This time of year, I enjoy reflecting and sharing the observations I gain from working with a diverse group of church leaders in North America. Here is my take on what to expect not only this year, but for years [...]
The cost of hiring the wrong pastor or staff person multiplies quickly. If there's not a fit with the church culture, it may take years for the natural progress of church decision-making to solve the problem. Through the resolution journey, [...]
#1 Write down your top 12 leaders and an action-item bullet point for each one. How can you invest in each this year? How will you spend time with them? What tools do they need? Do they require more support, [...]
Church planters stand in a unique intersection that brings five overlapping points of tension when it comes to vision and ministry DNA. I see these five tug-of-war ropes with every planter I meet. Each of these tensions starts with a defining [...]
With a 17 and 14 year-old in the house, we hear the word "epic" quite a bit. Every positive happening is an epic win. Every mistake is an epic fail. Right now there's a grandma's houseful of little cousins mimicking [...]
I'm on the family drive from Houston Knoxville for Christmas, reviewing your favorite posts in the last 12 months. Romy and I are sitting in the back seat with Jacob and Joel at the helm. This is Jacob's first year [...]
Do you lead a cause or an organization? "Wait," you answer, "I lead both!" In that case let me ask it a different way:Do you lead an organization with a cause, or a cause with organization?There's a big difference.In an [...]
One year ago, I blogged a 7 part series that I thought was worth revisiting on the application of Seth Godin's book, Tribes, to church leadership. Because I picked up the pace of writing since that time, many have started [...]
“If your happy and you know it, clap your hands.” Now just replace the words happy with smart. “If you’re smart and you know it, stomp your feet.”This post is for all the church leaders who silently stomped their feet.I [...]
This is the second drill down of the Top 11 Clarity Takeaways from the NINES. If you have not heard of Leadership Network's conference called The NINES check it out. In the following video, Neil Cole discusses the kind of clarity that must be forged to reach [...]
When leaders shape organizational culture, they reflect and reinforce values as the things that matter most. Values are often articulated poorly or misapplied in the local church setting. In fact several writers, including my friend Alan Hirsch, see little value [...]
The importance of understanding church guests has grown every year as I consult with churches. In fact, for almost two decades I've conducted ministry observations during weekend services. I call it the Guest Perspective Evaluation. You might think of it #4 - Your guests represent step one of accomplishing the Great Commission—these are the people coming to you! How much does your church spend on foreign missions? Compare that amount to how much we invest into the fish that swim #8 - Building a great ministry to guests nourishes a culture of hospitality because of the concrete reminders to the entire congregation that guests matter. Think of your hospitality ministry as "missional training wheels" in your church. Focusing on welcoming [...]
I want you and your ministry to experience the benefits of stunning, God-given clarity. As a pastor turned vision coach, I’ve worked with an unprecedented variety of churches from growing mega-churches and missional communities, to mainline revitalization and church plants. I started several interconnected organizations that help the church embody the movement that Jesus founded. My visionary planning tools, the Vision Frame and the Horizon Storyline are used by thousands of churches every year through my calling to raise up other consultants and trainers. In 2004, I founded Auxano, which I sold to LifeWay and continued to lead until 2020. In 2014, I created Younique to deliver gospel-centered life design through the church. It is now the world's only comprehensive, open-source life plan system.
In 2023, I founded Run Free as my official team-based consulting shop. We deliver the most innovative Vision Framing experiences available to church teams through the "Pivvot Process" and to network/denominational leaders through the "Denominee Process." We also offer team coaching to church leaders using the "Performance Practices" of meta-performance executive coaching.
I've written seven books: Future Church, Church Unique, Younique, Clarity Spiral, God Dreams, Innovating Discipleship, and Building Leaders. I enjoy speaking about clarity, calling, disciple-making, and vision. It's all about helping one another do more than we can imagine. I co-locate in Houston and Chile with my wife, Romy, and the last of my four children, Poema.
If you are interested in Run Free's consulting offerings or want to discuss getting a LifePlan, just reach out to set up a conversation.
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