Raising Up Communicators Article (Repost)

This week I am reposting as 3 posts, an article I wrote last August that was picked up by several ministry & church planting websites. The article is focused on How to Raise Up Communicators in your church on your staff.

The question I get asked often is: "How do I raise up others on my team to speak when I'm gone or need a break?"

I hope this week's posts will help you...

Matt

Raising Up Communicators (Repost)

A common strain that many pastors feel is the pressure of not being able to miss a Sunday. In their own way, each one says the same thing:

"I don't feel like I have anyone on my team who can do what I do..."

At Next Level Church, we have several capable communicators on our team, but it didn’t happen by accident. It has been a combination of the blessing of God and an intentional approach on our part.

It starts with desire. When we started 8 years ago, I knew I wanted to have others who could do what I do. I didn't want to be, "the only one who could feed the sheep." I knew this would take a  lot of security on my part and the patience to believe God to raise up others on our team as well.

It also requires a strategy.  3 years ago, I began strategically executing the plan to multiply our speaking structure. I started with my associate, Mike, who had moved with us 8 years earlier, and our newly hired executive pastor, Scott Drummond. Once we had 2 guys who had the natural ability and passion to speak, I got extremely strategic about it. Today, we're developing several other young communicators with the same strategy.

A Strategy to Raise Up Communicators in your church:

1.  Include them in on message creation. Rather than just writing messages alone, I started bringing in them in to help me process ideas through. This allowed them to see how I think about message preparation. It also gave me some great ideas and illustrations that I never would have had otherwise.

2. Use their personalities in other ways from the stage. We always have 2 people give announcements in our services. This keeps things fresh and provides for movement and energy in the service, simply by having two personalities on stage instead of one.

The biggest benefit though is allowing our people to become familiar and comfortable with the other pastors on staff. They see them having fun, joking with each other and being in the know with your church. Over time, this creates a comfort in people with having someone other than me on the stage.

3.  Let them speak with you present. I want our church to know that, “just because I'm here doesn't mean I have to be up there..." I intentionally schedule Sundays where they speak with me there. I need our church to be comfortable with me being in the room, but not always being up front. (By the way, I will often jump into one of the announcement guy roles when they speak. We believe in "Interchangeable Parts" in every way.)

We'll continue on with Part 2 on Wednesday.

Managing the Tension - Part 3

I want to give us 2 final thoughts on how we manage the tension of leadership between our current reality and the dream in our heart for the future.

Here's the last 2:

4.  Don't take yourself Too Seriously.

     When our church was just a few months old we received some great advice from a prominent pastor. He told us, "Don't take yourself too seriously, because no one else is." In 9 years, I've never forgotten that. When you're neck deep in the tension between now and the future, it's easy to take the whole thing too seriously. To become overwhelmed and allow your blood pressure to be too high and want to do harm to yourself and others with sharp objects.

     If we're not careful, managing the tension of our leadership reality can cause us to lose our joy. Fight against that. Give yourself permission to fish more, or golf more, or take a nap during the weekday every now and then. Listen, this whole leadership deal is about the long-haul, not a short-sighted adrenaline rush. Relax, enjoy the ride. After all, you're giving your life for it. Why not enjoy it?

5.  Embrace your journey as your journey.

     Our church growth story was not one of overnight success or quick growth... ever. Instead, for 9+ years, we've been the up the middle, one yard at a time, journey. If I'm being honest with you, I have to admit that for a lot of years, I resented our journey. I wanted to be bigger faster. I wanted to be further along than we were.

     But a few years ago, everything changed. Right about the time I started coaching other pastors and leaders, I began to realize that the wisdom and lessons I was able to teach were coming from all of the experiences I was  resenting. Suddenly it was as if the whole thing turned. What I came to realize was that God had used my journey to position me for a unique platform of influence I could have had no other way. If I had not walked the journey I did, I could not teach the things I now teach.

     Your journey is your journey. The longer you spend resenting it or denying it or trying to change it, the more time you're wasting learning from it and embracing it. The tension of leadership is not going away, why not lean into it instead of fighting against it. In the end, it makes leading a lot more satisifying.

Matt Keller

Managing the Tension - Part 2

Yesterday we began talking about how we manage the tension of leadership between living fully present in the now of our reality and keeping our heart and mind focused on the dream in the future.

