Instead of viewing church programs as necessary evils, wise church leaders seek to utilize the church’s programs to help fulfill the mission of making disciples. Yesterday, I offered three thoughts on discipleship and programming. I will list those and continue with three more thoughts on discipleship and programming. View programs as tools. Program based on…
Church Leaders
Three Common Mistakes in Designing a Church Discipleship Strategy
Every church should embrace the mission of making disciples and implement a strategy to accomplish that mission. Because the mission of a local church is to make disciples, a strategy is how the church is designed to make disciples. If a church’s strategy is not grounded in making disciples, the church has abandoned the mission…
Links for Leaders 1/29/16
“It is difficult to admit that your leadership is not working. It takes humility.” Art Rainer is right on the money. Sometimes in leadership, you need to stop being yourself and start working on being someone better than you are right now. A good leader is a good family member. You could be the best…
Three Ways to Define and Demystify Ministry Strategy
For many the term “strategy” sounds very unspiritual and not something a ministry leader should be concerned with. After all, when you read the Bible, you will not find a verse that encourages pastors to be strategists, nor will you find “strategic” listed in the qualifications of a pastor. A church needs godly, biblical, Spirit-filled…
Four Reasons Burnout Is More Prevalent in Ministry Leadership
I recently recorded another 5 Leadership Questions podcast on the subject of burnout. We talked about leadership, burnout, and caring for yourself. One of the questions was “Is burnout more prevalent in ministry leadership?” I believe burnout is more common in ministry leadership for multiple reasons: 1. The burden of ministry Serving others in ministry…
Links for Leaders 10/23/15
Few people enjoy meetings, especially people who spend most of their days attending them. Often, we don’t make the most of our meetings, and it ends up feeling like we should have just emailed each other instead. Here are four meeting purposes you can pursue at your next meeting that will help keep you on…
Links for Leaders 10/2/15
One of the primary tasks leaders have, especially leaders in a work setting, is keeping people accountable to the work they have committed to do. However, keeping people accountable can be tough to do without sounding authoritarian and mean at times. Here’s how you hold people accountable without using your authority. I am so thankful…
Developing an Intentional Plan for Discipleship
I recently had a chance to talk to Rick Howerton, our Small Group Specialist at LifeWay, about a serious struggle he is seeing in discipleship ministries all around the country and how LifeWay is trying to help. Here’s a look at our conversation: Eric: You talk to hundreds of pastors and group leaders all over…
Three Questions to Ask as You Discern the Culture of Your New Church
Realtors love the summer because it is a time when many families move. Kids have completed a school year, so summer provides a transitional season. When ministry leaders change roles, they often do so in the summer. I know this personally as our moves from Cincinnati to Miami and then Miami to Nashville both took…
Six Questions on Men and Women Serving Together
I gather on a monthly basis with all the managers in the division that I lead for a time of training. A few months ago I asked Faith Whatley, our director of adult ministry, to train and offer insights on men and women serving alongside one another. Faith has been serving at LifeWay for 20+…