Articles in this category focus on how a Christian leader can build and nurture competencies and apply them practically in ministry life.
Way too many pastors sideline the impact of their sermons by getting stuck in the cleverness trap. Find out if you’re caught in this common snare and get the help you need to stop cutting the power on your preaching.
Dan Lovaglia
Proper eyeglasses or contacts can help correct the first challenge. The second challenge requires a different kind of prescription. Greater focus begins with a couple of essential steps.
Paul Metler
A large Christian NGO in Africa demonstrates the powerful combination of strong, servant leadership with relentless prayer and painful personal confession. Change was not cheap, easy or quick. But it happened.
Rick James
Leaders might learn a thing or two from a silly goose. Geese develop remarkable synergy, allowing them to fly as far as 1,700 miles without stopping. Flying solo doesn’t hit the mark for geese; neither can leaders go it alone for their whole adventuresome journey.
David Goodman
Good leadership demands that we understand what we control and what we do not. Among numerous healthy reasons for this is so that when followers are playing the blame game, we are not drawn into an unhealthy discourse: both with others, and within our mind’s conversation.
Kevin Thompson
Have you ever been paralyzed by a crisis? You know what you should do, but you’re caught off guard, you weren’t prepared for what is coming. Your team is looking to you for leadership, and you aren’t real sure how you’ll get through the situation. Here are five tips for successfully leading through crisis.
Russ Cline
Every once in a while I see leaders hesitating to act for no apparent reason. Probing, I've found a number of leaders seem to be waiting for permission. What keeps them paralyzed is that those expected to grant permission don’t even know their permission is hoped for.
Corey Olynik
Wise leaders apply their best thinking to the most important things. This is, of course, easier said than done because of the sheer volume of things that leaders are asked or required to think about. Because we are finite and flawed, we have a limited amount of mental capacity. So how can a leader create mental capacity?
Eric Geiger
Communication is worth the investment and is very powerful. We can recall when our communication mattered, such as ordering a meal and enjoying it when it is placed on our table, when a family member humbly asked for forgiveness, or when a colleague offered much needed help. This is one of the great questions about human communication: [...]
Quentin Schultze
Taking care of ourselves is an intentional act of good stewardship. We are the only gift we have to offer other people. Self-care gives others permission to do the same without feeling guilty. The Bible describes our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit. We need to look after that temple.
Dr. Stanley Arumugam
While there are external reasons that churches begin to move the wrong direction, the majority of time it’s much closer to home. So in no order, here are some things I’ve seen church leaders do to unknowingly lead their churches towards being stuck.
Paul Alexander
God offers rest, not just for our physical bodies but for our hearts as well. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” God is calling for our souls to rest.
Elaine Vitikainen
These ten questions have emerged from conversations with a myriad of leaders. I use them as I coach leaders and listen to friends. I utilize them to navigate my own life and leadership.
Alan Briggs
Questions can be a way to improve the health on a team. And, sometimes even improve an unhealthy team member. It’s all in picking the right questions. And, asking them.
Ron Edmondson
While it may not be easy, leaders need to get clear about what is life-giving for them, and then they need to prioritize this on their calendars. Pause for a minute and think of a job-related activity that is life-giving.
Mike Bonem
Knowing what God has called you to do is both freeing and limiting. I am free to pursue whatever opportunities are in line with the vision. I am also free to say no to those outside of that vision. Of course, we must pray and evaluate each opportunity, but the freedom to say no is, well, freeing.
Jeff Klick
One of the hardest things to figure out in ministry is work/life balance. The schedule is 24/7. Because the demands of the job itself deal with the spiritual and emotional wellbeing of those in your church, it can be hard to say no. There are many good people in ministry who have made bad decisions that can be traced back to their [...]
Tim Stevens
I encounter many leaders who claim to want delegation to be a part of their leadership. They know the value, but they are often frustrated with the results they receive on delegated projects. Here are five reasons delegation fails.
Ron Edmondson
There must be a balance between vision and performance, between leadership and management, and between change and continuity.
Mike Mowery
Giving advice is a tricky task. A lot of times people aren’t actually searching to hear what you have to say about a given situation. They want you to listen so they can think out loud. Occasionally, someone will open up and vulnerably ask for your opinion on a situation. Here are a few suggestions to keep in mind if you find yourself in [...]
Stephen Vaughn