Curt Seaburg.com

Two Qualities Every Quality Leader Has

Every leader (whether in the church or not) know that the work of the Lord cannot be accomplished by one person.  Leaders need to surround them selves with a team; people to partner with in ministry.

At our church, we are always on the lookout for those who will head up departments or fill much needed positions to help accomplish the vision.  We can have all the dreams and plans in the world, but if we don’t have people to help carry them out, the dreams will either never come to pass, or will be slow in coming at best.  We don’t want to settle for just a warm body, because we know, who a leader adds to his team will make or break the team.  The answer that has eluded so many good men and women of God is, “How do I find the right person for the job?”  “How to I know if this person is going to be able to work out in this ministry area?”  Bad news is, we don’t know for sure.  The good news is, if we follow God’s Word, we can do our part to limit the starts and stops in finding the right person for the right job.

2 Tim 2:2 states “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”  (KJV)   

God’s Word gives us the two qualities that we as leaders should look for in people who desire to lead. Those two qualities that a person MUST have are they must be “faithful” and “able.”  There are those that are faithful, but not able.  And, there are those that are able but not faithful.  Let me illustrate. 

Say you are the head coach of a football team and your job is to evaluate the talent and put the best people in the best position to have the optimum amount of leadership on the team.  There’s this one kid who is faithful to practice.  He comes early and stays late.  He runs each wind sprint with all he has, he has the drive to be the best.  He is faithful to the weight room because his desire is to be the center on the offensive line.  The problem is, this kid only weighs 138 pounds.  (If you don’t know football, this position should probably be filled with a person over 280 pounds.)  He will not be a good fit for that position because he is faithful, but not able to do the job.

Now, there’s this other kid.  He can throw the ball a country mile.  He is lean and quick.  The people like him because he has charisma and a certain magnetism about him.  He is certainly able to be the quarterback of the team.  But there is a problem, he never comes to practice.  When he does, he’s always late and he doesn’t fully participate in the practice.  He’s a continual distraction to the rest of the team by his antics.  He is not a good fit either; he is able but not faithful.

Paul told young Timothy to find people who are both faithful AND able.  Recruit people with only one of these two characteristics and you will limp your way or you will surround yourself with people who will drain the life out of you. 

Any good leader MUST look for these two qualities when attempting to add to his team.  But, surround yourselves with people that embody these qualities and you will find your self with a person that will be loyal, proactive and a benefit to the team.

I'm So Mad At Perry Noble

Good grief, me and Matt Weidman headed to Anderson, South Carolina (where RADIO was filmed) to be a part of a one-day conference called UNLEASH.  I thought it was gonna be some, nice little conference.  I mean, 20 years of ministry, I've been to a lot of conferences and not much surprises me.  I admit, I DID go with an open heart.  Everything was fine until the first main session.  Did I say THE FIRST?  Right out of the gate, right out of the box, God wrecked my life through a message by the Senior Pastor of Newspring, Perry Noble!  I was so mad!

I was fine, stressed out, a little miffed by some recent happenings, overwhelmed by the weight of ministry ... you know, typical ministry stuff.  But then it happened, BAM!  God slapped me up side the head, He got my attention, and then God loved on me.

I needed that.  I didn't think I did, but I needed that.  I learned a lot from the executive pastor, Jason "big guns" Wilson.  Learned a lot about "staffing issues.  Learned a lot about me.  The church (over 500 volunteers on that day) were all so kind, so pleasent.

Will I go back next year?  You better believe it.  I'm buying 20 tickets for our staff and Advisory Team.  I want God to wreck their lives as well.

Over the next several days, I share some of the things the Lord showed me about me.  It'll be scary!

Thanks Perry, for punching me in the throat!!   I'm so mad at you!

