The Use and Misuse of Power
I’ve met pastors who want their church to grow but don’t want to be the leader because they don’t want to exercise any power or authority. The problem is, this never works; growth takes a leader who is so convinced of the outcome that he or she influences others to jump on board and use […]
DiscipleShift
I just finished one of the best books I’ve read in the last five years, called DiscipleShift, by Putman and Harrington. It’s been sitting on my “to read” shelf for over a year. I can’t believe I just now picked it up. Anyway, it is worth purchasing and sharing with your staff, and it will help you […]
The Four Core Processes: Not a Balancing Act
The Church: Mainline, 107 in average worship attendance The Location: Northeast US The Pastor: First call, seminary trained The Resources: Consultation completed, coach engaged The Presenting Issue: Lack of growth, few visitors, lots of busyness with little return The Real Issue: The pastor’s commitment to balance You can lead a horse to water. Sometimes, as […]
Living into Your Mission Statement
Over the past few decades, the idea of having a mission statement has been the topic of many an article and even some books. By now, most churches, growing or dying, have one. The question is, do they help? It depends on whether or not the pastor and church are living into them. What do […]
Pulling the Trigger – Part Three
Leaders Must Manage Their Teams For our purpose we will define a team as “a small group of people with complementary skills who have affinity for one another and who are invited, not elected, by an individual to do the following: achieve a common goal and place that goal before their individual interests, integrate their […]
Curing Congregational Low Self-Esteem
Many churches I work with suffer from low self-esteem and a sense of hopelessness. There are many reasons for this malaise, a common one being that the congregation has come to believe their circumstances are insurmountable (they’re not, but that’s a post for another time). I’m working on a recommendation report from a consultation with a church […]