218Consulting

Our name is taken from one of the most significant leadership events in the Bible. Moses, a great leader for God’s people, was doing his best to lead and manage the nation of Israel. One day, his father-in-law came to visit. After observing Moses in action for a while, he pulled him aside and offered wise counsel that enabled Moses’ leadership to become highly effective.

This event is found in the 2nd book of the Bible, the 18th chapter.

Over the years, 218Consulting has been able to bring insights and possibilities to individuals and organizations. We are pleased to have played a significant role in helping our clients achieve their goals and live out their dreams.

Our consultants have significant experience in their respective arenas. Combined, we are able to offer innovative and effective approaches to the problems that you face.

“Which of these issues really matter?”

What really matters is putting you attention on the areas that will bring the most significant impact. But how do you do that? 218consulting is ready to help you focus on the areas that make a difference.

Through innovative tools and techniques, we can help you and your church or organization break though the issues and barriers that are holding you back.

All consulting is done in a completely confidential manner – we never release the names of our clients. Your concerns remain just that – yours!

218Consulting offers a variety of services to equip both individual leaders as well as the organizations that they lead. . Contact us today to see how we can help you.

(Really! We just can’t post their names!)

“this was the most professional job I have ever seen – after working with several other companies over the years, I can say this was the best”

“I could never have pulled off the changes that we needed to make without your services”

“You wouldn’t believe the number of people we have now – thanks for helping us to figure out what the problem was”

“This actually makes sense to me. Before our time together I wasn’t sure I understood how we could ever implement our own mission statement”

“Finally – a plan!”

“The Simple Church wasn’t so simple to implement. Thanks for your guidance in leading us through the process”

And in the idea of equal time for not so great comments:

“I think you have lost your mind”.

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Your Church Wasn’t Ready For Easter… Here’s Why.

Last modified on 2010-04-05 16:09:59 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Every now and then I say or write something that really hits a serious nerve.  This past week was one of those times.

In a recent Face Book post, I commented on how many churches work really, really hard and provide worship services all during Holy Week, and that one church I know of does the complete opposite.  They offer no Holy Week services, and instead put all of their energy into creating an incredible Easter Sunday experience.  I said in that FB update that I was not endorsing one way over the other, but after being pushed a bit – I have changed my mind.

Over these many years, I have had the opportunity to work in and consult with a broad spectrum of churches – from mainline to independent, liberal to conservative, and traditional to contemporary.

In almost every church that offers the Holy Week menu (breakfast devotionals, lunch speakers, evening services) I hear the same comments/complaints from the ministry team. “We are really tired by the time Easter Sunday gets here”.
Easter Sunday is one of only two times that unchurched people will come to your church in large numbers on their own initiative.  All of these people show up at your door, full of energy and anticipation – dressed in new clothes and enjoying seeing friends and neighbors. They are there and open to hear what God (through you) has to say.   It is “GO” time, and you’re just plain tired.  You haven’t been able to put much time into preparing for them because of the Holy Week menu.  Your staff is tired, your facilities look tired, and your message is tired.  In the back of your mind, you are just glad that this will all be over in a few short hours.

This incredible opportunity to reach people (the very reason Jesus went to the cross and that we have the Holy Week menu) has just been missed.  And you traded it to keep the “faithful” happy.

Those weekday services reach a very small number of people – and coincidentally, those people are the most committed church members that you already have.
So I guess I am ready to declare a side on this issue.  The Holy Week buffet is not why Jesus came to this earth, suffered was crucified, died, and was buried.  It was for Easter and the resurrection. It was for those who are drawn to Him and the hope He offered.

Easter week should be preparation for a celebration of victory over sin and death, not a time for an annual week long funeral.

Give out devotional guides for your members, have “A” Holy Week service to reflect on the depth of Jesus’ love and sacrifice for all of us, encourage your mature believers to spend extra time in prayer and study – but don’t miss the point of it all.  Jesus died to reach those who are coming to your church on Easter Sunday.

Of course, all of this assumes that you and your church actually want to reach out those who do not yet have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  But if that is not a concern for you– well… ignore the rant.  Enjoy the buffet.

Matt Jones- (Huntsville Al)  Matt is the Lead Consultant at 218 Consulting. He has over 20 years experience working in and with churches and non-profits. While able to assist in many areas, his strengths are in the areas of Leadership Development, Strategic Planning and Organizational Health.

He is an expert in applying the Design Thinking approach within the local church.

