tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:03:13 +0000What I'm learning right now in the areas of Ministry Coaching, Simple Church, Church Growth & Church Healthhttp://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/DrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)Blogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-3043859444754343437Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:03:00 +00002009-11-30T20:03:13.800-06:00small groups softwareChurch GrowthChurch HealthSmall GroupsHi all, Just a reminder that this blog is about what I am learning right now.  So we are continuing this series on small groups, based on things which I have learned and am still learning.  Many churches have a dream of "being a church of small groups",  but they often fail to make this happen.  What goes wrong? We've looked at a lot of different elements necessary for a successful small group http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/11/small-group-discipleship-6-what-should.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-2515843291760354347Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:42:00 +00002009-11-24T22:42:56.587-06:00small groups softwareChurch GrowthChurch HealthSmall GroupsHi All, Many churches have a dream of "being a church of small groups",  but they often fail to make this happen.  What goes wrong? Keeping a small group ministry running well is a full-time job.  What makes a small group ministry distinct from other church ministries is that it is decentralized.  You could run a youth group, or a children's ministry, or a men's ministry, and basically have http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/11/small-group-discipleship-5-critical.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-1139080552551227434Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:19:00 +00002009-11-16T07:19:06.013-06:00small groups softwareChurch HealthSmall Groups Hi All, Many churches have a dream of "being a church of small groups" but often fail to make this happen.  What goes wrong? The dream is admirable.  There are some definite benefits to being "a church of small groups." But what do we even mean when we say that? I came across this factoid about small groups at the Church Growth Factoids section of HighPower: “Based on lots of research over http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/11/small-group-discipleship-4-can-we.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-300357157106661899Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:39:00 +00002009-11-09T06:39:20.999-06:00small groups softwareChurch GrowthChurch HealthExodus 18Small Groups Hi All, This story in Exodus 18 known as "The Jethro Plan" has always fascinated me in terms of its potential for successful small group ministry.  God has revealed the plan for providing care for all the people, without burning out the pastor, and yet it seems that many churches have a difficult time putting this plan into reality. It is a key method, not only for protecting leaders from http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/11/small-group-discipleship-3-old.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-6168682289986564771Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:50:00 +00002009-11-01T17:50:35.720-06:00C.Peter WagnerChurch GrowthChurch HealthSmall Groups Was C.Peter Wagner right or wrong? I had the privilege of receiving most of my doctoral courses from Dr. Wagner, and I, like many others, have read and consumed his many volumes on church growth.  One very influential book which he wrote was entitled, Your Church Can Grow.  It was originally written in the '70's and then revised in the '80's, and republished in 2001.  It is a GREAT book.  It http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/11/small-group-discipleship-2-how.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-4015719659520671136Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:45:00 +00002009-10-26T06:45:11.275-05:00Acts 2:42-47Church GrowthChurch HealthSmall Groups The Power of Christian Community (Acts 2:42-47) I have a suspicion that most Christians have never experienced the power of Christian community.  And this is a big problem if you are trying to create a robust small group ministry in your church.  If most people have never experienced deep Christian community, they are not likely to easily jump into the small groups that you are offering. What http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/10/small-group-discipleship-1-power-of.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-2559730482039393468Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:03:00 +00002009-10-19T08:03:08.864-05:00Hi All, Recently completed the book "Focus" by Greg Hawkins and Cally Parkinson of Willowcreek.  The sub-title of the book is "The Top Ten Things People Want and Need from You and Your Church".  The book is the third in a series based on the Reveal study. The Reveal research is based on responses from hundreds of churches and many thousands of church members.  When Willowcreek 'revealed' http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/10/book-review-focus-willowcreek-study.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-3954770067134952683Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:47:00 +00002009-10-12T08:13:22.508-05:00Bob Loganbusiness coachingMinistry CoachingHi All, Coaching is a powerful tool to assist in the task of making disciples in your congregation. The final installment in the "Coaching Basics" series relates to HOW?  We've already covered the WHY you need a coaching ministry and the WHAT coaching is.  Plus, last week I gave you that inside look at one recent coaching session which I completed.  So, now...HOW do you get a robust coaching http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/10/four-part-coaching-basics.