While at my nephew's wedding reception, I had the chance to visit with one of my older brothers about the church we both grew up in. Theologically, we have both moved past where some of those good folks might be comfortable. It's not that we deny the virgin birth of Jesus or his bodily resurrection -- we haven't moved that far and never will. We still uphold the Bible as the inspired, authorative Word of God. We still believe Jesus is the Christ and no one comes to the Father except through him. We love the church. We believe in missions. Honestly, from the larger Christian perspective, we haven't moved all that far. But I know my heritage and I know many of the churches I once worshiped in would be hesitant to hire me as their preacher (which, when you think about, might not be a bad hesitancy!). There was…
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My oldest daughter, Hannah, and I recently spent a few days in Nashville visiting colleges. Yes, it's hard to believe in one year she will be off to college ... somewhere. So, we're doing the college tour routine: Schedule a visit, sit through a presentation, and take a walking tour. In Nashville, we had the opportunity to tour three schools: Lipscomb, Belmont, and Vanderbilt. Also known as pricey, pricier, and priciest. While I had grown up in the same church tradition as Lipscomb, I had never actually visited the campus until this week. I was pleasantly surprised by the campus (though I'm not exactly sure why I was surprised that it would have a nice campus). On the walking tour, I even passed an old acquaintance -- Keith Lancaster, of Acappella fame. Hannah was given a free t-shirt (swag!) at the end and so we picked up a t-shirt for Hope…
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Typically, the only time Facebook makes me cry is when someone posts something so outrageously funny that it brings me to tears. Or, it's so insanely stupid that I cry tears of sorrow ... for myself and whoever should have had more sense than to post that picture or goofy update. Not so yesterday. After a long -- but good -- elders meeting at which we discussed the mission and vision of our church, I slumped on the couch and fired up Facebook. Three or four updates down on the page was one I did not expect. It made me cry. Still does even right now. A good friend of ours from San Diego died of brain cancer. Tonya and I first met Mike and Rita Osbourne when Tonya began teaching at the same school as Rita. Mike was an elder in a sister congregation and we had several opportunities…
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“Of the modes of persuasion furnished by the spoken word there are three kinds. The first kind depends on the personal character of the speaker; the second on putting the audience into a certain frame of mind; the third on the proof, provided by the words of the speech itself.” – Aristotle This ancient Greek guy was on to something. The three modes of persuasion came to be known as ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos = the credibility of the speaker. Pathos = creating empathy with the audience. Logos = facts, evidence, and logic. Whether preaching or giving a business presentation, the credibility (or believability) of the speaker is important. The audience must believe you are trustworthy. If they believe you know what you're talking about, they're more likely to listen. If not, you're in trouble. This is even more important when you're speaking to the same audience on a regular basis.…
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At its core, effective leadership is really stewardship. As the leader of a church, I am not the owner; I am a steward. God has entrusted to me both human and financial resources and expects me to utilize them effectively. As a leader, I will be judged not only by how I used my own resources but also the resources of those around me. Did I bring out the best in them? Did I allow them to grow and expand? Did I encourage their development? Did I become a bottleneck, requiring all decisions to flow through me? Did I inhibit a good idea simply because it wasn't mine? How would thinking of leadership as stewardship change the way you lead?
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