Margin: Moving from Stress to Rest

Creating Physical Margin

Is our physical health a spiritual issue?  Does God really care about our blood pressure, body weight, or eating habits?  What does scripture really say about how we should care for our bodies?  This week at Crossroads Church in Cranberry we will be continuing our series entitled: Margin by looking at what scripture says about creating Physical Margin in our lives.  Scripture clearly states that we are not to worship or ignore our bodies and this week we will look at how we should biblically care for our physical bodies.  If you have a moment, take some time to read and reflect on 1Kings 19:1-9.  Look at how Elijah’s lack of Physical Margin affected his life and ministry and join us this weekend as we continue our series on Margin.

10 Things to look for in a church: where you work

From time to time people will ask me what to look for in a good church working environment.  In order to answer this I have created two lists: 10 things to look for in a church you attend and 10 things to look for in a church where you work. If you are in transition for whatever reason, here are 10 things to look for in a local church where you might work.

1.    Integrity:  Are the stated values of the church shared and defined?  Do people act on these or are they just thoughts that no one really lives by.  Are people held accountable to the shared values?  Does the senior leadership submit to these values or are they “above the law?”

2.    Commitment to following Jesus:  Does the leadership talk about their relationship with Christ?  Is this part of your staff meetings? My current boss asks me weekly how my personal relationship with Christ is going weekly.  In 15 years of full-time ministry he is the only boss to ask me this consistently. 

3.    Care for staff families:  Is the church relationally intelligent?  Do they care about their staff’s families?  I have one friend who works at a well-known mega-church whose boss routinely calls home to his wife to see if there is anything he can do to help his family.  He asks about workload, time commitments and financial support.  This shows great care for the entire family.  It will serve to keep great staff longer and motivate staff even deeper if they feel they are more than just part of a ministry machine.

4.    Developing vs. Using staff:  Does the church value the developing of leaders as part of their mission?  Do they have a process for this?  Funding for education?  Is there upward mobility or will you have to leave the church if you feel God is calling you to another type of ministry?  In a meeting with David Browning, Senior Pastor of Christ the King Community Church, he told me that he believes that the future success of CTK will be based on how many leaders they can grow.  “I realized a number of years ago that I had to stop looking at it like they work for me and had to approach it like I work for them!”  Is your senior pastor insecure?  Will he limit the success of those below him if he feels threatened by their gifts and leadership abilities?

5.    Work-Life balance:  Quite simply, does the church demonstrate a biblical theology of work-life balance?  All of us should be motivated to expand the kingdom, but not to the detriment of those closest to us, our families.  Some pastoral friends of mine work in cultures where they are required to work 6 days a week.  Some have job descriptions with 65-75 hours a week.  Is that healthy?  Is it biblical?  Does the church teach work-life balance to their members but expect quite the opposite from their staff?

6.    Freedom:  Will the church allow you the space and resources to accomplish the work you have been given?  Is there a culture of trust or suspicion?

7.    Pursue vs. Protect mentality:  Is this church looking to the past or looking ahead to the future?  Are they protecting past success or dreaming about what God has next.  Is the ministry built for those who are not here yet or for those who have been here for 20 years?

8.    Heart:  Why does the church exist?  What is the motivation?  Is it a call to reach those far from God?  Train leaders for the future?  Is it success? Ego? The legacy of the Senior Leader? Make sure you have clarity on this before you join in.

9.    Leadership:  How are the staff meetings?  Does staff look forward to them?  Are they a celebration?  How does the staff honor each other?  How does the leadership receive feedback?  Is honest and loving critique well-received by leadership as a tool for growth and development?  Is the leadership secure or insecure?

10. Conflict Management:  All relationships have conflict.  How does this church handle conflict when it arises?  Is there a process?  Is this handled with integrity?  I recommend calling the last three people who left that church to ask this question as well as the previous 9!

The Leadership Pocket

A couple of weeks ago I was studying the character of Joshua for a weekend message at Crossroads Church.  There are many things about the life of Joshua that impress me, but the part of Joshua’s life and character that impressed me most was his ability to stay in the leadership pocket. 

In the game of football all good quarterbacks must learn to perform in the pocket.  The pocket is a small space of limited protection provided by the QB’s offensive linemen. 

In the pocket, the QB has choices.  He can throw the ball, hand the ball to a running back or even choose to run with the ball himself.  In short, if a QB is going to lead his team well, he needs to learn how to perform effectively and consistently in the pocket.  There will be chaos all around, but a good QB knows how to focus and function in the pocket.

The same is true for a good leader in the church.   For church leaders, the pocket  is what I like to call the “leadership pocket” and it is that delicate and remarkable balance and space that exists between following Jesus and leading others. 

There is a leadership pocket in every heart.  In order to be an effective leader in this world, we must learn how to “live in” that pocket.  Joshua spent a lifetime learning how to stay in the pocket.  That place where he learned how to be quiet  and humble enough to listen and trust the voice of God, yet strong and courageous enough to lead others. 

How are you at staying in the pocket?  Do you get ahead of God?  Do you try to lead him?  Take some time to find that pocket and spend some time there this week.

