2 Indicators You Are Thankful This Thanksgiving
The apostle Paul closed his first letter to Christians living in Thessalonica with these words: “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). In these verses, we see a close relationship between joy, prayer, and thanksgiving. As one of them rises, so […]
5 Negative Influences on Pastors Who Leave Pastoring
We often hear of pastors who step away from pastoring to pursue other opportunities, some within vocational ministry and some within the marketplace. At times there are moral failures that disqualify leaders from their roles. At times the pastors develop a passion or sense God calling them to something else. And at times the pastors […]
6 Mistakes Leaders Make in Their First 90 Days
While there is nothing magical about the number, many have used the “first 90 days” to describe the important first days in a leader’s new role. In his helpful book The First 90 Days, Michael Watkins encourages leaders to adjust their leadership to the context and life cycle of the organization: start-up, realignment, sustaining success, […]
4 Ways Leaders Can Express Gratitude to Those They Manage
Max Depree once said that the best people on your team are really volunteers, no matter if you pay them or not. They are volunteers because they can utilize their skills and talent elsewhere and they choose to utilize them on your team. Which means, of course, that you must lead with much more than […]
“The Great Ones Don’t Get Bored. The Good Ones Do.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo is an incredible player, a rising star, and a basketball phenom. Yes, his name is really hard to pronounce, even for avid basketball fans, but the Milwaukee Bucks’ young superstar (22 years old) is playing incredible basketball. His coach, future hall of famer Jason Kidd, recently shared the advice he has given Giannis. […]
4 Possible Reasons Some Pastors Struggle Financially
Of the more than 700 pastors’ spouses surveyed in a recent LifeWay research project, more than half expressed that their income from the church is insufficient, and more than two-thirds are concerned they do not have enough saved for retirement. Why is this? Why do so many families in local church ministry struggle financially? While […]
5 Speed-Killers for Teams
It is possible to move too quickly, to move too chaotically, and to execute without any semblance of strategy. But moving too quickly is not the problem most teams and organizations face. Much more common is moving too slowly. Even when leaders articulate moving fast and desire to do so, there are common obstacles that […]
4 Essentials When Bringing New People on a Team
Growing up in the New Orleans area meant my mom became really skilled at cooking gumbo. It is amazing. While the roux is the part of the gumbo that impacts its taste the most, each new ingredient alters the taste. Add shrimp or crab and the taste changes. Throw in okra or a bell pepper […]
Research Reveals Realities of Being a Pastor’s Spouse
Halloween is not the only national day in October… October 7th is National Frappe Day (as in the drink). October 8th is National Clergy Appreciation Day. October 9th is National Moldy Cheese Day. October 10th is National Handbag Day. October 11th is National Sausage Pizza Day. To some people, clergy appreciation day sounds like it […]
6 Ways the Team Reflects the Leader
One of the most challenging and convicting insights Brad Waggoner has shared with me is that “a leader can complain about the culture of the team for only a few years because after that, the culture reflects the leader.” In a church or an organization, there are multiple teams or groups. Obviously there should be […]