In his outstanding book Hero Maker, Dave Ferguson posits that leadership at the highest level isn’t about attracting followers but about developing other leaders. It doesn’t settle for being the hero. It is committed to making heroes.
Read More
Most of us are probably familiar with C.S. Lewis’ classic work, The Screwtape Letters. For the uninitiated, Lewis writes from the perspective of a senior demon, Screwtape, to his nephew and protégé, Wormwood, on the various ways to get “the patient” to turn away from “the Enemy” (God).
Read More
I have talked with scores of pastors since COVID hit in the middle of March. Every single leader has said the same thing: “I’m exhausted.” It seems that it’s the one thing everyone can agree on right now. Eight months of pedal-to-the-metal leadership has left many feeling totally depleted.
Read More
In my 40 years of walking with the Lord, I’ve worked hard to maintain a disciplined devotional life. While that commitment has proven to be valuable, I’ve got to admit that at times it’s been more duty than delight.
Read More
The most potent organizations in the world are those in which individuals possess a common group identity. There’s a shared sense of “This is us. This is who we are. This is how it’s like us to act.”
Read More
It’s election day in the United States, a day that has loomed large on our national consciousness for months. We have stewed over it, argued over it, fought for it, and dreaded it. Indeed, this has been the most vitriolic election our nation has seen in years.
Read More
In my years of pastoring, I had to lead my organization through a lot of change - from major paradigm shifts to small operational adjustments. In that process, I’ve discovered a couple of key truths regarding change.
Read More
If you’re the leader in an organization, you have the responsibility of communicating the facts clearly. All the facts. Those that folks want to hear and those that folks don’t want to hear.
Read More
My wife and I have both been greatly inspired by the challenges regarding prayer that Mark Batterson offers in his book, Draw the Circle. In one section, the Washington D.C.–based pastor talks about not allowing prayer to be a substitute for action but a stimulus to action.
Read More
Thirty-eight years ago this month I was installed as senior pastor at Fellowship Missionary Church. The church was a small plant and met in a YMCA. And I was as green as grass!
Read More
In light of my experience of handing off a church I led for 34 years, I’m often approached both by pastors and church boards to share with them what I learned about succession. What worked for us well, where we made some mistakes, and what I would do differently.
Read More
The comments I’m hearing from the pastors I’m dealing with are growing in their consistency and intensity. They are all feeling overwhelmed (“The burden of leadership is so heavy!”, disillusioned (“I didn’t sign up for this!”), and perplexed (“I don’t know what steps to take!”).
Read More
One of the surprising things that I’m hearing from pastors these days is that they are sensing the need to hire more staff to meet the new needs that have surfaced in this season. And by shifting around their church budgets, some dollars have been freed up to do so.
Read More
In this season of prolonged stress brought on by the repercussions of a global pandemic, the need for good soul care is essential – especially for pastors and leaders. Without it, we may find ourselves headed toward burnout, depression, addiction, and/or damaged relationships.
Read More
One of the primary responsibilities of leadership is solving problems. It simply comes with the territory. The problems may arise from circumstances that are not really anyone’s fault.
Read More
It was Harry S. Truman said, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” Those men and women at the top of their field often quote Truman’s philosophy as one of their keys to success.
Read More
The thought comes to every pastor sooner or later. Should I stay in my current role in my current church or is it time for me to go?
Read More
Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, scientists constructed a research facility in Arizona called Biosphere 2. Its purpose was to study the interactions between life-systems in a controlled environment, ostensibly to explore the possibility for usage in outer space.
Read More
For most of my years as a Senior Pastor, I took time off during the month of July to rest, think, pray, and plan. In addition to allowing me to slow down and engage in personal renewal, I also used this time to do long-range sermon planning and study.
Read More
That leathery old saint, A. W. Tozer, is credited with a quote I’ve shared quite a few times. “It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.”
Read More