Dan Gould

Category: Leadership

  • Humbled – My Resignation Letter

    Dear Friends,

    It is with a humble heart that I write this letter. For the past three almost four years our family has been blessed beyond measure to serve with and be loved by the people of Grace Community Church. Many of you have prayed with us, cried with us, and laughed with us also, as we learned how to raise two boys; one of them with health issues. We have seen God do miraculous things in our time here and feel that we have made friends for life with many of you. We have also seen God do many things in the life of our Student Ministry. A ministry that has seen students come to know Christ, grow in Christ, and share Christ with their friends. God has truly blessed this ministry in ways that can be seen and in ways that we may not know until we are gathered together as The Church in Heaven. We have great volunteers that truly love God and want to see students love Him also.

    God is definitely moving within Fusion, but He is also moving in my heart. For the last 5 months Stephanie and I have been praying about a new venture we believe God is calling us to pursue. In October, I was asked to pray about joining the staff at First Baptist Church in Harvester Missouri serving as their Community Pastor. This past weekend, my family and I visited FBC Harvester, meeting with staff, lay leaders and church members and on Sunday the church voted to call us to serve with them as they reach the St. Charles area for Christ.

    Therefore, I am resigning as the Student Pastor of Grace Community Church and am accepting this position as Community Pastor at First Baptist Church Harvester. My last day at Grace will be Sunday, March 13, 2011. On the 13th we will have a Baptism Celebration at the home of Gary and Kim Riddell at 1pm.  If you are a believer and have never publically identified yourself with Christ, I would be honored if you would allow me, or another pastor, to baptize you on that Sunday.

    Our staff and team will be working through a transition plan that I believe is rock solid.  However, I also know that this time of transition will be difficult. There will times of laughter and times of tears, but I hope you all know that our family truly loves you and are truly thankful for the investment you have made in our lives!

    Sincerely (Keep Running),

    Dan

  • 5 Signs your team has Synergy!

    One of the challenges in working with a team (especially in the church) is creating momentum that produce life change!  I have been on a couple of teams. Teams that seemed to create, experience, and maintain momentum, as well as teams that just dreamed and talked about having momentum. But there is one thing that I have found to be a catalyst in momentum and that comes from the synergy of the team you are apart of.

    Synergy is the ability of your team to come together to stack hands and achieve thing together that’s bigger than what each of them could have done on their own.  It’s something that takes work to develop and protect, but once you have it, hang on for an incredible ride.  Here are things that I have seen from teams that have synergy.

    Authentic Leadership – There is nothing more engaging than being on a team where authenticity is modeled!  From the platform to the one-on-one conversations an authentic leader allows others on the team to see them from the inside out.  Nothing catapults a team more than being able to see the heart behind the leader and leaders they are stacking hands with. I believe this is where synergy starts.

    Celebration – Now I’m not talking about celebrating to the point that it looses its meaning!  I am talking about recognizing the work that’s being done by the efforts of the people on the team and by the people they lead.  Learning how to recognize the small victories encouragement to see bigger ones down the road.  Also, don’t limit the celebration just to work related things, celebrate the personal things also.  This communicates to your teammates that you care about them as a friend not just a co-worker.

    Spending Time Together – We have all heard the saying, “Love is spelled TIME!” Teams that have synergy simply hang out together.  They have learned the value of doing life with the people they work with.  It doesn’t have to be a lot of time, but times spent with each other at work and away from work, goes a long way!

    Trying New Things – Teams that seem to have synergy are not afraid to change/challenge the status-quo. This allows for the team to talk through strategy, express creativity, and achieve something together.  You may not need to create new things, but evaluate what you currently do and talk about how it might be done differently. Some people like to manage while others like change.  Learning a balance here is very important.  Timing is everything and can create or kill the synergy with in the team and the momentum of the organization.

    Laughter & Learning – One of the greatest ways to establish and protect the synergy of a team is when it’s filled with both laughter and learning.  Create times where you learn together from God’s Word and other leaders.  You can do this by reading a book together, watching something together, or attending a conference together. It’s important spending time learning together, but it’s also important laughing together.  Create times where you simply hang out and enjoy being with each other, no agenda, just creating memories as a team.

    These aren’t the only 5 things that can gauge synergy. But I’d be willing to bet if your team isn’t experiencing synergy and moment, one, if not more, of these 5 things are missing!

