One of the greatest needs in the church today is effective leadership and I want to share three key principles that I’ve found formational in my own life.
What qualifies me to write on this subject? Fifty plus years of leadership learning and experience (My nickname in high school was “The General” when I […]
“The Church Doctor will see you now.”
“Tell me,” the doctor said, “What seems to be ailing you?”
The church shared her symptoms. Lethargy. Uncontrollable membership loss. And an unmistakeable rumbly in her tumbly.
“It’s most likely one of three common contagious church viruses.”
Self-Interitis
Self-Interitis affects virtually all declining churches.
Symptoms: Inability to make changes that […]
When I went to seminary many moons ago, the study of leadership was one of three glaring omissions in seminary curriculum (the other two were conflict resolution and financial management). About the only leadership advice I got was this analogy: “Today’s pastor must be like a modern-day rancher who uses a helicopter to fly over […]
I received a thoughtful note from a Church-Talk listener. He contended that the church has fallen under the spell of the culture’s understanding and practice of leadership. He went on the say that the church must follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit rather than fallen mortal man. I thought he was pretty perceptive […]
You’ve heard me say it before. If you’ve got to herd cats, you’ll need a bigger mouse.
Your church cats will chase the biggest mouse in the room, and if your Big Mouse Vision is smaller than someone else’s, you’ll lose their attention every time. The wise and successful pastor stays on his/her knees until […]
There’s recently been a wave of interest by judicatories in starting Peer Coaching events among their church leaders. With the inevitable failure of the “Let’s assign the new kid an experienced pastor to mentor them” program, peer coaching seems like the next best thing since frozen Snicker bars. The problem is, although Peer Coaching […]
I got an email from a faithful blog reader last week who mentioned I did a good job pointing out the shortcomings of the church, but that there wasn’t much there in terms of what a healthy, functional, faithful, effective congregation looks like. The fact is, it’s a lot easier to find fault with […]
Evangelism for the Rest of Us
Excerpted from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Evangelism
by Bill Tenny-Brittian (Chalice Press, fall 2008)
Over the years, especially with the rise of the Enlightenment and Modernity, an understanding crept into the church that mimicked our scientific culture. In science, if it can’t be measured and examined in some way, then significant question […]
The other day I got a Twitter question from Phil Longmire, a church planter in Richmond, TX. We were talking about church planting priorities and I was saying how important it is for planters to be out of the office, away from the computer, and out in the public’s eye. So he Tweeted me […]
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