Shane Ash » New Beginnings Church

Changing Church Culture

Shane Ash — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:07:04 +0000

I was conversing with some of our leadership team of nbc…and sharing the frustrations and fears I am discovering in local church leadership. Since I am so new at this gig…I try to create opportunities and safe places to confess and talk through the thoughts and emotions that distract from leadership. It took a while, but finally I had blabbered my way to the self-diagnosis of…”I guess I am just wanting to see immediate results.”

After listening to my ramble, one of our leaders paused and said something like, “We are not looking for deposits of change…we are looking for culture change. And culture change always takes time.”

My inner thoughts were scrambling, “But how do we create culture change. How do we move people to not only give sacrificially but to live sacrificially. What does it look like to reshape church-culture forms and religious habits that have become spiritual to people? What does it take to change not only a local church culture but the Church culture?”

The leaders spoke again…as if they had heard my thoughts, “Our responsibility…your responsibility…is to lead this change through clearly and commonly sharing the changed vision.”

I heard it…and it was dead-center right. To change church culture…the changed vision must be clearly defined and commonly shared.

Openness by the leader paves the way for ownership by the people. Without ownership, changes will be short term. Changing people’s habits and ways of thinking is like writing instructions in the snow during a snowstorm. Every twenty minutes the instructions must be rewritten, unless ownership is given along with instructions. – John Maxwell

Wednesday Links

Shane Ash — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:58:25 +0000

Justin has invested a ton of time and preparation for the next few months in our student ministries…I love the direction our teens are headed…
And goodbye is bitter…but I trust and hope that we will see more of Jon at nbc…come back Jon…come back.
Donnie is cool…and he is a great picture of Christ in his community. I was pumped to hear about what is happening in their church community as they tackle the moving target of participation in intentional discipleship. Pray for them as they transition and grow together as a community.
Sam starts preschool this Friday…here.
I have been wearing out this page…you need to check it out.
I doubt a lot. I doubt God, others, but most often I doubt myself…and often it holds me back from what God has in mind. No doubt that I have missed some of God’s plans by doubting His ability to provide and guide. So when I read Perry Noble’s great post yesterday it has stuck with me…what is holding you back?

Imagine it…

Shane Ash — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:34:45 +0000

Ok…every once in a while you see or read something and think to yourself, “That’s what I am talking about…!” Today, I had one of those moments. Over the last year at nbc…we have been re-imagining church…talking about what could and should be…dreaming about the 7 day a week church rather than the 1 hour a week experience we have made church to be. Check out this promotional video for a place call Soul City Church and then comment about what it triggers in your little mind…let’s talk.

Cool Stuff @ NBC

Shane Ash — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:31:35 +0000

Summer is ending and the vacations are finished…(sniff, and my little boy starts preschool in about a week). I am super duper pumped about the fall series here at nbc. We have partnered with these guys and are using this as we take a journey through the beatitudes. In our efforts to become a community devoted to Christ-likeness…this is a step forward into God’s future for us. I love the fact that we are moving “church” into the other 6 days of our lives. This is going to be great.

Monday Morning Musings

Shane Ash — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:25:35 +0000

Yesterday was awesome! We baptized and celebrated stories of life-change within the church. One of the stories we celebrated was Brandon. God is at work in this guys life…and seeking to make a leader out of him.
I love this story of Onesimus…and perhaps…just perhaps…it can be your story too.
Next week we wrap up our “changed” series…and I am telling you, you will love the ending to this story in the book of Philemon. God is ironic and amazing…seeking to restore us from broken wandering people – to healed leaders for the Kingdom.
Loved having the teens back from camp yesterday…great stories about the Prodigal Son theme this year. I am geeked when I see the teens leading participation in worship and service at the church. Way to go guys…
We are nearing the end of the “church year” for our church. We are spending extra time the next few weeks evaluating some of the needs and dreams within the church.
We are getting very close to launching the new NBC website…gonna be sweet…
Get to camp out this Friday night with little Sam for the first time…I wonder how long he will make it through the night…he is already asking, “how will we keep the snakes out?” Not a good start so far….
Gonna be a great week…taking control of my thoughts and making them obedient to Christ…”perhaps, you can think of it like this…”.

Monday Morning Musings

Shane Ash — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:38:35 +0000

Yesterday we started a new series called “Changed.” -And wow, the evil obviously doesn’t want us to explore true life-change…because yesterday, nothing was easy. All our plans went out the window…our technology failed us…and I struggled a ton to speak…but somehow in the mess, I believe God is going to break through in an awesome way in this series. I am praying to see a Acts-like movement at nbc in the next few weeks.
Next week we are baptizing a dozen people or so…I am stoked about celebrating what God is doing among us. There are a couple of truly amazing stories of transformation…God is still in the business of life-change.
My week is super busy…
Perhaps the highlight of my ping-pong career happened last night…when after 15 or more games, I finally squeaked out a win against the Roger Federer of ping-pong…Mr. Jeff. And it was on his home table…yep, now who’s the champ??
Our church lay leadership elections were yesterday…I’m really looking forward to serving with the team.
In my daily reading this week…I’ve picked up my worn copy of My Utmost for His Highest by Chambers. Today I read this line; “Beware of going back to what you were once when God wants you to be something you have never been.” —THAT’s life change!

