Jon Stolpe
Jon Stolpe
Ice Breaker – Love Songs
Each week on The Stretched Blog, I ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas. If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com. If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)
It’s Valentines Day weekend. Here’s an Ice Breaker to get you in the mood for love.
Question: What’s your favorite love song?
My Answer: Where do I start? Here are a few of my favorites:
- In Your Eyes by Peter GabrielWonderful Tonight by Eric ClaptonI’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers
Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep Stretching!
Short-Term Missions Survey Results – Part 4
Today, let’s take a final look at the responses to the fifth and final question of the survey. After reading the responses, please let me know your thoughts in the comments (about this question, one of the other questions, or anything else related to short-term missions). I’d love to read your thoughts about the responses.
Here’s the question along with the responses:
What can I do to help you with going on a short-term missions trip?
- Give me tips on how to gather funds for a trip.
- Nothing.
- Nothing.
- Pray that God would work in my life toward that goal.
- Talk about your experiences.
- Help me grasp the people we’re serving. Train me to minister to them appropriately and ensure I understand an attempt to help them can be more detrimental if I do/do not do certain things.
- Show me how the short-term work is an effective asset to the local work, not a waste of money and energy.
- I am already committed to continue going.
- I don’t know.
- Watch my kids for the week!
- I’m good.
- I’d need more free time to feel comfortable going…
- Keep inspiring.
- Timing.
- I’m already a huge advocate!
- How do you turn an “experience” into Discipleship?
- You already encourage me.
- Explain the process to me.
- Not really interested in it right now, but I like reading and seeing your stories.
- Suggesting ones that are in the US as I don’t have a passport and am not much of a traveler unless I have to.
- I don’t think there is much help available at the given tie.
- Tips for effective, original, and creative ways for adults to fund raise. Most fundraising tips I see are geared toward youth.
- Nothing.
- Money? 🙂
- Nothing at this time.
- Nothing.
- Provide me with information about the different organizations who coordinate these trips, what are the differences, and how do I choose which organization to partner with.
- Raising awareness and funds for big issues, such as lack of clean water, food, etc.
- Organize and team, and we will have a good time. D Sgro
- I don’t think there is much you can do it will take me to make that decision – I’m also my own biggest obstacle.
- Nothing I can think of.
- Inspire me.
- Continue to write honestly of your experiences and tell of the benefits (if any) to those who live in the country.
- Nothing.
- Fund my retirement so I can quit my job and start planning.
- PRAY.
- Encourage short termers to not “do for the people”, but to do with the people.
- No need. Appreciate your support on your blog though! 🙂
- Bring me to Xenacoj.
This wraps up the responses so far to my short-term missions survey. I really appreciate the feedback which helps me stretch. I’m looking forward to dissecting the results as I work on my project. Thank you to everyone who responded!
What do you think about the responses? I’d love to read your thoughts.
If you didn’t take the survey yet, please click here to add your responses.
Short-Term Missions Survey Results – Part 3
Today, let’s look at the responses to the fourth question of the survey. This question and the responses take the conversation regarding short-term missions to the next level. I’d love to read your thoughts about the responses.
Here’s the question along with the responses:
What is the number one question yo have about going on a short-term missions trip?
- What is the best way to gather money to go on a short-term missions trip?
- Cost?
- Why not do something in your neighborhood first?
- What will we do that my gifts connect to?
- What impact will this have on those that I’m serving?
- Could the money spent on my trip be better used by local long-term workers?
- What will we be doing?
- What are we doing?
- When you go with an organization, how much money goes to the organization compared to helping the people?
- Cost and effect on home life?
- Am I hurting or helping?
- Does what we’re doing matter?
- Safety and mobility?
- How much would a passport and other important papers cost?
- Cost?
- Can I stay longer?
- Why go abroad when people in America need help?
- I’m not really sure. I’ve always appreciated the experience and never thought to question much.
- What are they?
- Who else is going? What’s the agenda/itinerary?
- What are my/the students intentions for going on this trip?
