Ministry Pastor's Blog

Are You In SHAPE or Out of SHAPE?

2007-06-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

Are you operating from within your God-given SHAPE? When we operate within our SHAPE we are fruitful and fullfilled, and when we aren't we tend to get frustrated and fatigued. Below you will find a fun little video that we use at CLASS 301 to illustrate this point.

The 80/20 Principle

2007-06-21T16:46:00.000-07:00

Here at Saddleback Church we teach the 80/20 principle when it comes to one's work/ministry. 80% of your job should be spent doing things that you either "Love To Do" or "Like To Do" and 20% of your job should be spent doing the other stuff. (i.e. things that you could "Live Without") The philosophy is that God has wire us each with a unique SHAPE and that we need to embrace our work utilizing our SHAPE. However, at the end of the day we are called to serve God no matter what - so 20% of the things need to get done regardless of whether they align with our SHAPE or not.

Remember the post from awhile back on SHOW UP - PALMS UP? It's kind of like that!

WHAT IF...

2007-06-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

So, why do we need volunteers? Could you imagine what your church would be like without them? To help our members visualize just how necessary they are, we put together this video - which we play at CLASS 301 and in our worship services from time-to-time. Enjoy!

C.L.A.S.S. 301

2007-06-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

We held a very uniue version of C.L.A.S.S. 301 this past weekend. As you may or may not know, all of our C.L.A.S.S.es here at Saddleback (101, 201, 301, and 401) are held on Sunday afternoons from 3pm to 7pm. Our team recently decided to try a Saturday morning version (8:30am to 12:30pm) to see if offering something different might benefit some who, for whatever reason, will never be able to attend a Sunday afternoon class.

Well, our hunch was correct. We had 115 people attend the CLASS, and surprisingly, they were more alert than any other class before! It was truly a great time. I think people loved the opportunity to start their day/weekend off discovering a little more about themselves and how God has uniquely created them.

My encouragement to you is to try something new with CLASS this year. A new time? A new video? A live testimony? Something to help shake things up a bit. I know that we sometimes do things around here "because that's the way it's always been done," but every now and then we need to challenge the status quo.

If you don't offer something like the C.L.A.S.S. system for your members, I would encourage you to at least offer a quarterly seminar (or something on a semi-regular basis) to help your members discover how God has uniquely created each one of us to serve Him.

Staff vs. Volunteer

2007-06-14T10:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posting recently. (consider us back!) As you may, or may not know, we just recently held the 3rd annual WOW Awards here at Saddleback Church and our team is completely responsible for writing/producing/hosting and executing the entire event; which is all about honoring and appreciating all of the volunteers here at Saddleback Church. This video was our opening video which helped set the mood that volunteers really are the lifeblood our church! (and I'm willing to bet that they are at yours too!) Enjoy!

Brazil - We're Back!

2007-04-27T16:14:00.000-07:00

Jason and I are back from Brazil and it is nice to be home. We had a great time working alongside a local church in San Jose de Campos (about an hour away from Sao Paolo) spreading the message of S.H.A.P.E. and "Every Member a Minister." Approximately 600 Senior Pastors flooded the worship center of Primera Igreja Baptista de San Jose de Campos each of them appearing eager to learn. The translation, which we thought would be difficult and time-constraining, couldnt have been more smooth and the hospitality and friendliness of the folks over there was second to none!

Our favorite part of the trip came on our last night in Brazil. Jason and I finished teaching around 5pm or so (local time) and the church began preparing for an encore performance of their Easter Musical. Jason and I had already seen it on DVD early in the week, so we asked to go back to our hotel to relax, nap, freshen up, etc. We were scheduled to have dinner with the entire group of folks who had brought us in, and they said that they would pick us up 10pm. (yes, you read that right - they eat dinner SUPER late in Brazil)

Our translator/driver/host/new best friend Hugo (pictured above) showed up at 10pm to pick us up for dinner, but to our surprise he was without the rest of the group. He quickly notified us that something had come up and that all of the pastors of the church were being gathered for a meeting. Needless to say, we were a little disappointed, but still excited to hang out and enjoy a delicious Brazilian Barbecue with our friend Hugo. As we sat at dinner and got to know one another better, Hugo quickly revealed that,on average, he works 16-20 hour days and that sometimes he doesnt sleep at all.

