Lead Well

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash It was a big Sunday. We’d had the biggest VBS of my career and we’d invited all the parents to attend a family service the following Sunday in kids church. Multiple parents came, including some that didn’t go to my church. Naturally, this day needed to go perfectly. I had put as much pressure on this day as I do for Easter. Then the unthinkable happened. Right in the middle of my worship set, my entire computer system crashed. I use video worship and teaching so having this crash was worst case scenario. I didn’t have a backup plan, and I was the only one who could fix it. Looking back now, I’m not entirely sure what we did to get through it, but we did. The Gospel was proclaimed, and we built relationships with the families that came. But that was just one service. I could fill this post with story after story of successes and failures on big days and small days, and I’m sure you could too. After that fateful day, I stumbled upon a paradox. A par...

I don’t know about you, but I didn’t initially sign up for this gig. To be honest I fought it. I have always been good with kids and can organize things quickly, so it was natural for the Youth Pastor to ask me to step in to kid’s church and help. You see, back in college I was interning at a local church. The children’s pastor had left, and the youth pastor was asked to step in. I really didn’t want to, but because I considered him a friend, I agreed to help for the summer. Before I knew it, I was running the thing and in a few short months, after leading a kid to Christ, I was hooked. Now I can’t imagine serving anywhere else. God has designed each one of us with gifts and talents. Just as Esther was put in a place for “such a time as this”, God has us in our place to do His work. Sure, I’m a pastor. That’s what I do everyday, but it wasn’t always this way. For a while, I worked at Sam’s club, and God used me there, too. (He taught me some stuff as well.) God can us...

So far we’ve looked at 4 ways to become a better leader. These aren’t the end all but they will help us go a long way to becoming a level 5 leader . You can read more about them here and here . Today we finish our series and look at the final two ways to become a better leader. Find the right people. Major Dick Winters of Band of Brothers fame once said, “If you are leading and no one is following, then you are only taking a walk.” When we lead others we have to build a team to help us lead. Level 5 leaders in Good to Great by Jim Collins searched for a long time before they hired a new executive, but when they found a good person, they hired them, even if they didn't have a position. Recently, one of my ministry leaders stepped down from her duties for maternity leave. She asked one of her volunteers to take her place. That volunteer took that ministry and ran away with it. She conveyed mission, reminded her volunteers why they do what they do, and worried about vo...

Last week we asked the question, “What kind of leader are you?” You can read more about that here. Ultimately, we should all work to become better leaders, but how do we do that? Over the next 3 weeks, I will outline six ways we can become better leaders. As we become better leaders, our influence will increase, our organizations will be stronger, and we will be more successful. Develop Humility The first thing we must do to become better leaders is to develop humility. I know; it sounds counter-intuitive. Many of us got into leadership because it makes us feel good. We like the power and the responsibility. I know when I first started to lead, I did it because I thought I was better than everyone else in my group, and they needed my “exalted wisdom and guidance.” As I continued to lead with this higher sense of myself on into the professional world, my senior pastor challenged me. Our church was looking at multi-site, and I was excited for the new position, power, an...