Breeze Blog

In leadership, there is no scarier phrase than “toxic culture.” If your church staff has a toxic culture, that means it’s literally harmful to be a part of your community–if you work here, you will get hurt. Ouch.   What produces toxic cultures? The answer is actually quite simple. Toxic people create toxic cultures.   Perhaps the most important thing you can do as a leader is pursue your own emotional health. Don’t allow yourself to become toxic. In addition, spend your time helping those you...

I know you put a ton of thought into constructing your worship services, but I’d like to suggest there may be a few things missing as you plan your weekend experience.  If you’re like me, from time to time you get stuck in a rut. We pursue patterns and can lose the perspective of people we want to connect with and serve. And so, in the interest of connecting with and reaching more people, let’s talk about four perspectives you might be missing in your worship service. Outsiders Have you ever...

I’m a huge proponent of off-site retreats. An overnight retreat is even better. I believe incredible things can happen relationally and strategically with your team when you take time to connect and think in creative ways. Maybe pulling off a staff retreat feels like a nightmare to you. It doesn’t have to be. You only need four ingredients: location, fun, stories, and strategery. (That last one might not be a real word but roll with me.) Let’s break down what each of these four elements might...

“I wish there were more hours in a day.”   “I need another day in the workweek.”   These are things we say when we feel overwhelmed. In my experience, this rarely has to do with not having enough time but rather how we use our time. Let’s discuss how to be incredibly productive without working 60+ hours a week. I have seven strategies that have worked for me, and hopefully, they will work for you as well. Start Early I know. I know. Those of you who aren’t morning people just stopped reading. I...

I’ve spent the last week at a cottage in northern Michigan with my wife’s extended family. One of the most enjoyable parts of the week has been cooking together. Cooking with other people is fantastic because you learn new tricks, techniques, and recipes. I love learning from other people, whether cooking, preaching, leadership, or whatever. So, let’s learn together. This week I’m sharing seven resources I use in my work as a pastor, and perhaps you’ll be willing to share a few resources you...

Right now, nearly every industry across the nation is struggling to hire solid employees. As the nation reopens, some businesses have more work than they can handle and not enough employees to do the work. There is a labor shortage.   Churches are dealing with the same challenge. At least mine is.  In a season where hiring is difficult, leadership development becomes even more critical. To be effective, we need to grow the people we have into the leaders we need. A big part of this is providing...

There is a lot of conversation right now in podcasts and blogs about the future of the church in America. Did the pandemic speed up the slow decline of the Church? Will we be post-Christian in a decade?   What about your church? Will you recover? Will you move forward stronger and more resilient? Or, will you be closing your doors in a few years?   These are challenging questions that are keeping many of us up at night. What can we do?   I believe we have a tremendous opportunity to come...

Is your church attendance down 20-30%? Mine is. That’s the national average right now. It’s confusing and scary. What does it mean? Are people coming back? Is our church much smaller now? I believe we won’t have clear answers until the fall ministry season. And so, what do we do until then? Quietly freak out?   To protect my sanity and keep my focus, I’ve made some decisions about what I’m going to do and not do this summer. I’m hoping my decisions might encourage or challenge you as well. I...

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be putting together performance reviews for my staff.  Sounds like a blast, doesn’t it?!   Joking aside, performance reviews are actually a crucial element of our staff development plan.  Do you use this tool as you lead your team?  Even if you only have one other person on staff or a small team of volunteers, I think it’s worth conducting reviews. Allow me to try and convince you to start (or perhaps return to) conducting regular performance reviews with your...

One of the joys in my life right now is my wife Katie’s role in our church. She is a small group leader in our student ministry. And, if I could brag a little, she’s excellent at it!   This is fun for me because for 15 years, I was the student ministry person in our household. Katie would care for our kids while I was out Wednesday and Sunday nights. Now, the roles have flipped. I’m home with our kids for dinner and bedtime while she is pouring into teenagers. I love it.   Being an effective...