Lifetogether CHURCH INNOVATIONS Program

Lessons from the Largest and Fastest Growing Churches in America

Over the last three decades, I have become a student of the largest and fastest-growing churches and discovered the best principles and practices that can serve churches of all stages and sizes. And I love helping churches not only discover these learnings but develop a plan to move them from one place to the other. Every pastor I know hopes to grow their church. Not only numerically but in every way. But sorting though all the models and methods to do that is sometimes confusing. But what if the best practices and proven models for success were introduced and then you could talk about them live with your team. Solutions and strategies that fit your context, resources, staffing, and community could be developed together. That is what this new coaching and consulting program is all about. Great ideas plus good conversation can lead to amazing breakthroughs. My dream is to partner with a handful of churches that are longing to learn, grow and take things to the next level. If you sense you would like to explore this further feel free to call or contact me today. Better Together,

After serving for over 30 years on the senior staff of two of the largest teaching churches in America, I always felt like I had the corner of the market for best-practices in larger churches. In fact, if I’m honest, I thought the world revolved around the latest learnings and innovations from each of these churches. But it wasn’t until I began consulting and producing hundreds––and eventually thousands––of the largest and fastest growing churches in the country that I learned an important lesson. No one church, denomination, network, tribe, etc., had the edge on the “latest and greatest” of what God was doing around the country. And even if they did for a season, God was doing something new in another movement, mega church, or ministry around the country. Church history tells us this over and over, and the moment we think we have it figured out, God ushers in a whole new set of churches and emerging pastors that begin shaping the future right before our eyes. The gospel message won’t change, but our methods and practices need to be ever-changing in order to reach not only the next but current generation. My story is no different. What I did 30 years ago would never work in today’s culture. And what I thought was innovative even 7 years ago isn’t working as well as used to just a few years ago. So my posture has become more of a listener, learner, and hopefully leader to fellow churches trying to shape the future of the Church in order to reach more people for Christ. Over the last three decades, I have become a student of the largest and fastest-growing churches I love discovering and even helping to create what is “new and next” in a local church setting. While Outreach Marketing has become the primary source for identifying these kinds of churches, there are numerous lists, platforms, and places to find more of these churches. My unique contribution to the conversation is the deeper study and engagement with these kinds of churches on a day-to-day level. Far beyond aggregating a simple list is cultivating a partnership with a handful of thought- leading, vision inspired, and fast growing churches where we are longing to learn and grow together. That said, my journey has uniquely positioned me to gather with a handful of hungry, teachable, and capable leaders to learn one from each other and take our churches to the next level.

Online Courses

In the coming months, we will be rolling out a series of online courses that will:

Equip you to lead your small group ministry to new levels of effectiveness.
Encourage you to think Exponentially!
Help you Champion your Content––present/past/future
Develop new, fresh sermon series

You’ll learn from the leading voices in Church Innovations and hear the latest and best thinking on engaging more people into community in order to have greater impact in your community!

Coaching

We will help you take your church ministries to a new level of engagement and Kingdom Impact. Our expert coaches and innovative strategies are helping churches like your connect more in community, close the back door, increase community outreach, launch micro-site campuses, and grow their church through new ideas like the conversation service. Off-site coaching is a series of group and one-on-one calls to include Senior Pastors, Ministry Pastors, staff, etc.

6-12 Month Coaching Program Includes:

Ministry Assessment

Establish the initial and ongoing relationship with key staff
Complete an initial comprehensive assessment and ongoing evaluation
Create the ministry plan, objectives and a master calendar

Virtual Team Meetings

Designed to address strategic topics selected from the Top 100 learnings
Serve as a review of the progress and renewal of next-step plans
Targeting strategic leadership and ministry teams

One-On-One Coaching Calls

Primarily for senior pastor & leadership team
Includes regular and infrequent sessions with staff members, ministry team leaders, and key volunteers
Sessions serve as a deeper dive on strategic topics plus accountability and preparation for team meetings

Online Tool Box

Training videos for senior pastors and staff
Exclusive Top 100 articles and downloads
Live case studies from the leading churches
Teaching materials and session downloads
Webinars with Brett and faculty of Pastors
Small group and volunteer training materials

Live Interviews with Leading Pastors

Learn behind the scenes lessons and insights that helped discover breakthrough innovations
Experience a front row seat to live interviews with pastors from churches across the country
Understand what makes a pastor learn and lead in challenging times

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Benefits

Provide the best of external information and innovation with facilitated conversation and local application.
Understanding transferable and timely lessons across denominational, geographic, ethnic, and theological traditions.
Sharing of the latest and greatest trends, models, and strategies in successful churches.
Provide honest evaluation of both your current felt needs and discussion around your emerging real needs.
Customized application of the latest learnings from thought-leading churches.

The best of a dozen Christian conferences all wrapped up into one integrated, customized package.
Conversations around best practices that help you evaluate and integrate into your local church culture.
Based on existing and emerging ideas for growing churches around the country.
Complete assessment and gap analysis around major ministry areas, from facilities to adult ministries, preaching to digital media, staffing to discipleship, online ministry to volunteers, and weekend services to small groups.

