Dan T. Cathy, President and COO of Chick-fil-A, spoke briefly at the EQUIP 2020 Global Conference recently held at Christ Fellowship Church in West Palm Beach. Chick-fil-A is more than just the fast food restaurant that made cows famous for saying: "Eat more...

Every year I get a complete physical from my doctor. It's a thorough check-up from head to toe. I usually have the same initial thoughts to this invasive, needle sticking, blood sucking, finger poking experience. First, I'm too busy for this. I just don't have...

We grow by dreams. All big (individuals) are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day, or the red fire on a long winter's evening. Some of us let those dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nourish them through the bad days until they...

I recently attended the Velocity 2012 conference hosted by lead pastor Shawn Lovejoy at Mountain Lake Church in Cumming, Georgia. For the last seven years Shawn and his team have invested in the lives of pastors, and in particular church planters,...

Feeling under pressure? Overworked? Are you and your team working hard but can't seem to keep up, let alone get ahead? You are not alone. This is a very common church staff scenario. What you do about it can be a game changer. In more than twenty years of creating...

One of my favorite ministries to lead is the usher team. Their role is so important, but often undervalued, undertrained, and less than organized. The ushers are a huge force in setting the tone for worship and helping to prepare the people to hear and respond to...

Unfortunately, in too many churches, interpersonal conflict rages and threatens the health of the church. There may be no spears thrown, but gossip and slander is hurled without remorse. It seems as though there is far too much conflict in churches today, so I'm...

Upon arriving at our first church after graduating from seminary, the engine on our 1970 240Z hadn't yet cooled before the first conflict set in. Patti and I arrived in San Diego in 1982 to take our post on John Maxwell's staff. My best one-word description of...

In the last edition of The Pastor's Coach, I outlined the top five leadership priorities of a Senior Pastor. We have acknowledged that it is a lengthy process to achieve this focused leadership, but if you stick with it, the results will be a blessing. You will not...

In Part 1 of this article, we said that any pastor in church ministry or any leader in any environment knows that conflict is part of the reality of leadership. It is impossible to avoid conflict and be alive at the same time. Leaders cause motion and motion causes...

The name Andy Stanley is quickly becoming a household name when it comes to leaders of strong and fast-growing churches today. I am privileged to have served on the Elder Board alongside Andy at North Point Church in Alpharetta, Ga. and can say that I learned much...

On Easter Sunday, we celebrated the grand opening of our new buildings, which constitute a little more than 60,000 square feet. Months (actually years) of planning, sacrifice, money - lots of money, and of course the uncertainty of a last-minute certificate of...