The 10 Commandments for a Fresh Fall Season
I don’t know about your church staff, but on ours, summertime has come to a screeching halt. Student camps are over. Vacation Bible School is in the books. Vacations are a distant memory. And the...
Category: Leadership
Raise the Bar.
In leadership, standards matter. Our employees, our volunteers, and our teams might indeed reach the standards we set for them. They’ll want to do what’s expected. They’ll want to serve to please. They’ll want to...
Zoom In, Zoom Out
In Tasha Eurich’s great book Insight: The Surprising Truth About How Others See Us, How We See Ourselves, and Why the Answers Matter More Than We Think, she recounts the story of a cancelled flight...
If We Don’t Equip Them, Someone Else Will.
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&A: What Would You Change?
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...
Never Underestimate Your Volunteers.
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...
How to Change Your Culture…When It’s Not Your Job.
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...
Harry Nyquist, Illuminators, and Why Our Investments Matter
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&A: How Do I Balance “Paid” vs. “Authentic” Ministry?
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...
How to Get the Best Deals on Bulk Books
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...
