent a lot of time in the lab. Because labs are designed to control and contain messes, they allow students the freedom to try new things. That's the purpose of the Spiritual Experiments group.

We've only run this group once, so the curriculum is still in flux. But here is a sampling of the disciplines we covered during our first run:

• Journaling- we talked about the reasons for journaling and the different types of journaling and committed to keeping a journal of our spiritual experimentation throughout the semester.
  
• Prayer- we talked about 7 different prayer models and experimented with them throughout the week.
• Fasting- we talked about the Biblical and historical precedents for fasting, the purposes of fasting, and guidelines for fasting. Then, we picked a fasting model to try out during the week.
• Slowing- we talked about silence, solitude, and retreating and tried to be intentional about incorporating them into our daily lives.
  
• Worship- we spent most of the group time in worship and talked about different ways to worship. Over the next week, we sought to incorporate worship into our daily lives and view it as a lifestyle and not an activity.
• Ancient Disciplines- we talked about pilgrimage, stations of the cross, and the Ignatian Examen and the applicability of these ancient disciplines in our generation and culture.
  

A print curriculum of Spiritual Experiments will be available in 2007.