Every Church Issue I Have Ever Seen Could Have Been Avoided By One Simple Principle…
that followers of Jesus are called to being servants, not masters. The problem is, too many people want to be the chief and claim authority for themselves. The problem is, church leadership isn’t about authority. It is about service because the only one who really has authority in the church is Christ, who is the […]
Church Leadership Issues and The Need for Healthy Accountability
It breaks my heart when I hear from fellow ministers who have been asked to resign or have been out-right fired from their ministry. It is equally heart breaking to hear about unhealthy church leadership that are making many of these decisions. To be fair, there are always two sides to every story and no […]
Church Life Cycles and the Failure to Pass the Baton to Our Young Adults
Churches don’t appear out of nowhere. Someone has to start them. Starting a church requires vision, courage, and energy. It requires people who are willing to take risks for the kingdom of God. There are a lot of churches that were started 40-60 years ago that have reached a stage that makes keeping young adults […]
Vision Has Its Price – Andy Stanley
This speaks right into my heart today… Any vision worth pursuing will demand sacrifice and risk. You will be called upon to give up the actual good for the potential best. You will find it necessary to leave what is comfortable and familiar in order to embrace that which is uncomfortable and unfamiliar. And all […]
Worth Fighting For: Key Lessons in Reviving a Small Church in Decline
I asked Jimmy Hinton to provide insight into the turnaround process in the small church where he ministers in Somerset Pennsylvania. He graciously provided these insights, reminding us that small churches don’t have to die. They can make a return to growth but it is going to take work! Jimmy’s thoughts… Many people have told […]
Church Growth Requires Adjustments – Pointing You to Ben Lamb’s Experience
Two years ago we went from having one child to two. It has been quite the adjustment. Just when you thought you were about done with diapers, bottles, and being up all night…here it goes again. What is more, coordinating two kids is entirely different than just managing one child. It takes a lot more […]
Growth Happens Best in Practice, Process Becomes Secondary
Over the last two years at Northwest we have been trying some new things. We process a new idea or direction to death, get a plan together, get people on board and then move ahead. What we have noticed, and I am sure you have too, is that you only learn how this new things […]
Handing Off Ministry to Others…Valuing Development Over Dependence
One of my goals in ministry is to develop people well enough that if I got hit by a truck tomorrow that things could continue on without me. Ministries that fully depend on my presence will never grow bigger than my own skill set and availability. Empowering and equipping others to take on pieces of […]
Getting Stuck in the Battles of the Past Is Not a Winning Strategy (Leadership & Ministry Lessons Part 7)
Consider these words from the Captain, “Before considering several engagements of this type that occurred during the World War, let us review some of that same war’s lessons, albeit, no human being can say whether or not they will apply to the war of the future. Indeed, there is tragedy in the fact that the […]
Here is What is Creating a Disconnect in our Churches and Why So Many Leave (Leadership & Ministry Lessons Part 6)
I have been writing a series of posts on leadership in ministry based on the book Combat Leadership by Captain Adolf Von Schell. This sixth post is probably the most important one yet. So important, that I changed the title in hopes of getting more response out of this one. Please read the whole post, especially if […]