Church Leadership

Church Leadership
5 Steps to Take After Saying Something Stupid In Public
Mistakes should be acknowledged and fixed if possible. But don’t use it as a stick to beat yourself up.
5 Steps to Take After Saying Something Stupid In Public
Image: James Whatley | Flickr

Every time I preach there’s a chance I’ll say something stupid.

Sometimes my mistakes are harmless, like when I quoted God at the burning bush telling Moses, “Take off your feet, you’re standing on holy ground.”

Other times people get hurt. Sometimes ...

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Church Leadership
Check the Mirror, Pastor – After Five Years, Your Church Looks Like You
Like it or not, most churches follow Jesus the way their pastor follows Jesus. The smaller or newer the church, the more it’s true.
Check the Mirror, Pastor – After Five Years, Your Church Looks Like You
Image: Konstantinos Koukopoulos | Flickr

Show me a spiritually healthy church and I’ll show you a spiritually healthy pastor. Show me a spiritually unhealthy church and I’ll show you a spiritually unhealthy pastor.

If you’ve been the pastor of your church for five years or longer, it’s time to ...

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Church Leadership
12 Principles for More Effective Ministry Team Meetings – In Any Size Church
How to get the most out of planning meetings. Including overcoming the biggest hurdle for scheduling them in small churches.
12 Principles for More Effective Ministry Team Meetings – In Any Size Church
Image: Book Lin | Flickr

I don’t like meetings.

Planning meetings, board meetings, staff meetings, committee meetings…

If I could jettison one aspect of pastoring, that’s what I would get rid of.

So why do I have them? Because, when done well, ministry team meetings are an essential ...

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Church Leadership
Pastoring a Church Between 100 and 200 Without Going Crazy
Some Dos and Don’ts for surviving and thriving in the awkward, in-between world of 100 to 200 in church attendance.
Pastoring a Church Between 100 and 200 Without Going Crazy
Image: Alan Levine | Flickr

Most small church pastors are shepherds.

It’s not our choice, it’s our calling.

There are good reasons for pastors of large churches to move from the shepherding/pastoring model to the ranching/management model. But most pastors aren’t called to be ranchers or ...

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Church Leadership
Bungee Cord Leadership: Leveraging Tension to Lead a Church Through Change
Tension doesn't have to stress us out. We can use it to our church’s advantage if we follow a few simple principles.
Bungee Cord Leadership: Leveraging Tension to Lead a Church Through Change

Leading a church through change is hard. Even when it’s necessary.

In the 23-plus years I’ve been serving at Cornerstone, I’ve learned one principle that has helped keep everyone, including me, open to necessary changes without feeling overwhelmed by them.

Here’s ...

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Church Leadership
9 Reasons Pastors Should Say ‘I Don’t Know’ More Often
We think we’ll lose people's trust if we don’t have all the answers. The opposite is almost always true.
9 Reasons Pastors Should Say ‘I Don’t Know’ More Often
Image: Hilary Perkins | Flickr

In 35 years of ministry, I've been asked a lot of questions.

Some are easy to answer, others leave me scratching my head.

I used to stress over the hard questions. Or give pat answers. Or take a stab at an answer and hope I’m right.

I don't do that anymore, since ...

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Church Leadership
Small Churches Exist: Deal With It
Seven acknowledgements we must make if we hope to value and empower every congregation of every size.
Small Churches Exist: Deal With It
Image: David Goehring | Flickr

Small churches are here and we’re not going away.

We’re tired of being treated like a problem that needs to be fixed, or ignored as if we don’t exist.

If you write or speak on church leadership issues, I implore you to take note of this huge oversight, and start ...

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Church Leadership
For Those Ministry Days When You Need to Slap a Smile On Your Face
People of faith don’t deny reality. They choose to see a greater truth behind the immediate truth.
For Those Ministry Days When You Need to Slap a Smile On Your Face
Image: Doctor Popular | Flickr

Sometimes the most dangerous threat to the truth is not a lie, it’s a lesser truth.

Lies are usually easy to spot.

Lesser truths are harder because … well … they’re still true.

At virtually every moment of our lives, greater truths and lesser truths are ...

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Church Leadership
Why No One Cares About Your Mission Statement – And Neither Should You
The only real hope that a church will follow through on their mission statement is when it’s based on what the church is already doing.
Why No One Cares About Your Mission Statement – And Neither Should You
Image: Beat Tschanz | Flickr

Does your church have a mission statement? Could most of the people in your church repeat it?

If the answer is ‘no’, I have one word for you.

Relax.

You don’t need to call an emergency vision-casting meeting to remind everyone that they need to ‘Know, Grow ...

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Church Leadership
Church Members Don't Want a Hero, They Want a Pastor
According to an informal poll, church members' expectations for their pastors are healthier and more balanced than you might think.
Church Members Don't Want a Hero, They Want a Pastor
Image: Julen | Flickr

If you asked a few hundred church members from multiple churches what characteristics they were searching for in a pastor, what do you think they’d say?

You don’t have to wonder. Thom Rainer asked that question a while ago and published the top ten responses on his ...

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