Leadership
Holistic Leadership Development
You want to develop leaders who will do what Jesus called us to do, leaders who can take the church forward into the 21st century. You look to the fields and see them, as Jesus does, ready for harvest — and you know that’s where your ministry needs to concentrate.
What’s needed is holistic leadership development — the kind of leadership development that comes from the harvest and leads people back into the harvest, resulting in subsequent generations of new believers and new leaders living as Jesus called us to live.
We can help you develop leaders the kind of leaders you need in a way that is both relational and intentional… and ultimately effective in helping your church accomplish its mission.
Taking a step back: the personal audit
Periodically I find it necessary to take a step back and reflect on my life, my goals, and the direction I’m heading. Over the summer can be a great time to do that. Get away to the woods, the mountains, the ocean, the lakes… wherever is peaceful enough for you to...
The risk of evaluating your coaching relationships
One of the things coaches least like to do is take stock of how well they are doing in their coaching relationships. The very line of inquiry puts us in a vulnerable position. After all, people would tell us if something was wrong, wouldn’t they? Or we’d sense it,...
Questions to improve team health and communication
The challenges of leading a team are legion: conflicting personalities, getting everyone on the same page, turf wars. Often one of the best ways to avoid some of the negatives is to focus on the positives. Instead of waiting for problems to arise, what constructive...
Investing in those you supervise
One of the most important characteristics of great leaders is a focus on people development over task accomplishment. It’s more important to develop those God has entrusted to our care to the fullest extent possible. That’s true even when it doesn’t line up with what...
Coaching for dreams and passions
One great use of coaching is helping people identify their dreams and passions. In a sense, that’s the core of coaching: to help people find the direction God is calling them. It’s easy to assume people already know what they want… and deep down that may be true. Most...
There is always enough time to do God’s will
By guest blogger Marcy Bradford I have a friend who refuses to go to The Cheesecake Factory. It’s the menu. The pages and pages of choices overwhelm her to the point of distraction and agitation. While I love The Cheesecake Factory, I get it. The menu is massive and...
Where do we get out?
by guest blogger Jonathan LaBarge As we have a Lord who is found out on the water, your church becomes something of a laboratory for stepping out of the boat. Your experiments live out Peter's question: "Lord, if it's you, call me out upon the water." But is there...
Out of the boat
by guest blogger Jonathan LaBarge The disciples are straining at the oars. The current, the wind, perhaps even the sea itself seems against them. Darkness cuts off their vision from the confines of the boat (Mt. 14). Where are they going? Could they even make it...
Church revitalization and a spirit of fear
You’ve seen this situation before: A beloved pastor of many years has gone and now there’s a new pastor. The congregation is finding it hard to readjust. Even small changes in direction feel threatening. There is uncertainty about where the church is going. What will...
New edition of the Coaching 101 Handbook
As I look back on the 15 years since the Coaching 101 Handbook was first published, the main attribute I am struck by is its durability. The work Gary Reinecke and I did on the international qualitative research project to determine coaching competencies, micro-skills...
Sheep or shepherds?
One of the major challenges in ministry is turning volunteers into leaders. You don’t just want people filling needed slots—although that’s one piece of the puzzle. You want to develop each individual: as a person, as a disciple, and as a leader. Ultimately, you are...
Creating a caring environment
You want to create a caring environment for your staff or leadership team. You also want to get things done. This dilemma is often one that senior leaders face. Yet it’s not the either/or situation we may think it is at first glance. When I was a pastor leading a...