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.
Barn raising
Barn raising commonly took place in early rural America, when neighbors, families, and friends joined together to build a barn in one day. This fun event was almost like a party-- a break from everyone’s regular daily routine. Typically the barn raising began with a...
“The day of the professional minister is over”
“The day of the professional minister is over. The day of the missionary pastor has come.” Those are the opening sentences of Effective Church Leadership by Kennon Callahan. What a striking line. He writes it not as a striking prophecy of the future, but as a gentle...
Reflections of the image of God
I just finished reading a biography of Steve Jobs. The basic summary? He was clearly a genius and clearly a jerk. He had a binary view of the world: something was either wonderful or it was garbage (not the actual words he used). What a contrast. On the one hand, we...
The challenge of the intuitive leader
I was recently doing a consultation with a group that was working on their leadership development process. One of the key people there was a strong intuitive leader. When it came time for him to verbally express what he was doing in this area, it became apparent that...
Start with the log in your own eye
Yesterday I wrote about how your greatest strength can also be your greatest weakness. How can that principle apply when you’re trying to help someone else address their area of weakness? I’ve found it works best to first start by using yourself as an example before...
Your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness
I first learned this principle from a regional denominational leader who was giving a “state of the association” talk. He made this point: our greatest strength is also often our greatest weakness. What he said was this, “We pride ourselves on being a missionary...
Adventure at Section 8
By guest blogger Randy Lovejoy, pastor of Silverlake Community Church. Longer than my usual blog entries, but well worth it. Enjoy. So I was driving into the Silverlake Community Church parking lot after a run at Griffith Park (I like to work in the office a bit after...
Generosity … for all of us
Today I don’t want you to read my blog. I want you to read this entry by Tom Nebel. It highlights the importance of living out the values of what you want to reproduce. That’s true not just for individuals, but also for groups, churches, and movements. Read it here:...
Do you have time?
“Effective leaders, in my observation, do not start with their tasks. They start with their time. And they do not start out with planning. They start by finding out where their time actually goes. Then they attempt to manage their time and to cut back unproductive...
Above average.
"A leader's focus on contribution by itself is a powerful force in developing people. People adjust to the level of the demands made on them. The leader who sets his/her sights on contribution, raises the sights and standards of everyone with whom he/she works." --...
Is your ministry a dead GPS device?
"An organization which just perpetuates today's level of vision, excellence, and accomplishment has lost the capacity to adapt. And since the one and only thing certain in human affairs is change, it will not be capable of survival in a changed tomorrow." -- Peter...
Where are tomorrow’s leaders of your church?
"An organization that is not capable of perpetuating itself has failed. An organization therefore has to provide today the people who can run it tomorrow. It has to renew its human capital. It should steadily upgrade its human resources." -- Peter Drucker The future...