Church Leadership >
Tonight I begin a fifteen week online class on “The Ministry of Coaching” for Central Baptist Theological Seminary students. My goal in this class is not to train the ten students to become professional coaches but to learn how to apply the techniques of coaching in the local church.The underlying ...
Church Leadership >
Cecil Sherman, the first coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, said, “The son comes up at different times for different people.” He was commenting on that fact that not everyone perceived the changes in Baptist life in the south at the same time and was leaving the door open for ...
Church Leadership >
Several blog writers that I follow have recently posted observations about the needs of pastoral leaders in the contemporary setting and in the coming years. They have asked questions like, “What are the competencies required?” “What type of preparation is needed?” “Will there be a place for paid, full-time clergy?” In ...
Church Leadership >
Although a friend once told me that passion was overrated, I believe that the things about which we are passionate give meaning and purpose to life. The first definition of “passion” in the dictionary is “compelling desire” with “sexual desire” coming in third. When I talk about passion, I am ...
Church Leadership >
If change is to happen in a congregation, the starting place is spiritual and relational vitality. Change will provoke resistance, disagreement, and even anger, so it is important that congregants have the kind of relationships and spiritual commitment that will allow members to overcome those responses and emerge as a ...
Church Leadership >
Early in my ministry, I discovered that writing was a great diversion for me. I had written papers, sermon manuscripts, and letters (remember those?) since I was a teen-ager, but I first came to see writing as a creative outlet when editor Bill Junker invited me to write an article ...
Church Leadership >
In the current issue of Congregations magazine, Jeff Woods suggests some alternative pastoral models. He points out that churches want a called and equipped pastor, but it is more difficult today to provide the financial support for such a minister while carrying other institutional expenses. Woods suggests a number of ...
Church Leadership >
On January 1, I celebrated the beginning of my fifth year of “retirement.” In many ways, I was not ready to give up full-time employment when the time came, but as I look over my calendar for the coming month, I realize that I have been blessed with the opportunity ...
Church Leadership >
The old joke goes something like this. How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb? The answer, “None. Why would we want to change anything?”Change is never easy and rarely sought, but change is going to happen. We can either adapt to it or use it as ...
Church Leadership >
My friend Jerry Gaither was a county superintendent of schools when it was an elected position, subject to the whims of electoral politics. He also served during a time when folks here in Tennessee were dealing with significant issues relate to racial integration. Jerry learned a lot as an administrator, ...