2 Unintended Consequences of the Idea That “Anyone Can Lead a Group”
Over a decade ago, many small group pastors began to communicate messages such as “Anyone can lead a small group” and “If you can press play and make coffee, you can lead a small group.” For some of these churches, these messages were a way to help change the perception of what it takes to […]
7 Lessons for Leading a Growing Church
The following is a guest post by Pastor Derwin Gray. Derwin is the founding and lead pastor of Transformation Church. After graduating from Brigham Young University, Gray played football in the NFL for five years. He graduated magna cum laude, earning a M.Div. with a concentration in apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary. He is an author […]
3 Reasons Many Leaders Receive Too Much Credit/Blame
Most leaders receive too much credit for the good things that take place during their tenure and too much blame for the bad. If the results are good, typically a leader, even if he or she attempts to deflect the accolades, receives credit for his or her stellar leadership. And if the results are bad, […]
A Wandering Ministry
There is a tendency in any organization, in any ministry, toward wandering. For a season, people might be focused and motivated to move in a single direction, but then something happens. Things catch their attention. Other priorities come up. The urgency that was once so acutely felt fades to the background. Slowly the organization drifts […]
Leadership and Language
Wise leaders understand the importance of words. They grasp the importance of language in describing the culture of the organization and the direction she is headed. But the role of a leader in relationship to language does not end when the doctrinal statement is finalized. It does not end when the mission and values are […]
The Words We Use Matter
In his book The Talent Code, Daniel Coyle tells the fascinating story of some experiments that Stanford psychologist and author Carol Dweck has conducted with fifth graders in multiple settings. The fifth graders were put into two different groups and given the same tests. After completing the first test, the first group was told, “You […]
Spirit-Filled Leaders Are Better Leaders
In his popular books Emotional Intelligence and Primal Leadership, researcher and author Daniel Goleman writes that the most effective leaders are emotionally intelligent. More than a high IQ (intelligence quotient), great leaders have a high EQ (emotional quotient). Because these leaders are emotionally intelligent, they are able to create environments and cultures that are highly […]
How Not to Loathe the Culture You Are Leading
One of the dangers of a growing organization or ministry is the temptation to quickly bring people on to the team to meet the demands of the growth. Of course, there is nothing wrong with desiring to scale the team. As the organization grows, wise leaders expand the leadership base. The temptation is to take […]
7 traits of leaders who hire well
For a leader, there is not a greater responsibility or a more important task than choosing the people who will serve alongside you in fulfilling the mission of the organization or ministry. Great coaches are known for their masterful and careful recruiting, ensuring the potential player fits both the team’s strategy of play and the […]
Leadership or Micromanagement?
What some people call micromanagement is really leadership providing necessary accountability. And what some leaders call leadership is really micromanagement. For example–when meeting with staff teams, I have often heard conflicting statements from both leaders and those they lead. A leader will say, “I wish I had people I could trust with greater leadership,” while […]