Good and Flustered Servants

By James Perra

Articles on Church management and chicken soup for the soul's of clergy, lay leaders, and church professionals.

20 Leadership Lessons to Learn Sooner Rather Than Later
themuse.com - John Brandon of Inc.
It all started in 2001. 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.
thegospelside.com - by Matt Marino
An open letter to Lead Pastors. 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
ministrybestpractices.com
When you think of a pastor's ministry challenges a lot of issues perhaps come to mind. Perhaps you think of: Dealing with difficult …
4 Obstacles Pastors Face in Setting Boundaries
charlesstone.com - by Charles Stone
Henry Cloud and John Townsend wrote the wildly popular book, Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of your Life. Dr. Cloud also …
What Should a Minister Be Good At? — Congregational Consulting Group
congregationalconsulting.org - Sarai Rice
by on As it turns out, not Greek and Hebrew. Or at least not only Greek and Hebrew. 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
linkedin.com
Fast forward to today: The lines between education, career, and retirement are all blurred to morphed with overlapping fields of learn, leverage, and …
There Are Worse Things Than Making Enemies
linkedin.com
I tried to placate the girls who made it clear they weren't into me. My efforts didn't help. Other girls would ferry gossip back and forth. "She …
Top 5 Churches That Use Social Media Best
christianpost.com
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
ronedmondson.com - By Ron Edmondson
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
Fast Company - By Jane Porter
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? happened
Nine Ways a Pastor Can Lead a Church to Become More Evangelistic
thomrainer.com
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
thomrainer.com
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
thomrainer.com
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
thomrainer.com
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
emergingvoicesproject.com
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)
sojo.net - Stephen Mattson
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
sojo.net - Evan Dolive
Let’s face it: we are an opinionated society. 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
Lifehacker - Kevin Purdy
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
relevantmagazine.com - Tyler Ward
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
relevantmagazine.com
Fourteen Sentences That Brought Joy to Pastors
thomrainer.com
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
thomrainer.com
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?
hackingchristianity.net
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
ecfvp.org - Erin Weber-Johnson
The Power of Community in Fundraising – it is NOT about the Money! In previous blogs, I wrote about how fundraising is ministry. (If you missed them, …