Revival!

True children of God are familiar with desert experiences. Spiritually, you can feel dry as dust. God can seem distant. You might feel utterly alone and completely worn out. Then, you hear the marvelous word of invitation and hope: “Turn to God, so that . . . times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

Our spiritual fore-fathers spoke with anguish of “The Dark Night of the Soul.” The best of them experienced such sojourns in the valley. When you are crawling through the wilderness, you, like them, long for God as a deer longs for streams of water (Psalm 42:1).

And just as showers bring flowers, when light dawns, you feel invigorated, stronger, and empowered more than before to live for God.

Throughout history, episodes of abundant refreshing are recorded. The 16th-century Reformation, 500 years ago, was a radical era of renewal for the church. In 17th-century Holland and Scotland, when church and society were growing dry, a deep, spiritual revival called The Further Reformation washed over the church.

True, there have been not a few “revivals” that were exposed as nothing more than a spiritual narcissism of subjectivism, or a tent charlatan’s manipulation of the will, rather than an comprehensive renewal of the mind. But these were, and are, mere forgeries, cruel mirages, of an authentic moving of the Spirit.

There are many places throughout the world today where spiritual renewal does appear to be happening. Paul says that the end times will be marked by a worldwide revival in which more people than ever before in all history, a “fullness,” will be touched , gripped and kept by the Spirit.

So, times of refreshing can and do come upon individuals, families, congregations, regions, or even entire nations. We are long overdue in the West as the antithesis of grotesque wickedness is rapidly expanding and descending, to the heartfelt grief of the Bride of Christ who is crying out for more of Jesus.

However, don’t be fooled. All true Christians have the Spirit.

Still, every Christian also needs special times of refreshing. When the Spirit displays his immense power, new sheep are also attracted to the flock–Sovereign God’s big idea. Each renewal anticipates the great time of refreshing that will usher in Christ’s glorious presence in the end-times. The fact is that in the 20th century, more people were drawn to Christ than since the event of the first Christmas.

So as you pour out your heart for the grace and gifts of the Holy Spirit (Cf. L.D. 45), you are ultimately praying for the second coming of Jesus (Rev. 22:20)!

Keep praying. Trust. And obey.

H. David Schuringa

(Endtimes Blog #6)

North Star Ministry Consultants LLC

Copyright (c) 2017

The Nonprofit Leaders Digest

 

 

 

 

 

6 Essentials for Strategic Planning

A few weeks ago, I blogged about four key features of constructive goals for a prospering agency. However, goal-setting is but one piece of strategic planning. Clearly, this single article cannot begin to spell out the details of such planning that will get you where you want to go. But reviewing the basic essentials and structure of an efficacious plan is a start.

I am surprised by how much confusion reigns here. For example, many organizations appear bewildered when it comes to distinguishing between a vision and a mission statement. I have seen countless vision statements that look a bit more like mission statements, and vice versa. Sometimes objectives are listed as the mission. Most frequently, you find just one or the other that smells like a pot of rotten soup with ingredients randomly tossed in. Your vision and your mission are not the same, and lack of clarity here leads to uncertainty as to what the organization is about or where it is heading.

Similarly, I often see objectives and goals tangled up in a jumbled mess. The two categories are decidedly not the same and need to be carefully distinguished for the organization to accomplish its mission in harmony with its vision. One of the reasons I wrote a short piece earlier on goal-setting, is so that you gain some sense of the difference.

So, fully aware that there are various, legitimate opinions regarding these important matters, I’ve ventured a concise definition of each and, perhaps, in the future will focus on precise ways these essentials play out. However, it would be potentially misleading to provide concrete examples from a specific or imagined agency, as no two organization’s SP Essentials are, or should be, alike. That said, here you can see how each piece fits into the total picture.

Maxim: A concise, memorable, “bumper-sticker” phrase that “captures” the agency. A nonprofit’s maxim (or motto or slogan) plants the organization into the hearts and minds of its participants. The slogan should not be confused with the vision as it would be sorely incomplete and unhelpful as a stand-alone.
Vision Statement: Formulates in a relatively brief statement what you see the agency accomplishing. Visionaries “see” things that others don’t, and any agency should have in view a satellite image of their journey.
Mission Statement: Provides a (somewhat philosophical) rationale for the vision, the agency’s existence and purpose. It is longer than the vision statement, but not longer than a well-written paragraph.
Objectives: Lists the (5-12) primary ways the agency will accomplish its mission (hint: each usually begins with a participle).
Goal-Setting: Articulates (a) concrete, (b) achievable, (c) challenging and (d) verifiable goals to be accomplished within a specific time-frame for advancing the agency objectives. These can be as few as 20-30 for a small organization or as many as a 200-300 for a large agency. Specific strategies are mapped-out for how to attain each goal as needed. Annual, short-term goals are much more precise and numerous than mid- or long-range goals.
Core Values: Defines the “principles” of an agency that support and permeate everything else. These should not be confused with a faith-based nonprofit’s Statement of Faith, but core values certainly are in tune with such a statement, as well as the rest of the essentials. Core values communicate a particular “moral-like” code that drives the agency to achieve the goals to advance the objectives for accomplishing the mission in fulfilling the vision.

