May 18-22 I’ll be at New Beginnings training https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/theology-formation-and-evangelism/vital-congregations/church-transformation/) in Indianapolis. No organization looks forward to tough times or institutional crises but it is great to know there is help when the unwanted happens. After the training I hope to be better able to help congregations in times of significant need.
blog
rules about rules
from a recent report I prepped for a client:
- Ensure that all systems (policies, practices, structures, rules, traditions and habits) exist to serve people, as opposed to people serving systems. All systems should flow from and compliment the organizational purpose, mission, visions, values and goals. All systems need to be proactive, purposeful, nimble and easy to understand and apply. Avoid reactive systems that exist to correct a single situation, respond to a difficult person or are no longer organizationally relevant.
What’s your goal?
Heard Richard Rohr say the following this morning (and a lot of other great stuff): The goal of the rest of your life is not to be correct but to be connected.
Time for change
Spring is a great time for new starts. Many wait for this season as a time of change and opportunity. It may be the perfectopportunity to make personal changes. As a life coach I an help you with life clarification, goal setting and transitions. Don’t get stuck thinking about change, get busy making things happen. And, I’d like to help. Let’s connect and take those first steps soon. https://jimschmotzer.com/services/life-coaching
Another great Jubileee in Pittsburgh
I am at Seatac waiting for the shuttle to Bellingham after a few great days in Pittsburgh. I was at the annual Jubilee Conference http://www.jubileeconference.com/ for college students sponsored by the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO). I was there supporting the staff of Experience Mission (EM) http://experiencemission.org/ in building ministry networks and relationships. It was great to reconnect with people who I met during the years I was in campus ministry. A highlight was time with Scott Erickson http://scottericksonart.com/, a former INN student and intern. Connections, conversations, snow and some fun with friends old and new…a great weekend.
Another great week in Knoxville
I’m in Seattle almost home after another great week in Knoxville with Crossings http://crossings.forgeknoxville.com/. It is an honor to work with the staff and leadership team. It is also plus to spend time with Crossings Senior Pastor and my great friend Mark Nelson and his family.
Here are Mark’s words related to working with me:
I have been in professional ministry for over 25 years in various forms (youth ministry, campus ministry, church planting). In all that time I have never had anyone ever come close to the influence and impact Jim has had on me both professionally and personally in the 14 plus years since I met him. His knowledge and understanding of leadership development, of culture (both the faith culture and secular culture), churches and para-church organizations and the mentoring and coaching he has provided to me in those areas has proved to be invaluable.
I have been in professional ministry for over 25 years in various forms (youth ministry, campus ministry, church planting). In all that time I have never had anyone ever come close to the influence and impact Jim has had on me both professionally and personally in the 12 plus years since I met him. His knowledge and understanding of leadership development, of culture (both the faith culture and secular culture), churches and para-church organizations and the mentoring and coaching he has provided to me in those areas has proved to be invaluable.
Mark Nelson, Senior Pastor, Crossings Church, Knoxville TN
– See more at: https://jimschmotzer.com/testimonials#sthash.KPwtfQzQ.dpuf
I have been in professional ministry for over 25 years in various forms (youth ministry, campus ministry, church planting). In all that time I have never had anyone ever come close to the influence and impact Jim has had on me both professionally and personally in the 12 plus years since I met him. His knowledge and understanding of leadership development, of culture (both the faith culture and secular culture), churches and para-church organizations and the mentoring and coaching he has provided to me in those areas has proved to be invaluable.
Mark Nelson, Senior Pastor, Crossings Church, Knoxville TN
– See more at: https://jimschmotzer.com/testimonials#sthash.KPwtfQzQ.dpuf
Clearing finished…
Another Clearing (staff retreat) with the Crossings team in the books. Always a great time with great people. We have developed a relationship that is unique, more than professional, more than friends, tough to frame it in words. We become all the best of family, team and community in sharing our lives together for the benefit of us all. It is a gift to have this be a part of my work better yet a part of my life.
the Clearing at the Clearing with Crossings
Let’s see if I can clarify all of that.
Sunday through Tuesday I’ll be with the staff of Crossings Knoxville http://crossings.forgeknoxville.com/ for their annual January retreat, called the Clearing, at the Clearing http://www.clearingonthelake.com/, a beautiful retreat setting on Norris Lake, Maynardville, Tennessee. This will be my third annual opportunity to join the team in a time of reflection, team building and looking ahead. As staff teams are strengthened entire organizations benefit.
Here are comments from Kim Day related to a past Clearing: So grateful to have had Jim on our staff retreat this week. Jim helped us through a lot of big decisions that without his outside set of eyes, would have been much more difficult. Jim shared lots of good laughs and stories with us, while challenging us to really evaluate everything we do. I can’t wait to have Jim back with us again!
Please contact me to explore staff retreat opportunities for your team.
Find…the speed at which you can run toward your own goal.
My goal is to help people…
“Find your own stress level — the speed at which you can run toward your own goal. Make sure that both the stress level and the goal are really your own, and not imposed upon you by society, for only you yourself can know what you want and how fast you can accomplish it. There is no point in forcing a turtle to run like a racehorse or in preventing a racehorse from running faster than a turtle because of some ‘moral obligation.’ The same is true of people.” Hans Selye
Let me know if you’d like to meet and make progress toward better things ahead.
Perspectives on “quitting”
Schmotzer’s never…
“Don’t worry Dad, I’m a Schmotzer and Schmotzer’s never quit.”
So said my four-year-old granddaughter to her dad, my son, when recently being instructed to “really” clean her room.
My first response to hearing the story was I wish my Dad could have heard it. He would have loved that his great-grandchild wasn’t a “quitter.” Dad was no nonsense. Never give up was S.O.P. I could almost hear him, “Yep, she’s a Schmotzer.”
Personally I was proud she had learned endurance from her parents and I considered that a fine legacy. Tenacity is one of my high values and I hope my family shares it. I love the idea that at a young age she has a beginning awareness of the importance of seeing things through to the finish.
I eventually got off the cloud of thinking my granddaughter had it all figured out and was ready to meet any goal and overcome every challenge that life will bring. Reality check: she’s four and probably parroting something her parents said. It’s something positive, but something that will take years to learn, and more to live out.
Then I thought about the danger of the simplistic motto, “Never quit.” Remember the whisper, “There is a time for everything…”
For the rest of this piece follow this link to catapult magazine: https://www.catapultmagazine.com/quitting/article/schmotzer-s-never