It was apparent that at 29 years of age, (with a wife and three small children) Hugo was already showing signs of burnout! Hugo has a full-time job as the Bass Trombone player for the Sao Paolo Orchestra, as well as a part-time job at the church as one of their Music Directors. He told us that the orchestra job is what pays the bills, but that his role at the church is what fills his heart. He longed to be with his wife and children, yet the constraints of work and ministry filled the hours of his day.

Apparently this is the culture of much of Brazil. The work days are long for those in business, but the work days are even longer for those in ministry. Please stop and pray for Hugo, and our brothers/sisters in Brazil. Brazil is a country which is in desperate need of our Saviour and we have friends there who are working hard to spread the news!

Is there a God?

2007-04-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

Recently, our Pastor (Rick Warren) sat down with Sam Harris (a well-known atheist) to discuss life's biggest question: Is there a God? At NEWSWEEK's invitation, they met in Warren's office and chatted, mostly amiably, for four hours. Jon Meacham moderated. You can read the article in it's entirety here, but for now here is an excerpt.

JON MEACHAM: Rick, since you're the home team, we'll start with Sam. Sam, is there a God in the sense that most Americans think of him?

SAM HARRIS: There's no evidence for such a God, and it's instructive to notice that we're all atheists with respect to Zeus and the thousands of other dead gods whom now nobody worships.

JON MEACHAM: Rick, what is the evidence of the existence of the God of Abraham?

RICK WARREN: I see the fingerprints of God everywhere. I see them in culture. I see them in law. I see them in literature. I see them in nature. I see them in my own life. Trying to understand where God came from is like an ant trying to understand the Internet. Even the most brilliant scientist would agree that we only know a fraction of a percent of the knowledge of the universe.

Continue reading the article here.

Sweet Spot

2007-03-30T10:29:00.000-07:00

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Col. 3:23-24 (NIV)

In the world of sports, the “sweet spot” is that place on a baseball bat, tennis racquet, or golf club that strikes the ball with maximum effectiveness and with little or no negative effect. Hitting the sweet spot is one reason athletes like Barry Bonds, Andre Agassi, and Tiger Woods swing so effortlessly, yet with such force.

God designed you with a sweet spot too. It’s the area in which your S.H.A.P.E. is best expressed - typically recognized in those moments when others comment on your special ability to do something. When you operate in this area, you - like Bonds, Agassi, and Woods - are very effective and efficient. More important, when you are serving others within your sweet spot, you feel little or no negative force in your life because you are being true to who God made you to be.

So, your Serving Sweet Spot is where your God-given STRENGTHS and PASSIONS intersect. And you will know you have hit a sweet spot when your service becomes EFFECTIVE, EASY and EFFORTLESS all at the same time.

Brazil and Korea

2007-03-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

In just six short weeks, Erik and I will be heading to Sao Paolo, Brazil for a SHAPE Conference. Feel free to check out the conference website here - however it is all in portuguese so you most likely wont be able to understand what it says!

Speaking of Portuguese, Erik's book was just recently translated into Portuguese as well as Korean. What an incredible opportunity Erik has been given to help spread this message across the globe.

Can you guess which book is which?

One For All?

2007-03-08T14:06:00.000-08:00

As a team whose emphasis is on serving our members so that they can find a place to serve God, we do a lot of reading and research on serving, leadership, and servant leadership. I recently came across a blurb in an article that I just haven't been able to shake out of my head. I'll post it here below and give you the reference and my thoughts below the blurb:

"I'm feeling the need to be more concrete in this whole area of serving and leading. I've tried to identify some rules to decide how to serve in particular sifuations. Here is the first of three guidelines:
1. Serve the greater number rather than the greatest need. If you can serve 100 people or one
person who seems to have a greater need, as a rule, you serve the greater number."

Leith Anderson - Senior Pastor, Wooddale Church
Article title: Called to what?

