Breeze Blog

Congratulations! Today you get to read about one of my greatest hopes and also one of my greatest dysfunctions. That is, I deeply desire to build a culture of empowerment in church staff. I want people to feel believed in and trusted to do great work. However…and this is a big however. I am a control freak. I believe things should be done a certain way and I don’t naturally trust people to do things the way I like them to be done.  Yes, you are right. This hope and this dysfunction are polar...

I’ve noticed something. Silos are back. I think it’s a side effect of the COVID shutdowns and working remotely. During COVID, all our teams did a great job working independently to continue ministry. But now, in many ways, we are functioning in silos again. I wonder if you are experiencing the same at your church.  How do we get back to working together effectively and efficiently? I think it takes effort and vigilance. Also, I think it is totally worth the fight.   In this post, let’s look at...

Over the last two and a half years, pastors and church leaders have had to grow in a specific skill: How to talk about divisive cultural issues. We’ve had to engage conversations about masks and vaccines, racial reconciliation, politics, LGBT+ topics, abortion and more. None of these conversations have been easy to engage in. Also, the conversations in our culture aren’t exactly gracious.   How do we as church leaders talk about these topics? How do we teach our congregations to engage these...

Everywhere I go I see help wanted signs. It seems like every organization is trying to hire good people right now. I’m guessing your church is looking for a few employees as well.   The thing about bringing new people onto your staff is that it can be phenomenally beneficial…or it can be very regrettable. It all depends on whether or not the people you hire are the right fit. And, it often comes down to the interview process. Do you know what they don’t teach you in seminary?  How to interview...

I’m old enough to remember learning to drive without Google Maps. Back in the day we used to just get lost and then we had to figure out where we were. It often involved stopping at a gas station and asking for directions or pulling out that giant atlas that your dad made you pack in your car.   These days you connect your phone and a voice magically tells you when to take the next turn. Wouldn’t it be nice, in leadership, if someone’s voice would just tell you how to get to where you want to...

As we prepare for the fall ministry season, I’m guessing you have some goals for your ministry and for your church. In fact, this fall ministry season feels pivotal.  After two years of COVID-19, many of us are hoping to return to growth or return to a full ministry offering and schedule.   We have goals we want and need to achieve this fall.  The funny thing about goals is that we are good at setting them but not always good at achieving them (Like New Years resolutions–Oof!)  When it comes to...

Unfortunately, there are times when a ministry volunteer needs to be removed from their volunteering position.  In a church setting, this process can be particularly challenging.  So, how and when might this need to be done?  Let’s talk.   Clear Expectations The first thing we need to talk about is clear expectations.  Most volunteers want to do a good job and are capable of doing what you need them to do—as long as they’re clear on what that is.  Often, the frustration lies in the lack of...

When you are in leadership, people come to you for answers.   “What do I do about this volunteer?” “Where are we going as a church?” “How do we respond to that group of people?” “How do we increase giving in our church?    And, as a leader, you’re kind of supposed to know what to say in those moments.  Is it just me or does that feel like a lot of pressure!?!? At a foundation level, leadership is about bringing clarity to complexity.  It’s the ability to engage the toughest of questions and...

If there was ever a time where your church’s small group ministry needs to be growing, this is it!  Why?  Because small groups provide the relational stickiness that helps people feel like your church is a family.  Coming out of COVID, people are more relationally disconnected than ever before.  If you can provide a solid relationally connected discipleship experience through small groups, you will hit people with exactly what they need right when they need it.  I’m guessing your small group...

A few years ago, when I was a youth pastor, our family ministries director asked me a challenging question. “What percentage of our graduated students are plugged into a church?” I was like,  “Uh…I don’t know…hopefully a lot of them?”   I literally didn’t know.  Then he said something that totally changed my approach to student ministry. “That’s not good enough!”   He was right.  It’s not good enough to not know if our students grow into young adults who stay connected with church.   Let’s be...