A vision isn’t something that’s memorized, it’s something that’s memorable – so says experienced church leadership coach and consultant George Bullard.
George has consulted for 35 years in 50 denominations and one of the most frequent problems he comes across are congregations that are simply not taken with their vision.
George says a key is to get congregations to stop thinking about themselves and to concentrate on others. Hear these words of this seasoned expert.
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Click here to visit chalicepress.com or vts.edu or wildgoosefestival.org
Synopsis
George Bullard says most congregations want to grow but too many of them don’t want to do the things they need to do to do so. In this interview George talks about how he approaches congregational vitality. Here are my notes:
Our Biggest Challenges
George says there are two, 1) the hurdle of getting younger people interested in church, whether it’s an established congregation or a brand new one; 2) de-mystifying the language churches use. How is your congregation doing here?
5 Skills Church Leaders Need
First it’s a vibrant prayer and spiritual life, followed by a knowledge of people, how they congregate, how to organize them, and to know how to help people become learners.
Unite Old and Young Around Service
George sees this new generation of young people energized by service – which is the same thing that the post WWII generation of ‘builders’ gravitate towards – thus he sees great room for shared ministry and relationship.
About George Bullard
George Bullard is a Ministry Colleague and the Strategic Coordinator with The Columbia Partnership where he provide strategic leadership coaching for leaders, congregations and denominations. He has worked with almost 50 different denominations in North America. George is also executive director [General Secretary] of the North American Baptist Fellowship of the Baptist World Alliance. He is the author of FaithSoaring Churches, Pursuing the Full Kingdom Potential of Your Congregation and Every Congregation Needs a Little Conflict; published by Chalice Press of St. Louis. With Chalice Press he is the Senior Editor for the TCP Leadership Series which now includes 25 books. The Columbia Partnership is a non-profit Christian ministry organization focused on transforming the capacity of the North American Church to pursue and sustain Christ-centered ministry. Travel Free Learning is a sharing knowledge emphasis of TCP. For more information about products and services check out the web site at www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org, send an e-mail to Client.Care@TheColumbiaPartnership.org, or call 803.622.0923.
Books George Recommends
The Other 80 Percent – Scott Thumma and Warren Bird
Great by Choice – Jim Collins
Sponsors I Mentioned
Chalice Press has published a George Bullard book called Every Congregation Needs a Little Conflict. It talks about the ways in which congregational conflict can actually be good for a church. You can find George’s book at chalicepress.com or wherever fine books are sold.
Virginia Theological Seminary is the largest Episcopal Seminary in the U.S., forming men and women for leadership in the church. In addition to the MDiv, Anglican Studies and DMin degrees are their Masters of Arts degrees with a fous on Theological Studies, Christian Formation, Religion & Culture, and Biblical Interpretation. Check them out at vts.edu.
Are you headed to the Wild Goose festival? Thousands of campers are headed to the beautiful hills of North Carolina June 21-24. Wild Goose is a festival at the intersection of justice, spirituality, and art. Some of this year’s guests are Jim Wallis, Brian McLaren, and Shane Claiborne. ChurchNext is a proud sponsor – find out more at wildgoosefestival.org