Here's a 3rd way I've found to help to manage the tension:

3.  Prioritize Margin and Rest.

     For most of us driver personalities, the temptation in a ministry setting is to think that we can't ever rest or stop pushing because of the constancy of the tension we feel. However, often times church growth and breakthrough are fundamentally tied to us backing out of the throttle, embracing some time off and trusting that God is truly God and in control of our church.

     I have learned a lot about Sabbath in the last year. I have always embraced the idea that the Sabbath is a command. Like, I get it, God's Big Ten, same list as adultery, etc. I get it. But a year ago, I read in Exodus 16 where God rebuked the Israelites for not recognizing the gift they had been given in the Sabbath.

     After 400+ years of working as slaves and never taking a day off, God builds into their new reality a culture of rest. He calls it a gift and gets pretty ticked when they don't see it that way. It's like a friend paying for an expensive golf membership at a private club for you and after a year, asking us how we liked it. To which we respond, "Oh yeah, sorry, I never got around to playing because I had too much to do..." Imagine how hurt your friend would be? Crushed even. Why? Because we hadn't taken advantage of the gift because we were too busy.

We'll talk through 2 more ways to manage the tension of leadership tomorrow.

Managing the Tension - Part 1

Andy Stanley says one of the greatest challenges of leadership is, "Managing the Tension." For those of us in leadership positions we understand that tension between what is and what we dream of in the future. After 9 years of pastoring and leading, I can definitely say that this is a tension that must be managed and not a problem that can be solved.

For the next few days, I want to talk about several things I've learned in terms of managing this tension of leadership.

1.  It helps to take a long-view of your ministry.

     Perhaps it's just me, but I really love to talk about the faithfulness of God over the past 9 years. Sarah and I frequently find ourselves reminiscing, not in a sadistic sort of "our best days are behind us" kind of way, but in a, "Wow, look how far we've come" kind of way. We do this in every area of our lives. We reflect on the age of our kids at certain moments in the past, where our church was at the time, etc. Looking at the long-view of our life and ministry helps me to live in the tension now because I'm reminded of the faithfulness of God then.

2.  Remember that Rome wasn't built in a day.

     If taking a long-view is about reflecting on the past, then this one is all about looking to the future from the present. In ministry, you have to be committed to the life of the process. In other words, perfection and arriving are illusions. You never arrive and your church is never gonna be perfect. But each day you can make progress. Each day you can do something to move the needle a little closer to the direction you want the thing to go. It just takes time. Remembering that Rome wasn't built in a day gives you permission to know that what you do today matters in light of someday.

Tomorrow we'll tackle a couple more ways to manage the tension of leadership.

A Culture of "The Benefit of the Doubt"

One of the traits we've tried to hammer into the culture of Next Level Church over the years is what we call, " 

A Culture of the Benefit of the Doubt."

Put simply, it means that when you have the choice to assume the best or assume the worst about a leader, a situation or a decision, you simply lean into the side of assuming the best.

As an organization grows larger, it will become impossible for everybody to know everything about every decision that's being made by other leaders throughout the organization. That's when a "Benefit of the Doubt" culture kicks in. Because, as we tell our leaders, when you don't know what's going on, or what the logic behind a decision was, you have to assume the best and give that leader the Benefit of the Doubt.

Here are the 2 things we teach our leaders:

1.  Plead Authentic Ignorance & then Defend the heart.

If someone comes up to you and says, "Why did Matt decide to do ____..."

Your response should be:

"You know, honestly, I don't know anything about it. But here's what I DO know... Pastor Matt & everyone of our leaders are spiritual Godly men who seek God around every decision they make. And I'm confident there's a wise and logical reason behind the decision they made."

And #2...

2.  Offer to take them by the hand to the person they have a question or issue with.

The next statement out of an NLC Leader's mouth should be,

"You know, I know any of our pastors have no problem talking about any decision they've made in any area of our church. So would you like me to take you to them or set up a time for you to sit down with them and talk about your concerns in more detail?"

That is the Matthew 18, Biblical model for conflict resolution, by the way. And it also sets a precedent that what we're not going to do is wonder around and find someone else that we can spread our questions to. If a person really wants answers, we're more than happy to help them get them from the right people.

? Do your church / work / family / friend environments have a Culture of the Benefit of the Doubt? If not, what can you do to start creating one? It's well worth the effort and it cuts down on disunity big time.

We all make choices in life and I believe choosing to be teachable is one of the greatest ones we'll ever make...