Every year in a thriving cycle of sustainable growth, these essentials are reviewed and fine-tuned based on valuable data gathered in the praxis during the implementation period. Without continuing the cycle, and simply coasting on the success you’ve achieved by conducting an earlier review, an organization will run out of steam. An annual cycle of reflection, anticipation and initiation, however, produces the turbo-power for sustaining momentum. Obviously, fewer changes are made in the slogan, vision and mission statements from year-to year. Perhaps some objectives can be tightened up. And the most new information will occur in the goal-setting for the new year.

Here is the cycle I’m talking about. You can see how all six essentials, in full gear, flow and interact as your nonprofit moves forward, following its North Star.

Understand, it is entirely possible for an organization to “flourish” for awhile–even a long while–without (correctly) installing these SP Essentials—if it happens to catch a wave of necessity for services rendered. At that point, you may feel like a genius. But without the essentials, once that wave passes, the organization may find itself hanging on to a piece of drift wood.

If the wave happens to last for a long while, in its starburst expansion, the agency may eventually feel like the dog that caught the pick-up truck. Now what? How do we sustain and fund this momentum? Alas, some are clueless enough to not even get to these questions in the assumption that institutional growth is ex opere operato. And when success eventually wanes, then comes the irrational leap for quick-fixes, grasping for straws.

But sustainable growth never lasts without intentionality.

By the way, for the faith-based crowd, God is a planner so we, made in his image, must also plan. God promises to do more–much more–than you could ever ask or think, but that means you must ask and think.

So, in one way or another, a failure to plan well will catch up with you and sour into a plan to fail. Then you no longer feel like that genius. Lacking the SP Essentials is why most nonprofits and churches follow the highly-predictable life-cycle of (1) ‘glory-years,’ (2) plateauing, and then (3) decline. Without an activated vision cycle, the life-cycle eventually suffocates on life-support.

In our experience, these six essentials, rightly formulated, are sine qua non for a robust Strategic Plan. You may see things differently, but if these ideas look like a good recipe, and you would like a confidential analysis of your organization’s SP Essentials, contact North Star. The fact is that any agency can experience limitless, sustainable growth. But only if it wants to.

H. David Schuringa
Copyright © 2017 North Star Ministry Consultants LLC
For more: The Nonprofit Leaders Digest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 Simple Rules for Goal-Setting

How are you at making and reaching goals? A-? C+? Annual goal-setting is one of the most vital tools for sustainable growth in accomplishing the mission you envision. The value of setting the right goals in the right way at the right time cannot be overstated.

Every year you’ll want to gather key staff to participate in setting goals for the dimension of the institution for which each is responsible. Of course, you must guide the process and take responsibility for the end product. This complete list of institutional goals—and there should be many— should be presented to your board of directors each year and, the following year, a progress report provided.
For effective execution, each goal should meet several criteria. I’ll explain just five of the main rules. I have religiously abided by these, and they have never failed me. So here they are, bare-bones. In the future we’ll flesh them out.
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ALLIGNABLE: A particular goal may be fine in and of itself, and would further a great cause for the advancement of humanity. But if it doesn’t align with one or more agency objectives– which in turn flow from your well-framed vision and mission statements—it doesn’t belong on your list.
Chasing rabbits is a tempting organizational pastime. Perhaps in a brainstorming session, a great idea sparks and everyone thinks you should run with it. Another side-track can be directed by a huge donation ear-marked for a project not on your radar. Rabbits lead down dark holes.
Bonus Value: The alignability factor keeps the organization on line, ensuring every effort is pushing in the same direction.

