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Charles R. Swindoll On Attitude

This Week's Great Book Quote

"We should acknowledge the past with its pains and joys, sorrows and successes. But we don't drown in the past; we draw from it. It's a choice. We either choose to look backwards and aimless drift in a sea of sadness...or we choose to appreciate the blessings and paddle forward with an attitude of optimism that can affect generations to come." Charles R. Swindoll … [Read more...]

The Best Of The Blogosphere For The Week Of March 19th

This Week's Top Posts From Around The Web

Why You Need A Continuity Plan - Andrew Casanova 7 Fears That Serve To Undermine Good Leadership - Gary McIntosh Five Questions For Churches As Worship Gatherings Become Smaller - Thom Rainer The Secret Ingredient To Effectively Leading In Today's World - Brian Dodd Why Saying "I'm So Busy" May Be Hurting Your Credibility - Scott Cochrane And this week's funny … [Read more...]

Are You A Hector Or A Corey?

Excellent Leadership Insight From Another Great Leadership Book

From Good Boss, Bad Boss, are you a "Hector" or a "Corey?" Hector ... Hector spent hardly any time talking to his people and showed little interest in their work or careers. Hector ignored his team for long stretches and then—at seemingly random intervals—rushed in and demanded that everyone work on some urgent project. To paraphrase one SPaM member, “Every now and then, he would ride in on his white horse, … [Read more...]

Difficult Decisions

Three Things To Remember When Making And Implementing Difficult Decisions

I've been doing this leadership thing for as long as I can remember. I've discovered how making and implementing difficult decisions is one of the hardest and most painful things we do. Whether it's church discipline, trying to help people experiencing financial hardship, or identifying and addressing unacceptable behavior, making and implementing difficult decisions is "difficult" and not much fun. It's just … [Read more...]

Writing By-Laws For Your Church

Some Guidance On Writing The Highest Level Document In The Church

The highest level document for any church or non-profit organization would certainly be the by-laws. I periodically get requests for input on writing or updating by-laws. Of course, I always direct them to the Resources area of my site, where I've included a sample of a full set of by-laws. Check it out HERE. A good set of by-laws should contain: Name and Purpose - What's the name of the church and its … [Read more...]

The Best Of The Blogosphere For The Week Of March 12th

This Week's Top Posts From Around The Web

7 Indications You're About To Make A Really Bad Leadership Decision - Ron Edmondson 11 Things To Look For When Adding A Leader To Your Organization - Brian Dodd 4 Common Fears And How To Fight Them - Eric Geiger Find Your Leadership Default Setting - Scott Cochrane 4 Secrets Of Staff And Leadership Development - Christian Muntean And this week's funny video...       … [Read more...]

How To Write An Operating Procedure

Some Thoughts On Writing One Of The Most Important Documents In Any Organization

The operating procedure is the heart of any serious effort to develop infrastructure in the church. Here on Executive Pastor Online, you'll find lots of content about infrastructure development and the role of the Management System in this process. More than any other document type in the Management System will be the Operating Procedure and associated forms, work instructions, effectiveness measures, etc. The … [Read more...]

Becoming An Executive Pastor

Answering The Question I'm Often Asked ... "How Do I Become An Executive Pastor?"

I've been approached more than once over the years by individuals who are interested in "doing what I've done." They're interested in becoming an executive pastor someday. They ask, "How do I become an executive pastor?" Given the uniqueness of the role and my path to the position, I'm not sure what to tell them. There's no degree or "typical" career path. In fact, in most cases, people in this role didn't set out … [Read more...]

“Quadrant 1” Time

Spending Time In Stephen Covey's "Quadrant 1" Is Not Always A Bad Thing

Have you read Steven Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People? Do you remember the "4 Quadrants?" You know: Quadrant 1 - Urgent and Important Quadrant 2 - Not Urgent and Important Quadrant 3 - Urgent and Not Important Quadrant 4 - Not Urgent and Not Important The idea is that as leaders, we should prioritize our time such that we spend more and more of it (in fact, most of it) in Quadrant … [Read more...]