Learn from the Best (and Worst) of 2011

Last week I shared with you about a powerful year-end evaluation process that can help you wrap up 2011 and prepare you for all that God has in store in 2012.

Effectively evaluating this year before you start the next can help ensure that none of the lessons of 2011 are lost, and none of the mistakes are repeated in 2012. Like any good worship service this year is not over until it’s been properly evaluated and debriefed.

Take it from me . . . I’ve tried it both ways.

In the early days of ministry, I approached the end of the year without thinking about how I could learn from it, and tried to seamlessly go on to the next year without missing a beat.

The problem was Read more

Three Questions to Help You Wrap Up 2011

With the end of 2011 just days away, many pastors and worship leaders are already turning the calendar in their minds to 2012. Good idea, right?

Wrong!

Let me explain . . . There’s nothing wrong with looking ahead, but the problem is that many may be forgetting one of the most important year-end rituals — wrapping up this year before you move on to the next. That’s right . . . like any good worship service it’s not over until it’s been properly evaluated and debriefed.

One of the things that I do each year is a year-end evaluation. It’s an incredibly powerful process and I want to share part of it with you today.

You see there is a leadership principle that far too many people practice these days — the Principle of Reflection.

John Maxwell says that, “The greatest enemy of good thinking is busyness.” That’s certainly true this time of year. We become so busy moving on that we neglect to take time to think, reflect, and evaluate how things went this year, and what can learn from that to make next year better.

So as we head down the homestretch of 2011, I want to share with you a few of the questions that I use to reflect on this year.

There are about 16 questions in all, and in my coaching networks this past week I shared almost every one and took each of the worship pastors in the network through this process of year-end review.

I don’t have time to do that here, so over the course of the next few weeks I’m going to share with you three of these questions to get you started.

But first, let me tell you why this is important to you specifically.

First of all, it will remind you of what God has done in my life this year. Like the Israelites, you and I need to be reminded of all that God has done for us so we can be grateful and remain faithful.

It will also give you a clear picture of where you are and how far you’ve come in the last year. How did you do at overcoming your biggest challenges this past year, and how is God growing you?

One of the great tragedies of life would be to reach the end of a year, look back and realize you are the same person today that you were a year ago. A year wasted, fighting the same battles, dealing with the same struggles. Like Sisyphus, the king from Greek mythology who was punished by being compelled to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll down again, and to repeat this for eternity.

That’s not what you want, not what I want, and certainly not what God wants.

So, before this year is over, let’s see what we can learn from it. Here’s the first question . . .

#1 – What are my current responsibilities at the church at the end of this year? (Be as specific as possible)

At first glance, this may look like either an unimportant question, or one that you already know the answer to, but stick with me a minute here.

If you had 10 minutes right now, could you write down on paper everything that you do to serve your church and lead your ministry? Not “broad job titles” but specifics. Most of us haven’t thought about this since we were first hired and given a job description.

But if your ministry is anything like mine, your role has changed. In fact it’s constantly changing. Responsibilities you once had have been given to someone else. You have new responsibilities and projects to lead.

If you don’t take (at least) an annual account of exactly what you do . . . and I mean exactly . . . then you will never be able to:

• Raise up other leaders to take over your least important tasks so you can do what’s most crucial and only you can do.

• Know exactly what you’re responsible for.

• Be able to have accountability in your ministry, either between you and your pastor, or you and your volunteer leaders and staff.

The list I made when I did my year-end review last week was nearly 2 pages long. I bet yours is, too. So . . . just exactly what is it that you’re on staff at your church to do . . . and are you doing it?

Make a list and consider that question. By doing so you will start 2012 with more clarity and understanding of how to make the biggest contribution to the kingdom, and not just float through another year.

Next week we’ll cover the second question. Until then . . . you’ve got work to do 🙂

Your partner in ministry,

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PS – You heard me mention above how I lead my coaching network through each aspect of this review earlier this week? That’s exactly the one-on-one coaching that I would love to give to you and your ministry in 2012.

My new coaching network begins in March, and it will fill up. So if you’re looking for an opportunity to take yourself and your worship ministry to the next level in 2012, I would ask you to prayerfully consider this network. Now is the perfect time to apply because the Super Early Bird deadline is coming up quick (December 31st).