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QUANTIFIABLE: Quantifiability goes with clarity and concreteness. To “try harder and do better” is not a goal. To feed dinner to 5,000 homeless people in the northeast shelter of the city is clear, concrete and quantifiable. Sometimes nonprofits rightly find it difficult to quantify a foggy “spiritual” goal such as “for 10,000 people to give their hearts to Jesus.” But “for 10,000 people to sign a card that they have accepted Christ for the first time and to provide contact information,” while still murky, can be quantified. This also means to keep accurate records.
Bonus Value: Quantifiability provides outcomes to be graphed for historical analysis and future projections.
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CHALLENGING: Worth-while goal-setting stretches the agency in all its parts. So an aim to rescue 500 battered women next year, when you housed 495 last year is planning to plateau, not grow. Great goals present aligned and quantifiable challenges for expansion of the organization. As the maxim goes, no pain, no gain. Without challenge, an organization experiences progressive atrophy. As a leader, you are not making the grade if you merely follow the agency, or coast along.
Bonus Value: Challenging goals strengthen your agency and demonstrate you have the courage to lead.
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ACHIEVABLE: Still, goal-setting is best tempered by realism. Your goal of tutoring 400 inner city children for 20,000 hours, when you accomplished a tiny fraction of that last year, should not be confused with visionary. To make matters worse, unachievable goals discourage your team and make you look detached from organizational capacity. On the bright side, however, challenging, but achievable, goals inspire your agency with a “Yes! We can do this!”
Bonus Value: Goals achieved inspire confidence that you and your team know where you are going.
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VERIFIABLE: If you achieved your goal of training 250 new volunteers, you should be able to print out their volunteer applications, with contact information, the day they were trained, and by whom. Also, these should be volunteers who actually volunteered following the training. Only verifiably accomplished and meaningful statistics count.When anyone outside the organization asks for proof of your figures, you can confidently bring them to a computer and show them (likely with the aid of your IT guy!). Hopefully, your success will sound too good to be true. But then, you must be able to prove your stats are backed by facts. Call this utter transparency.
Bonus Value: Verifiability flows from integrity, the foundation of a successful agency.

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Having said all this, remember we’re talking here about annual goals, not medium or long-range ones. Also, if goal-setting doesn’t come naturally to you, get reliable assistance to begin or strengthen the process. Such will also help you formulate a strategic plan for reaching your goals.
Goal-setting is always necessary. Sure, you can get lucky and be at the right place at the right time so that the organization seems to be growing by itself. My mentor used to say that a church in a rocketing suburb could have the devil in the pulpit and still grow. So, that means you must set the bar much higher than that which would have been reached anyway, while chatting around the water cooler with staff.
Goal-setting is never infallible. Sometimes circumstances happen beyond your control that you can’t reach a goal. After 9/11, many nonprofits didn’t meet their revenue goals, but any board would understand. By the same token, when you set a goal and exceed it, few will complain if you also went over budget to embrace the opportunity.
Goal-setting is a mark of a top-grade leader: You’ll discover these five simple rules to be advantageous if you are serious about helping people in need. Goal-setting is not about peeking into a crystal ball, it’s about exercising leadership with vision, clarity, faith, realism and accountability.
As a final note, a faith-based leader knows that God can do “abundantly more than we ask and think.” Exactly, which means we must “ask and think.” These five simple rules get you on the path do just that, and to see God do unimaginably more.

 

H. David Schuringa
Copyright © 2017 North Star Ministry Consultants LLC
For More: The Nonprofit Leaders Digest

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Think Twice Before You Lead–Here’s How

Every organization needs two types of people: thinkers and doers. Of course, thinkers do things and doers think. But a visionary leader thinks overtime about what he and his team can do together. And essential for your leadership is to think twice before you act.

To think twice, I don’t mean to make sure you are doing the right thing. That goes without saying. By thinking twice I mean to maximize your brain power in two powerful ways that you are already wired to think productively.

Pedal to the Metal
Often you must think with your mind in full executive mode. Whether you are getting down to detailing a strategic plan, penning a speech or preparing a proposal, your mind is zeroed in on your project, perhaps with an adrenaline rush and a deadline.

So you drive hard while researching experts, reviewing records, graphing statistics, advancing projections, formulating strategies, constructing case studies, editing reports—and countless other tasks executives and their associates do. Like a scientist, you gather and examine the data, and then draw appropriate conclusions.

But sometimes, at a crucial point, you draw a BLANK, right? Time has flown by but you’re not yet finished with the task at hand. In fact, you’re stuck. You drove into a cull de sac and can’t find your way out. Your mind is mush. You think about giving up on your thinking.

So you shut down your computer with, “I need to give this more thought.”

Time to change gears to the second way of thinking.

A Star is Born
Perhaps you walk home. After dinner with the family, you take the kids to the park. In the evening you catch up with your spouse, read a novel, or listen to music. You go to bed and turn off the lights.

But then—during one of those activities—the lights turn ON! Your “stuck place” gets unstuck. A solution to your mental block materializes. By George, you think you’ve got it!

Yes, you do. But how can that be? After all, the problem never really crossed your mind. Perhaps it feels like a creatio ex nihilo experience. It is . . . well . . . sort of.

