This is Kerrick Thomas – and for the last 12 years I’ve served alongside of Nelson Searcy as Executive Pastor of The Journey Church. I’m guest blogging today and would like to talk to you about the power of meetings – and challenge you to change your perspective on them.

Imagine this scenario: you see that your day is packed full of staff meetings. What is your immediate reaction?

Do you think, “I have too much to do – I need to get out of some of these meetings!”

Or do you say, “Yes! I’m going to get a lot accomplished today!”

Believe it or not, there are few leadership tools more undervalued and misused than meetings. You can use meetings to invest in your staff and your volunteers and grow your church.

If you’re too busy, you’re just not having the right kind of meetings – the ones that get you on the same page as your staff meetings can save you time.

SEVEN TYPES OF MEETINGS YOU CAN USE TO EFFECTIVELY LEAD YOUR TEAM:

1. One-on-One Direct Report Meeting

Are you having problems with staff or volunteers? How often do you meet with them? Run a checklist with them, where you make sure you’re on the same page. It’s abdicating leadership when you don’t check in. A staff meeting doesn’t replace this.

2. All-Staff Meetings

These are normally just 15 to 20 minutes long. At The Journey Church, we do this on Monday afternoons, to get everyone in alignment. It’s a sharing and celebration time, with prayers, staff announcements, birthdays and especially good news from Sunday, such as the number of new believers and first-time guests. For a sample staff agenda from The Journey, pick up my new resource Planning and Leading Effective Meetings. Learn more at www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/Meetings

3. Debrief / Evaluation Meetings

These are short and focused on a specific area. For example, every Monday at 2:00pm we have a meeting with the Worship Arts Team and all the teaching pastors. The Kids Ministry meets every Tuesday. You can do these for big events as well.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2 and the other 4 types of meetings that you need to know.

-Kerrick

P.S. – I’d like to help you master these powerful tools to maximize your ministry. As a pastor you can transform your meetings from dull and dreaded to engaging and effective! Discover the secrets to leading meetings that are indispensable to the success of your church, and to the morale and growth of your staff and volunteers. 

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.