CECLSMWhat is CECLSM? CECLSM is the Center for Excellence in Congregational

Leadership -- a two year voyage, powered by the winds of the Holy Spirit, to help pastors increase joy in ministry and help churches reach

communities for Christ through health and outward focus.

CECLSM

CECLSM is the Center for Excellence in Congregational Leadership:A two year voyage powered by the winds of the Holy Spirit tohelp pastors increase joy in ministry and help churches reach

communities for Christ through health and outward focus.

Class 8 begins March 21-25, 2011 and ends in May 2013Who is CECLSM designed for?•SeniorPastors*withadesireforexcellence–ahungertorealizeGod’sdreamsforthem,theirfamilyandtheirchurch.

•ChurcheswithahungertorealizetheGreatCommandmentandtheGreatCommissionsothattheircommunityistransformed.

•Multipledenominations,with15denominationsalreadyengaged.

Toapply,contactPatZimmer:PatZimmer@glcc.orgor(920)294-7365www.cecl.glcc.org

*AssociatePastorswillbeconsidered,dependentuponDirectorreview.

CECLSM

Interactive Components

PRAYERPeer Teams

ContextualizeLearningCreateActionPlan

OvercomeRoadblocks

Green LakeGreatLodgingandMeals

BeautifulGroundsandLakeFreeGolfatLawsonia

Lay TeamsDiscernVision

Learn,PrayandPlan

Great Speakers

PersonalIntegritySpiritualGrowthLeadingChangeTransitioning

ChurchStructurePreaching

SpouseMarriageRelationship

Personal and Team Coaching

LearningAccountabilityEncouragement

TheCECLSMjourneyconsistsoffivesessionsheldovertwoyears.

Session 1~Foundations: Where are the church and culture today? Where are you in terms of prayer and personal and pastoral integrity? March 21-25, 2011LedbyDr.DavidWells(gordonconwell.edu/prospective_students/david_f_wells)andPastorBillLenz(christtherock.org).Peerteams,ledbyacoach,areformedduringsession1toprovidethementoring,coaching,accountabilityandencouragementtoenablegoalstoberealized.Betweenthesessions,peerteamsstayconnectedthroughphone,conferencecallsandmonthlyone-on-onecallswiththeircoach.

Session 2~Personal spiritual growth, pastoral leadership, and building a healthy marriage amidst the stresses of ministry--Fall 2011 LedbyDr.TomBandyandDr.TimGardner,amarriageandfamilytherapist(marriageministries.net).

Session 3~Leading Change: transitioning to an outward focused church which transforms its community--Spring 2012Dr.PaulBorden(growinghealthychurches.org)andDr.TimBrown(fbcclovis.com)leadthefirstpartoftheweekwiththepastors,andthenDr.DanSoutherland(westsidefamilychurch.com)teaches“Transitioning”withthepastorsandagroupoftheirlayleaderswhocomefortheweekend.

Session 4~Pastoral leadership; handling conflict and church governance--Fall 2012ThissessionbeginswithpastorsandthenlayleaderscomebackfortheweekendwhenthefocusturnstohandlingconflictbiblicallyandtoDr.JohnKaiser’saccountableleadershipmodelforchurches.

Session 5~Finding your unique excellence in preaching--Spring 2013LedbyDr.MichaelQuicke(seminary.edu/about/faculty)andDr.LoriCarrell(uwosh.ed/faculty_staff/carrell).Thissessionalsoincludesthefinalprogramevaluationandgraduationcelebration.

CECLSM Class 8 Syllabus

Dr.PaulBorden

Dr.TimBrownDr.Dan

Southerland

Dr.TimGardner

Dr.LoriCarrell

What is the cost of CECLSM Class 8?$260doubleoccupancyor$390singleoccupancypersessionforthepastor.

Thepastor’sspousepays$180forsession2.Add$180perlayleaderpersessiontoattendtheweekendportionofsession3andsession4.Churchestypicallybring4-6layleadersforeachsession.

Thecostincludesallprogramfeescoveringspeakersandpersonalandteamcoaching,hotellodging,mealsandbreaksforthepastor,theirspouseandlayleadersduringapplicableweeks,andsomefreeroundsofgolfatour4½stargolfcourse!Booksandachurchhealthassessmentareanadditionalcost.Thefullcostis$9,000andthegapiscoveredbyscholarshipfundsfromLillyEndowmentandGreenLakeConferenceCenter.

Dr.MichaelQuicke

Dr.DavidWells PastorBillLenz

Dr.TomBandy

Pastors are rediscovering joy in ministry and report their potential for burnout has been greatly reduced.

