Can We Learn from Toyota?
My Wesley faculty colleague Jessicah Duckworth called my attention to a National Public Radio story about the mistakes that led to the recall crisis Toyota…
Browsing: Leadership
Articles
Credibility Essential for Leadership
Credibility is the foundation upon which all effective leadership builds. It is the “operating capital” from which leaders draw to advance the vision. There are…
A God Corrected Vision
“Where there is no vision, the people will perish,” Proverbs reminds us. Vision is one of the five human senses, but is also one of…
The Wisdom of Ants
I was struck recently by an article that begins with a statement about ants by Stanford biologist Deborah Gordon. “Ants aren’t smart,” she wrote in…
Facing Our Losses, Finding Our Future
Church leadership literature often seems lacking in psychological depth. It feels Machiavellian in its world view and behaviorist in its focus, particularly if your seminary…
Leading with Energy, Intelligence, Imagination, and Love
Will you seek to serve the people with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love? This question is asked in the service of ordination and installation of…
Rewarding Leadership
How do congregations celebrate persons who point toward the achievement of the congregation’s mission? And how do these celebrations occur consistently and frequently, rather than…
Tell Me About a Time
As I sat tapping on my computer keyboard in a Midwestern Starbucks, an unexpected event unfolded nearby. A manager sporting a green apron sat down…
Do Our Assumptions Still Fit?
Peter Drucker maintains that organizational problems are not the result of groups doing things poorly or even doing the wrong things. Organizations fail, he contends,…
Becoming a Tribe of Remembering Encouragers
Just as the congregation of Israel was composed of twelve tribes, today’s churches have different voices that are heard in their communities of faith. Transformational…
Reintroducing the Language of Sacrifice
I have never been an enthusiastic fan of the word “sacrifice” because so few church members in this culture understand or appreciate the term or…
Affirming and Improving Clergy Effectiveness
Clergy effectiveness is on the mind of virtually every denominational leader today. Indeed, many judicatories have initiatives underway to define, assess, and improve clergy effectiveness.…
New Tool to Help Clergy Get Feedback
The Lewis Center has worked with hundreds of clergy, and we know that clergy want to improve. But often they do not feel they have…
Discerning Clues for the Future
What do leaders do? Pastors are leaders, and one of the important tasks of leaders is discerning clues for the future to which God is…
The Importance of Clergy Mentoring
The early years of ministry are often beset with predictable anxieties and questions. Even with the best of seminary training, new pastors quickly discover that…
Clergy Mentor Resources Available
Research and experience both point to the importance of clergy mentoring, particularly in helping those in the early years of ministry. But clergy mentors indicate…
What to Expect from a Coach
1. Coaching is not counseling or consulting. There is a time for counseling about life issues you are facing. There is also a time for…
The Coach Approach to Ministry
A seismic shift is coming in the way pastors lead congregations — toward a way of leading that is highly relational, deeply intentional, and always…
Know Your Purpose
When Rabbi Noah, Rabbi Mordecai’s son, assumed the succession after his father’s death, his disciples noticed that there were a number of ways in which…
Preaching in the Small Membership Church
Lew Parks’s newest book is ostensibly a preaching primer with good, solid advice on some of the basics, such as selecting a good biblical translation…
Do Male and Female Pastors Lead Differently?
What do we know about the differences between men and women serving as lead pastors of large congregations? Not enough. But we do know more…
Authenticity in Leadership
When I walk into a church, I can tell almost immediately if the leader is authentic, transparent, and warm. If so, the entire congregation exudes…
All Things New
As I was driving back to my office after taking my husband to the airport, I was a little worried because he was flying on…
Congregational Integrity
We rightfully expect personal integrity in our leaders. Should we not also ask whether our congregation has integrity? The behavior of organizations is as important…
Clergy Health — A Mixed Portrait
Studies of clergy beginning in the 1700s consistently found that clergy lived longer than other professionals. But by the middle of the twentieth century something…
Outliers: The Story of Success
Have you ever wondered why some people are extraordinarily successful? How do some people overcome insurmountable odds and reach an elite level in their fields?…
Evidence of Fruitfulness
When congregations live in Christ and for Christ and through Christ, something happens: fruitfulness. The expectation of fruitfulness begins in the first chapter of Genesis…
Fruitful Ministry Includes Harvesting
I am convinced that we in the church do not understand the concept of harvesting. I can’t begin to count the times I have heard…
Communication Strategies for Addressing Conflict
Whenever I work with churches that are experiencing serious conflict, especially those that have reached the point of impasse, communication issues commonly emerge. Regularly, parishioners…
The Transformative Power of Listening
Religious leaders are often socialized to be better at speaking than at listening. It is understandable that preachers want to preach, teach, and lead with…
