Leadership Archives
The three questions correspond to Peter's three denials (John 18:17, 25-27). Each time Jesus repeats his question, Peter is reminded of his failure to stand by Jesus in his time of need. Through his questions, Jesus not only confronts Peter with his sin but also provides an opportunity for Peter to recommit his love to him.
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A biblical philosophy of ministry grounded in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ must be centered on relationships, modeled after Christ's teaching
and example, empowered by the Spirit's charisms, and directed by God?s kingdom
vision.
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God works through an organized community led by gifted (and sometimes, significantly flawed) leaders who equip and empower the community to use their gifts and abilities for the common good of the community and as redemptive agents for the sake of the world. This pattern is universal, but its expression is always local, particular, unique.
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The "conceptual age" will prove to be a friend to Christianity. It will bring to the surface many of the great treasures that we have misplaced or forgotten because of our desire for significance in the information age. Restoring these elements will allow us to present a "whole" Christianity that addresses the whole person.
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Is leadership good or bad? Most contemporary leadership resources simply assume that leadership is good. As a result of this, they fail to recognize the reality of bad leadership.
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Neither the approval nor the needs of his parishioners
must control the pastor's ministry, lest he lose sense of
his true calling and purpose in the life of the church.
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It is nearly impossible for a professional clergy person to truly experience a Sabbath rest. The work of ministry is never-ending – there are always new tasks, new challenges, and new possibilities. Add to this the fact that ministry is never “done” in any
tangible sense, and the frustrations mount to unmanageable levels.
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Leaders are rarely what we perceive them to be. The more we get to know them, the more we are disillusioned. Rarely, however, does one both experience disillusion and yet increase in one’s respect for an individual. This occurred to me as I read Frank Schaeffer’s memoir of growing up in the household of Francis and Edith Schaeffer.
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The challenge for every church leader is learning how to orbit the giant Hairball of the church. Supporting the corporate mission while maintaining one's individual creative edge is a difficult balancing act, but it is possible. Learning to use the gravitational pull of the Hairball to support and sustain one's orbit is a key ingredient to this endeavor.
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Limping leaders have the courage to admit
their weaknesses, frailties, and sins and the faith to believe that God will
use even these flaws in ministry to others. It is dangerous to be a limping leader. People desire the perception of perfection over the reality of brokenness.
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Because ambition is easily disguised in Christian circles and couched in spiritual language, the dysfunctions that drive Christian leaders often go undetected and unchallenged until it is too late.
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One cannot have an organism without organization. Certainly, structures must support spirituality, but spirituality without structure is disembodied. It sounds good in theory, but it has no bite, because it has no teeth with which to bite.
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People are leaving the church because their deepest spiritual needs are not being met. They do not feel like they experience God at church. What a sad commentary! People want authentic spirituality. People want to encounter God. And they do not feel that our churches are helping them in this pursuit!
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I am opposed to "the invitation system"
as an essential part of every worship service.
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The Jesus Bruce Barton saw was
merely Barton's own reflection at the bottom of a deep
well.
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Everyone wants to be Batman. No one wants to be Robin - much less the Dynamic Duo's humble servant, Alfred Pennyworth. When Jesus invites us to identify ourselves with God's mission, he does not call us to be superheroes, or even sidekicks. Instead, he invites us to be servants.
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It is heartbreaking
that after years in Christian ministry, Skipp saw nothing
that convinced him of the reality of Christ and His grace.
Christians could self-righteously
say that Skipp has a problem. I would say that the church
does!
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Jesus' gracious declaration of forgiveness to Peter made
it clear that sinners were exactly the instruments he
would use to further and fulfill his mission.
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We rely too much on programs and proficiency and (believe
it or not) words to spread the Gospel, when Jesus' simple
plan has always been to form a loving community which not
only proclaims the Gospel through words, but publicly lives
it for all to see!
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There are five main models of church: church as (1) institution, (2) mystical communion, (3) sacrament, (4) herald, and (5) servant. By integrating the models in such a way that their respective strengths are preserved, we gain a larger, broader vision of the church.
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This is a compilation of summaries from the National Pastor's Convention 2007. It includes notes from sessions on innovation, prayer, spiritual transformation, solitude, the church in the 21st century, the emerging church, worship, pastoral ministry, spiritual disciplines, wisdom from the sages, and the sacramental end of sex, and more!
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Since a pastor preaches the gospel both
through word and life, it is necessary that he maintain
a godly example as well as doctrinal purity
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I find that I would rather play religious games than truly meet with the living God
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Although great leaders are celebrated for accomplishing great deeds, it is good leaders - the quiet leaders - that make the biggest difference and effect the greatest change in this world. The most effective leadership is performed by quiet leaders who patiently, carefully, and incrementally do what is right - for their organizations, for the people around them, and for themselves - inconspicuously and without casualties.
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Hall calls us to a thinking faith that voraciously desires to understand, yet embraces the importance of doubt and uncertainty in the life of faith. We can understand the longing for certitude, but biblical religion does not offer certitude. Any kind of finality is nothing but a lie. "God offers us an alternative to certitude. It is called trust."
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Contemporary evaluations of status are primarily social inventions. How tragic it would be to live a life motivated only by the desire to appear important in the eyes of others?
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Transfer growth creates the illusion of kingdom growth for a few select churches
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Because evangelicals assume that God primarily works through individuals, the necessity and importance of the church is lost to them. The result: essential aspects of the church - aspects that largely define what it means to be the body of Christ - are farmed out to others. This is "the great giveaway"
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Do you believe that reality ultimately favors good over evil? Or, is the universe an impersonal, amoral, indifferent expanse? Uncle Ben believed in a moral universe that favors good over evil - love over indifference. For this reason, he encouraged Peter to use his gifts for the good of others, for "with great power comes great responsibility."
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