How Incoming Pastors Can Navigate the Changeover Zone
In a relay race, the two runners exchanging the baton run in tandem in their changeover zone lane of 20 meters. For most runners, this…
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Passing the Baton to Your Pastoral Successor
In a relay race, there is an “incoming” and an “outgoing” runner. At different times, and in different races, runners must play either part. So…
Freeing Laity for Ministry
How many members does your church have? Do you tend to think first of what those members need (hospital visits, sermons, childcare, parking, Bible studies,…
11 Characteristics of Effective Smaller Churches
What are the qualities of effective smaller churches? David Ray explores eleven key qualities of dynamic and faithful smaller churches that he observed across 21…
Launching Sustainable Ministries
What do you do when someone in your church presents an idea for a new program or ministry? New initiatives can be empowering and energizing.…
Becoming a Leader Who Says Yes!
During my tenth year as pastor of a large multi-staff church, the laity offered me a twelve-week study leave for rest, renewal, and learning. I…
Next Sunday is Not a Presidential Primary
Following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, a remarkable focus emerged among churches. We know there were instances of…
Next Generation Leaders
At an event I was approached by a well-dressed older woman who said, “We are willing to do whatever it takes to get the next…
Speak More Effectively by Asking Three Questions
Perhaps the most important component to giving an effective speech is asking the right questions. There are three very simple questions your talk, speech, or…
Quiet Leadership by Public Leaders
Dale Bumpers was a very public leader for most of his adult life — as governor of Arkansas for two terms and then United States…
Reclaiming Conversation
One of the most profound and disturbing books I’ve read recently is Sherry Turkle’s Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age (Penguin…
More Than a Nonanxious Presence
When I came to my first local church appointment in California from the East Coast, about the only thing I had been told about the…
Collective Genius
Much conventional wisdom about leadership has assumed a sole visionary providing primary leadership for a group. The temptation, likewise, is to think that the answer…
Does Everyone in a Church Need to Know Everything?
Every congregation has a set of expectations, mostly unspoken and never completely identified, about making decisions. And sometimes, these expectations are unhelpful. One such unhelpful…
Is Your Church Driven by a Shadow Mission?
Some congregations adopt purpose statements that are widely known and frequently repeated, such as “Connected with God, Growing in Faith, Serving with Love,” or “Honoring…
Trust is Results Driven
There is nothing more corrosive to the life of a congregation than an underlying absence of trust that may manifest itself as congregants not having…
Cultivating a Feedback-Friendly Congregation
Think of a time when good feedback or a helpful suggestion made a big difference for you or for your church. Think about what you…
Bringing about Systemic Change through Social Entrepreneurship
I believe that an understanding of the concepts of social entrepreneurship is critical for church leaders who seek to effect real, sustainable change and address…
Right Questions for Church Leaders
Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions. These two sentences introduce “The Right Question,” one of the most popular features in…
Learn from the Stupid Things You Do
It was a stupid thing to do. Returning to my hotel room at the end of the first day of a conference, I could not…
Some Practices to Improve the Use of Your Time
Everyone can improve how productively they use their time each day. It isn’t necessarily a matter of working harder or having the most items on…
How to Communicate Change
Three years ago I was hired for my dream job: communications director for a large church. I came with more than 20 years of experience…
Navigating Shifting and Competing Values
When I have done strategic planning with congregations of older members, it is common to hear their values expressed as family, community, and faith. But…
What is “Adjacent Possible”? Can It Benefit Your Church?
Business scholar Rosabeth Moss Kanter has completed a two-year study of the nation’s infrastructure with a special focus on its transportation systems. Many of these…
Leadership Lived: Clementa Pinckney and Open Doors
As soon as I saw the television images of Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Charleston on the early morning news, my heart…
The Failure-Tolerant Leader
In tennis, players usually give their maximum effort on the first serve, knowing that if they fault on that one, they will have another opportunity.…
Assertive and Humble Leadership
Columnist E. J. Dionne, Jr., reported on Senator Chris Coons of Delaware speaking to the Secular Coalition of America (“A Senator’s Faith — and Humility,”…
How to Make a Good Entrance
About this time each year, many clergy prepare to begin new work in new places with new people. Some of it will feel familiar. Some…
Starbucks, Communion, and Race Conversations
Many of us were skeptical and even downright hostile when Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, initiated the idea of “Race Together” to promote conversations…
Commencement Season Lessons for All Leaders
Next Monday is Commencement for Wesley Theological Seminary of which the Lewis Center for Church Leadership is an integral part. Commencements are happy and glorious…
