If you’ve been in ministry for any length of time, you know the challenge of trying to move the mission forward and handle the pastoral needs of a congregation at the same time. One of the most perplexing problems pastors…
So you’re a bit of a control freak. And you’re a leader. That’s not surprising. People who like control seem to have a natural ability to get into leadership positions. Or sometimes they create positions, start things and build their…
If you lead a small to mid-sized church, you face struggles leaders of large churches don’t. I can totally relate to the dynamics of leading a smaller church. When I began in ministry, I spent about 3 years leading a…
Tired of doing everything yourself? Most leaders are. And yet we feel we have to do it or it won’t get done right, or maybe it won’t get done at all. I’ve been there. I get it. But the question…
I recently surveyed 1400 small and mid-sized church pastors to find out what they struggle with most as their church grows. They overwhelmingly identified developing leaders as their top challenge. Don’t get me wrong, there were many more issues (I…
When you attend a church, how do you evaluate what you’re experiencing? Before you say “I don’t evaluate anything. I’m just there to worship God,” hang on a second. We all evaluate what’s happening in church. Every one of us does. Whether…
Most of us who get into full-time ministry do so because we sense a calling, not because it was a ‘career path’. Chances are you got in this because you love God, deeply, right? So it’s always a bit surprising…
Circumstances. You face them every day, you are always reacting to them–positively or negatively. Think about it. What situations in your life do you wish would change right now? A different work environment that doesn’t suck the life out of you…
Every few days it seems a leader messages me about getting started or breaking through as a writer, blogger or podcaster. I appreciate the question because for years, I wondered about what it took to write books, blog or launch a podcast.…
So are you an organizational leader, or are you more of a relational leader—a shepherd? It’s an interesting question, and a highly polarizing one in the church today. Ditto for this blog. Just check out the impassioned comments on this…
When was the last time you had a productive conversation about the pace of change? In many businesses, that conversation happens all the time. In church world, it rarely happens. Instead, church leaders will talk about how hard it is to…
A few years ago I started getting a particular question lobbed my way again and again. It’s usually, but not exclusively, from young leaders. The question goes something like this: I’m a full-time pastor at X church. I’m wondering whether…