Innovative Ideas, Insights and Ministry Resources

(If you’ve been a CMA member since 1995, you’ve now received 249 ideas and insights from the CMA Management Monthly!  Renew your membership this month for another 50 in 2002!)

n  243. OPERATION WORLD CD-ROM.  Kudos to Global Mapping International, Colorado Springs, Colo., and Mike O’Rear, president, for creating the CD-ROM of the latest book edition of “Operation World,” the incredible pray-around-the-world guidebook, by Patrick Johnstone. Bottom line: no self-respecting church or ministry that cares about evangelism should be without both the book and the CD-ROM.  To order, visit http://www.gmi.org (CD-ROM) or http://www.operationworld.org.  (January office decorating tip: When you visit GMI’s site, note that you can also order a “wallpaper world map” which covers nearly 9’ by 13’ of wall space.  It also comes in a coated dry-erase marker surface, especially helpful when countries change their names!)

n 244.  SEPTEMBER 11 ENCOURAGEMENT TOOL.  Campus Crusade for Christ has published a powerful 16-page booklet, “Fallen but not Forgotten,” which is being used by thousands of churches and ministries as an encouragement and evangelistic tool.  The English version is available, at cost, for $8.00 per 50 booklets.  It is also available in Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Russian languages. More than 2 million are in print. Visit http://www.campuscrusade.com/remem or call 866-473-7911.  The public website is http://www.911Remembrance.com.

n 245.  OPERATION SAFE HARBOR: SERVING 9-11 PEOPLE.  Sandy Cove Conference Center, North East, Md., has invited people who have been touched by the September 11 terrorist events to “come away for a time of rest and recuperation through Operation Safe Harbor.” Guests are receiving a complimentary one- or two-night stay, with meals, at the Christian conference center.  Sandy Outlar, president of Sandy Cove Ministries, is working with the Pentagon Family Assistance Center and the Pentagon’s chaplain office, as well as Christian radio station WMCA in New York. For information: http://www.sandycove.org.

n 246.  LAUNCH A “1099” TEAM!  Doug Slaybaugh, at Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, Calif., reports that they are having success with a new “1099” team concept.  They’ve upgraded some volunteer roles to “IRS 1099” outsource team members, some at $1,000 per month.  The compensation ($12,000/year, no benefits) gives volunteers “staff status” at low cost—and dramatically increases accountability, team spirit and effectiveness.  The experiment has worked exceptionally well in their small group leadership area. Check with your CPA and HR people on how to structure the assignment and get the whole story by registering for the Monday all-day Intensive Training Institute, #20 “Common Threads of Successful Church Ministry: Create Your Own Church Action Plan,” with Brett Eastman, pastor of membership at Saddleback Church, and David Stone, associate pastor at Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Ky.

n 247.  FRONT PAGE: NEW YORK TIMES.  Speaking of Southeast Christian Church (see above), (http://www.southeastchristian.org) Dave Stone, associate pastor, was featured on the front page of the New York Times in December when his church sent him to New York to distribute funds to those affected by September 11.  Stone had the joyful privilege of writing checks to those in need—no questions asked—from a generous benevolence offering from his church.  The church gave more than $400,000 for this outreach.  Stone, a graduate of CMA’s Executive Leadership Program, Class of 2001, went door-to-door, and from shop to shop, asking if people had unmet financial needs.  If yes, he wrote a check, some as much as $2,000 and added “Jesus Loves You” on the check, and offered to pray for each person.

n 248.  KEEPING YOUR HEAD ABOVE WATER.  Speaking of Dave Stone (see above—OK this is the last time!), you gotta buy his book, Keeping Your Head Above Water: Refreshing Insights for Church Leadership, from Group Publishing.  It’s the perfect book for church and ministry volunteers, with a joke-a-page—and easy-reading insights, like the three types of days he learned about in CMA’s Executive Leadership Program, from Bob Shank, founder and president of The Master’s Program (http://www.mastersprogram.org), in Newport Beach, Calif.  You’ll have to buy the book, or enroll in Shank’s program, for more information on Sabbath days, focus days and buffer days. It’s a brilliant concept. 

 n 249.  COMPUTER SECURITY SINCE SEPTEMBER 11.  Nick Nicholaou, president of Ministry Business Services, Huntington Beach, Calif., recommends some excellent and cost-effective options for reviewing your computer security issues.  To download the article, which will be published in a future issue of CMA's magazine, go to http://www.mbsnet.com/pdfs/security.pdf.   Nick and other technology specialists will be on the faculty at CMA California 2002.>Go to http://www.CMAonline.org to download the conference program.  Note especially Workshop #68: “Internet Security—Are You Vulnerable to Attack From Outside?” by Ken Wright, administrator of South Delta Baptist Church, Delta, B.C., Canada.