Issues in Church Leadership: Three Articles

5 Signs Your Passion Level in Ministry is White Hot

If there’s one characteristic I see in successful leaders, it’s passion.

The more church leaders I connect with, the more I see this trend: leaders of growing churches (and growing organizations) have a white hot passion for their mission. Keep reading

Tough Love and Tough Talk

Many leaders are devout cowards. Yes, I did just say that! I have said it for a number of years. I have had people challenge me on it, but at this point in time, I’m sticking by my guns. I must add though that when I say many leaders, I am thinking of leaders in churches where I have been involved in one way or another. Many (maybe most) of the leaders that I have been associated with have shied away from the tough conversations. They would rather quit and move on than deal with tough issues and difficult people.

I have seen more than my share of sloppy and unacceptable work in Christian ministry because leaders don’t want to lovingly and truthfully confront staff and volunteers. I have had leaders that I coach complain about the work ethic and standards of people who report to them, but don’t want to have the critical conversation, the difficult conversation, the value-changing conversation with said worker/team member. Sometimes people are let go and never told why because such a conversation would have been too painful and uncomfortable. Keep reading

When It's Time to Adapt Rather Than Persist

Persistence is one reason problems persist. More specifically, persisting in behaviors that don’t work, is one reason problems persist. Smart, motivated people, do this all the time.

Persistence has a dark side.

How long have you been frustrated with a boss, employee, process, or program? Congratulations for sticking with it. However…

Persistent frustration over the same problem means you’re persistently doing things that don’t work.

Keep reading