Mark Clement

Premiere Of Our New Film 'Running' Is Tonight

If you're anywhere around central AL tonight, we want to invite you to come to the premiere of our new film 'Running'. It shows at 7:30 & 10 PM at the two campuses of The Worship Center Christian Church here in Birmingham. Campuses are in Huffman and Bessemer and you can find all the details, directions, etc... HERE.

All four services will be standing room only so be encouraged to arrive early for best seats. Conservative estimates are that there will be between 6 and 7 thousand people in attendance. We're very proud of this project and would love for you to be a part of it. Best part is that the 7:30 slots will be done by 9 in plenty of time to make the New Year's Eve parties you have lined up. The cast and crew of the film will be attending the 7:30 event at the Bessemer Campus. Check out the trailer below:

 

Why So Many Church Staffers Are Unhappy

It  happened again today. Twice. Two different guys in different states contacted me to catch up. And once again the conversation turned to an all too familiar tale. They are growing to resent anything having to do with professional ministry and they have either left ministry or are seriously thinking about it. And it breaks my heart.

These are guys who came up under me, one in my college group and one interned at a large church where I was on staff. They were leaders at every level. They were passionate and motivated. They did all the grunt work, finished seminary, paid dues, sacrificed so much, and now they are... done. Or at least real close to being done.

And they are not alone. Surveys consistently place the number of ministers leaving ministry every month in America between 1500 and 1800. That's over 20,000 per year or one about every 2-3 hours. And while a good many of this number are senior pastors, I would estimate that at least half or more are actually associate pastors of every persuasion, from worship to students, from pastoral care to missions, and everything in between. These are the folks I want to talk about. Why so much frustration, so much discontent? Why are they so unhappy and who or what is to blame?

Truthfully, there is not one easy answer to these questions. But after years of seeing this up close and personal, I do believe there are some common themes that are present in these situations more often than not. So over the next week or so I'm going to address one big issue every day. So let's put down our preconceived ideas and come to the table with open hearts and open minds and see if we can't at least begin a great conversation about why so many church staffers are so unhappy. No one seems to be talking about this huge issue and nothing will ever change if we can't at least talk about it. So let's talk.

See the next post in this series HERE.

Is it just me or are you seeing a trend in this area as well?

No Arms, No Legs, No Worries

This is one of the most inspiring and moving things I've seen in a long time. Puts things in unbelievably clear perspective. Watch this and be challenged. Wow!

No More Christian Nice Guy

Had the privilege to work with author Paul Coughlin to create a promo for his book No More Christian Nice Guy and related conferences, etc... Check it here:

Definition Of A King

I just walked in on my wife watching First Knight for about the hundredth time. Truth is we both love movies about medieval times and Camelot, knights and princesses, etc... Reminds me of the book  ‘The Way of The Wild Heart’ by John Eldridge. It’s a great book about the journey of becoming a man. There’s the cowboy stage, the warrior, the lover, etc….But one of the most challenging topics is about the 'king' stage. 

As men we all pretty much want to be the king. We want to rule, to get our way, to do what we want without question or accountability. There’s no hard and fast rule about when a man enters this stage, but I would say generally it applies to most of us who are in our late 30s on up into our 50s and 60s when we should enter the 'sage' stage. We are ‘kings’ ruling over our family, or a division at a company, or a team of people here or there. Some of us have bigger ‘kingdoms’ than others, but nonetheless we are all kings of some type.

I've got to say that I’m sick and tired of bad kings. Selfish, gutless, clueless kings. Kings who won’t stand up for what’s right. Kings who want all the glory but don’t want to get their hands dirty. Kings who would rather sacrifice their own people instead of their pride. Kings whose agendas and ‘visions’ don’t serve anyone but themselves. Feel free to substitute the words boss, manager, father, husband or even pastor wherever you see the word ‘king’.

Let me tell you how to spot a great king. He’s honest. He is caring. He stands up for the little guy. He is willing to fight for justice. He is straight forward, full of integrity. He is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. When you are around him you feel encouraged, loved, valued. And above all else he is loved by the people he leads. They love him because they know he loves them even more. Not because of what he says, but because of what he does.

One of my favorite movie scenes of all time is from ‘A Knight’s Tale’. Challenging the royal system of the time our young peasant hero has assumed a false identity in order to compete in the tournaments: knights only. His archenemy can’t defeat him on the playing field so he resorts to treachery, revealing our hero's true identity which results in having him not only kicked out of the tournament games, but arrested for impersonating royalty. Humiliated he finds himself in the public stocks and the crowd who cheered for him hours before is now gathering to pelt him with rotten vegetables and worse. Just then his rag tag entourage form a circle around him ready to sacrifice their own selves in his defense.

