Category: Leadership
What’s the Goal of a Music Ministry?
by Matt Merker: The goal of a music ministry is to accompany, facilitate, and enhance the singing of the people of God. In this sense, everyone in the church is part of the choir. Matt Merker is a pastoral assistant at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D. C., where […]
The Mythical Leader: The Seven Myths of Leadership
by Greg Ligon: People are different. They think differently. They have different desires. Thankfully—many times—they have different ideas. The way they process and share those ideas are different from other people on the team and from the leader. One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is to forget that not […]
“What Do You Want?”: Pastoral Reflections on Faithfulness
by Aaron Menikoff: Ambition is intoxicating. A few years ago I came close—a couple times—to having a book picked up by a premier, academic publisher. I’m not sure what bothered me more: the fact that both publishers ultimately turned me down, or the fact that I cared so much. Even […]
5 Ways Tracking Church Attendance Messes With Your Soul
by Carey Nieuwhof: If you’ve spent more than 10 minutes in church leadership, you’re aware of the tension that tracking church attendance creates inside you and around you. Sure, for starters, the way other leaders talk about numbers is an easy gateway for criticism (He’s totally obsessed with numbers). But […]
8 Gifts to “Pour Into” the Leaders You’re Developing
by Brandon A. Cox: It’s great to be “pouring into” people. That’s a popular phrase in today’s leadership environment. I’ve used it because I like the word picture of it. Whatever I may have learned about life and leadership, I’m supposed to be passing along to others. But what does the […]
Episode 198: Planting with a Focus
How do you plant with a focus while avoiding exclusivity? In Episode 198 of the NewChurches Q&A Podcast, Daniel and Ed discuss planting churches with a focus group in mind. Here’s Lee with today’s question: How can you communicate a desire to reach a certain group of people without your […]
The Power of Brutally Honest Self-Evaluation
by Brandon A. Cox: I don’t always like the truth. That doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with truth. It means there’s something deficient in me. What I do like… is comfort. I like to feel like things are okay. And there’s at least a 70% chance you’re like me in […]
5 Honest Struggles Most Church Leaders Don’t Want To Admit
by Carey Nieuwhof: Most of us who get into full-time ministry do so because we sense a calling, not because it was a ‘career path’. Chances are you got in this because you love God, deeply, right? So it’s always a bit surprising and unusual then when ministry leaders find […]
5 Steps for Leading Yourself as a Church Planter
By Dustin Neeley: There are many resources provided to Christian pastors that instruct how to lead your church well or lead your family well. However, there seems to be a lack of advice when it comes to leading yourself well. If you’re not leading yourself well, you can’t lead your […]
5 Mistakes I Made as a Church Planter
By Dustin Neeley: Many people share in the success stories of their church plants. Many church planters are quick to tell you the great things happening at their current campus. As encouraging as those stories are, it’s equally as important to hear about the mistakes that people made in their […]