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.
What’s the problem?
Here’s one of my favorite diagrams to use when you’re having a problem with someone who is in a specific ministry role-- whether it’s a staff role or a volunteer role. When something just doesn’t seem to be working, start by asking, “Does this person understand their...
Enthusiasm without haste
"Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes." -- Proverbs 19:2 NLT Often when we jump ahead and move too quickly, we make mistakes. The power of coaching is to help us slow down enough to process and consider-- making wise implementation much more...
Creating a coaching culture in your church
Many of you have thought a lot about creating a coaching culture in your church. How would it look to start taking steps in that direction? Here are some “what ifs” to help you start visualizing the process: Getting a cohort of coaches-in-training together for mutual...
How to train missional coaches
You know that to help people live and love like Jesus, coaching is critical. So how do you train up good coaches? Sure, you could send them to a training event and have them do some reading. But you also need to help coaches-in-training get some hands-on experience: ...
Why coaching is crucial to the missional agenda
You want to lead your church in a missional direction. Why is coaching the route to getting there? Why not just teach on it? Coaching provides an experiential type of hands-on learning. People who experience powerful coaching grow more rapidly. They have someone who...
Why missional coach training?
Missional coach training is for those who have a big vision for the future of their ministry. It’s for those who want to position their ministry to serve and impact the surrounding culture. It’s for those who want to be on the leading edge of change in ministry today,...
Nothing new under the sun
Have you been around long enough to see bell-bottom jeans come into style, go out, then come back in again? I have. And I’ve noticed the same type of trends in ministry. There’s nothing new under the sun. What’s old is new again. Take the church growth movement for...
When you feel hurt
Here is something I try to do when I feel attacked or hurt by another person: “You have heard the law that says, ‘ Love your neighbor ’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true...
Defragging your life
Technicians recommend running a “defrag” periodically to clean up a computer. The process compresses old files and reorganizes them so the computer can function faster and more efficiently. Although it could seem like taking the time to defrag is just one more thing...
Vision whiplash
Have you ever experienced vision whiplash? You’re part of a church or a faith community and the focus seems to shift every 6 to 12 months. For a season, the church is “all about small groups.” Then, without warning or explanation, you begin hearing that the church is...
Where is your Samaria?
Immediately before his ascension, Jesus said this to his disciples: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the...
Knowledge in service of character development
Jesus only trained people up to the point where they were already living out what they know. He gave his disciples a little bit to go on and expected them to act on it. (See Mark 9:14-29 or Luke 10:1-24 if you’d like an example.) Training people beyond their obedience...