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-2950129009589345896Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:40:00 +00002009-10-06T21:40:38.841-05:00Christian coachingfocusobjectivesbusiness coaching HI ALL, We are continuing our third installment in the series on "Coaching Basics".  I'm just sharing with you some of the things which God has taught me related to coaching.  I've learned a lot, and found coaching to be tremendously useful in helping people to take control of their lives and experience success.   Two weeks ago we looked at the WHY:  "How to know if your church needs a http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/10/coaching-basics-inside-look-at-coaching.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-2130232635837061517Sun, 27 Sep 2009 03:03:00 +00002009-09-27T10:10:07.255-05:00Life CoachingChurch HealthMinistry CoachingHi All,Continuing from last week, where we talked about WHY you might need a coaching ministry in your church, we'll talk about WHAT exactly coaching is and isn't. Let's start with defining what Coaching is NOT.--Coaching is NOT Counseling. Coaching is not about focusing on the emotional trauma or difficulties of life. It is not about a focus on the problems of the past, but the http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/09/coaching-basics-what-coaching-is-is-not.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-5807069424281108731Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:36:00 +00002009-09-25T17:58:12.741-05:00Church GrowthChurch HealthJim CollinsHi All, I really like Jim Collin's books; they are very readable with a lot of great business anecdotes and real-world applications - for those in business. But, the question I always ask, as I'm sure you do too, when reading a great business book like this, is how does it relate to the local church?The full name of Jim Collin's book is "How the Mighty Fall and Why Some Companies Never Give In".http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/09/book-review-how-mighty-fall.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-8912639456998789812Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:27:00 +00002009-09-22T20:57:37.247-05:00Church GrowthChurch HealthMinistry CoachingHi All,How would you know if your church needs a coaching ministry?Just try this test; has this ever happened to you?Someone approaches you about a new ministry idea, and you think it sounds great. So you encourage them to get started. They find a couple of other team members, start making their plans with great excitement and zeal. They meet for a few weeks and then with great fanfare http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/09/how-to-decide-if-your-church-needs.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-7464424624467774468Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:31:00 +00002009-09-17T07:52:35.609-05:00Church GrowthChurch HealthSticky ChurchSimple ChurchSmall GroupsHI All,If you've read this blog for a while, you know that I am a fan of the Simple Church concept. The book Simple Church has really changed the way we do things around at my church. Although we read the book three years ago, we are still applying its principles today. They seem to get truer the older we get as a church. Well, I have recently finished another great book, called Sticky Churchhttp://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/09/sticky-church-simple-church.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-5367180539156259106Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:19:00 +00002009-09-07T13:29:40.613-05:00HI All,Have been working for several months on a new look for the website, HighPowerResources.com.It's all up and running now, and I'm pretty happy with it. It has a much better look, and you will find it much easier to find things, and overall, quite a bit more functional. (If you find any bad links, please let me know, as we are still fine-tuning parts of it.) But the overall result, should http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/09/new-highpowerresourcescom-website.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-3450701048772085954Fri, 28 Aug 2009 02:03:00 +00002009-08-27T21:18:30.699-05:00small groups softwareSermon softwarechurch softwareChurch GrowthChurch HealthSmall GroupsHi All,I've got a special word and thoughts for the pastors reading this post. This blog is all about what I am learning related to church growth & church health, and related topics. One issue that is tangentially related to this is the issue of technology in churches and in ministry. Now by 'technology' I am not referring to all the gadgets that are being used, or could be used, for ministryhttp://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/08/pastors-and-technology.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-4927336639497672260Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:30:00 +00002009-08-19T17:02:28.599-05:00Christian coachingWillowcreek ChurchcoachingLife CoachingREVEALHi All,Willowcreek released their third book in their church analytics series:Reveal, Follow Me, and now, Focus.These books are based on an in-depth study they have made of what truly helps people to grow spiritually. Many have equated these along the lines of the "Natural Church Development" series of tests which many churches have taken. The focus is a bit different however. The NCD test http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/08/handling-stalled-dissatisfied-in-your.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-3996333733067847457Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:25:00 +00002009-08-07T11:07:10.696-05:00Willowcreek ChurchSummitLeadershipLeadership developmentHi All,I'm at the Leadeship Summit this week.This is such a great conference I never miss it. I hope you attend it too. Here's why:1. It stretches my brain. Every single year I am challenged to think in new ways. If I did not attend the Leadership Summit, I would be the weaker for it. The Summit, because it brings people from all over the world who look at the world in new ways and share their http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/08/why-i-love-summit.