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 bright thread of compassion
Richard Stearns, president and founder of World Vision offers some bold direction on God’s expectations for Christ followers: “Those expectations are not mysterious or difficult to discern. They are, in fact, etched clearly in page after page of Scripture – a bright...
Youth as Agents of Change?
Comunidad Mosaico, a ministry I visited in Mexico City a couple of weeks ago, has launched an interesting initiative. I’ve often spoken of starting with the grassroots if you want to see real change. They’re dialed in to that reality: they’re starting with teenagers....
The Now and the Not Yet
As God’s people, we are committed to God’s reign in the here and now… in anticipation of the Kingdom of God’s rule that is to come. The ultimate reign in heaven is still to come. But to what degree is the Kingdom being lived out in the here and now in the meantime?...
The invisible preparations of the past
As you consider your leadership skills and qualifications for ministry, don’t forget those qualities that are harder to quantify. Think through your life so far and how God has shaped you. How did you forge your ministry principles and values? Even the negative things...
Which came first—the disciple or the church?
The DNA of the church is found in the gospels. When the church was birthed in Acts, it was a matter of living out that DNA. As Jesus’ disciples made more disciples, the result was churches. Do you see the progression? The result of making disciples was the gathering...
New webinar: The Missional Path
You can see now where you want to go. But how do you lead others along the path to getting there? How do you talk with the people who aren’t on board yet? How do you walk alongside those who are? How do you keep people encouraged along the way? How do you communicate...
What if it works?
Whatever you want to end up with, you must start with in seed form. Always ask yourself the question, “What if it works?” If this new ministry takes off and grows, how will you handle the growth? What unit will you need to multiply? Group leaders? Meeting space?...
Q&A from Tuesday’s webinar
Earlier this week we had a webinar on “Getting your ministry moving in a missional direction.” Here are some of the questions I received during the Q&A time, along with some of my thoughts in response: Q: I have a new parish I’ve recently taken on. If I’m...
The action-reflection loop
Often in ministry, we start to feel overwhelmed by the task before us. Engaging in what I call the action-reflection loop can help. Plan some time for reflection and take stock of where you’re at. Dream about where you want to be. You need clarity in terms of where...
The Power of Missio Intensives
I just came back from Missio Intensives in Atlanta, GA and Ashland, OH and wanted to share some reflections with you. The way the Intensive is structured says a lot: there are presentations of no more than 15 to 30 minutes, each one followed by a time for teams to...
Both/And
The Kingdom of God is truly both/and. There are twin dangers: If we get so focused on the spiritual that we ignore temporal needs, we’re not living like Jesus did, and so no wonder people are critical. On other hand, we can’t forget the very last thing Jesus told us...
Thy Kingdom Come
What will the Kingdom of God look like when it comes in all its fullness? For that we must look to the Book of Revelation: no more sin, no more brokenness, no more crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. The Kingdom of God anticipates the new...