Some organizations have Mission Statements. Others have a mission. Some churches have Vision Statements. Other have a vision. I’ve been closely associated with both groups. Guess which one had better clarity and a more engaging and well-defined culture? If you guessed the one with a mission, the one with a vision, you’re right. Don’t misunderstand.
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An analogy is something that shows how two things are alike, with the goal of making a point about the comparison. The purpose of an analogy is not merely to show, but also to explain. Analogies help us understanding complex ideas. They can also help us understand our growth in the Christian faith. The analogy of a growing
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I obsess over clarity. Why? Because I’ve been in several situations, mostly in churches, where a lack of a clear purpose, clear directions and clearly stated goals led to confusion, frustration and wasted time. I heard someone once say, “what’s pretty clear in the pulpit is muddy in the pews.” That’s probably true. I often
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When I was in Bible School, I took an Intro. to Missions class. Granted, this was in 1983 and times have changed. But I believe many, if not most, of the principles I learned still apply. In the class, we talked about contextualizing the gospel (putting the good news of Jesus into the context of
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Many people hold many jobs over a lifetime. Gone are the days when one graduated from college and moved into a lifelong career with a great company. According to a January 2018 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average person changes jobs an average of 12 times during his or her career. The
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It’s been said we only see 60% of ourselves. Turn your head to the side as far as it goes. You still can’t see your back. We all have blind spots. Weaknesses we’re not aware of. Other people see them but are sometimes hesitant to tell us about them. Telling the truth in love is
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A while ago, I wrote a blog about Three Preaching Essential to Reach Today’s Culture. In it I wrote about the Word, Story and Humor. Today I want to dive deeper into one key element of communication: story. Stories have always been powerful communication tools. Some people possess a vocal tonality that naturally lends itself
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Have you ever walked into a local business and seen something that lacks professionalism? Then did you ask yourself, I wonder why they don’t improve that? Ever shown up at work, noticed an established process and thought, why do we do it this way? If so, you may have a maximizer strength like me. I’m
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Many ministry leaders find themselves feeling stuck. This post is not about getting unstuck. Our friends at the Unstuck Group can help with that. It’s not about overcoming your issues and getting going again. This is a post about what to do when you don’t know what to do. You’ve tried everything and nothing seems
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As pastors and Christian leaders, we strive to lead ministries that are pleasing to God and accomplish the mission for which they are intended. We work hard at it. But sometimes, in our effort to make it “just right”, we can overdo it. We can include non-crucial details, add cumbersome verbiage and reemphasize already-made points.
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