LEADER HEALTH
Creating A Healthy Leadership Culture For Women In The Local Church
How To Build A Legacy Of Love
Legacy. A word that we as ministry leaders ponder at times. We ask ourselves things like, “Is what I’m doing making a difference? Does all of this time and energy focused on ministry matter? Will my life’s efforts and sacrifices have eternal value?” I think the questions we should be asking ourselves need to focus…
Why I Think You Shouldn’t Quit
Perhaps you’ve seen it before. A person in a military uniform at the airport. Wheelchair, maimed, missing a limb or an eye. Most people don’t know what to do or how to engage till some brave soul starts clapping. Others join in and, at least for a moment, magic happens. They are a symbol…
6 Ways To Be Smarter About Difficult Conversations
What is the essence of ministry? How do you define it? A definition we’ve come to appreciate at our church goes like this: Ministry is a series of difficult conversations. The easy stuff works itself out. But the entrenched patterns, the destructive habits, the corrosive relationships, those don’t seem to go anywhere. Until there’s a…
10 MORE Things I Would Change
I left my tenure as a local church pastor over three years ago to become the district superintendent of EDA Move. A few weeks back I wrote about some things I would change if I were a pastor again. Now, you’ve heard the statement that goes, “experience is the best teacher.” For the most part,…
4 Ways To Live A Fluid Life
Can I be honest with you? I like routine. I can eat the same meal at the same restaurant every week — enjoying it as though it was my first experience. I strategically set my car keys in the same place every day when I arrive home. I pick up my green tea at the…
Summertime and The Lust Comes Easy
Temperatures climb. Daylight extends. Kids finish school. Families take vacations. And you might even roll up the sleeves as you mow the lawn to work on that tan. Ahh, summertime. Before living in Pennsylvania, I pastored at a church in Tucson, Arizona. We would often joke that Tucson had only two seasons: hot and hotter.…
Peace for the Busy Leader
I’m one of those “Type A” people who loves to be busy and has to be careful that I don’t take on more than I should. One of the reasons I love ministry is that it’s diverse and provides opportunities to interact with people, problem solve and coordinate ministries. I’ve always seen busyness as a…
10 Things I Would Change
It’s been over three years since I left the role of lead pastor and I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on things I did while I was in that role. There are some things I wouldn’t change for anything and there are plenty of others that I wish I could get a do…
4 Ways To Play Left Tackle For Your Senior Pastor
I’ve never quarterbacked an NFL football team, but I’m certain it’s the most difficult position in sports. No other position requires such high levels of decision-making, vision, responsibility, leadership, and talent. Despite the fact there are 52 other players on the roster, 21 other starters, and three aspects of game play (offense, defense, special teams),…
How To Be An Encouragement When You Feel Empty
I think encouragement is something that goes hand in hand with ministry. Inevitably, someone that I am leading in ministry is hurting. It is just a fact of life. We are in a fallen world and there will always be people that are in need of an encouraging word. I heard my husband quote Charles Spurgeon once, “If you…
How To Be A Self-Aware Leader
In the past five years, I seem to have continually been in a place where I needed to be more aware of who I am. Moving across the country, growing my family, and navigating a season of depression has caused me to take a good look at who God is, who I am, and who…
3 Ways To Die Daily As A Leader
I die daily. You should too. When I became a follower of Christ, I held onto these words from the apostle Paul. I didn’t fully understand the context of the verse back then but I understood the idea of the struggle expressed in 1 Corinthians 15:31. I understood that Paul made a daily choice to…
What’s in your cup?
One thing I have noticed recently on social media is pictures of people with cups of “drink” in their hands. I wrestle sometimes with the why. Why are these pictures being posted? Then it makes me think to myself, what am I wanting to display that is in my cup? I think of the old hymn…
A Gospel Resolution
When my wife and I bought our first home, a sturdy red-brick colonial, we set out to make it our own— laboriously scraping off old wallpaper, yanking up some seriously outdated carpet, refinishing long neglected wood floors, and patching and painting the walls in every single room. It was a great house, super solid; it…
The Best Leaders Are The Closest Followers
Everyone – male or female, pastor, children’s worker, youth pastor, executive pastor – whatever leadership role you have, I just wanted to remind you that every Christian leader is first and foremost a Christian follower. Every one of us is called primarily to be WITH Jesus, to follow Jesus, to be disciples before we are…
Kick The Dog
Let’s face it, as much as some of us love the holidays, they are not always easy. As the year winds down and the holiday season winds up, depression and anxiety tend to rise in our society. Things such as the loss of a loved one, financial stress, and other things are felt more acutely…
When your values get pressure tested.
