“Can you hear me now?” It wasn’t that long ago a guy in a yellow shirt would interrupt our television entertainment to ask that annoying question. Even as I consider the ridiculousness yet genius of that marketing campaign, I realize how important his question is today. Some time ago, this same guy started showing up … Continued
Here is a frustrating reality for a pastor during a politically polarizing time: When speaking about a social issue, the pastor can be affirmed for being “biblical” by people who are politically passionate about that viewpoint and then be accused of being “political” by those same people when sharing something that is contrary to their … Continued
Whether partially or completely, churches and religious groups are starting to meet again across the country. More staff members are coming back to the office, and outside our safety precautions, things may be getting back to normal soon. However, before we leave the worse part of the pandemic behind, it’s worth reflecting a little on … Continued
As much as you wish things were getting easier in church leadership, they dont appear to be heading in that direction. If anything, things are more complicated than they were a month ago. And infinitely more complicated than they were a year ago. My guess is youve had a thousand different church leader thoughts rush through your mind (and heart) in 2020, not all of them, well, great.
Leading through tension is essential for navigating the complexities of any given circumstance, especially during chaotic times.
Know what really scares me as a pastor? It’s that my words are going to cause people to take action. People will, based on a sermon, based on a tweet, based on an interaction, or a counseling session decide things about their future based on my advice based on how I explain the wisdom of … Continued
The good news is it feels like were entering a new season of leadership and ministry. Although the coronavirus is still with us, churches and businesses are reopening and things that werent possible a month or two ago are now possible again. Thats the good news. The bad news is that the new season is perhaps even more complicated than the season of crisis we just left, and leaders must be careful to avoid wasting ministry season […]
A few weeks into this madness, the global pandemic that has resulted in the unprecedented move to not provide physical worship gatherings at our church, Kenton Beshore called to check on me. Kenton is my predecessor, our pastor emeritus, and he still serves as teaching pastor for us. “How in the world are you not … Continued
One of the most disconcerting feelings we pastors experience is when we prepare a sermon and pour our heart into it, yet feel that it didnt make a difference in peoples lives. Its equally frustrating when we preach to see somebody tuning us out. What can we do to improve sermon attention? For when they do, theres a greater chance what we say will stick in their minds to give the Holy Spirit time to ultimately change their hearts. Here are some neuroscience-based tips.
I have found that regardless of how motivated I am, if the people around me are unmotivated, we arent going to be very successful as a team. This is why it is important a leader learns to recognize when a team is decreasing in motivation. And heres the greater reason. Motivation is often a catalyst to destroy motivation and momentum […]
