Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Get Training in January 2015

1. Turning Pew Potatoes Into Passionate Participators
A mere 20% of churchgoers volunteer their time and talents in a ministry. That means about 80% of the people in our churches are pew potatoes

This is not only unhealthy, it's unbiblical. 

Instead of whining, complaining and giving up on the idea of finding volunteers to serve in ministry with you, I'd like to encourage and equip you to cooperate with God in...
Turning Pew Potatoes Into Passionate Participators

Are you interested?

Dream with me for a minute: What might God in and through your ministry for His glory if you doubled the number of volunteers serving with you?

Now are you interested?

What Will You Learn?
* Why finding volunteers these days is particularly challenging.
* What doesn't work when recruiting volunteers.
* How to address the primary barriers keeping people from volunteering.
* Five proactive steps you can take to cooperate with God in turning pew potatoes into passionate participators. 

When?
Thursday, January 22, 2015
10 AM to 12 noon
(Note: We will choose a place to lunch from 12 noon to 1-ish pm and continue our discussion and application there. Each person will be buy their own lunch.)

Where?
2910 E. Lincoln St
Bloomington, IL 61704

Who?
For anyone serving in ministry—BOTH paid ministry leaders and volunteer ministry leaders.


Cost?
$15 per person. 
Each person will leave with Recruiting, Motivating, and Retaining Volunteers—a handbook on finding, developing, and deploying volunteers for ministry. This book includes a bunch of great questions for team application and follow through.



How Can You Register?
Email me and with the names of those you will be bringing to the training and a phone number for contacting you.

Optional Train-the-Trainer Opportunity!
If after the training experience, you'd like to take this training back to your ministry, you'll have that opportunity. If you're interested in this option, please email me for complete details.

Additional Resources for Disciplemaking with Volunteers!
We'll have other resources available for sale at this training experience.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Relevance, Cruise Ships, and Church

