Team Culture
We’ve all heard the analogy that leading pastors is like “herding cats.” Leading a leader can be an adventure. But rookie pastors need mentoring—and the old-timer pastors sometimes need a fire put under them to help get them out of their “this-is-how-we’ve-always-done-it” mentality. Articles by experienced Executive Pastors and other church leaders can help you find direction.
45 Minute Meetings
Hey Fletch … I heard you say once that you often limit meetings with staff to 45 minutes. Can you explain that to me? DRF—Your memory is better than mine. I don’t recall saying that [...]
Staff Not Responding to Email
Hey Fletch … I send out emails to our staff and don’t get a response. What should I do? DRF—First, make sure that your emails ask for a response. Keep each email with just one [...]
Finding Volunteers for the Band
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 [...]
Staff Member Joking About Raises
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 [...]
A Private Hallway Conversation
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. [...]
Being Directive with Staff
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 [...]
Unclear Instructions to Administrative Assistant
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 [...]
Post-Ministry Event Evaluation
Wednesday, April 4, 2018 Hey Fletch … We are attempting to develop some type of post-ministry evaluation form for the purpose of getting feedback from attendees of selected ministries or outreach events. Do you [...]
Speed Racers
Speed Racers are just getting started at 60 mph. Racers are built for speed, topping out at over 200 mpg. While you can go fast, it’s easy to run out of gas—or worse, crash!At the 2018 [...]
Spiritual Trucks
Trucks are built solid. On a dirt road, you can easily drive from 30 to 60 miles per hour. On a paved road, a truck could top out at 100 mph. Trucks are built [...]
Staff Culture
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 [...]
Seven Productivity Tips Every Pastor Should Master
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 [...]
Seven Keys to a Successful Church Event
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 [...]
7 Key Principles for Leading a Meeting
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 [...]
Great Coaching Conversations with Key Players
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. [...]
Make the Most of Your Meetings
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 [...]
Six Secrets for Fulfilling Vision
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, [...]
Nine Habits of Highly Successful Mentoring
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 [...]
Meetings Are Lame: Seven Suggestions on Making Them Better
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 [...]
Improve the Chances of “Winning” the Year
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 [...]
Sticky Teams
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 one friend suggested it. But I guess I [...]
Seven Warning Signs that Your Church Staff is in Trouble
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, [...]
The Top 8 Things Churches Should Learn From TV Newsrooms
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 [...]
The Ten Ingredients for Creating a Mountaintop Experience
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 Northwest. The [...]