Issues in Church Leadership: Six Articles

The Top 2 Ways Most Leaders Misuse Their Gifting (And How to Fix It)

We’re all gifted at something.

Sometimes in the name of false modesty we pretend we’re not really that gifted. But that’s just not true.

You’re gifted at something.... Read more

8 Practices that Effective Ministry Leaders Follow

What makes an effective ministry leader?

Peter Drucker (1909 – 2005) is known as the “father of modern management.” After 65 years of consulting top-level leaders, Drucker wrote an article for Harvard Business Review titled, “What Makes an Effective Executive.” As he reflected on his years of experience, he identified 8 practices of effective leaders. Here are those practices, interpreted for ministry leaders.... Read more

4 Surprising Disciplines Effective Leaders Must Master

Leaders must be people of extraordinary discipline.

But the types of disciplines effective leaders must master could surprise you. Read more

Why You Need to Play Favorites In Leadership (And Even In Ministry)

One of the biggest challenges you will face as a leader is figuring out how to treat people.

So what do you do?

Most of us decide we’ll simply treat everyone the same.

After all, it seems like the right thing to do. Anything else is just…wrong, elitist or even unChristian.

But treating everyone the same is one of the biggest leadership mistakes you can make. Read more

What To Do When You Exceed Your Leadership Capacity

What is your leadership capacity?

Have you found it?

I use the term leadership capacity to describe a leader’s maximum potential to effectively lead others to accomplish the vision.

A leader exceeds their leadership capacity when they no longer have the ability to effectively manage or lead the organization to reach its potential. They find themselves on a regular basis not able to handle all the demands placed upon them — and it’s beginning to show in the organization. Read more

5 Tips to Prevent Ministry Burnout

You went into ministry with a passion to serve people and lead them to Christ. You knew that would require diligent work and would likely involve some heartache. We live in a messy, fallen world so dealing with people in their mess and helping them get out of it isn’t an easy endeavor. Working with limited time and resources, combined with the overwhelming needs of your community can wear out the most dedicated individual.

At times, I’ve felt completely unqualified to handle the responsibilities entrusted to me. My to-do list was always longer than the time available and, over time, I was burning out. I cared about the people I was trying to serve, but I had to drag myself into the office each day. Living on caffeine and the adrenaline rush of the next deadline wasn’t sustainable for long. Looking back on that season and combined with what I’ve learned over the last several years, here are five tips to prevent burnout.... Read more