3Threat.net

Hiring a Coach is a Great Leadership Choice

Originally posted 06-03-2010. Reposted 06-22-2011. —————————————— As a consultant I’ve learned there are three primary reasons people don’t hire coaching consultants: They think they can’t afford a consultant. They think they don’t need advice from someone who isn’t living in their shoes. They don’t think they have time to mess with consulting. Here’s why these [...]

Speaking Engagements

Invite Alan to speak at your conference, event, church or company. Here are some video and audio files demonstrating Alan’s fun and engaging style. This is a clip of Alan’s talk at the RightNow ’09 conference in Dallas. The entire message is available below. ————————————————————————————– This video is a short preview of a leadership development [...]

Triple-Threat Leadership eBook $9.99

The purchase link is at the bottom of the page. DESCRIPTION Triple-Threat Leadership is about understanding and developing three skills that are absolutely necessary for effective leadership: casting vision, executing strategy and fostering relationships. All leaders want to succeed and leveraging these three skills gives leaders an edge. The book includes an assessment, but it [...]

Small Group Curriculum Videos

Alan is an experience video communicator. Here are some examples of teaching he’s done in studio. This is a sample from a curriculum called “What If…” that Alan taught for BlueFishTV. The entire 4 part series can be purchased at www.bluefishtv.com Below are some small group curriculums that I taught while at LifeChurch.tv. Lord, Wake [...]

Pastors Drive Me Nuts

November 1st, 2011

alandanielson

Originally posted 09-15-2010. Reposted 11-15-2011.

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I’m going to say something that might make some of you angry today, but I just have to say it: Some pastors drive me nuts!

In my line of work as a pastor and consultant I meet tons of pastors. All are wonderful people, some just don’t quite get what pastoring is all about though. Here are some of the characteristics of many pastors that make me crazy:

Focusing on “church growth” rather than mission.
Thinking small groups are about “getting people connected” rather than discipleship.
Trying to lead without being relational.
Identifying things that need to change, but not changing them.
Tolerating obvious sin in their congregation. Gossip, division, greed, lack-of-faith, and idolatry top the list of tolerated sins.
Not having accountability.
Not being in a small group.
Having a “vision Sunday” once per year. People need vision all the time!!! Over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over…and over!!
Making plans, without executing them.
Not returning phone calls or emails.
Blaming staff for problems without looking to themselves first for fault.
Openly offering feedback without being open to feedback.

Okay I could go on, but I’ll stop. There’s my rant. ’Nuff said.

Liar, Cheater, Killer…That’s Me.

October 21st, 2011

alandanielson

Originally posted August 19, 2010. Reposted October 21, 2011.

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To me, 1 Samuel 27 is one of the most confusing passages of Scripture in the entire Bible. I have a hard time understanding this chapter in light of the fact that David is the only person in the Bible to be called “a man after God’s own heart”. How can the liar and ruthless killer we find in 1 Samuel 27 be “a man after God’s own heart?” Honestly, I’m just not sure. Then when you pile on the fact that David later committed adultery and murder, the whole “man after God’s own heart” title is a pill that’s pretty hard to swallow.

Why am I not “a man after God’s own heart?” Why don’t I get such a title? I mean, I try to honor God. I strive to live a life that pleases Him. I don’t cheat on my wife or my taxes. I have accountability and very clear boundaries in my life in order to remain virtuous. I haven’t murdered anyone and I try to be a man of integrity. Then again, in my heart I’ve committed all of these sins.

I have hated and lusted, which Jesus equates to murder and adultery. I’ve lied to and deceived others far too often. My sinful nature makes me a lying, cheating, killer. So while I don’t understand 1 Samuel 27, this passage gives me hope. If the lying, murdering, cheating David was able to capture God’s heart, maybe there’s something in me that can capture God’s heart as well.

At the very least, I can understand what David meant when he wrote Psalm 16:2 saying, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing” (NIV).

David thought to himself, “Sooner or later, Saul’s going to get me. The best thing I can do is escape to Philistine country. Saul will count me a lost cause and quit hunting me down in every nook and cranny of Israel. I’ll be out of his reach for good.” So David left; he and his six hundred men went to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath. They moved in and settled down in Gath, with Achish. Each man brought his household; David brought his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, widow of Nabal of Carmel. When Saul was told that David had escaped to Gath, he called off the hunt. Then David said to Achish, “If it’s agreeable to you, assign me a place in one of the rural villages. It doesn’t seem right that I, your mere servant, should be taking up space in the royal city.” So Achish assigned him Ziklag. (This is how Ziklag got to be what it is now, a city of the kings of Judah.) David lived in Philistine country a year and four months. From time to time David and his men raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites—these people were longtime inhabitants of the land stretching toward Shur and on to Egypt. When David raided an area he left no one alive, neither man nor woman, but took everything else: sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, clothing—the works. Then he’d return to Achish.