2 weeks worth of thought…

Shane Ash — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:00:47 +0000

Whoa…it’s been over a couple of weeks now since posting…the unintentional break has been good…busy, but good. I guess it means I have a lot more to talk about today. Here is an unorganized list of thoughts flowing through my mind…some church stuff, some life stuff, and some random stuff too.

I am now a Cavs fan…I am a witness. Which builds my current fan-ship to the Bengals, Cavs, and KU. I really don’t care about the rest…however, my boy Sam now loves the Royals (he calls them the Royal-tee’s).
We are almost done with the ‘remodel’ of the office/teen area…paint is amazing.
It’s been four weeks since we transitioned our Sunday morning schedule…I am loving the conversation time together and the involvement of tons of new people. We are continuing to pay attention and make adjustments as they are needed…
I am becoming more convinced of the value of simple conversation…it’s in the opening of ourselves that we are changed…and the Spirit of God dwelling in us is given the chance to work. God often speaks audibly and it sounds a lot like the sound of your voice.
I am nearing the one year mark of being a ”new” pastor…but I think I am going to hang on to the “new” title for a little longer. Occasionally it comes in handy.
One thing I don’t want to hang on to any more is a certain house in Cincinnati…
We have been working on two series for this summer that I am completely stoked about…the first one is just flat out amazing…I can’t wait for June 7th to get here. Here is a teaser for ya…”_____ happens”
I have been learning a lot about myself and my leadership persona the last few weeks. If we listen in the midst of complements and criticism we can hear truth. Sometimes the truth hurts…but always the truth helps.
One thing (of many) I was not prepared for in leadership was how to handle myself when others disappoint. I have determined to not grow hardened by the pain…instead to allow the bruises to be reminders of my own ability to disappoint.
And one last thought…Cavs will sweep.

Witnesses

Shane Ash — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:04:39 +0000

This Sunday we will begin our “Witnesses” series out of the book of Acts. The book of Acts is often referred to as the ”acts of the apostles” but I am finding it is a lot more about the ”acts of the Holy Spirit.”

This series will provide a ton of conversations for us as a community. It gets directly to the heart of the mission and message of what the local church (you and me) should be. And it challenges my understanding of what God wants to do in this world.

Together we will be witnesses of what God did, is doing, and wants to accomplish right here, right now…

Shane Ash — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 03:17:20 +0000

This Sunday we will begin our Easter series. And I should warn you…Easter Sunday is going to bring the house down. So invite, beg, insist, bribe, and convince your friends to be at New Beginnings this Easter…

Life-Change, Conversation, Live it out…

Shane Ash — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:29:05 +0000

I absolutely love the vision God has planted into our church…to be about the life-change Jesus offers, the conversation with others and God, and to live out the ways of Jesus.

(BTW…we didn’t make this up ourselves…Jesus gave it to us in the form of the two GC’s, the Great Commandment (Matthew 22) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28).

Anyway, here is a glimpse of what we will be talking about tomorrow as we begin to shape everything we do around the vision of life-change, conversation, and living it out.

This is going to be awesome…

Our Sunday mornings are about to change here at New Beginnings Church, we are starting something new the week after Easter (April 19^th). It is going to look a little different and perhaps change your routine. But we’re “kicking it up a notch” because it’s time to take it to another level.

We are changing our service starting time to 10:00AM. Here’s why: We all need to grow in our faith, and everyone needs an equal chance to grow.

Sunday mornings will continue to offer us a great opportunity to sing, to celebrate, and to listen to life-changing truths from the Bible. And now, we will also enjoy a time to gather together. Beginning April 19th, we will include two environments following our normal Sunday morning hour:

Gathering for Conversation – the purpose is simple…to talk, share, hear and be heard. The topic of Sunday morning’s message can serve as a conversation starter and we hope you will continue to talk about it with your friends, or even make a new friend. Pull up to a table in the gym, or stay where you are in the sanctuary, enjoy your coffee, and join in the conversation. Then at 11:30 we will gather together in the gym and share 15 minutes together as a large group, sharing stories or questions with one another.

Grow Classes – a place where the conversation gets a little deeper. These classes will include gifted teachers and real-life, practical application truths from the Bible. No matter which class you choose, you’ll be challenged. The path is open: there’s no formula…no sequence of steps. Choose the class that interests you. You’ll get to know God and others more personally. Classes begin at 11:05 and last about 45 minutes. If you’re nervous, relax…each class is only a few weeks. It might involve a little effort on your part…but, hey, growing isn’t easy, is it?

We know it will take awhile for all of us to adjust….but together, we’ll begin to experience relationships (with each other) and relationship (with God) in a fresh, new way.