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 five tests of a godly vision
Is your vision godly? Measure it in light of these benchmarks. A godly vision… Is right for the times Promotes faith rather than fear Motivates people to action Requires some risk-taking Glorifies God, not people
The value of selectivity
Almost always, when volunteer-based ministries are formed, we say to the Lord, “We’ll take anyone you bring us.” Then whoever shows up is automatically a part of the team. At that point, we stop searching for new team members and start using whoever we’ve got to try...
Got intercessors?
God did not create us to walk through the Christian life alone. We were made to function as part of a team. We each have blind spots. We each need support. Any ministry endeavor will only be as strong as the team that supports it. A team of intercessors should be the...
Listening to serve
Too many people go about serving without listening first. They dive in doing what they think needs to be done without really knowing if they’re hitting a point of real need or not and without knowing if what they’re doing is truly effective. As Carl George has said,...
Pre-empting your mid-life crisis
Everyone knows about the cultural phenomenon known as the mid-life crisis. It can result in anything from a sports car to an affair to a sudden career change. What is a mid-life crisis? It’s a forced evaluation—usually the result of circumstances beyond one’s control...
One hour a week that makes a difference
My friend Marilyn volunteers one hour a week to read with students at a low-income school through the national “Everybody Wins!” program. Here’s what she writes about her experience: “This is what I do every Wednesday at noon (Everybody Wins! LA) at nearby Leo Politi...
Who says you can’t do it all?
The Ethiopia ACT Project provides an example of holistic ministry stunning in its breadth. They provide medical care for people with HIV/AIDS, they share the gospel and pray with people, they train HIV-positive patients to teach others how to adhere to the medication,...
The Missional Challenge
I’ve been working with Dave DeVries on the development of missional resources, and I’ve enjoyed reading his blog. Good observations like this one: As believers take steps to focus on meeting needs beyond the walls of the church, it's important to consider how those...
The power of liturgy
Back in earlier centuries when the literacy rate was low, liturgy was employed regularly and frequently. The use of stories, pictures, and repeated refrains helped provide ways for people to understand and remember God—it was a hook for them to hang things on. In many...
Everyone loves free stuff
Have you checked out the free stuff section of my website lately? There’s an article on there called The Path for Developing Missional Leaders and Planters. If you’re looking for a way to develop leaders—a way that’s not a shortcut or a quick fix, but a way that will...
One of my “oh-duh” moments
A while back I was talking with a woman who is a world class intercessor about the development of a prayer ministry. My leadership gifts were kicking into gear, and I was thinking, “Okay, we need prayer. So how do we go about creating a system for making that happen?...
Going to extremes
In my years of working with many different types of groups, I’ve found that there are two extremes to avoid when it comes to planning. One is simply going into all-out planning mode where we think through our project on the human side, make all the decisions, then...