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.
Discipleship and the story of Andrew
I like the story of Andrew: Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he...
The emotional tollbooth
The emotional tollbooth is a term coined by David Nicholson, founding pastor of Open Door Church in Noblesville, Indiana, as his church was going through the Natural Church Development (NCD) process. The first step in the process is taking a survey designed to point...
The courage to look at the numbers… and then change
Sometimes we just don’t want to step on the scale. It takes courage to actually look at the number, and that can be a big hurdle to get over. It’s the same way in ministry-- it takes courage to take an honest look and evaluate our results. And then it takes additional...
Cheeseburger, cheeseburger
When you approach something from a consultant perspective, you need to see what the church needs... not just your area of specialty. Instead, a good consultant sorts out their needs and approaches the situation appropriately, referring to the appropriate tools for the...
Outputs vs. outcomes
One of the things I’ve learned in consulting is helping people make the shift from focusing on outputs to focusing on outcomes. What’s the difference? Outputs are related to the activity you’re doing. Outcomes are focused on the results you want to get. An example of...
Engaging with those who don’t know Jesus… no exemption for pastors
All believers, regardless of giftedness or abilities, are called to engage culture. This journey is for everyone. Even high-level leaders focusing on developing leaders or multiplying movements can never leave this first journey behind. I call it "The Missional...
The impact of compassion
My friend Mark Fields went overseas with The Vineyard Missions to The Philippines. While he was there, he had the opportunity to go visit a marginalized people group who were Muslim in background and not recognized by the government. Because they don’t have birth...
What do you say when you dedicate a baby?
What do you say when you dedicate a baby? Or baptize one, depending on your tradition? What might God be trying to say through that ceremony? What passages of scripture might be appropriate to share? I was asked to do a baby dedication recently and was thinking...
The Practices of a Barnabas
I talk about Barnabas a lot. He’s one of my favorite biblical characters… probably because he functions as a behind-the-scenes coach empowering others. I heard a talk that Bubba Justice gave on the practices of a Barnabas, taken from his study of the book of Acts....
Taking the long view
We've all heard the expression, “We overestimate what we can do in one year and significantly underestimate what can be accomplished in three years.” We tend to be overly ambitious for what can happen in a year. We raise expectations-- our own and those of others--...
Three words
Recently friend and pastor Dennis Easter shared three words with me that he has found helpful in life and ministry… words that set the stage for a way of living different than what most of us are experiencing on a day-to-day basis. Pace, Space, and Grace Pace -...
Knowing the city… and its workers
Government workers know their city better than most pastors do. People move into community positions because they want to help their neighborhoods. There are often a lot of difficulties, but there are also opportunities for positive contribution. So if you are a...