elementals: quick reads to sharpen your leadership edge.

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Feb 6
3 min

Divine DNA...and You

Over the last few decades, there’s been a shift in evangelicalism in particular from the hyper-individualistic message of “personal...

Jan 31
3 min

Money & Spirituality

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part...

Jan 17
2 min

The Evolution of Language

The other day I happened to notice a poster about a Big New Blockbuster Movie coming out. The top line on the poster read: “Only in...

Jan 10
2 min

Sizing Up Significance

You own the cosmos—you made everything in it, everything from atom to archangel. PSALM 89:11 (MESSAGE BIBLE) Famous celebrity...

Jan 3
2 min

Do You See Me?

The other night my wife and I watched “Encanto: Live at the Hollywood Bowl.” Don’t ask why. And please don’t judge: I’m not really a big...

Dec 6, 2022
2 min

To Be Vulnerable...or Not?

A few years ago a friend of mine stepped into the senior pastor role at a large church after the previous successful pastor left under...

Nov 28, 2022
3 min

Dogpaddling with Dolphins

I’ve been on both sides of a lead pastor transition. Years before serving in the lead pastor role at our church, everyone on...

Nov 22, 2022
2 min

What's Your Attitude Indicator?

So here’s an idea as we move into the Thanksgiving holiday… Paul’s short letter to the Philippian church underscored his belief that...

Nov 15, 2022
2 min

The Secret of Servant Leadership

Of the four essential elements that every leader must exercise—Integrity, Passion, Servanthood, and Imagination—Servanthood seems like it...

Nov 7, 2022
3 min

A Continuum of Transformation

In a previous post titled Helping People to Become Inviters, I talked about giving the people in our churches more resources for becoming...

Nov 1, 2022
1 min

The Power of Systems

How about a quick video to get you thinking today? First, let me set this up with a little background. When church leadership teams go...

Oct 4, 2022
3 min

Let's Talk About Church Consultants...

Yeah, I know, I know. It’s a tacky mashup of Pixar and Peanuts. But the point is: do we really need “church consultants”? I have to admit...

Sep 27, 2022
3 min

Are Apologetics Dead?

Don’t get me wrong: apologetics are important. From the launch of the Church in Acts 2, Christians have proclaimed the uniqueness of...

Sep 20, 2022
3 min

The Ease of “Power Abuse”

People can abuse power in a non-profit organization or on a church board, around a dinner table or in a street gang. Or in a marriage....

Sep 13, 2022
3 min

4 Critical Qualities for Churchplanters

Let’s start with the obvious: Churchplanting is not for the fainthearted. You’re welcome. If you’re in ministry, whether just starting or...

Sep 6, 2022
3 min

VBS…an Emergent Problem?

The Integrity value is one of four key elements we’ve identified as being absolutely essential for the health and effectiveness of any...

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,...

Aug 9, 2022
3 min

The Fear of Making a Mistake

I love parameters. Seriously. As someone with an artist’s temperament, that sounds contrary, but I actually love when resources or...

Aug 3, 2022
3 min

How Americans View The Church

The phrase “Perception is reality” is generally attributed to a controversial political consultant back in the 1980s. That alone sheds...

Jul 26, 2022
2 min

On Being In The World

This week I listened online to a message from some friends of mine I hadn’t seen for a while. They were launching into a series on the...