Achish would ask, “And whom did you raid today?”
David would tell him, “Oh, the Negev of Judah,” or “The Negev of Jerahmeel,” or “The Negev of the Kenites.” He never left a single person alive lest one show up in Gath and report what David had really been doing. This is the way David operated all the time he lived in Philistine country. Achish came to trust David completely. He thought, “He’s made himself so repugnant to his people that he’ll be in my camp forever.”

1 Samuel 27:1-12 (The Message)

Social Networking Gospel

October 20th, 2011

alandanielson

Originally posted, August 30, 2010. Reposted 10-20-2011.

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The first half of the 2nd chapter of Mark contains a curious pairing of evangelistic stories: the healing of a paraplegic man and the calling of Levi (Matthew). When the paraplegic was brought to Jesus he didn’t first heal his body. Rather, Jesus first forgave his sin. Many Christians today have watered down missions until it is nothing more than a “social gospel”: acts of love and kindness without the preaching of God’s truth. The story of the paraplegic man is evidence that a “Social Gospel” is not enough. People will never receive forgiveness of their sins because we bring them healing from disease, toxic relationships, addiction, or poverty. People will only be forgiven of sin by hearing and believing the message of the gospel. The message must accompany our acts of kindness if we are to rescue people from an eternity apart from Christ.

Although a social gospel is not the answer, we see in the story of Levi that a “Social Networking Gospel” is. Jesus was very social in his approach to sharing the gospel. He met with “sinners and tax collectors” and even invited Levi, the tax collector, to become a disciple (later renaming him Matthew). By tapping into Matthew’s social network, Jesus earned the right to share the message of the gospel with others.

God has given each of us social networks that we must tap into for the sake of Christ’s Kingdom. We must look at our networks and ask, “Who can I help? Who can I befriend? How can I share the message of the gospel with them?” That’s a “Social Networking Gospel.”

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….” He said to the paralytic, ”I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the “sinners” and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
~Mark 2:1-17 (NIV)

What on Earth is a Missions Funnel?

October 19th, 2011

alandanielson

As a new pastor at New Life Bible Church in Norman, Oklahoma I’m most excited about really establishing our church as a missions powerhouse. A “Missions Funnel” is a visual depiction the new missional strategy we are starting to implement. The philosophy is simple: in order to involve everyone who is a part of our church in mission, we must provide mission opportunities for all people regardless of their level of commitment. Our missions team is creating systems at each level of this funnel with the goal of leading people to continually pour out more of themselves in order to reach those who need Christ. Implementing systems that help people move from each level to the next is critical.

This is a work-in-progress, and I’ll let you know how it’s working out. Broader definitions of each part of the funnel are outlined below.

PURCHASES THAT FUND MISSIONS

Coffee for Missions http://coffee4missions.org/
NewLifeBibleChurchGear – buy a t-shirt, coffee cup, & bumper sticker to fund missions.

DONATE MONEY/GOODS TO MISSIONS AND INVITE FRIENDS

Invite friends (self explanitory)
Food Pantry
Angel Tree
Sponsor a child with Church of the Messiah

PARTICIPATE IN CHURCH-LED MISSION PROJECT

Food Pantry Volunteers
One day mission projects

SMALL GROUP MISSION PROJECT OR SHORT-TERM MISSION TRIP

Groups identify mission opportunities and act on them independently of the rest of the congregation
Short term domestic or international trips

MISSIONAL LIFESTYLE (Where we want everyone to end up)

People and small groups pouring themselves out without the church’s prompting.
Follow the prompting of the Spirit rather than the prompting of a pastor or ministry leader.

I Don’t Like Pastors

October 13th, 2011

alandanielson

Originally posted 08-18-2010. Reposted 10-13-2011.

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Someone found my blog by searching the phrase, “I don’t like pastors”. I wonder why this person doesn’t like pastors. Maybe this person knows a pastor who committed sexual sin. Maybe one who manipulated people. Maybe one who was arrogant. Maybe one who seemed fake. Whatever the case, it’s sad.

