A Different Christmas Eve
One September day twenty-two years ago, I was sitting in a Chipotle with my wife Anita and suddenly declared: “I can’t do another...
top of page
elementals: quick reads to sharpen your leadership edge.
To receive elementals weekly, subscribe here. To download indepth leadership development booklets for discussions with your teams, click here. Yep, they're free.
Search
Oct 25, 20222 min read
Do You Have “Missional Integrity”?
The present love affair with corporate mission statements must be more than a framed eight-by-twelve well-wordsmithed paragraph hung on a...
Aug 24, 20223 min read
The Problem With Traditionalism
The owner of a Chevron station in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle got tired of plastering advertising deals on his sign. Instead,...
May 10, 20223 min read
Is Faith Really a “Private Matter”?
In a recent survey of self-identified Christians sponsored by the Barna Group and Navigators, an interesting trend was observed as it...
Mar 14, 20223 min read
Is Your Church Accessible?
Last week in a coaching session with a young pastor, we talked through some challenging decisions to make in her church as she’s about to...
Feb 15, 20223 min read
Reconstruction After Deconstruction
One of the more sobering passages for me in the New Testament is the story of John the baptizer’s painful deconstruction. Please apply...
Jan 31, 20222 min read
The Problem With Meetings
The most generalized common complaint I hear about church operations from staff and pastors is: “I hate meetings.” Especially those who...
Jan 10, 20223 min read
Top 5 Things Pastors Should Stop Pretending To Be
I believe that a pastor’s main duty is making sure the mission of the local church is carried out, which is primarily guiding...
Nov 16, 20212 min read
Are You A “Quadrant Dweller”?
Many years ago a fellow pastor introduced me to a graphic that was helpful for a wider view of the Church. He had adapted a construct...
Oct 27, 20212 min read
Jesus and The Really Big Idea
One day while working in Ephesus, the apostle Paul dictated a letter to a terrifically dysfunctional church he had founded earlier. In it...
Aug 17, 20212 min read
Tidy Church Litter
The church has always struggled with the tension between evangelism and holiness. I have friends who say when it comes to evangelism,...
Apr 27, 20213 min read
Fortress or Force?
Depending on your church background and life experience, you might see the Church as either a Fortress or a Force. For instance, if you...
Oct 25, 20202 min read
Circumstances and Leadership
This whacked-out 2020 year is a case study in how circumstances can upend organizations and their leaders: how they function, how they...
Sep 1, 20202 min read
The Outward-Focused Problem
I recently spoke at a friend’s church and mentioned that I believe Jesus teaches that we become more whole, more joyous, more fulfilled,...
Mar 31, 20203 min read
Who Is Adjusting Your Vision?
Managing Change...and Your Personal Vision To say the Covid-19 pandemic has changed our lives is the understatement of the year. Managing...
Sep 2, 20192 min read
Needed: Organizational Explosives!
So what do you need to blow up in order to move forward? On a recent trip, I took a jaw-dropping train ride from Skagway, Alaska into the...
Jun 17, 20192 min read
3 Biggest Misses in Strategic Planning
So you've finally gone through the process of developing a 12-to-18 month strategic plan with your leadership team. But do you know what...
Jun 14, 20192 min read
4 Stages of Organizational Focus
A Different Organizational Focus Is Critical As Your Church Grows Many of the churches we work with struggle with systems. The leaders...
bottom of page