Time to Raise The Bar

I'm at Men's Frat this morning, and the host (Clair Hoover) reads off this one guys 10 Key Moves that he is determined to make.  Here they are:

1. I will strive for perfection, but accept that I cannot achieve it.
2. I will protect the hearts of those I love.  Even if they do not understand my intentions.
3. I will put others above myself, but not neglect myself.
4. I will strive to fill the emptiness that I sometimes feel, but only with things that nurture me.
5. I will continue to foster my longtime friendships and look to grow deeper with my newest ones.
6. I will diligently fight the negativity in my life that pulls me down.  I will build in my life to elevate and not tear down.
7. I will forgive myself for my mistakes, but learn via those lessons and experiences.
8. I will continue to ask God to use me.  To make his plan for my life the longing of my heart and for the strength and courage to follow.
9. I will continue to strive to keep my eyes focused on God.  To look to him and not my own feet.  To trust that he will guild my feet around or over any obstacle.
10. If I should fall God will pick me up.  I will think of Peter walking on the water.  I shall not fear.

I make these promises to myself.  You are my witnesses.  I am being called up.

I don't know about you, but that challenges me.  Let it challenge you today!

True Leaders Are Not Helicopters

One thing I know about 'true blue leaders" is, leaders ARE NOT helicopters.  what I mean by that is, leaders don't 'hover" - they move ahead.  Leaders are more like airplanes.  If a plane decides to stop, it has one direction it is going, that's down.  As leaders, we need to always be moving ahead, learning, dreaming, growing, doing, trying, pushing, motivating.

As a pastor for the past 20 years, I've learned that I can't do this thing by myself.  I can't sit idly by and expect to be on my "A Game."  I need to be always learning as well.  I'm involved in a group called Men's Fraternity.  Awesome ministry started by Robert Lewis and we meet at Lancaster County Bible Church.  (struggling little church work of a few thousand!)  Men's Frat is a place where I can grow.  It's a place where about 50 of the men from our church go.  It's a place where I allow the Lord to deal with those hidden areas of my life that can get quickly run over in the business of life.  Here's some awesome things that I learned today:

Stages of Developing and Re-developing Dreams

• 0-5 years, you begin to develop dreams of super heroes
• 5-7 years, dreams are shattered because you now have to learn to "do life" away from mom & dad.
• 7-11 years, now you develop dreams again, but this time your heroes are sports figures and dads.
• 11-14 years, dreams are shattered because you have now entered the brutal years of middle school.
• 14-18 years, your dreams are developed again because now you begin to focus on job direction.
• 18-19 years, dreams are shattered because you realize college is not cheap and you now work and they don't give you summers off.
• 19-40 years, dreams are developed and shattered during this time.  Your focuses are Work/Life/Love.
• 40-45 years, your dreams are shattered because it is now that you recognize your own mortality.  Your body aches in the morning and you realize you're getting older.
• 45-60 years, dreams are again developed and shattered as you focus on Family/Work/Past.  (side-note here, this seems to be the age where Men's Frat works the best)
• 60-70 years, dreams are shattered because retirement is not what it's cracked up to be.
• 70 and beyond, dreams are shattered and developed as we learn more about Family/Health and as we learn and reflect on life love and loss.

In all stages, I want God to be at the very center of my life.  Keith Walker said, "One of the great marks of a hero is, the hero knows why he is here and he realizes he still has a great adventure to live."  I like that.

Never stop learning!

Leaders don't need a title - Reflections on this weekend

It was a busy weekend at Victory.  I was so proud of so many of our leaders ... I'm gonna brag on them here a little. 

1. On Friday, Steve Brubaker did a crazy good job leading our very first Personnel Finance Workshop at the church.  We had great attendance on Friday night and on Saturday morning.  I loved seeing the the faces of people that FINALLY felt like they were getting help.  People, finally feeling like someone not only understood, but had some resources and answers ... it was AWESOME!  Check out some forms and additional help off our website.
2. On Sunday morning, our entire leadership team (our Advisory Council) attends and participated in VCU.  Hey, if studying and learning the Bible is important to the 'upper crust' of leaders, I think everyone ought to be there!  be there, this Sunday at 8:45 AM  (mocha's and lattes made to order :-) )
3. We sent off two van loads of people on our first missions trip of 2008.  We have 2 more planned.  One to El Salvador and one to Mexico in the fall.  It was great to see a bunch of guys, heading to aid Katrina victims.  They are going to be a part of pouring concrete for foundations, drywall (a crowd favorite) and doing finish work.  We'll keep you updated throughout the week on their progress.
4. I finished up our series on "The Biggest Loser" and watched people respond to the Lord whose hearts had been cold.  Two guys, in particular, came up to me with tears in their eyes and asked if they could sit down with me this week.  I'm proud of those guys.
5. Our middle daughter, Kiersten, was asked to speak in youth this past Sunday night.  She is our 16 year old that is full of passion!  We're proud of her, too.

