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Summer Reading List May 4, 2009

Posted by Gilbert Kingsley in Evangelism, Leadership, Personal Growth.
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About every two or three years, I poll folks on books that they have been reading and then put together a list of those books.  This year, I asked the Field Strategies Regional Directors for their recommendations.  Though this is not as extensive as previous lists, I received suggestions for books that I never heard of and some that have been classics in the church for many years.  If the person suggesting gave a reason, I included it, but I chose not to include their name.  Why not take a look and pick out something that you can take with you this summer.

Spiritual development

Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer.
Heaven by Randy Alcorn.
Streams of Living Water by Richard Foster.       “Presents 6 streams of the Christian faith – it opened up a whole new world of understanding in terms of my own spirituality and how to incorporate different ways of communicating with God.”
The Great Work of the Gospel by John Ensor.        “Though I am prone to hyperbole, in complete honesty this is the best, most beautiful treatment of the gospel and its implications on our lives that I’ve ever read (and re-read and re-read).”
Pleasures Evermore by Sam Storms.       “This book isn’t new (2000), but it’s new to me.  Rick Hove suggested that all our new Faculty Commons staff read it.  His premise is that Christians don’t refuse the desires of the flesh until there is a better desire to replace them with, and in Christ there are pleasures evermore – “I count them as dung in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ”. The book, particularly the first seven chapters, is rich in thought and rich in practical application.”
Renovation of the Heart & “Study Guide” by Dallas Willard.
Whiter Than Snow by Paul David Tripp.       “A great devotional on sin, forgiveness & mercy!”

Character development

The Healing Path by Dan Allender.       “Living in a fallen world means that we will encounter pain, disappointment and brokenness and we must learn to walk through it in a gospel centered way. This is the best book on the topic that I have found.”
The Road to Unafraid by Jeff Streucker.       “The Army’s top ranger and “Blackhawk Down” hero recounts in harrowing detail how he has stayed faithful to God, his family, his men, and his mission in the midst of an Army career filled with calamity and chaos.”

Ministry

Leading with a Limp by Dan Allender.
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.       “Revolutionized the way I looked at my priorities and helped me put the first things first.”
Axiom by Bill Hybels.
The Deliberate Church by Mark Dever and Paul Alexander.       “An absolutely necessary and biblical corrective to the plethora of church models (The Emerging Church, The Purpose Driven Church, The Market Driven Church, etc.), this book challenges us to have a ministry driven perspective and governed by the gospel.”

Okay, now for a few of my favorites.

Organic Church by Neal Cole.     I think this is a must read by everyone in our ministry.  This is classic win/build/send.
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.     We want the Gospel to sweep the campus.  Gladwell talks about the type of people necessary in the spread of social epidemics.
The Celtic Way of Evangelism by George Hunter III.     The way Christianity took root in a pagan world and how that world parallels our own.
UnChristian by David Kinnaman.     The subtitle says it all: “What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity… and Why It Matters.”
And now for a work of fiction.  Silas Marner by George Eliot.     After the gold of the outcast, hermit weaver was stolen, an orphan baby crawls into his life.  This redemptive story about learning to love and receiving love and treasure far greater than the one taken from him.

Just in case you are interested, you can check out the list of books that others suggested three years ago.  There isn’t as much repeated as I would have guessed.  Happy reading.

Five Components of Healthy Teams April 13, 2009

Posted by Gilbert Kingsley in Leadership, Personal Growth.
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Are you setting up your leadership team for one of your campuses next year?
Are you putting in place a team that would lead a summer ministry on a campus?
Are you commissioning a new missional team to launch in another community on campus or on a new campus?
In every situation there are critical components necessary for the proper functioning of that team in order to realize the vision.

I happen to ride recently with Barry Rush, Global Leadership Development Team, and we were talking about training and the skills needed to lead and develop teams.  Certainly there are things to be said about

  • team function (purpose, roles, etc.),
  • team processes (strategic planning, effective meetings, problem solving, decision making processes), and
  • team communication (communication skills, conflict resolution).

