Leadership in a Culture of Cowardice (part one) How is a pastor, denominational exec, lay leader, elder, or board member to lead when the culture of your organization is shot through with cowardice? What are the implications for George Barna’s “Revolutionaries” who’ve been so sickened by the self-soothing silliness in churches that, while ministering passionately […]
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#7: A Culture of Cowardice (part three) We’re seven segments into a series on Leadership Courage. This is our third pass exposing a Culture of Cowardice that I believe has dominated much of the Church in North America. I’ve confined my comments to North America because I have very little exposure to non-Western churches and
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Principal #5- Who, before What and How Thus far the focus of this Leadership Skills Series has been to resource you, as a Christian leader, when you’re in conflict. The first four distinctions, plus those remaining, will support you becoming skillful when you’re in “deep weeds”, as my pal and mentor Gary Mayes often says. You, like
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Principle #4b- contender, know thyself! Last time I introduced the idea that you’re enormous advantaged, as a leader, when you’re honestly aware of your vulnerabilities. Ignorant of them, you undermine your own effectiveness. These blindspots lead directly to conflict. Sometimes you’re aware of the row they produce. If you’re like most pastors I know, you hate
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Principle #2- Go for altitude There may be no more essential skill than successfully handling yourself in conflict. Many a career has been ruined when executives mishandled themselves when mired in an important disagreement. Mike Leach, the very successful head coach of the Texas Tech football program, is but one contemporary example. As I write
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You don’t think your thoughts. Neither do I. Most of the time, our paradigms think for us. In Acts 10, Peter’s worldview was under siege. His experience illustrates the four stages of a paradigm shift. Stage one is to close ranks on what you already “know”. Entering stage two, you allow yourself to wonder. Peter’s
Keys to Ministry Coaching: The Anatomy of a Paradigm Shift (part 3 of 3) Read More »
You don’t think your thoughts. Neither do I. A unique collection of beliefs, expectations, judgments, and preferences powerfully influence your thinking…all the time. I invite you to examine the Apostle Peter when his beliefs, expectations, judgments, and preferences were under siege… by God. If you’ve walked with God for any time, you know what it
Keys to Ministry Coaching: The Anatomy of a Paradigm Shift (part 2 of 3) Read More »
You don’t think your thoughts. Neither do I. Both of us do our thinking inside a paradigm. Some call it a “mental map”, “worldview”, or “belief-system”. The idea is that a collection of beliefs, expectations, judgments, and preferences powerfully influence our thinking…all the time, every time. These conspire to focus our thinking, shape the pathways
Keys to Ministry Coaching: The Anatomy of a Paradigm Shift (part 1 of 3) Read More »