The Latest in Might
It appears that we have forgotten the nature and definition of Sabbath, though it is a pattern written by God into the very core of our beings. While Sabbath can refer to a single day, as in the Jewish tradition, it can also serve as a larger metaphor for cultivating the qualities, customs, and practices... Continue Reading
You rarely hear of a minister “going postal.” We don’t take an Uzi and shoot up a deacons meeting…….we think about it, but we don’t do it! But, we do get depressed, cheat on our spouses, become addicted, emotionally hurt those we lead, and burn out to the point we do something so stupid they... Continue Reading
The Latest in Messages
Our spiritual language changes over time. Read the religious classics and we find these spiritual saints speak of a relationship with God and Christ using a language with which we are unfamiliar. Just in my life time the Christian church language has changed from “having a personal relationship with Jesus” to “studying about Jesus,” from... Continue Reading
The Latest in Methods
In the article, Understanding Paradigm Shifts As A Church Growth Strategy, we defined a paradigm shift “as a change in thinking and acting that results from a challenge to one’s underlying assumptions.” And, we noted that not all church paradigm shifts are of equal value or impact. Some are micro-shifts, where the impact is localized... Continue Reading
The Latest in Movement
Every institution, no matter how great, is vulnerable to decline…..JIM COLLINS In 2005, Jim Collins became curious why some of the once great enterprises he’d researched for Built to Last and Good to Great, had fallen. His motivation…….to understand how institutional decline can happen in hopes that leaders might learn how to stave off decline.... Continue Reading
The Latest in Meetings
Over the course of a minister’s career he or she will attend thousands of church staff meetings. Do the math, it adds up to years of meetings. Some meetings are good, even great, but most not so much. It doesn’t have to be that way. You can re-engineer your staff meetings to make them engaging,... Continue Reading
The Latest in Measurement
Start, Stop, Continue is a simple yet catalytic team building, feedback, and decision making exercise with a variety of applications that every church leader should have in their facilitation toolkit. When I am called in as an outside consultant to facilitate strategic conversations, this is my default feedback tool. Let’s take a closer look at... Continue Reading
The Latest in Money
In the article, “Church Staffing Levels – Getting It Right,” we examined the effect of Parkinson’s First Law, “work expands to fill the time allotted” and its application to church staffing. A corollary is Parkinson’s Second Law, “expenditures rise to meet income,” a law that has application to church budgets and expenditures. Northcote Parkinson’s satirical... Continue Reading
The Latest in Mission
For many of the years I served as Executive Pastor at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, TN we were in some type of building program. This meant I spent countless hours in the City Manager’s Office preparing for various presentations before the Zoning Commission, City Planning Commission, and City Council. During one such meeting the... Continue Reading
The Latest in Maximization
In the late 1800’s Russell Conwell became famous for his lecture in which he encouraged listeners to find the “acres of diamonds” in their own backyards. Conwell was a Baptist minister, the first president of Temple University, and a captain during the Civil War. At the ten year reunion of his troops, he delivered the... Continue Reading
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Jim is a Church Organizational Leadership and Management Coach, Consultant and Trainer. Throughout his career Jim has demonstrated a passion for showing Pastors and Ministers how to use organizational tools for church and personal growth and health.
More About Jim“For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ.” Colossians 2:5