And if that is not enough, we will go wherever your intuition, passion, perception, and expectation may take you.

FEATURES

The following is a list of major ministry tracks that the largest and fastest growing churches experienced breakthroughs, developed working models, and developed greater expertise in order to go to the next level. My experience is that most churches will need to renew their systems, strategies and staffing around these major categories numerous times over the years because of shift in culture, emerging innovations, staff changes and church growth.

1. Small Group Ministry & Connection Strategies 2.0

Most churches understand the priority and value for community engagement and local outreach but the practices and methodologies are not always the most effective and deliver the desired outcomes. The difference between the biblical vision and implementation can’t be miles apart. Learning the best practices and proven methodologies can help enhance your effectiveness and grow your congregation.

Learn how to catalyze an unlimited number of small group leaders
Discover the best practices on how to connect over 100% of your congregation
Cultivate a network of disciples who make disciples
Learn how to produce in-house alignment campaigns and curriculum
Learn how community can help reach your community for Christ
Recruit, train, and develop leaders and those who lead them
Discover the secrets of sustaining, growing, and multiplying your groups
Discover the power of technology and media to launch and lead groups

3. Church-wide Innovations and Breakthroughs

You will learn the best practices, latest innovations, and breakthrough ideas from over 1000 of the largest churches in America. These aggregated and curated ideas will serve as the backbone to our conversations in every area of ministry.

Latest learnings from thought leading churches
Breakthrough strategies and proven performance drivers
Customize to your context, church culture, and community
Learnings from across tribes, regions, and theological persuasions
Latest and greatest tools, training, and technology
Serve as a part-time Chief Innovation Officer (CIO)
Discover growth engines, performance drivers, and lead indicators
Focus on your felt needs and your untapped real needs
Bringing hundreds of church laboratories to your front door

5. Engaging Technology, Digital Media & Next Gen Marketing

Learning how to leverage the power of emerging technologies, new media, and your online platform is vital to not only surviving but thriving in the future. Growing churches are finding more and better ways to leverage the life of their pastor. The content that is created and a vision for the future in these critical arenas.

Discover ways to repurpose your pastors content digitally
Learn how to recruit high-capacity professional media and technology volunteers
Discover the latest technological breakthroughs and innovations
Find more productive ways to engage people online
Sharpen the saw of your current media, technology and online pastors
Learn how to launch Small Groups and mobilize volunteers from your online platform
Develop new ways to produce more engaging online weekend services
Discover follow-up, retention, and assimilation strategies that work online
Find better ways to align technology and media with core priorities and weekend services.

2. Volunteer Ministry & Leadership Development

Recruiting and developing volunteers for local churches has become even more important with the declining weekend attendance and more limited church budgets. The renewal of both the need and the priority of volunteer ministry will only grow in the years to come. With proven models and best practice solutions, any church can exponentially increase their total volunteer hours with greater ministry impact.

Learn how to recruit high-capacity full-time and part-time volunteer staff
Managing your volunteer pipeline
Mobilize people in the ministry in the matter of weeks
Find the best fit for any volunteer while increasing retention and results
Learn how to train and develop ministry teams and their leaders
Mobilize members for short term projects and critical initiatives
Build a volunteer driven staff
Learn keys to sustaining and strengthening long-term volunteers
Discover breaththrough methods for gift based discovery classes, curriculum, and online courses

4. Next-Step Assimilation, Discipleship & Engagement

While on staff at Saddleback Church, Pastor Rick Warren used to call me “Pastor Next-Step” because of the partnership we developed between his teaching ministry and the next-step opportunities for the congregation. Defining, designing, and developing best practices for moving people into and through a systematic next-step process.

Define and develop your discipleship pathway
Learn proven strategies to move people from the street to the seat
Evaluate multiple assimilation and retention models

6. Local Outreach, Evangelism and Community Engagement

You will learn the best practices, latest innovations, and breakthrough ideas from over 1000 of the largest churches in America. These aggregated and curated ideas will serve as the backbone to our conversations in every area of ministry.

Latest learnings from thought leading churches
Breakthrough strategies and proven performance drivers
Customize to your context, church culture, and community
Learnings from across tribes, regions, and theological persuasions
Latest and greatest tools, training, and technology
Serve as a part-time Chief Innovation Officer (CIO)
Discover growth engines, performance drivers, and lead indicators
Focus on your felt needs and your untapped real needs
Bringing hundreds of church laboratories to your front door

20 CUSTOM ELECTIVES

The following elective modules represent a variety of topics that growing churches will want to address to one degree or another. Some of these topics will jump right out to you, others you will have no interest in but there is always a few that you know would create a great discussions with your team. My experience over the years is churches need to renew their systems, strategies and staffing around many of these topics numerous times over the years because of the needs of your community, natural shifts culture, recent ministry innovations, staff changes and the growth of your church. See if you can find a few topics that peak your interest or you would love to hear more about best practices and recent innovations.