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.
Sovereign foundations and soap box derbies
In Bobby Clinton’s classic book The Making of a Leader, he writes about the concept of “sovereign foundations”-- the contexts a person was born into that give shape to their lives. That could include the family they were born into, any disabilities they have, the...
Team teaching: play-by-play and color commentator
Part of what I do as I develop people is to try to involve them in some of the things I’m doing when possible. One such area is team teaching. I like to help people gain experience and move toward in developing their teaching skills. The best way I’ve found to...
Recruiting vs. developing
The number one need in organizations is leaders. There always seems to be a shortage of leaders compared to the needs and opportunities that are out there. In my coaching practice, I see that the quickest way to get more leaders is simply to recruit more leaders that...
Don’t make them sit on the board
Boards are important-- I know that. But consider giftedness when you’re looking at where to plug people into leadership. There are almost certainly some people in your congregation or ministry who would love to get involved in local outreach ministries that take them...
Do what increases sustainability
Most days, we’re trying to get stuff done. But in getting stuff done, we have a choice. We can just get something off of our list or we can be selective. Which of the things on my list-- if done-- will make the rest of my work easier or more effective? If we do those...
Who should you invest in?
There are always many people we could be developing. Every single person is made in the image of God, has something to contribute to the Kingdom, and can grow further in their development. Given that reality, how do we choose who we should be working with and...
In a hurry?
Dallas Willard, who recently passed away, once gave some sage advice: “Ruthlessly eliminate hurry.” One of my friends who knew Dallas personally shared that phrase with me and it has really been resonating. “Ruthlessly eliminate hurry.” That’s profound, and something...
Processing negative feedback: separating the wheat from the chaff
At a difficult time in my life, I received some very negative feedback from someone. I really took it to heart and began to think it through. When I connected with my friend and colleague Chuck Ridley to help me process it, he helped me realize that, in this case,...
Another great use for active listening
Chris Roberts, pastor at Madison Vineyard Church, has been using the coaching process-- particularly active listening-- as a way to discover what the Holy Spirit is doing in his friends and neighbors who aren’t yet following Jesus. “The Holy Spirit is at work all the...
Doing more of the right less
In John 15:1-2, we find that the secret of greater fruitfulness is not doing more but doing less: “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so...
Retirement missionaries
This is the third and final blog entry in a series by guest blogger Gordon Bauslaugh, Lead pastor at Christ Community Church in Puyallup, Washington, on missional engagement with those outside the church. You can read stories of this engagement in the two previous...
More stories of cultural engagement
Today’s blog continues from yesterday’s entry, both by guest blogger Gordon Bauslaugh, Lead pastor at Christ Community Church in Puyallup, Washington. An older man I met in my local business referral group (see yesterday’s blog entry) asked me to do the memorial...