The #1 rule of leaders-sitting-around-a-table-drinking-coffee is that as some point, you have to talk about volunteers: how few you have, how you don’t have the right ones, or how that one guy named Bill is...
Q: Go back to your early days in your role. If you could easily “reset” from ground zero, would everything still look the same when you built it back, or what would change in regards...
Several years ago I led a guest services training weekend for Autumn Ridge Church in Rochester, Minnesota. It was November. In Minnesota. And I was not okay. (Tennessee-raised boys are not built for that sort...
All of us have found ourselves in the position of wanting to make changes…when we actually haven’t been asked to make changes. We see the need. We feel the stirring. We observe the discontent. But...
Last year I listened to the audio version of David Brooks’ How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen. I was barely a chapter in when I realized...
Q: I’m struggling with the balance of “paid work” vs. authentic, organic ministry and service. How do I avoid the feelings of burnout and going through the motions when it comes to church life? [Anonymous...
We’re coming up on the most wonderful time of the year: Book Discussion Season. What? Your calendar doesn’t say anything about BDS? Can’t find BDS cards at your local Hallmark store? Never even HEARD of...
Leading volunteers is like (say it with me, you know all the tropes)… If there’s one topic that comes up when leaders gather together, it is how to best lead volunteers. Our life verses toggle...
In his fascinating (if not terrifying) book The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt tells the story of the Biosphere 2 project, an 80s-era experiment which took place in the deserts of Arizona. The goal was to...
When it comes to leading, working with, or simply being around people, it’s easy to fall into the ditch. We hit the ditch when we make assumptions about someone’s level or lack of knowledge. We...
