Posts with the category “leadership-lessons”

An older pastor once told me, "If you love your people, they will forgive you for a lot of bad sermons". This was some of the worst advice I ever received. Not all will go through a crisis during your tenure; however, everyone will hear you preach - and expect to be fed.We read in the Bible, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and tha...  Read More

It's been said there are three types of leaders: risk takers, care takers, and undertakers. Few things in life are more risky or difficult than bringing about a new order of things. George Barna says, "Church growth is not so much a formula as it is a series of creative and sensitive responses to a changing environment".Most people reject change of any kind. John Maxwell said recently, "Leaders ha...  Read More

Leaders Who Last: A security found in ChristWe have been in a series of leadership lessons on what it takes to have longevity in a ministry. We have said there are two areas we concern ourselves:The inner life of the pastorThe relationship with the congregationIn the first area, we find six principles:A calling to ministryA mission with that callingA godly definition of successA disciplined lifeA ...  Read More

Leaders Who Last: A willingness to changeWe have been in a series of leadership articles on “Leaders Who Last.” It’s been said that a person changes every 4-7 years. If a pastor is going to have longevity in ministry, he must reinvent himself several times.Pastors, we often lament on our church’s unwillingness to embrace change. There are articles and books written on the challenges and steps to b...  Read More

Leaders Who Last: A disciplined lifeWhat is the secret of longevity in ministry? After 31 years, I can say, “I am a hard guy to run off.”I am often asked, “What is the one thing that makes longevity possible”? There is no one thing. It’s like after getting a fly wheel spinning at a high speed asking someone, “What was the big push that made it go that fast”? There is no one push. There are several...  Read More

Leaders Who Last: A Godly definition of successWe must define the win. If the win is defined by the world, such as, money, fame, numbers (alone), your sense of mission will wane with time and pressure.John 15:4,5 says, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Wh...  Read More

Leaders Who Last: A mission within that callingAfter 31 years in the same church, I am often asked the secret to longevity in the ministry. There is no “magic bullet,” but I see 12 principles that are true in my life; six center around my personal life and six center around my relationships with others.Personal lifeA calling to ministryA mission within that callingA Godly definition of successA di...  Read More

Leaders Who Last: A calling to ministryAccording to a recent survey by George Barna, 38% of pastors have considered quitting in the past year. It seems ministry is harder than it needs to be. However, leaving or running to another problem situation is not the answer. After all, if your church did not have problems, they wouldn’t need you.After 31 years at the same church and 9 at my previous churc...  Read More

Leaders Who Last: IntroductionHow tough is the ministry? Dr. John Bisagno told the story of listing the over 100 young men called to the ministry when he started pastoring. Of those 100, plus friends and acquaintances, only 4 of them retired as Pastor. In a recent George Burns survey, 38% of pastors considered quitting the ministry over the past year.When we are first called to ministry, many will...  Read More

We nned to show both security and strength in tough times.  Read More

Character answers the question- will you?  Read More

Jesus prioritized His life and ministry throgh the lens of His purpose.  Read More

"the greatness of an organization will be directly proportional to the greatness of the leader"  Read More

There is a paradox in servant/leadership. Taking the example of jesus, we can navigate this paradox.  Read More

“8 Principles: Define the Boat”We are looking at “8 Principles for Growing a Healthy Organization.”3. Define the boatThe boat is basically what you are about. With  a fishing boat there can be many poles in the water catching one fish at a time. There could ne nets catching many fish at once. If you sacrifice a pole or net, you can still survive. You cannot survive without the boat. May organizati...  Read More

Who are you as an organization? What is the score? Are you succeeding? Where do you need help? Many organizations want to define who they think they are, or what they hope they are -and it does match the truth.  Read More

When choosing a leader for your organization, there are 3 things I look for: a. Compatibility b. Character c. Capability None are more important than compatibility. Look at the recent problems with businesses like ‘Target” or “Cracker Barrel” when a chosen CEO was not on the same page with the business or its customers. In the area of calling a Pastor, there must be a good marriage between the pastor and congregation. How difficult is it for a church to find the right Pastor?  Read More

It has been said that “the road to success is dotted with many parking places.”   Read More

An entire generation has been told they could be anything they wanted to be- just believe in yourself! That generation has grown up and become a most disappointed and disillusioned generation  Read More

,” Success is 87% people knowledge and 13% product knowledge.”   Read More

Passion fuels the work.  Read More

J.C. Penny once said “ Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I will show you someone who will make history,. Give me a man without a goal and I will show you a stock clerk.” I recently read that only 5% of Americans set goals and they are the 5% highest paid people in America.  Read More

Getting ready is the secret to success. But what do we need to prepare  Read More