by Skye Jethani
[Passing on a stimulating article. The last two paragraphs are worth the read.]
In the first part of this article I examined how the radical shifts in the American church paralleled the transformation of the passenger shipping industry in the 20th century. Prior to the 1960s, ships were primarily a form of transportation. When this utilitarian function was disrupted by jet travel, the cruise industry was born by transforming ships themselves into the destination and triggering a rapid increase in the size of the vessels.
Similarly, in the mid 20th century the utilitarian role of the church, transporting people into communion with God, was disrupted by secularism. This led innovative pastors to transform churches into destinations rather than vehicles, and attracting irreligious consumers required much larger churches with previously unimaginable offerings. The megachurch explosion began. 
Both the cruise industry and megachurches have been incredibly successful ever since. In 1970 only 500,000 people took a cruise, and there were only 10 megachurches in the United States. In 2010 over 14 million people cruised, and there are now over 1,500 megachurches. If the transformation of the passenger shipping industry has helped us understand the emergence of the megachurch phenomenon, what might it say about its weaknesses?
In the early years of the cruise business ship owners believed the airlines were their competition. Rather than flying to Bermuda, the Caribbean, or Mexico, cruise lines tried to sell the romance and glamour of an ocean voyage (remember “The Love Boat”?) as superior to the speed of air travel. Eventually, however, cruise lines accepted that they were not in the transportation business, but rather the vacation business. This meant Carnival Cruise Lines wasn’t competing with United, Southwest, or even other cruise lines, but with Disney World and Las Vegas. 
To win more of the vacation market some cruise lines began to downplay the allure of the sea and instead built amenities aboard their ships people expected to find at land-based resorts. Today there are ships with water parks, roller coasters, golf courses, planetariums, bumper cars, even tree-lined parks with carousels and ice skating rinks. Step on to Oasis of the Seas’ cavernous main boulevard with fountains, cars, street performers, and a bar that ascends four stories through a glass canopy, and you’ll hear awestruck passengers saying, “I can’t believe I’m on a ship.” 
And that is the problem.
By trying to compete with land-based resorts, these cruise lines literally lost sight of their unique value proposition--the sea. Ships are so crammed with amenities designed to lure passengers and their dollars, it is now possible to spend all day on a ship and never see the ocean. While a passenger may catch a musical, play golf, or ride a roller coaster, the inherent limitations of a ship, no matter how big, mean these experiences will never match what is possible on land. Broadway will always have better productions and Six Flags will always have better rides. As a result the modern cruise industry is engaged in a strange delusion. It is ignoring the one thing it can offer that no one else can--the allure of sea travel--to compete in areas where it can never win.
The church can learn an important lesson from this delusion: Relevance backfires when it overshadows your uniqueness. Not every cruise line has succumbed to this temptation, nor has every megachurch, Some, however, find the accolades of cultural relevance too affirming, and the pressure to fill thousands of seats every weekend too demanding. They will spend millions of dollars for state-of-the-art theater equipment, will stock their children’s departments with Xboxs and 3-story playgrounds, and even run live Twitter feeds during worship. Churches that can’t afford these “wow” factors or a tattooed pastor with electric personality, may still feel the pressure to run an expanding array of programs normally found at a community college or YMCA all to attract consumers away from their devices and health clubs to the church.
At the same time these churches strip away their distinguishing qualities. Gone are the crosses, stained glass windows, steeples, hymns, pews, and liturgies. Sanctuaries become auditoriums. Choirs become bands. Communion becomes a coffee bar. Like a cruise passenger who never experiences the sea, some attenders may be so occupied with programs and productions that they may never actually experience the church.
A friend recently told me about a convicting conversation he had with a newcomer to his congregation. The man, from a Hindu background, came to the large church about a month earlier because he was curious about Jesus. “Everyone here has been very friendly to me,” he reported to the pastor, “and my family has been enjoying all of the programs. But I do have one question. When am I going to learn about Jesus?” The church's reason for having its mega-building and programs is to more effectively draw people to Christ, but the pastor wondered out loud whether they had gradually confused their methods and their mission. After all, the church could survive if people don't meet Jesus, but not if they don't meet their budget. 
This story reminds me of recent research conducted by Barna. While pastors are scrambling to discover the secret bullet to engage young adults, Barna found the top reasons millennials want to attend church are to be closer to God (51%) and to learn more about God (31%). Imagine that. It’s like discovering people want to take a cruise because they like the sea--no roller coasters necessary. 
Eventually we will learn that no matter how much money, effort, or innovation the church possesses, it will never be as cool as the culture. Relevance is a race it cannot win, but in our misguided attempts to compete with the culture we risk losing sight of the only thing of value the church can offer the world--Jesus Christ. 

[If you're willing to reconsider what it means to be a healthy church, go here.]

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Gospel Coaching Training in Peoria

I'm going and I'd love to experience this together with anyone from PALCO.

Who is in?

And why not invite folks from your ministry to join us? Here's the PDF of the flyer above for you to share with others!

Note: There's also an evening option for volunteers who serve in ministry.  Here's the PDF flyer for volunteers!

Looking forward to these days together!

