Church Leadership

Church Leadership equips pastors, elders, ministry staff, and volunteer leaders to lead with biblical conviction, humility, and wisdom. Explore practical, Scripture-shaped guidance on leading teams, developing leaders, casting vision, making decisions, and building a healthy ministry culture. You’ll also find help for navigating conflict, communication, accountability, and the spiritual formation of leaders—so leadership flows from character, not just competence. Whether you’re stepping into leadership for the first time or carrying long-term responsibility, these resources aim to strengthen your leadership for the good of the church and the mission of Jesus.

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 28, 2015

Michael C. Mack

The Profit”s Five Steps to Team-Building

All great ideas””ideas that work””come from one ultimate source, regardless of who takes the credit. That may never be truer than in the case of The Profit, a reality TV show about saving small businesses featuring Marcus Lemonis, a businessman, investor, and philanthropist. Building a strong team, says Lemonis, comes down to a simple five-step process””a process we can apply to ministry: 1. Hire (or recruit) the right people. 2. Train them the minute they start. 3. Give them the right tools. 4. Hold them accountable for their performance. 5. Help them along the way. “”Michael C. Mack

March 27, 2015

Christian Standard

Using Evernote for Sermon Illustrations

By Ron Kastens I was told early in my ministry that good illustrations were like gold to a preacher. I kept a metal file cabinet with file folders arranged topically. Whenever I ran across a potential illustration, such as a newspaper story or quote from a magazine, I clipped it out and dropped it in a file folder labeled by topic. If I saw something interesting happening, I typed it up and dropped it in a folder. Then, when I worked on a sermon and needed an illustration about anger or patience or fathers, I could go to the appropriate

March 22, 2015

Christian Standard

Lessons from Lexington

By Sean Plank I”ve always enjoyed watching TV preachers. I know that sounds weird, because most people can”t stand them. To be clear, I”m not talking about the ministers who preach exclusively on TV (a lot of those guys are kind of shady). I”m talking about the pastors and ministers who broadcast their regular worship services on TV. Growing up in Lexington, Kentucky, I would sit in front of the TV on Sunday mornings and watch a couple of guys on the local ABC station, known to me only as “channel 36.” One of the guys I watched was an

March 16, 2015

Christian Standard

To My Brave, Upstanding Trees

By Daniel Schantz The sharp blade of my shovel slices into the soft dirt. I am planting an apple tree. I lift the heavy scoop of brown gold and fling it to the side, and the fragrance of fresh earth meets my nostrils. When the crater is about a foot deep and three feet wide, I stand my bare root apple stock in the middle and spread out the spidery roots. Then, I pack black loam over the roots until the cavity is filled, and stand back to admire my work. There”s not much to see. Just a “stick” about

March 15, 2015

Christian Standard

Balm in Gilead

By Jay Engelbrecht There is balm in Gilead, To make the wounded whole; There”s power enough in heaven, To cure a sin-sick soul. The opening line of an old African-American spiritual answers Jeremiah”s rhetorical question, “Is there no balm in Gilead[?]” (Jeremiah 8:22, King James Version*). In Marilynne Robinson”s novel Gilead, I discovered balm for my soul. The novel”s narrator, a fictional Iowa preacher named John Ames, is dying. He uses his remaining days to write an account of his life for his young son. Three sentences in Gilead changed the way I view 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, which reads: Listen,

March 13, 2015

Christian Standard

The Dangers of Giving Your Life to Ministry

By Susan Lawrence The time and energy ministry takes can infect your family, friends, and, to be honest, just about every aspect of your life. You can burn out, get angry and resentful, and walk away from the faith that originally spurred you into ministry. Giving your life to ministry, whether it”s paid or unpaid, church or mission, home or overseas, is full of contradictions. You give your life to ministry and feel like you lose control. You agree to be set apart, then feel isolated. You”re overwhelmed, yet claim to trust a sovereign God. So, which is it? Are

March 2, 2015

Christian Standard

Building Creativity

By Jennifer Johnson According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, churches spent close to $9 billion on new construction in 2002 and $3.5 billion in 2013. (Thanks, Great Recession.) Organizations analyzing church spending report congregations that own or rent existing buildings spend 20-30 percent or more of their budgets on loan payments, maintenance, and related expenses. For most churches in the U.S., buildings are necessary for building ministry, and the process isn”t cheap. I”m not interested in the tired debate about whether a church should have a nice building that costs a lot of money when so many

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,

February 1, 2015

Christian Standard

Gagology and the Gospel

By Eddie Lowen Not long ago, Drew Dyck read this inspirational quote from Oprah Winfrey on the java jacket of his Starbucks coffee cup: “The only courage you ever need is the courage to live the life you want.” The Leadership Journal editor instinctively analyzed this Oprahism. It”s exactly what you”d expect from Oprah. Or Joel Osteen. Having an eye for theological truth””more simply known as truth“”Dyck realized what was intended as inspiration was actually a giant dose of what I call gagology. He was so troubled by the misleading potential of Oprah”s message that he literally crossed-out the word

January 28, 2015

Christian Standard

An Inconvenient Truth?

