What Mac & Cheese Taught me about the Needs of Others
A very successful businessman inadvertently taught me a lesson about paying attention to other people’s needs … with macaroni and cheese. Several years ago I ate breakfast at my favorite diner with one of our church’s key leaders. He owned a flourishing business and gave quite generously to our church. As I enjoyed the blue plate special of eggs,
Are you a Pastor Stuck on Hurry?
Two experiences several years ago caused me one day to pause not only my body, but my mind as well. So often as a pastor I get stuck on ‘hurry’ mode which makes me miss moments in life God intended that I pay attention to. Here are those two sobering experiences and what I learned.
The Litmus Test for Successful Ministry: Always Up and to the Right?
What defines ministry success? How do you know if your ministry or church is really successful? I’ve served six churches, three in associate leadership positions and three as the senior pastor. In my first senior pastor position I started a church in a suburb of Atlanta. I envisioned myself as the south’s Rick Warren, a
7 Mistakes Pastors Make in a New Church Job
Getting a new church job can be scary. And pastors often overlook pitfalls in those new jobs. In this post, adapted from my book on on-boarding for pastors, I list 7 pitfalls pastors must avoid in a new church job. A quaint story circulated among Methodists describes a young pastor fresh out of seminary who
How to to Give Effective Staff Evaluations
For years I’ve used this form below when I perform my twice-annual staff evaluations. I have every staff person complete the form on themselves and attach their goals for the previous and upcoming year. These documents provide the talking points for the eval. Afterwards, I compile a one page written evaluation I give to them.
Is this the Holy Grail for Effective Leadership?
The term ‘holy grail’ is often used to describe something highly sought after or earnestly pursued. Whether you are a leader in a ministry environment or a business environment, great leaders are always looking for ways to lead better. But is there such thing as a ‘holy grail’ for effective leadership? Probably not. However, recently
What Snorkeling Taught me about Selecting Leaders
Several years ago I spent ten days with my family vacationing in the Bahamas in a condo literally steps from the beach. The snorkeling was dazzling. I saw over two dozen varieties of fish, excluding the nurse sharks, dolphins, and a giant starfish I found. My experience with three specific fish reminded me that we leaders must
Have you Overlooked this Key to Communication?
Have you ever heard yourself speak on an audio recording and said, “Wow! I didn’t know I sounded like that?” If you have, you are not alone. It’s a brain thing. We actually can’t hear our voice and tone the way it actually sounds. [That must be why some people with really bad voices think
Great Staff Meetings Require these 7 Rules
Leaders can’t lead without meeting with others. Sometimes meetings go well. Sometimes they don’t. Often team dynamics derail productive meetings simply because someone misspoke or misheard. As I began to realize this, several years ago I asked a psychologist to help me create some rules for talking in our staff meetings. I call them conversational ethics. Here are the 7
The 3 Kinds of People in Every Church
In Judson Edward’s book, The Leadership Labyrinth, he describes 21 paradoxes in ministry. He defines the ‘relationship paradox’ in this way: the people who like you the most will be the ones you try least to please. He then writes that these three kinds of people fill every church. The energizers: their very presence makes us feel better,
