Leadership Development

Leadership Development equips churches and ministry teams to identify, train, and empower leaders for long-term discipleship and mission. Explore practical, Bible-based resources on mentoring, coaching, apprenticeships, and building leadership pipelines for elders, staff, and volunteer leaders. You’ll find guidance on cultivating character, clarifying competencies, delegating responsibility, and creating a healthy culture where leaders grow and multiply. Whether you’re developing emerging leaders, strengthening current leadership, or building a repeatable process for your church, these articles help you invest in people who can faithfully lead in Jesus’ name.

July 13, 2015

Christian Standard

Glen Elliott’s Thought Leaders

We asked 35 Christian leaders, “Who is the influencer with the biggest impact on your life and ministry?” Most of these leaders listed several influential thinkers, writers, innovators, and leaders more of us should get to know. This response is from Glen Elliott, lead pastor with Pantano Christian Church, Tucson, Arizona. ________ God has used a long list of people to influence me in different seasons of my life, but Henri J.M. Nouwen“”a man I never met””may have had the greatest impact. Nouwen was a Catholic priest, but a reader might rarely sense that; perhaps it”s why he was read by non-Catholics

July 13, 2015

Christian Standard

Laura Buffington’s Thought Leaders

We asked 35 Christian leaders, “Who is the influencer with the biggest impact on your life and ministry?” Most of these leaders listed several influential thinkers, writers, innovators, and leaders more of us should get to know. This response is from Laura Buffington, teaching pastor with SouthBrook Christian Church, Miamisburg, Ohio. ________ Wendell Berry: His poetry, stories, and essays on knowing our place and living in place reshape the world for me every time I read him. Christena Cleveland: Her work on loving through differences is truthful and painful in all the correct ways. Lee Magness: I”m indebted to many teachers

July 10, 2015

Christian Standard

Bert Crabbe’s Thought Leaders

We asked 35 Christian leaders, “Who is the influencer with the biggest impact on your life and ministry?” Most of these leaders listed several influential thinkers, writers, innovators, and leaders more of us should get to know. This response is from Bert Crabbe, lead pastor of True North Community Church, Bohemia, New York. ________ The biggest influence on my life with regard to leadership is Andy Stanley, North Point Community Church, Alpharetta, Georgia. I”m sure I won”t be the only one to mention him. This guy is the walking definition of “thought leader.” His preaching is great, but his leadership podcasts are

July 10, 2015

Christian Standard

Nate Bush’s Thought Leaders

We asked 35 Christian leaders, “Who is the influencer with the biggest impact on your life and ministry?” Most of these leaders listed several influential thinkers, writers, innovators, and leaders more of us should get to know. This response is from Nate Bush, lead pastor with New City Church, Albuquerque, New Mexico. ________ Very few communicators can seamlessly weave the biblical text, its psychological implications, and its place in the contemporary world like Tim Keller. Many years ago, while I was at Reformed Theological Seminary and teaching in my first ministry, I discovered Keller”s course “Preaching the Gospel in the Post-Modern World”;

July 10, 2015

Christian Standard

Kerry Allen’s Thought Leaders

We asked 35 Christian leaders, “Who is the influencer with the biggest impact on your life and ministry?” Most of these leaders listed several influential thinkers, writers, innovators, and leaders more of us should get to know. This response is from Kerry Allen, an evangelist and executive director with Person to Person Ministries, Hillsboro, Ohio. ________ The greatest blessing in my life is to have a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. This relationship is not by accident or coincidence. It is the result of numerous individuals God has brought into my life who have taught me, loved me, and

July 5, 2015

Michael C. Mack

7 Lessons Your Team Can Learn from the Tour de France

By Michael C. Mack One of the most remarkable elements in the Tour de France this month is the peloton. Cyclists ride in tight packs to save energy by drafting””up to a 40 percent reduction in drag in a well-formed peloton””but there are many more advantages, including the encouragement from other riders and the teamwork involved. Here are seven principles for developing great teamwork that we can learn from cyclists: 1. Become a group. Before you can build teamwork, you need to know one another. A great cycling team, as in any sport, spends time together, getting to know one