Its been said that the most important day in your life was the day you were born and the second was when you found out why. Last week we began a series of lessons on 7 Principles of success. Each of the next 7 weeks we will look at one of those principles. This week’s principle is purpose. Why are we here? Purpose is necessary for success as you need to know what area you are trying to be successful. Purpose answers the question “why?”  Read More

Everyone wants to be successful. Whether its career, church, marriage, parenting, etc., we all want to succeed. However today In spiritual circles, the term “success” often has negative connotations. Yet the Bible speaks of God wanting our success.   Read More

Physical vertigo is a condition where your brain cannot process what your eyes see. Spiritual vertigo happens when our faith cannot process what we see, hear, or experience. We become spiritually disconnected, off balance, and doubt our faith in God. What are the causes of spiritual vertigo?   Read More

Just as the early Christians in Galatia were challenged to remain faithful to the gospel, modern-day leaders must navigate pressures to compromise their values for popularity or convenience. Here are some key lessons on maintaining mission integrity and leading with purpose.  Read More

The Word of God is not just a collection of wise sayings; it is the absolute truth that guides our lives. Truth is not merely subjective or based on individual experiences, but something eternal and unchanging.   Read More

Please understand, I think there‘s a place for application of Scripture in preaching. I recently completed a sermon series on “The Relationship Principles of Jesus.” Seventy percent of Jesus’ messages were on how to apply His teachings. I guess my question is, “Have we crossed the line from preaching the Scripture to using the Scripture to teach soft news?”  As I said in last week’s blog, we often struggle with how far to take attractional evangelism.  Read More

The Performance Trap The moment you received Christ into your heart, you were born again. At that moment, God loved you as much as He ever will love you. Because His love is perfect, His love for you will never be any more or any less than at that instant you gave your life to Him. Yet, at times it is difficult to trust His love. Some time ago, a lady came into my office, brokenhearted over marria...  Read More

If I were to have written an article on this subject when I was thirty, I would have entitled it “Five Things Every Woman Wants.” Ten years later, I might have called it “Five Helpful Clues to What Women Want.” Today, I might call it, “Feeble Hints for Fellow Strugglers.” Scripture tells us there are several things we can bank on to answer the question, “What do women want?” Let me give you five:  Read More

Three People in Your Church  I have discovered there are three types of people in every church—customers, owners, and investors. Your members will be motivated based on the group to which they belong. 1.  Customers – When we think about customers, we first think about a consumer who never wants to contribute. However, a customer is simply a person who comes to church for what is in it for them and...  Read More

Life is short. “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14)  Read More

All law can be summed up in loving God and loving people. Often our relationship with God is far less complicated than our relationships with others. Repairing our relationship with God is one-sided. God does not need to be fixed. Our relationships with others are more complicated because we deal with weakness, blind spots, stress, and lack of communication on both sides. Why are relationships so difficult? I believe there are at least seven barriers.   Read More

I am privileged to have pastored three growing churches. This has been a huge blessing. However, I have also felt the deep despair and heartache of struggle in ministry. Recently, during one of these downtimes, God spoke clearly to me about three areas of difficulty, and His words of encouragement brought me great relief.   Read More

There will always be people in the church who will leave out of protest or rebellion. I believe, however, the rebellious feelings within our culture have bled over into churches. I may not have answers to your political concerns, but allow me to try to address this as it applies to the church.   Read More

When no one follows, you still may be leading. I’ve often heard that a good test of leadership is if you look behind you and no one is following, then you must not be leading. The idea is that if you are a good leader, you will always communicate well, inspire confidence, and have a contagious vision. This will result in people following. But, during a recent fast, God reminded me that if Moses had made the popular decision at Mount Sinai, he would have led the Israelites back to Egypt. In John 6, the Bible says Jesus spoke with such confrontation that most of the people no longer followed.  Read More

There is something admirable and special about a person who refuses to quit amidst great adversity. We admire someone who keeps getting up after falling down time and time again. All of us go through circumstances in our lives when we’re tempted to quit, and the Akhwaris in life inspire us to keep going. We become tempted to give up in tough times because we feel hopeless. We think quitting would be the greatest feeling we could imagine, because it would rescue us from our stress and discouragement. However, there is a high cost for quitting before our race is over.   Read More

When we were children, our parents constantly pointed out our blind spots. It was their job to correct us so that we could grow to become better people. What happens when we become adults? Who is going to point out our blind spots? Who is going to wash our feet? Who will, humbly and gently, help us discover where we need to change in order to lead us to become more mature believers?  Read More

Dads are vitally important. The Bible says that fathers are the first symbol a child has of God. Dr. Kenneth Canfield, founder and President of the “National Center for Fathering,” wrote that when dads attend church regularly and take their family; children grow up to attend church 75% of the time. Conversely, he noted, when dads stay at home and moms take the children, only about 15% attend church regularly. But, what does dad need? Here are my thoughts:  Read More