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.

May 5, 2010

Christian Standard

Interview with Bill and Mike Buher

Bill Buher and his wife, Mary, raised their two sons in an a cappella church of Christ in southern Indiana and then, a few years ago, transferred membership to Sherwood Oaks Christian Church in Bloomington. Bill was called to serve as an elder at Sherwood Oaks and was one proud dad when his son Mike was similarly called to serve at Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, Maryland. Bill, retired for about 10 years, finds plenty of ways to keep busy serving Christ. Mike is an audit partner for Grant Thornton, an international accounting firm. Did you grow up in the

April 7, 2010

Christian Standard

Interview with Aaron Brockett

By Brad Dupray Replacing a beloved minister who is retiring after 25 years in the pulpit is a daunting task””just ask Aaron Brockett. At age 31, Aaron was called to be lead pastor of Traders Point Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, succeeding Howard Brammer. The church had finished a building program shortly before Aaron”s arrival, and he helped make the most of it, growing from averaging 1,600 when Aaron arrived (November 2007) to more than 2,700 this January. Aaron is a graduate of Ozark Christian College in his hometown of Joplin, Missouri. He and his wife, Lindsay, have been married

March 28, 2010

Christian Standard

Building Bonds Between Elders and Ministers (Part 2)

By Bob Russell In 1965, Butch Dabney served as chairman of the pulpit committee for the newly established Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. A few months before I was asked to preach a trial sermon, Butch approached the president of Cincinnati Bible Seminary and asked for the names of young preachers who had the potential to grow with the church. Butch said, “We want to hire a young man and we”re going to make him successful.” That phrase describes the attitude elders should have toward their preacher: one of their primary functions is to help make the preacher successful.

March 21, 2010

Christian Standard

Building Bonds Between Elders and Ministers (Part 1)

By Bob Russell One of the most intense topics in church leadership seminars these days is elder/preacher relationships. One minister said, “In our church I get the impression that it”s the preacher”s job to cast vision and the elder”s job to prevent it from happening.” But it”s not always the elders who are to blame for conflicts with the minister. Many times the problem lies with a preacher or staff member who is lazy, unethical, controlling, defiant, or spiritually immature. I”ve observed four ministries recently that looked impressive from the outside, but suddenly the preacher was asked to resign. People

February 28, 2010

Christian Standard

Leadership Coaching in the Local Church (Developing Leaders of Leaders)

By Janet McMahon “The fruit of my work grows up on other people”s trees.” (Bob Buford)1 The phone call went something like this, “I was praying for you last night; how did it go?” I was juggling my 6-month-old son on one hip while wedging the phone between my ear and shoulder. “It went OK . . . I think,” I replied. What was this conversation? This was a coaching call. I had led my first women”s small group at Community Christian Church in Naperville, Illinois, the night before. The call was from Sue, my coach. She wanted to know

February 7, 2010

Christian Standard

How One Minister Survived a Building Program

By Ken Swatman Just the thought of building and relocating to a new facility can strike fear into the heart of the most experienced and energetic of pastors, and it was no different for me. As the new senior pastor of a struggling 80-year-old congregation, I was faced with the challenge of relocate or perish. Our building was too small for even our 115-member congregation. There were too many stairs, not enough bathrooms, and a bottom floor that looked more like a dungeon than a children”s ministry center. Add to that the curb appeal of a 1950s institution and you

February 7, 2010

Christian Standard

Memoirs of a Young Preacher

By Dale Tinsley I am quietly staring at a computer screen at 3 in the morning. Almost five years have passed since my first encounter with the church I am writing about. These past few years have deeply matured my understanding of God, ministry, and life, and reflecting on this time has led me to new convictions. As I open my heart and tell this story, my hope and prayer is that you hear a calling to live and act according to Christ, and that you might gain insight into how the church should look. VITAL, BUT OVERLOOKED I never

January 27, 2010

Christian Standard

Ever Heard a Minister Talk About Himself?

By Mark A. Taylor Usually he”s talking to us about us. He”s asking us about our health or commenting on our children”s good looks. He”s thanking us for our solo or help with the food drive or leadership of VBS. Or he”s telling us why we”d be perfect for the job he has in mind. Sometimes he”s listening to our latest complaint about volume, color, people, or policies. But seldom does the minister talk to us about himself. His job is to serve us, after all, and we”re usually glad to just let him. Either we don”t know him well

January 24, 2010

Christian Standard

Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?

By Ash Barker How do we know if it”s time to move on or to dig deep and persevere? As an urban mission worker for nearly 20 years, I know how much is at stake. It pains me to see so many Christian leaders either hang on to an assignment for far too long, wringing the life out of a community, or withdraw prematurely, missing out on what was possible in that community. How can we know the right time to transition out of our current roles? I have some experience with this, and have helped many others to do

January 13, 2010

Christian Standard

Time-Consuming . . . and Effective!

