How to Kill Your Darlings in Ministry
Many of us have heard the phrase “kill your darlings,” a saying that originated from William Faulkner. Or maybe Oscar Wilde. Or possibly even Stephen King, which makes sense because of the whole kill thing....
Category: Leadership
Gaps vs. Overlaps
Lately I’ve been exercising my spiritual gift of poking my nose in where no one has asked me to (that was one of the gifts Paul texted about rather than sent an epistle about, and...
The Arrogance of Experience
We’ve all been there. Give us enough time, events, completed to-do lists, and trips around the sun, we find ourselves to suddenly be bona-fide experts on how to do … whatever it is we do....
Should You Serve On a Team That You Lead?
Leaders of volunteers are a hardy bunch: they have to possess the perfect mix of visionary, recruiter, trainer, coach, administrator, encourager…sometimes it feels like we hold every role from chief cook to bottle washer. And...
Q&A: What Hills Are You Willing to Die On?
Q: When you think about your own leadership and the ministry areas you lead, what hills are you willing to die on? [from the final session of our 2023 Connections Confab] A: Here’s the thing...
Creating a Climate Where the Truth is Heard
When we think of leadership, we think of lots of “one to many” activities: speaking. Vision-casting. Edifying. Informing. Directing. But one of the often-overlooked “many to one” activities is that of listening. Leaders must listen....
The Spirit is Willing, But the Systems are Weak
Before you’re too quick to scold a volunteer for something that they didn’t do (but you wanted ’em to), or something that they did do (but you didn’t want ’em to), maybe you should start...
5 Things I’ve Learned (Again) From Jumping Back in the Saddle
At the time of this writing, I’m a little over a month into a new (temporary) gig as a Guest Services Director (GSD) at our newest campus. We’re still trying to hire an actual GSD,...
“I Can’t Carry It For You…
…but I can carry you.” So goes the tear-jerking line spoken by Samwise the Brave near the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. As a part of this summer’s...
Who’s Driving?
I am the veteran of three teenage drivers, and – at the time of this writing – just four short years from the fourth. State Farm has happily taken dump trucks full of my money...