Fabulous insights, whether for problem-solving or conceiving a brand new idea, suddenly appear out of nowhere when your brain is out of executive mode and into artiste mode. In that gear is where the creational juices are free to flow like a river.

How does it work?

Ever notice how your night dreams usually consist of an ODD concoction and conflation of events from your day and your life? That’s kind of how artiste works while you are awake, and why some call it day-dreaming.

While unbeknownst to you, billions of information bits whirl in your long-term memory and stir like a mixer with the millions of thoughts and memories stored there. When executive mode is turned off and artiste on, these bits start colliding like a galaxy of comets, planets and stars in the making. In the collisions, something marvelous happens like a Hegelian synthesis.

Still, you can sometimes TRIGGER an artiste moment in the office by taking a walk around the property, bouncing a rubber ball off the wall or by phoning a trusted friend to bounce ideas off. But maximum artiste happens in a context liberating for your creative brain functions. On the one hand, in executive mode, you are working on one planet, maybe one street. On the other hand, in artiste, STARS are born.

Thinking-Twice Leadership
Now you now what I mean about thinking twice before you lead. Scientific research confirms that our minds naturally shift back and forth between these two thinking “gears.” Yet, we can be more intentional in its dual operations.

Ever consider why leaders keep a note pad on their bed stand? Because often, just before they fall asleep, and sometimes in the middle of the night, they get the flash. You need to write it down because otherwise you will forget. That’s because when you get up in the morning to shower and shave, you are already gearing up for executive mode.

Group brainstorming can also KICK-IN at least a measure of artiste. You gather your team for stream-of-consciousness discussion of a problem or dream. All ideas, no matter how ridiculous, are placed on the table. No one welcome who tries to direct traffic with a hidden agenda. Together, you freely soar on the wings of artiste as lightning strikes.

No “Off” Switch
No wonder leaders never work a mere 40 hours a week. Can you imagine an executive shutting down with a punch card at 5 PM each day?

That being said, artiste isn’t simply a handy emergency vehicle for getting unstuck at a dead-end when you are buried in executive mode. Nurture these two powerful ways of thinking until they reflect a natural ebb and flow of your life’s modus operandi.

So think twice before you lead. Don’t miss out making the most of both brain modes that empower innovative leaders to explode with accomplishments in bringing hope to the hopeless. Truth be told, those in need are always on our mind.

H. David Schuringa

Copyright © 2017 North Star Ministry Consultants LLC

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The Dog With Only One Flaw

Justin’s dog, Butch, had free run of the 20-acre family farm. When not doing chores, the boy spent hours with his half-collie and half-German shepherd—mostly brown with a handsome mix of white.

You can easily imagine them together exploring the back woods, wrestling in the grass, tossing a frizzbee, or the two just sitting out front of the ranch-styled home perched pretty as a picture on a hill overlooking the meadow.

But Butch was no ordinary farm dog. He came when you called; sat and fetched upon command; paced close by your side on a stroll; barked a warning when sensing something amiss; ferociously gnawed on a steak bone saved for him from dinner.

What more could a twelve-year-old boy ask? His was the perfect dog.

The Flaw
Still, Butch had one flaw. Only one.

In his spare time, the beloved dog would crouch down flat on his tummy behind a bush by the gate at the end of the driveway. Along the country road was a shallow ditch running the length of the farm that served as his track. Ears would perk up as a car approached and, as the vehicle whizzed by, Butch would spring up and chase like a race horse for his prize.

Panting loudly with tongue hanging and tail wagging, he would proudly trot back on the well-worn drag strip to await his next “victim.”

Butch was no slouch. One Sunday on the way to church, Justin’s family clocked him at 35 miles per hour.

That being said, the family was not amused by Butch’s pastime. They were puzzled. WHY did Butch go after cars and pickup trucks? Did he think he would eventually catch one? What would he do with it if he did? Or was it just mindless exercise out of boredom?

Mostly, however, they feared for his very life. Trying everything short of prayer to make Butch stop—from stern reprimands to rolled-up newspapers on the nose—but nothing worked.

Justin and his family began to fixate on the canine’s blemish. Everyone loved Butch. Yet, they grew to resent the beast as they focused increasingly on his horrible habit. It got to that all they could see was a miserable, relentless, car-chaser.

The Perfect Solution
One sunny July 4th Justin’s family hosted an extended family gathering. A gorgeous day but, as burgers and hot dogs grilled, they showered complaints on the relatives about Butch’s dangerous and disgusting liability.

Uncle Ev, a quiet, measured kind of man everyone loved, piped up that he knew a sure way to CURE the hound once and for all of his risky hobby. The family was all ears for the perfect plan!

The treasured secret, he revealed, was simply to toss a cherry bomb out the car window as Butch was on the run. Blowing up, it would scare the living daylights out of the animal, and their dog would never pursue another car ever again.

