Addressing Small Irritations Before They Derail Momentum

Recently I was helping my husband and my dad on a renovation project. We’re restoring a home built in 1900, complete with all the character and quirks that come […]

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 a […]

We’ve all inappropriately handled our emotions at work. We’ve either stuffed our emotions when we should have shared them or we’ve spewed emotions when we should have stayed silent. Venting in the workplace is important […]

This article is adapted from Mike Bonem’s forthcoming book, The Art of Leading Change: Ten Perspectives on the Messiness of Ministry.

In many arenas of life, we neatly divide people into two groups: friends and foes. […]

for a Staff Led and Elder Oversight Church Polity

This article is from 2022 and expands on Bob’s article from 2007 which can be read here.

At some point in the life of many churches the roles and […]

There is much conversation these days regarding the Great Resignation. Is it coming? Yes, for some. For those of you that would actually prefer to retain your best team members, start by creating a culture of strong […]

Good team communication is a challenge anytime, but even more so when working remotely. While that topic can address many things, let’s focus on how to have those comfortable and helpful water-cooler-type conversations with team […]

Danny Meyer is known as one of the world’s top restaurateurs. He leads the Union Square Hospitality Group and is founder of Shake Shack. He was one of the keynote speakers at a Willow Creek […]

The one thing you can stop doing that will have immediate results

As soon as I sent the text message in response, I knew I had made a mistake. It was a relatively simple question, but […]

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Hey Fletch … I read the Hey Fletch column on February 12 about the 45 minute meetings. This just won’t work. How am I supposed to do an annual review in that […]

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Hey Fletch … We had a recent win! Last month, for the first time in many months, we had a full band. We stumbled into it without any great strategy for finding […]

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Hey Fletch … I have a staff member who constantly makes jokes about getting a raise. The first few times it was kinda funny, but now the humor has worn off. What […]

Sunday, July 22, 2018

There you are in the hallway. A friend joins you and before you know it, you are having a confidential conversation. The problem is that you are in a public space.

If you […]

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Hey Fletch … I am struggling with how directive to be with my staff in terms of “expectations”?

DRF—For me, setting expectations is one of collaboration. I find that when I can have […]

Thursday, May 3

Hey Fletch … You are certified in the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, so let me ask this. As the Senior Pastor, I have an assistant who is an ISTJ. He often says that […]

January 25, 2018

Hey David … We are wanting to get a feel for how our staff is doing. What can you suggest? We want to understand how our staff feel and get a handle on […]

Do you arrive at work hoping to tackle your to-do list, only to slog to your car feeling defeated? Do you look back on your days and feel disappointed at how much time you wasted—or […]

From Back-to-School parties, to Thanksgiving outreaches, Christmas Eve candlelight services and more, churches host many events throughout the year. These special events are a great way to reach more people, disciple various groups within the […]

You spend a great deal of money on team meetings. Add the salaries and benefits of everyone invited to a meeting. Divide that total by 2,080, the number of work hours in a year.  You […]

Do you know how to have a coaching conversation with your key players? It’s scary to think about the amount the time we spend talking to staff members and key volunteers on any given week. […]

Meetings. And lots of them! You know what I’m talking about. Meetings are a reality of life and leadership. We’ve all been in meetings that were engaging, stimulating, and productive. And we’ve all been in […]

This month my vision for serving and supporting leaders took a huge step! For several years, I have been working toward launching an annual event for business, government, non-profit, and ministry leaders. Like most endeavors, […]

A few years ago, after I gave my first training program to a group of six people, I remember the words of one woman. She appreciated my willingness to share whatever I knew. When I […]

The majority of meetings are lame. They suck the time, energy, and productivity right out of you and your team. Plus, too many ministries have way too many meetings to begin with. Realistically, we are […]

As an avid sports fan, one aspect of coaching that I always look forward to evaluating is halftime adjustments. These adjustments can be the difference between victory and defeat, especially in closely-contested match-ups of two […]

Up until now, I have for no good reason avoided reading Sticky Teams by Larry Osborne. Yes, I had heard it was excellent. Okay, more than […]

The caliber of your church staff is crucial to the long-term health of your church. Honing your ability as a leader and your church staff’s ability to operate as a high functioning team takes work, […]

How do you feel that moment when your favorite TV show is abruptly interrupted, urgent music begins and a giant Special Report graphic appears? There’s nothing more exciting than being part of the team that […]

I recently stumbled upon something quite remarkable. My son’s marching band had just performed its last show of the season. They were in serious finals competition with the best bands from the Pacific […]

By definition, leaders build teams. One cannot be a leader unless others follow. In a similar vein—and again by definition—a church involves a plurality of people. One person cannot operate as a church. It takes a team […]

Autumn Ridge Church recently celebrated its 150th anniversary; this has provided a wonderful opportunity for us—to remember with gratitude those who have come before us and to look forward to the ways in which God […]

The immune system of the human body is incredibly complex and powerful. When it is not working properly, the body dies with surprising quickness. But when it is healthy, the body is able to fend […]

The vast majority of churches have only one pastor, but increasingly there are churches with multiple staffs. With this in mind let me talk first about the role of the Senior Pastor, followed by thoughts […]

A seasoned pastor offered an honest comment as I opened a workshop on the topic of developing a written church Position Statement regarding women in ministry: “This is the burning issue in my church. My congregation and the […]

How can you draw the best out of your church staff? What are some ways to create a great, healthy staff environment? Below is a presentation created by Steve Liparoto, outlining the various practices that […]

Our discussions on coaching and mentoring tend to go directly to techniques, but I’d like to consider for a moment the way we think about mentoring. Even though my context is a mission agency instead […]

Wherever you go today, everyone is talking about vision. Vision is the current buzzword. It’s the discussion in boardrooms, in executive offices and in management-consulting firms. It’s the leading topic of discussion in synods, and […]

Christ Chapel Bible Church finds itself in the late summer of 2006 at a blessed crossroads. That crossroads is the opportunity to invest in one of three ministry options, each of which will offer material care, as […]

From the biblical examples of Moses, Nehemiah and Jesus, to our own experience in a church context, we know that leadership is hard work. If you lead (truly lead) paid staff, volunteers, or a mixture […]

What was considered high-tech gadgetry just a few shorts years ago is now commonplace in minivans across America. For some, they are a no-brainer for anyone who transports young children from Point A to Point […]

Ever have one of those staff meetings when it feels like an explosion went off in the room? It can be quite unsettling, to say the least. We were a purpose-driven church that was driven to […]

This article is not about politics. Really, it’s not. In fact, some of the information in this article is probably not even accurate because it presents extreme pictures of two people in order to paint […]

This article is from 2007. Bob has written an expansion and follow-up article in 2022 that can be read here.

Rational for All Church Roles/Responsibilities and Decision Making Model

General Biblical Principles

1. God’s Kingdom work […]