Thinking About Technology as a Parent and Pastor
As a Christian, a parent, and a pastor, I know I need to think wisely about technology. I make lots of decisions personally, for my family, and for the church I pastor around technology—ranging from the use of social media in our home to how we approach ministry online as a church. I am not […]
3 Marks of Humility in Leadership
We tend to despise pride in others and we recognize its destructive power. The Scripture teaches us that pride goes before destruction and haughty eyes before a fall. We long to serve with leaders who are humble, and we are wise to walk in humility ourselves. But what does humility in leadership look like? Here […]
If You Are Not Faithful With Little…
Jesus taught “Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much” (Luke 16:10). The context of the passage is being generous with our Master’s money, but the principle can be applied to other areas of our lives as well. Here is how this […]
Are You Thinking of Hiring This Guy, Jimmy?
I was recently in a large meeting with my friend Jimmy Scroggins, pastor of Family Church in West Palm Beach, and we watched a video of a local church student ministry leader who was speaking both passionately and strategically about discipleship. I saw Jimmy take out his phone and start to type notes, so…. Me: […]
3 Ways Ministry Leaders Must Live as Stewards
In his letter to Titus, the apostle Paul called the overseer “God’s administrator” or “God’s steward” (Titus 1:7). Ministry leaders are stewards, not owners, as Jesus owns His Church. Jesus promised to build His Church, not ours (Matt. 16:18). The financial resources the Lord blesses a church with are ultimately for Him. The ministry leader, […]
Three Resources Leaders Must Steward Wisely
Jack Welch stated, “At its simplest, strategy is merely resource allocation.” A ministry or organization has a limited amount of resources to deploy. Where these resources are invested reveals the strategy, or the lack of one. When there is a clear strategy, leaders have declared what is critical and most important, and resources are invested […]
Simple Church Epilogue Part 3
It has been nearly eight years since Simple Church was first released. Now after eight years of discussions and observations with church leaders, I have been posting a series of blog posts on the five most significant lessons learned from Simple Church. Here they are: 1) Churches drift. 2) Thinking “process” is a mammoth shift. 3) Simple is reproducible. Whether you […]
5 Emphases to Help You Go from Hating Capital Campaigns to Loving Them
The following is a guest post by Todd McMichen. Todd serves as the Chief Campaign officer for Auxano. Auxano helps churches navigate the challenges of growth with vision and mission clarity. Coming right out of seminary I found my way onto the staff of some amazing churches. We grew rapidly, constantly added services, purchased land, and […]
A Simple Exercise for Organizational Stewardship
If you lead a ministry, department, or organization, you have likely been entrusted with the financial stewardship for your area of responsibility. You carry the burden both to execute the mission faithfully and to manage the financial resources wisely. And while the resources are merely tools to fulfill the mission your team has embraced, they […]