Life-Changing Discipleship has 7 Rhythms
“A goal without a plan is just a wish,” is a quote often shared from a guy whose name is often mispronounced (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry). It can be sad, motivating, or affirming, depending on the c...
3 Dangers of Last-Minute Ministry
A church work week rarely goes as planned. As church leaders, we want to do good work and accomplish important goals, while also knowing that at any moment one of our people can reach out to us ab...
Three Phrases Jesus Used for Leadership Development
The teaching and ministry of Jesus began with a small group of unlearned, ordinary men and then turned into a movement that rapidly spread and is still spreading across the world. Remarkably, Jesu...
9 Ways Strategic Ministry Leaders Think Differently (Part Two)
A ministry strategy is great. A ministry strategy with continued strategic thinking is even better. It is possible, and common, for a ministry leader to implement a strategy and then fail to thin...
9 Ways Strategic Ministry Leaders Think Differently (Part One)
Since writing Simple Church with my mentor and former boss Thom Rainer, I have enjoyed countless conversations with ministry leaders about strategy and strategic thinking. While some ministry lead...
What Bill Gates Can Teach Us about Discipleship
In his book The Road Ahead, Bill Gates wrote, “We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don’t let yours...
Rooted and Resilient: Lessons from the Olive Tree
At a restaurant in Riomaggiore, Nick and I wanted to celebrate. I had just crossed hiking the Cinque Terre Trail in Northern Italy off my bucket list, and we hiked it all in one day. We had left ea...