  • Creating a LOW 2 NO budget Retreat with Maximum Impact!

    This past weekend was our second year to host ONE Retreat for our Fusion Students.  All of the prayers, recruiting, planning, and dealing with last-minute changes all came together when that first student arrives with a huge smile on their face excited about the weekend. As a leader, it can be challenging to offer a life changing event, let alone, a retreat, when money is tight.  However, it can be done.

    Here are a 3 things I have learned over the years:

    1. STAY LOCAL!
    The temptation is always to go somewhere else and not utilize the facility and people who are within your own church. Students don’t mind grabbing a sleeping bag and crashing on the floor of someones house, they just enjoy the time together. But this not only creates momentum in your group, it allows others within your church get involved in the weekend! This creates a church wide vibe about the Student Ministry.

    2. USE YOUR OWN LEADERS!
    The temptation is to bring in known speakers, worship band, and even professional leaders. However, doing so, limits the ripple effect from the weekend! The speaker will leave to speak somewhere else, the worship band will lead worship somewhere else, and the professional leaders, more than likely Student Pastors you may know, will return to their Students within their Student Ministries. The only people who remember details of the retreat are the students and a handful of leaders.

    When you use your own leaders, it allows what happens at the retreat to affect other areas of your ministry. It brings the student and their leaders together because they have shared in the same experience. Conversations can be deeper, laughter can be richer, and commitments can be stronger.

    3. USE RESOURCES WISELY!
    The temptation here is to be over the top! However, over the top cost a lot of money and limits who can afford to go to a life changing weekend. A lot of cost can be sucked into facilities, transportation, food, housing, equipment, print materials, and personalities. Much of this can be minimized by using resources wisely!

    With today’s technology you can use a podcast of some of the best speakers in the church today at the click of a button. There are people/parents of teens in your church that would open their homes for students to stay in over the weekend. There are other volunteers in your church that would be willing to cook some meals for individual groups, or participate in a large cooking team for each meal. Parents, Leaders, and other Church Members can provide transportation to & from the Church to the Host Home and an afternoon activity if you choose to have one. When it comes to facilities and equipment, they are already set up because you use them every week!

    These are just some things that I’ve learned over the years as we try to maximize our resources to create life changing events for students. Please note, having low to no budget, or using any of these steps doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice quality. You just provide high quality with minimal cost and more participation!

  • 8 ways to Maximize your Influence!

    Sometimes it’s easy to overlook the opportunity we have to influence others for the sake of the Gospel.  However, I wanted to share with you 8 things that will help you maximize your influence as a Leader, Mentor, Small Group Leader, Disciple Maker, or what ever title you want to give yourself.

    Be Yourself
    Let’s face it; there is always a temptation to try to be someone we’re not because of the insecurities with in us.  Things like, feeling like you don’t know enough, or that you’re not cool enough, or that you have to lead just like so-and-so to be effective. When we buy into these ideas, it cheapens who God has made us to be and limits how we allow God to use us! Don’t get caught up in the temptation to try to be someone you are not, be yourself and let God use you in the ways he has wired you to be used.

    Be Led by the Holy Spirit
    Because people are different, every conversation, every activity, and every situation is unique! It is vitally important that you are spending time with the Lord on a regular basis so you can be ready for anything. Remember, we lead out of the overflow of our own relationship with Jesus.  If we haven’t spent time with Him, we will try to lead out of our own power instead of being led by the Supernatural Power of the Holy Spirit.

    Be Prepared
    Let me make something clear, being led by the Holy Spirit is not at the expense of being prepared.  Before meeting, spend some time thinking about what you are going to teach and how you model it with your life. If you’re not modeling it, begin to model it to establish credibility, integrity, and accountability. Being prepared enables you to follow the direction of the Holy Spirit more clearly because He has already been leading you to the defining moment.

    Be Transparent
    None of us are perfect! Let me say that again, none of us are perfect! Leaders who act like they have it all together and never share their struggles, challenges, and learning’s, can cause others to struggle with sharing struggles, challenges, and learning’s.  But when a leader uses wisdom and shares appropriate things with the group it can ease the tension and allow others to share the things they are dealing with also. This may be the greatest risk as a leader, but it also has the greatest return when it comes to developing genuine community.