Just then Prince Edward, heir to the throne, emerges from the crowd and approaches the accused. He commands the mob to be silent and the guards to release the prisoner. The prince then commences to list one example after another of the ‘knightly’ characteristics that he has personally witnessed in our hero. But he saves the best for last. Motioning to the brave men who have just come to his defense the prince says “Your men clearly love you, and if I knew nothing else about you, that would be enough.” He then commands him to kneel and proceeds to knight him.

When you serve your people so well that they would gladly give themselves for you: that’s the definition of a great king.

How do you measure up? What are some great examples of 'kings' that you have seen?

Fathers Be Good To Your Daughters

A couple of years ago Tammy and I spent the weekend in ATL with my brothers and their wives to celebrate a 30th bday for Angela, Michael John's wife. We had an awesome time, seeing some old friends and spending some great quality time together. We had a great meal at the Georgia Grill (I highly recommend it. Get the lobster enchiladas. Trust me.) Later that night we went to a club to get jiggy with it 'cause Angela LOVES to dance. It was a lot of fun, but a real eye opening experience for me. 

I wasn't shocked by anything I saw, but it's sort of an out of sight out of mind thing. You get busy being an adult, a parent, etc...and you forget that this other world is out there. The details aren't necessary here, but for those of you who have either been sheltered or just out of the loop for a while like me, let's just say there are a lot of lonely, hurting young people out there.

The crowd was mostly 20 somethings, young professionals and those trying to be. Lots of young ladies throwing themselves at anyone who would pay them attention, longing to be loved, touched, noticed... A great opportunity for a young, thoughtless, careless man to exploit. Many sitcoms have even started to throw around the phrase 'daddy issues' making light of it all. But to me, a guy old enough to be many of these girls father, it hurt my heart. I thought of my girls, and prayed I would be the kind of father that can show them the love they need to know that me and their heavenly Father value them greatly, that they matter, that they are valuable and lovely and important...and that they deserve the best.

I pray that every father and every church leader would be challenged to see the young ladies in their area with new eyes. That we would be sensitive to the hearts of not only our own girls, but their friends and others who cross our path on a regular basis. That we would do our best to fill in the gaps for them and show them ALL the love that their ultimate Father intends for them. (I would encourage every father of a daughter and every pastor to read "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldredge and to also listen to the John Mayer track "Daughters" on the Heavier Things CD.)

Would love to hear some input from other fathers of girls? Comment away.

Greener Grass, More Nuggets

Tammy and I were  having lunch at Wing's a couple of weeks ago and both ordered the exact same dish, chicken lips (nuggets).  When our plates arrived she quickly surveyed the identical entree's and playfully suggested that I had more nuggets than her!  After a quick count we discovered that not only did I not have more nuggets, but that she actually had more on her plate than I did.  It's amazing how our perspective can outweigh the actual facts. 

At one time or another we have all been guilty of 'the grass is greener' syndrome.  Someone else makes more money than we do.  Their company or church is bigger, more successful.  Their family seems happier or more healthy.  Their _____ is more _____ than ours.  You fill in the blanks. 

My friend Dave and I were talking about this very thing earlier this week at churchplanters.com.  Dave is a successful author of 2 books with 2 more in the works.  To my amazement he somehow manages to help  run a huge church, lead a growing non-profit organization, spend time with his family AND write great books.  I don't know where he finds the time to do it all and do it all so well.  Oh to be a REALLY successful author with all kinds of money and free time.  But not so fast.

A while back I read the most recent book by one of my favorites John Eldredge.  It's called  Walking With God and is basically a peak into his daily life via his journal entries over the course of a year.  On the surface you would imagine him sitting in a log cabin somewhere, with all the time in the world to think and pray and just simply write books.  Reality looked  nothing like that.  He is still running a huge organization, speaking, counseling people, participating in an active small group, going to the store, dealing with real life issues (family pet dying, a serious accident resulting in injury to name a couple)...oh and writing incredible books.  

The reality is that my grass, David's grass, and even John's grass is just that - grass.  It has to be fed and watered, mowed, raked and taken care of just like yours and mine and everybody else's.  The truth is that more success, selling more books, leading more people, whatever, typically brings more pressure and more responsibility.  Success is relative and so are the consequences of it.  

We need not be consumed with comparisons, but focus on being thankful for what's on the plate in front of us and realize that on any given day God has given us the exact right amount of nuggets for us.  Who knows what we can handle and what we need better than Him?    If you're anything like me you may need to focus more on the nuggets you already have and do a better job of handling those instead of focusing on the nuggets that aren't even on my plate.  

Eat more chikin!

Whose grass is always distracting you?

