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Do you need a coach?

Even the greatest athletes have coaches. Think about it for a moment. The guy who just shattered that world record has a coach. Someone to help him see his blind spots and weaknesses. He has someone to tell him when he is doing it wrong. Someone who has been there. Someone who understands the pressure and challenges.

Several years ago, I realized a powerful truth that has helped me. Today, I share this with you.

I don’t know what it is that I don’t know.

Think about that for a second. There are roadblocks and obstacles between where I am and where God wants me to be. Some of them I do not even see.

Sure, there are people in the stands who believe they know what it takes to lead a church. But, the reality is that they have never been where I am now. But, there are men and women who know from experience what it takes to lead a great church.

So, I set out on a quest to spend time with people who could show me my leadership blind spots. One of the coaches who has made a huge impact in my life, leadership and our church is Perry Noble. This past Fall, I was honored to be a part of Perry’s Coaching Network for Pastors at Newspring Church. It changed my life. I spent most of my time at Newspring trying to catch my breath because I was being challenged so intensely.

The Coaching Network will challenge you to grow as a leader. Perry will provoke you to be a godly husband and father. You will learn to trust God like never before. You will learn more than you ever thought possible. You will learn what it takes to grow and see more and more people come to Christ. But the greatest thing you will learn is to trust God.

You can find the details HERE. Pastors, if you want to go to the next level you should do whatever it takes to get into this network. I suggest bribing members of his team. It worked for me. I would do my best to make sure Karla Temples likes you.

How much do I believe in this network? If Perry would let me pay the money and go again this Fall, I would do it again. It was that good.

5 Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you.
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.
8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her.

Proverbs 4:5-8 (ESV)

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Unauthorized Guest Post: Jeff Kapusta

My good friend, Jeff Kapusta, is the lead pastor at Lifepoint Church. He is a part of Perry Noble’s Coaching Network (I will not be jealous, I will not be jealous). This morning, he posted some of his notes from their last coaching day. This is some amazing stuff. So, I am openly plagiarizing Jeff. Enjoy!

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During the coaching network Perry drew this picture on the whiteboard.

The picture breaks down into 3 levels.

The Dream Zone/Ministry:  10-6

• God calls us to live here.
• This is where you are hitting on all cylinders.
• We love what we are doing.
• We are always asking, “What’s next?”
• You still have bad days but they don’t ruin your day.

The Drained Zone/Tired:  5-2

• You are always tired.
• You are always stressed.
• You can’t enjoy the big days because you believe it’s just going to drop next week.
• You are Pessimistic.
• You goal is to just keep the plates spinning.
• You tell yourself that things are gonna slow down soon.
• When in this zone you face 4 dangers:

Pride-You think, “I’ve got to do more.  Be first.  Nobody can do it as good as me.”

Fear-You think, “Everything’s gonna fall apart.”

Insecurity-You think, “Maybe I can’t do this.”

Burn Out-This is where you quit or disqualify yourself from ministry.

• NOTE:  It takes a life altering decisions to get out of the drained zone.

Danger Zone:  2-0

• At this point a person usually falls Financially or Sexually.
• When you get here, only repentance will save you.
• At this stage you think, “I hope nobody catches me.”

Where are you? I believe Gods plan is for all of us to function in the Dream Zone.  However, most of us are living in the Drained Zone.  What life altering decision do you need to make to get out of the Drained Zone and into the Dream Zone?

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Tomorrow Jeff will post Perry’s thoughts about getting out of the Drained Zone. You should go subscribe to Jeff’s blog so you don’t miss it.

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Perry Noble on four types of staff

Perry brought it with his post this morning on Four Types of Staff Members.

• The “Love To Do” Staff Member
• The “Can Do” Staff Member
• The “Should Do” Staff Member
• The “Won’t Do” Staff Member

I have had the joy of working with all four types over the last 17 years at The ROCK. It is a joy for me to say that today we have the highest percentage of “Love To Do” staff members than ever before.

I love what I do and I love the team I work with every week.

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