Leadership is both a skill and an art; it is about both heart and mind. I call these two aspects of leadership the “what” and the “who” of leadership. It is as these come together, as we grow in both…
Read MoreThe "What" and the "Who" of Leadership
Leadership is both a skill and an art; it is about both heart and mind. I call these two aspects of leadership the “what” and the “who” of leadership. It is as these come together, as we grow in both…
Read MoreThe Messy Work of Renewal
If you’ve ever remodeled a house while attempting to live in it, you have a sense of the chaos and complexity of congregational renewal. It will take far longer, cost you more, and prove messier than you ever imagined at…
Read MoreCelebrating Successes
If you are like many spiritual leaders, your ministry may feel like an endless to-do list. You may work through your days always thinking, “So what’s next on the agenda?” You preach a great sermon on Sunday and then wake…
Read MoreMinistering to the Soul of a Community
Congregations are born from a generative spark of interaction between stories of faith and stories of place. Some person or group looks out on a particular landscape and says, “There should be a church—or there should be a congregation of…
Read MoreRedeeming Church Scutwork
“Sorry, I can’t go. I’m snowed under. ‘Scutwork,’ you know,” a fellow pastor told me when I invited him to lunch. He said he had people to call before the session meeting, letters to write to the stewardship campaign leaders,…
Read MoreMyths about Communicating Congregational Identity
Conveying a congregation’s identity and values clearly and through a variety of means of communication will help the congregation connect to the community around it. At the same time, clear expressions of values and identity will also have a deep…
Read MoreHope: A Matter of Choice
There is a movement arising and gaining momentum that is without precedent in human history, a movement grounded in hope. I believe we are graced with the opportunity and challenge to live the most significant and meaningful lives ever lived…
Read MoreGiving Up on Finding Christian Community?
In a culture where individuality, self-reliance, and self-confidence are so prized and where disillusionment with the Bible or established religion have pushed so many out on their own, a special word about our need for one another and Christian community…
Read MoreCreating Something Beautiful for God
Mother Teresa of Calcutta once noted that the aim of her often messy and challenging work with dying and forgotten persons was simply to do “something beautiful for God.” Today, in the midst of the ever-changing demands of twenty-first-century ministry,…
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