May 11, 2015

Christian Standard

Measure Up

By Dave Ferguson Church leaders are being more creative than ever before in measuring ministry and stats that are significant for accomplishing the mission. Here is a long list of just some of the stats that are now being incorporated into churches” scoreboards. These came from dozens of churches just like yours who are trying to figure out how to make sure they are winning: “¢ The number of people who attend a worship service “¢ The number of people who are in a small group “¢ The number of people who are serving both within the church and outside

May 1, 2015

Christian Standard

The Most Consequential Church Trend in 2015 . . . and What to Do About It

One trend is having a monumental impact on churches across the United States, says Will Mancini, founder of Auxano, a consulting ministry that focuses on vision clarity. On his blog at ChurchCentral.com, Mancini said: “Your most committed people will attend worship services less frequently than ever in 2015.” Churchgoers who once attended four times a month may now attend only twice a month. Those who attended every other week may now be showing up only once a month. Mancini points to several reasons, including increased involvement in multiple kids” activities, greater mobility, rise of the virtual workplace, and access to

April 28, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Listening to Lead

By Mark A. Taylor Maybe you”ve seen this happen at your company. The business has been sold. The new bosses arrive, and they”re very confident they know how to run the show. If they didn”t think they could do it better than the last guys they wouldn”t have forked over all that money to buy the operation. So they wade in with firm goals and bold plans to take the business forward. In the process, these new managers announce “new ideas” with the explanation, “This has never been tried here before.” But even though the long-timers watching from the shadows

April 21, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Heartfelt Leadership

By Mark A. Taylor When you go to a conference for church leaders, you expect to come home with a folder full of methods, strategies, and tactics for growing your church. This is especially true when a megachurch minister is the keynote speaker. What secrets does he know about growing a church? What”s working in today”s culture? What approaches are guaranteed to bring success? What techniques have been most effective where he serves? But when Aaron Brockett kicked off the Intentional Church Conference at First Christian Church, Decatur, Illinois, last week, he didn”t talk about methods at all. Or numbers.

April 1, 2015

Christian Standard

How Healthy Is Your Team, Really?

How healthy is your elder, staff, or ministry team? “Healthy organizations engage in honest conversations,” says David Staal, president of Kids Hope USA. “This requires leaders who are willing to encourage discussions about topics that can cause a culture to capsize if ignored too long.” Stall suggests engaging your team in a discussion around the following if-then statements. While each of these may at first seem like ridiculous statements, discuss whether they are at all true on your team, in your group, or in your organization. Tailor each of these to your team or situation. “¢ If someone is an

April 1, 2015

Christian Standard

Advice for Emerging Leaders

In a recent address, leadership expert and author Jim Collins provided advice to young, aspiring leaders to help them become great leaders. It”s interesting to see how this secular business leader”s advice lines up with God”s wisdom. 1. Build a personal board of directors selected for their character, not their accomplishments (see Proverbs 15:22). 2. Turn off your electronic gadgets. Effective people take time to think. Begin the discipline of putting white space into your calendar. Like Jesus, make time for solitude (Luke 5:16). 3. Work on your three intersecting circles, what Collins calls the “Hedgehog Concept”: (1) what you

March 1, 2015

Christian Standard

Five Phrases Every Leader Must Say More Often

By Michael C. Mack As a leader, your words, whether written or spoken, carry tremendous weight, says teaching pastor and author Eric Geiger. Here are five phrases you should make a point of saying on a regular basis: 1. “Thank you” (or “Good job” or “We could not do it without you” or “I”m so glad you are a part of this team!”). 2. “You make the decision.” Empower others, even when they might decide differently from you. 3. “How can I help you?” Look for ways you can help and serve your team members. The best way to do

