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 […]
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. […]
5 Reminders on Different Seasons in Leadership
The Apostle Paul gave three different metaphors when he wrote to Timothy about ministry leadership: the athlete, the soldier, and the farmer (2 Timothy 2:1-7). When Paul wrote to Christians in Corinth, he used a farming metaphor and spoke of the different roles ministry leaders played, planting and watering, while pointing out God as the […]
4 Benefits of Developing Position Papers in a Ministry Context
Throughout 2022, I led our church staff and elders through an intentional process of ensuring our positions on several topics and cultural issues were documented for the sake of consistency and clarity. We already had a statement of faith that captures the core doctrines of our church, a beautiful statement that originated with John Stott, […]
Strategy and the Local Church: What Must We Remember and What Can We Learn
In the book, Your Strategy Needs a Strategy, the authors evaluate different approaches to strategy and encourage leaders to employ the approach that matches their context. The five approaches to strategy, according to the authors, are: Classical: Build a plan and execute it rigorously. (Companies with robust strategic plans and operational excellence, such as Wal-Mart, […]
10 Axioms About Leadership and Feedback
A leader’s relationship with feedback will greatly impact the leader’s effectiveness and the growth of the team. While it is natural to resist receiving feedback, and some struggle to offer feedback, both receiving and giving feedback are critical in leadership. Here are ten axioms or truths about feedback and leadership: 1. Your growth is hampered […]
5 Steps to Plan Annual Training for Your Team
Teachers have a plan for what and how they will be teaching their students this year. Coaches have a plan for the play packages they will immerse their teams in. Leaders should have a plan for how they will use meetings with their teams to develop them. Meetings are not the only or the best […]
Wise Leaders Know Who to Ignore and Who to Instruct
All people are created in God’s Image and worthy of dignity and respect. And at the same time, people have different postures towards God and others and we are wise to respond accordingly. Both of these statements are true at the same time, meaning it is possible to treat people with respect and respond according […]
The Importance of NOT Equating “Painful” with “Difficult” in Leadership
Just because a decision is painful does not mean that the decision is difficult. A person on your team displays a lack of moral integrity. Indeed, it will indeed be painful to act and remove the person from the team, but the decision is not. It is clear. Someone you work alongside consistently displays a […]