    Be a Good Listener
    Many times people aren’t looking for an easy answer; they are simply looking to be heard!  Remember, God has given us two ears and one mouth for a reason.  A Good leader knows when to listen and when to talk.

    Be Aware
    Because we live busy lives, spending a lot of time together can be challenging.  However, with social media being the way it is today, we can keep up with each other through Facebook, Twitter, & or by reading a Blog.  We can leverage our influence with a simple encouraging wall post, message, or comment!  This allows you to stay aware of what’s going on in their life and show them that you care.

    When meeting together, watching body language, attitudes, and hearing the things said and seeing the things not said, can allow you to gain great insight to what is going on in their world.  Simply taking the time to be aware will allow you to have a greater relationship and greater influence with the people you are leading.

    Be an Example
    Nothing is more damaging to a group of people than witnessing the fall of a leader or having a leader that says one thing but then does another.  The reality is this, people may not remember everything they hear you say, but they will remember what you do, how you act/react, and how you live. Invite them into your life and be the living example that they need to see in-order to be more like Jesus!

    Be a Friend
    Your greatest influence may not be in a teaching or within a small group gathering. Your greatest influence might be gained more effectively through the casual conversation that happens when you hang out as friends.  Take advantage of the everyday things and invite people to participate with you as you watch a game, eat some food, or go to a movie!  You don’t have create new opportunities, just take advantage of the things you will do anyways and invite them along to have fun and simply enjoy hanging out with each other.

    God has given you the opportunity to lead and influence others. I hope these 8 things will help you maximize your influence as you challenge others with the truth of the Gospel.

    “And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. 8 Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us.” Titus 2:7-8 (NLT)

  • Session #6.2 – Daniel Pink – What Motivates us: … (Leadership Summit 2010)

    WHAT MOTIVATES US: NOT WHAT YOU THINK

    Humans have 3 drives

    BIOLOGICAL DRIVE
    REWARD AND PUNISHMENT DRIVE
    INTEREST DRIVE

    *management leads to compliance
    *management doesn’t lead to engagement

    3 THINGS THAT HELP AN ORGANIZATION TO BE SUCCESSFUL

    AUTONOMY
    *These are the big 4 things you need to leverage
    *time
    *team
    *task
    *technique

    Fed-x Day – 20% time
    *allowing the team to work on something outside there focus to present to the whole organization

    MASTERY
    *Biggest motivator at work was making progress
    *we need to help people see their progress
    *HOW: flow is when you get caught in the moment of what you are doing
    *we need to try to create moments where people can get in the flow of what they are doing
    *collect feedback – beyond the annual review, it needs to be an authentic conversations
    *encourage people take into their own hands
    *send out goals at the beginning of the month at the end of the month you call yourself into the office to talk about the goals and how you are doing?

    PURPOSE
    *Give them something to see that is larger than themselves
    *What language do you use?
    *we vs they – what pronoun do you tend to use?

  • Session #6.1 – Terri Kelly – When Leaders Emerge (Leadership Summit 2010)

    WHEN LEADERS EMERGE
    *Power of small groups – how do people not feel like a number but a active part of the organization
    *Work collectively together – their job is to make everyone else work better not just as an individual but as a team.
    *Create an environment where the leader changes with where the knowledge is for that moment or project is for that team.
    *When you join, you by-in to the common values
    *power of small teams
    *we’re all in the same boat
    *take a long term view
    *are we involved in our community?
    *are we being innovative?
    *More Coaching then Bossing
    *Leaders should coach others in the organization

    *As leaders we have to learn how to divide in order to multiply!
    *You are only a leaders if people want to follow you.

  • Session #5 – Jeff Manion – The Land Between (Leadership Summit 2010)

    THE LAND BETWEEN
    *In the Land Between we use the term “For Now”
    *For now I’m living with my parents
    *For now I’m working at McDonald’s

    *The land between is where many of us find ourselves today, you don;t know how you got there or how you are going to to get out of it. You feel like you are in the Desert.

    *God says Ill take you out of the land of Egypt into the land of promise – it doesn’t talk about the land in-between. But we know that the Israelite’s wandered for 40 years in the desert. they were in THE LAND BETWEEN.

    THE LAND BETWEEN …

    Numbers 11:4 read with a whining voice
    IS FERTILE GROUND FOR COMPLAINT
    *they didn’t complain about their condition they complained and thought that they are better off without God.
    *QUESTION – How is God going to meet his servant Moses?

