2 Indicators You (or Someone on Your Team) Have Not “Owned It”
None of us is perfect. And the obvious implication for leaders and team members is that we are going to make mistakes, disappoint people we serve, miss deadlines, and not always execute flawlessly. A pattern of missed execution is very different from a moment of missed execution. We all have moments of misses. But a […]
3 Mistakes Leaders Make as Soon as They Wake Up
How a leader begins the day impacts the entire day. If a leader begins a day in chaos, the entire day will likely be chaotic. If a leader begins the day without looking to the Lord, the day will likely be lived apart from His power. Instead, a leader should begin the day with his/her […]
Four Common Errors in Church Strategy
A church benefits from both spiritual and strategic leadership. The latter must not overpower the former, as spiritual leadership must trump strategic leadership—but both serve a church well. When a ministry leader leads well, the ministry will receive strategic direction, even if a different term is used. As ministry leaders seek to organize the work […]
Two Common Hiring Mistakes Churches Make
Every hire is a risk. Every time I have hired someone or have been hired, there was a risk involved. Some argue that proven track records eliminate the risk, but in reality a great history only minimizes the risk. Even when hiring someone who has a proven track record, it is hard to separate the […]
5 Phrases Leaders Need to Say More Often
The following is by Art Rainer. Art serves as the Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and is a cofounder of Rainer Publishing. He has written two books, Raising Dad and Simple Life, and lives with his wife, Sarah, and two sons in Wake Forest, N.C. This article originally appeared at Art’s personal […]
10 Wise Leadership Lessons I’ll Never Forget
The following is a guest post by Faith Whatley. Faith serves on our team in the Church Resources Division at LifeWay and is the director of adult ministry. She is an incredible leader and it is an honor to serve churches alongside her. While some of her articles on our leadership channel are directed to women […]
3 Wrong Assumptions Church Leaders Make
The following is a guest post by Trevin Wax. Trevin Wax is managing editor of The Gospel Project at LifeWay Christian Resources, and blogger at The Gospel Coalition. As a church leader, you’ve probably noticed that when your assumptions are incorrect, you’re more likely to implement plans that don’t go anywhere. Why? Because what we’ve assumed to be […]
Please, No More Travel Agents
There is a major difference between a travel agent and a tour guide. This difference is seen best in white-water rafting. There are plenty of rafting outfitters from which to choose along a white-water river trail. A travel agent will mail you brochures. A travel agent will suggest a few rafting outfitters and a river […]
Three Common Mistakes Pastors Make
I was recently honored to discuss leadership on a panel at the Southern Baptist Pastors Conference with Greg Matte, Rodney Woo, and Jack Graham. People submitted questions beforehand, and one of the questions that Pastor Greg sent my way was “What are the most common mistakes pastors make?” Here are three: 1. Not offering clarity Marcus […]
Our Biggest Regrets
Tom Gilovich and Vicki Medvec, two Cornell social psychologists, have studied and researched how we deal with regret. They place regret into two broad categories: actions (things we wish we had not done or said) and inactions (things we wish we had done). In their research they discovered that in the short term, we tend […]