Today is a day off for our kids (Martin Luther King Jr. Day).  We'll stay close to home.

I Need You - You Need me

Remember the song that old Bill Withers song that had the lyrics that said, "we all need somebody to lean on."  How about Faith Hill & Tim McGraw on YouTube singing, "I need you."  Experts are calling our culture, "The Isolation Culture."  We live in our homes, have earbuds from ipods growing out of our heads, and as quick as we open our garage door, we shut it again ... subtle ways of saying, "I DO NOT need you."

Yesterday, I traveled to Gettysburg to be with Gerry Stoltzfoos at Freedom Valley Worship Center to speak to his leadership team of pitfalls we face if we choose to do life alone.  I was encouraged by the young men and women who were hungry to want to live right with God and with others.  After speaking, it was a quiet ride back to Lancaster.  I wrestled with questions like:

1. "Who is in my life that I can really open up to?"  I don't have the luxury of a "senior pastor" like I did for 17 years as a full time youth pastor. 
2. How do I open up to someone and not feel like I will be judged ... or shunned?
3. A lot of guys and gals who were in ministry once but are now out because of a secret sin, I wonder if I could've helped them had I not been so 'isolated.'   

At Victory Church, we don't want people to "do life alone."  We weren't designed that way, that's NOT in our DNA.  We were meant to do life together.  Some of the things that we are working toward (some are in place, others are in the works) at our church are:

1. Accountability groups for men & women.
2. Small Groups where people can start one or join one.
3. VCU (Victory Church University where friendships are made.)
4. Youth mentoring

My conclusion is, it's not going to just HAPPEN.  I must open up and trust the leading of the Lord.  We all need someone in front of us (who is helping us) and someone behind us (who we are pouring our life into) on the journey.

Leading from Your Gut

One of the things at our church that I love is our Men of Iron (MOI) ministry.  (webpage is in the works) If I could pinpoint one of the things that really got momentum rolling in our church, it would have to be this.  But it's not only the ministry of MOI, it's how it got started.

Bryan Zeamer and his family attend Victory.  He was at a leadership conference out in Chicago back a few years ago at a little itty-bitty church called Willow Creek. (jk, that church is HUGE!)  But in the midst of the 1000's of business people, pastors and leaders from around the world, God challanged Bryan to step up and begin to lead from a place that the speaker defined as, "your holy discontent."   Through the beauty of internet, you can read the message here.  (Since then, the speaker, Bill Hybels, has written a book about it.)  It's a must read if you are tired of spinning your wheels and you want to actually progress rather than just exist.  If you want to move down the track and not just sit there, making a lot of noise and smoke by spinning your spiritual tires.

I think that's what leaders do - they act.  Then, through their actions, they influence.  But it all starts with an inner spark of holy discontent.  That is what the Holy Spirit uses to begin us on a journey to ignite a passion within us to where we discover our reason for being.  When we begin to act through our influence, we truly begin to lead.  At that point, we're no longer reading it from a book or from some curriculum (all fine and dandy) but we're leading from our gut ... we're leading from our passion.

Step it up, lead, do what you know is right according to God's Word.  Just don't talk about it, allow God and His Word to totally transform your gut. 

FYI ... in the furture, you will be able to download information, forms, contracts, and purposes for MOI.  You can even start your own at your church.  It'll fill your "holy discontent."  Pretty cool, huh?

Real Men + Big Sword = Rule the Planet

Two of the coolest things happened to me recently that have greatly impacted my life and ministry.  We have this "freaky" men's group at our church.  It's basically a mess of guys that have been transformed by the power of Jesus Christ and they have decided to actually live out their faith rather than let the women step up and lead (which seems to typify most American churches.) 

