I said this in part one, but it bears repeating: Whether you like it or not, you are a role model for your people. It may not seem fair and your people are ultimately responsible for themselves, but the shepherd is also responsible for the flock. You are not asked...

I have a challenge for you. Before you start skimming over familiar Scriptures I would like you instead to take 20-25 minutes to read this article and ask God to speak to you, challenge you, and encourage you in your leadership role. Jesus was the greatest leader...

There are some messages in life you wish would never end; on the other hand, there are some messages you are convinced will never end. Calvin Coolidge said, "Don't speak unless you can improve on silence." Good advice. Unfortunately for most of us, there are a few...

Numbers, measuring and keeping track of things seem mechanical and impersonal until they are about me. Numbers get personal and matter when it comes to my age, my weight, my cholesterol level, and my bank account. The truth is every number tells a story. (My...

When is it time to start a second service? Should I start a second service or build a bigger building? Should the second service be the same as or different than the first service? What impacts does a second service have on the ministry and culture of the church?...

At Crossroads Community Church, here in Atlanta, Georgia, we have three worship services. Two are on Sunday morning (9 a.m. and 10:15 a.m.) and one is on Sunday evening (6 p.m.). Each time a service was added it wasn't an easy task, but it was worth it to further...

When I get my car detailed, I want the guy with the Q-tips in his shirt pocket and a glazed look in his eyes, not the party animal with extra dark sunglasses and a T-shirt that says: "Beer is proof that God loves mankind." When you go into surgery, my strong hunch...

My daughter Mackenzie is officially a teenager. She is thirteen and the primary reason my prayer life is alive and well! I love her to pieces, but I tell you, adolescent hormones are scary. I have a deep and growing respect for our Middle School Pastor Dan Self,...

The senior pastor carries a heavy load of responsibility for the church, but in most healthy churches, he or she doesn't carry it alone. In nearly all successful churches, there is a "Number Two" helping to make things happen. In a small church, it may be an...

Got enough time to do everything you feel needs to be done? If you are like most Senior Pastors, the answer is a resounding and emphatic "NO." Sermons to write, people to marry, meetings to attend, lessons to teach, people to connect with, problems to solve,...

"Don't be afraid of small beginnings, remember this whole thing started with a mouse." - Walt Disney Have you ever felt discouraged when you see a large and thriving church? You think "I'm working so hard, but my little church could never grow that big." It's all...

There are two major kinds of work in modern organizations: one is taking phone messages for people who are in meetings; the other is going to meetings. Most of us aspire to the second category until we have attended two or three meetings, then we beg to get back on...