The importance of diverse teams in church leadership

The importance of diverse teams in church leadership

I read an article recently in the Harvard Business Review, one of my favorite sources for leadership tips outside of a Christian context. The article is called Why Diverse Teams are Smarter. It makes good use of research to establish why teams that involve people from...
Complementary strengths

Complementary strengths

Great teams absolutely require complementary strengths. They’re not productive if everyone is alike: you’ll get the same great strengths coupled with the same weaknesses. Like a good marriage, you need enough differences to give you the right kind of chemistry and...
Resisting the silo effect: shared vision and goals

Resisting the silo effect: shared vision and goals

We’ve all seen examples of what’s commonly known as “the silo effect:” The music ministry thinking only about their productions without reference to how that connects to the overall ministry of the church. The youth pastor deciding that the main goals are more kids...
Revitalized by intentionality: focus on outcomes

Revitalized by intentionality: focus on outcomes

Does your team focus on outcomes when they work together? Last year I coached a man who was commissioned to create an assessment tool to improve the effectiveness of church planting partnerships within his denomination. His role was to come alongside them and help...
Options for implementing The Missional Journey

Options for implementing The Missional Journey

“Whether you’re planting a new church, re-orienting an established church, or guiding a movement, The Missional Journey is not just a book to read– it’s a book to work through and process with your team.” — Ed Stetzer, LifeWay Research If you want to start...

Never do ministry alone

It’s interesting that after the time when the Apostle Paul found himself in Athens all alone, we start seeing a much greater emphasis on team-based ministry. I suspect that Paul learned some things about the value of a team during his time in Athens. Teams encourage...

The value of selectivity

Almost always, when volunteer-based ministries are formed, we say to the Lord, “We’ll take anyone you bring us.” Then whoever shows up is automatically a part of the team. At that point, we stop searching for new team members and start using whoever we’ve got to try...