Praying for the House of Representatives is a privilege

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Bill Graybill
Praying at the House of Representatives 2012 Oregon

Opening House of Representatives with Prayer

This morning I had the privilege to ask God to bless the Oregon House of Representatives as they opened the 2012 session. While some felt it was simply following tradition, I know that God has given us his permission to bring blessing into situations and activities. I was doing more than opening the session in prayer, I was acting as God’s Ambassador and inserting his presence into this legislative session.

I have include the text here.

As a citizen of this state, Thank You for your service. We know it is often adversarial in nature but needed.

Government is a gift from God

A government that protects the innocent, makes right injustice and preserves freedom is your gift to the people of this state.

As men and women called by God, you walk a difficult path where right is often called wrong and wrong is disguised to appear as right.

For the task you face you will need the wisdom of Solomon, the leadership skills of Moses and the grace of Jesus.

As you gather to carry out the purposes of God in government, I want to ask God to give you what you need to accomplish the demanding undertaking that lies before you.

Let us pray.

Father in heaven, on this opening day we ask that the same Spirit of wisdom that rested on Solomon rest on each individual in this chamber.

May the leadership mantle that guided Moses abide in this house and on its leadership.

As this chamber wrestles with the difficult decisions of finance and budget may the compassion, the grace and the wisdom of God be ever present in this session.

May the unity needed to accomplish all things necessary be fostered by each member.

With a grateful heart we thank you that we are not alone in this world but can call upon you for wisdom and help in our time of need.

May God’s grace permeate these chambers this session.

Amen

 

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5 Ways to Focus a Meeting to Increase Attendance

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Bill Graybill

In my last blog I listed 5 ways to increase meeting attendance. One was to Focus the Meeting. In this post I want to talk about ways to focus the meeting.

1- Ask for specific skill needs. A relevant meeting is a meeting where each person takes away new skill that will help him or her be more effective. As the meeting leader, take time to ask your workers for specific skills that they need. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you know where they are struggling. Often their insecurities are a result of lacking a specific skill.

2- Look for areas of frustration. Keep your eyes open and ears tuned to pick up on frustrations that occur in ministry settings. It may be a simple comment, a look, or a shrug of the shoulders. When you see that frustration, take note. The best way to handle it is to have a conversation later. Wait for a time that you can have a leisure moment and the emotions have calmed down. Explore the underlying reasons for the frustration. Ask what would help them. Others will most likely be struggling with the same issues. Bring the solutions to your meeting without embarrassing anyone.

3- Observe activity and interaction. Do your workers spend all their time trying to control kids? Are they struggling to get the lesson taught because of disruptions?  Discipline is a major issue in children’s ministry today. Address general problems by encouraging consistency and fairness. Inconsistent discipline causes confusion in the kids. They don’t know what is acceptable behavior. Address specific problems with specific solutions that are tailored to the children and leaders involved. Explore three possible solutions with the help of those attending the meeting. This type of focus and interaction creates a powerful sense of accomplishment for those in the meeting.

4- Check actual outcomes against desired outcomes. Are your meetings producing results? Write thee or four things that you want your meeting to accomplish. Write a sentence that goes something like this: I want to 1) encourage teachers by sharing victories, 2) teach 1 new story-telling technique, 3) start planning the Christmas program. This will give you a track to run on and a way to see what you actually accomplished. A clear target is easier to hit.

5- Conduct an informal exit poll of participants. Just before dismissing the meeting ask each person what they are taking away. Was the dessert the best part or when a new skill was taught? After everyone is gone take a couple of minutes and record what was helpful, what needs to be re-visited, and what you could have left out. Refer to these notes when planning your next meeting.

By being intentional in planning meetings that are focused on felt needs you will create meetings that people want to attend. When volunteers experience 3 or 4 of these meetings they will rearrange their calendars to be available. Everyone wants to be great at what they do. Help them be great by having focused meetings.

Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Increase Attendance at Your Meetings By Value Building

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Bill Graybill

It is hard to get busy people to another meeting especially if meetings are seen as useless and boring. People will go if there is enough personal benefit built in. Your job is to create and communicate value. It is not enough to have a great meeting planned. Communicating the value is just as important as creating it. Here are five tips for creating and communicating value.

1. Focus the meeting on a felt need. Ask your volunteers what they need help with and then go and find some great help to share with them. Don’t assume you know — Ask. Along with good focus, asking gives them ownership in the meeting.

2. Results oriented. When they leave make sure they are leaving with new meaningful information. The next time they encounter a similar situation they will feel equipped to successfully deal with it. Your goal is to give everyone at least one Ah-ha moment.

