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Category Archives: leadership
Should I take the money?
Over the past several months I’ve talked with various church staff about some money issues. One interesting aspect of these conversations is how they parallel. All of them involved a variation on: (1) a church member wanting to give money … Continue reading
Posted in congregational life, leadership, personal growth, second chair
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Anam Cara
There has been a resurgence in clergy peer learning groups of late. A significant contribution to this has been the funding from the Lilly Foundation that has challenged and enabled denominations to bring about external impetus to the creation of … Continue reading
Posted in books, leadership, personal growth, retreats
1 Comment
Imaginative Gridlock
I’ve been working with a couple of organizations that are “stuck” but motivated enough to get moving toward becoming “healthier.” As I witness the process of working with the leaders and employees of both organizations I’m reminded of some fundamental … Continue reading
Posted in bowen family systems theory, congregational life, leadership
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Book review: Leadership Skills, by Morrison
Emily Kittle Morrison presents a concise, yet comprehensive resource on the subject of leading a volunteer organization in her book Leadership Skills: Developing Volunteers for Organizational Success (Fisher Books, 1994). Morrison provides helpful instructions, practical tips, and valuable resources on … Continue reading
Posted in books, leadership
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The facts about reactivity
Leaders often get caught by surprise by reactivity. That’s no surprise given that reactivity often feels like a dose of intense raw emotion. That kind of energy goes right to the amygdala triggering reactivity on the part of the recipient … Continue reading
Posted in bowen family systems theory, leadership
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Book review: Letting Go: Transforming Congregations for Ministry, by Phillips
Roy Phillip’s Letting Go (Herndon, Virginia: The Alban Institute, 1999) starts with the assertion that ministers need to “let go†of their need to control every aspect of their congregation, and to let the members take charge. Phillips talks about … Continue reading
Posted in books, congregational life, leadership, spiritual gifts
Tagged book review, congregations, Roy Phillips
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Book review: Seeds for the Future, by Dale
Opening this “seed catalog,†as author Bob Dale calls his book on organic church leadership (Seeds for the Future: Growing Organic Leaders for Living Churches. St. Louis, MO: Lake Hickory Resources, 2005), you are struck almost immediately by central themes … Continue reading
Posted in books, bowen family systems theory, congregational life, leadership
Tagged Bob Dale, church growth, congregational leaders, Israel Galindo, Seeds for the future
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On ideology: two sides of the same coin
Elections can provide endless entertainment, if you’re into that sort of thing. But there’s enough drama at all levels to provide a source of amusement for most people, not the least of which is to watch ideologues in action. Liberals … Continue reading
Posted in bowen family systems theory, congregational life, leadership
Tagged ideology, Israel Galindo, leadership, theory
1 Comment
The pastor’s function as coach
I’m often surprised at the disconnect that we clergy have from our congregation in several areas. One I see especially seems counterintuitive. We go to conferences to feed our own growth about spirituality and faith, and then fail to share … Continue reading
Posted in bowen family systems theory, leadership
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It only takes a few of them
Forced terminations of clergy remains one of the most difficult, and often tragic, issues for congregations. A congregation can take years to recover from the forced termination o a pastor—and so also for the pastor. A single episode can become … Continue reading
Posted in bowen family systems theory, congregational life, leadership
Tagged church crisis, clergy, factions, forced termination, Israel Galindo, ministering to ministers foundation
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