Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/1152386
Page 6 | www.BlackSheepHDFC.org By Marty Edwards Growth comes in many different forms. A child grows physically, intellectually, emo onally and even spiritually. The same can be said of a child, an adult or a whole congrega on. Kevin Harney writes "Healthy things grow and growing things change." (Organic Church Growth) The only thing unhealthy is purposelessness and stagna on. 1. Demographics: Star ng a chapter in a huge city seems like it would grow faster and bigger than a chapter that develops in a small rural town. Such has not necessarily been the case with Black Sheep. We have large city chapters that are few in number and we have sizable chapters in small towns. I would suggest the following elements have more influence on a chapter's growth and success than the surrounding popula on. 2. Vision is the ability to see what is not there but could be. Every successful church, business and BSHDFC chapter has or has had someone with vision. People with vision are not going to become quickly discouraged because these people can see into the future and imagine what God can do through them. Without vision everything perishes. "Vision gets the dreams started. Dreaming employs your God- given imagina on to reinforce the vision. Both are part of something I believe is absolutely necessary to building the life of a champion, a winner, a person of high character who is consistently at the top of whatever game he or she is in." Emmi Smith 3. Goals and Objec ves are tools visionaries use to measure success. Without goals and objec ves we're just shoo ng an arrow at the wall and then drawing a circle around it and calling it a bullseye. Success is reaching our set objec ves and goals. Objec ves are general: "Our chapter wants to serve the motorcycle community in our town." Goals are measurable and a ainable: "We are going to have one monthly breakfast and four "bike nights" this year. We are going to adver se and promote and go out of our way to invite people to come. (We want to win the whole world to Christ is measurable and sounds noble but not likely a ainable.) "The greater danger for most of us isn't that our aim is too high and miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." Michelangelo 4. Leadership: John Maxwell is my favorite author on the subject of leadership. He has wri en dozens of books on the subject and spoken to hundreds of churches and businesses. We do not necessarily have to be gi ed leaders to lead, but we do need to develop what leadership we have. There are hundreds of books and ar cles on the Internet regarding leadership. I suggest you start with John Maxwell. "Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence." (Bernard Montgomery, Bri sh Field Marshal) • "How can you have charisma? Be more concerned about making others feel good about themselves than you are making them feel good about you." (Dan Reiland, Injoy Ministries) • A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. (John Maxwell) • A good leader is a person who takes a li le more than his share of the blame and a li le less than his share of the credit. • "Leaders do not inflict pain. Leaders bear pain." (Max Dupree) 5. Poor Followers: The greatest leader in the world cannot accomplish much without a team. Support your chapter leaders. Pray for them o en. Be available whenever you can for whatever they need. Do not sabotage leadership with murmuring and gossip. Disagree agreeably when needed and always with proper respect and kindness. "Teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a bad team." John C. Maxwell "Everyone has the poten al to become an encourager. You don't have to be rich. You don't have to be a genius. You don't have to have it all together. All you have to do is care about people and ini ate." John C. Maxwell 6. Turn Over: Tens of thousands of people have quit ministries and churches, o en for the silliest of reasons, leaving the mission wounded and crippled. Momentum has such a power effect on any organiza on and the devil knows it. We must remember WHO we serve, WHAT our mission is and WHAT the consequences are of self-destruc on. Ask yourself, "Who won't be reached for Christ because of my selfishness, stubbornness, pride or otherwise poor behavior?" What we do makes a difference, and we have to decide what kind of eternal difference we want to make. 7. Planning: A chapter that does not make plans based upon their goals and objec ves is just a ship adri at sea. The rou ne of a chapter breakfast and an occasional ride will produce li le or nothing. Phrases like, "It's all good!" and "Whatever!" are o en the defense of those who have not planned. Vision sees the possibili es, makes the plans and does the necessary work to see the desired results. "Plans are nothing; planning is everything." Dwight D. Eisenhower, former U.S. President 8 StepS to Building Your Chapter