3 People You Need To Know | Part 1 of 3

Over the next few days I want to talk about 3 people that every one of us need to know.  Whether you are a church leader, a business leader or an average joe, these 3 people are critical to your growth and development

Person 1 | Mentor
Now let's be honest, we all know about needing a mentor.  But truthfully, how many of us actually have one?  A real one.  A real, tried and true, honest to God, mentor.  Wow it got quiet in here.  It's funny because we all acknowledge the importance of this role, yet precious few actually practice it.

I believe the idea, the definition of a mentor has morphed a bit over the last few years.  It used to be accepted that a mentor was for life, a really long term relationship person who walked through life with you, always at least a few steps ahead.  While this is probably the best kind of mentor, it is less practical than it once was.  In this generation I believe it is more practical for mentorship to be seasonal.  That's a topic for another time.

But regardless of how we find it, I think we all can agree on the fact that mentorship, to be truly effective, requires a few key elements. 

First it must  be spiritual.  For someone to truly mentor you there must be a shared spiritual connection, a common ground of values and beliefs that are foundational to the relationship. This one is non-negotiable.

Second, it must be honest.  The person must have the ability and fortitude (and yes your trust) to be honest no matter what.  Otherwise it's an exercise in wasted time.

Third there must be some semblance of frequency to help keep the train relatively close to the tracks on a consistent basis.  This is also helpful in making sure the mentor really knows you and how you deal with things on a regular basis.  It helps to expose patterns and tendencies that are very relevant to them giving you strong and accurate leadership.

Fourth, it really needs to be someone of the same sex.  If you have to ask why then we have another whole set of problems to deal with. 

Finally it's crucial that the mentor have no dog in the fight.  In other words it doesn't need to be someone who has any potential conflict of interest with you.  Doesn't need to be a close relative, a competitor or someone you work too closely with.  There are exceptions to this of course, but they are few and far between.  It is preferable that they are familiar with your life, but not directly in it on a daily basis.  This helps them remain objective and truthful. 

If you don't already have this person, I strongly encourage you to seek them out and soon.  Their advice, wisdom and experience can be critical in helping you navigate your life.

Do you have a mentor? How did that come about? What impact has that had on you? We'd love to hear from you.

Conan, I'll Follow You Anywhere

Conan O’Brien says he will not host “The Tonight Show” if it is moved to 12:05 a.m.

In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Mr. O’Brien said he cannot participate “in what I honestly believe is its destruction.”

Last week NBC outlined a plan to move “The Jay Leno Show” to 11:35 p.m. in March, elbowing Mr. O’Brien’s “Tonight Show” back half an hour. Mr. Leno seems supportive of the plan; but in an open letter, Mr. O’Brien rejects it outright.

I don't normally write about these kinds of things, but this kind of foolishness just infuriates me. In the spirit of full disclosure I must confess I love the new Tonight Show with Conan. I never really watched Conan in the super late night time slot, but when he took over for Leno I stumbled on to it and have since become a fan. He makes me laugh out loud multiple times every single night, a great way to end the day.

I've got nothing against Leno. I've always thought his humor a bit cheesy, but always believed he was a good guy. I feel bad for him that his show is tanking, but this option to reshuffle the late night deck is not right. Commitments, contracts and promises have been made and he has as much obligation to uphold them as anyone. I have huge admiration for Conan in that he is standing on principal AND is concerned about his successor on the Late Late Show, Jimmy Fallon. And I couldn't be more disappointed in Leno that he has not stood up and refused to do the same for Conan. I've seen a couple of encounters with Leno and he's essentially sticking his head in the sand, implying he has nothing to do with all of this. Nonsense.

This letter, written by Conan and published today in the New York Times says it all:

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

Yours,

Conan

I hope NBC and it's incompetent leader Jeff Zucker will wake up and realize that not only is this a horrible decision from a programming standpoint, but is, from a character standpoint, absolutely wrong.

As for Conan, I want you to know brother, I'll follow you anywhere. Not only are you incredibly funny, but you are a man of character, and that is a rare thing these days. God bless you and your family.

6 Ways To Start The New Year Doing Instead of Dreaming

For many of us a new year represents an opportunity to start fresh, leaving bad habits behind and reinventing ourselves. But there's a reason why most new year's resolutions are never fulfilled - follow through. Talk is cheap. So what are some things we can do to help insure success? 

Check out these 2 posts to find some practical steps you can take including things like writing your goals down, going public with your ambitions, and getting started NOW.

The first is by Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Neslson, called How To Make New Year's Resolutions Stick.

The second is by speaker and author Chris Elliot, called 6 Ways To Start The New Year Doing Instead of Dreaming.