In our highly connected and technologically savvy society we have heard it said, “Do we really want those tech companies to know everything about us? It seems like they are everywhere and know everything!” We are uncertain about Big Data for one of two reasons: we aren’t sure we trust the people who know everything…
Church Leadership
A Framework about the Different Directions of Leadership
When many people hear the word “leadership,” they think primarily about a leader leading his or her team. In reality, there are other important directions of leadership. Dee Hock’s instruction to leaders about leading more than their teams is the impetus of this framework. What I Appreciate About This Framework I love that the framework…
Who Has the “A?”—A Framework About Roles and Responsibilities
Our executive pastor introduced the “ARCI” framework to me and has operationalized it within our team—so much so that the question “Who has the A?” is a common one among leaders I serve alongside. What I Appreciate About the Framework It helps solve a major problem—the lack of clarity around roles and responsibilities when leaders…
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…
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…
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….
People Walking Away? We Are NOT in Unprecedented Times
The more things change, the more they stay the same. There is nothing new under the sun. History repeats itself. The longer we live, the more we find those cliches true in all realms of life. Here is a moment in the history of Christianity. The times are divisive and chaotic. The culture surrounding Christians…
How Do You Plan the Annual Teaching/Preaching Calendar?
I shared recently some theological truths behind the practice of advanced sermon planning: God exists outside of time and metaphors in the Scripture about pastoral ministry include wisdom and intentionality. Planning a teaching calendar in advance gives the preacher more time for research, prayer, and receiving illustrations through the regular rhythms of life. By knowing…