So Justin, his dad, and Uncle Ev climbed into the front seat of the family’s brown Buick while the three younger siblings piled into the back. Finally, they would eradicate that hated flaw and have the perfect pet!

Well, Butch was gleefully besides himself—sensing the heightened emotion, spotting all the kids giggling in the car! Nothing could stop him barking and jumping for joy alongside as the automobile reached the end of the driveway. The Buick pulled out to implement Uncle Ev’s strategic, perfect plan. Butch was right there as expected.

In all the excitement, however, Butch discovered himself on the “wrong side” of N 950 W. Aiming to get over to his usual runway in the shallow ditch—for a reason unknown to this day—he attempted a dash across the front of the gradually accelerating vehicle.

Dad certainly didn’t anticipate the course correction and, besides, everyone was wide-eyed glued to Uncle Ev, with window cranked-down, about to detonate the explosive. Then in a breath-taking second before the fuse was lit, CA-THUMP. . . CA-THUMP.

Yes, the unthinkable. It all happened so fast. They had driven right over Butch.

Pandemonium unleashed.

The family car screeched to a halt. Justin and his sibling were screaming and wailing at the top of their lungs. The kids leaped out and dashed back to the spot in the middle of the road where Butch’s body lay, motionless. A sympathetic crowd of relatives and neighbors gathered as a beautiful day had now turned dark as night. Cruelly robbed of all comfort, the children wept buckets of tears over their dear dog’s life-less form—peaking up only to hurl hate-stares at their dear Uncle Ev.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow
As dad ushered home his “congregants” of grieving children and saddened relatives, he instructed Justin to go get a shovel. Unceremoniously, the lad dug a shallow grave in the shallow ditch on the side of the road—straight across from where his best friend was stopped dead in his tracks.

All being told, the fact is Uncle Ev’s plan worked. Sort of. As promised, Butch never chased another car again. His one and only flaw, removed forever.

If somewhere there’s a pet heaven, doesn’t it make perfect sense? There could now be only one place for the now perfect dog.

Sadly, it’s not unusual to focus on the defects of others, and to miss enjoyment of their countless wonderful qualities. Failing to appreciate another in spite of, if not because of, their inevitable faults threatens regrettable loss once their flaws are gone for good.

H. David Schuringa
(With a nod to Hawthorne)

Copyright © 2017 North Star Ministry Consultants, LLC

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We All Live in A Yellow Submarine

 High school Current Events class blew the lid off my world. The nearly-retired teacher assigned me to report on the infamous Chicago Black Panther raid in 1969 by comparing the coverage of two magazines. By chance, I chose U.S. News & World Report and The New Republic—so, as it turns out, one conservative and the other liberal.

As a teenager I was struck, as if with lightning. What? My initial thought was that the two sources must be reporting two different events! The conservative view was that the police who stormed the apartment were pelted with a lethal barrage of enemy fire. The liberal source reported that the Black Panthers had fired only one shot as the militant Chicago police and the FBI decimated them.

That exercise gifted me a lesson for life. We all live in a yellow submarine—a steel-cased bubble.

 

BUBBLEMANIA

A 1976 TV movie, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, depicts a lad named Tod Lubitch, who was born with a severe autoimmune disease. Authorities literally housed his little bedroom in a bubble for fear of infection by others outside. Our human tendency is to confine ourselves to bubbles in order to shield our minds from infectious ideas.

While true for all, the so-called “Divided America” invariably comes to mind (two humongous bubbles with lots of little bubbles inside). Each sphere’s patriots are conditioned by their own select data; convinced by sources with which they agree; and confirmed by talking to each other. From the safety of their submarine’s echo chamber, the bubble-comrades launch ICBM’s at the enemy.

Didn’t experts predict Facebook to break through the walls of isolation with its world-wide access to knowledge and opinions? Unexpectedly, the opposite occurred. Today FB is a missile defense system for hardening bubbles as folks “unfriend” opposing views. Truth be told, Social Media exaggerate, rather than mitigate, the academic temptation to gather “proof” for pre-conceived notions regarding ideas and people.

 

THE TWILIGHT ZONE OF REASON
When I first became a pastor, there was an endearing, retired minister in the congregation who came to the church every Wednesday after school to teach catechism to the children. He’d usually stop by my study for a chat—chats I dearly treasured.
One day we were discussing the usual important stuff we pastors discuss including controversies in our church denomination. At one point I offered, “You know, Rev. Veldman, I try always to leave room for the possibility that I may be wrong.”

Visibly shaken, after a long pause—with head bowed and voice quivering—he responded, “Oh no, I could never do that.”

