Leaders

The effective leader will focus on three time horizons simultaneously: 1. Cultivating current responsibilities, extending and defending the core existing ministries. 2. Tending and nurturing emerging ideas, strategies, and processes. 3. Planting seeds for tomorrow. This pattern encompasses the mature, emergent, and embryonic phases of an organization’s life cycle. The leader is responsible to see that they are all addressed effectively.

Remember the last time you were offended? Did you resolve it or is it lurking somewhere in the shadows of your thinking, still itching like yesterday’s mosquito bite? The more you scratch, the more it itches. Offense is like that. The more we focus on it, the bigger it grows, never losing its sting.

God is able to do awesome and amazing things. Why can’t you and I as believers of Christ look at our vision with so much passion? We have the greatest story to tell because the story points to a greater story of God. We need to rise up because God is great and we need to share His message.

When you hear the term “majority culture,” what is the first thing that comes to mind? What thoughts or feelings arise within you? What images or memories of the past resurface?

Jesus has given Himself to you, and He’s called you to know Him. In a manner of speaking, this is all He’s called you to do: to look at Him, to hear Him, to touch Him, to know Him. Everything else – every part of the Christian life and holiness and compassion for the world and vision and ministry work – everything else comes out of this. Everything else comes from Him. This is the core reality of the Christian life and of Christian ministry. And this is the meaning of staff development in a Christian organization.

Today I look at our world and how much the culture has changed to reflect a pervasive attitude of self-focus. Yet, God’s Word has never changed and still instructs us as parents and grandparents to train up our children in Him.

Eight major reasons why every Christian – especially leaders – should avoid infidelity.

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24)

Wise leaders and pastors understand that lasting change requires individuals to change first before an organization will change. Your change won’t last or will disrupt your church unless those in your teams personally embrace the change first, at least at some level. So it behooves us to first understand why most people initially resist change.

Prov. 31:11 says, “The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.”

It's true – "When one door closes another door opens." But as a backwards interpretation of the saying suggests, perhaps we should consider the things we need to set aside to create the space we need.

If you had to boil it down to two qualities that you really need in a pastor, what would they be? We all have personal preferences but here are two indispensable qualities that form the essence of a leader.