Friday, September 5, 2014

Why you should be a part of the PALCO lunch on 9/11/14

Note: At our next PALC Ongoing lunch on September 11, 2014 (complete details here), we are going to explore 20 great questions that can help us create a disciplemaking culture in our lives and ministry. To that end, here's a brief and thought-provoking article. I hope you take the five minutes needed to read it and let it speak to you.
Learning to Ask the Right Questions
by Skye Jethani
Whoever defines the question defines success.
A great deal of Jesus’ ministry was intended to challenge and transform the questions being asked by his disciples. For example, when the widow put a penny into the offering Jesus’ disciples dismissed her gift as insignificant. Their culture was conditioned to ask, “How much did she give?” Jesus, on the other hand, celebrated her offering because he asked a different question, “How much did she sacrifice?” In this case, like so many, determining the right question is the difference between success and failure. 
Before we evaluate our lives we must first determine what questions to ask. Sometimes identifying the right question is far more difficult and time consuming then the evaluation itself. Consider Albert Einstein’s observation. He said, “If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on it, I would use the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.”
If we’ve adopted the wrong questions, then it is very likely we are judging ourselves incorrectly. This is vividly displayed in Numbers 20 when Moses led the Israelites to Meribah. As they often did, the people complained to Moses about a lack of water. The Lord commanded him to speak to a rock and it would “yield its water.” Instead Moses disobeyed God. He rebuked the unfaithful people and struck the rock twice with his staff. Amazingly water erupted from the rock. The people and their animals drank. The crisis was averted. Moses had saved the day. 
Let’s evaluate Moses at Meribah with the question we frequently ask. Was his ministry relevant? Yes. What could be more relevant than giving water to thirsty people in a desert? Was his ministry effective?Absolutely. Was Moses’ ministry powerful? Yes. In fact it was miraculous. Each of these questions leads us to conclude that Moses was a success, but God asked a different question: Was Moses faithful? 
While the Israelites splashed and celebrated in the water, God severely punished Moses for his disobedience. “Because you did not believe in me...you shall not bring this assembly into the land I have given them.” Success or failure depends entirely upon the questions we ask. What the world celebrates as an effective, relevant, and powerful ministry God may declare a failure. No doubt if Moses were leading today we’d all be reading his book Sinai Success: How to Draw Water From Rocks in 3 Steps. But when we ask God-oriented questions we may discover that a leader stuck in obscurity and panned by the Evangelical Industrial Complex is actually highly successful in God’s kingdom.
All of this means whoever determines our questions wields enormous power over our lives and work. We must consider the resources we engage, the books we read, the leaders we follow. What questions are they asking? How are they shaping our assumptions about success and failure? Are they helping us ask God-directed questions, or merely human ones? 
So much of contemporary life, including in the church, is focused on answers and solutions. But maybe we need to take Einstein’s advice and spend more time in self-reflection determining whether we are asking the right questions. Ultimately it's the question that determines success or failure, not the outcome. 
Can't wait to lunch with you and our other disciplemaking friends in the Peoria Area Leadership Community Ongoing THIS Thursday, September 11th, 11:30AM-1PM!  Complete details here.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

How to create a disciplemaking culture

It's time for lunch with your disciplemaking friends in PALC Ongoing!
* September 11, 2014
* 11:30 am to 1 pm
* La Fiesta, 1101 W. Jackson, Morton, IL

We'll explore 20 key questions you must learn to ask if you want to create a disciplemaking culture in your life and ministry!

You'll leave with these questions to use and share in your life and ministry... and more.

But wait! There's more!
Did I mention chips? Salsa? Tacos? Disciplemaking friends?

Note: Please save the date and email Bill if you're coming so La Fiesta knows how many to expect!

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Details for August 28th PALCO gathering

This generation wants to change the world.
Here's how you can help them do it like Jesus did.
What?
We'll wrestle what disciplemaking looks like with people who don't yet know Jesus as Savior. (Yep, I contend that evangelism is a part of the disciplemaking process—not two separate things. More on this on August 28th.) You'll experience the newly updated Evangelism Is Relationship training experience—and here's the big deal: You'll have the option of taking EIR training back to your leadership team as a five-session training experience later this fall! Plus, there will be a sweet extra "bonus" only for PALC alumni who are present on August 28th.  For a look at the content of this training, go here.

When?
Thursday, August 28th

Time?
Coffee and goodies at 8:30 AM
Training from 9 AM to 3 PM

Where?
WhiteRose Fellowship Church
505 S. Main St
Bellevue, IL 61604
(Not far from the Peoria airport—go here for directions.)

Who?
PALC alumni—and you may invite one guest from your ministry

Tuition?
$50 per person and includes the training experience and training materials.

