Leadership
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Should you start, fix or just trash that ministry, event or idea?
Two the hardest questions in leading in ministry are Should we start doing this new thing? Should we stop doing this old thing? The reason these are challenging questions is the answers are almost always subjective, based on the emotions of the people involved. We start a new ministry because something someone has a passion…
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Four Opportunity Killing Mistakes Young (and old) Leaders Make
I love investing in younger leaders, and as I get older almost every leader I meet with is a younger leader. Younger leaders are the ones who change the culture, change the trajectory and change the world. They are less afraid to fail and more likely to try things that seem impossible. Younger leaders don’t…
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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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Bill Hybels and the challenge of finishing well
The first time I heard Bill Hybels speak was at Willow’s 1994 Prevailing Church Conference. I sat on the right side of the old auditorium, by the windows that overlooked the pond. Bill’s topic that morning was People Matter to God. It was the first time I heard words like seeker, excellence and relevance in…
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How to work for a church AND love God
Every time I interview someone for a job at a church I always tell them that working for a church can be challenging to their faith. There is a price to be paid for working where you attend church, and it is eye opening to discover that your new co-workers have a lot in common…