The New GM?

Check out this video:

Lesson for churches: Repentance comes before renewal.  This definitely merits expanded commentary, but I’d rather start a conversation.
What do you think?

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Are you part of a movement?

Seth Godin has written a great little book called Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us.  I posted Godin’s TED Talk on the material here.  Among Godin’s many challenges, he exhorts his readers to start a movement.  Here is what Godin says concerning the anatomy of a movement:
 
Senator Billy Bradley defines a movement as having three [...]

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Do the people on your team trust one another?

Do you work with other people on a day in, day out basis?  Do the people you work with trust one another?  Why?  Or, why not?
One of the most important aspects of building a solid team is knowing that you can trust those alongside you.  Whether you are starting an organization from scratch or inheriting [...]

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Seth Godin :: Tribes

If you are leading anyone, anywhere, watch this talk.  If you’re not leading, we need you to lead.  Especially all of those Christian-leader types that I know read my blog.  Or the students who are dreaming about a better world.  Or the chronic complainers who can tell you everything that is wrong with the world [...]

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A Right Brained Church?

Last week I finished Daniel E. Pink’s A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.  Great read full of good analysis, helpful illustrations (not just stories, but pictures, too!), and practical suggestions for developing your right brain abilities.  This book has been on the shelf for a few years, but it contains the [...]

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Leadership Lessons :: How Critical is the Environment for Leadership Development?

Later today I take my last final exam of my KU career.  The only thing left to accomplish is the writing of a Master’s Thesis–I’m planning on starting that project this summer and hope to bring it to completion this coming fall.  In other personal news, I saw Elvis Costello and The Police at the [...]

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Are Seminaries Doing a Good Job?

Not long ago my friend Andrew reported a conversation he had recently with a seminary faculty member who asked him, “Are we doing a good job?”  Great question.  I’ve thought about this quite commonly in recent weeks.  I’m assuming your response to this question might depend on the extent of your experience with Christian ministers, [...]

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Opening Worship :: General Conference Part I

What a day.  What follows are my reflections–this will be part 1 of 3.  Today took a lot of energy–particularly the afternoon sessions observing the discussion of the General Board of Society.  I spent the day observing the subcommittee handling the petitions on human sexuality.  You can probably guess where this is going, particularly if [...]

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Calling and Vision ::: The Need for Pastoral Leadership

God is calling people in to pastoral leadership, but it seems as though the call is going unheeded, at times, from those in our youngest generations. The UMC (as well as other denominations) has seen a drop in the number of clergy ages 35 and younger. I’ve written about the lack of young [...]

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UMC General Conference :: Ft. Worth, TX

Next week the 2008 General Conference of the United Methodist Church will convene in Ft. Worth, TX.  I did not grow up as part of the United Methodist Church, so over the past few years I’ve continued to learn about their polity and the means by which they make decisions.  General Conference is an opportunity [...]

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