Missional leadership is not as mysterious or difficult as you might think. It is simply embodying the work of a missionary in your context—and teaching others to do the same. As the body of Christ, the Church is bearer of Divine blessing, and sign, foretaste and instrument of the Kingdom. Missional leadership articulates the vision…
Here’s How to Plant a Church as an Introvert
You can do this. It’s amazing to plant new churches, and Anglicans actively seek more of it. “But”—you might say—“I’m an introvert.” Me too. And I want to think with you about being an introvert and a church planter, with help from a few others who are like us. Whether you’re a pastor or a…
Is Your Church a Society, a Subculture, or a Crucible?
My family clambers onto the porch the other day. It’s shortly after a rainfall, like every day when you live by the Great Lakes. In the sunbeam, we see another spiderweb glistening between the wrought iron rails. It weighs slightly more than nothing and yet survived a deluge. Wow. What strength! What elegance! And then…
Why Collaborative Ministry? An Australian’s Story
In the early 2000’s, about four years into my ministry as an Anglican Priest, I started to seriously doubt my leadership capacities and probably came close to slipping into depression. I had been working in a series of financially struggling parishes with small congregations. Although I’d been given pretty good formation as a “minister of…
How Much Should We Pay the Pastor? (Awkward Church Questions, pt. 2)
These are the awkward questions during any board or Vestry meeting. You can feel a quiet come over the room. Everyone is hoping the subject will pass. But there are five awkward questions that your church needs to be able to discuss. Previously, we tackled the question of access to giving records. Hopefully, I’ve given…
Video: Ministry in the Aftermath of a Hurricane
Last January, John and Ashley Wallace joined us on our clergy orientation trip to Israel. It’s always wonderful to meet young clergy families who are dedicated to the work of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the work of the Church. None of us could have imagined how intense that work would become only 9…
Four Creative Constraints of the Preaching Life
This post originally appeared at LeaderWorks on January 23, 2018. Preaching may be more than art, but it is certainly not less. It is a craft and a skill. An individual may have certain gifts given by God, but those gifts are diminished if not stewarded by effort and practice. Excellence deceives us. When we…
The Zagginess of Holiness
When I was writing Giving Up, I discovered an unlikely source of insight in Zag: The Number One Strategy of High Performance Brands by Marty Neumeier. The foundational principle is that successful brands don’t follow the crowd—they don’t look at the leaders in the marketplace and try to latch on and say “Me too!” Instead,…
Build Your Generosity and Stewardship Emphasis This Fall
Pastors, it’s not too late to plan an emphasis on stewardship and generosity this fall. But it is almost too late. Leading a church in this area takes intentionality and courage. Some pastors have such an allergy to the topic of giving that they don’t bring it up until it’s too late. Waiting until the…
My Cement Taco
At the advanced age of 62, I bought my first truck. I didn’t really need a truck, I tried to tell myself, but having a truck is something no one really needs until you need it. And then you need it. So, to ward off any future problems like that, I bought one. I really…
Throwing a Cap Over the Wall
I am walking in the Land of Giants again. Israel. Yesterday we were atop Mt. Carmel where Elijah called out the prophets of Baal. Today we walk were the Apostle Paul walked, rather, stood in chains before his captors and played the only card he seemed to have left. After several years of captivity, Paul breaks the…
Five Elegant Solutions to Grow Generosity
Some of you may know the acryonm KISS. I did not when it was first whispered in my ear by an unknown man about five minutes before my first sermon many years ago. He was a robed lay reader and was seated next to me. The church was filled with the good people of my…
