In Judson Edward’s book, The Leadership Labyrinth, he describes 21 paradoxes in ministry. He defines the ‘relationship paradox’ in this way: the people who like you the most will be the ones you try least to please. He then writes that these three kinds of people fill every church. His insights are quite helpful. The energizers: their very…
3 Lessons I Learned from 75 Cuban Pastors
A few years ago I experienced one of the most difficult yet rewarding weeks of ministry in my 39 years as a pastor. I trained 75 Cuban pastors and I will never forget it. I spoke 22 times in 5 days, 19 of those times crammed into three days. A local church in Holguin, a city…
Charles Stone: What I Learned from Kids Who Are Surviving Cancer
That’s when, as I fought back tears, I jotted down these insights that I learned from these kids who are surviving cancer.
Unhealthy Dependencies: 3 Ways to Avoid Nurturing Them
Sometimes we solve people’s problems by giving them answers instead of fostering insight. These choices are unhealthy dependencies.
Avoid the Leadership “Death Spiral”
An aviation term called a death spiral describes what can happen to a plane in nighttime or poor flying conditions when a pilot loses his sense of the plane’s horizontal orientation. In ministry, leaders can often get caught in a similar downward spiral.
Three Pastoral Priorities You CAN’T Lose Sight Of
I’ve learned that if I prioritize a few key choices, my life and leadership dramatically improve and my ministry becomes more effective. Here are three key choices I encourage as pastoral priorities.