Photo by Ross Findon on Unsplash One of the most difficult aspects of a change in leadership is changing the culture of that church, group, or organization.  You can change the values, the mission statement, and the strategy. But those changes to values and strategy won’t matter if you don’t change the culture.  Why? Because whatever the culture is, that is what people do.  Tod Bolsinger said, “Culture is the set of default behaviors and usually unexamined or unreflective practices that make up the organizational life and ethos of a company, organization, famil ..read more

Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash All of us want to live a life without regrets. But is that even possible? Yes and no. The reality is that we will all navigate feelings of guilt, shame, and regrets. The reason is because they are powerful. At the end of 2 Timothy, Paul says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”  Imagine getting to the end of your life and saying that. Saying I have done what I was supposed to do. I left it all on the field of life. I kept the faith. I ran my race. But how does that happen? How do you and I get ..read more

Photo by Ryan Riggins on Unsplash Every leader and pastor knows that to reach the goals you have in your heart for your church and to fulfill the mission that God has called you to, you must find the right team. Nothing is more important than the people you put around you. Whether they are elders, volunteers, or church staff. This has never been more important, but with COVID, this has never been more difficult. All leaders know that nagging feeling. It keeps them up at night and gives them indigestion. It creates anxiety, stress, and even anger. What is it from? Having the w ..read more

Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash The further we get from March 2020, the more we see how COVID has changed our world. It changed our world in some significant ways. The same happened within the church. We’ve seen how COVID changed giving patterns, attendance, and serving patterns for people; the list goes on and on. Just as it changed workplace cultures and patterns, the same has happened for church staff. We are just beginning to see what has changed, and pastors and boards need to start paying attention before we get too far down the road. While it may have brought about some ..read more

Photo by Eric Prouzet on Unsplash Hiring is more art than science. That’s what one mentor told me years ago. Is it? It depends on who you ask. At some point, you will walk through a hiring process as you look for a new employee or volunteer (if you work at a church or non-profit). Many pastors have no idea what they are doing regarding hiring. And make no mistake, a bad hire can cost you, personally and as a church. How much? Some estimates range from 30% of the person’s salary to one that says it can cost $240,000. After one bad hire, I went back and calculated as best as po ..read more

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash Many of us will struggle at some point whether or not to take a job, move our kids to a new school, or move across the city or the country (like my family did). How do you know? How do you know if it’s time to leave your job? To take a new one? How do you know if now is the moment to step out and start that ministry, church, or company you’ve always dreamed about? I think there are many questions to ask yourself, but here are five that I think you can’t miss if you want to make a great decision in this area: 5 questions to ask yourself befo ..read more

Photo by Ross Findon on Unsplash When I started at CCC, I read as many books on transitions and leading change as possible. One of the things they talked about is how new leaders will want to make changes, maybe even a lot of changes, but you need to know when to make those changes. One of the key tasks for any leader, especially a brand-new leader, is figuring out what to change and when to make that change. Leaders make changes. Leaders see things before others and the things that need to change or shift to get somewhere. The issue isn’t seeing what needs to change but know ..read more

Photo by li hao on Unsplash Over the years, I have heard more people talk about needing a vacation from their vacation. Or they don’t take all of their vacation days.  They end up tired; they don’t enjoy their jobs, and their families don’t have any fun memories to look back on.  And for what? In reality, you and I are created to live life in rhythm. We are designed to work hard and play hard. To stress our bodies and then to unwind and let them destress.  The summer for our family is a favorite season. A time to play, make memories, go on trips and explore.&nb ..read more

Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash It is easy to get started; to start a new job or ministry, jump into a new idea or opportunity. But, somewhere along the way, reality sets in, and you begin to find your passion waning. It might be because you’re bored, it got hard, didn’t go how you expected it to, or somewhere in between. But every leader has found themselves running out of steam. What drains your passion? This could be tasks, situations, or people. It might be things that are part of your job, or you have found yourself doing. We all have tasks we don’t love and people in ..read more

  Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash I had a season in Tucson when I was discontented with my life and where I was. I was frustrated at my lack of progress; I started to dislike where I lived, and a friend looked at me and said, “What if you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be? What if where you are right now, with how your life is, this is where God wants you?” I looked at him and said, “If that’s the case, then I don’t like God now.” But life and where we end up is a battle of contentment. I was talking to a friend recently who lived in a small town and wanted to b ..read more