    Numbers 11:11-14
    IS FERTILE GROUND FOR MELTDOWNS
    *v. 15 Kill me now – It’s too heavy I can’t carry it any more!
    *QUESTION: Who’s voice do you hear more?
    *Many times we are prepared for days of disappointment but rarely are we ready for long stints of disappointment.

    Numbers 11:16-17
    IS FERTILE GROUND FOR US 2 SEE GODS PROVISION
    *God provides for our need
    *What if we cried out to God and He provided?
    *This can be different, and sometimes different then what we expect.
    *God loves to provide … It’s what He does!

    Numbers 11:18-20
    IS FERTILE GROUND FOR GODS DISCIPLINE
    *V 23 – Is the Lords are to short?
    *Is God to weak to handle your need?
    *Discipline is inflicting pain for redemptive purposes
    *Warning – We tend to think we are immune from Gods discipline

    IS FERTILE GROUND FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL GROWTH
    *it one of the best places to learn to trust the Lord
    *the between is an opportunity to transform you into the person God has created you to be
    *its here that we learn to pray
    *its hear that we learn to depend

    HOWEVER, it doesn’t happen automatically
    *when you travel through this land your heart is in danger
    *its the best place for growth but its also the place people go to die.
    *complaint arrives as an uninvited quest.
    *complaint resist eviction
    *TRUST however evicts complaint

    THE SPACE BETWEEN IS SOME OF THE RICHEST SOIL WHERE GOD DOES HIS DEEPEST WORK!

  • Session #4 – Andy Stanley – The Upside of Tension (Leadership Summit 2010)

    THE UPSIDE OF TENSION
    The right amount of pressure & tension can be used to pick up a contact lens and/or throw a baseball. The key is to leverage that tension appropriately.

    1. Every organization has problems that shouldn’t be SOLVED and tensions that should be RESOLVED.
    A. For example: Whats more important?
    *Working and/or Family
    *Preaching inspired by the Holy Spirit and/or getting kids back from volunteers on time.
    *Excellence vs Sound Financial decisions
    *Theology and/or Application
    B. If you “resolve” any of those tensions, you will CREATE new tensions.
    *We have to learn to manage these problems and tensions … not solve/resolve them.
    C. If you resolve any of those tensions, you create a barrier to progress.
    D. Progress depends not on the resolution of those tensions but on the successful MANAGEMENT of those tensions.
    *When there are two opposing forces, you must create a third option/category, otherwise you end up with a win/lose. Or a lose/lose situation

    2. To distinguish between problems to solve and tensions to manage, ask the following:
    *Does this problem or tension keep resurfacing?
    *Are there mature advocates for both sides?
    ex. Keep church safe for seekers vs need to mature Christians
    *Are the two sides really independent?

    3. The role of leadership is to LEVERAGE the tension to the benefit of the organization.
    A. Identify the tensions to be managed in your organization.
    B. Create TERMINOLOGY EVERYONE KNOWS.
    C. Inform your CORE.
    *Key players must understand the principle or catch the vision.
    D. Continually give VALUE to both sides.
    E. Don’t weigh in too heavily on your personal biases.
    *Understand the UP SIDE of the opposite side.
    F. Don’t allow strong personalities to WIN the day.
    *You need passionate people to champion a side, but also a mature person that realizes it’s a tension that won’t ever be resolved.
    G. Don;t think in terms of balance. Think RHYTHM
    *Don’t try to be fair. – not we did x last year so to be fair lets do y this year.
    *Understand timing, time to learn, time to serve, time to preach/time to sing.
    *Identify tensions (not solvable) … and identify problems that do NEED to be solved.

