Hurt people, hurt people, and pastors and ministers are getting hurt in record numbers. Increasingly church leaders are confronted with unhealthy and even toxic people within their flock. Further, church leaders live with constant stress and are often running on empty. At times we need reminding that taking care of ourselves is not selfish, but prudent. Parker Palmer wisely observed,... Continue Reading
I’ve written before about the importance of church leaders having a high level of Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, and I always have my eye out for good examples. A key aspect of EQ is self-awareness. Specifically, the ability to identify your own response to a situation, see yourself as others see you, and then change your behavior accordingly. Recently I... Continue Reading
As we noted in our previous posts on the onboarding process, if church leaders want to compete for talent and keep it, they need to create an onboarding process that is exceptional. But, according to Gallup surveys, the fact that only 12% of employees strongly agree their company or organization does a good job in onboarding new employees reveals there’s a... Continue Reading
In last week’s post we examined the three elements that every new employee wants to see included in their onboarding experience. In this article we provide a series of practical steps to ensure the process is comprehensive and effective. In Gallup’s experience, the following strategies can help supervisors/managers create a holistic onboarding experience that includes the people, learning and process... Continue Reading
I’ve written before about the importance of an intentional onboarding and orientation process for new church staff. In this article we share the three common elements that new employees want in an onboarding experience, according to research by the Gallup Organization. The onboarding process is about fulfilling the promises you made during the recruitment process as well as preparing the... Continue Reading
Stories abound in the news about the “great resignation” and how challenging employee retention is for many organizations. This is true in the church as well. There has been an exodus of clergy who have left the ministry over the past two years because of a combination of pandemic and political related stress. Amid debates on whether to support or... Continue Reading
In our last two posts we have examined the challenges with pastor accountability and evaluation and provided a process to consider. In this post we will look at how a Pastor Accountability and Support Team might be structured. Ways A Church Might Provide Support To Their Pastor Most churches honestly want to provide their Senior Pastor with the support, encouragement,... Continue Reading
In our last article, The Conundrum of Pastor Accountability and Evaluation, we talked of the challenges in effectively and fairly evaluating and holding the Senior Pastor accountable, and provided several potential options for consideration. Another challenge that churches face in pastor accountability and evaluation is that the typical church staff evaluation form is not as applicable to the pastor. In... Continue Reading
As a general practice I am all for accountability, assuming it is healthy accountability. Therein as they say is “the rub” when it comes to pastor accountability. In a church world that has become decidedly pastor-led, effective pastor accountability and evaluation is more elusive than ever. Personal experience and vast studies by Gallup make it clear that in most organizations... Continue Reading
In recent articles we have examined several sources of power in leadership in the local church: Power Over, Power With, and Power Within. In this article we will take a look at a fourth source of power – Empowerment. Empowerment is a commonly used buzzword. Everyone is for it but find it difficult to achieve. In his thought provoking book,... Continue Reading
Despite the many abuses of power documented throughout history as well as in the Bible, power itself is not inherently bad. If we do not name the good meaning of power, we will most likely become resigned to the bad. In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is described as dynamis, which means power (Acts 10:38; 1 Corinthians 2:5). Jesus tells... Continue Reading
The dictionary definition of power is “the capacity or the ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events.” We use phrases like economic power, political power, balance of power, the powers that be, in power and out of power. Yet, more important than any of these are two other phrases whose prepositions make all... 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