3. Fun and convenient. No one likes a boring meeting. Spice it up with some treats, recognitions and thank yous. Is there a time when most of the people are already at church? Could you get them to stay for a short meeting then? What other times are easy to gather?

4. Communicate by direct and personal invitations. Face to face is best with an electronic follow-up. Here are some of the current ways to communicate: Facebook, Twitter, email, text, phone, snail mail (USPS), FaceTime (Mac), Skype video and the list goes on. Use whatever method the receiver will relate to best. Communicate your meeting value in at least three ways to each person.

5. Get someone who was at the last meeting and got excited to share that excitement by also inviting other team members to join you. Have them share how helpful it was.

Communicating value and benefits is the key to increasing attendance. You are there for their success not the other way around. The meeting is for them. When you make it meaningful and beneficial they will come.

 

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Get More Done With Less Work

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Bill Graybill

Summer is fast drawing to a close, are you ready for the fall kick-off? Most people are not! Vacations, nice weather, taking the kids swimming and a thousand other interruptions keep us from getting everything done that is on the list.

Then come crunch time and we kick into “More Mode.”

I need more TIME.

I need to give more EFFORT.

I need more DISCIPLINE.

I need more IDEAS.

I need more HELP.

After 35 years of ministry I still struggle with the “MORE MODE” and the panic that sets in. However, I have changed my list a little. Let me share with you what I have found be effective.

More TIME just sitting quietly with God. (No agenda just being with him.)

More EFFORT to take the needs to God in prayer.

More DISCIPINE to listen for God’s answers and less telling him what to do for me.

More IDEAS that come during times of solitude.

More HELP provided by God in the way of sending people, answers and energy.

Now I know that this sounds soooo religious and overly spiritual but 35 years of practical ministry and numerous panic attacks tells me it is a better way. I don’t find it an easier way but a better way.

I am a doer just like you. To “be with God” before “doing for God” is hard work. But give it a try.

  1. Where can you cut out an hour to spend with God in the next 24 hours?
  2. Spend most of it listening, write down what you hear, don’t rush.

Drop me a email or go to my facebook page and tell me your results.

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Give others permission to make a mistake

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Bill Graybill

Just finished a week with nine other pastor couples. One of our discussions centered around allowing the next generation to become leaders and what that would take. A big part is allowing them to make mistakes. A majority of us in the room are 50 years old and above and started pastoring in our twenties. Someone allowed us to make mistakes. Now it is our turn to allow others. Do you allow others to make mistakes or do you want it perfect and, therefore, YOU maintain control? Let me re-word that to say, “Do you do everything so it is done right?”

Benefits of letting others make mistakes.
1. They learn:
•    to use new skills.
•    to handle themselves when they make mistakes.
•    how to deal with others who were affected by their mistakes.
•    that mistakes are not fatal (unless you are rock climbing or some such thing).
2. You learn:
•    to give grace and forgiveness.
•    when and how to mentor others you work with.
•    to trust and give a second (or third) chance.
3. Others learn:
•    how to let a new generation become leaders.
•    change is not necessarily bad.
•    how to handle their feelings when others blow it and they are affected negatively.

Mistakes are a powerful tool for growth. I had a coach share a story about her son struggling to learn to walk. Her pediatrician ask what she did when he started to fall. She caught him. The doc’s response was to let him fall. This ticked her off, so she researched learning to walk. A child must fall many, many times before the balance mechanism is programmed. In her “helping” she was keeping him from learning to walk. How many times do we keep our volunteers from walking by not allowing mistakes.

Here are some questions for you to ask. Find the appropriate group and take two minutes to consider where you are.
A LEADER:
1.    Before you release them have you given enough instructions that success is probable?
2.    How will you extend grace if they fail or make someone upset?
3.    How have you given them permission to try and that failure is an option?

A LEARNER:
1.    What is the worst thing that can happen if you fail? How will you be okay with that?
2.    How will you handle someone who is upset with your failure?
3.    What steps will you take to learn from your failure/success?
4.    How will you determine not to let a failure keep you from trying again?

No one likes mistakes, but growth and ministry is messy.
•    Be willing to allow others a mistake.
•    Determine before hand how you will handle mistakes.
•    Rejoice that people working with you are willing to grow and make mistakes.
•    Think of the alternatives. They are not pretty. Picture an adult still crawling.
Now go and have a mistake on me. You’ll never be the same.

I want to help you get and keep volunteers. I’d like to give you a free copy of my e-book, 10 Mistakes Made with Volunteers, and 35 strategies for Success. Click here to go to http://www.championsforkidscoaching.com. Click on “Free Tool” to get your e-book and a Special Bonus subscription to my newsletter with tips and resources for working with volunteers and kids.

 

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