- I’m a missionary, so I handle teams. The big questions I deal with is safety, food, and schedule.
- I haven’t thought that much about it so I don’t know what questions to ask.
- Why not just spend the money instead of spending it to go?
- How do I make time?
- Does it benefit those you go to serve or does it just offer a chance for travel and cause the local missionaries added burdens?
- Does it help the people served?
- How do you choose a place to go, or rather how do you know when God is pointing you in that direction?
- Some are called.
- What is the purpose? Is it to really help empower the church in that city?
- My main concern is to connect with a local missionary and tap into what is already going on – one week is not enough to make any lasting difference. A group swoops in and does stuff and feels good about themselves… not really helpful. But to go back to the same place over and over and support the local work then and in between – that is I think more helpful and building on a foundation.
- How to mobilize our small busy church?
Cost and long-term impact seem to be at the center of many of the responses. The responses give me a lot to process as I move down the road with my project. I really appreciate the thoughts so far.
What do you think about the responses? I’d love to read your thoughts.
If you didn’t take the survey yet, please click here to add your responses.
Short-Term Missions Survey Results – Part 2
Yesterday, I revealed the results to the first two questions on my short-term missions survey.
Today, let’s look at the responses to the third question of the survey.
Here’s the question along with the responses:
What is your biggest problem with going on a short-term missions trip?
- The cost
- Time
- Time
- Cost – so much money spent just for travel/paying third parties to arrange
- The potential of getting sick
- Ensuring that the resources (time, talents, and finances) are being stewarded properly
- Disjointed ministry efforts not connected enough with local, ongoing work
- Feeling like not providing something sustainable
- I have some health issues that might be a concern in a 3rd world setting
- I have no problem with it
- Finding time
- The unknown
- Confidence that I could be a good chaperone for the teenagers I was with
- Schedule
- The ability to immerse myself in the local culture
- That it’s “short term”. Want to build longer self-sustaining relationships
- Clarity of purpose, follow-up, consistency
- Health
- The cost
- Time off work (don’t have many vacation days), and finding one that interests me (I have trouble reasoning a trip far away to help when people need help all around. I would like to be involved in a day or multiple day community service act, like getting together a massive labor force and fixing up a row of houses in a city or town.
- Feeling like I want to do more
- Taking care of my family, and have a local business, currently difficult to leave
- Coming home and leaving all those new relationships we had built behind. It’s heartbreaking.
- Nothing
- There’s a lot of work left undone, and it’s easy to focus more on the work than on the people. I think people ought to be our priority, even though the work is important, too.
- No clue what they are. Sorry!
- Managing the cost
- Time, I guess
- I’m looking forward to going on my first trip in May 2015
- Lack of follow-up and practical care for the people there
- It ended
- Time
- Raising funds
- Lack of long-term relationship
- Don’t like the fund-raising aspect – people should pay their own ways
- Planning since I was the leader on most
- Using what little vacation time I have left (if any) after family obligations
- There is work in your own back (yard)
- I do not sense God’s leading
- I have been on 4 ow – no problems really. It was just getting on the first one that was hard. I sponsored so many other people all my life and finally took the time (to) actually go on one myself. Now it is part of my life every year.
It amazing to read the responses. Cost is obviously a factor, and time seems like an even bigger factor among survey respondents. Many people talked about follow-up and long-term relationships.
What do you think about the responses? I’d love to read your thoughts.
If you didn’t take the survey yet, please click here to add your responses.
Short-Term Missions Survey Results – Part 1
A few weeks ago, I posted a survey on the subject of short-term missions. The results have been interesting.
Today, I want to begin analyzing the information right here on the blog.
If you haven’t filled out the survey, it’s not too late. Click here to add your feedback.
Here’s the first question from the survey:
Have you ever been on a short-term missions trip?
39 people have responded to the survey so far. 27 people (or 69%) responded “Yes” to this question, and 12 people (or 31%) responded “No.”
Here’s the second question from the survey:
If you have gone on a short-term missions trip, where did you go?