By Jim Tune I”ve heard the axiom “Love everyone, but move with the movers!” shared by speakers at leadership conferences. There”s truth in this counsel. I”ve had to encourage people to find another church when they became obtusely stuck on some element of vision or direction. At some point, I”ve had to weigh the value of giving disproportionate amounts of energy to people who refuse to change or compromise. So yeah, there”s some wisdom in moving with the movers. That said, I”m not entirely comfortable with this approach. Sometimes in order to truly love someone like Jesus did, you just

January 27, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

It”s Not Just a Woman”s Issue

By Mark A. Taylor It”s time to broaden our discussion about women”s roles in the church. And before you click to the next article, let me assure you I”m not interested here in debating whether to ordain a woman staff member, add a woman to the preaching team, or name a woman as deacon (or elder). You”ve likely already decided about those questions, and I”m not going to change your mind with 600 more words. Instead, I think we need to back up and look at a bigger picture. While debating and discussing specifics like those above, maybe we”ve been

January 24, 2015

Christian Standard

My Experience Working for a Verbally Abusive Pastor

By P.J. Bierma At first we couldn”t believe what we were hearing, and seeing. And then we struggled to decide how to cope with an ongoing pattern that threatened to undo us. A true story. All names and places have been changed. “Well, ladies, the big conference is next week.”Â  Trudy, head of the women”s ministry was talking to my wife, Annie, and another volunteer helping plan the annual women”s conference. “Since there will be a lot of women coming in from out of town,” Trudy continued, “it would be nice to have someone who could greet all the newcomers.

January 23, 2015

Christian Standard

What about Church Discipline?

By Lise Caldwell Recently I sat down with three remarkable men to discuss church discipline. Howard Brammer, John Samples, and John Caldwell have 150 years of preaching ministry experience between them. All three are retired from “official” full-time ministry, but continue to teach, preach, and guide. From country churches to megachurches, they have watched church discipline succeed, fail to happen, and just plain fail. When I asked them to share their experiences, I heard wonderful stories, much laughter, great humility, and tremendous wisdom. I want to share the best of that here.  First, a word about their most recent ministries:

January 22, 2015

Christian Standard

What I Learned When I Asked about Healthy Churches

By Brad Walden A longtime friend reported on the latest developments in the church where he had invested years of service. He seemed excited, but also concerned about the changes. So I asked, “Do you think your church is healthy?” He answered, “Oh, yes. We are healthy. We have the largest bank balance in our history.” So that”s it? A healthy church has a healthy cash reserve?  That got me to thinking. How would I define a healthy church? Is your church healthy? Can you invite new neighbors to attend your church with total confidence they will find a healthy environment? Will involvement

January 3, 2015

Christian Standard

Do You Have Eyes But Fail to See?

By Tim Harlow I will never forget getting glasses for the first time. I was in fifth grade and was evidently in worse shape than anyone realized, because I was blown away by the clarity I suddenly experienced. I distinctly remember telling my mom, “I can see the leaves on the trees!” Until then, I had no idea there were actual individual leaves on trees. I just thought it was a big green blob on top of a brown trunk. Clarity was amazing. I was reading in Scripture the other day about another blind man, and he had an experience

January 1, 2015

Christian Standard

Faithful and True

By Mark R. Laaser If you were Satan and wanted to bring down the church””all churches and all denominations””what would you do? Attack leadership, of course. Thanks to the Internet, Satan now has that technology, and he is using it. I call addiction to Internet pornography among pastors the tsunami that is threatening to engulf the church. I am an ordained pastor who struggled with sexual addiction, and by the grace of God, found freedom in March 1987 when I went to an inpatient treatment program. Thanks to the intervention of the Holy Spirit and the best clinical resources available at

December 26, 2014

Michael C. Mack

A Greeting Card Ministry with a Potentially Lifesaving Twist

By Michael C. Mack Imagine the feeling of receiving a handwritten envelope and greeting card in the mail for a significant event. Many churches have greeting card ministries that send cards for special occasions as a way of expressing the church”s care for people, acknowledging God”s love for them, and providing an opportunity to plant seeds of truth along with a personal message. Max Hickerson, who retired several years ago after more than 60 years of ministry, has added a simple yet effective ministry especially for church leaders: he sends wedding anniversary cards. “I have done it for many years

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