Good and Flustered Servants

Episcopal Church Foundation Vital Practices - Blogs - Top 10 Resolutions for Church Leaders in 2015

<b>Top Ten Resolutions for Church Leaders in 2015</b><p><i>ECF Vital Practices</i>, after taking a look back at the questions you asked us, has pulled together a top …

20 Leadership Lessons to Learn Sooner Rather Than Later

It all started in 2001.<p>My role as a leader in business had reached a pivotal point . I was managing about 50 people in three large teams, just a …

Mean people suck. But that’s not why millennials dropped the church.

<b>An open letter to Lead Pastors.</b><p>Do you hear that sucking sound? It’s the sound of young adults walking out the back door so fast that you can feel the …

This Problem And Difficulty For Pastors May Surprise You

When you think of a pastor's ministry challenges a lot of issues perhaps come to mind. Perhaps you think of:<p>Dealing with difficult …

Is Your Church Hurting Singles?

In each of our churches, we have ministries and activities that cater to a specific group within the congregation. It makes sense to provide these …

4 Obstacles Pastors Face in Setting Boundaries

Henry Cloud and John Townsend wrote the wildly popular book, <i>Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of your Life</i>. Dr. Cloud also …

What Should a Minister Be Good At? — Congregational Consulting Group

by on<p>As it turns out, not Greek and Hebrew.<p>Or at least not only Greek and Hebrew.<p>And even if the list of things to be good at were to include all the …

Jobs are Over: The Future is Income Generation: Part 2

<i>This is part two of a four-part series on the changing shape of employment, the emergence of the collaborative economy, and the potential impacts on</i> …

There Are Worse Things Than Making Enemies

Maybe you grew up the way I did, believing that to have an enemy was a horrible thing.<p>Not once as a kid did I hear "It's important to share your …

Top 5 Churches That Use Social Media Best

Being successful online is not easy, says Biola University's director of innovation, Dave Bourgeois. When it comes to churches, having at least a …

7 Helpful Skills for Pastors Leading Growing Churches

I came close to titling these “essential” skills, but I knew that was unfair. God can and does work through all different types of people. But, He …

How To Stand In Front Of A Room Full Of People And Tell A Stellar Story

Whether it’s a board room or a banquet hall, speaking to an audience can be intimidating. Beyond imagining everyone in their underwear, how can you get past the stage fright to tell a riveting story?<p>It happened 18 years ago, but Kevin Allison remembers the moment like it was yesterday. He was up on …

Nine Ways a Pastor Can Lead a Church to Become More Evangelistic

The influence of a pastor in a local congregation is powerful. Like a parent who can influence but not ultimately determine the path of his or her …

Eleven of the Most Common Mistakes Churches Make

I was recently in Arkansas speaking with a pastor who is a daily reader of this blog. He expressed gratitude for all the free content, but then he …

Seven Problems with an Activity-Driven Church

Many churches are busy, probably too busy. Church calendars fill quickly with a myriad of programs and activities. While no individual activity may …

Six Major Issues Regarding the Digital Church

A point of clarity is in order. In this article I am referring to “the digital church” in a very specific way. I am not referring to the many uses of …

An Open Letter to the Evangelical Church: I Am Not Your Punch Line | Emerging Voices

There are few things as exhausting, draining, and disheartening as family drama. I’m not talking low-level sibling rivalry over who gets shotgun all …

7 Things Churches No Longer Do (But Should)

Our changing cultural values continually affect our spiritual lives and often shape our church experiences. Today’s churches aren’t immune from …

Perception Is Reality

Let’s face it: we are an opinionated society.<p>We have entire television channels and radio stations dedicated to the propagation of one particular way …

Run Your Home Network Like a Coffee Shop for Easier Guest Access and Family-Friendly Browsing

Want to open up your Wi-Fi network to easier access for visitors, block the web's nasty stuff from young eyes, and maybe regain some bandwidth, too? …

Success is Overrated

If we were all to close our eyes and think of the word “success,” it’s likely many of us would come back with a tragically low amount of innovation …

The ‘Street Store’ that Gives Away Clothes to the Homeless

Fourteen Sentences That Brought Joy to Pastors

I just received a letter from a delightful lady. She was a member of a church where I was ordained in the ministry. What I remember most about her …

11 Things I Learned from Pastors’ Wives

Several months ago, I wrote a post about pastors’ wives. The responses and comments were numerous and incredible. One of the greatest blessings about …

Church Branding: What you WILL get or what you WON'T get?

On a recent visit home to Oklahoma, my dad and I went to a grocery store that catered more towards natural foods for organic, crunchy people. We were …

Episcopal Church Foundation Vital Practices - Blogs - Attitude Adjustment

<i>The Power of Community in Fundraising – it is NOT about the Money!</i><p>In previous blogs, I wrote about how fundraising is ministry. (If you missed them, …