Registration?
Please register with Bill ASAP via email. This helps us on the planning end of things.
* To pay tuition via regular mail, send a check to: Cadre Ministries, PO Box 264, Mossville, IL 61552 and include a note that the check is for PALCO.
* Even if you plan to pay tuition on the day of our gathering via a credit card, please register with Bill via email ASAP.
(If money is truly an issue for you, let me know and I'll take care of it for you. Not joking. I love you.)

Lunch?
Bring your own lunch.


Bring?
Be sure to bring your Bible and pen.

Can You Help?
We need someone to bring...
* healthy snacks
* donuts and goodies for the rest of us who don't care if we die young
* coffee
Please let Bill know ASAP if you can you help with one of these!

Can't wait to wrestle what disciplemaking looks like with people who don't yet know Jesus as Savior with you at this upcoming PALCO on Thursday, August 28th!

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Equipping Others to Change the World Like Jesus

At our next PALCO day together, Thursday, August 28th, you will leave equipped to help those in your ministry to change the world like Jesus did. Not joking. This training experience will be something you—PALC alumni—can take back to your ministries and do in a five session series this fall!
1. Save the date: Thursday, August 28th.
2. Read the description below.
3. Use the FREE download below to start this conversation with those you will want to train and equip this fall.
God wants to use YOU and your friends to make a difference in your world.

But where do you start?

You start right where you are.


In Cadre's Evangelism Is Relationships training experience, you will learn to live a biblical process for impacting your world like Jesus.


Session 1 iNTERCEDE 
Love the Lord. Making a difference in your world requires the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, you must learn to connect with the heart of God via prayer for those He has placed in your relational sphere of influence.

Session 2 iNVEST
Be a Friend. The natural result of connecting with God's heart is a desire to love people with God's love. We will explore how Jesus intentionally befriended those in his relational sphere of influence—and how we can follow His example.

Session 3 iNTERSECT
Truth and Grace. We'll explore how Jesus brought God's truth and grace to people in His relational sphere of influence. Then, taking our cues from Jesus, we'll explore how to bring God's truth and grace to those in our relational sphere of influence.

Session 4 iNVITE
Share God's Story. God uses ordinary people like you and me to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others. We'll explore how to clearly share God's story, our own God story, and how invite others into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
    To get a feel for this training experience, you can download a FREE two page PDF here.



    Each person gets a 28-page training manual AND a 25 day follow-through John 3:16  Factor Living Guide that is good for personal use and great for small group use. 

    NOTE: If you are interested in hosting this PALCO on Thursday, August 28th, please contact Bill.

    Monday, June 23, 2014

    If this is your idea of outreach...


    If this is your idea of outreach, then I strongly encourage you to plan to be a part of our day long PALCO gathering on Thursday, August 28th.

    And don't forget the PALCO Picnic at the Allisons on Friday, July 18th.

    Tuesday, June 17, 2014

    PALCO Framily Reunion

    [Friends + Family = Framily]

    Who?
    PALC alumni AND their families

    Why?
    For fun, food, games, but, most of all, because disciplemaking with family and friends matters.

    When?
    Friday, July 18th, 4 pm to ??  (Save this date and time now.)

    Where?
    The Allisons' house

    Allisons will provide?
    All the brats you can eat AND all the drinks you can drink.

    You Bring?
    A dish to pass OR a dessert

    RSVP?
    ASAP via email to Bill—please let us know how many in your family and what dish you'll be brining to share!
    No pressure. Always an invitation.




    Monday, June 2, 2014

    Interesting PALC Trend...

    Over the last few years, I've noticed a little trend in our Disciplemaking Learrning Community known as the Peoria Area Leadership Community.

    The trend is this: Guys who've been through the initial first year of PALC (which is so foundational) are asking to return for another first year AND bringing a friend or two with them.

    Turns out, Barney IS right. Everything IS better with a friend.

    I've noticed that the guys who redo the first year of PALC with friends from their lives and ministries have a significantly deeper disciplemaking experience. It seems to move them from the idea level ("these are cool ideas to ponder") to the conviction level ("let's live this way together and change the world like Jesus did").

