Breeze Blog

Leadership is telling people what to do, right? Actually, no. Good leadership is influence. One of the most strategic ways to influence people is through asking good questions. In this post, I share 4 questions that I regularly ask in one-on-ones with the people I lead. I believe that at least 1 or 2 of these questions will help you lead people more effectively.  4 Questions to Ask in One-On-One Meetings   How Can I Help? The first question I often ask is, “How can I help?”  I like to ask this...

Every weekend is an opportunity to help people connect with God. That’s a pretty incredible privilege and responsibility, if you think about it.  You’ve been in worship services that moved you into a space where you could really focus on connecting with God. You've also been in worship services that were so distracting that it was difficult for you to connect with God.   So, how do we craft and execute great worship services? Each of our churches has our own focuses and strategies. In this...

Recently I connected with a family who described themselves as “church shopping.” I’m sure you’ve heard that phrase. I’ll admit that I don’t really like it, but I also understand that when a Christian family moves into the area, that’s what they do. A bunch of people also changed churches during and after COVID. Many Jesus-followers have been “church shopping” recently. Here’s a question: What’s on the “church shopping list"? I’ve been listening to how people talk about church. I’ve been in a...

Every time I ask our frontline ministry leaders what issues and challenges they are facing with people, the same answer is always at or near the top of the list. Marriages. So many marriages are struggling. I’m sure you’re running into the same thing as you serve and lead in your church. How do you invest in healthy marriages in your church? Here are five strategies we’ve been using that will hopefully help at your church as well.  #1: A Healthy Start  I remember the early days of my marriage....

Do you know what will make your church stronger? A team that is well-trained and prepared. Maybe that’s your staff team or maybe that’s your volunteer team. Ideally, it’s both.   Whether you lead a church or a ministry within a church, here are a few key ways to strengthen and grow your core leaders.   1. Culture How people actually behave together is one of the most important aspects of your church. This is called culture.  How do you create a healthy and productive team culture? I recently...

In ministry, there are a lot of things we can measure and some metrics are more helpful than others when it comes to determining the health of your church. In this post, I’m sharing 5 metrics that I find very helpful in determining where we are and how we’re doing in my church.   #1: Engagement For years, my most important metric was weekend attendance. Then, COVID changed everything. Now, I think the best measurement is church engagement. In my mind, there are three key measurements for...

Will you be a healthier person in 2023 than 2022? A year from now, will you be closer to Jesus, have better boundaries, and live with more margin? Or, will you be more burned out and over-extended? I think this is an important question for us to consider.   Let me tip my hand. Whether or not 2023 is a healthier year for you has less to do with your environment and more to do with how you choose to function in your environment. If you want a healthier version of yourself as you serve and lead in...

For years, I didn’t understand what leading people is all about. Because of this, I was accidentally stifling the potential and development of everyone around me. I made my team dependent on me. Unfortunately, I think most leaders naturally fall into this. Fundamentally, leading people is about unlocking their potential and creating an environment where they can grow and develop. When everyone is leading at their individual potential, the corporate potential for your church staff is practically...

If you’re like me, you typically procrastinate on your sermon for New Year’s weekend. The preaching calendar says, “stand alone sermon” and when you notice it in September, it’s like, “eh, that’s months away.” Then in October you’re like, “I should probably figure that out.” And then in December you panic. Yeah. Been there.   I thought I would share two rough outlines I have for a sermon on New Year’s weekend. I’ll probably use one of these myself. Maybe one of these ideas will fit you and your...

Do you have a development plan? If you don’t, consider asking your supervisor or board to help you craft one. I have found a development plan to be helpful in growing me as a leader and pastor. Also, I have found development plans to be similarly helpful for just about everyone on our church staff.   Part of my development plan called for me to hire several preaching coaches. The goal for this project was to broaden the sources of feedback. I found the experience to be incredibly helpful, but...