Utilizing Digital Communication: Best Practices for Engaging Your Congregation Online

by Dana Welty   What must I do? Scroll or Toil?  As a communication major, we had a beloved professor who emphasized, “Communication occurs when a message is not only sent, but received.” In a world where communication has changed dramatically due to technology, how do we make sure our church messages are sent to […]

New

by Amanda Box   This communication evangelist is once again new: new city, new church, new school for my daughter, new house, and all new people. While the move has been good with faith and family intact, starting over is hard, especially at church. Once again, I’m looking at the backs of people’s heads, asking, […]

Creating Lasting Impressions: The Power of Welcome in Church Community

by Nancie Bolton   God created in us a need for relationships. In a world that often leaves people feeling disconnected or unseen, the church stands as a place where deep, meaningful relationships can begin—relationships that reflect God’s love and meet the very need He placed in our hearts. God designed us to live in […]

More Than Us. More Than Here.

by Kevin Bolton   Attention seems to be the currency of our culture. How do Christ-followers, tasked with changing our world, capture the interest of those around us in a way that honors God and points our neighbors to Jesus? Every Saturday morning cars begin to fill the Westover Hills Church of Christ parking lot, […]

Understanding Servant Leadership: Lessons Learned from Lynn Anderson

by Grady King   Several years ago, I was on a plane reading They Smell Like Sheep in preparation for some time with elders. I noticed the man sitting next to me looking at the title. He said, “Excuse me, I did not know Lynn Anderson wrote about sheep. I thought she was a country […]

Empowering Others: Developing Leaders Through Servant Leadership

by Jay Jarboe   In the Philippines, I learned a valuable lesson about servant leadership. I observed local leaders facilitating a Discovery Bible Study from Matthew 20:20-28 for emerging leaders. One of the observations they made from their cultural perspective surprised me. We know the context; James’ and John’s mother requested that Jesus make her […]

Overcoming Challenges to Servant Leadership: Addressing Common Barriers

by Kaley Ihfe   I suspect we all have different parts of ourselves that form barriers to servant leadership. For some of us, it is our ego – we want the credit for the good things we do; we crave recognition. For others of us, it is difficult to do the work of serving others […]

Self-Awareness: The Foundation of Leadership

by Chris Goldman   One of the most impactful books for leaders globally is Leadership and Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institute. This book highlights how self-deception undermines effective leadership – including pastoral and ministerial roles. The authors assert, “Self-deception actually determines one’s experience in every aspect of life.” This is because self-deception blinds individuals to […]

Emotional Intelligence and Empathy in Leadership

by Steven Carrizal   Emotional intelligence is commonly described as the awareness and management of emotions and emotional reactivity within ourselves and what we are experiencing from others.[1] Good leaders learn how to do this, first by acknowledging their own emotions and understanding what it feels like when they are stirred up by various difficult […]

The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Church Culture and Community

by Greg Anderson   “Emotional Intelligence refers to the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships.” Daniel Goleman in Working With Emotional Intelligence Goleman’s definition of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is not the only definition out there, but his […]

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