We Meet God on the Dance Floor Of Prayer
What if we really prayed about just about everything? What if we so relied on God’s help that we had something to say to him in any situation? You might only do this if you think God is talking. Who listens to someone you don’t think is speaking? In every situation there is something we […]
A New Kind of Church Leader – Cover Your Toes!
Jesus taught us a lot about leadership. He demonstrated it in how he lived as a servant leader. He also taught on it. In all of our rush to discuss “elder qualifications” it might be wise to take a step back and pay attention to Jesus’ leadership. I believe if we did that we would […]
Many Church Divisions Are Caused By the Same Thing
We tend to think churches split over disagreements on issues but typically churches split over personalities rather than issues. The issues are the symptom. The personality problems are the underlying cause. Most church divisions could be avoided if we could get the personalities out of the ways…the factions and subgroups…those who follow Paul vs Apollos […]
We Value What We Count and Count What We Value. So Count the Right Things
We typically count two things in church – attendance and contribution. That’s okay. That probably should be done. But there is so much more we need to pay attention to and there is nothing like counting things to give accountability to what is going on. Some things we cannot quantify. They are qualitative things. But […]
Uncomfortability
We are some of the only people in the history of the world to live a semi-comfortable life without having to try that hard. Until the last few generations people had to work for their food. By the sweat of their own brow and the work of their own hands food came from the ground. […]
My History With Codependency and Ministry – A Path Toward a Healthier Church Leadership Culture
Our churches are charged with anxiety. They are charged with anxiety because we have set ourselves up as the ones who have perfect doctrine and practice. Once you have claimed that you will always struggle with anxiety because there is great fear that you will mess something up and ruin your brand. The only way […]
Church Leadership: Pain Avoidance is a Myth
It is so common. So typical. Decisions made by church leadership to avoid a complaint. To avoid the pain. It doesn’t work. You cannot avoid pain. You have to choose which pain is worth enduring. Would you rather live a reactionary life of pain avoidance or a proactive/intentional life that has direction and the accompanying […]
What is one of the BIG things holding back churches from discipling?
Leadership focused on pain avoidance, operating out of fear. What would happen if you found out pain avoidance was a myth? Would that give you freedom to launch out into new arenas? I am not talking about other people. I am talking about myself. Give me five minutes…
Crossing i’s and dotting t’s
Meticulous but misdirected. This happens far too often in leadership. We get myopically focused on the wrong things and what appears to be a concern for doing it right misses the point entirely. If you are determined to dot all your i’s and cross all your t’s you better make sure you aren’t getting it […]
Discernment and Decision Making Are Two Different Things
There is a lot of talk about discernment these days. Many have come to realize that the traditional filters by which we perceive things have not worked all that well for us. Congregational leadership is not the same as corporate leadership or business leadership and so how we go about looking at things needs to […]