Paul Nixon – (Washington D.C.)  Paul is the pastor of Epicenter DC, a new church being launched in the greater Washington DC area, a multi-site project focused on serving the people in emerging urban neighborhoods of high density housing along the subway lines. He is a member of the Virginia Conference of The United Methodist Church.

His areas include Church Planting, Staffing and Community Integration.

Jamie Minton – (Atlanta GA)  Jamie is the President of Executive Learning Network (ELN), a global learning solutions group with distribution in thirty-two countries and territories. ELN works with such best-selling authors such as Dr. Stephen R. Covey, John C. Maxwell and Ken Blanchard – thought-leaders Marcus Buckingham, Malcolm Gladwell, and Jim Collins and real-world practitioners Frances Hesselbein, Jack Welch, and Larry Bossidy. Jamie’s areas with 218 Consulting are Webinars, Satellite Broadcasting and DynamicWeb Communications. He is currently working as Cofounder of Guru Nation, a portal for thought leaders.

John Tanner – (Huntsville AL)  John is the Founding and Senior Pastor at Cove Church in the fast growing Hampton Cove area of Huntsville. Cove is a contemporary church currently launching its multi-site strategy for the Tennessee Valley. John brings a wealth of insight into the arena of what it takes to plant and grow a vital church. He regularly mentors other church planters. He is a member of the North Alabama Conference New Church Development team.

Marcus Neto – (Mobile AL)  Marcus a the founder and Creative Director of Blue Fish Design Studios, a full spectrum design firm, specializing in Web Design and content management systems for the web. He is currently developing websites and templates utilizing ExpressionEngine, a dynamic and robust CMS that enables clients to maintain current information on their website without the need to pay someone to update the site.

He also brings years of experience working in large government agencies.

Terry Edeker – (Mobile AL)  Terry is the President of Pixallure Design, where his responsibilities include creative direction, account planning, brand consulting and overall agency management. Pixallure offers services that range from rebranding to imprinted gift items.  His primary areas for 218 Consulting are in the areas of Branding and Identity development.

Terry also serves as an adviser to several non-profits in the Mobile Alabama area.

Donna Downs – (Atlanta GA)  Donna is an HR specialist with experience in the large corporate environment.  Her past work includes clients with global offices and multi-billion dollar revenues.  In addition to her HR work, Donna serves on the board of a local non-profit in the Atlanta area.  Her primary focus is on change initiatives and restructuring.

Every now and then I say or write something that really hits a serious nerve.  This past week was one of those times.

In a recent Face Book post, I commented on how many churches work really, really hard and provide worship services all during Holy Week, and that one church I know of does the complete opposite.  They offer no Holy Week services, and instead put all of their energy into creating an incredible Easter Sunday experience.  I said in that FB update that I was not endorsing one way over the other, but after being pushed a bit – I have changed my mind.

Over these many years, I have had the opportunity to work in and consult with a broad spectrum of churches – from mainline to independent, liberal to conservative, and traditional to contemporary.

In almost every church that offers the Holy Week menu (breakfast devotionals, lunch speakers, evening services) I hear the same comments/complaints from the ministry team. “We are really tired by the time Easter Sunday gets here”.
Easter Sunday is one of only two times that unchurched people will come to your church in large numbers on their own initiative.  All of these people show up at your door, full of energy and anticipation – dressed in new clothes and enjoying seeing friends and neighbors. They are there and open to hear what God (through you) has to say.   It is “GO” time, and you’re just plain tired.  You haven’t been able to put much time into preparing for them because of the Holy Week menu.  Your staff is tired, your facilities look tired, and your message is tired.  In the back of your mind, you are just glad that this will all be over in a few short hours.

This incredible opportunity to reach people (the very reason Jesus went to the cross and that we have the Holy Week menu) has just been missed.  And you traded it to keep the “faithful” happy.

Those weekday services reach a very small number of people – and coincidentally, those people are the most committed church members that you already have.
So I guess I am ready to declare a side on this issue.  The Holy Week buffet is not why Jesus came to this earth, suffered was crucified, died, and was buried.  It was for Easter and the resurrection. It was for those who are drawn to Him and the hope He offered.

Easter week should be preparation for a celebration of victory over sin and death, not a time for an annual week long funeral.

Give out devotional guides for your members, have “A” Holy Week service to reflect on the depth of Jesus’ love and sacrifice for all of us, encourage your mature believers to spend extra time in prayer and study – but don’t miss the point of it all.  Jesus died to reach those who are coming to your church on Easter Sunday.