    CONCLUSION: As a leader, one of the most valuable things you can do for your organization is differentiate between tensions your organization will always need to manage vs problems that need to be solv

  • Session #3 Adam Hamilton – When Leaders Fall (Leadership Summit 2010)

    WHEN LEADERS FALL

    *No-one is immune from a failure
    *Every Situation is Unique

    How do you approach this as Leaders and a Church?
    1. Ignore it
    2. Blast it, by Blasting them
    3. Just Fire them and Move on with out a lot of discussion
    4. Acknowledge it and talk about how we should deal with it
    *Help Unpack feelings that
    *It allows you to show the people who you really are

    How do you attempt to safeguard this from happening in your church
    Develop Policies
    *staff covenant that the staff signs every year
    *Policies of where you can go with people of the opposite staff
    *If it looks like a date, smells like a date, it probably is a date
    *Meet with staff about these policies
    *Remind the staff that we are all Human beings
    *We are wired for reproduction
    *We are wired for a intimacy and companionship
    *We are all sinners and these things lead us to do things we didn’t plan on doing
    *Paint a picture of Sin
    *The moment of the maybe – “What would it be like if …?”
    *We don’t ask the question “How does this end happy?”
    *What is it going to look like when you have to tell your spouse?
    *Even if you have feelings, never share them with the other person
    *Remind them that God id a God of Second Chances but it’s extremely hard to go for plan B

    5 R’s for RESISTING TEMPTATION
    *REMEMBER who you are!
    *RECOGNIZE the consequences of your actions!
    *Try to fan
    *REDEDICATE yourself to God
    Stop, Drop, and Pray
    *REVEAL your struggle to a trusted friend
    *REMOVE yourself from the situation
    *Sometimes there are radical things you have to do to avoid temptation
    *REMEMBER the Gospel is for Sinners

    BIG iDEAS
    *The aim of the Christian Life is Sanctification! AS LEADERS WE ARE CALLED TO HIGHER STANDARDS!!!
    1 thes 4:3-5&7
    *All of us are tempted as Human Beings

  • Session #2 Jim Collins – How the Mighty Fall (Leadership Summit 2010)

    To be of GREAT use and to Do GREAT work

    Good is the enemy of great
    *How do you make the leap to GREAT performance?
    *Greatness is largely a matter of choice and discipline!

    How do the mighty fall
    *If it can happen to them, it can happen to anyone! Anyone can fall and many do.
    *You can be sick on the inside and still look strong on the outside!

    5 STAGES OF DECLINE

    1. HUBRIS BORN OF SUCCESS
    *outrageous arrogance to neglect our life calling and failure to renew that everyday with the same passion as if when we first began
    *Bad decision made with good intentions are still bad decisions!
    *Three leaders described everyone of them understood that it’s not about them!!!!
    *Good to Great leaders are different they are level 5 leaders not level 4 leaders
    *What separated the #4 leaders from the #5 leaders was their Humility.
    *The greatest leaders signature was their humility!
    *It’s their drive to do whatever it takes for the advance of the organization and vision

    2. UNDISCIPLINED PURSUIT OF MORE
    *The mighty fall by going to far, by over-reaching
    *They break packards fall
    *Do we have all seats filled with fantastic leaders, if not, we are on the brink of falling

    3. DENIAL OF SICK AND PERIL
    *you look good on the outside
    * Look at handbook:
    *Teams on the Way up vs Team on the way down
    *Stockdale paradox
    *you must never ever confuse faith and facts
    *never give up but face the facts

    4. GRASPING FOR SALVATION
    *Looking for something to save the day
    *they look to the outside instead of from within
    *greatness is an accumulative process, not a single bullet, single event, single person.
    *every day, every week, every person matters.
    *You have to make the choice to continue to get better, and better, and better

    5. CAPITULATION OF IRRELEVANCE OR DEATH
    *It’s over, you are ready to give up, you’ve lost your influence

    What causes companies to stand strong and long
    *They had a reason for existence
    *They answer the question what would be lost if we disappeared
    *They are driven by purpose beyond money and success
    *They will not compromise product quality
    *They understand that they have to have the ability to change
    *They understand the power of AND when asked a this OR that question
    *There is a core that has to be held tight!
    *Preserve the core and stimulate progress
    *Hold the value constant

    TO DO
    1. Do your diagnostics (jimcollins.com) Good to Great diagnostic tools use it with your team
    2. Count your Blessings – don’t stop till you get 100
    you see all the good things that happen that we didn’t create
    3. What is your questions to statements ratio … can you double it in the next year
    *Ask the right questions
    *Invest more in being interested instead of interesting
    4. Answer question how many seats are on your bus
    5. Do the inventory
    6. Create an inventory of the brutal facts
    7. Create a Stop Doing List
    8. Define Results and Focus there
    9. Double your reach to young people by changing your practices without changing your core values
    10. Create, and/or Chase your Big Harry Audacious Goal