By Mark A. Taylor One of the most time-consuming methods for developing volunteers is also one of the most effective””and most overlooked. Some call it discipleship. Lately the popular word has been mentoring. Both terms describe a similar approach: ongoing, individualized attention to a person for the purpose of helping him or her grow spiritually and discover his call to Christian service. A number of methods, strategies, and approaches are out there. But I”ll never forget the advice Dr. Steven Hancock gave me and the rest of his Christian education students in seminary many years ago. “Whenever you do anything

December 30, 2009

Christian Standard

Interview with Alan Baumlein

By Brad Dupray When the leaders of Mount Pleasant Christian Church, Greenwood, Indiana, considered developing a new worship center, they prayed over their decision and determined to take a transitional step by first building a community life center. As executive pastor at Mount Pleasant, Alan Baumlein oversaw construction of the $7 million facility and, since its opening in September 2008, he oversees its use. This month Alan celebrates his 10th anniversary on staff at Mount Pleasant, where he served as outreach pastor the first four years. Alan joined Mount Pleasant in 1992 and later transitioned into ministry after a successful

December 2, 2009

Christian Standard

Interview with David Bycroft

By Brad Dupray Tyro, Kansas, is a city of 250 people with a post office, a secondhand store and a church: Tyro Christian Church. David Bycroft started preaching at the church as a weekend minister in 1969 while a junior at Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri. After graduation he was called by the church to preach full time and he has been leading Tyro Christian ever since. David”s wife, Kathy, grew up in the Tyro church and was baptized there in her youth. David and Kathy recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Their three children are involved in local

November 15, 2009

Christian Standard

Keys to Cultivating Leaders

By Glen Schneiders READ THE MAIN ARTICLE: “Developing the Leadership Culture“     Don”t Shortcut the Selection Process for Potential Leaders You will pay in the long run for shortsighted personnel decisions (paid and unpaid). In the early days of church planting, the tendency is to fill slots with “warm bodies,” and often we have to do that. But as you do, assess which people have the capacity to lead. Don”t hand over control too quickly; it is much harder to reclaim it. David Cottrell puts it this way, If you hire tough, it will be a whole lot easier

November 15, 2009

Christian Standard

Growing Leaders in a Young Church: Interior and Exterior

By Steve Cuss I used to believe that a good-hearted pastor with a strong work ethic and a vision from God could lead a thriving local church. Four years into my own journey, four churches around us have closed their doors. In order to thrive, I”ve learned to focus on the interior life of the leader and the exterior structure of the church. Your Interior Life Baptize your calendar!“”I”m convinced my calendar is a pagan””possibly even a devil worshiper. It can run my life ragged if I”m not careful, keeping me so consumed with details that I neglect my fundamental

November 15, 2009

Christian Standard

Growing Leaders in a Young Church: Infancy to Eldership

by Dave Smith I walked into the mailroom at TCM International in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was January 31, 1994. In my mailbox was a letter from a church in Princeton, New Jersey. Ever the optimistic fund-raiser, I assumed it contained: (a) a very large check, (b) a commitment to support TCM until Jesus returns, or (c) both of the above. Much to my surprise, it was a letter asking me to consider leading a church planting team to New England. New England! My immediate reaction was that it was too cold, too far away, too expensive, too unfriendly. But 13

November 15, 2009

Christian Standard

Developing the Leadership Culture

By Glen Schneiders READ THE SIDEBAR: “Keys to Cultivating Leaders” Leadership development never happens accidentally. I learned this important lesson in the early years of our new church. I had a very young, inexperienced staff, and I found myself increasingly frustrated that they were not more assertive leaders. They were tentative at times, and at other moments were like bulls in a china shop. “Why don”t they just step up and lead?” I kept asking myself. One day as a staff member and I were making a hospital visit, it hit me. Actually, I made the visit while he was

November 11, 2009

Christian Standard

The Most Important Leadership Task

By Mark A. Taylor Say leader to someone who is not a leader, and he”s likely to picture a public person: the convincing speaker, the meeting chairman, the decision-maker with the last word or the authority to sign-off. Those who actually lead, however, know much of their work happens in private, behind the scenes, one-on-one, or even alone. But leaders as well as followers sometimes miss one dimension of leadership, and that”s the responsibility highlighted in this week”s issue: Leaders must develop new leaders. The leaders writing this week know this. They speak in the context of a new church,

November 1, 2009

Christian Standard

Read Well to Lead Well

  by Eddie Lowen Every church leader, especially the primary communicator, the preacher, should fear staleness. Those who listen to us instinctively know whether or not we are digging the well deeper or skimming the surface. When people begin to lip-sync your pet phrases as you speak them . . . when you have to feign enthusiasm for things that should genuinely excite you . . . when you preach old sermons because you can”t imagine improving upon what you wrote several years ago””you are going stale.  The easiest ways to stay fresh are through reading and discussion. Not every

October 25, 2009

Christian Standard

We Lead by Serving: Called to Be Shepherds, Not Cowboys

  by Ronald G. Cook In this article, Ronald G. Cook, an elder with First Christian Church, Greeneville, Illinois, discusses his ministry. Read the companion article written by Darryl Bolen, senior minister with the church.     Remember watching those old westerns when you were a kid? Now think, how did those cowboys move cattle from point A to point B? They had a cattle drive! Cowboys rode behind and to the side of the herd, hollering and shooting their guns in the air, anything to get the cattle headed in the right direction. Granted, at night when the drive had reached

October 25, 2009

Christian Standard

We Lead by Serving: A Band of Servants

  by Darryl Bolen In this article, Darryl Bolen, senior minister with First Christian Church, Greeneville, Illinois, discusses his ministry. Read the companion article written by Ronald G. Cook, an elder with the church.         At the conclusion of his career, prematurely ended by a debilitating disease, baseball legend Lou Gehrig spoke to a packed Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939. He said, “Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks for 17 years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.”1 Overlooking

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