Having two decades experience as a pastor and knowing many pastors I’ve learned a little bit about them. Here are a few of my thoughts about Pastors:

The Bad About Pastors:

Pastors Are A Mess – Just like the rest of us they have flaws, quirks, hang-ups, and sins that they struggle with.
Pastors Are Stressed- Due to their work load and the fact that their spiritual enemy wants to destroy them, they are a pretty stressed out bunch.
Pastors Have A Hard Time Financially – It’s not that pastors are underpaid (although many are), the problem is that many pastors don’t manage their own money very well. Many have too much debt and they don’t save well for the future. Tons of pastors live in parsonages (homes owned by the church) which saves them from having to pay rent or a mortgage. Yet those pastors, more often than not, don’t build any equity in a home of their own.
Pastors Are Lonely - Leadership is lonely. Pastors often feel like they don’t have anyone to talk to. They love their parishioners, but are afraid to let people see who they really are. The expectations for pastors are so high that no pastor can truly live up to them. The result is that churches are led by broken, sinful people who feel like they have to portray perfection.

The Good About Pastors:

Pastors Work Hard – While there are always exceptions, the vast majority of pastors I’ve known have a profound work-ethic. They spend hours and hours preparing to preach and teach. They supervise staff members and volunteers. They counsel the hurting, and visit the sick. Most pastors I know put in at least 60 hours per week.
Pastors Are Honest – again there are always exceptions, but in my experience pastors have great integrity.
Pastors Are Creative – coming up with a new and fresh sermon is no small task, yet pastors find a way to do it. They are funny, compelling, motivating, convicting, and inspiring week-in-and-week-out. This requires a vast reserve of creativity and energy that most people are unaware of.
Pastors Make A Difference – I can’t tell you how many thousands upon thousands of people I’ve met who are grateful for the impact their pastors have had on their lives. Sure, plenty of people have been hurt by pastors, but far more have been helped by them.

I hope what I’ve written will inspire you regarding your pastor. Go out this week and forgive your pastor’s flaws, trust your pastor’s leadership, try see things from your pastor’s perspective, tell your pastor “Thank You”, and most of all be grateful for your pastor’s ministry in your life.

Do Your Small Groups Click or Clique?

October 12th, 2011

alandanielson

Originally Posted 09-01-2010. Reposted 10-12-2011.

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It’s important for people in a small group to “click” but it’s destructive if they “clique”. Here’s what I mean: one of Satan’s sneakiest strategies is to take God’s beautiful creations and pervert them. Relationships are no exception. Satan wishes to distort them, make them ugly and divisive. Relationships are perverted in this way when we gather in “cliques” rather than working to make sure everyone in a group “clicks”. Cliques are are harmful because they make people feel left out. Thus, we should make every effort to help our small groups “click” but not “clique”.

Small Groups that “Clique”

enjoy gossip
are guarded
are fake
cause hurt feelings
are discouraging
create alienation
are exclusive
harbor resentment

Small Groups that “Click”

enjoy honesty
are transparent
are authentic
demonstrate love
are encouraging
create friendships
are inclusive
practice forgiveness

Keep in mind that not everyone is going to click with your group right away. It’s okay if people decide to look for another group to attend. Just make sure that you keep all communication lines open and ask people why they’ve left. If they leave because they just didn’t “click” that’s okay. But if they leave because your group is a clique then you have some issues to work out.

Leading Through Change While Minimizing Collateral Damage

October 11th, 2011

alandanielson

Originally posted 09-13-2010. Reposted 10-11-2011.

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Any time leaders change something significant in their churches there is collateral damage; someone is going to get upset and possibly leave the church. The bigger the change, the greater the potential for collateral damage.

Collateral damage is the reason some leaders are afraid to change things in their churches. They are afraid of hurting people’s feelings, or they are afraid of losing people. After all, if people leave the church, they won’t be there to give. If they aren’t there to give, the church won’t have the money to operate. If the church doesn’t have the money to operate, the mission won’t be accomplished. This kind of mental gymnastics is a cop out.

Collateral damage is also why some leaders make sweeping changes too quickly. They have a “growth by subtraction” mentality that says, “If people aren’t going to back the vision, then they need to leave!” While I believe that one of the best things for a church is for the complainers to leave, we must be careful of alienating potential allies. There’s a difference between a complainer and someone who is slow to change.

Both of these kinds of leaders are ungodly. The first puts satisfying the flock before the mission. She second is willing to divide the body of Christ for their own agenda. Interestingly, in my experience the first kind of leader tends to be older while the second kind tends to be younger. That’s a very stereotypical statement, but it is what I see in much of my consulting work. In any case, the first kind of leader needs a stronger back bone, and the second kind of leader needs a softer heart.