    As you know, we're seeking God for the next PALC group that will start this Fall. God has been lining up some of these folks for months—like he does every year. (It's fun to watch God do this—and recognize it.)

    If this is something you'd like to revisit with a friend or two from you life and ministry, let me know ASAP.

    No pressure. Always an invitation.

    Tuesday, May 13, 2014

    8-28-14 Save the Date Right Now!


    This generation wants to change the world.

    On Thursday, August 28, 2014, we'll explore how we can help them do it like Jesus.

    It will be a great day of Jesus, disciplemaking friendships, and learning together. I can't wait.


    And you'll leave our day together encouraged and equipped to encourage and equip others in your life and ministry to change the world like Jesus.


    Save the Date Right Now!

    Thursday, August 28, 2014

    Wednesday, February 12, 2014

    Let Cadre's Dave and Rennie Garda encourage and equip you... to encourage and equip others!
    You are invited to join Cadre for...
    Friday and Saturday, February 21-22, 2014
    Peoria Christian School in Peoria, IL.



    Dave and Rennie Garda will be doing these four training lab experiences on both Friday and Saturday...





    Kavanah: A Missing Disciplemaking Concept
    Dave and Rennie Garda, www.cadreministries.com
    Included in this workshop will be a first-century rabbi's disciplemaking glossary and the practical insights needed for God dependent ministry. We'll use youth ministry as an example, but the principles shared will be valued by those who work with families (even our own), children, youth, men and women. We'll explore the first-century teaching and training style of disciplemaking teachers and explore ways to bring these values into our ministries and families.

    Why Youth Ministries Fail... and Is Yours Next?
    Dave and Rennie Garda, www.cadreministries.com
    Encouragement on how to thrive and not just survive the adventure of being a youth worker in 2013. For all volunteer and paid youth leaders.

    Pop Goes the Christian! What Makes You Spiritually POP?
    Dave and Rennie Garda, www.cadreministries.com
    What is the simplest effective environment for "popping" disciples? Why do some disciples find their way into ministry roles while other believers seem satisfied to pew sit? What are your missing ingredients in your disciplemaking journey? This workshop will be shared in what Cadre Ministries calls a Disciplemaking Learning Community context. We trust that you'll learn as much from how this workshop is shared as you will from the teaching lessons we'll engage.

    For Those Who Are CRAZY About Middle School Ministry
    Dave and Rennie Garda, www.cadreministries.com
    We'd like to experience a community time of sharing the adventures and insights of the unique challenges of Middle School Ministry (Grades 5-6 and 7-8). We'll share key insights and some free tools to help you, but we want to hear your heart and questions for middle school ministry as well. So call this a 50/50 workshop... 50% planned equipping and encouragement and 50% hearing and learning from one another. Let's come together to learn more about how to engage with the BATTERIES INCLUDED GENERATION.

    For complete details and registration information, go here.

    Monday, February 10, 2014

    PALCO Lunch Gathering 3/4/14


    Save the Date
    Tuesday, March 4th
    11:30 AM-1PM
    Pizza Ranch, Morton, IL
    We'll have fun doing a Song of Solomon tune up!
    (Who can resist lunch with Paul Cone? Not me.) 

    Wednesday, February 5, 2014

    Opportunities for PALCO Disciplemakers

    Below you will find a few opportunities for disciplemaking friendship, encouragement, and training for you and the volunteers who serve with you in ministry. I hope you'll lean into these!

    February 21-22
    Peoria, IL
    You can get disciplemaking training with Cadre missionaries, Dave and Rennie Garda. Here's a great day of encouragement and equipping for you and the volunteers who serve with you! Complete details here.


    February 27-March 2
    Four different days and locations throughout Wisconsin
    Can you say, "Road Trip to Wisconsin"? Why would anyone in their right mind head north in February? Because you and those who serve with you will have a blast exploring what it means to be disciples who make more disciples. Complete details here.


    March 14-15
    Des Moines, IA
    Complete details here..


    April 12
    Freeport, IL
    Why you need to pack a van with volunteers and key students and take in this morning of encouragement and equipping. For more info, contact Bill.


