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The question seems almost too obvious, doesn’t it? When asked this question, most church leaders respond that the staff of the church is the group of people that the church employs. And this response is more or less accurate. However, many congregations have volunteers who effectively serve as staff members of the church and don’t get […]
Read MoreThis post is for those of you who attended, “Stepping Up to Staffing and Supervision” last week in Atlanta. Here is my promised description, with examples, of an effective performance goal. (See what happens when you articulate your expectations, set measurable objectives and establish time frames? People actually step up to meet those expectations . […]
Read MoreCongregations that employ more than one pastor often grapple with the authority relationships between those two pastors, particularly in congregations that call their pastors and embrace a congregational form of polity. Increasingly, these congregations are inquiring about, or exploring, co-pastorate relationships. I’m using the terminology here to refer to a relationship in which there is […]
Read More“Hi, my name is Carol. I’m sorry to arrive late. I’m part of the foundation that paid to finance this work that brought you here.” (Big Smile) These were the words of a late arrival at a recent training session in a congregation. I was training facilitators who were about to conduct focus groups as part […]
Read MoreOne of the challenges of large church leadership is learning to recognize stagnation before it drags you down. The large church is often likened to the ocean liner; slow to respond and slow to turn. The large congregation is capable of maintaining momentum over long periods of time, but when stagnation seeps in and the […]
Read MoreCan I supervise someone more gifted or more knowledgeable than I? This question came to me in the form of a potential case study submitted by a participant in my upcoming 3 day workshop on staffing and supervision. Many a supervisor has failed at the act of supervision by convincing himself that he is not […]
Read MoreThe phone rang late on Friday afternoon. I answered to the voice of an exhausted coaching client who needed help thinking through a “personnel issue”. He warned me that the situation would require some explaining and then launched into a ten minute description of a series of entanglements that involved the head of staff, a […]
Read MoreI’m frequently asked to consult with strategic planning teams as they formulate their process for self study and strategy formation. In my first meeting with church planners some version of this question inevitably surfaces. “What assurances can you give us that we will actually execute the strategy that we claim during this self study period?” […]
Read MoreI’m frequently asked to consult with strategic planning teams as they formulate their process for self study and strategy formation. In my first meeting with church planners some version of this question inevitably surfaces. “What assurances can you give us that we will actually execute the strategy that we claim during this self study period?” […]
Read MoreLife changed in unexpected ways when my husband and I had our third child. Becoming first time parents had been jarring. We expected life as we knew it to disappear upon the arrival of that first child, and although we were stressed by the transition we were more or less prepared for the turmoil. The […]
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