Church leaders receive a lot of inside information.  Having been in ordained ministry for almost forty years, I could tell you story after story about the personal lives of people.  People have allowed me as a pastor into their homes, into their lives, and into their personal spaces.  But would I share these stories?   Absolutely not.   We having been looking at eight often-overlooked characteristics that effective church leaders share.1  In this article we will consider how...

Nobody likes conflict.  And people deal with conflict in many different ways.  Some people avoid conflict at all costs.  Others respond with unbridled anger or hurtful words or actions.   Too many people bottle up their feelings and any feelings of hurt or anger are turned inwards.  Then there are those who deal with conflict by lovingly confronting those who they are in conflict with.   These people attempt to deal with conflict in a way that builds...

In the church, getting things done always takes longer than you think. Change takes time. This is because change comes so hard for so many. Change is difficult for various reasons. People are often more comfortable with old problems than with new solutions. With any change comes a degree of uncertainty, and people become insecure in the face of the unknown. Old routines are disrupted. Learning new habits for some is difficult. Generally, people like to...

We all make mistakes.   The Bible is clear about this.   In Romans we are told, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)   Earlier in this chapter, quoting various passages from the book of Psalms, the apostle Paul reminds his reader that "there is no one who does good, not even one." (Romans 3:12)  This is true of every person.  This is also true of every church leader.  In this current...

I just finished a project with a 12 year old boy.   Since he does not have a father in his life, when this young man was just 5 I began hanging out with him fortnightly to be a father figure and teach him some woodworking skills.  This went on for quite a while until he moved away 2 hours north.  But a couple of years ago we reconnected, and at least once a month, he and...