Lessons from Wesley for All Churches
Martin E. Marty once observed that between the time of Luther and Calvin and our own time, John Wesley symbolized the genius of adaptation to…
Browsing: Leadership
Articles
Gaining Commitment
How do you reignite a church when it seems that no one wants to lead? In every space and place, God wants transformation to occur.…
The Tussle over Metrics
Church leaders may think that leading in the business world is so much simpler than in the church since there is “one bottom line” and…
Leaders Do What Is Needed
One of the vivid images of the 1960s is a picture of African American students walking boldly out of Cornell University’s student union building. They…
Rocking the Boat without Capsizing
In the late 1980s, rhythm and blues group Midnight Star climbed the charts with a sensational hit called “Don’t Rock the Boat.” Have you experienced…
Fruitfulness for Others
The fifteenth chapter of John’s Gospel contains rich imagery of the vine and the branches, an image that would have been obvious to those who…
Essential Acts of Leadership
Donald L. Laurie, in his book The Real Work of Leaders (Perseus, 2000), focuses on what he calls “The Seven Essential Acts of Leadership.” Leaders…
Picking People — Lessons from Peter Drucker
Selecting or helping to select personnel, paid staff, and volunteers is a prime task of leaders. Below are suggestions that come from the legendary management…
Getting to Know the “Mayors” of Your Community
Congregational revitalization happens when the community and the church come together to make it happen. But it can’t be the church saying, “This is what…
Overcoming Motion Sickness
Have you ever experienced motion sickness? Persons who suffer from motion sickness become severely ill when traveling at certain speeds or distances. In many cases,…
The Appropriate Use of Email in Church Leadership
In this era of electronic media, clergy are faced with particular challenges in pastoral conversations — particularly those conducted by email. This wonderfully efficient means…
Relationships Are Everything
Just as all Christian leadership originates in our relationship with Christ, our day-by-day leadership depends on relationships with others that mirror the ideals of our…
Taking Time to Refocus
Not long ago, I realized that I had spent several weeks in a reactive mode — constantly dealing with one thing after another that popped…
Ask Bigger Questions
In June 2011, Steve Jobs made a twenty-minute presentation to the Cupertino City Council to introduce Apple’s plans for a new corporate headquarters, affectionately known…
Taking Note of Leadership Lessons
There is truth in the adage “Experience is the best teacher.” But how can we best capture the lessons experience teaches? A few years ago,…
The Power of Praise in Awakening Missional Identity
I serve a congregation that averages 60-70 in worship and have been there five years. As preparation for a visioning process, I began meeting with small…
The Sunday Everything Went Wrong
Building credibility took time in my current congregation. I followed a well-respected pastor, and I had fewer years of experience than my predecessors. It is…
Recent Research Quantifies the Nature and Scope of Lay Staff Ministry
The growth of lay staff in congregations across denominations is a significant trend shaping the way churches engage in ministry and the way people experience…
Embracing and Transforming Chaos
The story of creation in Genesis 1:1-2:4a affirms two realities of faith: the reality of God and the reality of chaos. This account of creation…
Casting a Vision
Not long ago, while driving along the coast observing nature, I became aware of countless people fishing. I wondered what their visions or expectations were…
Three New Books on Effective Pastoral Ministry
The pastoral excellence movement has given rise to a growing body of literature analyzing the nature of effective pastoral ministry and offering advice on how…
First Year Priorities When Pastors Move
How does a pastor gain a congregation’s trust? How does a pastor warrant their respect? These are lessons I have learned through my own experiences…
What Does a Pastor Do?
I’ve been a part of several conversations lately with new church attendees and community members where I have been asked the question: “Now, I know…
Two-Minute Leadership
Leaders communicate a lot, for leaders must find many and varied ways to keep the vision before the people. I have learned that I am…
Volunteer Expiration Dates
Expiration dates are on all sorts of things and for good reasons. We can find them on loaves of bread, gallons of milk, and egg…
The Spirituality of Leadership
The church of the future must emphasize spirituality. We traditionally have asked people to come to church simply because it is a good thing to…
What About the Second Pastors in New Congregations?
While many studies report on the work of church planters, few studies examine the experience of “second pastors,” those who follow founding pastors of new…
Monitoring Key Indicators of Congregational Health
Imagine driving a car at night and the dashboard lights go out. With the headlights on, you can still see the road immediately ahead of…
Principles for Sound Staff Evaluation
Many people flinch at the mention of evaluation, and with reason. In congregations, staff evaluation often is conducted as a popularity poll with anonymous respondents…
Nursery Lessons: A Better Way of Recruiting Volunteers
Recently we have been focused on revitalizing the nursery at our church. We put in rigorous safety measures. We organized a committee to support the…