Sixty-fivepercentofCECLSMpastorsexpressedmoderatetohighriskofburnoutpriortoCECLSM,whileonly30%expressedthislevelofriskafterCECLSM.Participationinpeerteamlearningcommunitiesprovidesthesupportnecessarytodispelisolationanddiscouragementinministry,withdeepfriendshipsformingwhichwilllastfordecades.Prayer,personalcoachingandteachingontopicsliketheSabbatharecriticalinhelpingpastorsdevelophealthyhabitsandpatterns.GreenLake’sbeautifulsettingandfreegolfatLawsoniaalsorejuvenatespastors.

CECLSM churches received a 4.7% average annual increase in offerings during CECLSM and most churches experienced an increase in attendance.

Research reveals how God is using CECLSM to deeply impact pastors’ lives and church healthbyBenMott,CECLSMCo-DirectorandDr.TomWatkins,CECLSMEvaluator

Five of the eight Natural Church Development measures significantly increase for CECLSM churches

Natural Church Development Average Scores Before and After CECLSM for 118 Churches in Classes 1-4Increasesoneachofthesefivescaleswerestatisticallysignificantatthe99%confidencelevel

Powerful lay leadership teams emerge from their two training retreats at Green Lake during CECLSM, ready to support the pastor and help discern the vision and lead change.

WhenCECLSMpastorsratethestatement“thecongregationalteamisdoingtheirparttocooperatewithmetobringaboutchange,”averagescoresgofrom4.7beforeCECLSMto7.4attheend(onascaleof0-10)–animprovementof57%!ForDennisZirkle,pastorofMeadowbrookBaptistChurchinAnderson,IN,oneofthemostimportantthingsfromCECLSMis“achurchleadershipteamthatis100%forGodlygrowthinourchurch,‘whateverittakes.’ThisteamcametogetheratCECLSMandtheyareagreatblessingtome.”

EffectiveStructures

Need-OrientedEvangelism

Gift-BasedMinistry

EmpoweringLeadership

Holistic SmallGroups

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Before After

Why engage in CECLSM? Pastor John Morlan’s Perspective

Over21/2yearsafterhavingbeguntheprocess,IamsogladthatIdidit.In2008,Iwasconnectedtoanopportunitytoenlargemyvisionandsharpenmytoolsasapastorandasaperson.Thatitwouldnotonlydeeplygrowme,butalsomychurch,wassomethingIcouldonlytheorizeaboutbeforeIbegan.UntilIdidit,IcouldonlyhopethattheCECLSMprogram’spromisesweremorethanjustwishful.Friends,itwasmorethanwishful.InthefulllightofdaywithwhichIcanseeitallnow,theirtraining,theintegrityoftheirhonestandinformedevaluations,andtherelationshipstheyofferedmorethanexceededmydesires. Ifyou’veeverbeentoa“churchconference”oraconferenceonmarriageorchurchgrowthorprofessionalleadershipordiscipleshiporworship...oranyconferencewhereany“idea”isgettingpushed,youknowthefrustrationofbeinginaone-wayrelationshipwiththe“idea.”Usuallyconferencesofallthosekindsplaceaprofessional,touringspeakeronstagewhoexpoundsonsomethingthatinspiresorchallengesawholelargegroupofpeopleintheaudience.Theytalkatyouwithradicalideas.Butit’sallone-way.It’sfrustratingbecauseyou’reinclinedtoadopttheideathey’repushing,buttheyareunavailableforquestionsorcontextualizationortime-tablesortransitionstrategiesorevenjustahankytowipeyoureyesofthetearsthatstreameddownyourfacebecausetheyhitasoftspot. It’sone-way.Andit’soverinabreathofamoment.(Andwithit,yourenthusiasmandurgency.Allyou’releftwithisthesensethatthere’smoretodo,you’refailingtogetitdone,andyouhavenoideahowtochangeit.) Now,imaginehavingthosekindsofinspirationalmomentswithworld-changers.Only,addtoyourimaginationthatyoucouldgetintoaconversationwiththem.Addthattheyarenotonlywell-knownspeakers,buttheyareavidandimpactful

