Issues in Church Leadership: Five Articles

Pastors, Lead

A few years ago, I read an article that summarized almost 1,000 interviews with some of the nation’s top corporate leaders. The article declared that the #1 need a leader of a corporation needs to provide for everyone is clarity.

If a leader does not lead, he cannot provide clarity. If this is true for global business leaders, it is even truer for every pastor of a local church or one who is leading a Christian ministry or institution built on the gospel of Jesus Christ. Keep reading

The Immeasurable Influence of Encouraging Leadership

As a leader, I’ve always believed that one of my primary roles is it try to say “yes” to people’s ideas. This week, I heard a story that reinforces that principle in a very powerful way. For all of us. Keep reading

Leadership Questions Every Pastor Should Ask Weekly

John Maxwell loves to say, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”

In other words, if a person, event, or organization is incredibly successful you are likely to find great leadership present. Conversely, when we see organizational failures or events that are not quite up to par, we are likely to find poor leadership.

Everything rises and falls on leadership. I believe what Maxwell says is true. In fact, I believe you can apply the same maxim to the church. When it comes to the success of your church, its programs, vision, events, and initiatives, everything rises and falls on leadership (and the leading of the Spirit, of course). And we the pastors must take responsibility of the fact that as pastors, we are ultimately responsible for whether the church is led well or not.

Because of this reality, I have written a series of questions that I read to myself every week, sometimes daily. These questions are aimed at keeping me focused on the tasks that I must be about doing. I keep them saved on a document on my desktop that I can quickly pull up. There may be some questions that you add or change, but for me, these questions keep me on track. They serve as guardrails to prevent drifting into a leadership ditch. Here they are.... Keep reading

4 Groups to Whom the Leader Should Listen

The culture and direction of entire organizations, churches, ministries, and institutions is driven, in part, by whom the leader listens to. These people impact much of the leader’s decision-making, direction, and perception of reality—both challenges and opportunities. As I recently shared, wise leaders ensure they are hearing the right voices and listening to people who display humility, wisdom, and commitment.

But where should the voices come from? Where should leaders look to find the people who will speak into the direction of the organization? Where should leaders find people who will influence them? As you evaluate the voices you listen to and the feedback you elicit, consider the following four spheres of influence. Keep reading

5 Ways to Become More Self-Aware

You can’t be a good leader without self-awareness.

It lies at the root of strong character, giving us the ability to lead with a sense of purpose, authenticity, openness, and trust. It explains our successes and our failures. And by giving us a better understanding of who we are, self-awareness lets us better understand what we need most from other people, to complement our own deficiencies in leadership.

The question, then, is how can we cultivate and develop it further. There are many ways to do so. Below are five that I have found to work best.... Keep reading