Like I said, I haven't been able to shake this thought out of my head, but I have only been wrestling with it for a few hours. However, here are my initial thoughts:

Can this statement really apply to everyone? I actually think that there are certain people who are better serving a small group (i.e. the spiritual gift of pastoring/shepherding) than they are at serving a large group. In fact, when discussing personalities with potential new hires here at Saddleback church, Pastor Erik will always ask this question: Would you rather help 100 people get from the 1 yard line to the 50 yard line? or help 10 people get from one endzone all the way to the other endzone? This question would lead me to believe that some of us are wired to serve the masses and some of us are wired to serve smaller groups.

So, what's your take? Post your thoughts in the comments section.

Fill Us In!

2007-02-14T21:30:00.000-08:00

Because we want this blog to be a two-way street of communication, we are going to encourage you to comment! The first five people that comment on the previous post (Invite and Invest) with legitimate responses will receive a FREE one-time use access code to www.servingsweetspot.com (valued at $10)

So, comment away and tell us how you are inviting your members into service, and then investing in those who do serve. Also, be sure to include your name and email address so we can send you your prize.

Let the comments begin.

Invite and Invest

2007-02-10T16:35:00.000-08:00

How do you invite your members to serve/volunteer at your church or organization? And once they do begin to serve, how are you investing in them?
Inviting and investing are key components to getting people into serving and keeping them around. Without an invitation, who is going to know what is going on and when/where to show up? And if you don't invest in those who do show up, they are A LOT less likely to stick around or come back.

Here at Saddleback Church we use all sorts of media formats to invite; web, print, dvd's, emails, and the old fashioned phone calls! Some of the ways we invest in them are: hand-written thank you cards, personal emails, personal phone calls, we take people out to coffee or lunch, and we have an annual WOW Awards show. (more about WOW in a future post)

What are you doing to invite and invest in your members?

New Release/Future Release!

2007-02-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

We were just informed that Simply Youth Ministry has just released a student series on SHAPE called: Discover Your S.H.A.P.E. Click here to view the product and/or order it.

It was also announced this week that one of our very own teammates, [Michelle Doerr] has been asked to write the first draft of a brand new curriculum for children regarding S.H.A.P.E. and one's uniqueness.

TOP SECRET INFO: The curriculum will carry a C.S.I. look/feel/theme and the thumbprint will be the primary image used throughout. Should be on the shelves this fall over at Empowering Kids.

YOU are a masterpiece!

2007-01-26T14:44:00.000-08:00

Recently, Pastor Erik visited a church in Oregon that was taking their entire church through S.H.A.P.E. [a SHAPE Campaign - if you will.] Each member of the church was given a copy of the book and their small groups were using the SHAPE Small Group Curriculum. One small group in particular, was touched beyond what Erik or any of us could have ever imagined, and to thank Erik they put together this video. ENJOY!

FREE Tools Available!

2007-01-22T18:23:00.000-08:00

Did you know that there are several FREE tools that you can download and use at your church? SHAPE Central, located on the Purpose Driven website, contains a section of their site where you can view and download numerous materials that both Saddleback Church, as well as several other churches, have provided for you to use at no charge. Click here to see the free tools and begin downloading.

In addition, if you have anything that you would like to contribute to the site, feel free to email it to us at 301team@saddleback.net

Enjoy the freebies!

The Saddleback S.H.A.P.E. Team

2007-01-11T10:11:00.000-08:00

One question we are frequently asked here at Saddleback Church on the SHAPE/Ministry Team is: How many people are on your team and what are their roles? Thus, I thought I would share with you this info; so here it goes!

Erik Rees – Pastor of S.H.A.P.E. & Serving
Erik oversees the Ministry Team here at Saddleback Church and is the author of S.H.A.P.E. Finding & Fulfilling Your Unique Purpose For Life. His role is to cast vision and create goals for our team and then empower us to meet those goals. In addition, Erik champions the purpose of Ministry both nationally and globally and regularly teaches CLASS 301.

Jason Pogue - Director of Ministry
Jason oversees/teaches C.L.A.S.S. 301, New Ministry Initiatives, and all of the communication elements from the ministry team. His role is to get "every member ministering" through their God-given SHAPE here at Saddleback Church. Jason is also the liason to the other teams throughout the church to help equip them with the volunteers they need and desire.

