In Philippians 3, the Apostle Paul declares that everything he once held tightly to in his life to be “skubalon” compared to knowing Christ. If you look up how the famous Greek word is used in the culture, you discover it was dung or animal excrement. Paul was making a very explicit point— everything is…
A Framework for Ministry Leaders: Thinking Flock and Sheep
Larry Osborne has commented about ministry leaders, and I am paraphrasing, that some lean towards being a “flock leader” and some lean towards being a “sheep leader.” Meaning that some leaders, in their gifting, are more prone to think broadly about the overall ministry (the flock), while others are more prone to think about individual…
The Biggest Source of Grumbling in Our Lives
What does grumbling and complaining have to do with our joy and our spiritual growth? Notice the connection the Apostle Paul makes in the book of Philippians: “Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear…
A Tool for Framing and Executing Vision
Leaders carry the double burden of providing clear vision for the organization or ministry and then ensuring the plans to accomplish that vision are executed. Leadership is daunting because leaders must simultaneously cast a compelling vision for the future and enable execution today. These two frameworks placed alongside one another have helped me and teams…
‘Aints No More
I grew up in the New Orleans area rooting for the New Orleans Saints. When I was a child, the team was so bad that people called themselves ‘aints fans. Some fans even went to the games with paper bags over their heads, sending the message that they were too embarrassed to be seen rooting…
Adjusting Your Approach to Serve Those You Lead
While Michael Watkins created a framework that helps leaders evaluate the needs of the organization they will be leading, Ken Blanchard developed a framework, famously known as Situational Leadership, that helps leaders evaluate the development needs of each person the leader is leading. What I Appreciate About This Framework I love that the framework emphasizes…
Matching Your Leadership Approach to the Organization’s Needs
In his book, The First 90 Days, Michael Watkins offers this framework as a tool to help leaders think through the phases of the organization or team the leader is entering. What I Appreciate About This Framework I love that the framework emphasizes the leader should (1) understand the context and (2) adjust leadership to…
The Power of Thinking the Same Way
The Apostle Paul challenged the church in Philippi to “make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose” (Philippians 2:2). Paul was writing to a diverse group of people as the church in Philippi was filled with Jews and Gentiles, men and women, young…
Position Papers: Positions We Pastor From, Not Pastoring
When I first started writing articles for a blog, it was because my boss (the CEO of Lifeway) encouraged me to use the blog as a way to encourage church leaders—as that was part of my role at Lifeway. Since becoming the Senior Pastor of Mariners Church five years ago, I realize that sometimes people…
Soft Complementarians: Holding to Headship and the Gifting of Women
The place of women serving, leading, and teaching in the Church is frequently a topic of discussion, seemingly heightened in 2023 as Christian denominations such as Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) and the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) have made national news over their discussions and decisions regarding the role of women in a local church….