Four Types of Tone-Deaf Leadership
When it comes to singing, I am likely tone-deaf (I say likely because I don’t fully understand the official definition, so just hang with me for the illustration). Now I can sing the right words; I just sing them the wrong way. While the Lord assures me He enjoys joyful noise, my apparent tone-deafness has […]
Is Your Team Aligned and Attuned?
Roger Harrison is a recognized leader and author in organizational and cultural development. He has articulated that healthy organizations display both alignment and attunement. Alignment: Alignment refers to the deep commitment to the mission and identity of the organization. If a team is aligned, they are moving in the same direction and rallying around the […]
Four Essentials to a Simple Ministry Strategy
As a football season is about to begin, imagine a head coach stands in front of the team he leads and, with great passion, declares, “Here is our strategy. We are going to win! We are about winning! Let’s go win!” The team breaks from the huddle with no idea how they will win. Practice […]
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 Mistakes Leaders Make When Handling Conflict
Conflict is going to happen. After sin entered the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, God told Eve that the relationship with her husband would no longer be perfect: “Your desire will be for your husband, yet he will rule over you” (Genesis 3:16). Scholars have pointed out that the same wording of […]
Four Questions to Spot the Difference Between Healthy Tension and Unhealthy Conflict
There is a difference between healthy tension and unhealthy conflict. Wise leaders attempt to foster healthy tension where team members who love and trust one another sharpen each other and where ideas get matured and developed through robust discussion. Just as tension in exercise makes a body stronger, healthy tension can make a team stronger. […]
Three Common Idols in Churches
Hezekiah is affirmed in Scripture as doing “what was right in the Lord’s sight” (2 Kings 18:3). The next verse details what Hezekiah did: “He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake that Moses made, for the Israelites burned incense to […]
Three Warning Signs You Are Wasting Time
Moses prayed, “Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts” (Psalm 90:12). Our days are short. We are like a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes (James 4:14). David prayed, “LORD, reveal to me the end of my life and the number of […]
Two Opposite Errors Committed by Church Staff
If you lead a ministry (kids, students, groups, connections, worship, etc.) in a local church, you are given responsibility for a significant ministry in the church, and yet you are also part of a larger body of believers. You steward a part of the whole, and in this, you must care deeply for that which […]
A Sobering Reality Leaders Must Recognize
Leaders have major impact on the teams and organizations they lead. Their leadership impacts the direction and the future. Their leadership attracts the type of people who will join the team, and greatly influences the culture. Even the expressions and mannerisms of leaders are often picked up by others throughout the organization. Leaders have a […]