In our last post, It’s The Mission Stupid!, we addressed the tendency of organizations to lose focus on their original mission through the gradual broadening of the objectives of the original mission. This process is referred to as mission drift, or mission creep because of its incremental nature. We provided several reasons churches are especially vulnerable to mission creep. Fortunately,... Continue Reading
“It’s the economy, stupid” is an often-quoted phrase that was coined by James Carvil in 1992. Carville was a strategist in Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 presidential campaign against incumbent George W. Bush. His phrase was directed at the campaign’s workers and intended as one for them to focus on in order to keep the campaign on message. Clinton’s campaign advantageously... Continue Reading
Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. —Ephesians 6:11–12 In these verses, we read about mystical and earthly powers,... Continue Reading
OK, even those who have been in ministry for a lifetime are still human. We do and say stupid things. We betray and hurt people. Many a church minister has lost his or her job because of the hurt they have caused and not acknowledged with an effective apology. Ministers are in a unique position to model a good apology,... Continue Reading
In recent posts we have been sharing the importance of character in interviewing and how to interview for character. Another way to interview for character is by taking a forensic approach to examining candidate resumes. Unfortunately, ministry candidates are just as likely to be untruthful on their resumes as those applying for secular jobs, so be careful in giving a... Continue Reading
In our last two articles, Why You Should Consider Hiring For Character and The Most Important Character Traits In Church Hiring, we looked at the importance of character in hiring church staff as well as some of the most important character traits to consider. In this article we look at how to interview for character. My experiences and research, including more... Continue Reading
In our last post, Why You Should Consider Hiring For Character, we defined character and looked at the reasons every church should have a strategy for interviewing for character. In this article we will describe the character traits you should consider when hiring for a ministry position. Over 4,000-character traits have been identified by psychologists, social scientists and researchers. These... Continue Reading
Many important things must be assessed when interviewing potential candidates for ministry positions. The most obvious are education, skills, accomplishments, and transferable experience. In hiring for ministry positions a couple of other areas are vital as well, such as calling and chemistry. Increasingly there is agreement that character is of vital importance as well. Maybe even more so in today’s... Continue Reading
“The church that plays together, stays together.” That was the mantra of an entire generation of Church Recreation Ministers. Not only was it a mantra, but it was also a reality. Back then we called it “fellowship,” later “community,” and now “connection.” Whatever you call it, church recreation provided it and today’s church doesn’t have it. Church recreation as a... Continue Reading
In our last post What Are Spiritual Disciplines And Practices? we defined spiritual practices and stressed their impact and the importance of having a variety to draw from. In this post we will share some sources for spiritual practices as well as provide a link to 20 specific spiritual practices to consider adding to your spiritual growth regimen. It wasn’t... Continue Reading
A hard reality that is becoming increasingly prevalent is that the church has largely been preoccupied with religious ideas, doctrines, and dogma, what is wrong and what is right. And evidence points to the fact that religion centered on nothing more than biblical belief has not worked when it comes to living the teachings of Jesus. That is because when... Continue Reading
When you hear hoof beats, think of horses, not zebras” has been a popular medical proverb since about the 1950s. Zebra is a medical slang term for a rare or a surprising diagnosis. The saying means then that one, such as a doctor, should look for the common or probable cause first, rather than the rare or exotic. That the most... Continue Reading
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