In a grant landscape that can be challenging for faith-based organizations, Lilly Endowment stands out as a funder that provides some opportunities specifically for churches. One such grant is The Lilly Endowment National Clergy Renewal […]

Performance reviews: Everyone knows they’re necessary. Almost all organizations have the expectation that employees will participate in at least an annual review—a few attaboys or some harsh scolding—that will motivate that employee through their next […]

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 take […]

Some personality types, like mine, simply love taking on a challenge and taking on responsibility. It comes naturally, especially for leaders. Taking responsibility is a good virtue and it is celebrated in every sphere of […]

As I write this, it’s less than three weeks until 2022. Budgets are, by and large, complete. The staff Christmas party is right around the corner. Staff members are wrapping up the last of their […]

Every faith-based organization—especially churches—should set itself apart from its business and government counterparts by putting a sabbatical policy in place not as a perk or a benefit but rather at the heart of its organization’s […]

Four years ago, our staff huddled up in the Senior Pastor’s office to answer one question: What are the marks of a disciple? The person leading the meeting drew a figurine on the board then […]

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Hey Fletch … Do you have any experience or connection with a church that has employed a 360 type evaluation of the Senior Pastor?

DRF—While I have done 360 reviews, I’m not an […]

Monday, September 3, 2018

Hey Fletch … Can you point me to resources Boards may use for setting up a system to evaluate the Senior Pastor?

DRF—The best place to start when considering a review of any […]

Monday, August 6, 2018

Hey Fletch …    I am a new XP to the church I serve and staff evaluations are coming up. My previous experiences at churches are either too formal (a graded […]

Friday, May 25, 2018

Hey Fletch … I have all Thursday called #NMT (No Meeting Thursday) and set it aside to do just that. I only do strategic planning. I don’t do any other self work […]

Saturday, May 12, 2018

Hey Fletch … I’m a church planter. We have a part-time pastor on our staff. Her husband makes a good living and we would love to pay her more. However, as a […]

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Hey Fletch … I feel like I’m a paid, professional Christian. I work in a church as a pastor and it is feeling like a job. The joy is begging to fade […]

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Hey Prof … I’m about maxed out in my job at church. I’m putting in 65 hours a week and still not getting it all done. My wife is fussing at me […]

Does it feel like helping others is sometimes hurting you more? Are you taking deliberate steps to manage stress in your life? Everyone experiences stress. Even good events like weddings, births, and graduations create stressful conditions. […]

The New Year brings new opportunities to focus our lives on what and who matters most. In my mentoring and consulting practice, I am working with my clients this month, helping them talk through their […]

XPastor tries to help churches by providing some of the essentials for running a church—items like job descriptions, employment applications, review forms and church policies. Below is the Sabbatical Policy from Bel Air Presbyterian Church […]

“My good Horse, you’ve lost nothing but your self-conceit. No, no, cousin. Don’t put back your ears and shake your mane at me. If you are really so humbled as you sounded a minute ago, […]

One of the keys to a successful sabbatical has nothing to do with what you do on your sabbatical itself, but everything to do with how you transition into and out of it. For twenty years I have […]

XPastor tries to help churches by providing some of the essentials for running a church—items like job descriptions, employment applications, review forms and opportunity profiles. Below is the 2012 Pastoral Staff Evaluation Plan and forms […]

Just the word Sabbatical conjures up all sorts of mystery. You might be contemplating whether you should take a sabbatical—if your church provides one for you. Perhaps you are thinking of asking for a sabbatical […]

Burnout is a major problem for many non-profit organizations, and it seems to be growing. Are volunteers just getting more lazy and irresponsible, or is there really something to burnout? Everyone gets tired once in awhile from hard […]

XPastor tries to help churches by providing some of the essentials for running a church—items like job descriptions, employment applications, review forms and Opportunity Profiles. Below is a review form for the Senior Leadership from […]

This book is a must read for snowed-under ministry leaders like you. Not only will it add some fun in your schedule, but Seth Godin’s Linchpin is like a mental kaleidoscope for opening up your […]

As an experienced executive pastor, and as the founder of XPastor, I often have people contact me with questions about ministry. One of the most frequent issues that church leaders bring to me is about […]

Recently, our church gave my wife and I the gift of an eight-week sabbatical. It exceeded my expectations, by a long shot. My last sabbatical was devoted to writing a dissertation. Thankfully, this one was quite […]

My developmental paradigm for leaders is assess, challenge and support. The threefold paradigm of assess, challenge and support comes from The Handbook of Leadership Development (McCauley, Moxley, and Velsor, editors). The assessment needs to be honest and […]

“I talked about my sabbatical from the pulpit,” said Pastor Mark Brewer. “I even brought up the Elders at each of the three services, and brought up all of the pastoral staff. But, the congregation […]

“I talked about my sabbatical from the pulpit,” said Pastor Mark Brewer. “I even brought up the Elders at each of the three services, and brought up all of the pastoral staff. But, the congregation still had […]

I never would have called myself a contrarian until recently. Now I can look back and see the seeds of it being planted in my college years during the turbulent ‘60s. The school of architecture […]

Holding a tough conversation is arguably a leader’s most difficult and draining responsibility. Many leaders dread these talks … and understandably so. But strange as it may seem, a tough conversation can be the most […]

One of my more challenging tasks as a leadership coach is to figure out a way to break the news to an Executive Pastor or Senior Pastor that they may not be doing as well […]

I still remember the day when I received the results of my 360 performance evaluation as an XP. I seriously wanted to either quit or beat the stuffing out of someone (in a Christian sort of […]

It’s Sunday and you and your spouse have had a wonderful morning worshipping at church. You are one of the key leaders on staff. You are curious because your 21-year-old daughter missed church that morning. […]