May 29, 2023
June 4 | Application (‘Overcoming Our Reluctance to Serve God’)
If you ever feel unsure about stepping into a service or leadership role, you are in good company. . . .
Articles for tag: Harvard Business Review
July 14, 2018
Knowing Where You’re Going Pays Off
By Kent Fillinger I love quotes and short sayings. A favorite of mine is, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there,” from Lewis Carroll, author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger adapted it slightly as, “If you don’t know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere.” But the best mutation of the saying comes from baseball icon (and celebrated linguist) Yogi Berra: “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” Regardless of which version you prefer, here’s the point:
October 18, 2014
The Need to Read Widely
By Bert Crabbe I love books, especially old ones. I love my Kindle too, but ultimately, I”m an ink and paper guy. The great benefit of being able to travel light and still have an abundance of reading material with me keeps me tethered to my tablet when I”m away or in the air. But at home? There”s nothing quite like the feel of a book in my hands. However you”re taking in your media, “Pastors need to read” seems a widely accepted (and fairly self-evident) maxim, and for more reasons than one. If you”re a preacher, that means you”re
October 19, 2012
My Two-Pronged Strategy: Resources for Bible Teaching (Part 2)
By Bert Crabbe It”s a widely held maxim among students of church growth that churches tend to rise and fall on their preaching. While it”s not the only important thing, it seems evident a church can get a lot of things wrong and still thrive if the preaching is good. Conversely, a church can do everything else right and still fail if the preaching is bad. So how do preachers keep coming up with great ideas? Assuming the preacher is already spending regular time in God”s Word, I think a two-pronged strategy works best. First, read WIDELY. Begin with periodicals.
August 5, 2012
It”s All About the Mission
By Mark A. Taylor Sometimes we discover truth from an unexpected source. Not long ago, I pondered the implications for the church in a Harvard Business Review blog post by a columnist for Time magazine. Joel Stein shared a conclusion he had reached as he did research for his new book, Man Made: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity. “I learned that my vision of what makes a good leader was all wrong,” he wrote.* I spent hours working alongside fire chiefs, army captains, Boy Scout troop leaders, and others who guide teams. To my surprise, the best of them
July 10, 2012
Willing to Lead
By Mark A. Taylor Several myths about leadership were exposed at the 2012 Leadercast sponsored by Chick-fil-A, May 4. About 125,000 viewers gathered for the satellite-uplinked daylong session in key sites across the United States, including several thousand who attended the event live in Atlanta. All of them could have found at least one take-away for the leadership roles they fill at home or on the job. One of the demolished myths is “I am not a leader.” Anyone listening to Tim Tebow might think of a hundred other professional athletes with no impact or only a negative example.
April 19, 2009
Megachurches: Sustaining Ministry in a Shrinking Economy
  By Kent E. Fillinger Rising unemployment rates. Crashing stock markets. Falling consumer confidence. Decreased spending. Skyrocketing personal and national debt. Freezing credit lines. Collapsing banks and bankrupt companies. Mounting numbers of home foreclosures. A deepening recession. People fearing a depression. These are the dominant headlines of our day. What is the impact on the church? Prognosticators and pundits are attempting to predict when this economic downturn will either reach the bottom or start to turn around. Until resurgence occurs, how can churches sustain ministry in a shrinking economy?  Put the economy and giving into perspective. The recession
April 9, 2008
Interview with Kent Fillinger
Kent Fillinger explains how megachurch metrics can become meaningful for smaller congregations, why adaptability matters, and how leadership transitions and succession planning may shape the movement’s future.
December 11, 2005
Why Ministers Need a Coach
Coaching helps ministers move forward with clarity, courage, and accountability. Ken Gosnell explains why pastors need a coach to navigate isolation, prioritize wisely, and model continual growth—because even champions don’t thrive without one.
