Church teams stay busy with meetings to attend, programs to run, people to care for, emails to answer, services to plan, and problems to solve. We stay so busy that we can lose sight of the …
When No One Wants to Be the Bad Guy
Healthy churches are built by healthy teams, but healthy team dynamics do not happen by chance. In this series, we have been looking at the foundations of teams that function well. So far, we have seen that …
Why Won’t My Team Commit
Over the past few weeks, we have been looking at how to create healthy teams that can help your church thrive. First, we saw that healthy teams are built on the foundation of trust. Then, we …
A Healthy Team Starts With Trust
Healthy churches need healthy teams. That is true of staff teams, councils, ministry teams, and just about every other group of people trying to serve Jesus together. Over the next several weeks, I want to …
Living in the Shadow of Idealization
EDITOR’S NOTE: Last week, I wrote about the leadership lessons I learned in the Rockies. One of the people I learn from there is Dr. Ron Nydam, a former professor and current mentor of mine. …
Leadership Lessons: It’s All About The Climb
The busy fall season is suddenly upon us, but I hope you were able to take some time away for quiet reflection during the slower summer months. I always take a study leave retreat in …
What to do when resources diminish
One of the challenges created by the Coronavirus is the loss of anticipated income for ministry and mission. A recent survey conducted by Vibrant Congregations and the Center for Church Renewal discovered that three quarters …
How to increase you ministry impact
During Covid-19 renewal leaders are attempting to increase ministry impact for every Kingdom investment being made. During these times, as in all times, a helpful guiding principle is “the sharper the focus the greater the …
Addressing sporadic attendance in church
Most churches are struggling with sporadic attendance. Recent studies suggest the majority of self-identified church goers attend Sunday worship once every 4-5 weeks. The downsides of uneven attendance are many. For example, consistent instruction is …
Why Church?
I had a conversation after church on Sunday with a close friend and one of our most faithful attendees. We were talking about his spiritual growth over the past few years, which has been significant. …