Posts Tagged ‘crisis’
How I Recovered From Burnout: 12 Keys To Finding Your New Normal
I had never been through anything quite as deep, or frankly, personally frightening as my burnout in 2006. Burnout moves fatigue and the darkness from a place where it was in your control to place where you can simply no longer control either. I regularly hear from leaders who have let me know that they’re in the midst…
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6 Warning Signs Your Church Culture is Toxic
Every church has a culture. But how do you know if your church culture is toxic? More importantly, how would you know whether you’re creating a toxic church culture as a leader? I’ve interacted with many church leaders (and readers of this blog) and the sad reality is that there is no shortage of toxic church culture…
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8 Lame Excuses Church Leaders Make
There’s no question that ministry is hard. You know that. You feel it every day. So do I. But sometimes we make it harder than it needs to be. I love talking to church leaders about their ministry and the opportunities and obstacles they see. But time and again, I hear leaders make excuses as to…
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3 Things That Are Sabotaging the Church’s Future
Without a doubt, you’ve already realized it’s more complex to be a church leader today than it was even a few decades ago. With the vast majority of churches struggling in some way, it’s time to rethink our future mission. Attendance at most churches is stagnant or dropping and even whole denominations are being redefined, because, as I outlined…
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5 Things That Are a Total Waste of Time in Leadership
You know the scenario. You get to the end of a meeting, an experience or a project and say to yourself “That was a total waste of time.” What’s scary is how often you and I end up saying it. So how do you eliminate things that are a total waste of time as a leader? I think the best way…
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9 Things That Worked in the Church A Decade Ago That Don’t Today
So you entered into church leadership full of enthusiasm and fresh ideas. And for a season, a lot of those ideas worked. You saw your ministry grow, people come to faith and the mission advance. But times change. And—these days especially—culture is changing faster than ever before. As a result, the shelf life of ideas, assumptions…
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5 Much Healthier Ways To Tackle Your Critics
Criticism comes your way almost every day if you’re in leadership. The guy in the back row didn’t like your last message. Another person wonders what all you people in ministry actually do with your time. Someone you barely know leaves a snarky remark on your Facebook. A pseudonymous troll leaves a scathing comment on your blog.…
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7 Ways to Recover As a Leader After You’ve Messed Up
As a result, the dreams of most pastors of small and even mid-sized churches go unrealized. Why?We all make mistakes. Almost daily. Okay, daily. We’re human. Some mistakes go unnoticed. So you take notes and hope not to repeat. But what happens when you blow it and people do notice? Sometimes everyone knows you made a…
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5 Ways For a Church Member to Leave a Church Well
Sometimes people remember how you arrived. They almost always remember how you left. Especially if you leave poorly. This is true when people come to your church and when they leave, as some inevitably do. I was out driving through our neighbourhood recently and I passed the house of someone who goes to our church. I…
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11 Signs Your Church Is Going Extinct
In all the conversation among church leaders about the future of the church and declining attendance, the question remains, how’s your church doing? Sometimes that can be difficult to discern. Unless you’re in a free fall right now, it can be hard to know whether your congregation will thrive, survive or take a dive in…
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