I received a variety of results which included: Guatemala, Mexico, multiple US one week trips, China, Kenya, Haiti, Washington DC, Johnstown PA, Atlanta, small town in PA, New Mexico, Australia, Liberia, Ecuador, New Orleans, Uganda, Maine, Pennsylvania, haven’t left the state(s), Brazil, Bucyrus OH, East Bank WV, Livery TN, Cranks Creek KY, St. Nazaire (France), New Brunswick (California), Mindanao (Philippines), Pattaya (Thailand), India, Japan, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, Thailand, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Kentucky, Estonia, various regional towns, in my own church, and Reynosa (Mexico).
It’s great to see a variety of places. In my questions, I didn’t ask people to define short-term missions trip. My guess is that people’s definition may be a little different. Some of that may be influenced by my Guatemala experiences which I’ve shared frequently on my blog. I was actually happy to see someone say their own church and others say places in the United States.
Deeper analysis will come as we look at the next three questions in the coming days. In the meantime, I’d love to read your thoughts on the responses to the first two questions.
What do the responses to the first to STM survey questions tell you? Were you surprised by any of the answers so far?
If you didn’t take the survey yet, please click here to add your responses.
Ice Breaker – Favorite Album
Fridays are Ice Breaker days here on The Stretched Blog. Before we get to this week’s question, I want to ask you to help me out by answering five questions related to short-term missions. The survey was initially presented on the blog last week, but I understand some had trouble completing the survey on the blog. After answering the Ice Breaker below, please click here to go directly to the survey. It will only take a minute (I promise).
Each week on The Stretched Blog, I ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas. If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com. If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)
Question: What’s your favorite album of all time?
My Answer: U2 – Joshua Tree
This is my Go To Album when I need to relax, when I need a pick me up, or when I need to be reminded of the past. This album took the world by storm while I was in high school, and I jumped on the U2 Bandwagon. With songs like Where The Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, and With Or Without You how could you go wrong?
Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep Stretching!
As a reminder, please take a minute to fill out the short-term missions survey. To get to the survey, click here.
Confessions Of A Leader Who Struggles With Delegation
“I can do it all by myself!”
These are the words I proudly proclaimed to my parents as early as I can remember. Even at an early age, I longed for independence and control. Even then, I resisted the need to ask for help.
I’ve been writing about delegation for the past two weeks, but the honest truth is I’m learning about the topic along the way. And much of my education on the subject of delegation is coming from failures I’ve made as a leader.
I struggle to trust others to properly handle the items on my plate which could easily be delegated.
I don’t want to give up control in fear the outcome won’t measure up to the standards I have created.
I remember in high school planning a missions trip to Rochester, NY with one of my good friends. We could have shared responsibilities with others, but I seem to remember holding these responsibilities close to my chest. I wanted to make sure every detail of the trip was perfect.
A few years ago, I chaperoned a missions trip to Guatemala. As part of this trip, I was responsible for a group of five teenagers during our work projects. Several times throughout our days of working, I had to stop myself from trying to do the work all by myself. After all, the trip was meant to give the teenagers experience in the missions field. It turns out these teenagers were far more capable than I gave initially judged. They built a house for a family using hand tools, power tools, and brute force. They also installed eleven-piece stoves in the homes of widows with little assistance from me. It was a good lesson for me. When I delegate, things happen beyond my wildest expectations.
At work, I have to delegate projects to my team members in order to free myself up for my management responsibilities. I wish I could say I always get it right when I do this, but there are times I either over manager or under manage. I’m learning.
I have the hardest time delegating at home. My kids need to learn by doing various jobs around the house, but I don’t get this right more times than I care to admit. I lack the patience to wait for my kids to learn and follow through on tasks I should delegate to them. I fail to take the time to explain my expectations. And I miss out on many opportunities to invite my kids into the things that need to happen around our house. When asked to address a problem, I fix it all by myself instead of getting my wife and kids in on the action of resolving the problem.
I miss out on so many opportunities to delegate. And it’s not good for me or the people who I lead.
