Competencies

In ministry, innovation can be a great thing when utilized to reach and serve people. But like all great things, innovation can become an idol—something that ministry leaders seek as an end in itself. When innovation becomes the goal, it has moved from tool for reaching people to an object of affection. How do we know the difference?

If you serve in a small church, you understand tension. You can’t get away from it. Truthfully, ministry anywhere comes with tension regardless of the size of your church. But the tensions in a small church are unique and are worth a fresh look.

Good leadership demands that we understand what we control and what we do not. Among numerous healthy reasons for this is so that when followers are playing the blame game, we are not drawn into an unhealthy discourse: both with others, and within our mind’s conversation.

Here are five big mistakes ministry leaders make when they think about setting goals.

John Owen preached, “You must be killing sin or sin will be killing you,” and we must bring both intensity and intentionality to killing these viruses. We should not seek to manage them; we should seek to kill them.

Fall follows Summer, which follows Spring and time marches on just as God designed. He limited time for us in set hours in a day, and set days in a week. We think there are not enough hours in a day, but God knew before He created time how mankind would use it. Scott discusses some poignant points about time management, and notes that pride may be the greatest weakness regarding the use of our time.

Leaders might learn a thing or two from a silly goose. Geese develop remarkable synergy, allowing them to fly as far as 1,700 miles without stopping. Flying solo doesn’t hit the mark for geese; neither can leaders go it alone for their whole adventuresome journey.

Ever feel like someone is not paying attention to you when they are not looking at you? How about when you are talking and they are tapping on a screen? What does that body language say when someone is trying to communicate with you? God has put you into other people’s lives on purpose. How can we as Christian leaders be a better representation of Christ to our family and friends – to the ones that know us the best and get under our skin the most?

Communication is worth the investment and is very powerful. We can recall when our communication mattered, such as ordering a meal and enjoying it when it is placed on our table, when a family member humbly asked for forgiveness, or when a colleague offered much needed help. This is one of the great questions about human communication: Why do we believe that our communication can make a positive difference?

Humans make dumb mistakes. With more than 33 years in ministry, Charles has committed his share of dumb mistakes, as have we all, without ill will or an evil heart. Even so, these mistakes are … well, just dumb.

Taking care of ourselves is an intentional act of good stewardship. We are the only gift we have to offer other people. Self-care gives others permission to do the same without feeling guilty. The Bible describes our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit. We need to look after that temple.

Wisdom sends the enemy fleeing. It is God’s gift-in-waiting. All we need to do is ask for it, seek after it and expect God to provide it. What will you do today to accept this gift?