Here at Nativity, we’re currently immersed in one of our sacred summer rituals: housecleaning and reorganization. Over the years, we have worked to reduce the amount of storage onsite and move seasonal and long term storage off site. Each summer, we unpack these areas, reassess their contents, and get rid of anything that is outdated, […]
Category: Leadership
Culture is the blend of beliefs, customs, values, and vision as demonstrated in behavior and direction. Culture is, quite literally, who your church is. Most every church leader I know wants to shape a compelling culture that is, among other things, welcoming, accessible, attractive, inviting, engaging. At least, that’s what they say. But, it isn’t […]
As Carey Nieuwhof has pointed out in his excellent blog post, one often overlooked factor in the steady decline of church attendance has been the Church’s resistance to follow the culture into the technological era. We are living in a time when technology is an ever present mainstay in people’s lives, yet churchworld seems hesitant […]
Painting a clear and compelling vision is key to any renewal. If you get your vision right, you will empower and equip your advocates, educate your bystanders and disarm your critics. Vision helps you start, maintain and continuously expand the growth of your parish. It helps you overcome supposedly insurmountable obstacles and will get you […]
In any field of leadership, people will second-guess and criticize you. Criticism is just part of leadership and according to Aristotle, the only way to avoid criticism is “say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.” So, while you cannot avoid criticism, you can minimize it by leading thoughtfully and even use it to your own benefit. […]
It doesn’t matter what the circumstance or work environment – gossip is a challenge we all face at one time or another. As a Pastor or staff leader, one of the biggest challenges you’ll face is managing and mentoring your staff. You’ll often be involved in things that will take you out of your comfort […]
Every church has its own unique culture. And, to a certain degree, you can have any kind of culture you want. For instance, we have a fairly casual culture on our staff, you might prefer a more formal style. It doesn’t matter what kind of culture you have as long as it’s healthy. Of course, […]
Although Canon Law dictates that each parish is placed under the leadership of a pastor, appointed and installed by the bishop, there are dozens of different types of church leadership structures. There are pastors who are “one man shows” and hold the reigns tight when it comes to decision making. There are “absentee landlords” who […]
When our parish was founded 50 years ago, there was an established way in which a parish was a parish. Just follow the playbook and all will be well. Looking back, it was probably that very year of 1968 that served as a threshold to cataclysmic cultural and social changes that have changed everything, including […]
Let us go out to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose I have come. Mark 1:38 A really pivotal scene unfolds at the end of the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel. After an intense day of preaching and teaching the crowds and healing the sick, Jesus goes off by […]
