Ministers may think that they want honest input or feedback, but their actions speak otherwise. When a leader asks for input but then immediately shares their own opinion before receiving feedback, it can create several potential dynamics—sometimes positive, but mostly negative if it happens too often.
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What Matters?
So if you are simply curious about how to improve your leadership, or if you find yourself in some degree of stress about leadership, I encourage you to trust in the truth that God is actively being God. All seven of these principles point to the One that matters.
From Prophet to Priest
Can we learn to stand WITH the people of God, even when they stand AGAINST us? Can we bring ourselves to ask God to forgive the Church, even when we have been rejected by it? Can we refuse to let go of the Church, even when it desperately wants to let go of us?
We Need Priests, Not Prophets
What if the work in front of us is not to inspire more individuals to be prophets? What if the task ahead of us is actually priestly work – to attend to the rituals, texts, and structures that gather and define the people of God?
Ministers Are Not Prosthetic Limbs
Since ministers are not prosthetics but rather flesh and blood, and thus a separation is more like an amputation, then it is unsurprising when bleeding and shock occurs.
To the Discouraged Minister
The church minister occupies a unique space. It is a difficult space inhabited by critique and pressure both from within the community and from without.
Onboarding on My Mind
Your new hire isn’t just starting a new job, they’re joining your outpost of God’s kingdom, and we want to take intentional steps to help them succeed.
Hiring a Minister: Five Suggestions for Ministers
If you find that you absolutely must get a particular job, then you end up broadcasting a message to a search team (and just about everyone else) that they must affirm you and validate your plans for the future.
Hiring a Minister: Five Suggestions for Churches
There are various methods that churches can use to search for and hire ministry staff. Regardless of which process is used, all of us in the kingdom of heaven benefit when we share our best practices for hiring.
Thank You for Your Service
I thank God for your leadership and your sacrifice. For many, it goes unseen by the congregation and unacknowledged. But know that you matter, you are valued, you are important to God
Stay in the Room
Don’t miss out on the best things because you won’t get in there and deal with difficult things. Sometimes, if people will just stay in the room, it will be enough.
It's Not Your Ministry!
Ministers often falsely believe that it depends on our skills, our energy, and our sacrifice to bring about God’s agenda in the world. It is time to name this narrative for what it is: a lie!
Ministers in Short Supply
I believe that resilient congregations, pursuing God’s purposes in the world, will find healthy and constructive ways to prepare, support, nurture and partner with ministers in the days to come.
Moral Injury and the Power of Reconciliation
Peter has not lived up to the person he claimed to be, and because of this incongruity, he has experienced a moral injury.
Play the Cards You Hold
If we began our congregational ministry by assessing what we have to offer, we’d likely find it’s a lot.
Spiritual Friendship
The truth of God’s saving grace through faith becomes realer than real when experienced in life, interacting with those who wear skin. We need to have, to be, a friend.
Thoughts on Elders as Shepherds
Many elders are frustrated because all they do is act as a board of directors. Instead of being in the lives of their flock, they’re spending time in meeting after meeting.
Love: It’s Time to Get to Work
Reflecting on years of teaching young students, I am reminded of exercises captioned “Listen and do.” Might this be a simple, yet awfully mature, set of ancient instructions?
Event Spotlight: Cruciformity and ElderLink Houston
As we prepare for our first ElderLink of 2022, we wanted to whet your appetite for our time together. We recently sat down for virtual conversations with our speakers and host.
Grasping the Newness
We can retain the spirit of newness as we face off against burdens and pains, choosing a fresh perspective of hope and promise.