Sometimes there are moments in our lives where we have an encounter with God that changes everything for us. Jacob had one of these when God talked with him, gave him a new name, and renewed the covenant with him. He marked the spot where it happened at Bethel (which...
In Bobby Clinton’s classic book The Making of a Leader, he writes about the concept of “sovereign foundations”– the contexts a person was born into that give shape to their lives. That could include the family they were born into, any disabilities they have, the...
Experience isn’t just a matter of having done a lot of stuff or lived a long time. For experience to actually matter, we need to take time to reflect on what has happened and what we’ve done. Effective leaders take time to reflect on what’s going on in their...
I’ve been working with a few groups on ways to revamp their credentialing or ordination process– essentially, how to prepare ministers for ministry. This week on my blog I’m reflecting on some of my general thoughts in this topic. Along with theology and...
Recently Neil Cole reminded me of an important principle of mine: the danger of writing beyond your experience. I believe we should only write about something after it’s been proven in more than one context. It’s easy to get ahead of ourselves when we have a great...
What are the core things a leader needs to be able to do? In most cases, they simply need to be able to do the things any growing disciple can do: engaging with God, serving, evangelizing, and making disciples. At the core of what’s needed are people who are able to...
What’s the goal of education? Of training? It’s transformation. The traditional approach is to give a lot of information and hope they apply it. Sometimes a more avant-garde approach is that part of passing the course is implementing the information. But what we’re...
I’ve taught a lot of different types of classes in my day– classes at all levels and in all different types of contexts. Reflecting on those experiences, I’ve found that the classes I’ve enjoyed the most don’t depend on the age or educational level of the...
I once asked a seminary dean the question, “When students graduate from your program, what can they do?” He later told me that question kept him up at night for a couple of months. When we look at the ways we’ve traditionally trained people, there isn’t a strong...
