The COVID disruption of the past 16+ months changed everything: rhythms, routines and priorities.
Leading an organization has never been harder.
Here’s some of the New Rules of Leadership I’ve been learning along the way…
Photo Essay: One of Our Top 3 Biggest Post-COVID Crowds
10 Steps to Fearless Leadership
What's holding you back from moving forward?
What if you weren't afraid anymore?
Here’s a recent live teaching for leadership teams unpacking 10 Steps to Fearless Leadership in your life, your organization, and your legacy!
NEVER APOLOGIZE for Wanting Your Church to Grow
60 Seconds of Fast Leadership Fuel
Spontaneous Baptisms
"We were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:4)
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Spontaneous Baptisms, Cookie Monster Visits, Life Kids Volunteer Luncheon...
This is how we change the world!
One Way Missionaries
There was an era of missionary zeal around the turn of the 19th century that bred a group who became known as One-Way Missionaries.
When they departed for the mission field, they packed all of their belongings into a coffin and bought one-way tickets because they knew they’d never return home.
A.W. Milne was one of those missionaries. He felt called to a tribe of headhunters in the New Hebrides.
All the other missionaries to this tribe had been martyred, but Milne didn’t shrink back into safe Christianity.
Milne did not fear for his life because he had already died to himself. His coffin was packed.
He served in the New Hebrides for more than fifty years.
The tribe buried him and wrote the following words on his tombstone:
“When he came there was no light. When he left there was no darkness.”
What an incredible inscription of someone’s life.
Imagine what the church would look like today if every single follower of Christ exhausted their lives to reach more people far from God.
Fight Your Fears by Making 'Em Laugh
The late Dr. Martin de Maat had a profound impact on my life (I wrote about that here). He was not only my professor and mentor, he was a close friend (Martin was even one of my wedding groomsmen!).
Dr. de Maat taught me so much not only about improvisational-comedy, but more importantly about the joy of doing life together:
"What happens... in being with each other in acceptance and Yes And-ing each other, is that you as an individual start to believe in yourself because you begin to see yourself in the others' eyes.
Your ensemble, your group, your team, your committee, is the one that's believing in you and you pull it together to do it for them.
You know, it's simply recognizing you're not alone. It's love and unconditional acceptance.
You put yourself in a place of support, unconditional acceptance and love for who you are, the way you are and your uniqueness, and what you do is grow. You surround yourself with people who are truly interested in you and listen to you, and you will grow.
And it doesn't take much to start advancing you, it doesn't take much of that support, it doesn't take much of that love and that care and you can do it. You can play act with people. You can be in a state of play together."
This is how comedians create new material.
Yes And leads to trust leads to contagious unity leads to childlike creativity.
Its how leaders might lead teams in the 21st Century.
Don't settle for the loneliness of leadership isolation.
Dream of and strive for a team of church leaders who are accepting of one another's uniquenesses. After all, we each bring different strengths to the table.
I love what Martin would say about the group dynamics of creating comedy through Yes And:
"There's a lot of laughter that goes on. Since we're laughing together, we're true community. It's a very safe place to confront your fears. The minute somebody says, 'Perform!' your fear comes up..."
As we Yes And, may we as leaders embrace contagious unity and laughter.
By refusing to perform and instead choosing raw, authentic community, we may just lead at a higher, deeper, more spiritually-sensitive level than before...
Books I Am Currently Reading
Leaders are learners; the moment you stop learning is also the moment you stop leading.
To that end, here’s a list of the books that I am currently reading while on a Staycation.
Deep & Wide by Andy Stanley — I originally read this amazing book when it first came out. I had NO IDEA that Andy’s church was birthed out of a painful church split. I find myself underlining new sentences this second time through the book with an additional ten years of leadership experience under my belt.
The Fate of the Apostles by Dr. Sean McDowell — I believe this book was McDowell’s doctorate thesis. Very detailed, weaving together all the ancient writings and historical documents we have on the original Apostles and their deaths between 30 AD - circa 90 AD.
Improvise by Mick Napier — I was fortunate to study under Mick Napier in the late 1990’s as Mick was directing The Second City’s Paradigm Lost, an award-winning, ground-breaking improvised revue starring then-unknown comedians like Scott Adsit (30 Rock), Kevin Dorff (Conan), Rachel Dratch (SNL), and Tina Fey (SNL, 30 Rock). I wrote about my experiences during this season of my life in my bestseller, Holy Shift.
The Satisfied Soul by John Piper — So, so good for my soul.
Mornings & Evenings by C.H. Spurgeon — Revisiting this old classic and being reminded again of just how big God is.
The Visual Word: Illustrated Outlines of the New Testament by Dr. Patrick Schreiner — Beautiful illustrations and fantastic summaries of each section of each New Testament narrative. A great addition for personal Bible Study.
The Emotionally Healthy Leader by Pete Scazerro — This past year I have been seeking to grow into a more healthy spiritual leader. Amber and I loved the original by Scazzero and can’t wait to feast more on these pages!