Margin: From Stress to Rest

A couple of weeks ago I was working out at the gym and was getting frustrated with my performance that day. In between sets, I pulled my cell phone out and posted on Facebook: "I hate my limits."

As I pushed through the final few sets of my workout, a couple of friends replied to my post with some good shots: "like your 4 inch vertical jump?" "like your hairline?" Leave it to your friends to point out your limits!

This week at Crossroads Church in Cranberry we are starting a new series entitled: Margin. Sunday we will be looking at how stress comes when we ignore our limits in life. All of us have limits: time limits, financial limits, energy limits, emotional limits, we are all limited in one-way or another.

Join us Sunday as we look at what scripture says about living within our limits and how to rest when we are not in control.

Video: Transformers "Joshua"

Transformers: Joshua from Mike Arnold on Vimeo.

“Transformers: Joshua” is a weekend message I preached at Crossroads Church, a growing multi-site church in Pittsburgh, PA. In this message we look at the importance of staying in the Leadership Pocket. Humble enough to follow God yet strong enough to lead others.

10 Things to Look For in a Church: you attend

From time to time people will ask me what to look for in a good church.  In order to answer this I have created two lists: 10 Things to Look for in a Church you attend and 10 Things to Look for in a Church: where you work. If you are in transition for whatever reason here are 10 things to look for in a local church.

1.    Honesty:  Make sure that the leadership of the church is leading with integrity.  If there are gaps between what is said and what is done consider it a warning sign.

2.    Mission:  What is driving your church?  Is it driven by great programs?  Is it an impressive Sunday show? Are they developing community?  Are they seeking to fulfill the great commission?  Great churches see themselves as part of a greater story.  They are driven by the need to reach more people for Jesus Christ and to make a difference in their local communities. How is your church seeking to do this?

3.    Care:  The church is not a corporation.  The church exists to bring people into a relationship with their Creator.  This requires relationships between people.  If you cannot connect with the staff of your local church because they are too busy working on their weekend program, you may want to consider that a warning sign.  One of the greatest pieces of advice that I ever received from another church leader was to always place greater value on people than on program.  I recommend making sure that relationships are a key value of your church.

4.    Generosity:  The church should be a blessing.  Too many churches handle their finances in ways that would bankrupt a family or an individual.  I once worked at a church that spent 45% of their intake on debt service of their worship building.  This “house poor” situation kept them from focusing on the needs of others around them.  Make sure that the church you are attending or considering is structured to be above reproach with the use of their finances and generous to the needs of your local community.

5.    Commitment to Scripture:  The Bible is the source of authority for all local churches.  Is your church teaching from Scripture?  Does your pastor explain the background of the text?  Does he share the context of the original writings or does he use token texts to support his ideas?  Make sure that your church is committed to teaching from Scripture.  It is source of all good teaching and nothing should contradict the Bible.

6.    Theology:  What are the core theological beliefs of your local church.  Does your church differentiate between core and secondary theological issues?  Are the majors, majors and the minors the minors?  Are you in agreement with them? 

7.    Leadership Development:  Is your church developing leaders?  Both staff and lay leadership?  Is there a dividing line between staff and volunteers?  Is there a culture of developing people and deploying them for kingdom?

8.    Shared Leadership:  Do you only hear from one voice?  Is leadership shared or is the church driven by one personality? 

9.    Vision:  Where is your church going?  Vision always looks ahead especially when times are difficult.  Are you in agreement with the future vision?  Are you excited about it?  Are you willing to jump on board?

10. Service: Does your church challenge you to give your life away?  Following Jesus is both challenging and comforting.  Is there a place for you to plug in and use your gifts for the church?  How can you make a difference?

Audio: Transformers "Abraham"

Getting Ahead of God

Have you ever felt like you have gotten ahead of God? Like your plans and ambitions have become so important that you are asking Jesus to follow you rather than the other way around? 

Sometimes you may notice that you’re in one of these seasons of leading God when you really listen to your prayers. God, today I need you to help me get this job. God, today I need you to help me find that special relationship. God, let’s find a place to live that has a little more sunshine. God, won’t you follow my plans?

 

The Christian faith can be summed up in two words.  “Follow me.”  Those are the words Jesus gave Peter and Andrew in Matthew 4, it is also the challenge that God gave Joshua: in all seasons, in situations don’t get ahead of me; just follow me.

This week at Crossroads Church in Cranberry, we are going to take some time to look at the person, Joshua, and how his ability to follow God was the very thing that transformed his world.

Join us Sunday as we look at one more of the great Transformers of our world.

Stuck in-between

There is an old saying that when one door closes another will open but the hallway is miserable. 

No one likes to be in those seasons of transition; in-between jobs, in-between relationships, in-between homes. There is a part of all of us that longs to be settled and at home.

This is also true when it comes to faith.  One of the most miserable places to be is stuck in-between the moment God calls you to do something and the moment you obey His calling. Stuck in-between knowing what you should do and actually doing it!

This week at Crossroads Church in Cranberry we will be continuing our series entitled: Transformers, by looking at the life of Abram and how God transformed Abram from man who lived in the in-between to a man who followed God when he called.

Join us Sunday as we continue to learn about how God can transform our lives and use us to transform our world