One Thing Church and Marketplace Leaders Can Learn from Each Other
Last Friday I spoke for my friend John Townsend at a leadership event he hosted for leaders in his network. After my presentation, I fielded some questions for a few moments and was asked (I am paraphrasing), “Because you have led in both marketplace and local church contexts, what is one thing you think those […]
5 Books You Perhaps Haven’t Heard of That Impacted Me in 2018
John Wesley famously quipped to a group of young ministry leaders: “Read or get out of the ministry.” Oswald Sanders, in his classic work Spiritual Leadership, devotes a chapter to the subject of “The Leader & Reading” and insists that “the leader who intends to grow spiritually and intellectually will be constantly reading.” Each year, I […]
5 Ways Exercise Helps the Leader’s Mind
I recently read Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain and walked away from the read more convinced in the importance of exercise. While we often think of exercise as critical to a healthy body, it is also essential for a strong mind. In his book, Dr. John Ratey offers a compelling […]
5 Reasons Your Team Should Use Case Studies
Several years ago, the team I lead at LifeWay started using case studies to learn, adjust, and grow. The idea did not originate with the team or me. Plenty of others use this approach to learn and hone critical thinking skills. For example, Harvard famously uses a “case study approach” in their MBA programs. We […]
Five Leadership Books You May Not Have Read, But Should
Harry Truman said, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” Reading is important for leaders, not only because of the content being read but also because reading teaches one to think, reason, and formulate thoughts. Popular leadership books can be very helpful, especially if they are popular because leaders have found them […]
Six Places Leaders Are Developed
Where does leadership development happen? What environments are beneficial to leaders in their development? From a Christian perspective, leadership development is not constrained to one environment. Because the whole world is His, leadership development can happen in a plethora of places. Because He continually matures His people, God will use anything to conform us more […]
2 Ways Leaders Should Learn from Their Experiences
Leaders who care about their own personal development are like sponges to an array of resources in order to acquire new knowledge and skills. They will read books, consider continuing education, attend conferences, and scour articles that have been sent to them by their leaders. While these are important and can be very helpful, nothing […]
3 Disadvantages of “Non-Traditional” Theological Education
Because I often get questions from young leaders considering seminary, I recently shared three advantages for attending seminary in a “non-traditional” manner. I went through seminary the non-traditional way in that I took classes on the side at a slower pace while serving full-time on staff at churches. I found that studying while serving constantly […]
Three Lessons Learned from a Season of Idolatry
Last week, I shared the story about how God graciously rescued me from ministry idolatry. For a season, I placed ministry above my relationship with Him and my relationship with my wife. Here are some of the lessons I learned: 1 – I am the one responsible. Godly people in the church surrounded me, but […]