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It’s Your Fault

Addressing A Common Cultural Characteristic In Many Organizations

I recently re-read a booklet entitled Culture Shift by Dr. Price Pritchett. One chapter was right to the point, in my view, concerning a common cultural characteristic in many organizations. Still, it is especially prevalent in those where rapid change is the norm ... like a growing church. The chapter is entitled, Taking Personal Responsibility for Fixing Things. CCV's culture is certainly one of rapid growth and … [Read more...]

The Organizational Chart

One Of The Most Important Parts Of An Organization's Documented Infrastructure

An important part of developing infrastructure related to staff, the definition of authority, compensation, duties, and responsibilities, etc., is the Organizational Chart. It seems like a "lost art" these days, however. What do I mean? Nine times out of 10, when I ask a church leader if they have an organizational chart for their church staff, they say "no." I'm like, "Why not?" They usually say that they've … [Read more...]

Chip Heath & Dan Heath On Change

This Week's Great Book Quote

"Change is hard because people wear themselves out. And that’s the second surprise about change: what often looks like laziness is exhaustion." Chip Heath & Dan Heath   … [Read more...]

The Best Of The Blogosphere For The Week Of January 17th

This Week's Top Posts From Around The Web

7 Traits Of A Healthy And Productive Team - Dan Reiland The Anatomy Of A Courageous Decision. 12 Steps For How To Make A Successful One. - Brian Dodd Culture Renovation: 18 Leadership Actions To Build An Unshakeable Company - Michael McKinney 7 Reasons We Must Be Patient With Church Change - Chuck Lawless 8 Principles For A Healthy Team Dynamic - Tony Morgan And this week's funny video.... … [Read more...]

How’s Business?

Data Collection ... One Of The First Steps For The New Executive Pastor

Understanding the current "state of the business" is one of the first tasks for the new executive pastor. Peter Drucker said it best, "What business are you in, and how's business?" From a post I wrote a while back, the concept I'm putting forth here comes from the Performance Cycle. Starting at the end, Measuring Results, the new executive pastor must implement data collection and reporting processes right from … [Read more...]

New Book – Intentional Churches

How Implementing An Operating System Clarifies Vision, Improves Decision-Making, and Stimulates Growth

I just finished reading the new book, Intentional Churches! A great read! I've read countless books related to ministry and church leadership over the years, but this one stands out. In fact, recently I've stopped reading on the "do church better" topic. Everything I pick up and start reading disappoints. It's usually the same old concepts and methods rehashed. Not this time, though. Intentional Churches is … [Read more...]

Strategic Planning Operating Procedure

Purpose The purpose of this operating procedure is to establish, document, and communicate the process for strategic planning at YOUR CHURCH. Scope The strategic planning process is used by senior staff to evaluate the organization’s performance, in terms of meeting stakeholder needs, and to develop a plan to better meet those needs during the coming planning period.  The process begins with an annual strategic … [Read more...]

Brad Chase On Strategy

This Week's Great Book Quote

"Some business leaders think they’d rather have great execution than superior strategies, but the truth is you can’t have the first without the second." Brad Chase   … [Read more...]

The Best Of The Blogosphere For The Week Of January 10th

This Week's Top Posts From Around The Web

12 Church Trends for 2021 - Thom Rainer A Key Mindset To Achieve More - Michael Hyatt 7 Primary Responsibilities Of Your Lead Team - Dan Reiland 6 Reasons You Need To Be Intentional About Culture In 2021 - Jenni Catron 12 Questions Church Leaders Need To Ask Monthly - Chuck Lawless And this week's funny video.... … [Read more...]

Theological Alignment And Recruitment

A Brief Description Of The Thought Behind And Purpose Of The "Ministry Staff Questionnaire"

There are lots of resources available here on Executive Pastor Online. One that I made available a few years back is the Ministry Staff Questionnaire. We use the Questionnaire for several reasons. It's probably the single most important part of the recruiting process. Sure, we have a Job Description for any position we're recruiting, and we require a prospective candidate to fill out an Employment Application, … [Read more...]