The 3 M’s of Leadership originally appeared in the February edition of The Courier. Header images provided through creative commons by the U.S. Army. One of the most powerful memories I have of the Army involves standing in a chow line with other officers waiting for our enlisted soldiers to get their food. The reason we stood in line rather … Read More
The Danger of Yes | Time Management
Everyone has 24 hours in the day and in spite of continued technological advancements we cannot manufacture any more minutes. This makes time arguably the most valuable commodity. While all professions struggle with time management, ministers seem particularly susceptible to the temptation of busyness. Christianity Today recently re-posted a great article from Eugene Peterson, The Unbusy Pastor. Peterson provides the … Read More
Permanent Promises in a Passing Life
Count me among the millions of readers who have been blessed over the decades by the writing and ministry of J. I. Packer. His some 300-plus essays, articles, and books, such as Knowing God, have made an impact on innumerable lives, mine included. So, when it was recently revealed that the nearly ninety-year-old Packer had lost his vision and would … Read More
Leadership is Team-Building
As a young man, I thought leadership was primarily about what I could accomplish. As I have added some gray hair (and a few inches), I have come to recognize that I can accomplish far more as a leader by motivating and mobilizing a team rather than focusing on my own activities. In an article by John Maxwell, he observes: … Read More
Reading Less, Binge-Watch More
Some bemoan the lack of in-depth reading and engagement in longer, nuanced, sustained narratives. We don’t read anymore (or most of us anyway). Our attention spans are too short. We want the shortcut. The 140 character tweet rather than the well-composed essay. The short blog or article rather than the real deal. We read for fewer minutes and what we … Read More
Gardner Taylor – A Pulpit Giant Lays Down the Mantle
The Rev. Gardner C. Taylor prays during his sermon at a historic meeting of four black Baptist denominations at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tenn., in 2005. Religion News Service file photo by Michael Clancy. It could not have happened on a more appropriate day. Gardner C. Taylor, a giant of the American pulpit who had spent most of his … Read More
Ministering to the Forgotten Former Seminarians
“Ninety Percent.” As a young aspiring minister-in-training, I remember hearing this number frequently—and annoyingly—as I packed my belongings and life and headed to seminary. According to well-meaning mentors, this oft-quoted number represented the percentage of seminarians no longer in full-time ministry after 10 years. They were the “drop-outs,” I was told; don’t be like them. For me, the number functioned … Read More
What Business is Your Church In?
Change is a reality. We can recognize and deal with it, or we can let it run over us. Kodak is a prime example. A success for many years, changing technology finally caught up with them. They thought they were in the film and camera business, when they should have recognized they were in the picture business. First came digitization, … Read More
Eight Steps to Managing Your Time in Youth Ministry
Originally posted on theyouthministryblog.com. Header image provided through creative commons by Robert Couse-Baker. While deployed as an Army Chaplain on Operation Enduring Freedom in Europe, God taught me some lessons about time management. While my unit was not in a combat area, the deployment made me think about the brevity of my life and how I had spent my time up until … Read More