Before sounding superior, I admit I may live in a bubble of inescapable nuance and conditional certainty. You be the judge whether I am deeply flawed with my dangerous habit of visiting other bubbles (but blame my Current Events teacher, please).

That being said, unless we believe that those with contrarian positions are entirely irrational, why writhe when there may be something reasonable to learn from even the most extreme? If you think about it, each bubble does operate within its own sphere of (circular) “logic,” though some ideas may be less or more coherent than others.

Maybe we don’t have to flash yellow with fright or irritation when red flags of contrary opinions draw near. In the old days we would say, “Walk a mile in my moccasins.” That doesn’t mean listening for 10 minutes to Sean Hannity or scanning an article in Sojourners. Rather, rub elbows with passengers in another submarine.

By now you may be thinking, “Oh no, I would never do that.”

 

FINAL WORD ON THE WAY
St. Paul invites us to “do everything in our power to live in peace with all men.” The apostle didn’t mean a life-long journey of constant compromise or surrender, but of relentless listening and love.

Theologian R.B. Kuiper taught that after thousands of years of study, “we still have just begun to sip at the river of Holy Scripture.” We have also just begun to peek on the horizons of scientific inquiry. That means we still have so much to learn. Kuiper was a bubble-buster when he declared that the final word has not yet been spoken on any point of doctrine, knowledge or scientific inquiry. (So the final word has not yet been spoken on the final word–I get it.)

But, seriously, how can we grow if we lock ourselves down in steal-cased bubble-bunkers, firing torpedoes from our yellow submarines to ward-off and destroy the opposition? If our minds are made up, don’t we risk suffocating in a dungeon of our own design, perhaps missing the true “facts” of the case?

Tod eventually ventured a chance to step outside his protected home. The now young man discovered he was liberated to ride off into the sunset with his sweetheart.

Why don’t we take a chance and prick our bubbles—pop open the hatch—believing we can grow stronger, together? Together, discovering love for what the truth may turn out to be. Since all truth is God’s truth, as Philosopher Cornelius VanTil used to say, it’s that dubious way in faith towards truth—The Logos—that will set our lives free.

H. David Schuringa

Copyright © 2017 North Star Ministry Consultants, LLC

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When the Man Comes Around

Back in the late sixties, his suburban high school numbered a mere four-hundred students. The teenager car-pooled in from “the sticks,” so a “farmer” label stuck. Justin clearly recalls when Armageddon struck the lunchroom like a lightning bolt.

Students unpacked their brown-bags in two shifts, two-hundred each. Two rows of tables with an aisle down the middle lined the cafeteria. Being rebellious times, an occasional “disruption” was not unexpected, so there was always a teacher on lunch duty to take down names and keep the peace.

But one day, lunch hour spun out of control.

It Was a Riot

An unidentified junior trooper had tossed a morsel across the aisle that happened to catch the head of an unsuspecting senior. Immediate return fire commenced. Without warning, the entire mob of screaming teens enlisted.

Food hurled back-and-forth through the air creating a thick, dark cloud . . . or more like a locust plague straight out of the book of Exodus.

Justin wasn’t a conscientious objector, but he was reticent to sacrifice his Twinkie for the war effort. So he slipped off his folding chair, kept his head down for cover under a lunch table-bunker to avoid the relentless mortar fire, and snuck dangerous peaks to enjoy the entertainment.

Meanwhile, Mr. Green, a science teacher on lunch patrol, wailed into the mike like a siren with all the sternness the little guy could muster, “People, people, stop!” And soon, deliriously, “People, people, stop! Please!”

The In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida kids paid no attention. Sustained volleys of sticky, mini-missiles cluttered the air space without mercy.

The Intervention

Then, it happened.

“IT’S COACH!!” cried out a student who happened to catch a glimpse through the door windows of Coach Sal coming down the hall—in the direction of the war zone. Reinforcements had been called in to crush the revolt.

Miraculously, an immediate calm descended upon every square inch of the cafeteria. The air cleared like a serene Spring day after the storm. Two-hundred rebels in their now-disheveled attire hushed quiet as church mice trying to look innocent and cute.

Head Coach Sal was a giant of man who was feared. No one messed with Coach. Still, coach was like a fresh loaf of Italian bread—maybe hard as nails on the outside, but soft and warm on the inside. The imposing high school master was respected, and beloved.

Someone you could never intentionally disappoint.

As the dust was still settling, he made his entrance through the double-doors of a now eerily quiet cafeteria. Coach assumed the position of folded-arms with an appropriate cross expression. Slowly strolling back-and-forth in front like a drill sergeant, he scanned his battalion and surveyed the war-torn landscape. You could hear a pin drop as everyone held his breath for dear life.

