When all you have is a hammer, then everything looks like a nail. This presentations attempts to provide organizational leaders with some additional tools for their toolbox.
3. Alignment
–noun
1. an adjustment to a line; arrangement in a
straight line.
2. the proper adjustment of the components of an
circuit, machine, etc., for coordinated
functioning.
3. a state of agreement or cooperation among
persons, groups, nations, etc., with a common
cause or viewpoint.
Dictionary.com. Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc.
4. “From Him the
whole body, fitted
and knit together by
every supporting
ligament, promotes
the growth of the
body for building
up itself in love by
the proper working
of each individual
part.”
‒ Eph 4:16, HCSV
27. Credits
Photo of Swiss air show by Matt Teague (18 July 2004),
www.morguefile.com/archive/?display=24018&
Silhouettes of hikers by Clara Natoli (3 October 2004),
www.morguefile.com/archive/?display=37568&
Photo of magnifying glass by Alton Koman (March 27, 2006),
www.morguefile.com/archive/?display=112716&
Photos of the domino effect by Louise (14 November 2006),
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Domino_effect.jpg
Photos of ruler by Bianca (11 November 2007),
http://www.morguefile.com/archive/?display=188132&
Notas del editor
Hi, My name is Greg Waddell.21 a
Because it is a well-established fact that the degree of organizational alignment affects performance.Why should we be concerned about performance? Misalignment causes conflict. People work at cross purposes. Energy dissipates.Because we have the greatest CEO of all! He is worthy of doing the very best service we can possibly offer Him.
–noun1. an adjustment to a line; arrangement in a straight line.2. the proper adjustment of the components of an electronic circuit, machine, etc., for coordinated functioning: \"The front wheels of the car are out of alignment.\"4. a state of agreement or cooperation among persons, groups, nations, etc., with a common cause or viewpoint.\"alignment.\" Dictionary.com. Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/alignment (accessed: March 02, 2009)
Main Idea: The likelihood of achieving the goal is directly proportionate to the degree to which all the pieces are aligned.Another word is “coherence” – bringing together the varios parts into an integral whole.NOT uniformity. Not the erradication of differences.A lot of people equate unity with uniformity.
The church must consider its context (environment, community).Three concerns:Lack of knowledge about the contextChanges in the contextBarriers to connecting with the context
Our main concern when it comes to strategies are that we make the right choices about that strategy.
I was talking with a leader of a church that was dying.I asked him if the church was experiencing some kind of problem. He replied:\"Not at all! Everything is great. We don't fight. Everyone gets along great.His church was functioning like a well-oiled machine, but the problem was that it was totally disconnected from its community.
Several weeks ago, I attended a church service where the worship leader decided to do something a little different. They concluded the service, not with a final son as is the custom, but instead with a short video clip.I was standing at the main door as people were leaving the church and I overheard someone say, in a tone of irritation: \"They didn't even end with a song.\"My family and I were rafting in North Carolina. A sport the requires constant vigilance to deal with the constant changes.The church should be like a white water raft. The only way we can maintain the goal is by constantly adjusting our programs and methods.
Jesus commanded us: \"Go and make disciples of all the nations.\"Nations = Gentiles, those who are different from us.Not just missionaries.This is the essence of the true church.When you buy a tree, it's roots come encased in a plastic bucket. You must perforate that bucket for the tree to extend its roots and grow.
When was the last time you took a vacation with your family? More than likely, you planned a strategy for arriving to your destination that included:dateshow much it would cost and where the money was going to come from,the events and sights you would attend,the restaurants where you would eat,etc.Allison and Kaye (1997) define strategies as \"broad, overall priorities or directions adopted by an organization; [they are] choices about how best to accomplish an organization's mission\" (p. 2).
I believe that if Jesus were standing here today, and you were to ask Him what aspect of the church should never be changed, He would not say anything about the building where you meet, the time of that meeting, the color of the carpet, the location of the Lord's Supper table, the style of music, or any of the other trivialities that split churches.He would say something to the effect that the only thing that must never be changed is the mission to \"Make Disciples.\"Everything else servies this goal.Yet, Christians have a tendency to elevate their structures to the level of the \"sacred.\"Even to the point of becoming more sacred than the mission.Example: A church that has youth with musical talent that was forming a band. They were forbidden to play their kind of music. They ran off their only connection with the future.
This is the most difficult step of them all.Because it is very difficult to change ourselves.A church in Miami... formed a group that wanted to start a new program. They asked the elders and, at first they say, \"yes.\" So, they began making preparations.But, when it came time to launch the program, the preacher said: \"No, that's not the way to do things.\"The problem: He was not in the center of the decision-making process. He didn't know how to adjust his style to a more participative leadership style.
A PROCESS is simply a series of steps that lead to an outcome.Core processes are thos processes that are essential to achieve the mission.Example: How do you lead a person from the state of being a seeker to the stage of being a member of the body of Christ?How to you lead a person from the state of being a member of the body of Christ, to the state of being a miniter with a ministry?How to you lead a person from simply ministering to other Christians to one who engages the world for Christ?
\"Empowerment is the process of enabling or authorizing an individual to think, behave, take action, and control work and decision making in autonomous ways. It is the state of feeling self-empowered to take control of one's own destiny\" (Heathfield, 2006).The biblical term is \"equip.\"Christ \"gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the EQUIPPING of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ\" (Eph 4:11-12).Our purpose is not to massage their consciences, or solely to minister to the hurting (though that is part of it). OUR MAIN PURPOSE IS TO EQUIP THEM FOR SERVICE.Most pastors spend 80% of their time dealing with the VNPs (Very Needy People). The other 20% of their time is spent trying to please the VIPs (the pillars of the church and those with deep wallets).We should be spending most of our time with the VPPs (Very Potential People).
Harry and Schroeder (2000) list five truths related to measurement:1. We don't know what we don't know.2. We can't do what we don't know.3. We won't know until we measure.4. We don't measure what we don't value.5. We don't value what we don't measure.We Christians are allergic to measurement.\"Which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? (Luk 14:28)See also John 6:7-13Some things to consider:Not just attendance and money.How many minutes does it take a newcomer who walks in your doors to be greeted and to receive information about the church?How long does it take for that person to receive a personal phone call once he or she leave the church?When someone becomes absent from the assembly, how long does it take before someone enquires about them?How much time to you give people to write their checks for the offering?How much time passes between an individual's initial contact with the church and their becoming engaged in a small-group or mentoring relationship?
The story of AguarayHow all things suddenly came together to produce an effect that was both positive and unexpected.The mission was clear: ServeThe team was ideal: talent and attitudeThe reception was positive: the mayor, the radioThe structure was sufficiently flexible to allow for a solution to their request.\"In [Christ] the whole body is united and held together by every ligament with which it is supplied. As each individual part does its job, the body's growth is promoted so that it builds itself up in love\" (Eph 4:16, ISV).