8 Principles for leading a team

Mega-church pastor Perry Noble gives 8 principles for leading a team:

#1 – You will never effectively motivate someone with feelings of guilt
#2 – People don’t respond to need – they respond to vision
#3 – A person cannot be held accountable for unspoken expectations
#4 – Keep short accounts
#5 – Don’t be afraid to set high standards
#6 – Beware of the all-star
#7 – Each team member is a human being
#8 – Ask questions

Click here to read the whole thing.

Beating temptation

Brilliant article on beating temptation by Rick Warren here.

When the media comes calling

My (limited) experience with the media is that having them visit a church is usually something of a mixed blessing. Pastors are usually glad for the publicity, but very often what is reported is not how the church would like to be represented! Media involvement is a double-edged sword...

Sometimes, though, the press do just report things as they are.

PJ Smyth has been stirring the waters in Johannesburg with provocative sermon series (on subjects like sex) and provocative meeting venues (like a casino). The South African Sunday Times interviewed him and has run a feature on Godfirst Church titled Praise the Lord and pass the beer.

You can read the whole thing here. And here is an extract,

Fancy thrashing out the meaning of a psalm over a beer before the church sermon starts? Then you may want to join the roughly 1500 Johannesburg residents who have become congregants of GodFirst Church, which has adopted a string of sexy ways to lure non-religious people to church.

Earlier this year, GodFirst caused some controversy when it hosted an eight-week course called Sex in the City, which included topics titled All Night Long and I Kissed a Girl and Liked It. The billboard advertising the event contained a provocative image of a woman's red lips and read: "Jozi loves sex. God loves sex. Let's talk."

But it proved to be too hot for the Advertising Standards Authority, which ruled that it "trivialised" God by creating the impression "that God loves sex in the same way ordinary people do" and ordered the church to remove it.

Don't fear the routine

I always find Carl Trueman's posts thought provoking. Here he does an excellent dissection of the 'Young, Restless & Reformed' movement (of which I would consider myself a part), pointing out the dangers of the cult of personality, and the value of the routine.

Well worth reading.

Fueled by Passion

By their 60th birthday, a majority of leaders have begun to contemplate retirement. By age 70, most have bid farewell to the working world. Past 80 years of age, no one is expected to work, and it's virtually unheard of for a leader to remain at the pinnacle of his or her profession.

Don't mention retirement to Joe Paterno, though. Spurred on by an unquenchable passion, the 82-year old legend recently signed a three-year contract extension to continue coaching the Penn State football team. The contract wasn't simply a gesture of loyalty, either. Paterno led Penn State to the Rose Bowl last year, and his teams boast a 40-11 record over the past four seasons.

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Do you church discipline?

9Marks eJournal on church discipline available here.

Authentic Leadership

Steve Gladen writes,

As a leader you need to share your weaknesses as well as your strengths. You need to share your messes and your successes. You need to speak with honesty. It may not always be easy, but you need to be truthful with those you lead. Truthfulness is part of sharing who you are. We need to speak the truth in love, growing in every way more like Christ.

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