I can’t help but think of the church as I’m reading Leading at a Higher Level by Ken Blanchard. The stories of turning customers into “raving fans” are inspiring and powerful. I understand that the church is a unique, supernatural institution and that God’s Spirit can work in mighty ways even in our lack of … Read more
There’s not only a mandate for the church to grow, there is a natural desire for most churches and church leaders to want to grow. There are some people who run around saying, “it’s not about numbers”, and in one sense it’s true. In another sense, everyone is about numbers – because it indicates people, … Read more
Our staff took a retreat last week. The purpose of the retreat was for some vision casting and a little planning, but mostly for group connection and time apart. Due to constraints of some part-time staff and other schedules, we scheduled a one day event. The payoff was immediate and big. More community, stronger commitment, … Read more
Leaders are developed most naturally through these three means: Relationship – Leadership quality people have almost always had a solid relationship with someone who mentored and showed them the way. Whether it was a family member, a parent or other significant person, a relationship is at the core of a leader’s effectiveness. If you love … Read more
Every weekend at our church, we serve a variety of coffees, fruits, juice and doughnuts. The donuts come from one place and are picked up by a church member every Sunday morning. But since people seem to like the donut holes from another place a little better, someone else goes to get those. As they go to … Read more
“A person does what he enjoys doing, not necessarily what a job description says, so find the person who enjoys doing what you need done.” When hiring church staff, pinpoint with laser focus what you need to have done. Write it down to clarify it. Prune it to be realistic. Then, you begin the work of … Read more
In the call of leaders to ministry, God always has his people in mind. Great pastoral leadership isn’t the end product, but an aspect of God working in the hearts and lives of his people through his people. I was reading from 1 Peter 5:2 and was struck by the explicit instructions for pastors and elders of … Read more
I once invited a worship leader from a huge church (over 10,000 people in attendance) to speak at our church. I named the seminar, “Thinking Like a Big Church” which I thought would be motivating to church leaders in our area. When I mentioned the title to the large church worship leader he began to … Read more
If one customer has a bad experience, they will tell 11 people who will in turn tell 5 others. On the other side, if a customer has a positive experience, they will tell about 6 people who in turn tell 4. It’s a sad truth. It’s much easier to spread the word about the bad … Read more
We just recently renumbered all the of the rooms at our church. We are still waiting for signs to arrive, but for now, at least we are on the road toward less confusing locations around the building. I’ve been a part of this church, in one way or another, since high school days. I’m now … Read more