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.
The gospel changes everything
For many years in recent history the church has focused on spiritual transformation. Rightly so—for this is what the Holy Spirit brings to us. Yet a piece seemed to be missing. Where was the relationship? The community? The love? Then the church began placing more...
The ministry power of the wounded
The Bible is full of stories of the wounded and how God works through them. Some make entirely unlikely heroes. Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho, but because she saw what the Lord was doing was willing to submit to it, she became a biblical example of faith and the...
What’s your part?
No, we can't do everything. We can’t exhibit a response to every one of the world’s problems. The key question is: how do you focus in on the most important ministry for your life? How do you discover that passion? What are you skilled and gifted to do? What is that...
Ministry ideas to consider
Just to get your idea juices flowing here are number of existing ministries that believers can readily take part in. The structures are already there in most communities—they just need volunteers. There are as many opportunities for compassion as there are human...
I feel your pain
Steve Sjogren says the first step to getting your church involved in meeting community needs is to begin asking the Lord to show you the pain of your community: "Ask the Lord for the gift of knowing and identifying your community’s pain. Every city is unique in its...
Church on a mission
An outstanding example of a church deeply committed to meeting the many needs of its community is Lawndale Community Church of Chicago’s inner city. Their statement of mission reads: "We seek to bring Christian holistic revitalization to the environment of the...
The debate: both/and or either/or
“The debate gets tiring, especially for those of us who live in the trenches of ministry. On one side are those feverently committed to the task of world evangelism and wanting to see heaven populated with redeemed individuals. On the other side are those whose hearts...
Leadership farm systems—it’s what’s missing
Over my years in ministry, I’ve recommended many different structures be put into place to help us grow and multiply healthy churches: coaching systems, church planter training and assessment, networks/cohorts of people in similar ministry roles. Those have yielded...
The big five
If you’re putting together a training system, a coaching structure, a discipleship approach, a leadership development plan—almost anything—there are five core elements you’ll need to put into place to make a truly great system: Keep it focused. Have a clear...
Leaders who are not disciples
Too many people in church leadership are not disciples or making disciples. No wonder we have the problems we have in our churches. When disciples are fully trained they become like their teacher. Is that really what we want? Are we modeling what we want people to do?...
The end result of living like Jesus did
This is the end result of living like Jesus did: the spread of the gospel message-- the gospel shared in both word and deed. This is what Jesus told his disciples to do: John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love...
What is your “little bit of good”?
In yesterday’s blog entry, I mentioned one of my favorite quotes from Bishop Desmond Tutu: “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” What is your “little bit of good”? Do you have neighbors? Bring...