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-9143066450881579012Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:39:00 +00002009-07-28T08:01:12.594-05:00coachingLeadershipChurch GrowthChurch HealthLeadership developmentleadersLeadership Development is a four-part process which includes: Recruit, Train, Delegate, & Supervise.It is critical for churches to practice leadership development because the future of their church depends upon the capacity to add quality, spirit-filled leaders to positions of influence throughout the church.This final week we are looking at Supervise. Many people will interpret the word 'http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/07/leadership-development-part-4-supervise.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-4996149219136943210Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:07:00 +00002009-07-21T08:57:08.650-05:00coachingLeadershipChurch GrowthChurch HealthLeadership developmentMinistry CoachingleadersLeadership Development is a four-part process which includes: Recruit, Train, Delegate, & Supervise.It is critical for churches to practice leadership development because the future of their church depends upon the capacity to add quality, spirit-filled leaders to positions of influence throughout the church.This week we are talking about the Delegate portion of the leadership development processhttp://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/07/leadership-development-part-3-delegate.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-6708860110932532969Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:11:00 +00002009-07-13T08:59:51.844-05:00spiritual giftsSHAPEcoachingLeadershipChurch GrowthChurch HealthLeadership developmentMinistry CoachingleadersLeadership Development is a four-part process which includes: Recruit, Train, Delegate, & Supervise.It is critical for churches to practice leadership development because the future of their church depends upon the capacity to add quality, spirit-filled leaders to positions of influence throughout the church.This week we are talking about the Train portion of the leadership development process.http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/07/leadership-development-part-2-train.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-6841130618489080922Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:26:00 +00002009-07-07T08:47:36.549-05:00spiritual giftsLeadershipChurch GrowthChurch HealthLeadership developmentleadersHI All,Leadership Development is a four-part process which includes: Recruit, Train, Delegate, & Supervise.It is critical for churches to practice leadership development because the future of their church depends upon the capacity to add quality, spirit-filled leaders to positions of influence throughout the church.The first part of this process is to Recruit.I do not use the word "recruit" in http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/07/leadership-development-part-1-recruit.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-7255525388884570957Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:46:00 +00002009-06-29T21:38:13.754-05:00equipping the saints200 BarrierChurch GrowthChurch HealthLeadership developmentHI All,You probably already know that most churches never get beyond the 150 mark. But did you know why?There are a few key factors to help a church break beyond the so-called "200 Barrier" (more like 150 - 250). One of those factors is the pastor's leadership. The pastor has to want to, and be able to, develop leaders. Some pastors don't want to develop leaders, because they are insecure. http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/06/leadership-development-four-part.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-5555406258456041097Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:36:00 +00002009-06-25T12:57:24.785-05:00church softwareChurch GrowthChurch HealthpastorsSmall GroupsHi All,Coincidentally, I also have a comment this week about some other software I am developing. I mentioned SermonBase Message Planning Software last time, because I was preaching and needed some old files that I had developed before SermonBase. Well this week, something cool happened with another piece of software which we are developing, called "Shepherd Care" Group Software. Here's what http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/06/why-i-need-shepherd-care.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-1159381639967546676Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:34:00 +00002009-06-16T07:12:45.669-05:00Sermon softwaresermon planningmessage planningSermonsYes, even though I am the one who created SermonBase, I still feel this way: I wish I had SermonBase 15 years ago. Here's why: this week I am working on a Father's Day message. So I opened up my copy of SermonBase, which I have had for years, and started doing some research. Using the search tools of SermonBase, I first did some title search's for "Father" or "Fathers" or "dads", with no http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/06/i-wish-i-had-sermonbase.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816338482908593464.post-8586414229600913320Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:48:00 +00002009-06-15T08:30:37.257-05:00debtFinancesSermon in a SentenceChurch HealthBiblical teachingPropositionSermonsHi All,Last blog I talked about the definition and significance of the Proposition in your sermon. Your proposition is your sermon in a sentence. It says everything in a single sentence. Then preaching is just a matter of unpacking and releasing all that pent up meaning from your high-powered sentence into an entire sermon.One of the foundations of preaching a good sermon is crafting a really http://www.highpowerresources.com/blog/2009/06/preaching-proposition-part-two.htmlDrBill@HighPowerResources.com (Dr. Bill)0