If you are leading a church, or anything really, it is a good idea to reflect on the characteristics you want to cultivate as a leader. Here are some I am thinking about currently, in no particular order. #1 Authenticity Good, bad, right, wrong, successful or otherwise, whatever kind of leader you are going […]
Year: 2014
If you are a church leader probably you have given thought to your mission and vision, perhaps a lot of thought. And that’s great, you should. Perhaps you’ve even gone ahead and given flesh to those bones with specific strategies and goals to fulfill your mission and vision. But there’s another piece that still needs […]
A leader is anyone who has followers. As any kind of church minister or volunteer minister you are a leader. The question is, are you a leader worth following? Do people actually want to follow you and go where you are going, under your leadership and direction? Here are three questions to ask yourself: #1 […]
This week we were at the beautiful University of Notre Dame to speak to a gathering there, including church leaders from every part of the country. We began our presentation the way we always begin: with a qualifier. We claim only to know what works when it comes to growing a healthy church in Timonium, […]
I came across an interesting fact in Seth Godwin’s book, Poke The Box. In the Pike Place Market in Seattle, you can still find the first Starbucks. But, apparently if you were to visit there you might be surprised that it does not really match your neighborhood Starbucks. It’s different: different logo, different lay out, […]
When you are leading an organization, a parish, a project, whatever, it is easy to be insecure. It is difficult to lead people from one place to another, speak publicly, be responsible for something and not have second thoughts about what you are doing or deciding. It is really difficult to hear criticism, or suspect […]
In Jesus’ own ministry had a plan for the specific places, and sometimes even the specific people he would share the Gospel with. This plan is outlined in 10th chapter of Luke. At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two whom he sent ahead of him in pairs, to every town and place he intended […]
Unchurched: It’s Worse Than You Think As part of our book promotion we have been invited to every part of the country and we hear the same story over and over again everywhere. Church in America, Catholic and Protestant, is in decline. People are leaving in astonishing and astounding numbers. For all the wishful thinking […]
Even teams made up of great players fail and fall because of bad cultures, or worse, toxic cultures. This goes for any team: sports, corporate, church. Ensuring a successful culture means taking proactive steps, and it starts at the top. Here are just a few critical ones. Ask yourself these questions: 1: Would I do […]
There are volumes of material out there analyzing what’s limiting church growth (and hastening church decline). It seems everyone has their theories: theologians, sociologists, the media. However, sometimes we focus too much outwardly, when the problem is much closer to home than maybe we’d like to admit. Here are just a few of the problems […]
