Excellence Killed the Church!: How Mediocrity Is Destroying America.

By Dr. Shawn M. Greener

Fair warning and disclaimer; you might become quite angry while reading this book. So many speakers and authors nuance and adjust for political correctness what they think and feel you may have become anesthetized by their gumdrops and lollipops lovey-dovey genteel manner.

This is not an "everyone gets a trophy" "feel good about me" book. This is the real deal, our authentic condition, and my assessment as to why we are here and what to do. There will be other books in my series. By the end of my series I hope I make you mad enough to do something, throw the book, scream at the book, maybe even kick the book - but not at a dog or cat!

I am hoping you become angry and fed up enough to do something, anything to help stop the bleeding in this country!

No pressure, but it really is all up to you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 31, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477228647

Dr. Shawn M. Greener

Dr. Shawn Greener is a nationally known motivational and inspirational public speaker and author. Dr. Shawn owns and operates the elite life coaching firm Ask Dr Shawn (www.askdrshawn.com) and is a Military Veteran and former law enforcement officer and Agent In Charge of Executive Protection Team (www.executiveprotectionteam). Dr. Shawn speaks all across the country on a variety of topics such as his dynamic seminar "God IN Country" Personal and Executive Security and Preparedness and other dynamic marital relationship and personal and executive improvement topics.

Book preview

EXCELLENCE  

 KILLED THE CHURCH!

How Mediocrity is Destroying America

Dr. Shawn M. Greener

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AuthorHouse™

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: [phone]

© 2012 by Dr. Shawn M. Greener. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/25/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4772-2866-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-2865-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-2864-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012911189

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Are YOU an American Worker?

Let’s all go back to school!

The Challenge of Mediocrity

It is time for School

If we build it well they will buy it here, if we teach excellence

Back to the factory

Back to church

Back to work, barely

Back to church, barely

Risks

What does that have to do with church?

A fair comparison and contrast

Quality is as quality does

Mediocrity is the bane of mastery

Words matter, real words

Back to hip trendy cool comfy convenient church

Law School and Church, Preacher and Teacher

The Value of Real Productivity

Back to the Church Staff

Pastors and Teachers

Putting out manufacturing fires is flammable

Manufacturing purpose driven churches

Astronauts without a driver’s license

Busy, really busy and rewards

Check in the box

The Why behind the Try

Real Motivators

The workforce has to work hard!

Church work is work

Make it to break

Jobs are good for the church

When you learn the mission of your company, you do the mission, you earn your worth!

Factors Contributing to Ineffective Employee Performance. In other words, why do so many employees ‘draw air?’

The Employee—An inch deep and a mile wide?

The Job and what makes up the job

The Missing Manager

The Corrupted Culture of the Company or Church

Occupational Psychology—A Solution to Mediocrity

Do perks produce?

Erasing Mediocrity in the School System

So how do we fix it?

Real solutions any moderately intelligent common sense community can do!

The Role of Labor Unions in Mediocrity

Methodology

Conclusion and Recommendations

Look behind the curtain to see the Truth

We all like the Surprise in the Cracker Jacks!

Appendix One

Appendix Two

Appendix Three

Old Testament Scriptures

New Testament Scriptures

Appendix Four

Appendix Five

Footnote One:

Usage Notes:

Bibliography

About the Author

DEDICATION

This book is the result of thousands of hours of research and investigation but that doesn’t tell the whole story.

There are so many people who have so selflessly helped me in the completion of this book. There isn’t enough paper to include all the names here of the friends and family that were instrumental in this project.

My dear wife and family have given me unbridled love, encouragement and support in the most challenging of circumstances. Thank you for never wavering.

Of the many friends who have encouraged me throughout my speaking and writing career, I must publicly thank Jerry, Jo, Jeannie, Rod, Jill and John, Jim, Dee, Larry, David, Anita, Ron, Rick, Shane, Suzanne, Dr. Frey, Dr. Frazier, Dr. Fair, Dr. Moen and Chuck (AAB). I am confident I’ve failed to mention many who have helped me so much.

