Leadership

  Click below to share on social media or to forward this email to a friend           “The reason I share my junk with you is… Read More

We’d like to offer you a book. It’s challenging. It’s prophetic (based on the message of Ezekiel). And it’s now available for all website members. For those who prefer to… Read More

From the LK10 website: “Are you burned out? Tired of church as usual? Looking for deeper connection with others and with Jesus? Then you’re in the right place. LK10 trains… Read More

Vicki and I have had many, many conversations with one another—and with many of you—about the condition of churches worldwide. We aren’t speaking for all Christians or all the Churches… Read More

Special Issue of Religion, Spirituality and Health, ed. Peter J. Verhagen, Arjan Braam and Dr. René Hefti Here is the article: Christian Shame.  Academic.

Reviewed by Malcolm Cox Hwa Yung’s Leadership or Servanthood? is one of the most challenging and inspiring books I have read for some time. The book confronts the prevailing leadership… Read More

Reviewed by Malcolm Cox I am grateful for my friend David Kaner recommending the book Challenging Leaders, edited by Graham Nicholls. I can’t recommend it enough. This book tackles the… Read More

This talk (about 11 mins) supplements the conversation my wife and I had on “Speaking the Truth in Love.”

One Leadership per City: Rethinking Territorial Church Governance Stephen F. Staten September 12, 2021 Some version of this paper had been planned for years but kept getting pushed back by… Read More

A few days before recording this episode, a federal court sentenced a former Church of Christ minister to 45 years in prison for a long list of sex crimes he… Read More

Spiritual Abuse is not a separate category of abuse but is a form of psychological and emotional abuse.  It is important when discussing such cases with statutory agencies to be… Read More

  We are each called to lead others to Jesus. In your leadership role as a pastor, elder, counselor, group leader, supervisor, or parent, are you leading in the way of… Read More

Click HERE for the interview on Bullying with Kyle Spears of Truth Trauma Theology.

Click HERE for the 2022 interview on Bullying with Kyle Spears of Truth Trauma Theology.

Does Psalm 105:15 (“Touch not my anointed ones, do any prophets no harm”) mean that we are never to criticize our leaders? When I try to bring something up, even… Read More

Kate Fehlhaber is the editor in chief of Knowing Neurons and a PhD candidate in neuroscience at the University of California, Los Angeles. She lives in Los Angeles. Read complete article here.

The following is a study conducted by the Oak Hills Church (San Antonio) on the role of women in the church. It’s a great study, not so much for the… Read More

What Can We Learn from the Jerusalem Council? Reprinted from https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/ad-fontes/what-can-we-learn-from-the-jerusalem-council/ Paul Carter, July 27, 2020   The Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 provides a fascinating window into the way… Read More

http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/lessons-from-dunning-kruger/#more-7303 . Not sure how I found this, and I’m not really a reader of psychology blogs, but I found this to be very interesting. I’m not sending to you… Read More

NEWS Why Do Pastors Keep Getting Rehired After Abuse? Victims’ advocates caution institutions against plans to “restore” fallen leaders. Kate Shellnutt   Another case of a leader with an abusive… Read More

The Emotionally Healthy Leader Last fall, I reluctantly agreed to take a class called Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. It was being offered by a couple in our congregation. As I read… Read More

Thought-provoking excerpts from Todd Wilson and Gerald Hiestand, eds. Becoming a Pastor Theologian: New Possibilities for Church Leadership (Downers Grove IL: InterVarsity Academic, 2016), pp. 2, 19, 41-42, 56, 90,… Read More

  The Best Non-Leadership Leadership Story Matthew Dicks is a teacher, author, and award-winning storyteller. In this wonderfully funny TEDx Talk, titled “Speak Less-Expect More,” Matthew shares incredible insights on… Read More

Something doesn’t smell right in Lynchburg, Virginia, home of Liberty University and its controversial president, Jerry Falwell Jr. According to a September report in Politico: “Everybody is scared for their… Read More