Bonnie Taylor - Team Coordinator
Bonnie serves as the assistant to Pastor Erik Rees and is the glue that holds our team together. She is a task-master extroardinaire and keeps us administratively moving forward without ever skipping a beat. Bonnie coordinates all of the details for CLASS 301, Ministry Expos, Campaigns, etc.

Dawn Maestas – Volunteer Coordinator
Dawn oversees Volunteer Central and all other facets of volunteer coordination. She continually shepherds the Volunteer Connectors on various other teams in the church who are the conduits to volunteer opportunities church wide. Additionally, Dawn can be found teaching a portion of CLASS 301.

Michelle Doerr – S.H.A.P.E. Coordinator
Michelle oversees our S.H.A.P.E. Discovery Process including our volunteer S.H.A.P.E. Guides. She loves getting to know these incredible volunteers on a personal level and creating relationships with them. In addition, Michelle enjoys writing and is able to use that passion while writing a monthly column for S.H.A.P.E. Central which is featured on the Purpose Driven website.

The CORE Gathering

2006-12-20T14:30:00.000-08:00

This spring, Pastor Erik Rees and the Saddleback Church Ministry Team (aka: the 301 team) will host The CORE . The CORE is a gathering of like-minded peers who are all striving to help the members of their church discover their God-given S.H.A.P.E. and believe in the philosophy of "every member ministering."

This gatheing will be the first of it's kind that we know of, and is occuring so that we can learn from each other and brainstorm together about what is (and what isn't) working in regards to ministry and service in the church. Our goal is to have at least one attendee from every state, with multiples from some of the larger states.

If you would like to be a part of this event, please submit your information here.

S.H.A.P.E. Discovery Sessions

2006-11-15T13:56:00.000-08:00

A significant step toward getting members of Saddleback involved in serving is what we call a S.H.A.P.E. Discovery session (aka: SDS), which follows CLASS 301. The SDS is a time for a member (CLASS 301 graduate) to meet for approximately one hour, in- person, with a volunteer S.H.A.P.E. Guide. The S.H.A.P.E. Guide exists to help guide the member to the area of service that will best utilize the member’s entire S.H.A.P.E. [Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality and Experiences] so that he or she will remain joyful and fulfilled while serving in their ministry.

The SDS Session begins with the S.H.A.P.E. Guide praying with the member, asking God to lead both of them to the particular ministry that God created the member for. Using the member’s S.H.A.P.E. profile which he or she filled out during CLASS 301, the Guide will look at aspects of the member such as painful experiences, spiritual journey, personality style, and the other parts of one’s S.H.A.P.E. in order to determine the right ministry for the member. Although it’s true that we all have secondary ministries that call for us to step up and simply help where there is a need, the S.H.A.P.E. Discovery session is a meaningful and important part of guiding members to the ministry that will allow him or her to use every part of their S.H.A.P.E. to serve others and to bring them lasting fulfillment.

At the conclusion of the SDS Session, the member is challenged to begin serving within 30 days and the S.H.A.P.E. Guide is responsible for following up with the member after about 1 week and then again at the 30-day mark.

The power of the S.H.A.P.E. series

2006-11-07T10:35:00.000-08:00

When our pastor, Rick Warren, decides to drastically shorten his message one weekend while speaking on a topic he is very passionate about, you know he’s serious about getting the point across. That’s just what happened the weekend of Sept. 23 and 24 at Saddleback, the fourth week of our six-week series focused on helping everyone in our congregation understand his or her S.H.A.P.E. (Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality and Experiences) and use it to find a place of meaningful ministry.

[read more here]

London S.H.A.P.E. Conference

2006-10-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

We are back in the United States after an exhilirating week in London, England teaching a S.H.A.P.E. conference. It was a great opportunity to meet and chat with pastors from another country who are experiencing and dealing with many of the same things as those of us thousands of miles away. Phrases like, "But my congregation is just so apathetic!" and "I don't know if I could let a volunteer do that!" were just as common there as they are here.