But very often the success or failure of a team depends upon the relational aspects of leading.  That is the focus of today’s tip.  Barry and his team unpack Ephesians 4:1-32, identifying five components of healthy teams.  I asked if I could pass this on to you.

Five Components of Healthy Teams

1.  Individuals growing in character.

  • Ephesians 4:1-2
  • How would it be if each person on our teams were characterized by humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance and love?

2.  Commitment to unity.

  • Ephesians 4:3-6, 16
  • Consider ways that each person can contribute to the unity of the team.

3.  Valuing gifts and appreciating differences.

  • Ephesians 4:7,11-13
  • Every team member needs to be known as a person, to be needed, to be involved and give input, and to know their role in the mission.

4.  Speaking the truth in love.

  • Ephesians 4:15
  • If members of a team consistently practiced ‘speaking the truth in love”, how would that change the team?

5.  Using the language of kindness.

  • Ephesians 4:32
  • Do we use sarcasm?  Do we withdraw?  Do we use passive-aggressive humor to attack others?  Does our body language communicate something other than kindness?

It turns out there is one more component, forgiveness!

  • Forgiveness is foundational to healthy teams and helps members move beyond mistakes or problems in relationships.

In a world where jockeying for position, blame shifting and cottage industries of hostility are the norm of the day, such healthy teams will take work.  But there is something very attractive about such teams.  Jesus said that we would be a powerful witness to others.  “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  John 13:32 NIV

Personal Development and the Johari Window March 1, 2009

Posted by Gilbert Kingsley in Coaching, Personal Growth.
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My wife and I lead the Marriage Prep Class in our church.  It has been a ministry that we can do together.  For us, it has been like going back to the days before our kids came along, when we were going on campus together.  We enjoy ministry together.  There is so much more I could say about this ministry, both, from how we benefit and the difference we are making in our couples lives.  But that is beyond the scope of this tip.

One of the tools we use very early in our class is the Johari Window.  We are not using the fully developed material that you can find on the internet.  Instead, we are simply using the window to show that there are various parts of our lives that are

  • Public— Known to self and to others.
  • Blind— Known to others, but not to self.
  • Façade— Known to self, but not to others.
  • Unknown— Not known by either self or others.

We want our couples to understand that every relationship starts off with Public being a small quadrant and the Façade being the larger one.  But as the relationship develops, we hope that the Public arena grows and the Façade and Unknown areas shrink.

I mention this because Shannon Compere, Leadership Development National Director, has covered it twice in meetings that I have been a part of in the last two months.  She uses the Johari Window in personal development and developmental reviews.  Whether we give feedback in a context of a formal review process or whether we do it in the normal course of our day to day activities, we want our feedback to be constructive.  The development process helps us undergo self-disclosure in what once were Blind areas hidden to us.

So when we are discipling or coaching someone in ministry, we really are looking to see that the activities that they are involved in are really growing them into the kind of people that God intends for them to be in the first place.  I have made it a habit over the years to tell those that I am coaching that I am more concerned about their becoming the right kind of person than their doing the right things.  As they become the right person, they will do the right things.  I want them to hear that I care more about their walk with the Lord and their personal growth than what I can get them to do.  By the way, if you have not been to MissionalTeamLeaders.com, check out the Love the Lord filing cabinent.   There is a lot there that will help you and those you coach to grow in the Lord.

Social Graces March 24, 2008

Posted by Gilbert Kingsley in Evangelism, Personal Growth.
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The Scriptures talk about three kinds of witness.
1. The witness of our words.
2. The witness of our actions.
3. Our witness as the body of Christ.

Have you ever been in these situations?

  • You go out to eat with friends and one person is really rough with the server? It seems to go beyond the quality of the food. I have been embarrassed by the lack of respect that I have seen some Christians treat those who serve us.
  • You are riding with someone and they cut another off in traffic? Last week, someone followed me out of the church parking lot and I watched them lay on the horn toward another driver. It seemed unwarranted. Would they have been as aggressive if they weren’t so anonymous behind a wheel?
  • What about situations where you thought a simple “Thank you!”, “Please.” or “Excuse me.” would have been the obvious thing to say and it did not happen?

