Category: Leadership
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If you’re leading, these three things matter
A few months ago I wrote about the relationship for leaders personally between vision, action, and relationship. The more I think about it … the more I move through areas of ministry and leadership … the more I see how the balance of these three pieces matters in many areas. Just two examples… I’ve found…
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Be willing to work on things that matter
I’ve heard that Toyota stops their assembly line every time a worker notices an inferior part. Sometimes we see things that need to be fixed in our lives, but we realize how much WORK it’s going to be if we stop and make it right. It’s probably tempting on a bad rushed day for a…
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When business books won’t solve your church’s problem
Leadership Journal has a powerful interview with Phil Vischer, former head of Big Idea Productions – creators of Veggie Tales. Due to a court decision, he had to declare bankruptcy and sell it all in 2003. He talks about what he thinks went wrong and what success should look like for a Christian ministry. Looking…
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Move beyond a high-school mindset
I wouldn’t be a good tutor. Here’s why. If I had to teach math, I’d be tempted to be really honest with my students. “You need to know this now, but here’s the deal. Unless you enjoy it, just get through it. You need to know some basics, but most of this stuff you’ll never…
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Yes. Yes. And Yes.
One of the things I’m learning is how to live with the tension of opposites. I like to narrow things down and simplify them. What’s the best way? How can we improve this? What’s the one thing we need to focus on? But sometimes things don’t work that way. Take, for instance, church. Being in…
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Are expectations changing for leaders?
I read part of a story in this week’s Newsweek this morning about what America, and the world, needs post-President Bush. Regardless of your political leanings, it’s an interesting article in considering what’s next. But here’s the quote that stood out to me: “In a new global survey, most nations polled believed that China would…
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What really matters in church
There’s a lot of talk in the church world about doing everything with excellence. That’s important. Many leaders have focused on it because for many years it was totally neglected in the church (still is in some places). It just didn’t matter. While culture improved how it communicated, the church stayed stuck in the same…
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Courage and humility
Wise action often comes down to a balance between courage and humility. We need courage to act – to move forward when God calls and when things need to happen. We need humility to listen and adjust along the way. It involves a healthy tension. In preaching or teaching, it means sharing a strong message,…
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A message within a context
There’s a lot of (legitimate and needed) conversation about how church should be “native” to its culture. We have many different types of cultures even within America, and one of the pastor/church planter/leadership team’s jobs should be to seek and pray about how the Kingdom of God can be expressed within that culture. But a…
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Quick thoughts: Preaching and leading in truth
“The worse thing a leader (preacher) can do is give people what they want. If I give my kids what they want they will eat nine corn dogs for dinner, be unhealthy, go off to school, flunk out, live in our basement and eat Lucky Charms for lunch while playing HALO and typing on their…
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Get back in the van!
Ever have that feeling in life where you’re chasing after the car instead of riding inside it – let alone driving it? Everything’s moving along, but there’s that feeling that it’s just not totally under control or all within reach. Yeah? I feel that way sometimes too. 🙂 Thing is, life is exciting. There are…
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How do you plan?
I always learn from Bobb Biehl‘s QuickWisdom. Here’s what his latest email said… Planning Approaches There are three approaches to planning in America: 1. Goal setter’s approach …planning begins at the end…begin with the end in mind. 2. Problem solver’s approach …solve what is in front of you or tomorrow won’t come true anyway. 3.…
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Worth reading: Missional churches and conferences galore
+ Scott Hodge is posting some thoughts from Q in Atlanta. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a conference similar to TED but with a Christian emphasis. This is a conference I would have loved to attend – even qualified for a scholarship. But it was still a little out of reach price-wise. Maybe…
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Empowering leadership: helping people find their fit
One of the most important things to remember in leadership is that – amazingly – everyone doesn’t think like you do. It’s a lesson I learn time and again. And I’m a little surprised every time! It’s like this. I’m the kind of deranged person who likes leading. I like speaking. I feel comfortable being…
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Influencing change: what could be
Ever notice something that needed to look different in an organization or group? Did you work to change it? How did you go about it? I’m realizing (again) that it’s much more important to paint a picture of what could be than to focus on the thing that needs to change. When we see changes…
Jon Sampson 