One group I’ve been working with appoints co-leaders for all roles in their missions work. I think that’s a great idea and it seems to be working well for them. The idea of ministry teams isn’t new. Jesus gave us the example when he sent out ministry pairs in Luke 10!...
No matter who we are, none of us is indispensable. Yet many leaders have not put much time or thought into considering who else could step into our shoes in the event of sickness, death, or other unforeseen events. Reflect on your own situation. Who could take on your...
One of the major challenges in ministry is turning volunteers into leaders. You don’t just want people filling needed slots—although that’s one piece of the puzzle. You want to develop each individual: as a person, as a disciple, and as a leader. Ultimately, you are...
Consider the average staff meeting: some catch up, coordinating of calendars, maybe a bit of support. Usually when you walk away, you haven’t accomplished much, and you’re generally you’re not in a place where the team had enough time for focused thinking about the...
I recently ran across this quote from Tom Boasberg, the Superintendent of Denver Public Schools: The number one overwhelming focus that we have is the quality of our teaching. We’ve significantly increased our investment in teacher leaders who give one-on-one...
We live in a world where getting promoted often means not just increased responsibility but increased hours. Yet I’d argue that real leadership results in decreasing your hours as you focus more and more on what only you can do. The balance of your time can be spent...
Every once in a while, when I’m sketching out a diagram to represent an idea, I find myself apologizing for my lack of artistry. Fortunately, my job doesn’t require much by way of drawing skills, but I do have to sketch the occasional diagram or flow chart to...
As someone approaches learning a new skill, coaches need to approach them with three types of questions. These different types of questions are progressive, building on one another, and people aren’t able to process all of them at once. The “what” questions: People...
Novice mountain bikers grab the handle bars tightly. They believe it will give them more control over the bike. What it actually gives them is a rough ride—there’s no room for the bounce. A looser grip on the handle bars allows room for the bike to bounce without...