I often wonder where manners went, why we lack social graces in our dealings with others and why we neglect the little things that show respect for the other person. The little things, like a kindness, a smile and common courtesy make such a difference in whether a person enjoys being around us or would rather not. My wife always asks the person doing check out in the grocery store how his or her day is going. Chris says she wants to leave them more encouraged than drained from having spent that moment with her.

Now here is why I am talking about this. We will be more effective witnesses as we reflect Christ in how we treat others. So often people don’t regard our message about Christ because our lifestyle doesn’t match our words. Paul says to the Thessalonians in his first epistle to them. “You know how we lived among you for your sake.” (1:5b) Are we salt and light? Do they see something different in how we treat others?

But more than the witness of our words, our witness as the body of Christ is enhanced when the non-Christian comes into our fellowship. Do they see something different there? Jesus says, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35. The body mode in our evangelism model is even more strategic today in light of the need for others to belong on the way to believing. With the breakdown of the family, we need to teach the social graces that used to be taught at home. We provide valuable interpersonal skills when we do.

I have been reading a devotional this year, Wisdom for the Way, about selected writings from Chuck Swindoll. In a selection entitled “Helping the World on to God”, Swindoll quotes Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Then Swindoll comments,”

“[The world] will see “your good works,” Jesus said. Like what?
They will hear your courtesy.
They will detect your smile.
They will notice that you stop to thank them.
They will hear you apologize when you are wrong.
They will see you help them when they are struggling.
They will notice that you are the one who stopped along the road and gave them a hand.
They will see every visible manifestation of Christ’s life being normally lived out through you. They will see all that and they “will glorify your Father who is in heaven”
We are the ones who help the world on to God.”

I am sure that there are many of you who have some simple messages that teach practical ways to respect others, describes common courtesy and social graces and, generally, explains what it means to be kind to others. Let’s help each other create ministries that are more inviting places for the non-Christian and, in so doing, our evangelism will be more effective.

Growing During the Summer April 30, 2007

Posted by Gilbert Kingsley in Discipleship, Personal Growth.
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I sent out several tips this Spring on finishing the year strong and getting a good start in the fall. As I was thinking about doing something on the summer for our students, Kathryn Taylor, New Orleans Metro, happened to send me something on that very topic. I asked if I could share it with you.

I had a conversation recently with a friend of mine in the “working world”. He was involved with Campus Crusade for Christ when he was in college 10 years ago. He gave me some really good feedback on some things we really don’t do well in CCC (although I know we are trying to improve).

The biggest thing he mentioned was that we don’t help students own their own spiritual growth outside college. For example, we need to help them get involved in a local church. It took him 4 years after graduating from college before he was settled into a church. Now, he did say that it was his responsibility to do that, but he never really learned why that was important. It wasn’t something we emphasized. Like many, he felt that we focused more on those joining CCC staff than the rest of the seniors.

This got me thinking about sending every senior and how I think about my student’s summers. Our team had a discussion about this not long ago. We tend to focus on preparing students for summer projects than those not going. Do we really believe that God has ordained everyone else’s summers and can do great things in their lives? Do we believe that God will use them even if they aren’t on a summer project? How do we help prepare our students for life through their summers?

In light of that, I’ve made a commitment to talk to all of my students about their summers. Here is the conversation I had with one girl last week.

I asked her what she was excited about this summer. She started to tell me about opportunities to love her family, to mend a broken relationship with her father and to serve her church youth. I thought, “Wow, God can really use her and I want to help her succeed!”

Next, I asked her, “What do you want to see God do in your life this summer, both in your personal growth and in your serving the Lord?”

We talked about the difference between being involved in a college ministry.

  • You have lots of Christian friends who are walking beside you in life.
  • You can easily hang out with your Christian friends.
  • Attending conferences and retreats that give you boosts during the semester.
  • Someone is pursuing to help you grow in your walk with God.
  • Everything is relatively convenient, low risk and fun.