Teachability Thought #5:

Teachability is a Choice.

At the end of the day, you and I have a choice to make. To choose to be teachable, or not. I guess you don't have to choose teachability. I mean, you are perfectly empowered to live safely and comfortably behind the wall of what you already know. It's totally a choice you're entitled to make. But it's not your only choice. See, the other choice you're empowered to make is to choose to be teachable. Either way, the choice you make comes with a price.

Choosing to live behind the wall of what you already know is safe. It's predictable. It's secure, after all, you already know everything there is to know and that most certainly leads to a whole lot of confidence and self-assurance.

Choosing to come out from behind that wall and be teachable leads to a whole other reality. It's scary. It's risky. It's unknown. That path is prone to wander off the map of predictable existence to a land of uncertain exposure and possible pain.

Living behind the wall of what you already know has a problem though. See, because the world is always growing and expanding, that means that over time, your fenced in yard will become smaller and smaller. Your world view will become more and more narrow and your defensiveness and pessimism will eventually become a crushing weight on you and everyone you're in relationship with. Because after all, who can stand to live with someone who knows it all? And... (if we're being honest) who would want to?

So I guess that leaves just one choice: To venture beyond your wall and become teachable. To open up the gate to the world of what you don't know and begin to venture out. Feel free to move as slowly as you feel is comfortable, but keep in mind the world outside your wall is growing pretty fast. Life is moving at an exceptional rate, and those you lead and influence are probably already into a full blown run in pursuit of a teachable life. A life that is constantly expanding and growing. A life of teachability that is leading them to become everything their Creator has for them to become.

I hope you'll make the choice to join us on this teachability quest. I hear it's a pretty great adventure, if you're willing to learn something new along the way.

Why I have waited to buy an iPad for a year now... (it is not why you may think)

In a word... Discipline. When the iPad was first announced I freaked. No seriously, I was like "Oh my sakes, this is it!" I was like a teenage girl at a school dance; all squeally and stuff. But (this is a big but) I (along with the wife) decided not to get one.

The obvious reason which accounted for about 15%, was that the 2nd generation would have more features / less bugs etc. Which I'm hoping it does. (Come on Steve, don't let me down...)

But the bigger reason, by far, was that it would be a good discipline for me to wait a year for something that I really wanted.

So for the last year, I've had the privilege of letting God do a quiet work in my heart every time I saw one of my friends pull out their iPad. It's been cool to monitor how I respond each time. Over all, I've done pretty well at genuinely being happy for them. Only every once in a great while am i like, "Come on man, You're a bad steward of that thing. You're totally under utilizing the apps & features!!!"

Let me ask you, when was the last time you deliberately waited for something when you could have had it immediately? What if, every once in a while, it's good to give our desires a timeout?

By the way, I wrote this on my iPhone. I'm still patiently waiting for the iPad...

Intentionally NOT spoiled rotten,

Matt Keller

10 Things I love about my wife... (& no I don't think this will take the place of me buying her flowers...)

After more than 14 years, 2 kids, a church plant and a whole lot of other experiences, I'm still crazy in love with my wife, Sarah. So in honor of her, here are...

10 Things I love about my life with my wife:

1.  We have fun nicknames for each other that she lets me call her at the office and in other public places. (And no, I'm not telling you...)

2.  She watches baseball. Even when I'm not there. (Mostly the Rays)

3.  She's the hardest working woman I've ever met. (I dare you to try and keep up with her)

4.  She still has the ability to light up a room with her smile when she walks in. (She always has)

5.  She doesn't like to shop. (She leaves that to me)

6.  She's not whiny and needy. (Every man knows what I'm talking about...)

7.  She's the better parent in our house. (My kids know that)

8.  She has a capacity to handle stress like no one else. (It's unreal, seriously)

9.  She's willing to drive a mini van that's long past due for an upgrade. (It's true & she knows it)

10.  She's a woman I get to admire up close while others can only admire her from a far. (She's the real deal at home, just like she is in public)

I love you Sarah,

Happy Valentine's Day,

Matt

If you want to know how secure you are, simply invite someone to critique the thing that you think you do best...

Teachability Thought #4:

Teachability Requires Security.

Only secure leaders are teachable. Let's face it, allowing the experiences and thoughts of others challenge us at our deepest levels is just down right scary. In order to be teachable, it requires a ridiculous amount of security.