He never said a word. No lecture. In fact, after a few minutes, Coach just pursed his lips, raised his eye brows, shrugged his shoulders, turned around and headed back down the hallway.

Armageddon over. Peace restored.

What a Day That Will Be

Coach Sal had always been Justin’s hero. The big man was ever so kind to him—a mere farmer’s son— who was a gold-medal lummox when it came to sports.

But with this event, well, Coach Sal became something of a legend in his mind. A leader of leaders. An inspiration indelibly inscribed in high school folklore.

Before he passed into the next life, Justin told me that this story triggered his memory again when Johnny Cash released one of his last songs before he died, “When the Man Comes Around.”

The tune and lyrics make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up as The Man in Black narrates the King of Kings descending majestically to earth in the throes of Armageddon’s World War III.

Then, every knee shall bow and tongue confess….

Some may experience his advent hard as nails. However, his beloved anticipating his arrival will know his embrace—softer and warmer than the inside of a fresh loaf of Italian bread.

There will be peace in the valley . . . someday.

H. David Schuringa 

Copyright (c) 2016 North Star Ministry Consultants, LLC

More Articles: The Nonprofit Leaders Blog

 

 

Are You a Grasshopper?

The other day I asked some of my grandkids, “Do you think it is good or bad to be called a ‘grasshopper?'”

Without hesitation, they chimed in unison, “Bad!”

I always thought so too. Who in their right mind would want to be called a grasshopper?

Remember the Karate Kid? In that movie, Mr. Miyagi, the wise mantis, says to his apprentice Daniel, “Patience, young grasshopper.”  The phrase turns up in other Japanese-themed films and TV shows.

A put-down, right? An insult. Not quite.

The grasshopper probably got its bad rap in the West due in part to the King James Version’s Hebrew mistranslations for various species of locusts, cicadas and even crickets.

Recently, I took up the shakuhachi, an ancient eastern woodwind instrument. So I thought I’d begin to study the history under-girding this end-blown bamboo flute. Turns out that in Eastern philosophy, “grasshopper” is decidedly not a slap in the face.

Quite the opposite. It is a compliment.

To my surprise, the grasshopper symbolizes things like “jumping ahead” and “taking a leap of faith.” In fact, you can discover impressive lists of cool characteristics that spring to mind to describe a person who is a grasshopper:

He is able to overcome obstacles, to jump into successful ventures, to be forward thinking.  A grasshopper’s nature is stable, vibrant, content, intuitive, patient, peaceful, creative, insightful, connected, courageous, resourceful, and much more.

I learned that in many cultures over thousands of years, a grasshopper is the epitome of everything positive in a person.

Makes you want to just jump out and get a grasshopper poster or tie clip, right?

I don’t think it an unreasonable leap to point out that to succeed in a nonprofit you need to be a grasshopper. Far from offensive, it is a great honor–someone  gifted with the fruit of the Spirit–to jump to the aid of people in need, to foresee new ways of reaching them, to be courageously ahead of the curve in compassion.  A grasshopper dares to take a leap of faith  anytime, anywhere, for God’s great cause in his world.

After my mini-lecture, I reviewed with my grandkids, “Now, who would like to be a grasshopper?”

They all jumped in and eagerly raised their hands.  Good answer, young grasshoppers!

So, how about you?  Are you a grasshopper?

H. David Schuringa

Copyright (c) 2016 North Star Ministry Consultants, LLC

The Nonprofit Leaders Digest

Can’t Miss with the North Star

Did you know that the North Star is as reliable, even more so, as a compass for keeping your directions straight? That’s because the North Star doesn’t move and is positioned right above the North Pole.

For thousands of years, before the compass was even invented, navigators have used the North Star for staying the course.

One of the greatest dangers for a ministry is to veer off course and head in the wrong direction. That can happen already when a nonprofit starts, or sometime further on down the road.

Think of your nonprofit’s vision as your North Star that keeps you going in the right direction. Leadership literature calls this the principle of “alignment.” North Star alignment is essential to experience success and arrive at your destination.

Without clear vision, as well as a laser-sharp mission statement and powerful objectives, you may be sailing in the dark, without direction.  No North Star to keep you on course.

You face many options and decisions for your nonprofit just about everyday. Choose wisely in terms of which ones align with your North Star and which ones send you off in another direction.

H. David Schuringa

Copyright (c) 2016 North Star Ministry Consultants, LLC

Here’s When to Throw in the Towel

Question:  What’s the difference between a non-profit and a for-profit organization?

Answer:  The profit.

I was raised, and worked many years, in the business world. One common thread of advice in business literature is to “never fall in love with your product.”  Dad and I would have had a hard time with that one because we really did like eggs, “nature’s most perfect food.”

