People Support What They Help to Create
David McAllister-Wilson describes how a style of leadership that engages others not only engenders support and buy-in but also promotes better decision making and more…
Browsing: Leadership Best Practices
Articles
Clear Vision, Values, and Hope are Essential Leadership Tools
Do the challenges of a global pandemic and extreme polarization seem insurmountable? Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe Jr. interviews Retired Major General Randy Manner…
5 Signs I Need to Put on My Desk
Often the best way a leader can improve things is to focus on his or her own actions and behaviors. Carey Nieuwhof outlines five simple…
5 Steps to Resume Ministries beyond Worship in Fruitful Ways
Lovett Weems says that churches should be deliberate and careful in making plans to resume ministries disrupted by the pandemic. The restart of youth ministry,…
Leaders Don’t Need All the Answers
Clay Scroggins writes that authentic leaders are comfortable letting others know they don’t have all the answers. Maximizing your influence requires that you resist the…
Cultivating Good Questions
Eileen Campbell-Reed explains why cultivating good questions is a key skill for ministry leaders. She outlines three types of questions essential to building understanding and…
What Can Churches and Businesses Learn from Each Other?
What can churches, nonprofits, and businesses learn from one another? Lewis Center Director Doug Powe interviews Randy Casey-Rutland, a theologically educated business executive, who shares…
Episode 82: “What Can Churches and Businesses Learn from Each Other?” featuring Randy Casey-Rutland
What can churches, nonprofits, and businesses learn from one another? Randy Casey-Rutland, a theologically educated business executive, shares insights about what the church can learn from the business world and vice versa.
The Art of Forging a Meaningful Consensus
Ann Michel of the Lewis Center staff says that unanimity is not required for a group to move forward. Good leaders drive consensus by extracting…
10 Ways to Cultivate a Creative Culture
How can you cultivate a creative spirit that will carry your ministry beyond the pandemic? Phil Cooke describes 10 ways to nurture a culture that…
Now is the Time for Risk-Taking Leadership
During the pandemic, many leaders were concerned primarily with avoiding risk. Bill Wilson says we are now entering a time in the life of the…
Failing Creatively
Eileen Campbell-Reed explains how failure is an essential step on the path to mastering the art of ministry leadership. New leaders need to give themselves…
What Excuse Do You Have for Not Delegating More?
Mike Bonem says that the simple solution to ministry leaders feeling overloaded and overwhelmed is to delegate more. Our most common excuses for failing to…
5 Rules for Engaging Taboo Subjects in Churches
Are certain topics off limits in your church? If so, people may feel their real-life problems and concerns simply aren’t welcome in the church. Elizabeth…
Leaders Help God’s People Take the Next Faithful Step
Scott Cormode says you can’t approach complex leadership challenges with a preformulated, step-by-step plan. When facing complex and unpredictable challenges, a Christian leader’s responsibility is…
6 Ways Leaders Can Renew Their Hope and Strength
Today’s challenges require courage. Tom Berlin reminds us that hope is the wellspring of courage for Christians. And he outlines six practices that can rekindle…
How to Stay Focused on Your Mission
Barry Winders says having a mission statement isn’t enough to keep your church focused and fruitful. Churches need to develop a mission filter — a…
Leading with Imperfect Knowledge
Leaders today are faced with the challenge of deciding how to move forward with imperfect knowledge. Lewis Center Director Doug Powe says leaders must risk…
5 Ground Rules for Candid Conversations
Tom Berlin says that candid conversation takes courage. But it also requires kindness and compassion. He suggests five practices for approaching difficult conversations with openness,…
Conquering the Challenges of Change
Why are churches so resistant to meaningful change? And what processes can help churches be more agile and innovative? Ann Michel of the Lewis Center…
When Is the Right Time for Strategic Planning?
Susan Beaumont says strategic plans are meant to guide stable organizations through long periods of adaptation. In seasons of disruption and disorientation, other leadership approaches…
Episode 71: “Recalibrating the Church” featuring Scott Cormode
Why is change so difficult for churches? In this episode we speak with Scott Cormode about how church leaders can break free of common myths that cloud our thinking about change and how to embrace processes that sow the seeds of meaningful innovation.
5 Simple Ways to Grow New Leaders
Ann Michel of the Lewis Center suggests ways churches can breathe life into stagnant leadership structures by employing simple organic approaches to leadership development. The…
Effective Leaders Know When to Take Risks and When to Exercise Restraint
Larry Buxton says some leaders are naturally risk-inclined, others risk-adverse. In a recent book on the leadership of King David, he suggests that effective leaders…
4 Ways to Measure if Your Ministry Is Working
In changing times standard measures of a congregation’s health may not tell the whole story. Naomi Annandale suggests a need to expand and adjust our…
Top Leading Ideas Articles of 2020
Each December we take a look at the most popular Leading Ideas articles of the year and give our readers a second chance to glean…
What Does Strong Leadership Look Like?
A strong leader is often defined as one who uses authority to gain influence and advantage. John Matthews, Kristina Gutiérrez, and Ross Peterson point to…
12 Practices to Cultivate Humble Leadership
The best leaders understand the importance of humble servanthood. But what practical measures can a leader take to demonstrate genuine humility? David Horner offers 12…
Leading Like Moses: 4 Ways to Know What to Delegate
Micah Fries and Jeremy Maxfield say that delegation is a critical skill that improves a leader’s focus, multiplies impact, and develops the capacity of others.…
8 Factors that Make You a More Influential Leader
A leader needs influence to move a community in the right direction. Eight key factors can help you gain and keep influence writes F. Douglas…