Do you want to facilitate transformation in the church? The World? Disciples Lives? Do what Jesus did….ask questions! Over 250 times Jesus asks questions of disciples, leaders, and others he encountered. Contrast this with the number of times he answered a question and you begin to get a sense of the power of questions in [...]
Often the words listening and hearing are used interchangeably but in reality they are as different as night and day. Hearing is the process, function, and power of perceiving sound; specifically, the special sense by which noise and tones are received as stimuli (Merriam-Webster dictionary). To state it in simple form: hearing is about collecting [...]
The image above, called the Frazier Spiral, is a great tool for helping us grasp the value of constructive feedback. Just for fun, take your pen or pencil and place it on one of the curved lines drawing us toward the center of the image as in a spiral. Trace the line around. What did [...]
One of the foundational skills of effective leaders is the ability to facilitate a meeting. Whether working with a small group, a class, a ministry team, an event design team, or a governing board the ability to lead a focused a conversation, invite disparate viewpoints, discover the possibilities, determine the best options, and build a [...]
Every congregation wants leaders that bring their gifts and graces to the Kingdom work of making a difference in the lives of disciples and the surrounding community. Likewise, every congregation has persons with the potential to support both individual and corporate growth that are serving well below capacity or are choosing not to serve. So, [...]
WSurveys of pastors all across the country continue to point to a leadership problem. Consider the following statistics reported by soulshepherding.org : • 75% of pastors report being “extremely stressed” • 90% work between 55-75 hours per week • 90% feel fatigued and worn out every week • 40% report serious conflict with a parishioner [...]
We all make decisions. What do I wear? What do I want to eat? Where will I go? Some of them are routine and some of our decisions are lifealtering. The question is, particularly with the significant decisions, how do we make the best choice? In research quoted by Chip and Dan Heath in Decisive: [...]
Leadership is all about Adapting to Change Change is inevitable. And that’s not a bad thing. It is a sign of growth! But change can be hard. What used to work no longer does. No matter how comfortable we were with the things that used to work we either “Change or Die” to quote the [...]
Creating a Safe Space for Ministry We’ve all had experiences with teams, committees or groups that were judgmental, gossipy, controlling, cliquish and sometimes even bullying. And we long for a better way. Afterall, we are disciples of the one who was the antithesis of these behaviors. As disciples we are called not just to know [...]
So, you’ve got a great goal with a specific, measurable way to move toward a desired missional outcome. Now what? Goals are helpful but if they only go into the binder on the shelf you never get to where you want to go. The way forward is to construct a plan of action with clear [...]
