C3 Session #1

Session 1, by Ed Young, Senior Pastor, Fellowship Church, 25,000 people a weekend, five campuses, 44,000 people on Christmas 2006. Very impressive man of God and dreams big. Fantastic communicator and the king of buzzwords and buzz-lines.

Ed made some great statements about leadership. He said, "Today is 'what if,' tomorrow is 'what is.'" In other words, when we ask ourselves the question "what if" today the answer becomes our "what is" tomorrow. Example: "What if we were to build a church where students were of the highest priority?" What is 50% of The Rock Church attendance.

There are four steps to move "what if" to "what is":
1) What if: Ask yourself and your team "what if" questions.
2) Delegation: Delegate the creativity.
3) What is: Discover what your "what ifs" become through creativity.
4) Investigation: Stop and ask what was learned, critique "what is" to ask "what if" again.

Ed stressed delegation by describing God as a, "God of delegation." Think about the garden, it was delegated to man. Think about the church, Jesus delegated to His followers. There are 3 things that keep leaders from delegation.

1) Conflict: Leaders don't like conflict; they liked to be like.
2) Chaos: Leaders don't need more messes; delegation is messy.
3) Carnage: If a volunteer or staff person can't handle what has been delegated to them, then move them elsewhere in the organization. If there is still weakness, then remove them.

In order to ease all of us who don't like people leaving our church for another church Ed said, "The moment people stopped leaving is the moment he stopped leading." In other words, do your best to close the back door, but in no way think that a church asking "what if" questions and building "what is" moments will keep everybody.

Ed indicated four things a Senior Pastor cannot delegate:
1) Vision
2) Organization
3) Team Building
4) Investigation.

He described something he calls "trash tours." He gets his team together and walks the campus looking for trash, and things out of place. This is an example of investigation.

Ed described people who should be delegated to (volunteers pay attention here):
1) Complimentary people: People who are strong where the leader is weak; people who are weak where the leader is strong.
2) People who get it: People who start on the micro level and then see the vision on the macro level.
3) People who got your back: Someone who has struggled and protected the leader and the vision.
4) People with a strong relational track record: Someone who has a good history with many people, long time friendships and resolved conflict with others.
5) Unselfish people: Someone who doesn't always find the angle back to them and their needs.
6) "Why not" people: Someone who asks why, but then moves beyond why to ask "why not."

Ed Young is the real deal. He is candid, honest and does not put up with disloyalty, small vision or limited thinkers. He has paid a high price for such a stance, but the proof of his leadership is in the fruit of the ministry where tens of thousands are finding Christ and becoming what Ed calls, "Full court followers."