Why Should Your Church Insist on an Interim Season (part 2 of 2) – Hard Truths

by Tim Woodroof Hard Truths about the Interim Season 1. Churches do not handle “treading water” well. Any time (and for whatever reason) a minister is in a “lame duck” role, the church is going to suffer. The longer the time of transition, the greater the suffering. Certainly it is appropriate to celebrate a beloved […]

Why Your Church Should Insist on an Interim Season (Part 1 of 2)

by Tim Woodroof Some churches have an interim season thrust upon them. A minister resigns to take another position … or has a moral meltdown. Suddenly the church finds itself “in between,” uncertain of the future and struggling to navigate a confusing present. But some churches have a different challenge. A long-term and beloved minister […]

Vote Yes, Elder Spokesperson

by Amanda Box When elders need to address the congregation to communicate significant information, they are usually limited to a precious few minutes during the Sunday morning hour that is rightly designed for worship. This presents some special challenges for church leaders who want to keep the congregation informed and involved in significant leadership decisions […]

Beyond Ouija Board Leadership via Relationship (part 5 of 5)

by This is the final post comparing leadership functioning in some churches with the game of Ouija:  questions are posed and decisions made based on hidden forces within and between the members that are not, or will not, be revealed.  Rather than allow mystery to remain the theme of leader interaction, it is possible to […]

Beyond Ouija Board Leadership (part 4 of 5)

by Jon Mullican   Our recent posts compare leadership functioning in some churches with the game of Ouija: questions are posed and decisions made based on hidden forces within and between the members that are not, or will not, be revealed. Rather than allow mystery to remain the theme of leader interaction, it is possible to […]

Beyond Ouija Board Leadership (part 3 of 5)

by Jon Mullican   Our recent posts compare leadership functioning in some churches with the game of Ouija: questions are posed and decisions made based on hidden forces within and between the members that are not, or will not, be revealed. It is possible to bring the forces out into the open and deal with them […]

Beyond Ouija Board Leadership (part 2 of 5)

by Jon Mullican   Last Wednesday’s post compared leadership functioning in some churches with the game of Ouija: questions are posed and decisions made based on hidden forces within and between the members that are not, or will not, be revealed. Rather than allow mystery to remain the theme of leader interaction, it is possible […]

Ouija Board Leadership (part 1 of 5)

by Jon Mullican When I was about 10 years old, growing up in central Oklahoma, several of my brother’s friends brought a game to our house: the Ouija Board. One friend explained to my brother and me how the game worked: pose a question to the board; all place a hand on the planchette (we […]

A Preacher’s Confession

by Grady & Karen King If We Could Have a Do-Over with our Children If you could have a do-over in raising our children what would you do differently? I posed this question to my wife recently while thinking about faith development, ministry and several younger ministers I know. Being raised as a “PK” (preachers […]

Ten Realities of Ministry with a Church

    by Jim Martin   1.  Over-functioning is very tiring and usually results in other people under-functioning. 2.  I have often worried too much about others and some imaginary future crisis.  Each day has enough challenges. 3.  Sometimes I have felt too responsible for another’s life instead of focusing on the responsibilities that I really […]

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