1,400 Articles
from 400 Leaders
Listed from the most recent
Change in Texas Abuse Reporting Laws—Anonymous Reporting No Longer Permitted
Effective September 1, 2023 Texas child abuse and neglect reporting authorities will no longer accept an anonymous report. Existing Texas Law Every state in the United States has mandatory reporting requirements related to child [...]
Common OSHA Violations in Church Facilities
We all know churches are places of worship and community gathering. What is often overlooked, however, is that the church-owned property used to meet in is considered a commercial property. This means that many [...]
Data Erasure vs. Risk Management
The Clash of Privacy and Protection of Vulnerable Populations Protecting Personal Information Everyone has a story about personal information fraudulently obtained by a security breach, Phishing email scam, or sold by a vendor gathering [...]
An Important Ingredient in the Hiring Process
Long before I entertained the idea of being on staff at a large church, I was asked by our Executive Pastor to go to dinner with a candidate for our open Children’s Pastor position. [...]
The Path to Financial Peace at Home and Church
Finances are a crucial aspect of our daily lives. We need them to provide for our basic needs, pay our bills, and pursue our dreams. However, it can also be a source of stress [...]
Learning from Leadership Failures
One of my recent ECFA research projects involves leadership integrity. For David Fletcher’s in-person XP-Seminar in February, I surveyed the attendees, the majority of whom are the equivalent of Executive Pastor, with 1 in [...]
End-of-Year Letters Are Vital
Year-end letters are vital to the life of your people and church. They can share stories of ministry and remind people of God’s great work during the year. A number of years ago, my [...]
Report Abuse: A Biblical Counseling Perspective
O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of [...]
Password Management and LastPass
I’ve been asked a lot of questions about password managers, especially due to the LastPass hack that started in 2022 and was fully disclosed in 2023. Before getting too far into this, let me [...]
What’s a Pastor to Do When Called to Testify in Court?
Have you ever had a church member ask you to testify in court on their behalf? At some time in your ministry, you will likely receive questions from a congregant requesting your attendance and [...]
Why Implement a Written Integrity Plan?
Public confidence in nonprofits is declining to dangerous lows. Consider, for example, Gallup’s 2022 study on Confidence in Institutions, which reports that trust in the church has declined to an all-time low. Just 31% [...]
9 Resources on Financial Integrity
A nationwide survey of more than 700 church leaders conducted by Church Law & Tax showed that nearly one-third have served in congregations that suffered from some form of financial misconduct. Half occurred within [...]
Guardrails to Strengthen Pastoral Integrity
My title may seem a little off-putting, perhaps even negative. Why do I need a guardrail? Or better, what is a guardrail for a pastor? This brings another question, If our church incorporated guardrails, [...]
The Power of a Restorative Sabbatical
Pastor, could God use a sabbatical to re-energize your passion, realign you with His direction for you and your church, and restore your soul towards sustainability in the next season of serving? Let me [...]
Letting Your Pastor Go: Without Destroying the Pastor or Your Church
Church transitions are difficult, but they don't have to be destructive. No one gets into church leadership to scatter the sheep. They often want the best for the church and its members, but the [...]
What Does ‘Data’ Mean to Your Church?
What is data anyway? You don’t have to look far to find data. Megabytes in your cell phone plan. Visits and results in your electronic health record. Expenses and deposits in your bank account. [...]
Elder Boards That Work, Pastors Who Thrive: A New Vision for Church Governance
At some point, every lead pastor asks this question: How do we govern this church? Often with little background on the subject, pastors and boards cobble together a system that either works for the pastor [...]
4 Reasons You Don’t Delegate
I don’t have time to teach someone else how to do it. It will be quicker if I just do it myself. Chances are you’ve used one of those excuses when you’ve taken on a task [...]
Prepping New Leaders
Hey Fletch … A woman wanted to start an outreach ministry activity. She has good character and a right heart for the target audience. Now she’s drowning under the weight of being at the [...]
Marketplace Team or Ministry Family?
If you knew there was someone out there who could tell you your future, wouldn’t you want them to tell you? In my book Transitioning Well, I give a glimpse into a possible future and [...]
Leading Creatives
There is a tension between leaders and creatives within any organization. Leaders cast clear vision. Creatives craft subjective art. Leaders push for advancement. Creatives push the envelope. There isn't a complete binary difference between [...]
Residency Programs in Churches
As a church leader, you might have a clear vision of your church’s next steps. Do you have the team that will help you get through those steps and each level beyond? Maybe you [...]
California Law on Sexual Abuse May Impact Other States
Your state could be impacted by the new California sexual abuse prevention legislation. Assembly Bill Number 2669 modifies the requirements of AB506. What did AB506 require? Which AB506 requirements are modified by AB2669, and how? What potential error [...]
Four Ways You Can Be a Godly Leader in a Sports-Crazed World
I love sports. I am an over-the-top Chicago Cubs fan. My license plate says Cubzwin. My three children all played collegiate sports. My wife and I played collegiate sports. I’m in four fantasy football leagues---that’s [...]