In the first post in this series, Lessons From Paul, we alluded to that church leaders need to have good self-awareness to lead through uncertain times. No doubt self awareness is important in leading, at any time. You can read the first post here. It is that much more important in times of crisis. While other lessons from Paul (as in that apostle) are applicable at any time, they are more important in uncertain times. Leverage tech. That’s the lesson from Paul we cover in this post.
[Read more…] about Leading In Uncertain Times. Lessons From Paul: Leverage TechWhy Data Matters In Church Life
Since the dawning of time data has mattered. Knowing which way the herds of buffalo would go each year, when is a good time to plant crops, who has the best score on Motorsport Manager (my favourite iOS game) all point to an undeniable fact, data matters. That aside, why data matters in church life makes for an important conversation.
I’ve personally come to this realisation over some time. My early training in marketing definitely helped! However when I took on running children’s ministry, youth groups, helping with my church’s admin and eventually running a non profit the importance of good and accurate data that helped us to make decisions came to the fore.
[Read more…] about Why Data Matters In Church LifeLeading In Uncertain Times: Learning From Paul – Leader
It seems every blog post, speech or communication starts with, “In these uncertain times…” or something similar. This is because there’s an undeniable, shared reality. I can’t remember a time in my life, so far, where the world has had a shared unpleasant experience as this. As a result, I’ve been thinking about how leaders of the early Church led through crisis. I wondered if there were lessons for today’s church from Paul on leading in uncertain times.
[Read more…] about Leading In Uncertain Times: Learning From Paul – LeaderBeyond Numbers Part 2: Authentic Connection
In this post in the series, “Beyond Numbers” we look at individualization for authentic connection. How much junk mail do you throw away each week? I counted, I threw away 87 pieces of mail last week. I kept 3 cards addressed directly to me from friends who took the time to hand write, and stamp their cards.
So, do you want to get caught up in reaching a lot of people, but being discarded by the majority, or do you want authentic connection with people and see their lives changed through the gospel?
[Read more…] about Beyond Numbers Part 2: Authentic ConnectionBeyond Numbers #01: Things That Should Keep Church Leaders Up At Night
Should ‘bigger’ be one of the things that should keep church leaders up at night? Bigger isn’t always better. I definitely don’t want a bigger waste line. I could pass on a bigger phone bill too. Somehow we have all bought into the concept of bigger solving all our problems. Bigger houses, bigger bank accounts. In the immortal words of Christopher Wallace, “the more money we come across the more problems we see.”
[Read more…] about Beyond Numbers #01: Things That Should Keep Church Leaders Up At NightWhat Every Church Leader Can Learn From the COVID-19 Crisis
The current outbreak of COVID-19 around the world is an experience unlike anything any of us have ever seen before. We’re all no doubt feeling a range of emotions: stressed, confused, frustrated, scared, and anxious. While we act it’s also good to reflect on what every church leader can learn from the COVID-19 crisis.
That’s no surprise because this global pandemic is impacting just about every aspect of our lives. Schools are closed. Travel is severely limited. Some of us have to work from home; some of us can’t work at all. Events are being changed or canceled. Sports have disappeared. In some parts of the world in-person, in the same physical space church gatherings are banned for now.
Despite all these unprecedented happenings, we can take heart from how people are responding. We’ve learned to embrace this new thing called social distancing to keep the virus from spreading. And we’re finding new ways to be generous and uplifting to one another online.
[Read more…] about What Every Church Leader Can Learn From the COVID-19 Crisis