Anywhere but Nineveh

When the Lord called me into ministry, I told Him I would go anywhere He asked. When Kaye and I married and discussed where the Lord would possibly put us, we committed that we would go wherever He sent us. When we graduated seminary and were asked to fill out a form to indicate where […]

Have You Tried the Roof?

One of my favorite stories in the gospels is the story of the four men who carry a paralyzed man to Jesus [Mark 2:1-12]. Imagine the details surrounding the narrative. Jesus is talking to a huge crowd crammed in and around Peter’s house. Hearing a loud noise on the roof, people begin to look up. […]

Ambidextrous Ministry

An article entitled “The Ambidextrous Organization” from Harvard Business Review has really resonated with me as a leader in a large traditional organization. “Ambidextrous,” in this case, means exactly what you would think it means: managing new initiatives and established ones at the same time. While reading, I noted many implications for ministry leaders in […]

Bullets Before Cannonballs

The most helpful teaching metaphor I grabbed from Jim Collins’ newest book, Great by Choice, is the concept of “bullets before cannonballs.” Collins discovered that the most effective leaders and companies test new initiatives as “bullets” before over-investing, radically altering their strategy, or changing their offerings to customers. According to Collins, effective leaders explore incrementally […]

The danger of “hiring the best”

The longer I lead, the more I realize how essential the right leaders are to the success of a team, ministry, or organization. While the right leaders will overcome insufficient systems and processes, great processes and systems can never overcome ineffective leaders. The right leaders are not necessarily the “best” leaders. The “best” leaders when […]

Righteous Frustration

In their now classic work, The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner wrote, “More than anything else, leadership is about creating a new way of life. Leaders must accept the responsibility for making change happen.” Leadership and change are inexorably related. When God raises a leader for a task, He often burdens that leader with righteous […]

Two Different Tips

Two different tips from supposed wealthy individuals were in the news recently as servers from the restaurants snapped photos of the bills and posted them online. One turned out to be a hoax, however. First, the true story. Peyton Manning enjoyed dinner at the famous Angus Barn restaurant in Raleigh. His bill was $739.58, which […]

Easter Challenge to Pastors

As Easter weekend approaches, I thought I would share a few thoughts for church leaders around two key words: assimilation and transformation. Though one does not necessarily lead to the other, they are both important.   Assimilation…  As you encourage your church members to bring friends on Easter weekend, think as much about the Monday […]