Maybe, I’m being a little hard on myself, but this too is part of my nature.
I want to be a great boss, a fantastic father, a wonderful husband, and a dynamic, effective leader. If these are really my targets, it’s time I learn to delegate.
The great thing is I don’t have to wait to know it all, and I don’t have to remain stuck in my delegation failures. Today is a brand new day. With each new day comes the opportunity to start fresh.
Do you struggle with delegation like me?
It’s okay. You are not alone. Let’s decide together to be the leaders we were meant to be. Let’s learn how to delegate starting today!
What is your biggest struggle when it comes to delegating?
11 Keys To Delegation Success
Yesterday, we learned what not to do when it comes to delegation (click HERE to read yesterday’s post). Today, we’ll learn how to delegate successfully. Here are eleven keys to doing delegation right:
11 Keys To Delegation Success
- Determine and define the task you want or need to delegate. Go through the list of things you would like to accomplish. Make a list of which things you need to do and another list of things that others could do. Once you determine what things others could do for you, take time to define the task you want or need to delegate. This will help as you continue onto the next steps in delegation.
- Select qualified people to execute the task. Picking the right people to delegate a task to is critical to your success and their success. If you pick someone who is overqualified, he will likely become bored and disenfranchised. If you pick someone who is significantly under-qualified, he will likely become frustrated.
- Provide training if necessary. Part of the delegation process involves getting your team up to speed with the skills and knowledge they will need to complete your request. This takes planning on the part of the leader, but it will be worth it in making sure delegation is done correctly.
- Demonstrate confidence in your team. This may take some time, but it’s so important that your team knows you trust them. If you are looking over their shoulder all the time, they will begin to wonder if they can really perform the delegated task.
- Clarify the task, the reasons for the task, and the desired outcomes of the task. It’s essential to make sure your team members clearly understand what they are doing and why they are doing it. They also need to understand the expected outcome and the deadline for completing the task. If you don’t clarify these details, your team may flounder about for a while not realizing your expectations.
- Provide appropriate authority to your team. When you delegate a task to your team, they must understand they are now empowered to make decisions necessary to complete the task. If they keep coming back to you over and over again asking you to make decisions, they are wasting your time and their time.
- Resist the urge to tell your team how to execute the task. Part of delegation involves letting go of your desire to control every detail. Your team will learn more effectively by figuring it out themselves. Not only does this help with the present task at hand but it better prepares your team for the future.
- Provide appropriate supervision. Each of your team members most likely needs to be managed a little differently. Make sure you alter your supervision style to fit their follow through style.
- Provide opportunities for check points while the task is being executed. Regular check points will help your team know if they are on the right track towards completing the delegated task.
- Let your team fail. Your team will learn from their failures. It’s essential you let them fail occasionally as this helps them learn for the future. This may be an inconvenience to the leader who delegates in the short-term, but it will pay off over the long-term.
- Provide feedback when the delegated task is complete. When the task is complete, it’s important to tell your team how they did. If they did well, appropriate praise and gratitude will encourage continued diligence when you delegate to them in the future. If they did poorly, they need to know so they can make the necessary adjustments for the future.
How have you experienced delegation success? What delegation steps would you add to the list above?
8 Things To Avoid When Delegating
We learn best from our failures. When you touch a hot stove, you burn your fingers. Lesson learned: Don’t touch a hot stove.
When it comes to delegation, we can learn a lot by studying our delegation failures. I’ve had plenty of opportunity to mess thing up when it comes to the topic of delegation. Here are eight things I learned through my delegation failures:
8 Things To Avoid When Delegating
- Don’t micromanage. When you delegate work to someone, let them do it. When you hang over their shoulder, you exhibit a lack of confidence in their ability to perform the task at hand.
- Don’t under-manage. When you delegate work to someone, don’t forget to check-in. Your team or delegate may have questions or may need a little clarification from time to time. It’s okay to let them figure it out for themselves for a little while, but don’t let them flounder to long. This can be just as discouraging as micromanaging.