Adapted with permission from Evidenceforchristianity.org I [John Oakes] have been serving as a teacher in one way or another for more than thirty years.  It is my career, as a professor… Read More

Church experts and those who have been there offer five key recommendations for leaders. Cheryl Mann Bacon Columnist Somewhere in the unwritten but badly needed handbook for elders are three… Read More

Ask the tech-savvy youth in your church: How relevant and compelling is our communication? Are we truly engaging the information revolution to communicate the gospel to as many people as… Read More

This thought-provoking podcast explores four critical weaknesses in leadership: controlling, criticizing, avoiding, and rescuing. Craig Groeschel is connected with Life Church, and puts out a monthly podcast. Listen here.

TRUST Rom 15:14—confident in church to handle issues of church. I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent… Read More

4) Abuse of authority Leaders have authority, but not to create their own rules, or in the language of Jeremiah, “to rule by their own authority” (Jer 5:30-31). “Giving up… Read More

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so… Read More

  Friends,   Many Renew leaders have success stories to share. We want God to get the credit in these stories. We also want to learn from these stories how… Read More

Article on desiringGod.org How Christians handle money speaks volumes about our Christ. It’s one of our greatest opportunities today to show ourselves distinct from the world, or just like it…. Read More

I. Who is in the ministry”?” II. What is “the ministry”? III. Does it matter what we call it? Listen to the podcast to find out the answers to these… Read More

By Bobby Harrington and Jason Henderson, Renew Network (renew.org) When we say network, we do not mean a television network, but a network or web of people who are connected… Read More

The following is a free adaptation of Eric Scalise’s excellent article, “Accountability in the Pulpit: Where are the Truth-Tellers?”, in Christian Counseling Connection, vol 19, issue 4, p.14. (This is… Read More

Hello Renew Newsletter Subscribers, We hope and pray that Renew.org will become the hub for a network of millions of disciples of Jesus. When we say network, we do not mean a… Read More

Preaching Sticky Sermons, by Brandon Kelley and Joe Hoagland (Rainer Publishing, 2016), is an excellent book. The authors are graduates of Cincinnati Christian University (an institution affiliated with the Christian… Read More

Leadership is an opportunity to serve. Anyone who doesn’t see it that way is not a leader, just a boss. Karl Vaters Read more

A Note on Robert “Robert Coleman is the spiritual father of the modern disciple-making movement, and we have some special resources for you to get an up-close and personal view… Read More

A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the 50th Anniversary of his Death By Dr. G. Steve Kinnard Let Justice Roll, A Social Justice Blog. Volume Three. “But let justice roll down… Read More

Marshall Keeble and Martin Luther King Jr. fought for ‘different things in different ages.’   By Hamil R. Harris and Bobby Ross Jr. Marshall Keeble was calling sinners home at a… Read More

Free Webinar Event – Feb 8, 2018 I wanted to make sure you knew about a free webinar we’re hosting tomorrow called “No Silver Bullets: Five Small Shifts that will… Read More

The crowd cheered as water gushed from the rock Moses had just struck.  Up until this moment, they had been complaining and were even regretting their decision to leave Egypt.  From… Read More

Well you can, but the results are less than best. A few years ago I was talking to one of our pastors who had been engaged with us for a… Read More

Echo chambers occur when a leader’s ideas are consistently applauded without question. Rarely are the leader’s ideas, decision-making, and actions challenged. And rarely are ideas brought to the table that… Read More

Robert Coleman’s book, The Master Plan of Evangelism, is the gold standard work on Jesus’ disciple making method. You can jump into the video recordings of this material through our online… Read More

Discipleship.org asked the leaders of 12 Disciple Making ministries that partner with us to share their top 2 book recommendations. We told everyone to assume the recommendations of two classics: The… Read More

I’m writing to share a recent blog post—an excerpt fromBecoming a Disciple Maker, a free eBook Greg Wiens and I wrote. The article’s called “We Can’t Be Like Jesus If… Read More

Most people who study the church in America believe that the church has a crisis in leadership. It appears that many of today’s churches are looking for leaders, but few are being… Read More

A Christian philosophy professor talks about the real purpose of apologetics. Read article here.

