CreativePastors Blog & Podcast

Inside Look at Staff Retreats

Just in case you missed it, here's the latest newsletter from Ed with some helpful insight on staff retreats. Find out how FC retreats are planned and what happens there. And if you're not signed up to receive our newsletters, you can do it here - for free!

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Summer is my time to step out of routine. Whether I'm on vacation with my family, away for some time alone with Lisa, or in the office but not speaking, this break from week-in, week-out message prep and delivery is critically refreshing. By the end of summer, I've had a chance to get new perspectives on our church and leadership - just in time to share with the staff at our end-of-summer retreat!

In early August, we usually pull our key leaders together and get away for a week or so at a remote location. We keep the details for the retreat limited to those who are attending to protect our time and focus. Spouses are invited so that we can enjoy some group activities after hours.

Ahead of time, I've got a pretty clear idea of what we need to cover, and my leaders know to come prepared with the most current stats and updated information about the areas they oversee. We talk about what's going on in different departments, look at key numbers, staffing issues, and the big picture budget. And, of course, we ask lots of questions! Are things working? Is there a program we need to cut? Is there something we need to blow up and start over again? We step back and evaluate ruthlessly to make sure that everything we spend our time on is contributing to our vision.

Last summer's retreat brought some of the most radical changes we've ever seen in our Fellowship Church staff. I moved many leaders to completely new areas (like putting our Student Pastor over our weekend worship, our Executive Pastor over our student ministry, our Technology and Assimilation Pastors to Campus Pastor positions, just to mention a few). These moves were initiated not only to take advantage of our leaders' strengths, but also to shake things up and keep us from becoming complacent.

Let me encourage you to plan a staff retreat of your own. And if your "staff" consists mostly of lay leaders instead of paid personnel, there's no reason you can't have an effective getaway with them - make it a long weekend and go someplace relatively close.

Our summer C3 Regional Conferences are a great option to launch a retreat. Since you can bring your whole team for one rate, you can invite all your key leaders. Attend the sessions as a team and then book a meeting room in your hotel for a day or two afterward to review the things you learned and assess your ministries with a new outlook. And with conference locations like Phoenix (June 12), Miami (June 15), and Los Angeles (July 20), you're sure to find plenty of options for your leisure time!

We've also discounted some of our most effective leadership resources this month to provide fuel for discussion. Don't be afraid to assign pre-retreat homework! One of our Leadership Uncensored issues, Fall Forward, talks specifically about how we use the summer strategically to get ready for the fall push.

Have fun. Consider crazy ideas. Take risks. Be bold. And start the fall stronger than ever.

Podcast > Yes/No > Yes

Life is full of options. Yet all the choices we make and decisions we face ultimately come down to just two small words—yes and no. We are the sum total of our yeses and nos.

In this first message of a two-part series, senior pastor Ed Young takes an in-depth look at the first of those words. And as Ed reveals to us God’s view of this word based on Matthew 5:37, we see the power and potential “yes” really has. Because when we are willing to back up our yeses with commitment, life will take on a new direction of purpose and meaning.

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.

Length: 53:36

Yes/No Series
"Yes” and “No” are two of the shortest yet most powerful words in the English language because they have such finality. Those two small words pack a punch that many longer words don’t. And so often we have a hard time saying those two little words because of their definitive nature. We would rather ride the fence than let people know exactly where we stand.

But in this powerful two-part series based on Matthew 5:37, senior pastor Ed Young teaches us not only how and when to say those words, but also how to back them up with our actions. Because when we learn to use “Yes” and “No” for the right things at the right time, we will discover the power and meaning found in a life of firm decisions.

Yes/No

CreativePastors

If you have iTunes 6.0, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Twenty-four hours after Ed delivers his weekend message at Fellowship Church, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.

If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/cpblog.

Visit Your Church this Summer

This summer, take a weekend when you are free from your normal responsibilities and visit a local church - your own. There's nothing like experiencing familiar environments with fresh eyes to show us what we're doing right and areas where we can improve. Pull into the parking lot at peak arrival time. Take a look at your signage. Follow a family who is trying out your church for the first time, or better yet, bring  some visitors along with you. Was it easy to know where they should drop their kids off? Was the children's area clean, inviting, and free of strange smells? As you sit in the service are there things happening that could confuse you? Is it easy to know how to find out more about your church?

At Fellowship Church, we're big on asking questions because we've found it an incredibly effective way to keep learning. Stepping into the shoes of a first-time visitor at your church provides the perfect opportunity to ask some questions of your own.