We then talked about getting involved in a church.

  • It’s not focused on one life stage.
  • Lots of activities may seem irrelevant to you.
  • You may not feel like you fit in as easily.
  • Serving looks different.
  • There probably won’t be someone pursuing you to spend time with you and help you grow.

We talked about the three types of people you should always try to have in your life, Paul, Barnabas and Timothy, and how that looks different in your church.

  • For your Paul, it probably won’t mean you meet with some one one-on-one every few weeks who focuses on you and asks you good questions. But there may be some women in the church that you admire or respect that you can pursue spending time with. Ask them to go to lunch. Ask to hang out with them as they care for their children. Ask them good questions: How has faith impacted their lives? What are the greatest lessons God has taught them? Where is it hard for them to walk with God? Take the responsibility to learn.
  • For Barnabas, who is a friend in town that you can share life with, who you will commit to be honest and open with? Who can hold you accountable to continue to spend time with the Lord over the summer.
  • For Timothy, who do you want to invest in (youth, younger college students, etc.)? How are you going to do that? Again it may not look like a weekly discipleship appointment, but you have to be intentional to spend time with them.

Finally, I asked her to come up with a plan of action in the next few weeks. I know for me I actually do much worse when I don’t have the structure of the school year. The down times are the hardest if I don’t have a plan of action.

She was so encouraged when she left our appointment that day. She had been feeling a little left out because she wasn’t going on project, but told me that this made her excited to see what God could do. It encouraged me because I thought her summers can be great “trial runs” for when she graduates and goes into the working world. I hope she can learn now to take responsibility for her walk with God and not flounder for 4 years after graduation!

Kathryn

That’s a good word, Kathryn. Thank you. It just so happens that Jeff Bridgforth, GodSquad webmaster, has some things on these topics at the bottom of GodSquad’s front page.

Student Venture’s List of Values and Skills April 9, 2007

Posted by Gilbert Kingsley in Coaching, Personal Growth.
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Our Student LINC team has benefitted this year by the addition of two coaches from the Student Venture Coaching Center. Where my desk is, I sometimes overhear Scott Bartelt and Dave Meritt on their coaching conversations with volunteers. One day someone referred to some basic training skills expected of staff and volunteers. Dave sent me this list from a Student Venture task force a couple of years ago. These skills were prioritized by SV staff and included definitions for most of the list. To make it more readable, I removed the definitions, except for those that needed clarification.

Best Practices for Building Spiritual Movements

Core Spiritual Values for Campus Ministry

  1. The Great Commission
  2. Identity in Christ
  3. God’s Role in Ministry
  4. Ministry of the Holy Spirit
  5. Parable of the Soils (The balance of broad sowing and results in campus ministry)
  6. Adventures in Faith (Concepts in faith and initiative in evangelism, discipleship, boldness, trusting God, etc.)
  7. Why High School Campus Ministry is Strategic
  8. Love for Students

Basic “Most Useful” Skills

  1. Share the gospel with a student and ask for a decision
  2. Relate to and connect with students
  3. Set up and conduct a target group outreach (also how to talk with a coach or teacher)
  4. Conduct a personal appointment with a student
  5. Follow-up new believers
  6. How to make prayer central in Building Movements
  7. How to explain SV to a parent, teacher an administrator
  8. How to use “school within the school” tool (Able to communicate the purpose and place of SV at a student’s school and the value to them personally)
  9. Teach the ministry of the Holy Spirit
  10. Gather a discipleship group (challenging a student to a discipleship group)
  11. Map the campus
  12. Train students to share their faith
  13. Study and teach the Word
  14. How to lead a discipleship group
  15. How to identify key kids on campus and connect with them
  16. Cast vision and ask for a response
  17. How to develop a Campus Plan
  18. Recruit a student to a conference
  19. Preparing and using your testimony in ministry
  20. Help a student prepare a personal testimony

