by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 21, 2008 | Empowerment, Leadership
Leadership Guru, John Maxwell is known for saying: “Everything rises &
falls on leadership.” 
Even though I’ve
been in various leadership roles for about 20 years now, I’m still learning
what it takes to be a good leader. Because
of that, I feel awkward trying to tell other leaders how to lead because I’m
still trying to figure it out myself.
With that in mind, I’ve decided to take a different spin with this post. With the help of some friends, I’ve compiled
a list of the "10 Dumbest Leadership Mistakes I’ve Made."
In other words, rather than sharing all of the enlightening leadership principles
I’ve discovered through the years, Over the next 10 days, I’m going to confess
all the dumb mistakes I’ve made.
If you are fascinated by grown men baring their souls and confessing their
deepest, darkest secrets, then you may want to consider sharing some of your
mistakes.
OK, HERE WE GO:
10. SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME ON THE DETAILS RATHER THAN THE DREAMS.
Check out Genesis 11:31-32. Terah intended to go to
Canaan. Instead he stopped in Haran. He got stuck there for 205 years.
Then he died. Why? Was it disobedience? Did he lose sight of God’s
vision? Did he just get too comfortable? Did he settle for less than
God’s best? When I get too focused on responding to the urgent, I lose
sight of the big picture. And, frankly, my tendency is to settle into a
routine that’s very comfortable but doesn’t accomplish the full mission
God has for my life and my ministry.
by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 20, 2008 | Events, Worship
Can you believe that Easter is only four and a half weeks away? Man, crazy, isn’t it? As I’m sure is the case with many of you, we are well underway preparing and getting ready to host one of the greatest ministry opportunities of the year.
This year we are planning three services (we normally do 2). We are also shooting out a direct mail piece that will hit thousands of homes in targeted areas. As of today, we’ve proofed and finalized the artwork. These direct mail pieces have been very successful over the last few years in drawing out first time guests. We generally target prospects (people who’ve attended our services and/or outreach events), and people living in the near western suburbs of Chicago. Even though the majority of our growth happens via word of mouth, direct mail has proven to be a great piece in introducing people to “The Hill.”
I’ll share more details on the series we’re launching later. Man, I can’t wait!
So what about you? Those of you in church ministry….What is YOUR church doing to prepare for Easter? I’d LOVE to hear YOUR ideas! Comment away!
by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 20, 2008 | Book Reviews, Communication, Preaching
In case you haven’t noticed, I have the book, Made to Stick, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath on my "Books I’m Currently Reading" list. I’ve started and stopped, started and stopped and started and stopped. Hate that!
But now, I’ve started AGAIN and have not stopped. (And don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t stopping because the book was bad or boring. Actually, quite the opposite. I wanted to devote some solid time to reading through the entire book instead of trying to fit it in little by little.)
So with that said, let me say LOUD and CLEAR that this is a book that EVERY preacher/communicator/pastor/teacher/leader/CEO/marketer/and anyone else who has a message that they believe needs to STICK with people, should read!
The book examines why some ideas seem to STICK and SURVIVE and others don’t. The authors expound on these six principles of sticky ideas throughout the book:
Simplicity – Creating ideas that are both simple and profound.
Unexpectedness – We need to violate people’s expectations. For our idea to endure, we must generate interest and curiosity.
Concreteness – Ideas must be explained in terms of human actions and sensory information. We tend to gravitate towards ambiguous to the point of being meaningless. People remember concrete ideas and data. Abstraction makes it harder to understand an idea and to remember it.
Credibility – Sticky ideas have to carry their own credentials. We need to find ways to help people test our ideas for themselves.
Emotions – People will care about our ideas when we help them feel something.
Stories – Hearing stories help motivate people to act on our ideas.
by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 19, 2008 | Empowerment
Family – After two weeks of rest & rejuvenation, I’m gearing up to start a new series entitled, "Gametime." During this series, together we will discover God’s will for our lives.
Discovering God’s will can be a difficult process, especially when we need to make a decision in a hurry. This series explores God’s providential, moral, and personal will and how God uses other people and the principles of Scripture to guide us as we attempt to discover the personal vision He has for our lives. I’m really looking forward to this series since I often hear people say, “God told me…” Yeah right!
As a pastor, often I hear people use this phrase to justify what they want to do without any accountability. When they fail, they get angry with God because He didn’t stop them or save them from some disaster. Come on, be honest, have you ever said, “God told me to do…” and you did it and now you regret it?
I guarantee you this series will literally change the way you think about God’s will. Join me Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 8AM or 10AM at Mars Hill Baptist Church.
by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 19, 2008 | Weblogs
I started blogging "unofficially" on MySpace as a hobby. Now it’s a vital part of my ministry portfolio. I plan to use it to supplement my weekend messages.
Don’t you wish blogger or typepad had been around 2,000 years ago. I wonder if Jesus would have blogged? What an RSS feed that would have been!
I thought I would hit the pause button and share the top ten reasons why I decided to "professionally" blog:
1) I want to be a good steward of God’s ideas. God has given me so much…He has taught me so much…I would be wrong not to pass along what I’ve learned that might be able to help others. My blog is one way I "take my thoughts captive"–II Corinthians 10:5.
2) Too often we remember what we should forget and forget what we should remember. My blog helps me remember what God doesn’t want me to forget.
3) Blogging is therapeutic. It helps me process thoughts and emotions. I believe blogging will make me a better leader. It will make me accountable. It will keep me humble. Just as preaching keeps the preacher always learning, I believe blogging will keep me on the learning edge of leadership.
4) Habakkuk 2:2 says, "Write down the revelation." Blogging is one way I write down what God is revealing to me.
5) Blogging is a form of digital discipleship. I can’t disciple a thousand people one-on-one or face-to-face. Blogging is asynchronous discipleship. It’s e-vangelism.
6) Blogging is marking my trail with breadcrumbs like Hansel and Gretel. Jeremiah 31:21 says, "Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Mark well the path by which you came."
7) I blog for my children’s children. My grandkids will know what I was doing and thinking on February 19, 2008. They’ll be able to know my heart and read my mind.
8) Blogging is a form of autobiography. It helps me understand God’s storyline for my life.
9) Blogging makes Mars Hill Baptist Church an open-source church. For better or for worse, my blog is the way I share what we’re doing at MHBC.
10) I enjoy blogging. I don’t think it comes natural to everyone. However, since I’ve always wanted to journal, blogging fits the rhythm of my life and ministry.