But, seriously, what that means is that in business, you must make a profit to survive, let alone thrive. The product may be wonderful and dear to your heart but, lacking a profit, you’ll soon not have a business. And the idea of starting a small business, the experts say, is to sell it someday.

That’s because (in simplified philosophical terms) economics is the leading aspect of business. Of course, many other factors play a vital role such as the product’s impact upon society. But a business is a business because it makes money. If you don’t succeed with one product, you can try another. In short, business is a for-profit enterprise.

Having said that, it is entirely a different matter in ministry. Hence the title “non-profit.” Ministry is not about profit though it also has many considerations including operating with economic efficiency. Wasting money in ministry happens all to often and is an insult to the donors. But its primary reason for existence is advancing the worthy cause is represents, not a profit.

While a business leader should never fall in love with their product, a ministry leader should indeed fall in love with their cause. In fact, a nonprofit leader should believe in the cause of the ministry they head.

Enjoying a cushy position can be a temptation to any leader, whether or not they are passionate about the nonprofit’s cause. I once spoke with a prison ministry leader who confided that he really didn’t like prisoners. But there’s a reason excellent nonprofit leaders, and successful development people, don’t roam from post to post and are not easily baited by another position promising more prestige and a larger package. They are on fire for their cause and would only reluctantly leave if disabled or retired.

Sure , it would be amazing if every staff member were also in love with the cause, but that would be too much to expect. It’s even naïve to assume heartfelt commitment from every last board member.

But with the leader, it’s got to be different. You cannot generate. or even fake, zeal (for long) for a cause you don’t really believe in. And those orphans, incarcerated or hungry you are supposed to be reaching certainly deserve nothing less–in Jesus’ name–than enthusiasm from deep down in your heart.

Without such passion do you have a right to expect blessing on the work?

Here’s the bottom line: if you are not a zealot for your cause, or you have lost your passion, it’s time to throw in the towel.

When it comes to a nonprofit, “BELIEVE IT OR LEAVE IT.” A lukewarm heart just doesn’t warm the heart of the Savior.

Surely there is ministry out there waiting for you that captures your imagination and intersects with your gifts and passion. And that’s where you will flourish for advancing the Kingdom of God.

H. David Schuringa

Copyright (c) 2016 North Star Ministry Consultants, LLC

 

 

 

 

 

Never Say This to a Large Donor

So you finally get a meeting with that potential mega-donor you’ve been praying about.

You deeply value the many “widow’s mites” you receive and know God blesses even the smallest gift in greater-than-expected measure.

But you also know the middle-class is shrinking and that nonprofits are increasingly dependent upon large gifts. Besides, it is also an important spiritual discipline for the wealthy to do their share.

So you are finally in the big meeting. You brought your materials and are making your presentation. And then, towards the end, you lay on them the killer closer:

“You know, our entire staff is really committed to this great cause. In fact, everyone sees their work as a ministry, and not a job.”

Then you pause for the response

At this point, you probably have lost, or greatly diminished, the potential gift.

I know. I used to use that pitch too. And I truly believed it with all my heart.

But a large donor once told me that ALL heads of ministries , or their development officers, say the same thing.

Ouch.

The donor’s observation begs two heart-wrenching questions:  1) Does this mean all other ministries are lying, and only your staff is really committed? and 2) if the donor doubts your entire staff sees their job as ministry, does he not begin to wonder how much of the rest of your presentation is baloney?

Here’s the rub. Research confirms the sad fact that 80% of your paid staff–yes, even at your worthwhile nonprofit–is merely taking home a paycheck, just doing their job.

And any one of the 80% would jump in a heartbeat if something better came along.

It’s difficult to swallow because we nonprofit leaders are absolutely sold out to our ministries. Otherwise we wouldn’t be there. We DO see it as a ministry, and not a job.

But there is an irresistible impulse within to project our enthusiasm for the ministry on those around us. The nonprofit’s value is so abundantly clear to us, it is almost impossible to imagine that someone else doesn’t “get it.”

Having said that, sure, probably 20% of your staff really does see their work as ministry, like you. The conundrum is you’ll never know for sure who they are.  But they know, and God knows.

Never fail to thank God everyday for the 20%–whoever they are–because they are doing 80% of the work that is powerfully driving the mission of the ministry forward.

So what do you tell that mega-donor?

Inspire them with the vision for the ministry. Provide hard evidence for the results you are seeing. Persuade them that so much more could be accomplished if they would partner with you and your staff to advance the mission.

In so doing, you won’t be able to hide your passion from the donor, or whether it is just a job for you.

H. David Schuringa

Copyright (c) 2016 North Star Ministry Consultants, LLC