Additional Skills suggested by SV staff from their surveys

  1. How to recruit other workers to reach students (ie volunteers, interns)?
  2. Train students to lead in the movement
  3. Set up and run a SV meeting
  4. How to challenge a student to the next level of growth
  5. How to prepare and give a public talk
  6. How to develop a donor team for my ministry
  7. Talk with a school administrator
  8. Set up and conduct an adult info meeting
  9. Learning how to get students to set up appointments for you
  10. Gather Christian students for a leadership team
  11. Discern student’s needs
  12. Minister to a student by using the Word
  13. Identify and execute on a priority
  14. Teach others to do WBS ministry

Obviously, some skills are specific to high school ministry. But what I liked here was how they expected their volunteers to be able to minister to students and embody the same values and skills that they require of their staff. If our ministry is ever going to significantly impact campuses outside our present span of care, we will need to get much better at recruiting and training volunteers. If you are interested in seeing the definitions of these skills, contact our office at 1 (800) 678-5462. For more on working with volunteers, here are two somewhat dated articles from the Campus Staff Site Resource Center.

Summer Reading List May 8, 2006

Posted by Gilbert Kingsley in Personal Growth.
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Early in my Christian life, one of my Bible study leaders said that a disciple is someone who is a learner. That doesn’t catch the fullest meaning of the word, but practically speaking, as long as we continue to learn about what it means to be a Christian and to follow Christ, we are His disciples. He said that the day we cease to learn, we cease to be disciples. I like that. One elderly gentleman, Mr. Arnold, in a Sunday School class that I used to teach knew more about practically every topic that I spoke on. But, invariably, he would tell me after class what he learned or what he wanted to apply to his life. He was a learner until the day he died.

I like to hear about what others are reading. In this last Coaching Tip of the year, I provide some suggestions for summer reading. About a month ago, I asked our Catalytic team leaders to tell me about their most recent favorite book and why. I thought you would enjoy reading how it benefitted them. Not everyone responded and some could not narrow it to one. I didn’t try to fill out the categories, but here is a beginning list of books from theological development, to ministering to the lost, to developing your walk with the Lord.

Key:   Book/Author Referred by Comments

Resident Aliens/Stanley Hauerwas Pat McLeod–Good treatment of the importance of body life (embodied/faithful witness)

The Logic of Evangelism/William Abraham Pat McLeod Theology of evangelism that begins with the kingdom of God motif

Body Politics/John Howard Yoder Pat McLeod Distinct/defining practices/politics of Christ and his followers

Soul Tsunami/Leonard Sweet John Lancaster Makes you think about change

Don’t Waste Your Life/John Piper John Lancaster Convicting and motivating to keep pursuing Christ  

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs/John Foxe John Lancaster Stories of the saints who have gone before us

The Treasure Principal/Randy Alcorn Trent Murray Worldview possession of material items is challenged in a very real way

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About God (but were afraid to ask)/Eric Metaxas David Moles  

Blue Like Jazz/Donald Miller David Moles

Pursuit of God/A. W. Tozer David Moles

From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya/Ruth Tucker David Moles Choose Life/Bill Hull David MolesEpic/John Eldredge David Moles Searching for God Knows What/Donald Miller John Mitchell Thinking in new ways to love our neighbors as Jesus taughtThe Invisible War/Chip Ingram Kathryn Taylor Balanced look at spiritual warfare from a very biblical perspective

Divided by Faith/Emerson and Smith Brian McCurry Evangelical religion and race in America, particularly black/white relations in church context

Lost Women of the Bible/Carolyn Custis James Kerri Louck How God created women and how hearts were changed when they encountered

God Heaven/Randy Alcorn Kerri Louck Theological view of Heaven and what it might be like  

Now, Discover Your Strengths/Buckingham and Clifton Adam Huminsky Identifying and utilizing specific gifts in student leaders and working with them in those strengths.

