Welcome to the
Resource Roundup Edition
of the GLCC Newsletter

It's fall, ya'll, and that means we're all scrambling. Back-to-school, ministry kick-offs, program start dates, new semesters and new schedules are filling our days and our lives.  In such a busy season, we wanted to send a few handy tools your way to get this season off to a strong start.  Enjoy!
Tanner Smith, Harbor Life, Harbor Churches, GLCC Leadership Development Catalyst
The Leadership Triangle

Leadership Resources

One helpful way of thinking about leadership is with the Leadership Triangle.

Leadership has 3 components: 
A leader must be able to lead themselves, they must be able to lead others,and they must be trying to reproduce their core character and competencies in others who will one day be able to do what the leader can do.

The important (and often overlooked) truth is that leaders must be able to lead themselves BEFORE they attempt to lead others.  Selfish motivations,inability to self-reflect, and a number of other character flaws will eventually surface, harming the people and the organization in the leader’s orbit.  You probably know a few stories about people who have aspired to leadership but were derailed because they didn’t do the soul work required to lead self and others with integrity. 
 
Once a leader has committed to the life-long process of internal soul work, the next step is to lead in a way that equips and empowers others toward a common good.  And, when a leader equips and empowers others, she will also need to have a plan to send her apprentices out to lead others.  That’s multiplication at it’s finest and simplest.
 
We have created 4 interactive training workshops to help your leadership team grow in these core areas of leadership.  The training sessions can last from a few hours to a whole weekend, depending on your availability and what you hope to accomplish.  All of the sessions are grounded in solid theory and are supremely practical. You will walk away from each of them with tools you can use in your ministry context.
 
Here are four options that GLCC can offer to your ministry team:
1) A general overview of Leadership Development.  The big picture view spanning everything from what leadership is to how we multiply ourselves as leaders.  This is the best place to start if those in the room haven't spent a lot of time considering their Leadership Development Pathway.  It incorporates all of the aspects of the Leadership Triangle: Lead Yourself, Lead Others, Reproduce.
 
2) Lead Yourself - Cultivating spiritual and leadership rhythms and practices that encourage healthy dynamics in the leader.  Participants will be led in a workshop that discusses the unconscious and reactive ways we operate, will survey a few core Christian practices that create new rhythms, and then they will create a Rule of Life that leads them to embrace these Christian rhythms and practices that lead to life and vitality. The Rule of Life is a personal discipleship plan, and something that every leader should explore.
 
3) Lead Others - A look at the Process View of leadership, proposed by Peter Northouse in Leadership Theory and Practice.  This workshop discusses the mental models we use to navigate the world, and dives into sense-making theory before suggesting good leaders make sense out of our experiences and then participate in God’s activity in, through, and ahead of us in the world.  This workshop offers a mental model for leadership that is oriented toward personal and organizational health and is deeply missional in it’s shape.
 
4) Reproduce - A walk through the three stages of leadership that multiplies itself: identifying emerging leaders, equipping emerging leaders, and sending leaders.  Participants will be introduced to a very practical process for creating their own leadership pipeline that arises out of the unique context of their ministry setting.  This workshop is currently being created through collaboration with General Synod and the Regional Synod of the Great Lakes.  Look for details coming soon!
  
All 4 workshops are highly participatory, and practical.  Contact me today to learn more!  You can reach me at tanner@harborchurches.org.

Grace and Peace,
Tanner Smith

More Leadership Resources

Leadership Training Event, Sept.12, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI

Culture Conference, Sept. 21, FREE online leadership conference featuring Louie Giglio, Carey Nieuwhof, Thom Rainer and more. 

Whiteboard Wednesdays: short, accessible videos by Luminex perfect for consistory/leader training, small group discussions, or steering team planning.

Check out these great leadership ones by GLCC family: Jill VerSteeg, Mike Gafa, John Messer, Doug McClintic, Randy Weener, and more!

Classis Dates and Deadlines
Sept. 16: Organic Outreach, Zion Reformed Church, Grandville, MI, hosted by Luminix

Sept. 27: Praxis Day, Grand Rapids, MI, hosted by Luminex

Oct 7: 4th qtr. assessments due to Randy VanderLugt, GLCC treasurer

Oct. 16: Registration due for GLCC Fall Retreat. 

Oct. 20-21: GLCC Fall Retreat, Gun Lake Community Church
Church Software / Apps to Try
 
Canva-simple graphic design software excellent for social media

WordSwag-easy graphic design app even non-techies can use

Instant Church Directory-simple, cost-effective way to create directories and communicate with ease

Church Motion Graphics-beautiful motion graphics for screens

Lightstock-quality Christian stock photos

Breeze-web-based church management software. Thanks to Rosewood Reformed's own Tyla VanderMaas for this great tool!  It is amazing.
Worship Resources
Vital Worship Grants-Applications for these $5,000-$10,000 grants are due Jan 2018. 

Worship Webinars, hosted by the CRCNA and available for download anywhere.
Reformation Day Resources
October 31 is Reformation Day, and this year marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.  
Be prepared so you can celebrate well.

RCA Reformation Resources

Reformation Sunday Resources: CRCNA

Reformation Resources:Calvin Institute of Chr. Worship

500 Coloring Page and Poster: Illustrated Children's Ministry, $15.00 buys you a way to make the Reformation creative, hands-on, and really fun for kids!
Financial Resources
 
Narrative Budgeting: Whiteboard Wednesday idea by Randy Weener, GLCC Classis Leader. A new way to present the real cost analysis for ministry.

Exemplary Video version of a Narrative Budget, Woodhaven Reformed Church.

Church Excel-treasure trove of free financial resources for churches and ministries

2018 Assessment Planning-Howard Moths, GLCC Special Project Manager
Printable Resources
 
Current obsession: the new "Ten Ways" downloads by the CRC.  Short and pretty, these FREE downloads are a perfect way to resource people without doing all the legwork.
 
Ins and Outs

Rev. Ron and Rev. Anna Radcliffe ordained on Aug. 27
 
 
Admin. Assist. for Global Mission, Full time, RCA, Grand Rapids, MI

Manager of Digital Media, Full time, RCA, Grand Rapids, MI

Registrar and Financial Aid Administrator, Full time, Western Theological Seminary, Holland, MI
 
Be sure to check/post jobs at rca.org/jobs  and network.crcna.org/church-jobs. Also send jobs to Tricia (GLCC stated clerk) to distribute to our classis family.
 
Got News?
From births to deaths, new ministries to faithful service, please share your new and noteworthy with us!  Email news to Tricia, GLCC stated clerk.
 
 






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Great Lakes City Classis, RCA · 4500-60th SE · Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512 · USA

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