Do Extroverted Pastors Marginalize Introverted Pastors?
I sat next to a brilliant PhD at a recent men’s breakfast and he made an insightful statement that struck a chord with me. We chatted about the master’s degree I’m pursuing in neuroleadership and about his shift from chemistry to software development. During that conversation I felt prompted to ask
A great devotional journaling app for busy pastors
I’m a busy pastor. Even though I never can complete my to-do list, I must never let this one to-do slip, my walk with Jesus. Technology supports my spiritual disciplines as I use my Mac, iPad, and iPhone in tandem. I just purchased a great app that helps me journal more consistently. Journaling, a classic spiritual
6 questions that reveal if you only give ADVICE or extract VISION
Often ministry leaders give advice rather than seek to bring out personal vision in others. These 6 questions help others think about their personal vision. The next time someone asks you for advice, respond with one or two of these questions before dispensing advice. What’s working for you now? What’s not? What really excites you
8 good reasons pastors should find a coach
I’m beginning my second week in becoming a certified coach with the Professional Christian Coaching Institute. In the weeks ahead, I’ll share some of the best insights I learn through short mini-blogs. Gary Collins, one of Christian coaching’s gurus gives these 8 reasons why anyone would want a coach. I see great applicability for anyone in
Do Pastors Need a Personal Coach?
I just began a 30 hour training program to become a certified coach through the Professional Christian Coaching Institute as I hope to be a resource to pastors serving them as a coach. (blog written in 2011) I was coached a few years ago and didn’t feel it helped much. However, I didn’t give up
5 Animals Pastors Sometimes Act Like
This is an excerpt from my book 5 Ministry Killers that appeared in the spring, 2010, edition of Leadership Journal. ___ Pastor John was just finishing a long Sunday morning. With a weary “pastor’s grin” on his face, he chatted with those who lingered. He was tired, hungry, and ready to go home, when two
Should Every Pastor Publicly Repent? I Did.
Recently our church held a service to celebrate what God had done over the past year. It was a great time of celebration, with a twist. On that day I brought a message that included something I’ve never done before. I publicly repented. Up to this point in my 30 years in full-time ministry, when
A Pastor’s Annual Vision Sermon: an exercise in futility?
I’ve served in a senior pastor role over 20 years and each year I’ve preached an annual vision sermon. As I look back, though, I wonder how much Kingdom difference those sermons really made. Pastors from large mega-churches that I’ve followed from afar encourage us to bring an annual message. As a result, I’ve prioritized
5 Really Bad Ways Pastors React when People Compare Them to more Successful Churches
This week I’m posting a series of blogs about how pastors respond when people in their church compare their leadership and preaching to others or when they brag about another church by insinuating that we don’t measure up Yesterday I posted 5 ways we should respond when we feel compared to others more ‘successful’ than
When Pastors don’t Measure Up to Others’ Expectations
Yesterday I began a series of blogs to unpack this issue: what should pastors do when people in our churches compare us to other more “successful” pastors. In that blog, I shared an email a pastor received from someone in his church who boasted about another super-successful pastor and his church. He was tempted to