Divine Conspiracy/A. W. Tozer Sam OsterlohThe Pursuit of God/A. W. Tozer Jason Dewar DevotionalA Faith Worth Sharing/Jack Miller Scott Moffatt Evangelism

Amazing Faith/Bill Bright Scott Moffatt Evangelism

Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God/J. I. Packer Scott Moffatt Evangelism

Revolution Within/Dwight Edwards Scott Moffatt Discipleship

Calvary Road/Roy Hesson Scott Moffatt Discipleship

Renewal as a Way of Life/Richard Lovelace Scott Moffatt Discipleship

Our God is Awesome/Tony Evans Jeffrey Scholten Attributes of God with stories and illustrations that bring out the richness of understanding God

Prayer/O. Hallesby Jim Layman (out of print but available online, used)

Revival/Brian Edwards Rick Pridey Major revivals throughout history

Renovation of the Heart/Dallas Willard Rick Pridey How to pursue lasting life changes

The Way of the Heart/Henri Nowen Rick Pridey Priorities for cultivating a reflective life

Too Busy Not to Pray/Bill Hybels Rick Pridey Prayer priorities. Listening for God’s voice

Total Money Makeover/Dave Ramsey Rick Pridey Practical tools and challenge on sound financial management and debt free living

The Calvary Road/Roy Hession Rick Pridey Personal revival classic

Revival: A People Saturated with God/Brian Edwards Rick Pridey A compelling review of revival movements throughout history that is informative and challenging to your prayer life.

Sacred Companions “The gift of Spiritual Friendship & Direction”/David Benner Tom Virtue Pictures how Christians helps others see the presence and work of God in their lives. (Has been used as a textbook for spiritual direction classes in seminaries)

Love Your God With All Your Mind/J. P. Moreland Buz Amason Challenges believers not to neglect the importance of the mind and reason in your relationship with God.

My personal favorite was A Work of Heart/ReggieMcNeal. An insightful look at how God shapes leaders.

As I mentioned, this is the last tip until August. I will, however, add a favorites page on this blog and post my favorite the top 25 tips starting next week.  

I have enjoyed writing these tips. I value your gracious feedback. It means a lot to receive your own submission of ideas and resources. And I count it a privilege to labor together with you as we seek to reach every student on every campus for Christ. I hope you have a good summer. And I look forward to sharing some of the best thinking, strategies and practical tools from our best practitioners again next year.

Summer Survival Guide April 24, 2006

Posted by Gilbert Kingsley in Personal Growth.
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My oldest son, Rick, is graduating in ten days from the University of Florida. He is coming home to raise his support to be an intern back at UF next year. Last week over Easter, he met with a old college buddy for his first support appointment. That will be the first of many such conversations with his Christian friends. Every summer he has been able to grow in his faith and be involved in various Christian groups and activities. But not everyone involved in our ministries has such close networks.

The first page of the “More Than a Summer Survivor” feature of GodSquad reads:
“Let’s face it. Summers can pose a major challenge to our faith and obedience to Christ. Summers can be:

  • a very spiritually isolating time because you are away from the environment and friends that have helped you grow spiritually this past school year
  • dangerous time to your faith and your future
  • or they can be a great experience as you see your faith tested and increased and take some key steps on your own (1 Peter 1:17)

“What makes the difference. The decisions you make now can put you in a position of advantage and strength as you go into the summer. As a Christian, we can embrace challenges the summer brings because we recognize the opportunity to trust God in new ways and see our faith grow in ways that we would have never seen otherwise.”

The “More Than a Summer Survivor” guide provides perspective and resources to help make the difference. The introductory article of the survival kit

tells about three essentials with practical helps and further resources:

  • self-discipline
  • the right fellowship
  • daily time with God and His Word

Romans 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Concerted and consistent time in God’s Word will change our lives. Abraham Heschel writes in God in Search of Man, “The Bible is the frontier of the spirit where we must move and live in order to discover and to explore. It is open to him who gives himself to it, who lives with it intimately.”

Jeff Bridgforth, GodSquad Webmaster, has a great Bible study on the survivor page of GodSquad. This study of the book of Nehemiah

reveals principles about prayer, faith and personal leadership, just what our campus leaders need to take into next year. Other available resources that you can offer include:

Let’s do the best job we can to prepare all of our students to grow in Christ this summer.