Right now you can receive the Super Early Bird rate and additional bonus resources ($772.00 value) that you receive when you’re accepted:

  • The Successful Worship Leader Workshop ($499.00 Value)
  • Autographed copies of my new books, Engage: A Guide to Creating Life-Transforming Worship Services and Revolve: A New Way to See Worship (a $23.95 value)
  • A $100 VISA gift card from me for you and your spouse to use as you wish
  • Free Dinner for you and your spouse with me and the WLI team on the night before the exclusive Tele-Coaching 2012 live event in sunny south Florida ($150 Value)

WHEN YOU GROW, YOUR TEAM WILL GROW

Here’s a powerful question for you: What could you do over the next year that would dramatically impact the development of your worship ministry and your personal growth as a leader more than this network?

Imagine for a moment, what if …

  • Your worship team could double over the next year and so could your personal effectiveness?
  • You could consistently get everything done at the office, manage your staff and volunteers well, see consistent growth in excellence and still get home on time for dinner and family fun each night?
  • You could develop personal leadership growth habits that help you lead yourself and your team at an optimum level?
  • You could achieve greater clarity and a stronger working relationship with your pastor?
  • You were able to work with your pastor to plan your services months in advance, and create more impactful services than ever before, while reducing the stress of Sunday?

What would your life and church look like one year from now if your worship team and effectiveness grew by 50%? I can’t promise these results but I can say that they are typical of results I’ve seen in the nearly 200 worship pastors who have completed my coaching process over the last 5 years.

I’m not teaching you theory or stuff that I’ve only read about. I’m coaching you as a fellow worship pastor and practitioner who is in the trenches day after day leading a growing worship ministry. In addition, the coaching process that I will lead you through is a proven process that has been effective with nearly 200 churches who have been through this coaching process, and hundreds more who have taken part in my one-day seminars.

** If you are ready to apply now, click here to read more and apply online:

https://worshipleaderinsights.com/coaching

COACHING WILL HELP YOU ACCOMPLISH MORE

Instead of you flying to our office in New York City for an ‘in person’ coaching network, you will participate in this coaching network via your telephone and your computer.

Think about it, you will experience the same network experience that others have experienced while SAVING THOUSANDS of dollars in travel costs and SAVING DOZENS OF HOURS on cross-country flights.

YOU GET FREE RESOURCES (UNLIKE OTHER NETWORKS)

The short answer . . . I will share every worship ministry and personal development principle I know and give you every resource I’ve developed to help you implement each principle.

Don’t worry, it will not be overwhelming . . . everything will be delivered in a manageable bits over the course of the year.

All that said, here’s the ‘official list’ of all that you receive:

  •     Monthly hands-on coaching from me.
  •     A proven coaching process that leads to growth and health.
  •     Over $1419.00 in FREE resources from Worship Leader Insights.
  •     Unlimited email access to me and the WLI team.
  •     A monthly coaching environment where everyone is focused on a Kingdom agenda.
  •     MP3s of each session for your review. NOTE: Even if you miss the exact date, you can listen to the network at your leisure.
  •     Free attendance at all WLI training events during your network.
  •     Private “call-in” times with me to have your specific questions answered in more detail.
  •     NEW – a private weekend training event (in sunny South Florida) exclusively for Tele-Coaching members, complete with a behind-the-scenes look at The Journey on a Sunday morning ($1500 value)
  •     The opportunity to grow and take your church to the next level.

Plus much, much more . . .

As you can see, just the tangible benefits you will receive as part of this network will far out-weigh your monthly financial investment.

** If you are ready to apply now, click here to read more and apply online:

https://worshipleaderinsights.com/coaching

I WILL INVEST IN YOU EACH MONTH FOR ONE YEAR

Each phone call is 90-minutes long and we will meet monthly for one year. This is a big commitment but I want to make sure that we fully cover all 7 of the Worship Leader Challenges and I’ve outlined in my resources.

You will complete the network with a personal library worth of worship ministry leadership materials and personal development insights.

I have a degree in Sacred Music, and I can guarantee you that what you will learn in this network is the ‘practical, will work tomorrow’ stuff they don’t teach in college or seminary!

YOU WILL DISCOVER AND OVERCOME THE SEVEN CHALLENGES OF A WORSHIP LEADER

We will cover each of my Seven Challenges of a Worship Pastor plus issues related to personal development, time management and more. As a reminder, the seven challenges are:

* The Personal Challenge – How to develop personal leadership growth habits that help you lead yourself and your team at an optimum level

* The Pastor Challenge – How to achieve clarity and a develop a strong working relationship with your pastor

* The Planning Challenge – How to plan your services months in advance, and create more impactful services than ever before.

