In most coaching, teaching and mentoring opportunities at some point I get asked what advice I would give to a young or aspiring minister. My response goes something like this. “To move forward in your ministry career, you must prioritize your ongoing development in four areas: spiritual, emotional, professional and relational.” I then take a few minutes to unpack some... Continue Reading
Various management studies concur that most organizations and businesses chronically suffer from too many meetings and not enough time to get work done. There is just not enough time in the day to fit it all in. Harvard Review and Inc., among other publications, reported that management is increasingly buried in meetings. The reasons are numerous and complex, but the... Continue Reading
One of the most impactful decisions a church will make is determining who sits at the staff leadership table. In broad terms, church staff are either specialists or generalists. Specialist’s job descriptions call for them to focus on a single area of ministry. Specialist examples include age group ministries such as preschool, children and students. Generalists, on the other hand,... Continue Reading
Several years ago, my Leadership Coach and mentor remarked, “Jim, you are a 10 deep and a 10 wide.” Caught somewhat by surprise I asked him to unpack that further for me. He went on to say that I had the ability to think both deeply and broadly, to see both in detail as well as the big picture, to... Continue Reading
Too many teams, small groups, and staffs fail to meet each other’s needs or reach their peak effectiveness due to a lack of trust. In their book The Courage Way, Shelly Francis and the Center for Courage and Renewal share ideas about creating spaces of greater trust among people of different backgrounds, perspectives and/or beliefs. They have identified eleven “touchstones”... Continue Reading
I have observed that lots of leaders in today’s organizations are “controllers.” They believe they know what is best and so impose an agenda on people and expect compliance. And nowhere is this more prevalent than in church leadership. All of the reasons for this behavior we listed in our last post, What Makes A Control Freak Boss, can be... Continue Reading
Most of us at one time or another have encountered a control freak. You are especially unlucky if they happen to be your boss. You know the type. You can’t set up a meeting or send out an email without checking with them first. Every presentation has to meet with their approval. There are constant requests for check-in and updates.... Continue Reading
Context switching is a silent killer of focus, accuracy and productivity. What is context switching? Context switching is constantly moving from one task to another. It is rapidly changing the context of your focus. The term arose in computer science, but it is applicable to human behavior as well. In this article we’ll show you the true dangers of a... Continue Reading
Most church leaders are familiar with the church life cycle diagram and find it helpful to chart where their church is on that cycle. An equally helpful cycle illustration is called the Adaptive Cycle. The Adaptive Cycle is a model of God designed natural patterns of change found in ecosystems, social systems, businesses, civilizations, organizations, and even churches. It consists... Continue Reading
As I stated in my last post, 5 Effects Powerful Leaders Are Blind To, cult status hierarchal religious leaders have and will abuse their power. It’s a given. It can be a by-product of their theology, personality, character, experience, or philosophy of leadership. But mostly it is a by-product of any hierarchal system, religious or otherwise. Abuses of power are... Continue Reading
It happened again last month. Another well-known church leader was accused of sexual abuse. And the story had a familiar ring. The male church leader claimed the relationship was consensual, the female that it was sexual abuse. It seems that almost daily stories emerge of high visibility movie stars, sports figures, business leaders, politicians, priests and pastors being called out... Continue Reading
Is office work dead? There is no doubt that the COVID pandemic has accelerated the move to working remotely. But I fear what this is doing long term, especially to those young people right out of college and seminary who may never experience a work environment. Some of my very best work experiences were in college and seminary working as... 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