Tag «Conflict & People Problems»

20 of the Most Difficult Things Pastors Have Done in Ministry

20 of the Most Difficult Things Pastors Have Done in Ministry

The question was straightforward: What are some of the most difficult things you have done in ministry? I asked this question on some of my social media channels, so it was an informal survey.  The responses were high, over 600 in the first eight hours. While the quantity of the responses was indicative of the…

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Leading a Church When the Wrong People Hold Power

Leading a Church When the Wrong People Hold Power

Can you lead a church without proper authority? Yes, but it is more challenging and complex.  I’m assuming most church leaders would rather not step into a situation where they have the responsibility to shepherd without the corresponding authority. But there are churches with misaligned power structures in desperate need of good pastors. What if…

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Seven Things We Didn’t See Coming in Churches at This Point after the Pandemic

Seven Things We Didn’t See Coming in Churches at This Point after the Pandemic

Admittedly, it’s a tricky thing to find a precise beginning and ending point to a pandemic. We could accept the declaration from the World Health Organization that COVID-19 began on March 11, 2020. But the virus was rapidly spreading around the world prior to that date. The ending date is even more of a challenge…

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Ten Bad Church Work Habits Every Pastor Should Avoid

Ten Bad Church Work Habits Every Pastor Should Avoid

A habit is an ongoing tendency with a pattern of behavior that is difficult to change. Bad habits can develop in church workplaces like in any other place of employment. I’ve assembled a top-ten list of some common bad work habits among church leaders. 1. Procrastination. It’s harmful at any level, but the effects of…

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The Confusion about Boundaries between Men and Women in Churches

The Confusion about Boundaries between Men and Women in Churches

It would be the last time I met with Billy Graham before his death. He was not feeling well enough to get out of bed, but he welcomed Nellie Jo and me like when we were long-time friends. The reality was that we had only been with the famed evangelist a few times. This visit…

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Hymns, Hymnody, and Hymnals: Five Significant Trends

Hymns, Hymnody, and Hymnals: Five Significant Trends

Are the worship wars over? While the answer is not definitive, we see signs that the post-quarantine world may include an unexpected benefit: worship wars are waning. While our evidence is anecdotal at this point, it is still worth looking at five significant trends that have developed or accelerated since the pandemic quarantine. 1. More…

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The Various Voices a Pastor Must Use to Communicate

The Various Voices a Pastor Must Use to Communicate

You’ve likely heard the adage. How you communicate is an essential component of what you communicate. Content is critical, but so is delivery. Finding the voice in which to share content is sometimes just as difficult as determining the content itself. Leaders are often the first to communicate a new message. As a pastor, your…

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Five Warning Signs of False Teachers

Five Warning Signs of False Teachers

Five Warning Signs of False Teachers Several years ago, I received an email with a link to a sermon given by a pastor in my community. The person sending the email was genuinely concerned. “Is he preaching heresy?” The sermon included a terrible conclusion about how Jesus emptied Himself in Philippians 2. The pastor taught…

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The Five Stages of a Church Dropout: From Highly Committed to Goners

The Five Stages of a Church Dropout: From Highly Committed to Goners

It’s painful enough to lose any church members, but it is particularly painful when the church member was highly committed. We call these dropouts “Goners,” because they were once one of your best church members. Now they are gone. It has been both painful and amazing to see the consistency in the patterns the Goners…

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Avoid Bringing This Leadership Baggage into Your Church

Avoid Bringing This Leadership Baggage into Your Church

God created leadership for the church. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd, and He sets aside other shepherds to lead the church by serving under Him. Members of the church are to follow those who keep watch over their spiritual development. Additionally, these leaders should not abuse their authority but rather lead by example. This relationship…

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