Issues in Church Leadership: Four Articles

7 Surprising and Endearing Characteristics of Highly Effective Church Leaders

What makes a successful leader successful?

And—here’s the next question— could you adopt any of their characteristics to help you become a more effective leader?

Sometimes it’s easy to think that some people were just ‘born’ successful or that they ‘have it’ and you don’t. For sure, some people are gifted communicators, visionaries or organizational wizards who seem to naturally know how to lead churches and organizations.

But the recipe for a leader’s effectiveness does not all lie in the gene pool.

The good news is there are common traits and characteristics that make highly successful church leaders successful.

And the really good news is that these characteristics can be learned and then adopted by leaders like you and me. Read more

10 Defining Words of a Stellar Leader

Leadership is abuzz these days. Everyone is talking about it. I’m not the only blog — or certainly not the best blog — that addresses leadership frequently.

Yet, as much as it’s in our conversations and thought process, it appears most organizations and churches are consistently looking for new leaders. In my conversations with other churches, people want to know how to find, attract, and train leaders.

Apparently it is far easier to talk about it — even perhaps easier to call oneself a leader — than it is to actually be a leader.

Perhaps we need to do a better job distinguishing what leadership actually means. Defining leadership.

Even with an advanced degree in leadership, I can tell you experts who “schooled” me didn’t always agree on the definition of leadership. Perhaps, even more, we need to better understand what makes up great leadership — even more than add a definition in which we may not all agree.

Additionally, I almost wonder if one reason we have such a hard time defining leadership is because there are actually levels of leadership. There could be the kind anyone can do. Everyone is a leader at some level. If leadership is truly “influence”, then all of us are leaders in some area of life.

And, then, maybe there is something even more defined — simply for discussion I’ll use a term.... Read more

Seven barriers to effective leadership and how to overcome them

Over the last eight years my work has given me the opportunity and privilege of meeting church leaders all over the UK and Ireland. It is encouraging to see their passion for the gospel and commitment to seeing local churches grow. However, it is equally sad to see the occasional presence of limiting factors, or 'brakes', on their leadership. I've identified some of these brakes and offered a challenge for them to be released. Read more

The best leadership verse in the Bible?

“That the leaders led in Israel, that the people volunteered, O bless the Lord” (Judges 5:2).

Scripture gems show up in the unlikeliest of places. Read more