To be vague as a leader is to be dim, faint, shadowy, wispy, undefined and obscure. The cost of being vague is so high, it should be considered an enemy. Consider the cost. If you are vague...People won't see God's unique [...]
When discerning vision and sharpening clarity, pastors are faced with an interesting dilemma between trust and objectivity. Trust and objectivity are inversely related. When the leader is new to the organization, he or she will have maximum objectivity, but little [...]
These little phrases came from Max Lucado. “I have made known to you everything I heard from my Father.” John 15:15His greatest sermon can be read in eight minutes (Matthew 5-7)He summarized prayer in five phrases (Matthew 6:9-13).He silenced accusers with [...]
I am amazed at how God is moving in every tribe. While there are certainly more mainlines who talk missional than live it, there are a growing number of churches that are un-programming and re-viving the heartbeat of Jesus in [...]
For a decade I have averaged a new conversation a day with a church leaders about vision. Yesterday, I talked with a fast growing church of 2000 in northern CA. The day before, I spent 2 hours with another fast [...]
My daughter and I practiced her spelling bee words as I drove her to school this morning. Abby is a 10-year old. On the drive home, I pondered what Abby might do when she grows up. Every now and again [...]
I am on a call with missional thought-leaders and experimenters led by Alan Hirsch. The group is called Future Travelers. Today we are discussing the missional model developed by Jeff Vanderstelt at Soma Communities. I wanted to share three observations about the [...]
The Sticky Teams Conference this year will be a great line-up in one-of-a-kind conference venue. Here's what's in store:Larry Osborne and Chris Mavity know how to create a culture of accessibility. The focus is on the exchange of seasoned wisdom [...]
Before my transition to coach-consulting in 2001, I led several different ministry areas at Clear Creek Community Church. An unexpected season of leading the children's area engaged my love for vision around the importance of serving children. What I learned [...]
I initially read this post by Rhett Smith (Rhett fuses leadership and counseling insights) because he used a term that intrigued me when he said, "Leaders are only as 'successful' as their level of differentiation." Here are a few nuggets [...]
If you don't yet subscribe to Auxano Insights, you may enjoy the snapshots of client stories and other stuff we share.This link shares the story of Paul Fleming, the lead pastor of Westport Church in Portland, a church he planted [...]
Could you draw a simple picture to explain how you accomplish the mission of your church? We always emphasize the practice of communicating vision visually at Auxano. This is particularly true when it comes to your strategy [...]
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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