On The Road Events

Let’s be honest… very few people will remember your message moments after it has been proclaimed.  Sure, they might glom onto a single idea or a well-turned phrase.  But it’s the stories they will remember long after the PowerPoint dims and the sanctuary empties.  Stories connect to the mind, stir the heart, and inspire the spirit.  So how do we infuse better stories into our presentations?  Where do we discover meaningful tales?  And how can we become better at the art of using them to reinforce our topics?  This workshop will explore how to find and record great stories and offer practical ways to practice the art of story-telling more effectively.

Mental health officials indicate that loneliness will become the most prominent mental health concern among American adults by the year 2025.  Loneliness can make a person irritable and depressed, and is associated with a 26% increase in the risk of premature mortality.  Although loneliness is often thought of as a problem mainly affecting the elderly, the majority of people reporting loneliness issues are under the age of 50.  Currently, 1 in 5 Americans “always or often feels lonely and socially isolated.”  Technology may play a role.  58% of Americans view the increased use of technology as a major reason why people are lonely or socially isolated.  The pandemic years only added to the problem.  Many suggest that technology has actually made it harder to spend time with family and friends.  Our conversation will center on the topic of loneliness… how to discover it and how to find answers.

The traditional approach to change is to look for the problem, do a diagnosis, and find a solution.  The primary focus is on what is wrong or broken; since we look for problems, we find them.  By paying attention to problems, we emphasize and amplify them. Appreciative Inquiry suggests that we look for what works in an organization. “What is right about us and how do we build upon it?”  Asset mapping is a strategy and group exercise that allows individuals to recognize the strengths and abilities they possess and how those assets might be used, in collaboration with others, to further the work, vision, and mission of the organization. This workshop focuses on offering a new strategy for moving an organization forward.

With recent violent events across the nation, the subject of racism, privilege, and prejudice has once again entered the national spotlight.  Many have been both shocked and grieved by the level of hatred and violence that has been displayed towards members of marginalized communities.  Issues of race, religion, inequality, and vigilantism have surfaced over and over again.  Is it possible that many of us carry hidden biases and prejudices around inside our hearts and minds, placed there years ago by cultural influences, family dynamics, and life experiences?  This workshop explores ways of discovering and naming certain biases, with the goal of learning how to overcome them.

Let’s face it… anyone can become discouraged… even a leader.  Things don’t always go according to plan.  Some of the negative influences that affect the health and well-being of an organization are external and are out of the control of key leadership.  Other factors may come from within the organization itself.  But whether external or internal, when things don’t go well, it doesn’t take very long for the “boo birds” to start singing.  Criticism can be damaging.  Discouragement can be jarring.  Webster defines discouragement as, “a loss of confidence or enthusiasm.” 

This workshop is for anyone in a leadership role who is feeling disheartened.  It is vitally important to develop a resiliency and strategy when discouragement comes.  Fortunately, there are some things each of us can do as leaders to overcome discouragement.  This workshop offers participants 7 ways to manage discouragement.

Let’s be honest, we all struggle with time management.  We find ourselves trying to fit too many things into too little time.  Sometimes we let our priorities slip and we find ourselves filling our days with things that may not be important.  And then again, there are those times when we don’t know how to say “no” to every invitation that comes our way.  Learning to balance and schedule our time is an important task to learn for effective leadership.  One possible solution for our scheduling dilemma is learning to delegate.  Unfortunately, many of us struggle with issues like learning to trust coworkers and knowing which projects can be shared with someone else.  We fight the urge to be in control and micromanage every phase of our work.  This workshop examines the strategic task of time management and effective delegation.  It offers some ideas, insights, and practical suggestions that can help you to be a more productive leader.

This workshop explores various qualities and characteristics that individuals can cultivate in terms of likeability which can lead to greater effectiveness as a leader.  Here’s the point… a person does not have to be likeable to be a good leader, in fact there are many examples of successful people who were not well-liked.  But those who learn the value of cultivating solid relationships through kindness, attentiveness, and compassion, tend to enjoy much greater success in their roles as leaders.  This workshop offers at least ten tangible ways to build relational equity through better leadership practices.

Churches have conflict.  Conflict hurts the Kingdom.  Yet conflict can be resolved.  In fact, on the sea of Galilee, Jesus said to the raging storms, “Hush, be still.”  Let’s confess that conflict is not God’s design for the church.  And yet, because churches are comprised of imperfect people, conflict will inevitably arise.  At times, the conflict is but a tempest-in-a-teapot… but at other times, the chaos is so intense that it threatens to tear the vital community of the church to pieces.  Managing conflict in the life of the church will quickly define your role as a key leader. How well YOU mediate peace, build unity, and model forgiveness will determine the overall health of the church.  It would be far easier to attempt sweeping conflict under the rug, hoping that it will magically disappear.  But the reality is that conflict cannot be ignored.  In fact, the bigger the storm, the longer it will take to recover.  This webinar will provide 12 practical ways to deal with conflict.  Obviously, every church and every situation is different.  There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution that will work in every instance.  But hopefully each participant in this workshop can collect a few ideas and leadership skills that will aid in the process of conflict resolution.

“What stresses you out?”  “What’s the source of your stress?”  Those are important questions.  Stress is a huge problem for all of us.  No one is immune from its reach.  It steals our joy, robs us of our sleep, destroys our health, fractures our relationships, and can even affect our decision-making abilities.  There are multiple causes for our stress, some of which we are aware and others of which we are not.  If we can begin to identify our “stress triggers,” we can begin to deal with those issues more effectively.  This workshop takes a look at some of the leading causes of stress and offers some suggestions on how to address those concerns from a spiritual perspective.

This workshop deals with the topic of Leadership Identity.  Whether you serve as a pastor or staff leader in a local congregation, direct a non-profit, or serve as the key leader in a campus organization, leadership identity is critical.  Most of us tend to be seen by our peers, co-workers, or staff members in one of two ways.  Either we are seen as being a servant-leader who offers encouragement, support, and kindness, or we are seen as celebrities who are aloof, unapproachable, and impersonal.  Effect leadership leans in the direction of servanthood.  This workshop focuses on actions you can take as a leader to define yourself as a servant-leader.  The workshop will examine key characteristics, attitudes, approaches, and actions you can build into your life to create a more positive leadership role.

Let’s be honest… as a church leader, you are in a very competitive market.  Everyone is competing for the money in your members’ pockets.  Twenty-five years ago, most Americans gave 10% of income to non-profits/churches, that number is now down to 2.7%. So, even those who are attending faithfully are not necessarily giving like they once did.  And as you know, in most mainline churches, attendance is not what it once was, which only makes this financial problem more compounded.  It’s important to talk about some stratefies to increase giving, if we can.  This workshop offers participants, 7 Ways to Effective Increased Giving to the Church.

New relationships are forged on the anvil of intentionality. We don’t simply fall into new relationships… we create them.  This workshop looks at the ways individuals can create physical space and opportunities for new relationships to form.  How can we engage people who look different than we do, or think different, or believe different?  How can we connect with co-workers, neighbors, and even strangers in meaningful ways that will allow relationships to flourish?  We are created for community.  Let’s explore ways of making that happen.  (This workshop is based on Dr. Roebuck’s book, Creating Space.)