Category Archives: second chair

The five ‘must do’ things for ministry staff success

Previously we shared some thoughts from Lynn Turner, Associate Pastor of Youth, Career, and Discipleship at the First Baptist Church of Richmond, VA. We asked Lynn to share her thoughts about how to success in ministry with seminarians in my … Continue reading

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Five hazards for second chair leaders

Previously we shared some thoughts from Lynn Turner, Associate Pastor of Youth, Career, and Discipleship at the First Baptist Church of Richmond, VA. We asked Lynn to share her thoughts about ministry to seminarians in my course on “Thriving and … Continue reading

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What pastors want staff to know

I’m teaching a new course titled “How to Thrive and Succeed as a Congregational Ministry Associate.” The course features a narrative component that consists of visits from “practitioners.” These are ministry associates, “second chair” leaders, currently in congregations. The visitors … Continue reading

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Group Problem-solving Process

One of the most important qualities in any organization is the ability to solve its own problems. Organizations that cannot solve their own problems are in trouble. It won’t take long before they become overwhelmed as one unsolved problem begins … Continue reading

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A question from a reader

A regular reader of the GRACE Writes blog sent a question. She’d like some advice from readers of this blog to the situation she describes below. This person is in her first ministry position out of seminary and serves as … Continue reading

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Leadership in Ministry Workshops summer newsletter

The current issue of the Leadership in Ministry Workshops newsletter (Summer 2007) is now available. Download the newsletter (.pdf, 10 pages) here: limsummer07.pdf. (This is an “interactive” document, so look for tags to websites and features).* ISSUE CONTENTS: The Rules, … Continue reading

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Common sense in pastoral leadership

Emotional Intelligence is one of the fields of research that currently is being applied to pastoral leadership. I think it holds great promise to effective pastoral leadership because the nature of leadership in the (systemic) context of congregations is more … Continue reading

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How to run any organization

I’ve got a book on my bookshelf that I’ve had for years titled How To Run Any Organization, by Theodore Caplow. The clever title caught my attention and I snatched it up from the used bookstore I frequented during my … Continue reading

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Entering the Twilight Zone with eyes wide open

I recently got an e-mail from a former student who was in the middle of an interview process with a congregation for a pastoral staff position. She’d gotten news from the church that the senior pastor, who’d been involved in … Continue reading

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The three main interventions

Neils Bohr said, “An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.” I’ve come to the notion that being an expert merely comes down to three things: knowledge, experience, … Continue reading

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