Opening the door to organic change
For groups that want to build in coaching throughout their ministry, the initial thinking usually organizational. Who needs to approve it? How will we structure it? Whose permission do we need? How will we run the trainings? That can work well if you’re able to...
Leave them in the parking lot
Have you ever taken a hike with unwilling children? It’s a painful experience trying to take kids along who don’t want to go. They will complain and sabotage in an effort to make the experience so miserable that everyone will want to turn back. It’s better to save...
Permission vs. ownership
A critical mistake many pastors make is they assume that if they get their governing board to give permission or approval, they’ve won the battle. It’s true that governing board permission is needed for certain initiatives, but the more critical issue isn’t...
The meeting before the meeting
Every meeting is really three meetings: The meeting before the meeting, the meeting itself, then the meeting after the meeting. Very often when I’m coaching people, their first instinct when they want to accomplish something is to bring it up at the meeting and get a...
People are committed to what they help develop
If you want people to be able to buy in and embrace the change you’re trying to bring, it’s very important to engage them in the process of the discussion. Whatever people are not aware of, they’re usually down on. If the first time they hear about something is at the...Congregational Conversations
Here’s a strategy you can use regardless of the kind of issues you are facing. Read the description below and think through how you could use this kind of strategy in your own ministry. One church has been in the process of transition. The church is two years old and...