Of course, all of this assumes that you and your church actually want to reach out those who do not yet have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  But if that is not a concern for you– well… ignore the rant.  Enjoy the buffet.

About 8 months ago one of our pastors decided that it was time to go plant a new church.   At the exact same time as this decision, we had been laying the groundwork for our first multi-site effort.   We (the Lead Pastor, he and I) spent a great deal of time praying and talking about whether it would be a church plant of our church, a satellite campus, video venue or just have no affiliation with our church at all.  Ultimately, our friend made the decision for us.

He wanted to structure this new church in a way that would not fit any of the concepts that we were working on. It had to be it’s own entity with no connection to us.

That was hard.    It was like finding out that you were indeed going to the prom, but not with the person you wanted to go with… and now, by the way,  it would be a blind date.

We looked for a win-win solution for both our friend and our church.  He had been a key leader for several years, and a gifted communicator.  Our church was better with him, and our church was good for him.  We decided that we would try to keep him on staff for close to a year, while slowly decreasing his responsibilities and allowing him to ramp up the new church.  Planting a church is challenging, and this would give him financial stability and continiuty as he began. It would also allow us to keep him in the teaching rotation, and benefit from his gifts.

There were leaders in our church that challenged me on the wisdom of this arrangement.  In business, (and in many churches) once you announce your are leaving – you’re out.  But we were convinced that we could make this work. The three us have met together most every week for a time of prayer and accountability. We have committed to communicate and be honest with one another throughout the process.  There are times that is easy, and others…well “not so much”.

There have been a couple of significant bumps along the way, especially when it came to the “who” of this transition.  You see, his church plant is in the same town with us.  Many of the people that have grown close to our friend at our church are now faced with the question of whether or not to go with him to his new church.  Slowly that list is growing and includes some staff and key leaders from our church.

For each loss we feel, he feels a gain.  He celebrates, we suffer.  Just last night we learned of another staff member and key church leader that are leaving to be a part of his church – and it felt like a punch to the gut.

Ultimately, I hope that we are able to find a way to navigate all of this without the conflict that usually arises in this type of situation.  We have a relationship with a good friend at stake, as well as the responsibility to take care of the church God has called us to pastor and lead. And there are times that what is “right” just isn’t very clear. Ultimately, our desire is to please God with our actions, and to advance His kingdom, though all means possible.  More churches reaching more people is a good thing.

We are still moving forward with our first multi-site launch early next year.  God has blessed us and encouraged us in more ways that we ever imagined. Our church has grown in every way possible during this same time frame.  But for some reason, it just doesn’t take the sting out of those losses.

In working on a yet to be publish post on the Future of God, I realized some truths about the Past of Leadership.

Industrial Age -The Individual worker is minimized, the Managers are Empowered, and Leadership is minimized. (think Peter Drucker)

Technology Age – The Individual worker is minimized, the Manager is minimized, and Leadership is Empowered (think John Maxwell)

Creative Age – The Individual worker is Empowered, the Manager is minimized, and Leadership is minimized (think  Richard Florida)

Empowered in the sense that the attention is shifted to that position, and much is written on how to make the work environment most conducive to that position being effective.

Minimized in the sense that ability to perform is assumed and not the focus of attention.

The current trend of business related thinking on this topic will soon begin to significantly impact the church (as it has in the past) and we will feel the same shift.  There is already the early signs of this with the growing movement in the church to develop a “Strengths based” ministry concept. We are still very consumed with the Leadership models of the past 30 years, so it may take a while to see this as a “new” paradigm of ministry.

There are several other posts on this site about the Strengths-based approach on this site.

A wise church leader will listen and learn, and be read to lead in a new Era.

Sooo…why the long blogging absence???

Well, in a word.  BUSY.  Very busy.

Several months ago I decided to put together a new website that would cover a different area of my consulting life: Design Thinking.

At the time, I thought it would be a small site that might get a little traffic, and maybe inspire some people to consider the effectiveness of the Art of Design Thinking.  Wrong.

It has been a HUGE surprise to see the amount of traffic from all over the globe.  As a result, I have spent a great deal of time blogging, Tweeting, and consulting on the topic.

So how does this fit with the primary topic of this blog???  Well, it’s all about the ability to bring effective solutions to real problems.  And that is what leaders do…especially in the church.

If you have not had a chance, I encourage you to check out the new site DesignThinkingBlog and see what you can learn.

And for those of you who are looking for direct help, use the contact page and let’s talk.