Flood gates

Product DescriptionSue Nilson Kibbey follows up the Abingdon Press leadership classic, Ultimately Responsible, with her latest experience-based research about how your congregation can make the shift from plateau or even decline - to opening the flood gates of spiritual upsurge. This resource is a practical “how-to” guide for pastors and church leaders who dream about releasing holy momentum in their current setting.Whatever your church’s history, setting or mission field, you can set the stage to unleash the floodgates of a Breakthrough Prayer Initiative, learn the skills of making an urgent case for change, shift your church’s culture to “ubiquitous discipleship,” identify and deploy new leaders and other key crucial catalysts. All of these have the potential to transform yourcongregation into a fearless, Spirit-driven church that will make new spiritual history for Christ in your own mission field and beyond.Book DescriptionOpen the floodgates to mission-worthy change in your congregation, creating a spiritual force that moves through your entire community.About the AuthorSue Nilson Kibbey is an ordained United Methodist elder who serves as the Director of the Missional Church Consultation Initiative (MCCI) for the West Ohio Conference, a comprehensive 360-degree training and coaching effort that assists congregations and their pastors to jump-start a new life cycle of fruitfulness. Kibbey served as executive pastor of Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, Ohio for 10 years, where she teamed with Pastor Mike Slaughter to create and deploy the vision of the church as well as provide oversight of the staff and all discipleship/mission initiatives. Sue is also the creator of the Ministry by Strengths program, which helps leaders connect into individualized areas of ministry service passion, and is an adjunct professor for ministry leadership at United Theological Seminary. She is a speaker, trainer, consultant and coach across the country.Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Flood GatesHoly Momentum for a Fearless ChurchBy Sue Nilson Kibbey Abingdon PressCopyright © 2016 Sue Nilson KibbeyAll rights reserved.ISBN: 978-1-5018-0402-1Contents"Foreword by Bishop Gregory Vaughn Palmer","Introduction: Begin Here","Flood Gate #1: Coachability","Flood Gate #2: Breakthrough Prayer Initiative","Flood Gate #3: Logjam Release","Flood Gate #4: Making a Case for Change","Flood Gate #5: Conflux Moments","Flood Gate #6: Ubiquitous Discipleship","Flood Gate #7: The Missiactional Church","Flood Gate #8: Stratagem for Storms",CHAPTER 1Flood Gate #1:COACHABILITYYou will never possess what you are unwilling to pursue. Choose to become stronger than your excuses."What do you think? A man had two sons. Now he came to the first and said, `Son, go and work in the vineyard today.'"No, I don't want to,' he replied. But later he changed his mind and went."The father said the same thing to the other son, who replied, `Yes, sir.' But he didn't go."Which one of these two did his father's will?"They said, "The first one."Jesus said to them, "I assure you that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering God's kingdom ahead of you." (Matthew 21:28-31)I'd like to introduce to you a nonnegotiable cornerstone of church leadership that will become a touchpoint for us throughout our pursuit to release your church's Flood Gates. The cornerstone is this: leading the church of Jesus Christ as illustrated in the New Testament must begin - before anything else - with leading yourself.This might seem like a statement of the obvious to you. But here's why it represents the first Flood Gate: as a pastor or ministry leader, I cannot lead the church in change and growth any further than I am proactively leading myself. This, then, is our starting place: we will begin by acknowledging that all effective leadership begins with effective self-leadership.Show me a church that is stuck, stagnated,