Anyway, a few weeks ago we had our first men's retreat.  At the retreat Keith Walker (one of the heroes of our church) had the guys all come up and surround me in prayer.  Nothing new, right?  but, check this out, when they got to me, Keith told them to turn their backs to me like they were protecting me from attacks and then pray for me out-loud.  that was utterly amazing to me ... very moving.

The other thing, happened this morning, after service.  Six of our guys surrounded me and escorted me to my office.  They had a gift for me.  I opened it, and it was a sword ... I mean a SWORD.  Authentic, the real deal through and through.  The last thing I was going to do was squeeze a tear in front of all those guys, but let me tell you, as their leader, it moved me ... deeply.  To think that guys would think that deeply of another man like that, let me say, it doesn't get much better than that.  We're warriors and we're in this thing together.  I love this church and I love warring with these men.

I pray that you would get some men in your church, and in your life, that are willing to not only TALK about supporting you, but would pray for you or even get you a sword.  Pour into people's lives and you'll never regret the outcome.  If you wake up to look around and see you are the most powerful person in the room ... serve people, love people.  Jesus did, we should.  Thank you, guys.

Surround Yourself with Really Smart People

This past Sunday, I gathered together with a cross section of the high capacity leaders in our church.  We've dubbed this group the Future Vision Team.  We talked about, "Where do we see our church in 3,5,10 years and what do we need to do to get there?"

This group, similar to the sons of Issacarr in 1 Chron 12, compare our gifts as a church, overlay that on our culture and project with a "futuristic" projector where we should be in the years to come.  Here's a few items we're discussing in the coming year:

1.   Utilizing technology

2.   Attractive atmosphere, imagery and experience in music, children and youth (added)

3.   Multi-site (added)

4.   Greater Education for Conversation in Relevant Environments

5.   Biblically Sound and grounded - unified in purpose and deed.

6.   Well Known in the Community

7.   Loving and welcoming environment

This list is not exhaustive, but it is a starting point.  This has got to be one of the best thinktanks we have ever done.  If you don't do something like this, you need to.  Our latest assignment is to read "Reveal" and be prepared to give five statements that rocked your world about the book.

Over the next year, we will dissect and dialogue these seven statements and I'm sure some otehrs.  If you want some more info on this team, be sure to email me and ask.  I'll give you a syllabus.  Don't be afraid to surround yourself with smart people ... they can only make us better.

Leaders are Readers

What are you reading? Did you know that the average college graduate will read only 3 books the rest of his life? 3 BOOKS! That's it! When I heard that statistic I almost couldn't believe it. I remember years ago, my mentor told me "Be a reader -- readers are leaders." I have a book in every bathroom in our home, I have a book at the office that i take with me when I gotta go (you know what I mean, no explanation needed there.) I even have a book in my truck that i read while I am at stop lights, stuck in traffic or waiting for the kids to finish up some school obligation. Here's a list of the books I'm currently reading:

• Mavericks at Work - by William C. Taylor = If you like Good to Great, you will devour this book!
• Jim and Casper Go to Church - by Jim Henderson and Matt Casper = An atheist and devout Christian tour some of the country's largest and most influential Churches and give a report from an "outsiders" perspective.
• Reveal - by Greg Hawkins = Multi-million dollar research project the reveals the most comprehensive study in history as to why people leave the church and why and where they 'stall' in the spiritual journey.
• Static - by Dr. Ron Mortoia = Why what we say and how we say it makes all the difference in this culture of Mosaics, Busters and Post-moderns.
• Change without Compromise - by Brad Powell = Why churches get in a rut, why people don't grow, why some individuals just settle in. Effecting church change for all the right reasons.
• Quiet Strength - by Tony Dungy - Autobiography of the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts and a look at his faith in Christ in the NFL
• Just finished the Book of Matthew in my daily devotions.

Reading is good, but NOTHING can replace the living Word of God as a part of your daily life. It is the most relevant book in history. Struggling for a place to start? What is today's, date? Turn to the chapter in Proverbs and digest it. Proverbs has 31 chapters so there is always one for everyday of the month!

Get reading, and remember, "A mind stretched with a new thought never returns to it's original shape."