Church Growth and Church Transformation
I caught a glance at a blog post from Serene Jones, the president of Union Theological Seminary, and was struck yet again at how little surprises me, but I never cease to be amazed. The post is titled “Why Attend Seminary?” and somehow my curiosity was roused and I glanced through her musings. It was [...]
Most pastors and professional church leaders I know got into the ministry to do … ministry. They’re the kind of people who aren’t just incensed with injustice, they’re compelled to do something about it. When they see a need up-close-and-personal, they’ll move heaven and earth to meet it. If someone they know is in the [...]
It always amazes, but seldom surprises, me the content of status updates I see church leaders, especially pastors, making these days. One pastor was apparently having a bad day (week, month, year, or ministry … I wasn’t sure which) and he let the world know life pretty much sucked for him. I wondered what his [...]
On my way back from a church conference, I got on an airplane with more than its fair share of church leaders on it. This particular conference had been wildly popular and the keynote speakers frequently reminded us for the need to be faithful, effective, and efficient. The men and women in attendance seemed to [...]
In a previous post I suggested there was a need for new – or renewed – language for church leaders. As wonderful as having new language might be, there’s an underlying issue that I’ve become increasingly aware of. Many, if not most, clergy in today’s North American church are well trained pastors, but when it [...]
This afternoon I had a great conversation with a top judicatory leader of one of the largest denominations in the US. We were talking about what kind of leader the church needs in a culture like ours. The problem with the whole discussion, we concluded, is that language completely fails us in the church. Every [...]
Today’s spiritual seekers rarely turn to Christianity or to the church to find the answers they seek because of their past experiences or because of the church and faith’s reputation. Too often, spiritual seekers have turned in desperation to the church only to discover the church so embroiled in “business as usual,” that there is [...]
I often ask my pastors what they’re reading outside of scripture. Too often the answers I get are litanies of commentaries and historical theologians. Although that’s not a bad thing, I suppose, the problem is that a steady diet of Christian academia and spirituality may feed your soul, but it will also asphyxiate your brain. [...]
How you measure up as a leader is largely determined by what it is you measure. It turns out, one of the differences between an average leader and a great leader is found in what they put on their spreadsheets. Actually, that’s a bit misleading because most of the important measurements don’t actually fit on [...]
Good leaders not only know and play to their strengths, they are painfully aware of their weaknesses as well. The difference between a good leader and a great leader, however, is what they do about those weaknesses. Good leaders know their weaknesses and too often expend untold resources and energy in converting their weakness into [...]
