Getting through the right now
Monday night I received a phone call from a church out in California. The lady on the other end of the phone was a staff member who called and asked me if I had everything I needed, if there was something that they could do to help, and how to pray for me. I was floored, to say the least, because this is a church of about 20,000 people that I have visited three times, the last time being about 8 months ago.
The conversation was encouraging… and I loved how they were proactive in outlining how they could serve me right now.
Yesterday, I listened as Patrick Lencioni shared the story of a widow whose friends approached her after the passing of her husband. They asked, “if we can help, please let us know.” The thing was, at that point, she was overwhelmed and didn’t know what she needed. If people had approached her and offered specific help, she would have taken them up on the offer in a heartbeat… instead, she simply said “ok.”
This has gotten me thinking… Church leaders across the country are attempting to find a way forward in the middle of the COVID 19 pandemic. Rather than say “let us know how we can help,” let me share a few ways that we can serve you during this season:
- Now What Webinars: Every Thursday at 11 am eastern we will be hosting a webinar with a diverse group of ministry leaders, sharing what they are learning about ministering in the pandemic. Tomorrow, join Dave Travis, Karl Vaters, and Nikki Lerner as they share best practices for our new reality. Click here to register.
- Tuition Optional Coaching: You are in uncharted waters dealing with a situation that they never taught about in seminary, we are launching two group coaching experiences to help you navigate the season ahead. Both options are being offered tuition optional, please do not allow finances to prevent you from taking part:
- Virtual Ministry Bootcamp: This is a 6-week group experience designed to help you learn how to lead a remote team. We’ll cover essential technologies, how to communicate when working virtually, work/life integration, virtual meeting best practices, and how to care for your team right now. To learn more, click here.
- Virtual Church Strategy Lab: This is a 6-week group specifically designed to help you make the pivot from surviving virtual church to creating a thriving virtual church. You'll work with one of our seasoned ministry leaders to evaluate your current reality, articulate your preferred future, create a strategy for change, and implement next steps. To learn more, click here.
- Help with layoffs: Letting go of a staff member, especially valued teammates, is tough. We have created a way to walk alongside your former teammates as they leave your team. We will help your former teammate, and their spouse, process, prepare them for their upcoming search and help them transition into their new role. To learn more, click here.
- A safe place to talk: This is tough. It was unexpected and it can be overwhelming. If you need a safe place to talk, someone to bounce an idea off of, or even a place to vent, reply to this email or click here to find some time to talk.
In this season, please know that you are being prayed for… we are grateful for your sacrifice, your service, and your sleepless nights as you bring the Gospel to an anxious world.