Here are my top five personal reflections from the Forum. 1. Pastors and Leaders are Hungry to Learn about Making Disciples Last year we were told that if we had… Read More

www.thomrainer.com Leadership is critical to successful revitalization. Today we discuss what kind of leaders often fail in the task. To listen to, or to download the audio lesson, click here…. Read More

8-STEP PROCESS Over four decades, Dr. Kotter observed countless leaders and organizations as they were trying to transform or execute their strategies. He identified and extracted the success factors and… Read More

I’m pleased to announce the release of a new FREE eBook from the Discipleship.org eBook series: The Discipleship Gospel by Bill Hull and Ben Sobels. DOWNLOAD FREE NOW The Discipleship… Read More

I’m having a little difficulty with a teaching in my church. There is a belief that everyone in a leadership position has been placed there by God. This doesn’t seem… Read More

The talk (about 20 minutes) contains some clear-minded input for church leaders. Watch the podcast by clicking here.

In the controversy of Acts 6, is the apostolic requirement that these leaders (the Seven) be full of the spirit, respected, and faithful still the rule for us today? And is this… Read More

I recently had a fascinating conversation with a sharp young leader, who had just returned from an amazing vacation in the Caribbean. The food, the scenery, the weather, the company;… Read More

Purpose:  Proper speech / interactions at funerals. The podcast (21 minutes) will remind us to think, speak, and offer comfort in a compassionate and theologically sensitive manner. To listen now,… Read More

Church Discipline This article considers the principal passages on church discipline. Church discipline isn’t a series of confrontations or warnings, but an interactive process. Crucial Counsel for Christian Leaders (Homosexuality &… Read More

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/08/sheep-run-loose-in-spanish-town-after-shepherd-falls-asleep/

Here is an assortment of comments on the Paradigm Series, sent in from all over the world (Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Australia). We have edited some of them… Read More

To listen to the podcast, “Why Christian Leaders Need to be Exceptionally Good Bible Students” (30 minutes), click on the link below. Click here to download. Scriptures referred to: James… Read More

Here I share some of my own thoughts about elders (overseers) and church leadership. I do not speak for a congregation or denomination. These are simply my own reflections on… Read More

Here are a series of lessons by my friend James Robbins. In these intriguing talks, he reconsiders how we do evangelism. Don’t miss it! Lesson 1 – Rethinking Conversion, Pt…. Read More

Bringing back for those who have wandered Since the Lord restores our souls (Psalm 23), and those who are spiritual ought to restore the brother caught in sin (Galatians 6:2),… Read More

The purpose of this podcast is to foster a Christian leadership culture. This is an important study for anyone in leadership, or considering it. Please listen to this podcast (18… Read More

This document contains the guidelines we use in the North River Church of Christ for anyone speaking before the congregation. Rather than leaving it to chance, let’s be proactive. Solid… Read More

This is the first of two documents intended to improve, streamline, and sharpen the address given in many churches before the Lord’s Supper. (The second document covers welcome talks, announcements,… Read More

What does the Bible say about a single leading a ministry? As far as I’ve seen, there hasn’t been any single officially hired to lead a ministry full-time. And often,… Read More

This lesson was recorded at the 2013 Florida Discipleship Conference, and is based on the book of Lamentations. To get the most out of the Grace & Ungrace series, listen… Read More

Click here to download this interesting article in .pdf format.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtT6XkHyqOg&feature=related

by Douglas Jacoby Frank Viola’s books and lessons raise some important questions: What did a church meeting look like in the first century? What is the extent of elders’ authority?… Read More

Here are a number of interesting links to pursue regarding feminism and its influence on Christianity. Thanks to Malcolm Cox of London, who recommended these articles in connection with the… Read More

The following paper has been included in the collection as matter of historical interest. To see how my views have continued to develop, see the 2002 paper on Church Polity, and… Read More

