More on Leadership
Following up on my last post, I want to consider further the importance of conviction for effective leadership. Consider this quote from Martin Luther: “Here I stand. I can do no otherwise. God help me.” Or what do you think allowed Nelson Mandela to give hope to the people from his confinement? Or what kept […]
We Shot Ourselves in the Foot – Again
It’s a sad day for United Methodists (who aren’t very united or Methodist anymore). The Judicial Council has failed to uphold the decision of the General Conference to end the long-standing guaranteed appointment for United Methodist clergy. Only fools would make a decision to keep such a debilitating practice. No one should be guaranteed a […]
Hospitality Gone Awry
Sometimes you just can’t win. After a year of talking about what it takes to be a welcoming church, this image suggests one step forward and two steps back. To be honest, this congregation set their own table … I didn’t make any recommendations about their Sunday morning refreshment selection, and as you can see […]
It’s Out! (And What People Are Saying)
Our new book, Effective Staffing for Vital Churches, is now on sale in print, for Kindle, and maybe for Nook on November 1. Many have pre-ordered and we thank you. We believe it is one of our best books to date. Rick Warren thought so too, writing, “This book is a winner.” We are […]
Every Real Church Is Missional
In our new book, Effective Staffing for Vital Churches, we write that all churches are missional or they aren’t a church. Pastor and author Michael Slaughter fell in love with the book at that point. Here is a brief excerpt from the book. We believe every church is missional or it isn’t a church! But […]
Public Prayer: A Brief How-To Guide
There’s more to public praying than just heeding some “thou shalt nots.” For example, thou shalt not use the words ‘Lord’ or ‘just’ as commas between long, run-on sentences: (“We just pray, Lord, that you would just hear our prayers, Lord, and just touch the hearts and souls of the congregation, Lord…”) and thou shalt not […]