Wednesday, March 28th, 2012
The school yard bully is quintessential in our memories. Creatives, even those that work in faith institutions or volunteer for a cause, face a bully of sorts. You see, often there exists a factory mindset that says conformity is unity as it cries fowl at innovation. Innovation means change. Change is bad. Creatives simply change things because that is the nature of creativity! Compliance to vision is actually not the question–status-quo worship is. I am going to use the sacred cow detector and list ten statements that bully us creatives as we serve the church. Some of these are more subtly expressed, but we hear them all the same. (more…)
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
I actually talked with more than one person this week from various places about this before I got this note last night. This young pastor is trying to do his best but is caught in that season when he is seeing how things hurt even in a healthy church setting.
If you are a lead pastor, I sure hope this helps you see how you might be perceived. You may know less about how those who serve you think than you realize.
In your experience, do lead/senior pastors tend to avoid conflict at all costs…even if it means throwing their worship pastor or anyone else under the bus?
My lead pastor doesn’t go to bat for me or the associate pastor…he’ll even tell me one thing, I will do it well, and then if there is kickback he won’t stand with us.
…Is this a common problem in churches, ya think?
-Tired At 28 (more…)
Saturday, January 9th, 2010
Survival Kit for Church Staff Part 1
When you are on a church staff, you live in a very rare club of professionals. Working at a church has much of the same dynamic of the business world yet the added personal, spiritual and altruistic component. I get a lot of younger worship leaders and staff people at churches from all over the place asking advice about this, so I thought I would share some of the wisdom from those conversations.
How do you ask questions?
Asking a question is probably the most feared process from a staff person at a church for those who do not have the power of the senior leader. Often, a staff person feels his or her job is on the line or that retribution soon will come back to bite. Often it does even with the result of the loss of employment. (more…)
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