So how do we leaders navigate change and minimize collateral damage?

Communicate with “opinion shapers” and lovingly try to win them over.
Commit to love people, even when they don’t agree with you.
Publicly set a future date for the change to be implemented.
Give people time to mourn the thing they are losing.
Give people the opportunity to talk with you and share their concerns.
CONTINUALLY share how this change will help your church fulfill the mission (cast vision).
DO NOT give in to the pressure to recall the coming change.
Make the change on the set date (don’t miss this).

Even after all of this, it’s likely that someone won’t be on board with the change. You might still lose someone from your congregation, so keep your mission in mind. We are in a spiritual war and there is far more at stake than disgruntled church members; people’s souls are on the line. In a war there will be collateral damage. Don’t be so afraid of it that you stop leading your church forward. On the other hand, don’t be so comfortable with collateral damage that you are willing to leave a trail of bodies in your wake for the sake of your goal. Be a leader with a strong back bone and a soft heart. In doing so, you’ll be better equipped to navigate change in your church.

Eliminating Leadership Liabilities

September 28th, 2011

alandanielson

Originally posted 09-07-2010. Reposted 09-28-2011

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All leaders have strengths, weaknesses and liabilities. Most leadership books and experts agree that leaders should maximize their own strengths and manage their weaknesses. However, I don’t hear too many experts talking today about eliminating leadership liabilities. This is because too many people don’t understand the difference between weaknesses and liabilities. A weakness is something you’re not good at. A liability is something you do (or don’t do) that undermines your own efforts.

Consider American Football for a moment. This is an over-simplified description, but bear with me. Quarterbacks essentially need three skills:

the ability to throw
the ability to scramble
the ability to think

In the context of the entire game of football, these are just three skills that are helpful, but there are plenty of other useful football skills:

pass-blocking
tackling
rushing the passer
breaking tackles
snapping the ball
kicking
tackling
running routes
catching
punting

A quarterback can be weak in any of the skills on this second list and still be a solid quarterback. However, no quarterback has the luxury of being weak in any of the skills on the first list. A quarterback can be stronger in one or two of the critical skills, but no quarterback can be weak in any of them. If a quarterback is weak in any one of those three areas, then his weakness has become a liability.

Anyone in leadership must have three skills:

casting vision
creating strategy
fostering relationships

A lack in any of these three areas goes way beyond leadership weakness and becomes leadership liability! People in leadership who neglect any of these three essential skills, ultimately undermine their own leadership efforts. Leaders should play to their strengths and not focus much attention on their weaknesses. Unless and until their weaknesses lie in one of the three critical leadership skills. Because then their weaknesses have become liabilities.

The bottom line is this: if you want to lead your team, you have to do all three well. If you can’t do all three with some level of competence then you are a liability to yourself and your team. If you don’t have the discipline to eliminate your own leadership liabilities then you don’t have any business leading the team.

Learn more about the three critical skills for leadership and eliminating your leadership liabilities in my eBook Triple-Threat Leadership.

A Boring Death

September 27th, 2011

alandanielson

Originally posted July 27, 2010. Reposted September 27, 2011.

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Elisha, an Old Testament prophet in Israel and Judah, followed in the footsteps of the similarly named prophet Elijah. As reported in Scripture, the former prophet, Elijah, did not die. Rather, when his time on earth was up, God took him directly to heaven riding on chariots of fire. Before going up to heaven, Elijah prayed that God would give Elisha a “double portion” of God’s spirit. Then the younger prophet Elisha witnessed Elijah fly up to Heaven. With a double portion of God’s Spirit, Elisha took up Elijah’s cloak and became his successor.

Elisha did his job well for years. He was a godly prophet and advisor to kings. Then we read about the end of his life in 2 Kings 13:14 & 20 (MSG), “Elisha came down sick. It was the sickness of which he would soon die…Then Elisha died and they buried him”. I just have to be honest for a minute; this passage of Scripture throws me off a bit. Elisha had a double portion of God’s Spirit. Why didn’t he get a non-stop flight to Heaven like Elijah did? That doesn’t seem fair.

Then it hit me; I prefer stories where the heroes have happy or glorious endings. The former prophet, Elijah, had both a glorious and happy ending. Elisha’s ending was…well…kinda dull.

