How Caffeine Might Make you a Better Leader
I’m a leader. I want to maximize my brain power. And I care about how I treat my body. I don’t drink coffee or tea, yet I do strategically use caffeine with diet caffeine drinks and 5-Hour Energy (Disclaimer: I am in no way related to the company who produces 5-Hour Energy). I believe my
5 Essentials Necessary to Build Church and Team Unity
Unity is a powerful force in God’s Kingdom, in our lives, in our families, in a business, and in the local church when it includes five essentials, seen in the great leader Nehemiah. Every leader wants his or her organization, team, or church to be unified. Without it teams lose, churches flounder, and businesses drift.
Preaching to a Camera in a Covid World
Free 60-minute Webinar Persuasive Virtual Preaching We pastors have been thrust into a new world as the Covid-19 virus has shut down public worship services all around the world and affected our preaching. We’ve all scrambled to assemble the needed equipment, web services, and routines to video-tape (or live feed) our services and sermons. And
The 6 Biggest Leadership Gaps Pastors Face
In my research for my most third book on people pleasing pastors, I discovered 6 fundamental weaknesses or gaps that leaders in general and pastors in particular face in some degree. These are based on insight from a perspective on how we deal with our emotions called family systems. To which leadership gap do you tend
5 Traits of a Flourishing Leader
Some people have a green thumb and others don’t. Those that do can grow plants and flowers that seem to flourish with life, color, and vibrancy. Leaders also fall into two categories. Those who flourish and those who don’t. What are common traits of flourishing leaders? I believe what happened in the early church gives
How Much Time Should a Pastor Spend on Sermon Prep
How much time should we pastors spend preparing a sermon? Recently I watched a video where a famous pastor answered that question. His response, “I study and read all the time and it takes me about one to two hours to put a sermon together.” Yikes! When I heard that I felt guilty because there’s no way
9 Ways to Respond to the Church Critic
One well-worn adage reads, “The two things you can’t avoid in life are death and taxes.” As a Pastor, I’d like to suggest two more for those in ministry. Two things a pastor can’t avoid: people being late to the Sunday service and…critics. I’ve served in full-time ministry for 39 years and I’ve experienced my share of critics. I’ve
4 Incredible Leadership Insights from Peter Drucker
Peter Drucker, often called the father of modern management, was also a committed Christian. I’ve read several of his books on leadership that have helped me become a better leader and pastor. Several years ago Jim Collins spoke at Willow Creek’s Leadership Summit and shared some practical insight from Drucker. He explained that after Drucker died, Collins spoke at
5 Proven Ways to a Better Brain in 2020
God created a magnificent part of our body, the brain, as our command and control center. With 100 billion brain cells, it weighs a mere two to three pounds, yet it require 20% of our body’s energy. Since God expects us to take care of bodies (1 Corinthians 6.19-20) it naturally follows that we should take care of our
12 Questions your Leaders Wish You’d Ask Them
In the book First, Break all the Rules written by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, they list 12 core questions the Gallup organization discovered that give organizations the information they need to attract, focus, and keep the most talented employees. Pastors and church leaders would do well to regularly ask their leaders, volunteers, and staff these questions. Do I know