Dirt Conference Lab: Series Development

At this inaugural year of the Dirt Conference, I’ve been impressed with the caliber of panelists leaders and the vibe that’s evidenced from churches hungry to learn how to “make something from nothing”. I’m blogging the sessions I’ve helped lead and attend to share the wisdom I’m soaking up here in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The first Lab was one that I helped lead, along with Kristen Becnel, Michael Buckingham & Neil Greathouse (the inventor of Dirt and Tech Director here at the church). We interacted with the audience around the subject of “Series Development”. Here’s my notes from the session:
1.  How far out do you plan a series?

Ideally – Vision for the idea, rough plan for the series length… 90 days.

Reality - Following the vision of the pastor defines the planning options for series development

2.  When it feels like it’s all been done before, what then?

“History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.” – Ecclesiastes 1:9

innovation |ˌinəˈvā sh ən| – noun
the action or process of innovating.
• a new method, idea, product, etc.

“How do we say an old thing in a new way?”

3.  What elements should be included in a series?

If by elements you mean “essentials” then the list includes:

• Scripture & Worship

If by elements you mean “aspects of” then the list can include, but is not limited to:

• Take Aways
• Give Aways

“Creative elements come when you have worked as a creative team in a creative way to accomplish a creative experience.”
4.  What does the creative process look like for brainstorming ideas?

3 – 6 people were recommended for creative teams; more if you can manage large groups.

I led a discussion around Creative Planning Teams and referenced Edward DeBono’s Six Thinking Hats.

FEAR = Failure to Equip, Authorize and Release. Pastors need to have the self-confidence in themselves to share the responsibility to their team members without hesitation.

Here are additional thoughts specific to this subject. I’ve also included a few blog posts from my old blog (my archives) that speak into this as well.

There are some basic “true-isms” that come along with working or volunteering at a church.

• Sunday comes every seven days.
• Yet being predictable (boring) is being irrelevant to your audience.
• And creativity doesn’t come quick or easy by yourself.

In a sense, each Monday starts with a blank slate. Or, in vernacular that I grew up with, a clean chalkboard. Today, that might be a clean document or MindMap on your computer. Whatever the metaphor you choose to best represent your generational style, the reality is that we have to come ready to be creative and willing to work together and listen for the Spirit’s guidance.

So what does your blank slate look like?

• Are you a Pastor stuck in the mire of week-to-week planning on your own?
• Are you in a church where creativity takes a back seat to more pressing day-to-day needs of shepherding and leading because it’s hard to be creative under pressure?
• Are you a worship leader that doesn’t get sermon concepts until Wednesday or Thursday before a service?
• Or are you a tech person who doesn’t get notes until the last minute, leaving any creative juices mere minutes to “work their magic” or else it’s time to open up that PowerPoint Template Wizard?

Starting with a blank slate is either a great thing or a potentially horrible thing. If you have the margin to think, collaborate, plan and execute, then that blank slate is welcomed as the canvas for creating a work of art with a team of committed, enterprising and creative individuals. But if you’re in the get-it-done-now-or-else situation, that blank slate is like being in solitary confinement.

If you’re in the latter type of situation, spend time praying that God will give you the opportunity to speak to the leadership of your church about changing the paradigm of last minute mayhem to blank slate bliss.

I’ve written about how to start and utilize Creative Planning Teams at churches. With so many new people reading my blog and listening to my podcasts, I wanted to bring up this series of blog posts (mini articles) to open up your eyes to just how awesome a blank slate can be when you’re not the spiritual lone ranger forced to make it or break it week in and week out.

Creative Meetings: Overcoming the Fears

Creative Meetings: When and Where

Creative Meetings: Picking the Team

Creative Meetings: Expanding “Go-To” Resources

Creative Meetings: Controlling the Meeting

The Chaos of Creative Meetings Comes to Order!

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Manage Projects So They Don’t Manage You

I’ll cut right to the chase: nearly every task and activity is a project. Some are simply more involved and take longer to accomplish. Some are reoccurring; others happen once in a blue moon. Yet they all have this in common:

“If you don’t take time to manage your projects, your projects will manage to take your time.”

I’ve not found the “perfect” project management tool, so I use a combination of tools that fit each situation. I have a moleskin that I use to write down tasks and project information in ad-hoc meetings. I also use Evernote on my iPhone when I need to quickly record audio or take a picture to help me with the project details. My one “constant” is the online software, Basecamp, by 37 Signals, which I use at work to help organize, prioritize, share, delegate & track project progress. In the past, I’ve been in companies that used Microsoft’s Project, the mother of all project management tools, but my experience with it revealed to me that you’ll need a certified project manager to make that software really sing.

Admittedly, managing projects means that I have to take the time to enter projects and care about the progress as my own accountability. We’re only as accountable as we want to be, so this requires a certain level of discipline.

When you think about it, learning project management is a must-have skill that will serve you well in church, business and life. In fact, through my years of consulting I’ve made the recommendation for churches to hire certified (or even a degree in Project Management) project managers.

Sunday comes every seven days. What you do between those seven days is a series of projects every week.

I’ve included a few resources that I’ve found helpful in learning about project management. Feel free to share your resources in the comments below.

Project management software:

http://basecamphq.com/

http://www.activecollab.com/

http://www.myintervals.com/

http://www.gtdagenda.com/

http://www.microsoft.com/project

Project management books:

A Manager’s Guide to Project Management

Scrappy Project Management

The One-Page Project Manager

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