From the category archives:

Ministry Leadership

Patrick: Saint and Small Group Pioneer

March 15, 2010 Ministry Leadership

Patrick may or may not be a saint. It’s above my pay grade and out of my evangelical comfort zone to determine that one. He was certainly a godly man, a relational genius, and ministry innovator. One thing he wasn’t, was Irish. Patrick was born in Britain late in the fourth century AD. Captured by [...]

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What Apprentices Aren’t

February 28, 2010 Group Leadership

I just finished a series of posts for smallgroups.com. They were all answers to common questions, like “is there a best way to train new small group leaders?” I won’t spoil my answer except to say “Yes, there is: apprenticeship.” That post describes what apprentices are. This one describes what they aren’t. It’s important to [...]

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Ambushed by Reality (3 of 3)

January 22, 2010 Ministry Leadership

A friend once lamented that people seemed to be the root of all his problems. If only he didn’t have to  interact with people day-in and day-out, most of his problems would vanish. He surprised himself when he realized what he was actually thinking: “If only I could pastor a church with no people…” We [...]

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Ambushed by Reality (2 of 3)

January 15, 2010 Ministry Leadership

Progress, either abysmal or exceptional, can derail your strategic plans. External factors can easily impede our progress. Year-end donations are less than expected… by half. A key staff member experiences a moral failure… or a family crisis… or a better offer. Your lease is unexpectedly terminated. You thought that your efforts and resources would be [...]

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Ambushed by Reality

January 7, 2010 Ministry Leadership

We’re one week into a brand-new decade. I hate to burst your bubble so quickly, but the Strategic Plan you so carefully crafted over the past couple of months is already obsolete. The sad fact is that you and your team spent hours (or days… or weeks) off-site to stay on-target. You got everybody up [...]

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40 Days in Tracy

September 16, 2009 Ministry Leadership

Tracy, California sits in the Central Valley just east of San Francisco Bay. It’s about 60 miles and 200 years away from the Googleplex, Apple Computer, and Hewlett and Packard’s garage in Silicon Valley. Predominantly agricultural, Tracy has just two seasons, green and brown. We visited during the brown one, and missed the Dry Bean [...]

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Windows

August 24, 2009 Ministry Leadership

They say we’re at 30,000 feet, more or less. I understand that it’s a beautiful day, because the pilot just announced it over the intercom. He also said that if I look out the windows on the right side of the plane, I’d see the Kennedy Space Center and the shuttle launch pads. I’d love [...]

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Sticky Church: Velcroed for Growth

August 17, 2009 Book Review

This post is one stop on the Sticky Church Blog Tour. To read other posts in the series, visit the Tour Hub. I’ve added Larry Osborne’s Sticky Church (Zondervan, 2008) to a list of books that I should have read sooner. His experience with discipleship at North Coast Church may have clarified or changed my [...]

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Answers? Questions!

August 13, 2009 Guest Authors

This post is one in a weekly series by guest authors who embrace the value of “thinking small.” You can read the author’s bio at the end of the post. I was involved in a conversation about small groups the other day when someone asked the question, “Are we responsible for inputs or outcomes?” In [...]

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Motivation for Ministry

August 6, 2009 Guest Authors

This post is the first in a weekly series by guest authors who embrace the value of “thinking small.” You can read the author’s bio at the end of the post. Growing up, I never watched sports, played sports (unless suffering through P.E. counts), or owned any sporting equipment. My husband Donn, however, is a [...]

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