Author, minister, and Gallup Organization consultant Al Winseman points to the hard data that says people who are engaged (involved, committed, and enthusiastic) with their faith communities are more apt to support the mission of Christ in the local church.
While the sad truth is that most church members are not engaged Al has written extensively on how to encourage engagement, which has to do with helping people clarifying expectations, identify gifts, and put those gifts to use. Al’s books, Growing an Engaged Church and Living Your Strengths are two of the best around and served as a foundation for our inspiring conversation.
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Synopsis
Do your members have an emotional connection with your church? Al Winesman says that lies at the heart of getting members engaged in their faith communities. In this incredibly practical interview Al lays out the rules of engagement for engagement. Here are my notes:
Clarify Expectations
Al says 50% of church members cannot give a good answer when asked, “As a member, do I know what’s expected of me?” Al suggests members sign a covenant and choose one day of the year to renew these mutual expectations.
Four Dimensions of Engagement
Al says clarity is the key to answering the four questions of Engagement: 1) What do I get?, 2) What do I give?, 3) Am I different because I belong?, and 4) How can I grow?
StrengthsFinder
Since one of the greatest gifts a church can give a member is the ability to figure out their gifts and to utilize them, Al helped develop the StrengthsFinder assessment tool, which is taken by 5,000 people every day to help them unleash their gifts.
About Al Winesman
Albert L. Winseman, D.Min., is a Senior Learning and Development Consultant with The Gallup Organization. Winseman came to Gallup in 2000 to create Gallup’s Faith Practice, applying Gallup’s management sciences of strengths, engagement, and executive leadership to faith-based organizations. He is the author of Growing an Engaged Church, which was published by Gallup Press in 2007. He also coauthored Living Your Strengths, which was published by Gallup Press and is now in its third edition. From 2000 to 2005, Winseman contributed more than 250 articles as a featured writer and content editor of the Religion and Social Trends section of the Gallup Tuesday Briefing, Gallup’s online subscription news source. Prior to joining Gallup, Winseman served for 15 years as a full-time pastor in the United Methodist Church. He received a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He received a Master of Divinity degree from the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado, and his Doctor of Ministry degree from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. Winseman and his wife, Jane, are the parents of two adult daughters and live in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Books Al Recommends
Switch – Chip and Dan Heath
Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths, and Total Nonsense – Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton
Leading Change – James O’Toole
Sponsors I Mentioned
Church Post - If you are looking to improve your church’s communications you’ve got to check out this great email platform. I’ve found it easy-to-use, reliable, and John, Debra and Kim are great to work with
Wistia – If you’re still hosting your videos at YouTube or another ‘free’ video sharing site you know the drawbacks. Wistia helps me put out great looking videos and see who’s watching for how long. The Wistia staff is easy to work with and very professional.
The Grow My Church Store - Everything from mugs to pens to fridge magnets, this is a promotional products store aimed at helping churches become closer communities, more hospitable, and welcoming. I started this store and shop there often because I couldn’t find anywhere else to go for these products.