As a teachable leader, I'm learning things about myself that I must face head on and then change for the better. I'm sifting out character flaws and inconsistencies that hold my leadership back. I voluntarily asking for someone to challenge my successful ideas and make them better.

Teachability invites challenge to the status quo and conventional way of thinking and doing things. Only secure leaders can handle that. If you want to know how secure you are, simply invite someone to critique the thing that you think you do best.

Teachability requires security.

? Are you willing to challenge your deepest held beliefs? Are you willing to face your character flaws and inconsistencies?

I truly believe Teachability is the path to greatness. Here's why...

Teachability Thought #3:

Teachability is the path to Greatness.

Experts in any field are extremely teachable. Do you know why? Because they are keenly aware that in any given field there is too much to know simply by trial and error. To be an expert requires a tremendous amount of focus, attention, and energy. You have to not just learn facts and figures and statistics about something, you actually have to develop the skill of being able to work "ON" your field, not just "IN" your field.

Far too few leaders have developed the skill or created the space to actually work "ON" their leadership, and instead have become enslaved to only working "IN" their leadership. Teachable leaders understand that even as an expert in their field, they still have more to learn from others who are more experienced then they are and others who are less experienced then they are.

As a public speaker, I'm constantly watching and learning from other communicators. When they're talking, I'm listening to what they're saying "IN" their message, but I'm also watching the art of how they present "ON" their message. Both ways, I am learning.

Teachable leaders don't limit themselves to only being able to learn from others who are more experienced then they are. Often times, some of the freshest ideas in the world are generated by people who are not experienced enough to know how brilliant their new idea is.

? When was the last time you carved out 3 hours to work "ON" your leadership, not just "IN" it? Who are you willing to learn from? Is it only those who are ahead of you? Or are you open to learning from anyone?

The Posture that positions us for greatness... (a 90 second study to challenge your leadership)

Yesterday we began a 2 week discussion on the idea of Teachability. I believe that teachability is the key to everything good in our lives and leadership.

Teachability Thought #2:

Teachability is the Preferred Way to Learn.

The other way to learn is what my dad used to call, "The School of Hard Knocks." Unfortunately, we all have had a few lessons from that particular school. Life has a way of beating some stuff into us doesn't it? We don't have to sign up for lessons from the school of hard knocks, they just seem to find us, most predominantly when we are least expecting them.

But what if it didn't have to be this way? What if, instead of learning lessons, "the hard way," we could actually, voluntarily learn by taking on a posture of teachability? What if we could go looking for lessons that others have learned, rather than waiting for lessons to find us? What if we could increase our wisdom by learning from others who have experienced things we don't need to experience?

Taking on what I call a, "Posture of Teachability," positions us to learn something from everybody. And when we position ourselves like that, the lessons of other people's lives, good, bad and otherwise, will start pouring in.

? Do you have a posture of teachability? Or are we more prone to wait for life to teach us one way or another?

Teachability is a posture as much as it is anything else.

My Most Current Thoughts on Tokbox Dissolving, Video Coaching, & How We Change the World Together...

I found out late yesterday that Tokbox.com is shutting down as of April 5th, 2011. As many of you know, we have developed an entire Video Coaching Ministry built on the back of Tokbox. And as you can imagine, I have been hearing from a ton of you in the last several hours offering your condolences, wondering what we're going to do now, & saying things like, "Wow, that really sucks to be you!"

So, here are my most current thoughts:

1.  For 3 years, we've been driven by a question:

"What One Idea, if we could figure it out, could completely revolutionize our industry?" 

 I continue to be 100% convinced that Virtual Video Coaching is that "One Idea" that could completely change the lives of thousands of Pastors & Church Planters who effect and lead millions of people.

First, I believe it is completely unrealistic to think that pastors can get the adequate coaching and help they need to lead their churches to the Next Level by having to pay thousands of dollars to fly to Big Conferences that are heavy on Motivation & Inspiration, but don't have the ability, nor are they designed to, adequately walk pastors through a monthly processing of applying the practical information that can change their lives and ministries. Video Coaching does that.

Second, Nor do I believe it's possible for 90% of the churches in America to pay hundreds of dollars each month to participate in an "In-Person" Coaching Community where they are required to fly to a single location, pay for meals, car, hotel, etc. only to be face-to-face with a group of pastors for a few hours and then everyone has to fly home. Only to have to do it all again the next month. I pastor a large church, & I don't have the ability to pay the several thousand dollars it would require to do that. Video Caoching doesn't require a Big Budget!