On the continuum of risk averse to risk seeker, I’m a risk taker when it comes to my phone. For years I’ve been carrying around a case-free phone enjoying the smooth, slim design that easily fits in my hand and slides into my pocket. Then, I dropped it in some water and the speaker became…
5 Things Your Number Two Needs From You.
At 33 years-old, I have now spent about half of my life devoted to student ministries. I started serving as a small group leader as a junior in high school, and for the past 16 years, I’ve continued to serve in various capacities within this realm. Not long after I started serving as a small…
The Danger of Being Comfortable “Doing Church”
I don’t remember when I first joined social media, but I did so because several of my college friends had joined and it was a great way to connect with them. We initially reminisced about mission trips, funny times at different churches we ministered at and all of our blooper moments in front of people. It…
How to combat the logic of anger.
We’ve all had a run in with anger. We carry the scars from each infraction, often responding to the personal injustice with harsh words at a high volume, slander, annoyance or avoidance of the person and the problem. The struggle is real. But so is the doctrine of grace. The Logic of Us, Anger and…
5 Ways to Find and Trust The Help You Need
“So, if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once – if I have found favor in Your sight…” Numbers 11:15 How does kill me at once and finding favor in the sight of God go together in the same sentence, or better yet, in the same thought pattern? Well, it…
The Critical Difference Between Solitude and Isolation
“A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment. A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart. “ Proverbs 18:1-2 NKJV I recently read an excellent article by a church planter in NYC. But something very important struck me that had very little to do…
What is humility…really?
I was asked recently to speak at a Leadership Conference on the topic of Humility. So, I figured I’d share with you a few of my thoughts on this illusive requirement of effective leadership. Now, I must admit, I began my talk with the confession that I have yet to corner the market on…
One practice that has life-changing impact.
I remember my first experience at a Christian camp. It was the summer before my 8th grade year. My family had gone through a very tough season, but our saving grace was our church family. Our church was truly a respite for our souls. We were there Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night. And…
Lean in.
He walked into the temple. He walked up to the well. He walked into the house. He walked into the garden. He showed up to the wedding. He walked into the crowd. He washed their feet. Sometimes it’s tempting to keep our distance from the mess, but it’s hard to love people when we are…
3 Ways to Maximize Your Sabbatical
by Peter Johnson You may remember that I took a forced sabbatical due to a slip and fall accident that resulted in several weeks in a dark, quiet room to allow my broken rib and concussion to heal. After a number of medical tests it was confirmed that aside from being clumsy I am pretty healthy. …
You’re not enough. And that’s okay!
Have you ever had one of those days in ministry where you’ve had someone, or multitudes of people, come to you and tell you what the church needs more of… More discipleship. More teaching. More prayer. More evangelism. More peace. More prophecy. More pastoral care. It’s one thing after the next. Everyone is telling you…
More Failure, Please
“I’m just tired of hearing all these success stories. For once I just want to hear somebody get up and say it’s not working.” A pastor friend of mine said that to me when we were talking on the phone one day. I believe we live in the greatest country in the world, but let’s…
7 STEPS TO AVOID BURNOUT
What should a pastor do when feeling tired, burned out, under-appreciated or even under attack? 1. Don’t isolate yourself. Solitude is a spiritual discipline and is healthy. Isolation is not. Make friends with someone not associated with the church. Someone from another church, a friend from seminary days, or even someone in town who is…
WHEN ENVY IS GOOD
I’m sitting in a leadership conference that I needed far worse than I care to admit. I’ve had my heart stirred, my faith encouraged, my mind challenged and my calling clarified. In reference to the last part, my calling, it’s less about being a District Superintendent and more to do with being a leader in the…
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