- Don’t follow the example of poor leaders. If you had a leader who delegated poorly or not at all, learn from them. Then avoid the delegation mistakes they made.
- Don’t get too far away from those you lead. It’s easy to forget what it might be like on the front lines. Take a lead from the hit television show Undercover Boss, and stay tuned into what your employees are up against. As leaders we have to have empathy for our team members.
- Don’t delegate the same way to everyone. Each of your team members is different, and they most likely need to be handled differently.
- Don’t try to do it all yourself. You will stress yourself out. You will burn-out. And you will lose the interest of your team. Ultimately, you will fail.
- Don’t set clear expectations when you delegate. When your team isn’t told what they are supposed to accomplish, they will fail to meet your expected outcomes. This includes deadlines. If your delegate doesn’t now when to have the assignment complete, they may never complete the assignment.
- Don’t provide feedback on the results. Don’t leave your delegate wondering if he did a good job or a bad job. They need to know, so they can perform appropriately the next time you delegate to them.
Do you resonate with any of these? What have you learned from your delegation failures? What would you add to the list above?
January 2015 – Top Posts & Commenters Plus BOOK GIVEAWAY
Happy Groundhog Day!
(For my thoughts on Groundhog Day, click here.)
Here are the highlights from January 2015. Thanks to everyone who read along and commented. Your readership and participation in the daily discussions are what make The Stretched Community. Thank you!
Overall, traffic was up from December (1.44%). Traffic was up 173.76% compared to a year ago. The top 10 posts included posts from 2014. Again, most of the posts were from late September and early October. There was one post from February. If you missed any of these posts, I hope you’ll go and check them out now by clicking below. The post with the most engagement was one that didn’t make the top 10 list below – Ice Breaker New Year’s Goals.
Top 10 Posts:
- Experience The Supernatural September 29, 2014 (385)
- 5 Things To Remember When We Say Or Do Something Stupid February 12, 2014 (366)
- September 2014 – Top Posts and Commenters PLUS BOOK GIVEAWAY October 1, 2014 (346)
- Redefine Rich September 29, 2014 (253)
- 3 Steps To Take Before You Can Serve Effectively September 30, 2014 (223)
- No Excuses! October 2, 2014 (195)
- A Tribute To Grandma October 8, 2014 (153)
- Ice Breaker – Homecoming October 3, 2014 (153)
- Knowing God So We Can Make Him Known October 9, 2014 (131)
- How To Have The Best Dreams October 13, 2014 (121)
Top 10 Commenters:
- Steve Y (20)
- Larry Carter (20)
- David Stolpe (12)
- Jon Stallings (9)
- Lulu (6)
- Heidi Bender (6)
- Kari Scare (2)
- Norman Stolpe (2)
- Rick Siderfin (2)
- Brooks Hall (1)
As promised at the beginning of the month, I have randomly chosen someone from the top commenters list to receive a copy of 
For the month of February, I’ll be giving away another copy of On Track: Life Lessons from the Track & Field
Thanks to each and everyone for reading and for commenting. I’m looking forward to February with The Stretched Community! The month of February will include more STRETCHING posts. The first part of the month will include additional posts on the topic of leadership and delegation.
If you’re interested in guest posting here, leave a comment to connect with me.
How was your month? If you’re a blogger share a link to your top post in the comments? What was your favorite Stretched post this month? How were you STRETCHED in January?
In case you’re interested, here are a few other interesting stats about January (based on Google Analytics):
- Users – Increased 36.74%
- Sessions – Decreased 1.89%
- Pageviews – Decreased 2.30%
- Pages Per Session – Decreased 0.48%
- Average Session Duration – Decreased 4.76%
- Bounce Rate – Increased 3.31%
- New Sessions – Increased 8.68%
On Track – Life Lessons from the Track & Field is now available on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle. Click the link below to get your copy today.
As a reminder, I am offering a FREE pdf copy of the interior of the book to subscribers of The Stretched Newsletter. Head over to the main page of the blog and sign up on the right hand menu bar to get your copy today for FREE!