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.
Creating a planning rhythm
For optimal effectiveness in accomplishing your goals, set aside time for a regular planning rhythm. Yes, it takes time, but in the long-run it saves you time by maximizing your results. It's counter-intuitive, but the more you have to do the more necessary it is to...
Vision and mission: again
Vision and mission. Odds are, you’ve read about these two items before. Nearly every book on leadership talks about the importance of knowing your vision and mission. There’s a good reason for that: you can’t know whether you’re successful unless you know what you’re...
The benefits of wandering
As I’ve read the Bible, one of the things I notice is that many of the people featured in its pages spend considerable amounts of time wandering around or trying to figure out what direction they should be going: Moses wandering with his people through the wilderness,...
Coming soon to a bookshelf near you: The Leadership Difference
As usual, I am currently working on a book. This one, tentatively titled The Leadership Difference, takes an in-depth look at the skills needed for effective leadership in a local church or ministry setting. Here’s a sneak preview: I graduated from seminary at the...
Clarifying direction: achieve, preserve, avoid
You know that to get anything done, you need to cast vision. But once you do, it's time to get more specific about precisely what you are trying to get done.This clarification process is best done together with your team. For example, say your church has a vision for...
What’s your vision for leadership?
What’s your vision for leadership? Do you want to see people becoming disciples, their lives changed, their hearts turned toward others in service and compassion? Do you want to see them becoming parts of groups and teams that multiply and reach out beyond themselves?...
Driving Persistence: Element #8 from the Leadership Effectiveness Profile
During this series of blog entries, we’re walking through the 8 characteristics highlighted in the Leadership Effectiveness Profile. These characteristics were found through observation and research in response to the question, “What makes an effective leader?” What...
Reciprocal Communication: Element #7 from the Leadership Effectiveness Profile
Communication is essential in any position of leadership. It could be argued that effective communication is the main task of a leader. Yet that communication must go two ways: the ability to speak clearly and the ability to listen well. Here we’re defining reciprocal...
People Enablement: Element #6 from the Leadership Effectiveness Profile
As leaders, our main role is to empower and enable others to do the work of the ministry. As Paul writes in Ephesians 4:11-13: So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so...
Change Orchestration: Element #5 from the Leadership Effectiveness Profile
One essential skill leaders must have is the ability to orchestrate change effectively. Change is not optional in ministry—it’s a given. Things will change: circumstances, demographics, culture. The question is how we respond to external change and how we go about...
Creative Assimilation: Element #4 from the Leadership Effectiveness Profile
During this series of blog entries, we’re walking through the 8 characteristics highlighted in the Leadership Effectiveness Profile. These characteristics were found through observation and research in response to the question, “What makes an effective leader?”...
Directional Clarity: Element #3 from the Leadership Effectiveness Profile
Directional Clarity looks at the ability to identify a credible destination and clearly communicate to others how to get there. A good leader needs directional clarity. In the day-to-day business of life and leadership, it’s incredibly easy to lose sight of where...