I think there are some positives for the church that will come through this Coronavirus crisis.
Yes, there are tremendous negatives. The costs are mounting. Almost everything we currently count, other than online engagement, will likely be a loss for weeks and perhaps months to come. Budgets, attendance, and even […] Continue Reading…
I’ve spoken with a number of pastors this week – and scheduled to talk to more this afternoon. While all my pastor friends are mostly remaining positive online and helping people remember to demonstrate faith over fear, some pastors are struggling too. When I left Leadership Network late last […] Continue Reading…
Many people are stuck at home during this Coronavirus pandemic. For the first week or so it might be fun. After a week or more, some will become stir crazy. It may require discipline not to lose patience with the situation.
When much of life is out of our control, […] Continue Reading…
I realize anxiety is high for all of us. I have a “system” I
have used over the years when I’m in an especially stressful season. It is a
sort of therapeutic exercise that seems to work for me.
As I type this the current stressor in all our life stems […] Continue Reading…
Our boys are grown. Cheryl and I enjoy empty-nesting. I remember a few times when the boys were little that we were stuck at the house and couldn’t go anywhere for a period of days.
There was an ice storm. Times when we had no electricity in our town. And […] Continue Reading…
Worry is like a plague to our body. It attacks our mind, then our heart, and over time, it can consume our overall health. Continuous worry leads to a state of anxiety, where you rarely have periods of the day when you aren’t worried.
Wouldn’t it be great to never […] Continue Reading…
I love pastors. For the last couple years I didn’t serve as a pastor while I was leading At Leadership Network, but I landed back into an intentional interim role on February 1st. I am pastoring my home church for a season. While I thought I was here to […] Continue Reading…
There are times when a pastor is launched into the role of being a community pastor. At this point, it doesn’t matter the size of the church or the notoriety of the pastor. The community is looking for the pastor to lead.
Many pastors are experiencing this phenomenon now with […] Continue Reading…
Leader, how should we respond when crisis comes?
I love the leadership displayed during a scene in “It’s a Wonderful Life” where George Bailey is about to leave for his honeymoon and panic struck the Building and Loan. As the president, he was forced to avert his plan, go back […] Continue Reading…
I have written and spoken at conferences extensively about church revitalization. I have served as pastor in two church plants and two church revitalizations. I’m currently helping in a church revitalization at my home church. I love church planting and still hope to be a part of it in […] Continue Reading…
Sickness. Violence. Economy. Weather. Political divisions.
Tragedy is on the news every night and all throughout the day. We talk about it at the dinner table. And, as fun and engaging as it can be, we can thank social media for keeping us constantly informed of all the bad […] Continue Reading…
As a consultant and senior leader, I have had multiple opportunities to come into a church or organization, assess where things are, identify barriers to growth, and offer suggestions to address them.
(This type thinking actually fuels me as a leader, so let me know if I can help you.)
It […] Continue Reading…
Let’s be honest! Criticism hurts. No one enjoys hearing something negative about themselves or finding out that something you did wasn’t perceived as well by others as you hoped it would be.
Criticism, however, is a part of leadership. It comes with the territory. And, if handled correctly, it doesn’t […] Continue Reading…
Criticism accompanies leadership. We shouldn’t be surprised when it comes; especially when we are leading change. (Which is what leaders do.)
Make any decision and some will agree and some won’t.
The only way to avoid criticism as a leader is to do nothing.
If a leader is taking an organization somewhere, […] Continue Reading…
It is incredible how
fast the Coronavirus outbreak has impacted all of us. The outbreak is
continually trending on Twitter. It dominates the news. The stock market has
been rattled by concerns of global impact. (Fear is one of the biggest movers
of the market.)
I saw a report that Japan is shutting down […] Continue Reading…
