Archive for Grady King – Page 2

On Practicing Civility

by Grady King – Civility is in short supply: no aspect of life is unscathed from a lack of civility—social, political, economic, family, and certainly religious. Civil conversations are a rarity. Fear and anger is the air we breathe. The media and social media exacerbate the milieu of hostility.  When we do not strive for […]

“Help, We Need a Preacher!” 4 Essentials in Time of Transition

by Grady King – The calls come often. “We’re looking for a preacher and wonder if you have any names we could contact.” My first response is always “Tell me about your congregation” followed by “What happened to your last preacher?” and the big question— “What is your process?”  The vast majority of the time […]

Being Nice at What Price?

by Grady King –    We have all experienced it.  One person gets their way over the majority—a “few” people, predictably, control decisions. Group decision making is multi-faceted involving long-term relationships, history, precedent, threat and fear. When final decisions come down to one person’s influence, opinion or dominance repeatedly, frustration and fear tactics abound. The […]

Church Leadership & Difficult People – When Being Nice is Not Enough

by Grady King – Charles Schultz is on one my favorite theologians. What he communicated through Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Lucy reached millions of peopl  “There’s nothing you need more than Christ.”  “Keep looking up…that’s the secret of life.” “Whatever is worrying you right now, forget about it.  Take a deep breath and trust in God.” For […]

When a Leader Falls into Sexual Sin

by Grady King –   I am sad, concerned and humbled. In recent months, five ministers I know have succumbed to some form of sexual sin. The sin is often a symptom of long lived and deep rooted issues.  From what I know, all but one has sought counsel and reconciliation with their spouse. They […]

The Indispensables of Courageous Leadership

by Grady King  –  Getting stuck as a church leader or as a leader group is frustrating and exhausting.  And no matter what we say to the church, they know we are stuck. They feel it, experience it and yearn for things to be different. Over time, a stuck leadership will drain the energy of a […]

What I Wish They Understood: The Elder-Minister Relationship

by Grady King “My elders just don’t get it.”  “The preacher needs to understand that long after he is gone, the elders remain.  Sound familiar? Without a doubt, the role of a minister and elder overlap and are complimentary, or should be.  Both ministers and elders are to give themselves to teaching, equipping and caring […]

Is Your Church Life-Giving?

by Grady King – A good friend, deeply committed to Christ and serving others visited a church where his parents worship. As he spoke about his experience, I said, “Doesn’t sound like it was very life-giving.”  He said, “Exactly, that’s it.” How is it that a church who teaches the Bible, believes in Jesus Christ—his […]

Leaders & Failure: Shadows in the Soul

by Grady King –  We don’t fail. We learn. These five words give hope thanks to my missional friend, Pat Keifert. What are you learning as leader from failure? Most church leaders I know fight a sense of failure. No matter the public rhetoric of trusting God, working hard even those good day experiences, often […]

The Cumulative Nature of Ministry

Grady D. King –  Last week I had breakfast with good, long term friend in ministry.  He got me through a very difficult season in my young preaching life over thirty years ago.  As we sat down at the restaurant I asked him, “How are you? One word, “Tired!”  He asked the same of me. […]

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