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Honoring the Context of a New Ministry Setting
Lovett H. Weems Jr. says incoming pastors tend to see everything through the lens of their own experience, vision, and interests, rather than learning how…
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Lovett H. Weems Jr. says incoming pastors tend to see everything through the lens of their own experience, vision, and interests, rather than learning how…
How can church leaders confront the fear that prevents congregations from dealing with controversial issues or taking necessary risks? Adam Hamilton, pastor of the United…
Why does fear so often prevent leaders and congregations from taking action? Listen as Lewis Center Associate Director Ann Michel speaks with Rev. Adam Hamilton, author of the new book Unafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times, about how people of faith can move beyond the paralysis of fear.
Mike Bonem says a sense of urgency is necessary to propel change, but that urgency need not come from a negative sense of doom and…
Former Wesley Theological Seminary Dean L. Harold DeWolf, who was Martin Luther King’s dissertation director at Boston University, delivered this tribute at King’s funeral on April…
Lovett H. Weems, Jr., explains that in these times, when church leaders can rely less on structure and hierarchy to undergird their authority, accountability flows…
Lovett H. Weems, Jr., founding director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership, recently shared leadership ideas particularly influential in his own ministry. His top…
Lovett H. Weems, Jr., delivered these remarks to a gathering celebrating his tenure as founding director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership. The event…
Lovett H. Weems, Jr., writes that congregations all start not for themselves, but to serve other people. But with the passage of time, they tend…
Olu Brown, founding pastor of the fast-growing Impact Church in Atlanta, says that difficult conversations just come with the territory if you are a leader.…
Lovett H. Weems, Jr., explains how the four cornerstones of effective church leadership — vision, team, culture, and integrity — are all essential when leading…
Healthy churches know why they do what they do, says pastor and author Graham Standish. When what we do is based on a clear why,…
Effective leaders are good communicators, according to Lovett H. Weems, Jr. They understand the importance of all forms of communication and that communication is always…
Lovett H. Weems Jr., explains why leaders need to affirm the positive and assume the best of others — even when things aren’t what they ultimately…
Every ministry has a lifespan, according to pastor and author Graham Standish. When a church forces dying ministries to stay alive, it prevents new ministries…
Lovett H. Weems, Jr., says that churches often invest a great deal of energy in activities without ever asking how they relate to what God…
Lee Kricher, pastor of Amplify Church in Pittsburgh, says every church has things that distract members and visitors from the church’s mission. He writes that…
Lovett H. Weems, Jr., explains that God’s leaders always live in the tension between memory of the past and hope for the future. Effective leaders draw…
Lovett H. Weems, Jr., writes that effective leaders are never free from problems. In fact, as they make progress, they are likely to confront more…
Lovett H. Weems, Jr., discusses the importance of leaders having a mature, self-aware understanding of themselves. He writes that in order to achieve a healthy…
Reflecting on the forced resignation of a mega-church pastor in South Carolina, Roger Lovette says serious problems follow any time a church is built around…
David Brubaker says that while every congregation is a political system, political activity doesn’t need to be manipulative, polarizing or demeaning. He outlines four requirements…
Lovett H. Weems, Jr., outlines a simple planning process that churches can use to identify issues and concerns and develop realistic plans to address them. Key…
Leaders are culture creators, writes Ryan Stigile. Their words, actions, and decisions reinforce community values. When the culture of an organization conforms to its values,…
Roger Ross, author of the book Meet the Goodpeople, looks to the Wesleyan Revival for examples of effective ways of sharing faith. He says seven…
Dale Bumpers was a very public leader for most of his adult life — as governor of Arkansas for two terms and then United States…
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…
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…
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…
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…
This article is reprinted by permission from Leading Ideas, a free e-newsletter from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary available at churchleadership.com.