I don’t deserve all of your love, encouragement, admonishment. I’ve done nothing to earn it.

To be fair to those I’ve named above, just because I’ve named them here does not imply that they agree with controversial contents of this book.

My next book is called In a Perfect World… I am fully aware that this book, the next book or anything else is not possible without the Love, Mercy and Grace of Yeshua.

Introduction

Fair warning and disclaimer; you might become quite angry while reading this book. So many speakers and authors nuance and adjust for political correctness what they think and feel you may have become anesthetized by their gumdrops and lollipops lovey-dovey genteel manner.

This is not an everyone gets a trophy feel good about me book. This is the real deal, our authentic condition, and my assessment as to why we are here and what to do. There will be other books in my series. By the end of my series I hope I make you mad enough to do something, throw the book, scream at the book, maybe even kick the book—but not at a dog or cat!

I am hoping you become angry and fed up enough to do something, anything to help stop the bleeding in this country!

No pressure, but it really is all up to you.

There is something seriously wrong with our country. If you don’t think so, then either you don’t live in the USA, or you are unaware of what the United States of America stood for at its founding. The Founding Fathers had a distinct idea in mind for this country and the condition we are currently in is most certainly not that distinct idea. The United States of America was born from greatness, for greatness. We were born for liberty and freedom, boundless opportunity for those willing to stand for liberty and freedom, and work for the opportunity provided to every hard working American.

The truth of our condition is difficult to bear. The actual condition of our country is hurtful, and to some degree, offensive to hear. This book will be a painful read for patriots born here in the USA and those who have earned the right to be called American. At some point Greece, Spain, and several other countries will fall despite heroic and incredibly expensive bail out loans and policy changes. These countries will fall because they fail to reject and repent of the very behaviors and ideologies that placed them into the pit that they will languish in until other countries, despots and dictators claim what is left of them for their own.

America is no different. Our press abdicated its responsibility and traded it for accountability. The press bears responsibility for its actions and inaction over the course of many years of neglecting to report the truth in lieu of creating and manipulating the truth to an unrecognizable image of truth. The press rejected its mandate of truthful and accurate reporting and they chose to nuance bits of fact and replace the truth with theirs and others secret agendas. In that wake the citizenry of the United States has missed the opportunity to recognize their true condition.

We missed the opportunity to act with valor, courage, and relentless commitment to liberty and freedom, until now.

There are many well written books by highly regarded authors describing many aspects of our condition. This book intends to go a good bit deeper into the deep cuts into our body. It hurts to clean the deep cuts. It is has been said that time heals all wounds. I disagree and I would submit to you that a wound without treatment over time festers into infected sores. Time heals nothing; it is the hard steps we take during that time to treat our wounds and our faith that God will heal our nation.

In the time period from 1970 to 1987, the U.S. share of the domestic market of the telephone manufacturing market went from 99 percent to 25 percent, the American share of the semi-conductor market went from 89 percent to 64 percent, and the American share of the color television market went from 90 percent to 1 percent. These are all products that were invented by American companies, but markets that Japan and other countries have improved upon. Of the 10 most profitable companies in 1970, only three were still in business as of 1999.

In that same time-span the American church experienced exponential growth followed by the initiation of an as yet unrestrained decline despite scores of books, seminars and DVD’s produced on growing your church, reaching the un-churched, and the myriad of material available on the topic of livening up your worship experience to draw and retain attendees.

As secular markets become more and more globalized, this competitive environment is becoming more and more extreme. Competitive survival is causing companies to examine the employee side of the productivity equation. A small increase in employee productivity can add a large profit to the bottom line. A simple calculation that shows the effect on profitability would be to take 5 percent of a company’s payroll and add it to the company’s annual profits. Today, companies are creating new ways to organize work and workers that are producing results beyond this level of improvement. The state of the global economy demands efficiency in the face of austerity.

Churches, in many ways do much the same and in many ways are every bit as competitive, however, are ineffectually so. Should efficiency and productivity as descriptors within the church be fairly applied? Are those words forbidden by good taste and Christian values?

What about the term ‘marketing’ as used to describe