Church health
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Is This the Best a Man Can Get?
There has been a great deal of controversy around Gillette’s commercial in which they address “toxic masculinity” played out in a “boys will be boys” mindset, bullying and objectification of women. Whether you agree or disagree with the viewpoint of the commercial, I think it raises an important question for church leadership, “Is this the…
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You can’t measure Gospel impact
For my pastor friends: I wonder how the speaker felt at the end of the service that night. She and a friend had been so moved by an encounter with the Holy Spirit they decided to travel from town to town in western Oklahoma, sharing the Gospel with whoever showed up. They didn’t own a…
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How to Handle a Moral Failure (Part 3)
In case of emergency, don’t panic My goal in writing this series of posts is to help churches with a situation I hope they never face, the moral failure of a key leader. Unfortunately few churches are adequately prepared for this type of emergency and in a state of near panic make devastating decisions. I…
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How to Handle a Moral Failure (Part 2)
Lessons from the front lines As I mentioned in Part 1 of this series this has become very personal topic for me over the past couple of years as I have stepped in as interim pastor at two different churches dealing with a moral failure by the lead pastor. No church thinks they will face…
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How to Handle a Moral Failure (Part 1)
The text said, “Call as soon as you can, I have to talk to you today.” I knew my friend wasn’t texting because he had awesome news to share. Two hours later we were sitting outside a Starbucks as he confessed that the addiction he had assured me was in his past was no longer…
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Why women can’t lead in your church
As I have watched the scandal unfold at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary over the past few weeks I have been struck by the underlying tone of men’s treatment of women, especially women leaders, in the church world. It is a world where often men lead and women follow, a patriarchy that feeds how women are often treated…
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How to know when its time to call it quits
Summer has come and it feels like everyone is on the move. Almost every day I hear of another church staff member leaving their current role and transitioning to a new assignment. At the same time a week seldom goes by that a pastor doesn’t ask if I know of any available children’s, student, worship…
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How an honor culture can crushes your soul
Last fall we while staying with some friends in England we discovered an important principle about wiring. After taking a shower one morning Sherry plugged her hairdryer into the outlet. The hairdryer sounded like a 747 taking off as the motor hit about 50,000 rpm. I think she could have dried her hair in 37…
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Elephant Pee and Five Things to Do After Easter
One Easter I was working for a church that did an “illustrated sermon” each year on Easter complete with sets, costumes and live animals on stage. This particular Easter the decision was made to include a small elephant in the pageant. I’m not sure how an elephant fits in the passion story, but it seemed…
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Five Things Pastors Need To Do Before Easter
One spring a church staff member informed me he was taking Easter weekend off. (It felt like Tom Brady telling Bill Belichik he was skipping the Super Bowl to take Gisele skiing.) He said he didn’t think missing Easter Sunday was a big deal, at his last church Easter was just another Sunday. Why did…