2.  The following paragraph is what drives everything I do with Next Level Coaching...

85% of churches in America have less than 100 people. 

• What if we could get each of those churches the tools they need to double in the next year? 
• And what if we could do it in a monthly, cost effective, instant, commute-less format like Virtual Video Coaching? 
• (Which judging from our results over the last 3 years, is extremely possible) 

I am firmly convinced we could effect millions of people in small or medium sized churches across the country (& around the world, BTW, we had a pastor from Germany in our last Group who has seen significant growth in the last few months...)

3.  Telecoaching (or Conference Call Coaching) just isn't the same. 

I know a number of my peers are using telecoaching to coach pastors, but I'm just telling you. I've done it and compared to video coaching, there's no comparison. It's the equivalent of listening to the Super Bowl on the radio, or watching it on TV. Hands down, 100 times out of 100, we'd all choose to watch it on TV.

We'd never ask a small group in our church to "phone in" to their group. We'd all admit that real relationships and connection won't happen the same. It's too one-sided on a conference call. Conference Calls have their place, but there's no comparison to face-to-face for real relational coaching.

When we use Video Coaching, we're creating a small group for pastors to built relationships face-to-face and grow together. Video Coaching is the equivalent of a Small Group for Pastors. There's nothing else like it anywhere.

And I am firmly convinced that if we can figure this out, we can change the face of the "Church" across the country!

4.  "Necessity is the Mother of Innovation." 

 With the dissolving of Tokbox.com, I am obviously aware that this effects what we do in a HUGE way! And as far as I've seen up til now, I've not found any other Video Technology like it. (Not that doesn't require the budget of the Federal Government to afford.)

However, I'm committed to finding it or creating it. We live in a world where I can buy a car on ebay from my iPhone, for crying out loud, somebody somewhere has to be able to figure this out!

I am working on getting an appointment to talk to Ian Small, the CEO of Tokbox, Inc. as soon as possible. If you know him, tell him to call me. Seriously.

Also, I'd love to talk to anybody else that knows a Software or App Developer. 


I believe we can change the world if we can figure this out... It won't take much, just a little bit of effort. Imagine what's possible if we can dial this in?!? Imagine the leaders we can train, the pastors we can help, the people we can effect?

If you know someone, or want to be apart of the solution,

• E-mail me at PastorMatt@NextLevelChurch.com
• Call my office at 239-274-3755
• DM me on Twitter at @MatthewKeller
• E-mail me on Facebook Facebook.com/matthewwkeller

5.  For 9+ years now, I've had a phrase that I jokingly say will end up on my tombstone, (if I have one, cremation is big in Florida).

That phrase is:

"We're Church Planters, we don't take no for an answer. We figure it out, that's what we do!"

9 years ago, we moved across the stinkin' country with a baby & $9,000 to start a church, & today there are over 1,000 people who attend weekly. With God, All things are Possible!

Here's another Phrase, in closing, that I love to say...

"Don't tell me it can't be done, tell me how it can be done!" 

So to all of you who are wondering my most current thoughts on, "What we're Going to do..." there you go. Stay tuned, it's going to be an amazing ride.

We're going to figure this out, because there are too many pastors who need what we're trying to create through Virtual Video Coaching.

Thanks for helping me figure this out,

Matt Keller

BTW, if you haven't seen our coaching site, go to http://wwwMyNextLevel.me

The key to everything good in your life and leadership is...

If there is one word that describes what I'm looking for in the leaders around me, hands down, it's the word, Teachability. I swear, I'm going to write a book on Teachability at some point in my leadership career, because I am completely convinced that Teachability is the key to just about everything else that we need in leadership.

Bottom Line: If you're not teachable, then you're going to struggle in your leadership. I rarely get dogmatic in stuff like this, but on this one, I'm pretty darn sure. Teachability is the key to everything good in our lives and leadership.

So for the next two weeks, I want to share with you several of my thoughts on this idea of teachability. I hope you'll take 90 seconds each day, read the thought and then spent 90 more seconds thinking about your own heart as a leader. 3 minutes / day for 2 weeks could change the whole demeanor of your leadership.

Teachability Thought #1: 

Teachability is Hard.

