2 Reasons Christian Leaders Can Take Risks (More Than Other Leaders Can)

I have often challenged leaders to be find seasons of being overwhelmed because you will only grow if you are overwhelmed and take risks – risks of taking on more responsibility or chasing after a big goal. This was true when you took your first steps as a toddler, when you boarded a bus or […]

3 Things You Are Really Saying When You Bash Your Predecessor

If leadership is primarily about change, transformation, and the future, as many have advocated, then leaders are always change-oriented. And change always entails creating some dissatisfaction with the status quo. But wisely and skillfully creating dissatisfaction with the status quo is very different than subtly or overtly trashing and bashing the leaders who led before […]

The Curse of Talent for Young Ministry Leaders

I am over 40, so no longer young, and I failed to make “Gifted and Talented” as a kid so this post is not about me but about young leaders who are labeled as talented, amazing, exceptional, “the future,” and a myriad of other similar adjectives and phrases. In ministry circles, we have seen in […]

Who We Are

In Unfolded, the men’s Bible study I was honored to write, we walk through the Story of the Bible in eight weeks. Each week there are daily devotions, along the storyline of Scripture, that dive into different passages. Here is one of the devotions from week seven. Persecution of Christians was very intense during the […]

6 Essential Identities of a Ministry Leader

As God’s people, we are to live the reality of who He has declared us to be. He has rescued us and given us an incredible identity as His children, His bride, His priests, and His friends. As God’s people, our activity must be rooted in the identity He has graciously given us. The same […]

Four Practical Ways to Change Organizational Culture

Changing the culture of an organization is extremely difficult, and it is not something that can be done with a new logo, a purpose statement, a white board session, and a few media slides. In fact, Tom Peters has accurately stated, “It is easier to kill an organization than it is to change it.” And […]

Five Dangers of Only Looking at the Past

There are many leaders who are stuck in the past. While there are dangers in leading with only a view of the present or with only a view of the future, leading with your mind only rooted in the past is destructive. Here are five dangers with only looking at the past as you lead: […]

2 Thoughts on Circumcision, Church Identity, and Mission

We must understand the difference between preserving the gospel and advancing the gospel. A preserved gospel always advances, as people in awe of the gospel always want to advance it. But it is possible to advance a pseudo-gospel, another message in place of the real thing. Just as there is a distinction between the gospel […]

7 Lessons for Leading a Growing Church

The following is a guest post by Pastor Derwin Gray. Derwin is the founding and lead pastor of Transformation Church.  After graduating from Brigham Young University, Gray played football in the NFL for five years. He graduated magna cum laude, earning a M.Div. with a concentration in apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary. He is an author […]

3 Reminders About Students from “Youth Camp”

This summer I was honored to serve as camp pastor at Fuge Camps for a week. Fuge is one of our summer events for students and student ministries, alongside Student Life, World Changers, and P2 Missions. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve student ministries in their mission of making disciples. Student ministry is […]