Trust is the most significant predictor of individuals’ satisfaction with their organizations—Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner If you desire to be successful as a church leader, trust is an integral component. Your influence will be determined by the level of trust you can attain, and is foundational to church health. Therefore, trust development should be one of your primary goals.... Continue Reading
I have found that by trusting people until they prove themselves unworthy of that trust, a lot more good things happen–Jim Burke, Former Chairman and CEO of Johnson and Johnson When it comes to trust of church leaders, I have observed there are two types of people I have served with. Those who expect you to earn their trust before... Continue Reading
Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it – George Orwell Pastors and church leaders everywhere are seeking to better understand the Next Generations* and develop practical ways to reach them with the gospel. And for good reason. These emerging generations will impact the... Continue Reading
From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders…..all these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take. 1 Chronicles 12:32 NLT There is a new generation on the scene making up 25% of the US population that represents nothing less than a seismic cultural shift. Born between 1993 and 2012,... Continue Reading
Sunday worship attendance, small groups participation, numbers baptized, and money given are all effective measurements of church health. But they don’t measure spiritual health or spiritual growth. They don’t measure matters of the heart, or tell us whether someone is maturing in their faith walk. In recent years several Christian churches and organizations have embarked on in-depth spiritual growth studies that resulted... Continue Reading
Pastor Search Committees spend copious amounts of time in prayer, reviewing, and vetting of candidates as they seek who God is calling as their next Pastor. Often though, committees fail to realize that candidates will be interviewing them as well, and little or no time is spent collectively preparing to address the type of questions candidates may ask of the... Continue Reading
Your Pastor Search Committee has spent countless hours praying, seeking and researching candidates and the time has come to begin the actual interview process. Though there is no silver bullet list of questions that will guarantee a Pastor Search Committee will correctly discern God’s chosen servant, being prepared is the first step in selecting the right questions to ask. Below... Continue Reading
In recent decades pollsters in a number of countries have discerned a clear trend: the word “spiritual” is far more appealing than the word “religion.” For much of our history, the words spiritual and religious meant roughly the same thing. In his book “Spiritual But Not Religious: Understanding Unchurched America” Robert Fuller observes this is no longer true: “The word... Continue Reading
If you have served on church staff or in positions of church leadership for any length of time you have heard statements such as: “Everyone’s saying…….” “Everybody thinks…….” “A lot of people are……..” “I’ve had many people tell me……..” “People wish you would……..” “I’ve heard people say……..” “Everyone wants to know……” “Nobody believes that…….” “A ton of people want………” “No... Continue Reading
In his book, The Emotionally Healthy Leader, Pete Scazzaro provides a helpful assessment for senior level church staff to get a sense of how intentional they are in building a healthy church staff culture. Below is an adapted version of the assessment with suggested action steps. Next to each statement, write down the number that best describes your response. Use... Continue Reading
In architecture, a “keystone” is the centermost stone in an arch that supports all of the other stones, yet carries the least amount of weight. In Charles Duhigg’s book, The Power of Habit, he introduces the idea of a keystone habit, a habit that helps hold other good habits in place. We all have habits in our lives, but certain... Continue Reading
Frequently, a pastor or minister experiences frustration, resistance or lack of acceptance of their change initiatives. Often this results from a failure to recognize the difference between church climate and church culture. Both climate and culture reflect environmental conditions but the climate of the church, like the weather, is dynamic, inconsistent and can change quickly. Church culture, on the other hand, is steadfast,... 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