Some church leaders resist systems because systems can feel “unspiritual” or “corporate.” I have heard the critique for years. Yet church leaders who are critical of systems enjoy their systematic theology textbooks while blood flows through circulatory system and the sun is held in perfect distance from the earth in the solar system. In other…
Leadership
Church Leaders: 5 Items on the Top of Your List as 2019 Ends
For several reasons the last six weeks of the calendar year is an important time in local church ministry. The Christmas season gives a church many opportunities to serve the local community. The Christmas worship services are a time where people new to the faith or curious about the faith are willing to come if…
5 Differences Between a Critical Mind and a Critical Spirit
There is a massive difference between a critical mind and a critical spirit. The former builds up; the latter tears down. Having a critical mind is a terrific thing. It results in healthy self-reflection, learning, and evaluating the why beneath everything one does. Having a critical spirit is a terrible thing. It results in pushing…
3 Things That Will Happen Naturally to Your Team This Week
Peter Drucker said, “Only three things happen naturally in an organization: friction, confusion, and underperforming. Everything else takes leadership.” Like a lot of his pithy statement, Drucker effectively captured the natural drift that occurs in organizations (and ministries) and the importance of leaders to rally people against the natural drifts. Just as a person does…
5 Differences to Value on Your Team
“How important is diversity on a team?” It is a common question I receive from leaders. “Very important” is my default response, and then I add an encouragement that “you should work towards being diverse as your context.” The caveat is important because I recognize that it has been easier for me to build ethnically…
3 Essentials for Leadership Development
In his book The Leadership Code Dave Ulrich articulates that being a “human capital developer” is an essential role of being a leader. According to Ulrich, with personal integrity as the indispensable and foundational characteristic of a leader, there are four other essential characteristics of leadership: strategist, executor, talent manager, and human capital developer. After…
Leaders and 3 Types of Stress
Right before Dr. John Townsend walked up to shred a guitar to some old Blink 182 songs with the band he has with his sons, I asked him if he was nervous. In a brief moment he talked to me about leaders and the three different types of stress we can face. Before I share…
A Liberating Verse About God’s Will
Because we don’t want to get this one life wrong, Christians ask a lot of questions about God’s will. More than any other time in history of Christianity, this is a popular topic. There was a time that if you grew up in a town as the son of a fisherman, you became a fisherman…
3 Postures Leaders Don’t Need on Their Leadership Teams
Wise leaders long for their teams to be filled with people who assume the posture and attitude of servant, steward, equipper, and executor. As a result, the whole team benefits and the whole organization/ministry is healthier. But what postures do leaders not want and not need on their teams? Surely there are a plethora of…
4 Postures Leaders Long for on Their Teams (and Leaders Must Be for Their Teams)
I often hear leaders brag about people on their leadership teams, people they love serving alongside, people they hope never leave. I have recently thought about the most recurring themes or attributes that leaders long for on their teams – postures or approaches that people take towards their roles and organization or ministry they serve….