A Different Christmas Eve
One September day twenty-two years ago, I was sitting in a Chipotle with my wife Anita and suddenly declared: “I can’t do another...
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elementals: quick reads to sharpen your leadership edge.
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- Oct 25, 2022
- 2 min
Do You Have “Missional Integrity”?
The present love affair with corporate mission statements must be more than a framed eight-by-twelve well-wordsmithed paragraph hung on a...
- Aug 24, 2022
- 3 min
The Problem With Traditionalism
The owner of a Chevron station in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle got tired of plastering advertising deals on his sign. Instead,...
- May 10, 2022
- 3 min
Is Faith Really a “Private Matter”?
In a recent survey of self-identified Christians sponsored by the Barna Group and Navigators, an interesting trend was observed as it...
- Mar 14, 2022
- 3 min
Is Your Church Accessible?
Last week in a coaching session with a young pastor, we talked through some challenging decisions to make in her church as she’s about to...
- Feb 15, 2022
- 3 min
Reconstruction After Deconstruction
One of the more sobering passages for me in the New Testament is the story of John the baptizer’s painful deconstruction. Please apply...
- Jan 31, 2022
- 2 min
The Problem With Meetings
The most generalized common complaint I hear about church operations from staff and pastors is: “I hate meetings.” Especially those who...
- Jan 10, 2022
- 3 min
Top 5 Things Pastors Should Stop Pretending To Be
I believe that a pastor’s main duty is making sure the mission of the local church is carried out, which is primarily guiding...
- Nov 17, 2021
- 2 min
Are You A “Quadrant Dweller”?
Many years ago a fellow pastor introduced me to a graphic that was helpful for a wider view of the Church. He had adapted a construct...
- Oct 27, 2021
- 2 min
Jesus and The Really Big Idea
One day while working in Ephesus, the apostle Paul dictated a letter to a terrifically dysfunctional church he had founded earlier. In it...
- Aug 17, 2021
- 2 min
Tidy Church Litter
The church has always struggled with the tension between evangelism and holiness. I have friends who say when it comes to evangelism,...
- Apr 27, 2021
- 3 min
Fortress or Force?
Depending on your church background and life experience, you might see the Church as either a Fortress or a Force. For instance, if you...
- Oct 25, 2020
- 2 min
Circumstances and Leadership
This whacked-out 2020 year is a case study in how circumstances can upend organizations and their leaders: how they function, how they...
- Sep 1, 2020
- 2 min
The Outward-Focused Problem
I recently spoke at a friend’s church and mentioned that I believe Jesus teaches that we become more whole, more joyous, more fulfilled,...
- Mar 31, 2020
- 3 min
Who Is Adjusting Your Vision?
Managing Change...and Your Personal Vision To say the Covid-19 pandemic has changed our lives is the understatement of the year. Managing...
- Sep 2, 2019
- 2 min
Needed: Organizational Explosives!
So what do you need to blow up in order to move forward? On a recent trip, I took a jaw-dropping train ride from Skagway, Alaska into the...
- Jun 17, 2019
- 2 min
3 Biggest Misses in Strategic Planning
So you've finally gone through the process of developing a 12-to-18 month strategic plan with your leadership team. But do you know what...
- Jun 14, 2019
- 2 min
4 Stages of Organizational Focus
A Different Organizational Focus Is Critical As Your Church Grows Many of the churches we work with struggle with systems. The leaders...
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