You may share the sentiment captured in Barnett Cock’s remark, “A committee is a cul-de-sc down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled.” This somewhat humorous, tongue-in-cheek analogy may have more than a grain of truth for members of…
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A Church for Our Grandchildren
What kind of church will we hand over to our children and grandchildren? The answer will largely depend upon the kind of leaders we train for the church in our time. And chief among those leaders are the pastors who…
Read MoreWhy Do You Sit Where You Do?
“What do you mean, why do we sit where we do?” The group stared blankly at Pastor Mark. “If the sermon was only about interacting with the preacher,” Pastor Mark answered thoughtfully, “you’d all be sitting in the first few…
Read MoreAnd Then the Rules Changed
During the past three decades or so, six societal trends have reshaped many professions in a diverse range of industries. In this relatively short period of time, we have moved from the age of organizations toward the age of networks;…
Read MoreThe Power of Good Questions
I want to look more closely at the basic assumption that questions (inquiry) asked in an appreciative (positive) way have such power to change a community’s practices. I’ll look first at the power of questions, and then I’ll ask whether…
Read MoreCaring about the Conditions of the World
Moses’s father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. Now listen…
Read MoreA Well in the Distance
Reframing Hope is currently the subject of a three part series at Religion in American History. Be sure to read the posts by Seth Dowland, Steven Miller, and the upcoming one on October 4, 2013 by Brantley Gassaway. Hagar stood in the desert with…
Read MoreMethods That Generate Change
In The Handbook of Large Group Methods, Billie and her colleague Barbara Bunker identified fifteen Large Group Methods that had emerged in the previous ten years. They categorized the methods under three headings: those that engage people in creating the future…
Read MoreWhere to Touch the Elephant
The well-known story of the elephant and the blind men has several versions. One version goes like this: a group of blind men touch an elephant to learn what it is like. Each one, though, touches a different part of…
Read MorePicking Leaders with Motivation in Mind
Leadership books rarely include motivational considerations among the suggested criteria for choosing a leadership team for a change initiative. Bill Hybels, for instance, proposes his “three Cs”: character, proven competence, and chemistry.1 John Kotter proposes four key characteristics for good team…
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