Our senior leadership team just wrapped up two intense days of review and planning for our parish, looking ahead to 2015. We worked with our friend, Patrick Lencioni. Pat is author of more than 10 best selling books all about best practices in business and leadership development. If you haven’t read any of his stuff, […]
Category: Leadership
Everywhere we go we are asked by parish and diocesan leaders, how do you lead through change? Whether you’re leading an entire organization through a transformation or coaching a single staff person through a transition, leading through change is one of the most important tasks you’ll do as a pastor or pastoral leader. In leading […]
This time of year brings our annual celebration of Stewardship Sunday when we talk about our stewardship of our local parish church, our investment in this part of Christ’s kingdom movement, here in Timonium, Maryland. Here are 8 things we do that have helped make our stewardship appeals quite successful in recent years: #1. We […]
When we first approached the reality that our book was going to really be published I found myself becoming sheepish and shy about it all. Perhaps the prospect of a lot of attention scared me, or maybe it was the idea of seeming prideful or egotistical that was painful. Whatever the reason, I didn’t want […]
We have all heard it said that timing is everything. And when it comes to God’s timing, it’s perfect. In the Bible, the prophet Habakkuk understood that well. He speaks words of hope and inspiration to God’s people, amidst a period filled with daunting challenges. Despite the difficulties, Habakkuk sees God poised and ready to […]
All this week we have been in Denver for the first ever Amazing Parish Conference, and it was, well, amazing. The brain child of several Catholic lay leaders including, most notably, best selling author and business consultant Patrick Lencioni, the basic idea was to bring together parishes from across the country to share ideas and […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