It was a great reminder to me that although we are separated by thousands of miles and millions of gallons of water, the role of a pastor is the same - to shepherd and feed the sheep so that the members can be fully involved in ministry.

Monday Morning Mocha

2006-10-03T07:06:00.000-07:00

We have a group of volunteers at Saddleback who have come to be known as the Monday Morning Mocha Group because of their steady devotion to meeting every Monday morning at the church offices to have coffee (or mochas) and fellowship together….and help us complete the many projects around here, of course.

What’s significant about this group of volunteers in particular is the way it has evolved into its own, unofficial small group. They may not meet outside of the church to go through any kind of small group curriculum, but in all of the other important ways they could be considered a small group. The group supports and prays for one another, takes care of each other after car accidents and surgeries, and just truly enjoys being with one another, feeling unified in the purpose of serving the Lord.

We are encouraged when we see things like this because it is a reminder that God can bring so much more out of what is simply seen on the surface; you could look at this group and see a few volunteers who just happen to be working on the same project in the same area, or you could discover that through serving, God has built up a group of close friends that will last longer than any temporary project will last.

Book Review

2006-09-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

The following is a book review we recently received regarding Pastor Erik's book that was just too good not to share:

I am going to tell you right off the bat that if you are a Christian you simply must have this book. I don't care if you have been in the ministry for years this book and the information it contains will surely bless you. Erik Rees, author, takes you on a journey with your Spiritual walk to help you reach the height that the Lord wants you on.

Are you searching for your purpose in God on this earth? Do you already know your purpose but wish to sharpen your skills? This book is for you. In this work our author helps us to define what is important to us and why. He helps us to see what gifts are working in our lives, how our personality supports those gifts and helps us understand that they are God given. He shows us pit-falls, explains how we can get off into trying to walk in something God has not called us to walk in and does it all in an easy to understand, down-right fun manner that you will have no problem in understanding and you will actually enjoy learning.

In this work you will truly realize how important you are to God and His plan on earth and the part that you play. You will learn how to use your God-given talents, gifts and abilities to the fullest which is the heart-desire of all true Christians. I absolutely loved this book and I have shared the information with many people that I have ministered to since reading it. I recommend to all of them to get their own copy, read it and apply what they learn and I recommend the same to you. It is an interactive book that will bring you higher in your Spiritual walk and cause you to be more productive in the Kingdom of God. It just doesn't get any better than that. Thank you Pastor Rees, well done and much appreciated! This book is truly kissed by God.

Shirley Johnson
Senior Reviewer
MidWest Book Review

Your Turn!

2006-09-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

For the past several weeks we have posted items here on this blog that we thought you might want to hear/know about. However, we don't want to continue to assume that we know what you want/need! So, leave us a comment and let us know any questions you have or things that you would like to know more about. We can't wait to hear how we can help you to empower your members into ministry!

S.H.A.P.E. Profile

2006-09-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

Unlike the traditional and often used spiritual gifts test that many churches are familiar with, at Saddleback we use something called a S.H.A.P.E. Profile, based on Pastor Rick’s idea that spiritual gifts are one component of how we are all specifically shaped and created by God to serve in a certain way. Although spiritual gifts tests are certainly beneficial and they can do a great job of clarifying for Christians the gifts given by the Holy Spirit, we have found that the S.H.A.P.E. Profile is a highly effective and thorough way of really pinning down the best area of ministry for a person to be involved in.

Our Ministry Team uses the S.H.A.P.E. Profile during our monthly CLASS 301. Those attending the CLASS fill out the profile throughout the CLASS as they are taught about each letter, or aspect, of their entire S.H.A.P.E. The profile itself is broken up into the five sections corresponding to each letter, with specific prompts within each section. Some examples of these prompts are: People I love to work with/be with; Things I do for fun; My most valuable asset is….; My work experiences; My spiritual journey includes… There are many additional questions in this same vein, as well.

We also include an area for the member to give us personal information so that we can contact him or her, as well as possible availability (days of the week and specific times) in which the member can serve so that we have an idea of ministries that will match their schedule.

