ARE:A Renewal Enterprise

A New Year's Resolution for Leaders

A lot of us are making resolutions this weekend - lose weight, exercise more, get organized, write more blog posts (ok, maybe that's just me!), etc. And a lot of experts (like our friends over at the Harvard Business Review) are making suggestions about what kinds of resolutions we should make.

It occurs to me that, behind every New Year's Resolution, is a desire to do what matters. I'll toast to that. But it also occurs to me that, for most of us, doing what matters also means that we need to figure out how to stop doing things that don't.

Here are 5 purposeful questions you can ask yourself to figure out what doesn't matter anymore:

1. Are we (still) having fun doing it?
2. Is it easy to get people to lead and participate in it?
3. Are people's lives being changed by it?
4. Are we being changed in positive ways by doing it?
5. Would anybody miss it if we stopped doing it?

If you answer no to #1 plus ANY of the other questions, you should stop whatever it is you're doing right now.

If you answer no to any one of these questions, including #1, consider taking a time out from doing it. Take a break. Give it a rest. And see what happens. After a few weeks or months, re-evaluate it and decide whether or not it's worth doing again. Odds are, it won't be.

What New Year's Resolutions are you making this weekend?

May your holidays be blessed!

It is Christmas time for those among us who are Christian - a time when Christians celebrate that God is active and participates in the world. Hanukah reminds Jewish people of the abiding grace of a God whose presence was symbolized by oil and of a time when the oil was low but somehow lasted - God was not to abandon them. Others among our readers may come from other traditions and have other reasons to remember, refresh and renew. Whatever tradition you come from please know that we at ARE wish you to have joy-filled and blessed holidays!

2012 Online Learning Community Unveiled

At ARE and the Renewable Church, we have just about completed the first year of our Online Learning Community. Response to the materials has been great! We've learned a lot about how to do this and next year's Online Learning Community promises to be even better! Membership for a full year of materials is normally $149 but the Early Bird price of $135 is available now.

The materials include 6 webinars with access to participating in the live versions (with chat sessions)  and also the ability to use the recorded versions along with a study guide for each one with your leaders. You also get 12 newsletter articles for use on the web, in your printed newsletter, or as discussion pieces with classes or leadership teams. Plus we are available to you for email questions and can usually respond to your comments and questions with a 24 hour turn around. Add discounts on all ARE Books materials and this is a great deal.

One pastor who recently subscribed as an Online Learning Community member said this, "I was using the Alban membership site but these materials are so practical and the webinars are so useful with my leaders, this is just so easy to use in my congregation." 

Interested? For a complete description and a chance to register at the Early Bird rates, click here.