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
Regularly reading and watching the news makes it hard not to become cynical about current political, business, organizational, sports, and church leaders. People of all stripes are beginning to question and argue what leadership means, the qualities that make an effective leader, and the behaviors that are permissible for leaders. Many are jaded by the term itself, and for good... Continue Reading
Solutions to impasses or sticking points generally come by learning how to spot and mediate third force, which is present in every situation but generally hidden. —Cynthia Bourgeault Today our political, business, media, and religious leaders increasingly reflect polarity in their thinking and acting. Polarity is the quality or state of being as different as possible. Or, two opposing yet... Continue Reading
Last week we looked at the history, definition, and outcomes of the Command, Demand, and Control Leadership approach that has become so popular in businesses and churches in recent decades. This week we examine an alternate approach for church leaders to consider. The Church and Culture Has Changed Today’s churches are too large, too complex, and too dynamic to put... Continue Reading
One of a church leader’s continual challenges is knowing when and how much to engage with their employees, volunteers, or teams. Leader engagement is the face to face or transmitted interactions and involvement with those they lead, and falls on a continuum from low to high, and from too early to too late. Much like the concept of situational leadership,... Continue Reading
In the posts “Leadership Versus Management: What is the Difference” and “Management and Leadership – The Church Needs Both,” we examined the definitions and differences between management and leadership and the necessity of both in healthy churches. Leadership and management are binary, a whole composed of two, yet you’re typically doing one or the other. Therefore, the greatest challenge for a church... Continue Reading
I get asked often about the differences between managers and leaders. I always start the answer with my belief that leadership and management complement each other, and both skills are necessary if the church is to survive. A church that is well-led will not do well without effective management; similarly a church that is well-managed will also not do well... Continue Reading
I find it intriguing that virtually every time the disciples got a little full of themselves Jesus put a child in front of them. Through the visual aid of a child Jesus appears to be saying that the only people who can recognize and appreciate what he’s talking about are the ones who come to him with the mind,... 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