- Published on
4 Possible Reasons Some Pastors Struggle Financially
Of the more than 700 pastors’ spouses surveyed in a recent LifeWay research project, more than half expressed that their income from the church is insufficient, and Read more →
- Published on
Jesus Was an Accessible Leader—Are You?
And then there’s the time my bad hearing caused three bruises on my arm. I was standing in front of a judge, trying to talk my way out of a speeding ticket. At the very end of the conversation, the judge said something, but I couldn’t understand her....
- Published on
6 High-Yield New Year’s Resolutions Every Leader Should Make
- Published on
3 Common Mistakes Pastors Make at Christmas
Other than Holy Week, the time from Thanksgiving to Christmas is easily one of the busiest times of the year for church leaders. During this season, there is pressure to engage visitors, serve the community and coordinate special services—all on top...
- Published on
Could a Lean Ministry Model Revitalize the Church?
No one local church can do every ministry. The question then becomes which ministries and how many? How do you decide? How many is too many?
It’s like a local church to continue to add ministries. It is also like a loc...- Published on
3 Reasons Leaders Must Excel at Prioritization
It has been said that management insists on doing things right and leadership insists on doing the right things. While not a fully accurate or helpful statement, as it paints a false dichotomy between leadership and management, it is a common cliché...
- Published on
3 Signs You Love Ministry More Than God
Ministry is thrilling. Yes, there are deep and painful challenges, but we get to see the Lord change people’s lives. Ministry allows us to enjoy a front row seat to people grasping the gospel, to people being sent out on mission and to the beauty of...
- Published on
Emotionally Intelligent Responses to Critics
So you signed up for leadership, but you didn’t really sign up for all the criticism that came with it, did you?
And yet here you are.
Criticism is an almost daily staple for most leaders. You get everything from side comments, to direct challe...
- Published on
Influence or Interference?
We work hard and play hard on the 12Stone team. We laugh easy and consider sarcasm a spiritual gift. Diane Heller, our senior pastor’s executive assistant, and I were kidding around one day and she said to me, “Hey Dan, get out of the details!” I vol...
- Published on
5 Ways to Lead Well During The Holidays
It’s hard to believe it, but the holidays are here (I’m pretty sure you realized that by now!). This can be a wonderful time of year...or it can be a complete nightmare. How do we, as Children’s Ministry Leaders, maximize the season and lead well? I’...
- Published on
3 Traits of Servant-Hearted Leaders
One of my favorite and most important meetings is a monthly meeting at LifeWay for “emerging leaders.” Those in the meeting are invited to be in the group for a year. People on my leadership team help identify who should be invited, and we gather 12...
- Published on
Disorganization Is Holding Back Your Team
One does not need to be overly gifted in administration to be a leader. Many have made the case that leadership and management are different from one another. Joseph Rost, in his work Leadership for the 21st Century, argues that both leaders...
- Published on
Two Things An Employee Can’t Live Without
There are plenty of reasons to leave a job, and I’m often asked my opinion about that issue based on what some people are facing at work. It might be abusive leaders, incompetence, a lack of trust, or simply a toxic atmosphere...
- Published on
10 Unique Struggles of the Modern Pastor
I can’t tell pastors today how difficult it was when I was a pastor.
To the contrary, I have to be honest and tell them it is more difficult now.
All three of my sons went into vocational ministry after serving in the business world. One of the...
- Published on
7 Specific Suggestions for Dealing With Stress in Life and Leadership
Stress is very much a part of life. Having traveled to many cultures, however, I think we may sometimes “specialize” in stress in America. It almost seems we look for ways to bring more stress in our life.
Yesterday, I shared some general ways to...