March 1, 2015

Christian Standard

Five Ways an Optimistic Attitude Can Make You a Better Leader

By Michael C. Mack Neuroscience tells us that optimists make better leaders than pessimists. Stressful situations trigger a fight or flight response, which may manifest itself in a negative emotional reaction. Our brains release chemicals that can be useful if confronted by a bear, but which could prove costly if confronting a church leadership problem. An optimistic attitude helps leaders to view situations from a constructive viewpoint rather than as a dire disaster. Cultivate an optimistic attitude as a leader so that when you are faced with setbacks, mistakes, disappointments, or failure, you can avoid the flight or fight response,

July 26, 2013

Christian Standard

We Carry a Heavy Load

Healthy, active churches need healthy, active leaders. Only a balanced life equips a person to handle the burdens of leadership. By Aaron Wymer “I don”t think so, Elzie. It”s just easier to be a Christian when I”m not an elder.” With these words, or words very much like them, Wayne told my father he wasn”t willing to become an elder at my home church. My dad”s eyes twinkled a little when he told me what Wayne said, but the rest of his face frowned. I could tell dad agreed with him, but couldn”t bring himself to refuse his call to be

April 28, 2013

Christian Standard

Churches, Brains, and Change

By LeRoy Lawson   Messy: God Likes It that Way A. J. Swoboda Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2012 Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships Daniel Goleman New York: Bantam Books, 2006 Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: A Neuroscientist Examines His Former Life on Drugs Marc Lewis New York: PublicAffairs, 2012 Gutenberg the Geek Jeff Jarvis Kindle Single, 2012 Early in my ministry I took comfort in a joke””probably already stale””that made the rounds in preacher circles. A pastor ran into a former colleague who was now making his living working in a funeral home. When he asked him why

April 27, 2013

Christian Standard

Changing Church Culture

By Jim Powell Recently, several leaders from a local church asked to meet with me to discuss their congregation”s decline. They wanted advice on how to turn things around. When I sat down to visit with them, I noticed all of their questions were exclusively programmatic in nature. What kind of music do you play? What do you wear on Sundays? How do you present announcements? Do you serve coffee and doughnuts? There is value in asking such questions because we need to contextualize the gospel, and having relevant methods can make a difference. Yet I was concerned that they

March 12, 2013

Christian Standard

Time to Change

By Mark A. Taylor I”ve been thinking this week about change. Not the pennies and nickels in my pocket, but the change that most of the country observed Sunday  at 2:00 a.m. That”s when Daylight Savings Time kicked in, leaving many of us yawning the next morning. Even though 49 of 50 U.S. states observe Daylight Savings Time (somehow most of Arizona has stayed exempt), some of us still chafe under the mandate to lose an hour of sleep each March. “The change in the spring is always hard for me,” a friend said Saturday night. We had been trying

March 8, 2013

Christian Standard

How We”ve Developed a Mentoring Culture

By Mark Worley A student, who is now a graduate of Dallas Christian College, wrote these words: I wish I could be mentored. My classes are great. I believe I”m getting a quality education as I learn to think critically, understand the Bible, apply the Bible, and teach the Bible. But, that”s only classroom learning. It has not been enough. I need a mentor to help me, someone experienced in ministry and life””a time-tested and trained, solid leader. Someone like this could meet with me a couple times a month (we”re all busy), and just talk to me about life. He could

January 28, 2013

Christian Standard

Get in the Game! Volunteer Anxiety Disorder

By Craig Wilson I thought God and I had a deal that I would never have to go to a hospital to have any form of surgery. I have a very real fear of being put under anesthesia, cut open, and stitched back up like a teddy bear that”s losing its stuffing. I don”t like the idea of an IV needle in my arm, and had never had to have one. Apparently God was not aware of this deal, because there I was, just two days after my 43rd birthday, lying in a hospital bed with an IV in my

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