The S.H.A.P.E. Profile is vital for our S.H.A.P.E. Guides as they take a member through his or her S.H.A.P.E. Discovery session following CLASS 301. During the one hour session, the profile helps to highlight the member’s entire makeup and leads the guide and the member towards their “sweet spot” of ministry!

Show Up - Palms Up!

2006-09-07T11:06:00.000-07:00

Pastor Erik has this saying that he frequently uses and which our team immediately adopted which is, "Show up - palms up!" In other words, be here and be ready to serve the Lord with a "whatever it takes" attitude. No complaining - no whining - no attitudes. (not that we ever complain, or whine, or have bad attitudes.)

Anyways - I would encourage you and your team to remind yourselves daily that we are called upon by God to show up - palms up and serve Him in whatever he has set before us. All the best this week as you serve God with all that you have!

Our V.A.L.U.E.S.

2006-08-31T11:28:00.000-07:00

Working with volunteers and those who serve in ministry, our team has witnessed firsthand how vital it is to value and show appreciation for our volunteers. In fact, it’s such a major component of ministry that we are constantly looking for new ways to demonstrate our deep appreciation for what they do for their church body. The Ministry Team has created a Valuing Volunteers Handbook that is given to our staff members in order to remind them of this significant aspect of working with volunteers. In the tradition of Saddleback Church, we’ve created an acrostic to easily remember what our ministry V.A.L.U.E.S. are:

• Visit. It says so much when you take time to visit with a volunteer before going directly into ministry opportunity/task mode. Asking specific questions and following the principle of personalization will show your volunteers that you’re more interested in their lives than in what they can do to help you.
• Affirm. A person can never get enough affirmation and appreciation! You can affirm them in person, with notes, phone calls, taking them to lunch….don’t limit yourself in how you affirm your volunteers!
• Listen. Keeping in mind the principle of paying attention, make it a point to listen closely for ways in which to minister to your volunteers. We keep a prayer and praise journal, both going to God for the volunteer, and celebrating the praises.
• Update. Volunteers love to be updated on and included in what’s happening at their church. Letting them know how their service fits into the overall mission of the church is an added bonus for volunteers!
• Equip. Before a volunteer even begins a serving opportunity, train and equip him or her with what they will need to know to succeed and feel comfortable in the task. And continue to check in with them while they are serving!
• Shepherd. On our Ministry Team, we’ve realized what a privilege it is to shepherd, encourage and bless our volunteers. Pray for them by name, send notes “just because”, remind them that you care about them.

This VALUES acrostic helps remind our Ministry Team at Saddleback about the significance of valuing our volunteers; we hope this can be of some help to you as you “do” ministry in your church.

Video Message for Pastors

2006-08-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

Check out this great new video that Pastor Erik Rees just recently finished recording for pastors just like you! In just a few minutes, Erik will give you a quick overview on GRASP - GIVE - GROW!

Do you desire to serve God in the unique ways that He made you? What about the members of your church? If so, click on the video link below and watch/listen as Erik will share with you how this can happen.

Click the image video above [or click here] to watch the video.

XM Interview

2006-08-24T09:41:00.000-07:00

This Sunday at 11am PST, Pastor Erik Rees will be on a 1 hour radio show talking about how to discover your Purpose Driven S.H.A.P.E. It will be on XM Radio channel 155. The show is called For Heaven's Sake. Tune in and let us know your thoughts afterwards.

Check out the website here.

Available Now!

2006-08-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

S.H.A.P.E. Finding & Fulfilling Your Unique Purpose for Life is now available on AMAZON.com and should be in your local christian bookstores sometime next month.

Our team here at Saddleback Church just received our advanced copies and they are sweet. We know that this book is going to impact a generation as they strive to serve the Lord the way that He has SHAPE'd them.

If you'd like to learn more about the book, you can check out this site Zondervan has put together; or you can read one man's review in his blog here.

Welcome!

2006-08-21T21:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Ministry Pastor web log - we are so excited that you decided to join us. The goal of this space is simple: to enhance the ministry community! As often as possible, our team will be posting bits of information for you to enjoy. Everything from stories, to learnings, to failures, to successes, and so much more. So, check back often, and please leave us a comment. We encourage you to get in on the action and post your comments, or even start a blog yourself. Here we go.....