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“It took me too long, but I finally decided to get the help I needed.” My first coaching call with this pastor was like so many others. This pastor shouldered the leadership burden without much support for years. Then tensions built in his church, and he could not take the added pressure. Frankly, no one…
The post Why Pastors Struggle to Ask for Help (And How to Get Past It) appeared first on Church Answers.
Pastors are a notorious bunch when it comes to work. Church members have high expectations. The hours are long. Some weeks, you have no option but to grind it out for 70 hours. An occasional all-nighter is to be expected. But these situations should be rare, not the norm. Why do too few pastors strike…
The post 4 Big Reasons Why Pastors Lack Work-Life Balance appeared first on Church Answers.
I’ve never stood face-to-face with a tsunami, and trust me, I am thankful for that. These monsters of the deep are as fascinating as they are fearsome. Just the other night, what started as a quick dive into tsunami videos turned into a full hour of awe with a dash of trepidation. Here’s what this…
The post 9 Dangerous Fault Lines for Churches in 2024 appeared first on Church Answers.
It is a key issue in pastoral leadership today. Here is a quote from a pastor I coach. It is indicative of this issue: “I don’t feel like I am leading well. Sometimes I wonder if God’s anointing and calling is no longer on my life.” That pastor is not alone. As I work with…
The post When Pastors Doubt Their Leadership Ability appeared first on Church Answers.
Churches decline for two main reasons—both having to do with a shift in priorities. First, they lose passion for the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. Second, as a result, they no longer give God glory. When a church no longer pushes outward with the gospel, the people will no longer look upward to God’s…
The post The Top Ten Misaligned Priorities in Struggling Churches appeared first on Church Answers.
Perhaps one of the most under-reported issues about the post-pandemic church is how some churches are doing better after the departure of some church members. We know that about 20 percent of active church attendees stopped attending during the pandemic and have not returned. What we rarely hear is that some of those departures actually…
The post When Church Members Are a Blessed Exit: 5 Thoughts appeared first on Church Answers.
Criticism is an inevitable aspect of leadership, and as a woman in a leadership role, you may encounter unique challenges and expectations. How you handle criticism can profoundly impact your growth and effectiveness as a leader. Whether it is an e-mail from a member sharing their opinions on room temperature and the selection of snacks…
The post Navigating Criticism with Grace: A Guide for Women Leaders appeared first on Church Answers.
I’ve had the privilege of learning from Christian leaders—clergy and laity alike—for almost 50 years. As a seminary professor who teaches courses in leadership, I pay attention when I see leaders who seem uniquely gifted. I offer this list of characteristics today (1) to push myself to evaluate my own life and (2) to challenge…
The post 6 Unique Characteristics of the Best Christian Leaders I’ve Known appeared first on Church Answers.
When the church causes hurt, it pollutes God’s calling and creates a toxicity that works against the gospel. The goal is to minimize church hurt and maximize church unity. Here is reality. Something will happen in almost every church because ministry includes people. In some cases, the pastor is the cause of the hurt. In…
The post How to Recover from a Toxic Church and Bounce Back Even Better appeared first on Church Answers.
The metaphor has changed. For most of my ministry, we often referred to the up and down of pastoral ministry as a roller coaster. It made sense. One day the pastor will celebrate five new believers in Christ. The next day the pastor is met by a long-term church member who is leaving the church…
The post Pastoral Whiplash Syndrome: Five Causes appeared first on Church Answers.