We were a pastoral-size church (150 or less in attendance on Sundays) seeking to grow and trying a programmatic model to do so. We felt pretty good about our "if we provide it, folks will come" method. Who wouldn't want to come and check out (and hopefully join) a loving and unassuming group of Christians like us?

Except the programs didn't do what we hoped they would.

We hired ...

Nearly 10 years ago I sat in an Atlanta, Georgia, arena packed to the brim with college students. I was attending an annual conference hosted by Passion, and Beth Moore was about to take the stage.

In case you have never experienced Beth Moore's teaching outside the realm of women's events and teaching videos, it is an awesome thing to behold. I don't know if the co-ed environment ...

"My daughter's in a rough place; can you pray for her?" says one Facebook message this week.

The man with sad eyes at church stops me Sunday with a hand on my elbow. "Our marriage is in trouble. Will you pray for me?"

The requests come in person, in email, on the phone. As leaders, the needs around us can be overwhelming. But there are five people in your life—who probably ...

We all know those leaders: the bosses we've had who've made us think, "How did they get to be where they are?"

For more than 18 years, I worked for such leaders at two of Canada's largest advertising agencies. After my ad-agency career, I pastored for seven years alongside those bosses at one of the oldest Convention Baptist churches in Toronto, Ontario. And as I climbed the ...

During the past decade, the landscape of key leadership positions within churches and non-profits has changed. The number of female senior pastors has doubled and there are more women than men leading non-profits.

Sadly, a strange dichotomy is occurring within the American church. While there are more women in key leadership positions than ever before, women are leaving the ...

In my last post, I wrote about a few hang-ups I have with children's ministries. As a parent, I honestly care less about the trappings of any ministry and much more about how it helps my kids see Jesus. There are a few key things I like to see in a kids' ministry, but I hope my thoughts will spur other ideas also.

Let There Be Extras!

Kids don't need expensive decorations, loud ...

On a recent visit to a new church, my oldest son brought home one of those sheets with Bible verses and talking points. I looked it over as we drove and read aloud the big, bold print.

"You can be trusted when you choose the right words."

"What does that even mean?" my husband asked, risking a puzzled look away from the road.

I laughed, and we more or less dismissed the whole ...

Because Gifted for Leadership serves women in all kinds of church leadership roles, we have a great opportunity to learn from each other. I thought it would be helpful to occasionally highlight a leadership role and learn more about what it involves—plus receive some leadership lessons from a gifted woman.

Enjoy this interview with Executive Pastor Karen Miller.

What does your ...