Look for Options, Not Solutions
Leaders are constantly faced with problems. They engage such challenges with energy because they know that these issues represent what stands between their current reality…
Author
Lovett H. Weems Jr.
Lovett H. Weems Jr. is senior consultant at the Lewis Center for Church Leadership, distinguished professor of church leadership emeritus at Wesley Theological Seminary, and author of several books on leadership.
Are You Glad When Passing the Peace Ends?
I once had a friend who attended church regularly with his wife, but he would wait in the narthex until after the “passing of the…
Leaders Learn from Their Failures
The Super Bowl in January had the highest viewing audience ever — a record of over 114 million. Those who attended the first Super Bowl…
Could Your Church Have Developed WD-40®?
The church today requires innovation, not improvement. Making things better through improvements is always welcomed, but we are past the time when merely improving what…
Pay Attention to People Who Stay
Mobility has been an historic characteristic of people in the United States. Mobility, opportunity and adventure have tended to go together. There was the massive…
The Emergence of “Dones”
A friend alerted me to a blog by Thom Schultz, founder of Group Publishing, on “The Rise of the Dones.” At first I thought there…
Removing Obstacles to Giving
Sometimes churches have financial systems designed for the convenience of those receiving the contributions rather than for those who are giving. When you design and…
Leaders Listen
National news recently quoted a speech by a Microsoft executive who said women should trust the “system” to take care of their pay raises. Previously,…
High Yield: Seven Disciplines of the Fruitful Leader
Whether by training or intuition, fruitful leaders develop a set of practices that serve them well and bear much fruit. These practices often become second…
What’s Your Church’s “Ladder”?
When people think of your church, what comes to mind? Is your church seen as similar to other churches? Different? How would church members answer…
Use Trial Periods for New Ideas
Lovett H. Weems Jr. says using a trial period to launch new ideas is a non-threatening approach. Trial periods also encourage feedback and engagement in…
Trend toward Older Clergy Continues in 2014
For the past ten years, the Lewis Center in partnership with the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits has reported annually on Clergy Age…
Models for Budget Building
Churches use a variety of budget building models. No one model or combination of models is right for every church. What approach might best fit…
Why Community Engagement Matters
This five-minute video by Lewis Center Director Lovett H. Weems, Jr., provides an overview of the importance of community engagement to the church. Download this…
Learning to Fail Fast
While reading recent studies in leadership development trends, I was reminded of Paul’s call in Romans to be “transformed by the renewal of your minds.”…
Learning from Growing Churches in England
The Church of England set out to learn from the 18 percent of their churches that grew in the decade up to 2010. A study…
Leadership Lessons from The Salvation Army
For most of us, The Salvation Army has been an icon of service throughout our lives. The inner workings of the Army are unknown to…
Social Media and Pastoral Moves
What should pastors do about their social media relationships when they move from one pastoral assignment to another? Do you “unfriend” all former members on…
Lovett Weems Briefly Reviews Three Books of Interest to Church Leaders
Rebuilt: Awakening the Faithful, Reaching the Lost, Making Church Matter by Michael White and Tom Corcoran, Ave Maria Press, 2013. This book will surprise…
Old Habits Die Hard
I grew up working with my parents in our country grocery store. Those were days before the advent of large drug stores with hundreds of…
Nelson Mandela — A Leader for His Time
Late last year, the world paid tribute to the remarkable life of Nelson Mandela. Some said there had been nothing like it since the death…
Leadership is Always about Others
There are many, many things about leadership that we do not know. However, there are a few truths about which we can be sure. One…
Reaching More People during Advent
Advent is a prime season with rich potential for engaging church members and new people. There is arguably no time in the year when people…
Encouraging Personal Devotion during Advent
December is a time when people are looking for experiences to share with friends and families. Church leaders can plan in advance to offer events…
Overflow: Increase Worship Attendance & Bear More Fruit
Worship attendance matters. Learn how to improve it, so that your congregation bears more fruit. Our churches exist to glorify God and to share God…
Percentage of Older Clergy Reaches Record High
The Lewis Center for Church Leadership today released the 2013 version of its annual report on Clergy Age Trends in the United Methodist Church. The report…
Dreams Take Leadership…and Time
Will Campbell died earlier this summer. He was known as an eccentric Baptist preacher who fought fiercely for justice but was never comfortable with the…
Why Giving Matters and Clues for Improving It
To encourage the spiritual gift of giving, this eight-minute video by Lewis Center Director Lovett H. Weems, Jr., provides an overview of the importance of…
Remember the “Light of Day” Test
A controversy arose recently over the Rolling Stone magazine cover featuring Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in a Bob Dylan-like photo. Although the issue included…
A Little Criticism Goes a Long Way
Leaders must have feedback to grow. Those who become exemplary leaders start out much like others. What causes them to grow into stellar leaders is…