One prominent Christian leader, a friend of mine, believes leadership can’t be taught. He told me, “A person either has leadership ability or doesn’t. You can’t teach a person how to be a leader.” Obviously, I don’t agree, but my friend does make a valid point. Some people are natural-born leaders.
God came among us—what a wonder! Since I have been following Jesus for about 50 years, it would seem the incarnation would become so familiar as to lose its wonder. Not so! Jesus came among us—as a baby who grew into a man—to identify with us in every way possible. Then, as only he could, he...
Over the past months, I have been studying tenure—meaning length of service, not an academic status—among seminary presidents. No big surprise—the longest serving presidents (more than 10 years) tended to make the most impact. In every ministry leadership role, there is a demonstrable connection...
Leadership equals influence so increasing your influence increases your leadership effectiveness. One important source of influence is information—what you know. There’s an old saying, “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” Sometimes that’s true. But more...
One of the seminar sessions at a men’s conference where I recently spoke was entitled, “Don’t Give Up Your Man Card.” The premise was men have a unique role and responsibilities. Abandoning those is harmful — both for men individually and the people they impact. Some critics dismiss a seminar...
Stewardship is a word often used to describe our relationship with money or material possessions. A steward is someone who manages what belongs to another person, making the most impact for or bringing benefit to the owner. Our leadership roles should be viewed through a stewardship lens.
Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (in Marietta, Georgia) received a $5.1 million offering in a single day for Great Commission causes last week, collected to honor outgoing senior pastor Bryant Wright and his wife Anne for 38 years of service. It’s typical of the Wrights to deflect any honor to them...
Thanksgiving has been steamrolled by Christmas. When I returned to my home airport after a one-day trip, this became evident in a fresh way. Overnight, the Christmas decorations have been installed and greeted me upon my return…on November 6! That’s too early for Christmas.
The challenges of men and women working together in ministry leadership are at the forefront of discussions in churches and ministry organizations today. Most of the conversations veer to the negative – harassment claims, abuse recovery, arguments over roles, etc. That’s unfortunate...
This week, I am speaking at multiple churches, schools, and other events in South Korea. These events are the result of more than 20 years of developing significant friendships in the Korean Baptist community – both here and in Korea.