Archive for Leadership Encouragement – Page 4

Every Church Has a Story: Walking on Sacred Ground

by Grady King – I went to high school with friends who were Creek Indian. Their burial grounds were sacred. They were no mere cemeteries—simply holes in the ground.  These sacred burial sites were a blend of Indian traditions, fused with Christianity and the spirits of the “old ones” were respected in this sacred ground.  […]

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 […]

Characteristics of an Aligned Team

by Greg Anderson – Have you ever been part of a team that is rowing in the same direction? It is a wonderful thing to experience. Everyone has embraced a specific vision and aligned head and heart with it. They have articulated a mission to help them get there. Enthusiasm is potent, all things seems […]

Plane Ride to Dallas: “Who Created God?”

by Grady King – “Who created God?”   That’s the sincere question of my new friend, Li., my new friend who sat next to me on a three hour plane ride home from Philadelphia. Li is 30 years old and is from China. He attended the  University of Wisconsin and completed his Ph.D in chemical engineering […]

Preaching Matters

“Use your head, share your heart.” After four decades of church ministry, thirty two of them as a preacher I can honestly say that preaching still matters!  I can also say without question that preaching is more difficult now that at anytime in my life. Information overload coupled with multi-sensory technology has conditioned people to […]

The Catch-22 for Women in Ministry

by Rhesa Higgins – Calligraphied on a pink plaque surrounded by hearts and flowers, this statement hung on my bedroom wall from infancy. As I entered high school, other plaques that representing successes in debate tournaments soon surrounded it. At the time, I didn’t appreciate the irony. Little girls in the United States, and especially in […]

On Finishing Well (part 2)

  This is a continuation of our discussion On Finishing Well with additional characteristics of the Barnabas Life.  Click here to read part 1. The Barnabas Life Rooted in the Word of the Lord. People wanted to hear what Barnabas had to say about the Word of the Lord on numerous occasions, and he was a […]

On Finishing Well

  What kind of men ought we to be? I think a lot about what it means to finish well in life. So many men become disengaged and cynical and relegate spiritual growth to simply being a good person and attending church occasionally.  But this posture will not help us finish well. Finishing well means […]

How Do You Stay Sane When There Is So Much Craziness that Surrounds Ministry?

by Jim Martin How do you stay sane when there is so much craziness that surrounds ministry? Good question. Craziness is everywhere!  It seems to be a constant in this broken, unredeemed world. Everyone has to deal with the brokenness of the world.  Sometimes others’ brokenness can be sharp and jagged, cutting bystanders like broken […]

When Much of Your Ministry Take Place Away from Public View

by Jim Martin This morning, I’m thinking about you — a church leader.  You may be a minister in some role in a congregation.  Maybe you preach each Sunday. So much of what you do takes place away from public view. I suspect you are busy.  You’ve glanced at this post to see if it […]

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