    May 3
    Morton, IL
    12:30 PM to 3:30 PM. Details about the content of this workshop here. Contact Bill if you'd like to participate.


    May 9
    Peoria, IL
    This will be an official PALC Ongoing gathering! We'll sit together, take in the training together, eat together, and haver over what we're learning through a disciplemaking grid. Each person should register themselves and then we'll just meet up on May 9th! Complete details here.

    Monday, February 3, 2014

    THANK YOU for a great time exploring God's story TOGETHER!

    Just wanted to say thank to each of you who made our exploration of God's true story a rich and practical learning adventure last Thursday. I want you to know that I value you DEEPLY and thank God for our disciplemaking friendship. (Click any image below to enlarge for viewing.)











    Monday, January 13, 2014

    Details for January 30th PALCO Gathering

    On Thursday, January 30, 2014, PALC Ongoing will gather to explore and wrestle how the stories of the Bible are really telling one big true story—the story of God. We'll engage stuff like...
    * What exactly is the BIG true story of God?
    * How does God's true story intersect with our story?
    * Who is the hero of every Bible story?
    * How is the Old Testament about Jesus?
    * Why is the Gospel not only biblical facts, but also God's true story?
    * How can we communicate this story in a compelling/accurate way?
    * What does it look like to walk people in our ministries through God's story?
    * And much more...

    If you have resources and ideas about telling the story of God, please bring them with you and be ready to share!

    Date?
    Thursday, January 30th

    Time?
    Coffee and goodies at 8:30 AM
    Training from 9 AM to 2 PM

    Where?
    The Dream Center Peoria
    714 Hamilton BLVD
    Peoria, IL 61603

    Who?
    This gathering is for PALC alumni only.

    Tuition?
    $25 and includes both a hard copy resource and a digital file resource (bring your laptop or a large jump drive).

    Registration?
    Please register with Bill ASAP via email. This helps us on the planning end of things.
    * To pay tuition via regular mail, send a check to: Cadre Ministries, PO Box 264, Mossville, IL 61552 and include a note that the check is for PALCO.
    * Even if you plan to pay on the day of our gathering via a credit card, please register with Bill via email ASAP.
    (If money is truly an issue for you, let me know and I'll take care of it for you. Not joking. I love you.)

    Lunch?
    We'll all pick a place and go out for lunch together—or order something in. Plan on paying for your own lunch.

    Bring?
    Be sure to bring your Bible, pen, and stuff you want to share with us about telling God's story.

    Can You Help?
    We need a someone to bring...
    * healthy snacks
    * donuts and goodies for the rest of us who don't care if we die young
    * coffee
    Please let Bill know ASAP if you can you help with one of these!

    Can't wait to wrestle and explore the story of God with you at this upcoming PALCO on Thursday, January 30, 2014.

    Thursday, January 2, 2014

    The Grand Story of the God as a FREE Movie

    We are going to be gathering as PALCO pals for the day on Thursday, January 30, 2014. In addition to the FREE downloadable book that I told you about earlier on this blog, I'd also like to share a FREE movie that attempts to tell the BIG story of God starting at the beginning of the Bible and working through to the New Testament. (Note: This is NOT the Bible movie that was aired on television through the History Channel.)

    I've watched the full movie version of this with my family.

    I encourage you to do the same—as another way to prep for our day long PALCO gathering on Thursday, January 30, 2014.

    Here's the trailer that introduces a FREE online streaming video that tells the one story of the God of the Bible.  Check out the trailer and if you want more I've included a link to the full FREE online video of God's true story below.

    (If video of movie trailer doesn't appear, go here.)

    * You can view the entire movie FREE online at your own pace by going here. (There's an introduction, twelve chapters, and a conclusion. It takes a little over an hour to watch.)

    * Plus, there's a FREE study guide to go with the movie—including Bible study and discussion questions.

    Stay tuned for complete details on our day together on Thursday, January 30, 2014.