It's easy to talk about teachability and write about teachability. But it's really hard to actually be teachable. Everybody says they're teachable until you ask them to relearn something they think they already know. 90% of preachers think they're in the top 50% of communicators in their field. Clearly, we preachers have some learning to do!!!

The essence of teachability is humility. Until we're willing to humble ourselves, we're not going to learn anything. For me to be teachable I have to first and foremost humble myself. I have to become the student. And here's the kicker... the further you go in leadership, and the more successful you become, the harder this gets. When you're successful, people think you know more than you actually do. And you actually do know a lot. So being successful and staying teachable is a rare thing for a leader.

Being teachable for me, means listening more than I talk. If I'm talking, I ain't learnin'. Period. Saying your teachable and actually being teachable are two very different things.

? What about you? On a scale of 1 to 10, how teachable would you say you are? How teachable would your boss and colleagues say you are? What about your spouse and kids?

Just a thought,

Matt

First Monday Prayer & Fasting - Prayer Points - February 2011

At Next Level Church we dedicated the 1st Workday of each month to the Lord by setting it aside as a time to pray and fast and seek God over what's on the horizon for our church and the people and organizations we influence.

Here's a Pocket Guide for 6 Key Areas to Pray Through Today:

(For more information on Fasting go to: www.NextLevelChurch.com/fasting )

1.  Our 1st Permanent Location.

If you missed yesterday's state of the church address, go here to listen or watch the message from Sunday. It's full of exciting news.

We are just a few weeks away from moving in to our new facility! Let's be in prayer today for our "Furnish the Vision" Campaign happening right now. We are just $150,000 away from being able to move in Fully Furnished and Ready to Impact the Future!

Also, let's continue to pray for the construction crews. As of right now, they're on time and moving at a great pace. Let's pray for continued favor with all of that.

2.  Our Communities Downtown.

We, as a church, have adopted 2 communities downtown, Palmetto Courts and Sabal Palms. We are believing for God to use us to lift the residents of those communities out of darkness and into light.

Pray for continued favor with the Government authorities and continued open doors. Pray for several NLC families who have taken the step to "mentor" several families from downtown this year. We are believing for jobs, better grades, stronger health, and a closer walk with Jesus for these families.

Pray for our 3rd Saturday Serve Day Outreaches as well. We have some exciting possibilities with renovating some of the apartments downtown and providing much needed medical care in the months ahead. Pray for open doors for that.

3.  Our Big Spring Series, Masquerade, launching February 27th.

Each year, we do 3 Big Series where we pull out all of the stops and believe God to touch unchurched, dechurched and disillusioned people throughout Southwest Florida. In just a few weeks we're launching a huge series called, Masquerade, that is all about people facing the masks they wear to cover up what's really going on in their heart.

Let's pray that God will open people's hearts and help people deal with the issues of greed, anger, fear worry and more in this powerful series.

4.  Our Church Planters.

God has given us the ability to be apart of training, coaching and mentoring dozens of churches across the country. Let's pray for God's provision and blessing on the following 3 churches today:

• Liberty Church - New York City, NY - Pastor Paul and Andi Andrew. This church is just a month old and is already making an impact in the Big Apple.

• Family Life Church - Randolph, NJ - Pastor Dan and Stephanie Stauffer are in the process of acquiring their first permanent location just like we are. Pray for favor with their landlord and all the details of build out and fund raising in the coming months.

• The River Church - Bozeman, MN - Pastor Eric and Heather Neimann - The River is scheduled to launch their Sunday morning services in just a few weeks and they already have over 50 people on their launch team.

5.  Our Missionaries.

God has blessed us with partners who are spreading the Gospel in other parts of the world. Pray for:

• Mark & Stephanie Pyles - Santiago, Dominican Republic. They are planting Next Generation Churches in their city. Pray for favor and blessing.

• Christ for India - India - They are training pastors and students to plant churches across India and in surrounding countries. Pray for provision and favor and boldness.

• Kelly & Kathy Johnson - Kenya - They are training pastors and leaders throughout Kenya to be more effective and reach lost people in more relevant ways. Pray specifically for a new vehicle for them. They are just a few thousand dollars away.

6.  The People of Next Level Church.

• Pray for Marriages, 
• Children, 
• Wise Financial Decisions, 
• Growth in their Relationship with Christ, 
• Courage to make difficult decisions, 
• Power to SOAP and engage God's Word, and 
• Favor in their workplace and marketplace to be a light for Christ.

Thanks for Praying today NLC.