* The People Challenge – How to double your Worship Team volunteers and strengthen their commitment to the church through a proven audition system that leads to growth and health.

* The Provision Challenge – How to invest wisely the resources spent on the Sunday service for now and the future, especially in a troubled economy

* The Professionalism Challenge – How to create a culture of excellence that brings the very best out of you and your volunteers

* The Production Challenge – How to ensure that every Sunday service is successfully planned for and executed, with nothing left to chance

FINALLY, A COACHING NETWORK TO FIT YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE

Each tele-coaching call will be from 11:00am – 12:30pm Eastern Time. Literally, you could call in to the network from anywhere in the world. Cool, huh?

All the calls are on Fridays, which I’ve found to be the best day for most worship pastors, but I also understand that you may have to adjust your schedule..

Remember, each call is only two hours so even if you have to step out of a meeting or call in from home, it will not consume your entire day. Here are the dates:

  •     March 16, 2012
  •     April 13, 2012
  •     May 11, 2012
  •     June 15, 2012
  •     July 13, 2012
  •     August 17, 2012
  •     September 14, 2012
  •     October, 12, 2012
  •     November 9, 2012
  •     December 14, 2012
  •     January 11, 2013
  •     February 8, 2013

YOUR OWN PERSONAL CHURCH GROWTH LIBRARY

I strongly encourage you to make every date a priority but I also know that ministry is messy and uncertain so I will record every session and you will receive the complete MP3′s of each session within a day or two of meeting. If you attend, the MP3 is for your library and for your review. If you are unable to attend, you will still be able to gain the full experience.

AN UNBELIEVABLE OPPORTUNITY DEMANDS A GREAT GUARANTEE

As I mentioned earlier, this network is not for everyone but if you choose to apply and you are accepted, I would like to offer you a no-hassle, no questions asked guarantee.

Here it is: I’m so confident that you will find this Network beneficial that any time prior to the fourth monthly meeting (June 15, 2012) you can call my office and tell me that this network isn’t benefiting your church or your leadership ability and I will refund everything you have invested, including any long distance costs you might have incurred. Plus, you can keep any of the resources, MP3s or seminar materials that you have received to date.

In other words, I want to remove any fear you might have in joining this network. You can try it for four months with absolutely NO RISK!

YOUR RESULTS WILL EXCEED THE FINANCIAL INVESTMENT OF THIS NETWORK

I have tried to keep the monthly investment in this network as low as possible. But remember, you are receiving thousands of dollars of resources, free passes to my seminars, email support and private consulting. At the same time, you are saving thousands of dollars in hotel, flight costs, rental car expenses, gas, etc.

That said, the monthly investment is $247 per month if your application is received by December 31 ($297 per month after December 31). Once you are accepted, your credit card will be charged for the first two months.

You’ll find that is about the same as taking 3 key team members to one of the major worship conferences this year (registration, travel, hotel, meals).

HOWEVER, with the Tele-Coaching network…

  • You get 12-months of hands on personal training with systems that ACTUALLY work in churches of all shapes and sizes
  •  You walk away with $1419.00 of FREE Resources (try doing that at the resource table for your next Worshp Conference)
  •  The training doesn’t end after 3 days… in addtion to the 12-monthly session, you get audio MP3′s of each session, meaning you walk away with a library of over 24 hours of nuts-and-bolts practical systems to build a health and growing worship ministry and share with the key leaders in your church.
  • Personalized Q&A call-in session to have all of your questions answered about what we disucss in each session
  • Plus much more!

** If you are ready to apply now, click here to read more and apply online:

https://worshipleaderinsights.com/coaching

I WILL PERSONALLY HELP YOU GROW EACH MONTH

In addition to the monthly call, you will be assigned to read or listen to one of my resources plus another book (generally, a business book with clear application to ministry). While the network will stretch you to grow, study and read, it will not be overwhelming. I’ll help you prioritize so you can get the most from the network.

At the same time, there will be opportunities for you to share your ideas and learnings from the network plus you’ll be able to submit prayer requests and ask questions to me and everyone else in the network.

OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED GREAT RESULTS – SO CAN YOU

While I certainly can’t guarantee that our network will in any way produce the same fruit as previous networks, I can share what I’ve seen God do in the past! I’ve seen:

* Worship Leaders who were stuck in their leadership, break through to new levels of personal effectiveness

* Worship Teams double in a year

* Worship Leaders become so effective that they never miss a day off again

* Pastors write me letters thanking me for helping their worship leader

I could keep going but let me allow some of my coaching alumni pastors to share their results:

“Join this network! We all need to be growing in our leadership and there’s no better way to grow than to get into a network. Jason does a great job of identifying seven universal challenges that we all face. Once you are fully aware of these challenges and are armed with the tools that Jason gives you in the network to overcome them, you will begin to soar in your effectiveness as a Worship Pastor.”

– Mike Martindale, Westside Community Church Beaverton, OR

“I did not know what to expect from this network, but all I know is that after the very first session, I was inspired, motivated and mostly importantly, humbled.”

– Jean Sandoval, New Life Church Meriden, CT

“This is an excellent network for learning some great skills in implementing systems in your church. You are worth it; your church is worth it.”

– Archie Jackson, South Bay Church San Jose, CA

“I felt encouraged to grow in my weaker areas of my ministry. I didn’t feel beaten down; instead I was given systems that could help me in areas I have always struggled with in the past. Even my team could tell the difference!”

– Lisa Johnson, Valley Brook Community Church Granby, CT

“It’s worth every penny!”

– Dave Swanson, Calvary Fellowship West Hartford, CT

Visit www.worshipleaderinsights.com/coaching for additional video testimonies from worship leaders just like you!

MY CALLING IS TO HELP YOU GROW

God has given me a unique opportunity to serve in a church that is not only passionate about reaching and discipling people, but also returning what we have learned back to the kingdom so that other churches can do the same in their cities and towns.

In the last 10 years of my ministry here, I have been able to build systems for developing a thriving worship ministry that have worked not only here, but in churches all over the country. The reason I am doing this network is because I want to see you succeed in fulfilling your mission in the local church, and I believe with all my heart that this network can give you tools, insights, and systems to do exactly that.

LEARN FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF A SYSTEMS-BUILDING WORSHIP PASTOR

In 2002, Jason Hatley helped launch The Journey Church in New York City, directing the programming of their worship services. He served as the Pastor of Worship Arts and has built from scratch The Journey’s worship arts team, a group of over 200 artists and technicians who develop and implement the creative and technical elements at weekly Sunday services.

Currently, Jason and his family live in Boca Raton, FL to serve as the Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey’s newest location in South Florida.

The Journey has been recognized as one of Outreach Magazines fastest growing and most creative churches.

Jason has been a worship leader since 1996. He invests in Worship Pastors around the country through interactive coaching networks and worship planning resources. He has been a featured break-out speaker at the Willow Creek Arts Conference (2007-2009), The Purpose Drive Worship Conference (2003-2004), as well as seminars around the country. He has a B.M. in Sacred Music Performance from Appalachian State University.

Jason is the founder of WorshipLeaderInsights.com, the author of nearly a dozen resources on Worship Leadership, including the BRAND NEW BOOKS Engage: A Guide to Creating Life-Transforming Worship Services and Revolve: A New Way to See Worship.

YOUR NEXT STEP

Please complete the application and return it to my office ASAP. I am reviewing applications right now and will try to review your application and let you know within two weeks, but please bear with me. We are receiving greater response to this network than any other network I’ve offered.

** If you are ready to apply now, click here to read more and apply online:

https://worshipleaderinsights.com/coaching

Let me know if you have any questions . . .  just email jason@worshipleaderinsights.com.

Jason Hatley

Pastor of Worship Arts

The Journey Church

www.worshipleaderinsights.com

www.jasonhatley.wordpress.com

TUESDAY MORNING INSIGHTS is Jason Hatley’s free weekly training resource specifically designed to provide you as a worship leader with proven principles, tips and practices to help you lead a healthy and thriving Worship Arts Team.

 

Three Ways to Make Christmas Meaningful for YOU this Year

How’s your Christmas season going?

No . . . I’m not talking about services or Christmas planning. I’m talking about you. How is YOUR Christmas season going?

For all of us in ministry Christmas can be a huge season of opportunity as God works through our churches to change lives in our communities. But don’t forget that God wants to work in your life this Christmas, too.

I shared an Oswald Chambers quote with my coaching network recently that has really been challenging me personally.

He wrote . . .

“Many today are spending and being spent in their work for Jesus Christ but they do not walk with him.”

I think the truth of that quote rings especially true this time of year. So let me ask you . . . what are you doing to experience Christ this Christmas?

Here are a couple quick ideas (things that I’m personally doing this year) that will hopefully be starting point for you . . .

Read more