fix on

user friendly 2

In this series of posts, we are looking at simplifying things to become more user friendly. One of the changes we are making is with our interior branding and names. Right now we have a variety of names and terms for things around The Journey...Explorers, Quest, Route One, Journey Series, Community Groups (sometimes called small groups), Reach, Connect, Develop, Serve, Devote, 3 Relationships, motto, mission, vision relationships not religion...and more. As time goes on in church, or any organization, it is easy to get use to names, systems, and communication. They can be clear to regulars or they can even become vague. It is easy to not see things from a new persons perspective and we want The Journey to be user friendly if you are a regular or a newbie.

So, we are making some name changes. Instead of saying Route One for students in 6th - 12th grade, it will now become Journey Teens. Instead of saying we have Journey Kids Stuff - there is Quest, Explorers and nursery. Okay, what ages in which...I don't know, let me check. We will now just call it Journey Kids and each room will be marked with the age so it is easy and clearly defined. There will be some other changes like the Journey Series will now be called Intro Group and Groups as a whole will be Journey Groups instead of Community or Small Groups. It basically comes down to calling things as they are to make it user friendly instead of just having a cool name for it. A name doesn't make it cool or more effective so we are making some name changes to simplify things in order to be more user friendly.

user friendly 1

We are currently working through all of our systems, communication, and steps - really all areas of The Journey. It is kind of a 5 year clean up. Our goal is to make The Journey more user friendly. We are going to give you some insights into how we are making The Journey simpler over the next series of posts.

Co-Lead Pastors 4

Paul shared his thoughts...now it's my turn.
A lot of people told us early on that being co-lead pastors wouldn't work. Here are some of my thoughts about it...
1) Most people think Paul is the lead pastor because he speaks alot more that I do. So he has to deal with some issue that I don't hear about - this isn't a reason why it works - I just think it's funny. Ha ha Paul.
2) Here is why it works. Work Serious but don't take yourself to serious. We laugh a lot - at each other and ourselves. We work hard and are willing to do whatever needs to be done. It doesn't work out if only one person holds these positions. Be Humble. Work Hard. Do whatever it takes. Be Honest. Check Your Pride at the Door. Have Fun. (basically what Paul said).
3) I think that being co-lead isn't easy or the right thing for everyone - you have to find the right person to team with - but if you do - it makes everything better. It isn't worth forcing it - this might be kind of a unique situation.
4) Have a co-lead made a huge difference when we launched - two people to accomplish a lot of thing - a team to handle the spiritual, emotional, physical roller coaster of launching.
5) I hope that have co-lead pastors is a good model for relationships (since we always talk about them at The Journey.) However, maybe it isn't clear (see #1)
6) Some of our friends who have planted tried to give us a combo name...like Benifer (ben affleck and jennifer garner). They couldn't come up with one.

As you serve at The Journey or live in your relationships - with whom are you sharing life? Who is on your team? What are you gonna do to make it work?

Co-Lead Pastors 3

This is from the pages of Paul's mind and blog...

Inside the minds of the two-headed monster (pt. 3)

The last few days we've been talking about how a Co-Lead position has worked for Matt and I. When we started, lots of church leaders told us it wouldn't work and that we should re-consider. They practically forced us in our organization to have one of us have a 51% vote and the other a 49% vote. But, 5 years later, we're still functioning as a team and we have never once had to resort to votes. But it doesn't mean we haven't had our share of disagreements. Yesterday I listed some of the reasons I thought it has worked, and said that today I would talk about the most important reason I believe it works.

Here it is: We have to be called and committed to the mission not the position. If you're called to the position there will be posturing and there will be the desire to be the one to make the important calls. Early on we committed ourselves to seeing the mission of people far from God connect with Him through relationship not religion. I remember early on saying, "if that means we have to scrub toilets or be the nursery leader, rather than one of the lead pastors, so be it". There is always ego involved. I don't know if you can escape it, but we've had to check (the best we can) our egos at the door, and be willing to be whatever part of the mission that God is calling us to be. If you're called to the position not the mission, I would guarantee a failure. But, if you're truly called to the mission, not the position, I believe that it will work effectively. Keep in mind, you BOTH need to be called and committed to the mission, not just one.

Co-Lead Pastors 2

this first aired on Paul's blog...

Inside the minds of the two-headed monster (pt. 2)

Yesterday I began talking about the Co-Lead Pastor role that Matt and I share and how we've made it work. Here's a couple of reasons why, I think, it has worked like it has.

1. You've got to like the person you're co-leading with. Matt and I laugh a lot. We're different personalities, yet also have many similarities. If you don't like the people you're leading with, everything gets more difficult. I heard someone say one time that they have a parking lot test. When they pull into the parking lot and they see the other person's car, what is their reaction (oh, man, I don't want to have to deal with them OR alright, I wanted to tell them something/I wonder how they're group went/I wonder if they saw the game last night)?

2. Be frank. One thing that has always been true, is that we've been able to shoot straight with each other. If there was something that we didn't agree with, or had issue with, we've been able and willing to call the other person on it. Can it hurt? Sure. But, you have to be willing to check all that at the door for the good of the church and the health of the relationship. Many people aren't willing to do that. Sometimes I have felt bad for Virginia and Mark. I'm sure it takes some getting used to - but our staff meetings can get INTENSE. We laugh a lot, we goof around a lot - but we're not afraid to call them as we see them and if you can't handle it, it can be tough. We try to use mercy and grace and compassion, but the mission means too much to be compromised because we're trying not to hurt the others feelings. As much as I like Matt . . . if it comes between the mission and Matt . . . the mission wins. And our relationship works because I know for Matt, that if it comes between the mission and me . . . the mission wins.

3. We trust each other. I have ideas about worship music and set design. I've got thoughts about various areas of ministry, but I trust Matt to make the right decisions. And, if at a point we disagree, but it's more in his area of expertise, I will defer to him. And, he'll do the same with me. We trust that the other person has the good of The Journey in mind and the fulfillment of the mission. That means that although we might not be on the same page, we are ALWAYS on the same page.

Tomorrow, I'll give you what I think is the absolutely most crucial reason why our Co-Lead position works. Until then, a little advice: if you catch a mouse set it free, if it comes back to you . . . hit it with a shovel.

Co-Lead Pastors

This is a post from Paul's blog...

Inside the minds of the two-headed monster

So today, I'm kicking off a 3 part series on being a Co-Lead Pastor. Most people are amazed that we can do it and would choose to do it. Most people when we were starting out encouraged us not to do it. So, why did we choose to play these roles as Co-Lead Pastors, and why has it worked. Hopefully this will get you inside Matt and my minds a little bit (dangerous, I know!).

When we first started out people told us not to be Co-Leads, but we both felt called to lead a church. Here's why we decided to be Co-Leads. First and foremost, we felt God calling us to the ministry we were starting and to this partnership. Secondly, we had been in each other's lives for about 4 years or so. Our youth groups had done events together, we had been in an area network together. We weren't going into it blindly. We spent 6 months together just hashing out mission and vision to see if we could work together on this. Know the person you'r going to team with and know them well. Third, we knew there were going to be disagreements, but it seemed like the new church we were wanting to start should be able to handle disagreements. They needed to see that people could disagree, that we could have differences, that we could have conflict and still work through it and still be on mission. It just seemed like we should be able to model that or maybe we shouldn't be leading any church.

Tomorrow, a couple of crucial elements that make it work.