The church is an organization that is supposed to care about people. We must be most concerned about how people are living their lives, and the hope that grounds them. We must believe that hope in Christ is going to make their lives so much better. This has to fuel everything we do. It is tempting to go through the motions in church work; to try to improve the worship service mechanically. If there is no fire behind changes we make in our churches — in the service or anywhere else — the changes are meaningless. Any improvements we ... Read More

I have to say, I’m a Gaga fan. Love her music and her package, although I know that so many of her concert goers see her as THE messenger who is giving them hope. That’s a little much for me, but I know it happens. I’m still a fan. I am less enamored of O. Yet, watching her final three shows, I can’t believe how many people treat her like she’s God. The woman is like a worship leader. Except, people are worshipping her. Let’s face it, though. Our worship services should be as powerful as the Oprah show or a ... Read More

It is utterly common in church work that churches keep trying to revive dead ministries. How do you know a ministry is dead? No or very little fruit. The thing is, most established churches have a legacy. But no one can see it if they keep trying to ride the dead horse. It is far better for a church to know when to end a ministry with which so few are engaged and celebrate how many people’s lives were touched in the heyday; and then, find a new venue through which to reach new people. Doing so will stir things up in your church. And ... Read More

Electronics and Internet and Information and media and all of that have made it possible for teams in our churches to operate very differently than they used to. We don’t have to meet face to face to discuss religion or spirituality or God, nor do we have to spend a lot of time in a face to face meeting to get something done. People can participate in much shorter spurts and still accomplish a lot, maybe more. Our worship services should reflect this.   it’s a new way of thinking about things. I have a chapter on communi-teams ... Read More

It is NOT easy. It is HARD. It is not a PRESCRIPTION. It is an ART. It is submission and surrender and strategy all rolled into one. It is Spiritual Leadership and Spiritual and personal MATURITY. You are either going to do it, or you’re not. But more than anything, it is a ... Read More

I seem to have bursts of energy with blogging, and then need that hiatus. Anyway, it’s an energy season. It’s spring and soon to be summer in Minnesota. It’s like brigadoon, or the Aesop’s fable about Proserpine (I think). For about 6 months of the year I feel alive. Winter is definitely not my ... Read More

Along with not serving two masters goes another phenomenon: the ability to take initiative in leading people to follow God. If worship is a way of life, and if when we follow God to worship him he leads us into the mission field, then it makes sense to take the steps to go and to bring people along with us. Such is hard work, and people dig in their heels. They say that faith is private, or that pastor should be there for the long time members, or that they’re not good at leading other people to faith, or any number of other things. Yet ... Read More

In my coaching work, I have an obligation to tell my clients the truth. They don’t always like that, especially when it shows that they have not been truthful, or they have made a decision for their work based on people pleasing and trying to keep peace. Usually, such is an indication that they’re serving people, not God. In church planting, worship leading, pastoring a church, trying to grow a church — or just in life, that never works. We don’t see the effects of our duplicity immediately; it is often a slow entropy. ... Read More

I can waste more time than anyone. I also can produce a lot in a short period of time. I can get depressed easily when change happens. I can also barrel through change with vigor and joy because I love doing new things. We’re all a mixture. The problem is, I think, when we go too far down one side or the other. We all need a little time off, and we all need to produce. We all need a little melancholy so that we can treasure the upbeat energy when it takes us over. What I have found in my coaching work is that many pastors and musicians ... Read More

If you’re talking about marketing, the idea is to find a niche to create a new center. If you can do something differently and bring people to you because you are different, u win. In worship leadership, it is our mission field that allows us to create our center. The message of the gospel is unchanging. But a missional perspective would push us to express the gospel in terms that the mission field can understand, to the degree that we can do that without compromising our beliefs, or the way we understand the truth. Still, it’s ... Read More