Calling

The mood in the meeting tent was thick with anger, disbelief and frustration. Ten trained leaders were ready for action. Ten warriors were prepared...

Your church may be small. God isn’t. Smaller churches will typically have fewer resources than their mega-brethren, but that doesn’t mean their mission is...

As I scrolled the internet looking for welcome mats and wall art to put in our new home in Daytona Beach, I ran across...

When was the last time somebody called you on the phone just to ask how you were doing? No particular item of business to...

If there’s anything that Jeff Pessina has learned in 37 years of ministry in the Philippines, it’s that he doesn’t write the job descriptions...

Somewhere in your town, in your church, in your class, is someone who can become a mighty instrument of the Lord. Someone just needs to reach them, to tell them of Jesus and to disciple them.

Are you ever frustrated at work? Does it sometimes feel like a waste of time? It is worth remembering how Jesus’ presence can transform situations. As leaders and change facilitators we can learn a lot from His example – it’s a theory of change.

No matter how big our church or ministry is, no matter how much we are respected, we are never “above” God’s words that remind us that “the first shall be last” and that “those who exalt themselves will be humbled.” If anybody was deserving, it was Jesus, but He chose humility, sacrifice and death for those He loved. May our ambition not be to serve ourselves but to give our lives in service to others. May our legacy be measured not as much in what we have accomplished as in how much we have loved. That’s my prayer.

Have you ever wondered why some leaders see incredible growth and others seem to struggle? I think back to leaders that I have worked with who have all had great potential. Some have gone from strength to strength and others just didn’t make it. Having pondered this question for some time, the Lord gave me an insight. Put the right gifts together and the ministry will work. Leave out certain gifts and the work will falter.

I’ve done a lot of recruitment in my time. Competence was usually the most important thing we looked for (if not the only thing). After all we don’t want to hire incompetent staff. But I now wonder if we placed too much emphasis on competence alone. Perhaps we should also recruit based on calling.

Many of us find ourselves in leadership positions, but we wonder sometimes if we’re really leading. And, frankly, sometimes there are folks around us who also wonder if we’re leading. Here are a few questions to ask yourself to see if you’re really leading as a Christian leader.

For any organization to last, there needs to be a blend of leadership strengths and gifts. Once in a while there’s a leader that can do all of these things, but that is rare. This is why it’s so important to choose the right people to lead, develop and grow an organization.