Unity is valuable. Indeed, it is essential. Hard to forge – easy to lose. Are you are attempting to build unity and promote peace between congregations, or within a congregation?… Read More

First installment of our “Are we growing?” series analyzes membership numbers and trends in the U.S. and state-by-state; also related stories, feedback opportunity, new poll and more. By Tamie Ross,… Read More

The following question came up recently concerning the eldership in our congregation. One of the couples in our oversight group just moved to another city. We believe in the importance of a plurality… Read More

Most of the feedback on the current series has been extremely positive, though a few persons have been unhappy with what I’ve written. Some seem to think I’ve changed my… Read More

What is your advice regarding disciples who used to be leading or on staff, disagreed with the way things were being done and spoke up — but felt no one… Read More

Some have proposed that we need overseeing evangelists who have charge of, or responsibility for, more than their local congregation or church. Some go so far as to say this… Read More

Can you think of an instance where an evangelist, elder, deacon, etc. might have his authority removed? A situation has happened in our local congregation that has sparked many questions… Read More

In a document about qualifications of a teacher, you wrote (in the eighth criterion): “His wife must have passion for the ministry as well; they must be well matched in… Read More

Church organization is a topic essential for my congregation in the future. When people get together for any reason, they quite often create power structures, meeting places, rubber seal/stamps, internal/external… Read More

I hear that you are teaching against evangelists leading churches. Several of my friends have expressed concern that you are advocating the abolition of evangelists. Is this true? No, not… Read More

Many people have been asking this question, and let me begin by saying that just because a church is not ready to be led by an eldership, this does not… Read More

Download the pdf below to read about the “G-12” Hispanic churches. Available Downloads: Article-PDF (.pdf – 36k)

Seth Asman wrote this helpful article on discipleship. Available Downloads: Article (.doc – 42k)

Discovering, Achieving, and Implementing Spiritual Balance in the Life of the Christian and the Church. Read the entire article. The pdf is below for downloading. Available Downloads: article (.pdf -… Read More

I’ve been thinking a lot about generational impact lately. I already cited (for some of you) several relevant books by Neil Howe and William Strauss (see amazon.com and look up… Read More

From: Tom Jones, Nashville Brothers and sisters, looks like we have a pretty good group signed up for some discussion. I will start it off with a few thoughts, and… Read More

Jack Reese of Abilene Christian University wrote the following excellent article. I found it in the Christian Standard, which is the leading publication of the Christian Church. Link

Douglas, it seems to me that the role of Teacher (didaskalos) isn’t really an office, but a role that some leaders fill (prophets in Acts 13:1, pastors in Ephesians 4:11,… Read More

Read the article from Christianity Today. It is an interesting discussion between the growing gap of what Christians believe and what they practice. Attached is a pdf.

Building A Basic Bible Study Library Joey Harris Augusta, Georgia June 22, 2005 The best way to get to understand the Bible is simply to read it and to read… Read More

Click for Abilene Christian University’s ELDERLINK.

AIMING FOR EXCELLENCE: “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failures, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy… Read More

Wow! I think every evangelist and church leader would benefit from reading this article (from Christianity Today). It’s extremely informative and helpful. http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2005/004/14.89.html

John Piper, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2002. ISBN 080542620-5. Here is a book to make everyone think, Christian… Read More

Read the article by Haddon W. Robinson. It is in a pdf only. Available Downloads: article (.pdf – 217k)

From Focus on the Family – “The Busyness of Christianity.” http://www.christianitytoday.com/bcl/areas/spiritualgrowth/articles/100405.html

by Michael Cameron February, 2003 Introduction The aim of this essay is to biblically examine the doctrine of “discipling”, for the purpose of reviewing the way we organise and structure… Read More

By Robert Jackson, Sydney, October 2005 “I myself feel confident about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to… Read More

The term groupthink is a kind of false consensus common to decision-making groups dominated by a powerful leader. The relevance of this article to congregational leadership will soon be apparent…. Read More