practitioners.Theyknowwhereoftheyspeak.Now,narrowtheaudiencesizedowntolessthana100.Thenhavelunchwiththepersonwheretheycantwo-waywithyouonhowtheir“idea”couldlookinareallifesituation.Addtothisthatyouareconstantlycirclingupwith8-10otherpractitionersjustlikeyoutodiscussthetheoreticals.Talkingwithpeoplejustlikeyouwhoarebusymakingithappeneverydayintheirowncommunitiesandcontexts.And,suddenly,thoseconversationsabouttheoreticalsandprofessionalchallengesturnintopersonalfriendships.Intofriendswhoarethinkingaboutyouandprayingforyouwellbeyondthe21/2yearsyouaretogether.WelcometoCECLSM. It’sdramaticallytransformedme,mymarriage,mypastoralleadership,theexpanseofmyworldview,andmychurch.Goingin,mychurchwasOK.Wewerebetterthanaverage.But,Iwasn’tsatisfiedwithmyownleadership,ourchurch’seffortsattouchingpeopleofspiritualorphysicalneed,howIwaspreachingandwhatIwaspreachingabout,ourcongregationalapproachtodiscipleship,ourstrategiestofosterrelationshipsthatmattermorethananhouronSunday,orthestructureofhowwemadedecisionsasabody. Wehadgottento“OK”prettymuchbecauseeveryonewaspolitewithoneanother.But,wecoulddo--Icoulddo--alotbetter.Today,becauseofnosmallpartofCECLSM’scoachingandrelationships,ourchurchisgrowingatalllevels.Wearegrowingnumericallybecausewearegrowingevangelistically.Ourleadershipandvolunteereffortsaregrowing.Ourdoorsandpeoplehaveneverbeenmoreopentoourcity.Andthedifferenceispalpable.TopitoffwiththefactthatweperformedachurchhealthsurveyofourchurchbeforetheCECLSMprocessandthenoneafter.(Theyusetheworld’slargestchurchhealthsurvey--NaturalChurchDevelopment.)Intwoplusyears,wewentfrombeingjust“OK”

(un-dangerousbuttotallyineffective)tobeinginthetop10%ofchurchesworldwideinchurchhealth.Ithasbeenarealandobviousimpacttoourchurch,ourcommunity,andme. But,youknowwhat,that’sjusticingonthecakeofknowingthatI’mbecomingwhoIamsupposedtobecome.Becomingwhoyou’resupposedtobecomedoesn’tjusthappen.Youneedsomebodyelse.CanIintroduceyoutomyfriends?

“CECLSMishighonexcellence.ButIthinkCECLSMisevenmoreaboutwholenessasaleader-wholenessofbody,mind,spirit.

Asayoungpastorsaidtome,“Whatmypeoplemostneedisfortheirpastortobewellinsoul.”Exactly!Therearemanyfineprogramsonleadershipstrategies.Butifyouoryourpastorareseekingwholeness,thenyouoweittotakeagoodlookatCECLSM.”-Leighton Ford

KenGiacolettoandLeightonFord

John and Julie Morlan

It’shardtobelievethatabunchofcrayonscouldchangethewholeDNAofasmallMidwestchurch.Butthat’sexactlywhathappenedtoFirstBaptistChurchinBicknell,Indiana.Frustratedwiththestatusquoofseeingacommunityravagedbypovertyanddrugabuse,butnotknowinghowtomakeaKingdomimpactintheNorthernKnoxCountyarea,PastorSethAlexanderenrolledintheCECLSMprogramatGreenLake.Withthehelpofgreatspeakers,anencouragingCECLSMcoach,andagroupofhispeersspurringhimon,GodbegantorevealtoSethwhatalarge-scaleimpactthatFBCBicknellcouldhaveonthecommunityofNorthernKnoxCounty.FBC’sleadershipgatheredatGreenLakeConferenceCenterforthethirdsessionofCECLSMClass5,andcaughtthesamevisionSethhadreceived.TheleadershipteambegantotakealookattheprogramsFBCofferedandweredismayedtodiscoverthateverysingleonewasinward-focused,meaningtheprogramswereforpeoplewhoalreadyhadarelationshipwithJesusChrist.Godwascallingthechurchtoreachoutandministertothehurtingheartswhocouldnotbefoundinthepews.Throughprayerandscripture,theleadershipteamcameupwithanewvisionofwhatGodwantedtoaccomplishthroughthischurch:toreachthe4,734unchurchedpeopleintheNorthKnoxarea.AnewmissionstatementwasalsodevelopedtoarticulateFBC’snewvision:“WelivetogrowChrist’sKingdombypassionatelysharingHistruthinlove.”

WiththecatalystofthegreatprogrammingatCECLSMandthewonderfulGLCCenvironment,Sethandtheteamforgedahead,prayingforGodtorevealwaystomakethevisionmorethanlipservice.Godbegantoopenthecongregation’seyestotheneedsaroundthem.

ThereweremanychildrenattendingourWednesdaynightprogrammingwhocameinhungryandaskedforseveralsnacks.GodbirtheditintheheartsofthevolunteersthatFBCneededtofeedthesechildrenanutritiousmeal–tofillthebellyandthespirit.It’shardforchildrentofocusontheGospelpresentedtothemwiththeacheofhungerintheirstomachs.Astheneedwaspresented,thepeopleofFBCrespondedwithgenerosityandmettheneedsofthesepreciouschildren,manyofwhomcomefromunchurchedfamilies.OneSundaynightamonth,FBCalsooffersafreemealandfellowshiptoanyonewhowalksintothefellowshiphall(weevendeliver!).ThishasbeensoeffectivebecausethepewshavebeenmobilizedtodooutreachandtolivealifestyleofworshipthatgoesbeyondSundaymornings.

