Category: Church Leadership
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Rewarding Students for Thinking
If I narrowed the learnings from Soul Searching & Sticky Faith into one axiom that has to impact how I raise my kids and how I teach students, it would be this: It’s more important to teach students how to think than anything else. For decades, the educational assumption of curriculum, teaching, and many kids/youth programs…
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Focus and the worship service
We use lights, microphones, seating, and position to focus attention towards the platform during a worship service. People who are attending the service may come with a million words to say, a lot of things on their hearts, and a lot of individual motives… but those putting on the service easily gain control and retain…
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How to Disembark from the S.S. Fantasia
Delay is the deadliest form of denial. ~ C. Northcote Parkinson Have you ever talked to someone and wondered… is this person living on the same planet that I am? This is a bizarre cultural phenomenon all too common among church leaders. Their day-to-day life, ministry, and sadly ministry aspirations are not based on reality…
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5 Things Church Communicators Can Learn from Michelle Obama’s DNC Speech
I don’t know if you watched Michelle Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention live or not. I wasn’t planning to watch it but kind of got sucked in during the speech by the mayor of San Antonio. If you haven’t seen it, allow me to encourage you to watch it above. What I saw…
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The problem with being cutting edge
If you’re at the cutting edge, then you’re going to bleed. ~ Nancy Andreasen I guess they don’t call it the bleeding edge for nothing. Here’s my thought about the dangers of being cutting edge… The biggest growth happens for those people and organizations willing to take risks. I’d rather be innovative than a copycat.…
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Outsmarting Your Opponent
Rocky Long is crazy. Yesterday, he told reporters that as head coach of the San Diego State football team he is planning on always onside kicking and always going for it on 4th down. Rocky Long is genius. By telling his opponents he is not going to traditionally kick the ball off and not planning…
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3 Things I’m Wondering About What Church Leaders Believe
Yesterday, Kristen and I went to the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit. It’s an event I’ve always loved… I’ve gone 3-4 times in the past decade and the years that I couldn’t make it I always wanted to. Looking back, it’s an event where I always learn a lot. I’m probably a lot like you.…
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Leading without Anger
It’s hard to imagine what was going through Joseph’s mind. For 40 years he imagined this moment — He saw his brothers. (Reread Genesis 42, it’s fascinating.) When he was just a teenager these brothers staged his death, sold him to some travelers as a slave, and lied to their father about his disappearance. For 40 years his…
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Why big churches get bigger
It’s been about a year since our family started attending Journey Community Church in La Mesa. For the past decade or so we had been small church people. Most of the congregations we’ve been a part of (and worked at) were a couple hundred people. But, for a number of reasons, we started attending at…
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GIVEAWAY: Love is an Orientation DVD by Andrew Marin
What it is… Love is an Orientation DVD is a video curriculum based on The Marin Foundation’s ground breaking work in the LGBTQ community. The byline is, “Practical ways to build bridges with the Gay Community.” I’ve heard amazing things from adult small groups and church leadership teams who have worked through this content together.…