This paper “disappeared” from the website for over a year. Although the original was written over 15 years ago, it will still be of interest to members of the churches… Read More

DRIVEN MEN © 2005, Douglas Jacoby In Gordon MacDonald”s excellent Ordering Your Private World (Nashville: Oliver Nelson, 1985), the author distinguishes between the driven person and the called person. The… Read More

A song of ascents. Of David. How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on… Read More

Our Current Movement Dilemma In the past two years [2003-2005], the changes in our movement have been monumental. Many of these changes have occurred in organizational areas, at the level… Read More

Download the .pdf (97.3 KB)

A concept is a general idea that encompasses a set of specifics. Another way of describing it is to say it involves getting the big picture of a topic by… Read More

The Gospel of Matthew seems to be structured around five major discourses of Jesus. As such, Matthew 23 would come at the end of the last (fifth) narrative and immediately… Read More

This books list is related to past challenges, healing, and spiritual formation. Baile, Gil, Violence Unveiled, New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1992. This landmark work on how conflict emerges in communities… Read More

Co-authoring a book like Golden Rule Leadership has been a daunting task. Which of us thinks we have perfected Jesus’ style of leading? Certainly not Wyndham or I. Our primary… Read More

The past two years [2003-2005] has ushered in a time of unsettledness, upheaval, re-examination and uncertainty within most churches of the ICOC movement. Some things connected with this time have… Read More

Several months ago, I wrote an article entitled, “Motivation: Guilt or Grace” In that article, I made the case that our primary spiritual motivation as disciples should be grounded in… Read More

Honest to God—Revolution through repentance and freedom in Christ February 2, 2003 How the Lord has covered the Daughter of Zion with the cloud of his anger! He has hurled… Read More

1Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being… Read More

My Vision for the Church – Glenn Giles by GLENN GILES, September, 9, 2004 Available Downloads: Church (.doc – 50k)

Download: article (.doc – 97k)

Introduction In Christianity, motivation is everything! If this statement is an example of hyperbole (an overstatement to make a point), it is only slightly so. God is not nearly as… Read More

Many people are asking this question, and have been doing so throughout all of 2004. The following paper, written by Ron Sawhill, covers the issues of Eldership requirements very well…. Read More

Many of my readers will be as enthralled in this 2003 release as I was. Rivers’ latest book is a study in character and leadership, and how spiritual power can… Read More

Introduction: A. God has provided the church with “everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2… Read More

The purpose of this paper is to urge caution and care in moving forward in the present climate of change. It challenges everyone to think biblically. It recognises that not… Read More

(c) 2003, Douglas Jacoby Scriptural Study: BIASTAI (“forceful men”) For years we have heard of the need for “forceful men” and women in positions of spiritual leadership. Certainly now more… Read More

The following are very helpful manuals for ministers of the gospel, authored by Perry H. Biddle, Jr. A must for your ministerial library! * A Funeral Manual. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1976,… Read More

(1) “In essentials, unity, in non-essentials, liberty, in all things, charity.” (Rupertus Meldenius) (2) “It would be strange indeed the Church should require more than Christ himself did, or make… Read More

D. Jacoby, Jan. 2002 Polity 1538. [–L. politia – Gr. politeia ] 1. Civil order. b. Administration of a state; civil government 1715. 2.a A particular form of political organization… Read More

SAME-SEX ATTRACTION: CRUCIAL COUNSEL FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERS   If you’re a leader or public speaker, take pains to speak respectfully and caringly about those who are caught up in the gay… Read More

Douglas examines the use of statistics as a measure of church growth. He discusses positive aspects as well as the pitfalls inherent in their use. When he first presented his… Read More

© DOUGLAS JACOBY, 1994. What does the Bible really say about church discipline? It may be time to reconsider the traditional view, which may be summarized as “Three strikes and… Read More

I. Recommitment: The Old Testament Principle The Old Testament may surprisingly have something to say about “pruning,” or calling people to recommit themselves to their baptismal confession. There are a… Read More