OnceayearFBCoffersafreeclothinggiveawaycalledthe“Free4All”rightbeforeschoolstarts.Manyofthestudentswhoattendschoolatthelocalelementary(whichisapproximately80%freeandreducedlunch)andtheirfamilieslineuphoursbeforetheeventtoreceivebrandnewandgentlyusedclothingitemsfortheupcomingschoolyear.Thesesamefamiliescanbeseenatthechildren’sprogrammingandthefreemealsasmany

Drawing a picture of God’s Love:one crayon at a time

peopleinpovertylearntotrustFBC,andhopefullytheChurchasawholeonceagain.Themostwell-attendedFreeMealwastheThanksgivingmeal,whichfedalmost400peopleinalittleoverthreehours.

InordertodemonstratethemassiveneedforJesustothecongregation,theleadershipteambegantocollectusedcrayonsfromlocalheadstartsandpreschools.Eventually4,734crayonswerecollected.OnLaunchDayforthenewvision,thecrayonswereprominentlydisplayedforagreatvisualof4,734brokenpeoplethatGodwantstousetocolorapictureoflovetothisworld.WhenpeoplebeginrelationshipswithJesusatFBCnow,acrayongoesoutofthetube.Whentheyarebaptized,abrandnewcrayonispresentedtothem.IfyouvisitanyFBCmember’shome,youwillfindacrayonwithamagnetonhisorherfridge.ThatcrayonrepresentssomeonethatisinneedofChrist’ssavinggrace.ThememberseachhaveatleastoneunchurchedpersontheyareprayingforandintentionallyinvitingtochurchandintoarelationshipwithJesus.

FBC,whichisplantedsmack-dabinthemiddleoftown,sawwaystomeetthephysicalneedsofpeopleintheareaandintheprocess,hopefullygivethemanewglimpseintowhoJesusisandhowHebringsfreedomtotheoppressed.ParadesareabigpartoftheentertainmentinthetownofBicknell,andthelargeparkinglotinthemiddleofMainStreetbecameamajorsourceofministryasFBCershandedoutfreepopcorn,hotdogs,water,andasmiletothosegathered,whowerebaffledthatnoonewouldtaketheirmoney.Afterall,CECLSMtaughtthechurchtoGOTOthepeopleinsteadofwaitingforthemtocomein.

AtFBCpeoplebelieveGodiscreative,andHispeoplemustalsoexpresscreativityastheyworktoreachtheunchurchedinthecommunity.Oneofthese“creativeoutreachprojects”involvedbeingapeacemakerbetween

thecityandamanwhocouldn’tkeephispropertyclean.Acoupleofchurchmembersreadhisstoryinthenewspaperandweresaddenedtohearthatthemanwouldbefineddailyuntilhecleaneduptheproperty.The

manhadfallenonhardtimesandwasphysicallyunabletoworkonthecleanuphimself.Sowithrakes,gloves,andaspiritofgenerosity,agroupfromFBCspentaSaturdaymorningworkingontheproperty.Thecitymayorcameouttocheckontheprogress,anditwasanoutreachtooldesignedtoministertothehomeownerandthecity,butGod(inhiscreativeway)expandedthatministryandputFBC’sstoryonthefrontpageofthecounty’smostpopularnewspaper.

FBCbelievestheChurchasawholeinNorthKnoxisbarelyscratchingthesurfaceofhowJesusdesirestorestoreourcommunity,individualbyindividualandfamilybyfamily.ItisablessingtoseeGodworkingandjoinHiminHiseffortstowinthesecitiesbylove.Everytimeacrayoncomesoutofthetube,itdoesnotrepresentanumber,butalifechangedbytheredeemingpowerofChrist.Interestinglyenough,allofthisoutreachandmobilizationofthepeopleofGodhaveledto14baptismssofarthisyearandevenmorecrayonscomingoutofthattube.

TheCECLSMprogramwasjustthecatalystthatFBC,Seth,andtheleadershipteamneededtobringgreatideastofruitionwiththehelpofgreatteachingandpracticalapplicationaswellasimportantaccountabilityandlovingguidance.Thishaschangedtheverymakeupofthechurchandthere’snogoingback!ThisnewmissionandvisionhaveleftanindeliblemarkonwhoFBCisasachurch,andthehopeisthatthischurchwillcontinuetoadvancetheGospelthroughthestreetsofBicknellandNorthKnox.

WithassistanceandhopegivenbyCECLSM,thingswillneverbethesameagain.CECLSMhelpedFBCbegindrawingapictureofGod’sfaithfullove,onecrayonatatime.

By Pastor Seth and Lauren AlexanderFirst Baptist Church, Bicknell, Indiana

Seth and Lauren Alexander

“Free 4 All” back-to-school clothing giveaway for local elementary students

FBC’s tube of crayons