Elisha’s ending may not be quite as exciting to tell as Elijah’s, but I suppose that’s the point of this passage. Most of us will have rather unglamorous endings to our stories, but it’s not the endings that really matter. What matters is the in-between. There are two dates on every grave marker in every cemetery: date of birth, and date of death. The most important thing on every headstone, though, is not the dates, but the hyphen. It’s that tiny dash that documents how a person lived.

Elisha’s hyphen is made up of his godly life, his obedience, his character, and the miracles in which he participated. What will people remember when they see my hyphen or yours? The great news for all of us today is that we have time to add plenty of great stuff to our hyphens. We may not all have a glorious ending, but we can all have a great hyphen.

Win Two New Group Studies by Margaret Feinberg

September 15th, 2011

alandanielson

My friend Margaret Feinberg, is an amazing author, teacher and speaker. She just came out with TWO new small group curriculums in a new series that you should all know about. These first two titles are Pursuing God’s Beauty: Stories from the Gospel of John and Pursuing God’s Love: Stories from the Book of Genesis. I recently caught up with Margaret to find out about her two new studies.

Where did you develop the concept for this series? I reached a place in my own spiritual life where I felt disconnected from God. I decided to return to the foundations of my faith by reading through the Book of Genesis. Something sparked as I studied, and so I continued reading and rereading for more than 18 months.

During that time, I kept hearing a reverberation in conversations with people around the country who were looking for a Bible study that wasn’t topical but rather based on a book of the Bible—allowing them to really dive deeper into the Scripture. But they admitted that either they or some of the members of their small groups don’t have time to tackle an hour of homework a night. So I began to develop a study that created an equal playing field for the veteran believer who had time to do 30-minutes of homework a night and the young mom who barely has time to take shower. Both can engage in this study—whether or not they’ve done the homework that week—and explore the Scripture together. The study encourages participants to not only grow deeper in relationship with God but with each other as they discuss and share life together.

What are some of the unique features of the studies? Pursuing God’s Beauty: Stories from the Gospel of John and Pursuing God’s Love: Stories from the Book of Genesis are six-session DVD Bible studies with each session averaging 18 minutes in length—leaving plenty of time for discussion and digging deeper into the Scripture and topics covered. Pursuing God’s Beauty is filmed in an artist’s loft with an artist painting in the background—the picture complete with the final session. Pursuing God’s Beauty is filmed outdoors in Colorado with rock climbers in the background. Each lesson features icebreaker questions as well as experiential activities, and five after-hours studies each week are provided in the participant’s guide for those who want to dive deeper into the Scripture at home.

What do you hope people get out of these studies? Studying the Bible is more than something for ‘religious’ people and is more than something done in isolation. Through these studies, we’re reminded the Bible was meant to be discussed in community, and its stories are powerful enough to speak to each one of us—wherever we are and whatever our circumstances might be.

Why did you select Genesis as one of the book of the Bible to dive into? It’s amazing to think that everything we see and encounter in our world today—whether in a place like this with breathtaking views or in a more urban context all began in Genesis.

I love this book of the Bible, because Genesis is the story of our beginnings. In fact, the first word of the Bible in Hebrew is beresheet meaning “in the beginning”. This is the story of our origins, where we began, the formation of our cosmos and humanity. It is also the story of alienation from God, from each other, and from the creation. It’s is also the story of his loving initiative to redeem the world back to himself.

The Genesis story matters because in order to understand where we are today, we must go back to the beginning. The past helps us understand our present and illuminates our future.

In studying the Gospel of John, you invite readers to explore the beauty of God. Why should you and I pursue God’s beauty? Ultimately, you and I were designed to be captivated by God’s beauty. And when we pursue His beauty—we can’t help but find ourselves on a journey… to know more about God, His character, attributes, ways and work, in our world. And the miracle of this journey is that along the way we find breathtaking portraits of salvation, redemption, and restoration.

Perhaps no book of the Bible paints a clearer picture of this then the Gospel of John. Throughout the Gospel of John, the beauty of God radiates in the person of Jesus Christ—the one in whom God displayed his whole heart for the world to see. It’s within the person of Jesus that we find the invisible attributes of God being made visible, on display like the fine pieces of artwork in this gallery—to be enjoyed, celebrated, and reflected upon.

Where can people learn more? Check out www.pursuinggodbible.com for a sample lesson, download, message boards and special offers.

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I have one copy of each study to give away. Here’s how to enter: Leave a comment below and I’ll randomly select a winner on Monday, September 19th. The winner will get both studies. Enjoy!!