Prayer Guide in .PDF Format

It -
How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It
By: Craig Groeschel

 I.       Compelling Vision

• People know the Vision
• Understand the Vision
• Believe the Vision
• Live the Vision

II.      Vision

• Guides
• Motivates
• Energizes

Ministries with Vision tend to have it.

III.    Without a Compelling Vision People Get

• Confused
• Distracted
• Bored

IV.    Keep the Vision Current

• Old vision gets stale.

V.     Define Your Vision

• Vision is more than Vision Statement.

VI.    Finding the Vision

• Seek God
• Find a divine burden
• Examine their resources and context
• Present a spirit-breathed, God-sized Vision

      A.  Why does your organization exist?
      B.   What can your organization be best at in the world?
      C.  If you could do only one thing, what would it be?
      D.  If you left your organization tomorrow, what would you hope would continue
            forever?
      E.  What breaks your heart, keeps you awake at night, wreaks you?

VII.   An Effective Vision

• Is memorable
• Portable (mobility)
• Motivational

(Capture attention, stir hearts and be irresistibly moving)

• Big Vision – People

      1. Tend to give sacrificially for it
      2. Will tolerate inconveniences for the greater cause
      3. Will talk – the buzz
      4. It will take on a life of its own.
      5. Opportunities for distraction will decrease.

• Energy and frequency for Vision

• Vision Leaks

                  1. Talk about Vision.
                  2. Tell stories about it.
                  3. Illustrate the Vision.
                  4. Reward those who live the Vision.

VIII.  Three Levels of Vision Buy-in
            The people believe in the vision enough to
                  1. Benefit from it
                  2. Contribute comfortably
                  3. Give their lives to it

IX.    See It and Create It
            Illustration – Walt Disney

DIVINE FOCUS
Concentrate all your energies on a limited set of targets.
Apostle Paul: “But one thing I do”
There is a difference between a Good idea and a God idea.

I.       Too Many, Too Much, Too Bad

• Choose not to do everything.

      Story: The Fox and the Hedgehog

• What do you do best?

II.      The To – Don’t List

• What can we do well?

III.    Cutting Back to Move Forward

• Abandon everything that falls outside of the simple ministry process

IV.    Pruning Our Ministry Vine

• Having everything we wanted was killing everything we had!
• Five things one church does

      1. Week-end experiences
      2. Missions
      3. Small groups
      4. Kids
      5. Students
      ------This is what God called them to do.

V.     A Great Work

• If you have it – Guard it.

UNMISTAKABLE CAMARADERIE

I.       No faking it – Enjoy it together.

II.      What’s the Problem?

• Independence

      Ephesians 2:19-21

III.    Blame A.C. and Garage Door Openers
            (My idea – TV and family rooms)

IV.    Bringing It to Your team
            I Corinthians 12:12

V.     No Ministry Is an Island
            1.  Understanding the big picture
            2.  Having fun together
            3.  Getting naked together
                  ---Self-disclosures
            4.  Celebrating the win
            5.  Fighting hard behind closed doors

VI.    They Had It in Jerusalem

INNOVATIVE MINDS

I.       One Idea Could Change Everything

II.      Embrace Your Limitations

III.    The Limitation Can Drive the Innovation

• Passion creates motivation.
• Limitations often reveal opportunities.

IV.    Break the Rules

• Thomas Edison – “There ain’t no rules here. We’re trying to accomplish something.”

V.     Prepare to Offend

• Illustration – First Hot Air Balloon
• Illustration – 1876 Telephone

VI.    Too Much of a Good Thing Can Kill It
           The Imperfections Curve

                                  Amazing
                      

     Edgy Good---                         ---Feels a little to slick

        ---Lost its edge

                                                ---This sucks

           Tell the Devil to go to Hell.
               --Do not let the Devil’s advocate kill God’s plan.

                                                WILLING TO FALL SHORT
                                                        Ministries often fail.

I.       Failing Forward

• Walter Brunell – “Failure is the tuition you pay for success.”
• Illustration – Peter of Bible
• Illustration – Michael Jordan

II.      Failing Past Your Local Max

• Then Big Max

III.    Failure is not an option – It is essential.

IV.    Ready – Set – Fail

V.     The Virtue of the Twice-Stung

• Hesitate

            Once we fail

• Hesitant – Leader syndrome
• Dig up your talent
• Matthew 25:24-28
• Luke 19

VI.    Ministry Without Regrets

VII.   Learning to Fail Gracefully
         Call your new ideas

• Experiments
• Create a culture that allows failure
• Don’t internalize failures
• Debrief after failures and successes
• Try again

VIII.  Get out of the Boat
         Greatest fear is fear of failure.
         Face your fears.

• Fail
• Learn
• Adjust
• Try again
• Watch God do more than you can imagine

HEARTS FOCUSED OUTWARD
“If your gospel isn’t touching others, it hasn’t touched you.”
People today are not rejecting Christ, they are rejecting the Church.

I.       Who do you Love?

II.      An Open-Roof Policy

III.    Turning Outward

IV.    Lessons from Four Home-Wreckers
           -First
           - It’s everyone’s job.

V.     Culling through the Crap
           - First
           - Second

VI.    Shifting Focus Outward

VII.   So You Think You Have It

• Illustration – “The Guardian”
• Kevin Costner

KINGDOM-MINDEDNESS
What we do for ourselves dies with us,
but what we do for others and the world remains and is immortal
“It is about Jesus.”

I.       I was willing to take from others, but,

II.      Sharing it

• The self-centered ministry generally loses it.

DO YOU HAVE IT? DOES IT HAVE YOU?

I.       How to Love It

II.      Shifting from It
            - John 3:30

III.    Looking in All the Wrong Places

IV.    Do You Have It?

V.     Getting It Back
            -  “Disturb Me”

GUARDING IT
Acts 20:24

I.       Stretch Me

II.      Ruin Me

III.    Heal Me

• Some addictions
• Pleasing people
• Perfection
• Blogging
• Work
• Adrenaline

MAY GOD BLESS YOU!